I was bulimic as a teenager and would binge eat and purge. Not every day but regularly. I’m quite sure it affected regulation and it wasn’t until I stopped that I was able to develop healthy eating behaviours.
However I did have a major hormone problem, I had a pituitary tumour which may have been the underlying cause for my binging habit.
When I was finally diagnosed and had treatment I dropped 2 stone in 2 months. I have insulin resistance and over carbing triggers it. I have to be strict about carbs and can effectively maintain my weight as a result.
I do fall off the wagon occasionally but after a week or so of low carbs my energy returns and I feel so much better.
As for food noise, it’s not really noise but a physiological need for carbs. If I eat a high carb meal I produce too much insulin which strips the glucose from my system and I experience a hypo. I then have to eat something to bring my glucose level back up. I feel overwhelming fatigue after a carb heavy meal which can be useful if I want a good nights sleep.
My downfall is bread, now DS is at uni DH and I eat very little bread but I can’t resist a fresh white slice of bread and butter. I’m not a fan of sweet food or chocolate so never really tempted to overindulge.
I’m currently on a calorie deficit diet after putting on weight, due to hormone blockers for breast cancer. My body has got used to the new hormone levels so weight loss has become easier.
Food noise is not how I would describe it in my case it has more to do with low blood sugar caused by the insulin resistance. Basically I feel I need to eat something to counteract the brain fog and dizziness the insulin resistance causes. It’s much easier to control now I’m retired because I can control my diet better. At work, when I was hungry I would eat rubbish to just keep going.
If I’m not hungry I don’t eat. I’ve also moved away from strict meal times. DH has never had weight problems and like me has adjusted to a lower calorie requirement now we are ancient and less active. We have a light breakfast then probably don’t eat until the evening. I may have a handful of nuts to keep me going but rarely have lunch unless I’m working.
I still would say that food noise is a polite term for greed. I really can’t believe that so many people are insulin resistant to start with. But once obese insulin resistance develops so it perpetuates the problem.
The underlying cause of obesity is complex and is tied in with the food industry, particularly convenience and fast food which is loaded with carbs. I think most of us start life with normal feedback but it is destroyed by poor eating habits early in life. It’s definitely a case of deregulation rather than a “born with “ condition.
There are some interesting studies as to why breast feeding reduces the risk of obesity in later life, but this has more to do with feeding on demand and babies being able to regulate the amount of milk they take rather than the breast milk itself. If you watch a mother breast feeding you rarely see her encourage her baby to continue feeding once they have stopped whereas bottle fed babies are often repeatedly presented with a bottle until they finish.
Breast feeding tends to teach you signals for when your child is full that continue through their childhood. I always knew when DS had finished and would not encourage him to eat everything on his plate. When he was older he just fed it to the dog. He would also “leave room for pudding”. Even though he went through the locust stage mid teens he has now returned to a healthy diet and only eats when he’s hungry. Although he does drink far too much beer, food noise will never be his problem but I do worry about beer noise. He does reassure me that he doesn’t drink every day.