How to lose 2 stone when you are a binge eater and addicted to chocolate, cake and takeaways.

[Forgetmenot54]

I'm 44 and I have a really unhealthy diet, I have always had a really bad sweet tooth and can't say no to chocolate, cake etc.

I can't trust myself around sweet stuff, If I buy a packet of chocolate biscuits I will eat the whole lot that day. I won't rest until they are gone. When I am eating, I can't stop when I'm full so I literally have to clear the plate.

I have about a stone and half to lose which I know isn't a lot but I've been trying to lose it for the last 5 years.

I think I need an Appetite Suppressant that actually works as I have no willpower to do it without some help.

I did try Saxenda and whilst it did work and I ate less, I stopped it as I was worried about the black box warning on it and the chance of thyroid cancer. I know the health risks haven't been proven in humans but it was enough to make me stop using it. Saxenda is the only thing that actually worked for me which is why I was gutted that I stopped.

Not sure what I'm asking here, but just wanting to know what other appetite suppressants I could use that actually work or how can someone like me who is addicted to sugar/junk food actually find the discipline to lose weight.

You have to change your diet. Try the 8 week blood sugar diet.

Appetite suppressants are not the way to go. You need to re-train your brain not to be craving a sugar high all the time, and the only way to do that is to stabilise your blood sugar.

You're looking for an easy way and there isn't one I'm afraid.

To be honest it sounds like you’re looking for a short cut
And sadly if it was that easy, no one would be overweight

so you need to eat less and move more, find something that will motivate you, do you want to be able to play more with your DC if you have any, or to walk around a new city without getting out of breath, or do you literally just want to be healthier and have a better chance of health and quality of life as you get older. You stopped the medication for fear of cancer, but constant takeaways and junk food aren’t doing you any favours there either.

and/or just figure out why you ‘can’t say no’ to food, maybe a therapist can help

Are you actually eating meals that make you feel full? If not that’s where to start - plenty of fibre and protein three times a day.

Down load an app (I like Nutricheck but there are loads) that will keep you on track, and teach you about nutrition.

As the PPs have said there is no magic bullet, but eating lots of sugary food will make you feel endlessly hungry. Ranjan Chatterjees Loose Weight Feel Great is a good guide to the principles of healthy eating, and why it’s harder for some people.

I have always had a really bad sweet tooth and can't say no to chocolate, cake etc.

You can say no but you don't. Sorry, but you're just making excuses. If you really want to change your life, you will. Millions of people do. They stop drinking, they lose weight, they stop taking drugs. No one is saying it's easy, but it is 100% possible.

You alone have to decide what kind of life you want for yourself.

Getting my metabolism sorted out with a competent endocrinologist and CBT were the only way I could break the binge cycle of binge eating disorder.

With binge eating disorder, it doesn't matter what you eat, or if you feel full, or whether food is satisfying your cravings. This isn't about willpower, it's about the underlying cause of binge eating - be it emotional or physiological.

I agree that there's no easy path to this. There's no magic diet, there's no supplement, there's no quick answer which will make you not crave those biscuits until they are gone and you feel terrible. It is about re-training your brain to enjoy food, to physically eat for fuel or pleasure without overdoing it. Throwing out food was very, very difficult for me at the start, or leaving something on my plate.

I would be looking into treatment for binge eating and forgetting diets for the moment, since that's not how binge eating is treated.

Earth the same stuff but only within a 4 - 8 hour window. I spent too long messing around with diets and will power. This is what lost me 5 stone and I now keep it off.

Get in a “nil by mouth” mindset for the other hours. Or just drink tea.

Seems too good to be true. You have to have a Bmi of of 27 or more. Non surgical.

https://gastricballoongroup.com/swallowable-gastric-balloon/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI44-I1tOYAIVt4ODBx2PnQB2EAAYASAAEgIS2PDD_BwE

I would be like you, given the chance. Except I fast for 24-36 hours two days a week. Also, don't have cake, chocolate in the house (at least ones I don't like anyway, I do buy snacks for the children, making sure they are ones I don't like). Non fasting days I'm not too strict otherwise.

I'm not overweight but like to be a healthy BMI. First off I just needed to lose one stone. I find fasting best for me. Then there is no confusion about can I have this, how many calories can it have, is this okay, etc. It is simple and to me achievable, I realise not for everyone.

don't buy in unhealthy foods once eaten up. Instead of chocolate store berries and fruit, instead of crisps store salted toasted sunflower seeds. Make home made equivalents of takeaways, bulk make and freeze to make them fast food. Aim for a fist size of protein and the same again of carbs, pile high the non carb veg. Drink lots of water, walk 20k steps.

10K

Try going low carb. I did this and lost the taste for bread, cake, etc, which I previously loved - I was addicted to carbs. I have lost two stone easily. You can fill up on other foods - never hungry. It’s been so worth it.

Forget diets. You need psychotherapy to address the binge eating. That’s the issue. Everything else is just papering over that

I would see if EDMR would work for you. Binge eating usually is a mental health issue rather than an education or will power issue. I have recently found that I had complex PTSD which no amount of CBT counselling was helping me with - although understanding was increased in my brain, the issues in my body (stress illness such as stomach ulcers, IBS, sleep issues etc) were getting worse. I have always eaten crap too but only put weight on since hitting 30s. I’ve had a couple of sessions of EDMR (self referral to NHS counselling services) and already the overeating is reducing as my body begins to heal from holding onto trauma for decades.

1. therapy to address why you “need” to eat beyond feeling satisfied. Preferably with an eating disorder specialist.

2. stop buying your trigger foods - if you are compelled to eat the whole packet of biscuits, don’t eat any.

The key is availability. It's hard to diet when you know there's a pack of biscuits waiting nearby.

Eat your way through all the goodies in the house (or throw out) and make sure you ONLY buy fruit or veg at the supermarket. Minimise your carbs, so boil a single potato or say a single sandwich a day and you're set.

Don't get lured into the 'I've bought lots of veg, but that cake there looks good, what's the harm' trap. Don't buy it.

Please Google inattentive adhd and see if applies to you chaotic impulsive eating can be neuro diversity trait

You need to address the underlying reason why you're eating as you are otherwise nothing will change. Anything else and you will be treating the symptom and not the root cause. Three things you could do:

Have you tried exercising more? For me when I upped my exercise intensity the endorphin hit really killed the cravings I had for sweet stuff.

Consider working with a dietician. It's not a silver bullet but it may be helpful to you knowing that a professional has devised your meal plan. Willpower is still required but it does take some of the heavy lifting away which you may find helpful.

There could be an underlying medical reason why you're craving sugar - if you have a way to access a health check (such as through work) then I'd suggest doing this to see if anything shows up.

Don't go for a gastric band etc. your feelings around food will still be there and they are the problem! You need to change your mindset. Set a limit to what you can eat and don't have it in the house!

There is no easy way to weight loss unfortunately,
for me what keeps my hunger away is coffee with no sugar and little milk,
I also do intermittent fasting but i wouldn't recommend that unless you've had the ok with a professional, I unknowingly have been doing it since i was 16 but it's what works for me and my body doesn't need as much food to sustain itself. Everyone is different.
Still I had to change my diet, cut out on chocolates and all the nice sweet stuff and move more...diet is the main key thing to help with weight loss and maintaining the weight loss too.

For a while you need to not have these foods in the house. I agree with PP about therapy tbh

A short cut wont fix it

I don't have junk food in the house. You get used to not having it around. If I want something sweet I'll have pineapple or for chocolate 85% dark chocolate.

And agree with pp exercise makes you want to eat less rubbish as it makes you feel great.

You have to try to go cold turkey for a week, to get the sugar out of your system, go low carb, using veg and fruit as your main carb intake, plus legumes.

I’m going against the grain here but with the problems you describe, only being 1.5 stone overweight sounds great. If you muck your body around trying to lose weight you risk ending up bigger. If you can make small changes that get the weight off very slowly that may be worth it but really is it so bad to be 1.5 stone overweight?