Hi Jennifer. Coincidentally I was on the internet for the past 30 minutes looking for some morale support for the same thing. I am a 56 year old woman with the same problem. I was 100 pounds overweight until about 2 months ago but now only 70 pounds overweight. I've been overweight most of my life. I have seen this TV commercial for binge eating disorder many times and today decided to research it. I've been hiding my eating, eat alone, would find excuses to leave my family at night to run "errands" but looking for any excuse to go to a Dunkin Donuts, Dairy Queen, McDonalds, or the local convenient store to buy some unhealthy junk food to feed my cravings. I would wake up in the middle of the night just disgusted with myself and wanted to cry. I would awake every morning thinking "this will be the day I have a fresh start" and by 9 am I'd be raiding the cabinet for some kind of junk food and all self control would be lost. Unhappier and unhappier I just kept feeding my soul with bad stuff and would only find short moments of happiness until the bag or bowl of junk was gone. I know what you are going through. There is no magic pill you can take. I will share with you that in a brief moment of clarity I started South Beach Diet in early February at my doctor's urging since she was really worried about my health, potential heart problems and a thread's distance away from Type 2 Diabetes. I just had to suck it up and hope to get through the process day by day. I would pray for assistance from God. Anything to help me along. I somehow (miraculously) managed to get through the tough one month strict phase. I have lost 30 pounds and am feeling better. The truth is, though, that I am still a binge eater at heart and that is very discouraging which is why I was on the internet today. The only way I am barely hanging on is to fill up on vegetables as much as I can so there is very little room left in my stomach (or imagination) to fill with junk. Just to appease myself, when I'm "binging" on my huge luncheon salad I crush up a few pretzels or potato chips so I at least get a little taste of what I'm craving. I "binge" on sugar free popsicles or sugar free hard candy. I just try like hell to stay away from the really bad stuff. I am not perfect and NO ONE is. I'm trying to be realistic about changing my lifestyle and eating habits. I only weigh myself sporadically and refuse to let the scale number rule my life and how I feel about myself. As I'm sitting here I'm thinking about what is in my snack closet that my daughter and husband will be raiding later. I'm jealous. I'd just like you to know that I am here for you, that I know what you are going through. I am not an overly religious person but I did find asking God for help provided me with some solace. It is a very frustrating thing and you feel very helpless. I also tried to find some new and different things to do to distract me. I did a number of 500 piece jigsaw puzzles. I do a lot of research on the internet looking for new recipes that are low-carb, low-fat. I'm experimenting with my own recipes looking for ways to make them in healthier fashions like substituting sugar-free applesauce in place of eggs or oil in baking, using sugar substitutes like Stevia or Truvia, sugar free maple syrup, etc. I try not to dwell on all the bad things I used to eat but try to focus on the new, interesting, healthier foods and sweets/treats/desserts/snacks that I am creating. I convince myself that all those weird strange-sounding ingredients in the packaged snack foods or probably poison and I'm better off without them. I hope this helps. I hope that TODAY is the day you decide to try something different and new. Don't wait until tomorrow because tomorrow never comes. Don't convince yourself that you'll have a fresh start tomorrow. Get on the internet and find some new healthy recipes. Go to the supermarket and buy healthy stuff. Say a prayer and get going.
THANK YOU for writing today. Your note inspired me to feel better about what I am doing and the steps I am taking. It distracted me enough to take my mind off my B.E.D. urges. I am going to say a prayer for you right now that you find the strength to make the changes you need to make for a healthier lifestyle. Try to be honest with your family and ask them for help.
p.s. I do NOT wake up at night anymore feeling disgusted about myself. I wake up every morning feeling healthier, proud of myself and looking forward to discovering what new healthy thing I can make for today.
Good luck and keep in touch.

Welcome, ladies (or welcome BACK in the case of you, Jennifer:)!!
Glad you are both here and I hope the group can offer you some support and encouragement.
I LOVE the tone of both of your posts regarding letting go of the shame of our addiction. Shame helps to perpetrate the cycle of EDs so we really need to work hard to let go of that. Being here and talking about it is the first step to doing that!
HUGS to you both
Jen

I am a type 2 diabetic, lost weight since Nov. 2015, exercise regularly, cut out one med, reducing the other, and was eating well until the numbers really got good. They have stayed that way, but the binge brain is kicking in. It is "controlled", in other words I have thus far kept the carb count low enough to keep sugar numbers good. I know that in time the wheels will come off if I do not stop the binge eating.
This is my first time to write. I know the dos and don'ts, but working the program is more than knowledge. If it was knowledge I would not have the diabetes.

Thank you for your support and sharing your story so freely with me Dot!!! I had no idea until about 6 months ago that there was even such a thing as this disorder. I figured all my life that I just liked to eat and eat too much. I've been pretty active the past couple days and doing so-so staying away from the crap food. I'm not huge on the sweets but try to keep me away from fast food! I'm heading out for lunch soon (I'm at work lol) and going to grab some sushi. McD's is just around the corner from the Sushi place and I promise myself I won't go there! I find the more I obsess the harder it is too. I know I've been obsessing a lot lately. I'm getting married in 3 months and when I got engaged I was like "ok I've got 16 months to get in shape' and now... well... lol. I don't have much time to write right now but at least wanted to say thank YOU and Jen and Robert for the friendly welcome and support. I plan to hang out on here a bit more so will keep in touch!

Hi AGAIN Jennifer plus Robert and ForestCreek. Congratulations on your engagement. My advice would be to NOT focus on the wedding as a temporary goal because my experience has been that once those temporary goals come and go, I fall back off the wagon and go to pieces again. We need to realize that we need a new lifestyle and a new healthier eating plan all the while realizing that we are not perfect human beings and we are going to slip up now and then. Just try to stay positive. I have this little message I put on the calendar on my phone so that it pops up with a message every morning. It reads "Eat to Live and Live Strong". I try to remind myself every day that this is a journey without an end. It is an ongoing process. About 13 years ago I did Weight Watchers, lost 75 pounds and got my goal weight. I felt great for a few days. Then I didn't know what to do with myself. I quickly slipped into my old bad habits and the weight crept back on and on. Back then I didn't realize that this is a permanent change, a permanent lifestyle. Be kind yourself and take care of yourself. You are worth it. Don't ever forget that. And there are people who NEED you to be around for along time like your fiance. p.s. My family likes McDonalds still so when I go I get a side salad or TWO if I'm hungry, low fat dressing and a pint of milk. I steal 2 or 3 of my daughter's french fries so I don't feel deprived. You just need to experiment a little to see what things you can have just a little bit of without it triggering some massive craviing. Good luck.

Hi Robert,
I wanted to respond to your post as well. My doctor is very concerned about how close I am to progressing into full blown Type 2 Diabetes. My mom and two of my older sisters have it. I am borderline. I neglected myself for many many years and am now struggling to avoid it. It may be too late but we'll see within a few months. I spend a lot of time looking for low carb snack and meal ideas since I am constantly hungry and looking for ways to feel satisfied. Thank God for the internet which has a wealth of information. CONGRATULATIONS on your hard work, weight loss, exercise and getting your numbers under control. I understand and share your concerns about the mental roadblocks we have to deal with regarding binge eating and cravings. I have to constantly find ways to distract myself when I feel myself slipping. Just keep the faith. Keep posting here when you need a boost. Keep reminding yourself how far you have come and how much you have accomplished. Eat to Live and don't live to eat. YOU DESERVE A GREAT, LONG HEALTHY LIFE.

Hello! My name is Cindy and I recently discovered that I have BED. I've known I've had a problem for about five years but I had no idea what it was. I would snack a lot at night and I started gaining some weight. I work at a major weight loss company which I had incredible success with about 8 years ago. Now I have gained a total of 25 pounds and I am at the highest weight I've ever been and I am 45 years old and have a family history of heart disease and diabetes.

I think I am still in shock of the diagnosis since I have spent the past five years thinking I had some type of food issue or whatever. I have no idea how to deal with an eating disorder but I went to my psych. doctor this morning (I also have major depressive disorder) and he prescribed me medication and referred me to a therapist. I have my first appointment with the therapist in two weeks and I am hoping my insurance approves my medication soon. In the meantime, I am eating everything in sight. I just want to be able to fit into my clothes at this point.