Binge Eating & Depression

[thisaquarian]

Hi everyone. I've looked through the threads before and I can never find anyone else struggling with binge eating, so I'm here to start my own, and perhaps find others who are in the same boat as me.

I've just eaten an insane amount of food.  I couldn't even tell you *what* I ate, as all I did was go from the couch to the fridge. I feel sick now, and this is not something strange for me. Binge eating has always been the way that I deal with anything... I'm now a very large person with a heap of medical issues.  Why hasn't that scared me to turn it all around?!

Depression is unfair, and it never makes sense.  However, I think that I can think of some things which may have brought the dark cloud back.  Last week at work, I was stressed and overwhelmed.  I'm in a job which I find incredibly stressful in a company I don't believe in.  Then on the weekend my partner and I had to put one of our kittens down after it was attacked by a dog.  The heat isn't helping and makes me want to just hibernate inside my house, in the air con.  I am disappointed in myself for not going to work yesterday or today. I am disappointed that I am back here.

[FirstInLine]

I have this problem too, and it's still beating me to this day. The only thing I've found to help is to be very mindful when I eat. Make sure I sit at a table with proper cutlery and take my time with each bite. If I eat while watching TV or on the computer I can get out of control. When I'm majorly stressed I try to have a cup of tea first to settle myself down before I dive into food, it can lessen hunger pangs. It's a tough battle either way, good luck. 

[Leo_Rose]

Hey thisaquarian,

 I'm sorry to hear your friend betrayed you. It's a tough blow to recover from. I wish you well on that front as good friends are hard to come by and so important too. But as Shelley Anne says we are here to listen to you. Everyone here as some experience of mental health problems so we can relate. So post away, use this forum to vent or rant or seek advice; whatever you need at that point.

Good idea clearing away all the food. If you keep just the basics then it's harde to binge. Exercise all the control you have over bingeing. FirstInLine is right about a drink before meals. You're filled up and the hunger pangs are at bay. Keep reminding yourself that excess food isn't necessary. 

[Cravingfreedom]

Hi thisaquarian, I can relate to so much of what you are saying. I am 26 and am also large due to my uncontrollable bingeing. I find it hard to get through one day with binge eating. I also feel lonely and so wish I had a friend to confide in also. It's so hard to find people who truly understand binge eating.

Would love to talk to you more 🙂

[Elizabeth CP]

Binging is very common but very damaging. Last year I was feeling very uncomfortable physically & mentally due to my weight which was steadily increasing due to my eating. All my clothes were tight & uncomfortable. I went on a diet & have reached my goal weight. I thought I would share what helped me in the hope it would help others.

I set a realistic goal by choosing a healthy weight rather than aiming too low & risking failure.

I set a date to start my diet so I could prepare

I stuck to a healthy diet rather than a fad diet. Fad diets from my experience lead to quick weight loss initially but I can't stick with them & end up feeling hungry, tired & low energy leading to return to binging. The diet I chose specified how much of each food group you needed to eat & was based on the healthy eating guidelines. I found by sticking to these amounts I felt satisfied which helped reduce the temptation to binge.

I avoided buying foods which were too tempting & not healthy to help reduce the temptation to binge.

I told people I could trust that I was dieting because for me that gave me an extra incentive to stick to the diet rather than risk others knowing I had failed. I would avoid telling anyone who I thought might not be encouraging or supportive.

I kept a chart on the fridge to keep track of what I ate as well as my overall weight loss to keep me motivated.

There were a few times I went out to functions & gave in to temptation but I decided to focus on sticking to the diet at home rather than beating myself up if I went overboard when out.

I worked out tricks which helped me. For example in winter I tried to have homemade vegetable soup on hand to heat up at lunch to fill me up. In summer I use salad in the same way. I like chocolate so I made cocoa drinks with skim milk & sweetener to satisfy that desire & stop me feeling too deprived. I enjoy desert so I would often have fruit & yogurt for supper. I chose fruit I really liked & nice yogurt & took time to enjoy it. I think it is important to find ways to enjoy the healthy food to make it easier to stick to the diet.

For me just trying to stop binging didn't work but going on a diet that was healthy & fitted my tastes & lifestyle worked & helped me develop better eating habits hopefully to last long term.

Of course there are times when I'm tempted. Being overtired & having low energy makes it harder to resist temptation. Adequate sleep, regular exercise & healthy eating assist.