Why do I overeat?

[racingheart]

I am really big now and fed up about it emotionally and physically but my willpower is less than zero when it comes to making changes. It's as though I have a defiant goblin inside me going, 'So what? Eat it! Want it? Have it! Not full yet!'I don't even try. By evening every day my good intentions are gone. It's not like I stick to a diet then break it - it never gets that far!

I can't think of a reason why. I never had problems with food until my mid forties. My weight would go up when happy and down when sad but was within the medical range of healthy and I didn't care I wasn't skinny. But this urge to gorge has crept up on me. I'm happy in every other way - happier than ever - marriage has got over the rocky times when kids were young, I love my job, adore my kids, have some good goals in life. I know I tend to eat more when happy but not usually to overeat like this. Why the sabotage?

I'm hoping someone else on here has a similar experience and maybe worked out some answers.

Are you thirsty?

If you overeat on sugary sweet stuff I can recommend "Potatoes not Prozac", I lost 10lbs in amonth by cutting sugar out of my diet and also found the urge to overeat went as well and I felt fuller on less food. The book is an interesting read about how sugar addiction causes us to overeat and gain weight. HTH

I was like this. Paul McKenna's syustem has worked wonders for me, andnow the weight is just falling off.

If I could answer your question, Op, I'd tell myself too.

I've had a good day today, first one for months where I haven't binged. I told myself last night that I'd eat what I needed, because I deserve to look after myself. That's been good for one day so far :)

If you find out please tell me too!

Paula McKenna did nothing for me I'm afraid. I have read so many books but they all seem to aim to help you if you are unhappy and, like you, I have a lovely life. I am about to embark on "Women, Food and God" by Geneen Roth as recommended by Oprah and have ordered "Constant Craving" by Doreen Virtue for when it is released.

I'm looking for any reason other than sheer piggery

I am like this when I eat too many carbs.

I need a strict set of rules, basically low (but not no) carbs.
Once I start on carbs I just can't stop!

I like Paul McKenna for extra motivation but I do have to watch what I eat too.

I have always been big but controlled it with diets, diets and more diets. Then I had 4 babies in just over 6 years, put on 4 stone each pregnancy and only lost 2 before getting pregnant again. You do the math!
When I was pregnant with my 4th I read 'Beyond Chocolate' and discovered intuitive eating and was able to improve on my relationship with food and my body. I was sick of dieting. It doesn't work and it's soul destroying.
I kept binging though. I binged when I didn't want to do something and food seemed to be the answer to dull any emotions I didn't want to feel. I accepted my size and developed a fattitude. I've read a lot of books on the subject of fat and food addiction, and spent years talking to various counselors.
I was relatively fit and healthy, even compared to my smaller, skinnier friends but food was an addiction for me. I used food in the way that others use drugs or alcohol. It was a perfect addiction- I could still function in society and I was hurting no one but myself.
Finally, about 3 months ago I took myself to the GP for a few things I'd been saving up- when you are size 24-26 then most things are blamed on your weight, and sure enough she said that most of my complaints would resolve if I lost some weight.
I looked into my options; I was done with dieting, I'd never consider surgery, IE still made the most sense to me but I needed some help.
I'd heard a few bloggers talk about the slimpod, which seemed to have good results for some and thought what did I have to lose? It's a form of self hypnosis but the recording is only 10 minutes long, so it's easier to fit into your day than some.
It's worked really well for me. I can now say no to food, and mainly eat only when I'm hungry. I usually only think about food when hungry, it's not popping into my head every few minutes like it used to before. I've been listening to the recording for 12 weeks now and am now a size 20 on top and a size 22 below. I don't weigh myself but I think I've lost at least a stone. I'm not worrying about numbers as I know I can continue to eat 'normally' and my weight will stabilise at what it's meant to be,
I feel much better in myself and would recommend that people try the slimpod. I have several friends listening to it, some who have been into IE beforehand as well, and it has helped most of them say no to food if they aren't hungry.

Thanks for all your replies.

I read Paul McKenna but didn't act on it for long enough to really work out the right hunger level at which to eat and stop. When I was slimmer I could go all day without feeling hungry then eat like a horse at night. I still do that but snack all day too.

Could well be thirst, Lemon, but sheer piggery ( :) timidviper) seems just as likely. Greed is out of fashion as a reason for being overweight, isn't it?

I do crave a lot of sugar these days though, and never used to. That book sounds worth reading, Gazelle.

mymumdom, that sounds identical to Paul McKenna. I love intuitive eating & need the hypnosis to change my thought processes about food.

Bloody hell, Paul McKenna costs no more than a fiver, that slimpod costs £30 per download!

I've tried PM before but never had time to listen to the CD. It always sent me to sleep too! I listen to Trevor in the afternoon before my usual binge time, get 10 mins of 'me' time and come out of it wide awake and raring to go.
Different things definitely work for different folks though.

My PM cd is 20 minutes, I listen to it before bed. I know a lot of people listen to theirs in the afternoon or in the morning before getting up. Did you buy more than one of those downlaods?

I got a 'hypnodiet' cd, which works if I remember to listen to it! It helps me to stop eating emotionally. I didn't like PM though, I suspect a part of me doesn't like a man trying to tell me what to do :)

HTLG I've only got the lose 2 dress size download so far. Might try the exercise one at some stage but am happy trundling on with the one I have. I don't think i'll get below a size 16 but I'm tall and will be happy enough if I make it to that point.

Good luck, you might get a fab surprise and go way past a size 16 :)