Binge/compulsive eating (no purging) anyone do it or recovered?

[BabblingWreckSimianBrain]

My local health authority doesn't consider my case to be serious enough to warrant NHS help. GP is sympathetic but her hands are tied. She said the only way to get help is if you're bulimic or anorexic, neither of which is my issue. She also said that at my weight, because I'm simply 'obese' and not morbidly obese they don't consider my issues to be serious either. I have raised BP and am no starting to notice aches and pains that I'm sure are weight related.

I have been doing this for 30 years and want to stop but I dont know how. I've tried every diet out there and dieting only seems to make the problem worse.

Hi babbling, sorry to hear you're not getting any medical help. Do you think getting to the core of the problem may help you more though? Obviously having done it for 30 years, it's going to take time but wondering if you've ever tried counselling?

I have also had issues around food from my teens & still battle with these demons now. My emotions play a big part in how I eat/binge/starve. However, having had different types of counselling over the years, I do recognise my triggers.

I found that diets didn't help me either, so I can understand that.

Let us know your thoughts.

Have you tried low carbing as a way of eating, not diet? Done right, it can kill cravings and stabilises appetite as well as being v effective for losing weight. Have a look around big/slim/whatever board, you'll find lots of support there.

Heard good things about hypnotherapy tho not tried.

I would second high protein low carb to help.

I have ben a binger for 30 years, and dieting does make it worse. I decidedto try this out, asI figured I had nothing left to lose. It has made a big dfference and seems to has stopped me eating a lot of bingey stuff.

Breakfast high fibre no sugar cereal with milk, and banana. Lunch 1 peice of wolemeal bread with a fair bit of cheese and salad. Tea, smoked kipper/chicen with lot of salad. Snacks, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. I did have nuts too, but couldn't stop eating them , also full fat yoghurts.

Bingeing on crap virtually stopped straight away. I do still binge as am just starting this, but have cut down a lot. If I do binge now it isn't shit like biscuits and cakes. Weetabix is now my binge of choice. Not perfect, but geting there. Also yoghurts, but don't eat loads. I have noticed that I never feel really hungry, and a handful of pumpkin seeds is filling. Very little craving for sugary crap

I really feel after years of bingeing and bad eating I am turning a corner

She ought to be referring you for CBT or something like that. It can really help.

I did used to overeat occasionally and it was horrid, I was a teenager at the time...I found it so awful that I controlled my eating very harshly in the end, and finally slipped into anorexia instead, which did a lot of harm.

It was something I recovered from after several years but I did it the long, slow, difficult way with very little help. I did have some therapy but at the time that made it worse. I had to come through it myself iyswim.

Try to separate the eating from the feelings - that's my only real advice. It's almost never actually about food. Good luck x

Have you tried OA?