I will eat a whole packet of biscuits, is that normal? Food nosie

[ByNimbleOrca]

If there are sweets or something in the fridge I really like, I will eat them all in one sitting.

Packs of six pack crisps don't last more than two days, I can't stop eating biscuits and even savory food I will pick at it.

Is this normal or does everyone have to control themselves?

Oh no, if the packet is open I have to eat the lot. I've gotten around this by simply not buying things that come in large packs (like biscuits) and buying things in smaller packages (catering boxes of biscuits where there are wrapped in two packs etc).

My personal worst thing is ritz crackers. Once that box is open it's got about 30 mins before it's completely gone. I don't have self control so I just don't buy them (I do have enough self control to not buy them at least...)

I used to be anorexic in my teens and the binge eating tendencies have never left, sadly.

You don’t need to be baffled as it’s obvious that eating 3 packets of crisps in a day doesn’t mean you have binge eating disorder.

Orthorexia is extremely common in women of our generation

I am like you, op.
I have to fight against 'food noise' constantly. I have to check my weight daily otherwise it will climb and climb. I work out 5 times a week in a bid not to be super morbidly obese. It's very rarely not on my mind and I have to employ all sorts of silly tricks to stay healthy (like only buying biscuits i don't like)

I have gone out of my way to raise my kids with good food habbits and healthy lifestyle and despite being raised exactly the same, Ds9 is disciplined, doesn't have much of a sweet tooth, saves his treats to stretch them through the week....ds6...no chance, he's just like me. He will moan and cry for a sweet treat and he will always want the whole lot. He can barely let his popcorn last through the trailers at the cinema.

So from my anecdotal experience...I believe some people are like this and some are not.

Since I stopped drinking, I crave sugary stuff a lot more. DH has nicknamed me “ The Biscuit Hoover”! I couldn’t eat a whole packet in one sitting but sometimes get through 7 or 8, especially custard creams! So moreish!

7 or 8 biscuits, not packets lol 🤣🍪

Custard creams and party rings are the worst offenders...they WILL NOT LAST 😆

Food is just another addiction for some people. Processed food has been designed to make you want more. If you’re susceptible then it’s a hard one to get over because you have to face your demons three times a day. You can’t go cold turkey like you can with cigarettes or drugs. Not everyone struggles with the same things!

We all have our vices and the world would be a much nicer place if people weren’t absolute arseholes to eachother about their struggles. Just because YOU manage or YOU don’t have a problem doesn’t mean it’s the same for everyone else. The world would be a boring place if it was.

@ByNimbleOrca

Maybe it was because deprived/controlled as a child?

You could be on to something there. I have complex PTSD relating to neglect in childhood and my out of control eating began when I was around 9/10 - I remember clearly taking things from the kitchen because I didn't know if there would be a meal later. Then as soon as I left home and had a job in a restaurant I suddenly had choices that hadn't been available to me and I really couldn't control my eating. 30 years later I am now using Mounjaro which has taken away the desire and I eat a really healthy and clean diet, I don't feel deprived of anything and I am loosing some of the spare 10 stone I have been carrying about.

The KM quote is vile and I'm surprised to see so many people backing that poster.

But driving everywhere is normal and also unhealthy

Living in a polluted city is normal and also unhealthy

Sitting at a desk for 8 hours only making micromovements with your mouse is normal and also unhealthy

All things you can either change or do other things to compensate.

ImTheOnlyUpsyOne party rings are fatal! I used to buy them for DD when she was little then demolish them before she got a look in!

I only buy what I know I should eat daily. If I buy a packet of biscuits I know I will struggle not to eat them, so avoid buying them. I am lucky as I can shop every day a the local shops. I know they are more expensive than the huge supermarket a car ride away but I cannot stock food. It is the only way to keep my weight down, I am a size 12 and I never had this problem when I was young. I have no self control these days.

Twenty years ago there were not many additives added to our food. These days the food companies have chemicals added, to have us desire their product, they have changed our brain set and are very addictive.
You are not alone.

So you accept my point that our society has normalised things that are detrimental to our health. But we don't normally go on threads about office workers having muskoskeletal problems to throw moral judgements at them. "You have a repetitive strain injury? It's your own fault. How can you sit indoors for most of the week? IT'S WRONG."

BTW moving house, changing careers or controlling the transport environment around you are not easy things. Also good luck with "compensating" for pollution or sedentary working.

I don't buy biscuits, because although I wouldn't eat a whole packet in one sitting, I could certainly eat a packet in a day with various cups of tea. Nothing hits the spot like a dunked biscuit 😂

However, as I said, I don't buy them for that reason. We don't buy crisps or any other junk either since DH had a heart scare and overhauled his diet (our main meals have always been healthy but I bought crisps and chocolate every week to have in the cupboard)

This post is something else. I was prediabetic and I reversed it through diet. It’s wildly inappropriate to tell people not to be concerned about their physical health for the sake of mental wellbeing. I’ve lost relatives at young ages or seen them loose limbs and sight due to uncontrolled diabetes and complications so I don’t appreciate people spouting about a ‘healthy mindset’ that it might be ‘obsessive’ to want to reduce your risk factors. Diabetes and heart disease can be serious and life limiting.

Plus like someone already said, no one is binge eating vegetables, it’s the UPF’s that are attractive

In all honesty people can eat whatever they want, and if you want it to be your normal then that’s fine. Frankly this way of living, it ruined my life for far too long and I know many other people feel the same. For anyone who does want help or support to stop (out of your choice) then don’t feel embarrassed to ask for help or support for fear of being labeled ‘boring’ ‘miserable’ or ‘orthorexic’. Sadly there isn’t the support in healthcare though people just tell you to stop and it’s not that easy.

Being satiated through food is a wonderful normal emotion, who doesn’t feel good after a meal - you are meant to.

It’s just some people realise that you also get another feeling of nausea, dread and humiliation after binge eating and they do not like it, and it’s not purely society’s fault, human bodies aren’t designed to handle long term excess of carbs sugar and fats, we literally have organs and mechanisms that can over time, become unhealthy and malfunction due to poor diet (high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease).

You can still get that satiated content feeling after eating a moderated meal so you don’t need to worry that you won’t get the good feeling ever again, you do, but there isn’t the right support for people at all and I hope that does change over time.

Whilst there are always people who take things to an extreme end there are also people in the middle, but many people do have to work at self moderating to some extent whether it’s food, alcohol, spending money etc. You wouldn’t advocate spending all your money (and ending up skint) on shoes each month because it makes you happy, would you?

Genuine question: what's 'the point' of eating the whole packet though? If the packet was twice the size would you eat the whole thing or just half? If the packet was half the size would you stop when it was gone or eat two packets?

I'm one of those who doesn't get food noise and doesn't eat stuff until it's gone, but unlike some of the sanctimonious ones on the thread I am genuinely curious. I can't imagine my life being ruled by food in this way and I'm sorry that people struggle with it.

She sounds healthy but you sound miserable.

That’s normal. A bag of crisps is about the size of my palm. I could easily eat three of them. The other day, I bought Oreo ice cream, and I thought I could eat six!

Normally I am like that, so I just try not to buy biscuits and crisps and all the nice stuff. At the moment I'm taking some horrible medication which has a devastating effect on my guts, so I do have to ration myself severely otherwise I would be on the loo all day. I actually still have some of the Lindor chocolates I was given at Christmas!

I think it's common as I've heard lots of people say it. I don't though. It's not that I have great self control. I can eat a pound of cheese in one go. Eating too much sugar makes me feel very sick.

Is this for real 😆

*But driving everywhere is normal and also unhealthy

Living in a polluted city is normal and also unhealthy

Sitting at a desk for 8 hours only making micromovements with your mouse is normal and also unhealthy*

But the point is that those things are normal and also unhealthy to you.

They aren't normal to other people.

I also had a problem with binge eating pies, crisps, sandwiches, etc from petrol stations as I used to have a long commute. Maybe extreme, but I took a more local job, less wages, but no petrol stations en route, not that there’d be time as it was only 10 minutes away. Stopped my commuting binge eating dead, saved me money by not wasting at tenner on crap twice a day, and gave me time to move more, as I gained two hours per day in not having the commute so went walking or cycling or the gym every day. People need to think bigger picture lifestyle changes rather than obsess about micro self control. It works better in the long run.

So true! OP I just never ever buy it, we only have healthy food in the house. I wouldn't do well with the temptation either! As another poster said all the junk is designed to be really addictive. And there's only so many carrots a person can be tempted with if that's the only snack in your fridge 😁

OP you were very brave to come on Mumsnet and talk about eating a whole packet of biscuits. A lot of people on here are very intense and prideful about their restrictive eating and make ridiculous value judgements about other people eating more than they do.

I do think what you're talking about is very common, and the reason lots of people might just get biscuits/crisps in for parties or special occasions.