I'm finding it very hard to stop eating.

[Ningerie]

I've had a recent crash back into major depression. I have been prescribed SNRIs. It helps when I feel 'bloody' aka cranky and irritated, but not enough to keep me from eating constantly. I have gained 10kg in a month.

The compulsion to eat is so strong when I am at home, so I have been trying to get out of the house as much as I can. The trouble is, when I go out, I get cranky.

It's a real problem. I'm running out of clothes that fit, my food bill has gone through the roof and my body is screaming.

It's not like a binge, it's an overwhelming compulsion. I have told my psychologist and my Mental Health Nurse, but they don't seem to get it.

What can I do?

[Soberlicious96]

Dear Ningerie,

Welcome to Beyond Blue and well done for reaching out.

I too once had a problem with overeating, and my weight has varied many times over the years, by as much as 30 kilograms. More recently though, (a couple of years ago now) I went to the doctor for some health issue of some sort, and she said "You are pre-diabetic. If you keep going the way you are, you will have diabetes and you will get very sick." and I can tell you that I CRAPPED my dacks! I walked out of that consultation room, and began to change my eating habits and my level of activity that very day. I couldn't BEAR the thought of having to give myself needles. That was two years, and 22 kilograms ago! Yes, that's right, I've lost 22 kilograms.

Sometimes, it's not so much about the food, as it is the 'relief' that food can offer. And ufortunately there is a lot of weight and other health problems to be found in comfort eating. Or boredom eating. Or 'swallowing down my feelings' eating. Or celebratory eating ......... basically any kind of eating that isn't directly related to the nutrition we need, versus the 'nutrition' (or comfort or relief etc.) of what we want.

My suggestion is only based on what has worked, and still works, for me; if you are wanting to eat, but your tummy is not actually rumbling (which is a good thing, by the way. It means your system is working to digest what you put into it), then try two things;

1) Drink a large glass of water. Don't sip it. DRINK it down fairly promptly. And carry a water bottle with you at all times. And then,

2) Chew gum. Preferable sugarless. Why gum? Because it helps to relieve what I call 'mouth hunger'.

Mouth hunger is what I experience when I am wanting to eat, but I have no real hunger or tummy rumbles present.

Also, perhaps try keeping a food diary. I found that once I started to actually track what I was eating, how much and how often, I was astounded to realise just how much I was lying to myself, and therefore others about not just my eating, but my moods and my thinking too. The ways I would beat myself up many times a day because once again I've 'broken my diet' so to speak. You are certainly not alone, let me tell you.

Anyway, I'm soon going to run out of room, so I do hope that helps at least a little. Take care. I'll be thinking of you. xo

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi Ningerie,

Thank you for your post. I'm sure the irony is not lost on you that medications for depression makes our moods drop when weight gain is a symptom!

In your post, you said it was not like a binge, but more so an overwhelming compulsion - are you feeling genuinely hungry at the time? When you eat (or after you eat), are you feeling full?

Sometimes it can be about distractions (like leaving the house as you're doing! Or even just keeping busy), other times it might be about changing what you do eat - so that you're choosing foods more mindfully to be fuller for longer rather than just trying to quieten down all that hunger.

Alternatively, you may find that a dietician can be helpful, or even going back to your GP. Sometimes reducing the medication intake a little bit can help, or you may even find that things settle. Both GP's and dieticians will have seen people in the same boat before and hopefully have a better understanding.

RT

[monkey_magic]

Hi Ningerie,

Where u like this before the SNRI's or after? I'm asking because the medication I'm on makes me feel like eating more.

It was common when I was in a mental hospital and we all gained weight.

Are you able to reduce the dosage at all. I'm thinking the medication is the culprit here.

I would do something else when those feelings overwhelm you. Easier said than done I know.

I find swimming therapeutic for me and I find when you exercise it makes u less cranky and less likely to over eat.

I hope I've helped in some small way,

MM