Food Addiction Support Group

if i had the answer i'd probally be a millionaire...lol. i have the same struggles and every time i work out i tell myself every little bit helps---even though i probally only worked off 1/100th of the calories i inhaled during the day--so depsite the fact i come back and binge after working out--at least i tried--weak i know--but its all i can do

Hi,
I can relate so much to what you said. Only right now I am binging like this everyday and consuming thousands and thousands of calories. I am feeling really frightened of this as I just can't stop. I can't see a way out of this right now.
I know it is possible. I have met people who are in recovery from food addictions. Its just that I havn't managed it myself for any length of time. Each time I relapse it is soo much worse than the last time. I think it takes huge amounts of faith and courage to recover to keep from binge eating. I am laking hugely in the courage department!

I agree with you both. At the beginning of my journey. I feel desperate but eager to lose and willing to put work in. I'm also realizing for the first time ever that there won't be a quick fix to stop bingeing and ultimately lose weight.
Good luck to all of you. Take comfort in knowing others know what you're going through.

I think we all binge because we have an addiction (just like an addiction to drugs, alcohol, etc). I always thought it was harder for me because I was able to give up cigarettes, etc (don't need them to live daily), but I HAVE to eat everyday! It makes it so hard. I've read that bingeing (especially on items high in sugar, etc) will release more dopamine & serotonin (the 'feel-good' chemicals) in the brain so it seems we are all just trying to "medicate" ourselves. I know I am.

It is SO frustrating. I could totally relate to your post, especially the part, "Why can't I stop eating when I feel sick? and Why do I even exercise when I eat 1000 calories in 10 minutes." I have thought those things so many times. Bingeing makes me feell SO bad - heartburn, stomach upset, among other problems. Why do I do it to myself??? And then I'll be eating healthy the whole day and in 10 minutes I eat enough to last me a whole week!! It's so frustrating.

I do hope you find some help and support from using this site. Everyone here is really nice and helpful. Hang in there!

I know. The night and weekends are worst for me- I ALWAYS make an excuse such as: "This will be my last time, I'll start tomorrow." That voice doesn't seem to LET me sit there or do something else to distract or anything. And if I do fight the excuse, the binge voice says, "Oh, what the hell- go ahead and binge. Just do it. Your never going to stop anyway." I just bury myself in a hole with the food and eat it as fast as I can. Usually hiding it from my fiance.

The nighttime and weekends seem to be the most challenging for many of us. Perhaps we can make a deal with eachother and commit for one week to run to the computer and write to one another about how much we want to binge and how we are feeling, etc. We can tell ourselves that "I can still binge- but I HAVE to write about it first. Tell others who are in the same situation."

I don't know if it will help, but it can't hurt to try...

I'm right there with you and everyone else who posted. For me, it's afternoons and evenings and a lot of the weekend. I am totally addicted to junk and keep sabotaging my efforts to lose weight.

I don't know what the answer is, but I like Jenbrooke's ideas. I need some accountability. Right now I am at home from work sick ...my kids' Halloween candy is nearby. I'm pledging here and now to not touch it!!

I can totally relate. I made it through the whole day yesterday with no sugar, flour, or wheat and then in an instance right before bed I grabbed my daugther's halloween candy and ate 3 pieces of candy. I hate having a lack of control! I have a sponsor now that I talk to each evening and I think that is helping, but I truly want to be free of this addiction. The thought of never eating flour, wheat, or sugar again gives me knots in my stomach, but I'm trying one day at a time.

I suspect that, like alcoholics, we never get free from the cravings and have to cope with it day by day or minute by minute like they do.

Agree with all comments. I am new to this forum and just figured out this thing that has been part of me since a kid is an addiction. I heard a guy on the radio say that once you get something out of your head that seems so big, and once you talk about it then the problem seems a lot smaller. Still seems pretty big! I think this must be the most wide spread form of addiction, and yet it is kept so hush hush.

Hang in there everyone. I know one thing I have found helpful is to identify the most difficult times of day ,and when I find myself entering the war zone (kitchen) I commit to grabbing an apple and then going somewhere else. It takes longer to eat than a loaf of bread and actually tasted better!

Chat soon.

I relate. I am going through the same, exact thing. Try Overeaters Anonymous. Find a meeting in your area or go to phone or online meetings. You are an addict. You have a disease, you didn't choose to have it and it cannot be cured. But, through the OA program, you can arrest it.