Binge eating - can't stop eating

[Skittlebisquit]

You can make friends here. When the pandemic passes there will be more opportunities. I have made friends here. There are ways it can be done, many of them. You are not alone

 

[Aspychata]

You can always private message me. The weight thing is tough for females because we beat ourself up a lot. l helped my spouse lose weight for medical reasons. He got mad at me because l could eat whatever. But l didn't get mad. l understood his frustration. This is a very supportive forum.

 

[Aneka]

Hello everyone,

I'm new here, I come from the UK (England). I have a diagnosis of autism (or Asperger's). I also have diagnosed OCD, but I also think I have anxiety problems and depression.

I've been morbidly obese for quite a few years now, but it was only until 2018 that I started noticing my eating patterns. I then became obsessed with weighing myself everyday (I still do this to this day). It got to the point where I binge on food, feel guilty and then cry. I have told health professionals about this, but some say it's my OCD, some say it's emotional eating, but they never say it's BED (binge eating disorder). I have all the symptoms of BED. I even had an eating disorder assessment but they said "it's all your OCD". I know it's not my OCD because OCD is an anxiety disorder and binge eating disorder is an addiction/eating disorder.

I'll be honest, I weigh a lot. I'm very tall for a female and carry my weight well, but nevertheless my weight stresses me out and causes me anxiety. I can't even walk that far anymore because I have plantar fasciitis in one of my feet.

I really want help, but no one is giving it to me. I'm under a mental health team and have told them about this, but they're not going to do anything.

I just don't know what to do.

I'm not obese but I know someone who got recommended a gastric banding sugery. She's happy with it. But sugery should always be a last resort, it comes with risks.

 

[Booknerd515]

Not obese, but I certainly know how bad food cravings can get because one of the anxiety medicines I took made me extremely hungry and I ended up gaining several sizes. The weight went back down after I stopped the medicine (luckily) and switched to another one. I do get food comfort cravings and when I get cravings there's barely anything stopping me from eating that food item unless I was extremely distracted by something I really liked doing.

I have syncope so walking is hard for me as I feel faint often even though I don't have an abnormal weight so I get the walking thing too some. I hope you find out something that works for you. My messages are always open if you ever want to talk.

 

[Rainbow-Sprinkles]

Not obese, but I certainly know how bad food cravings can get because one of the anxiety medicines I took made me extremely hungry and I ended up gaining several sizes. The weight went back down after I stopped the medicine (luckily) and switched to another one. I do get food comfort cravings and when I get cravings there's barely anything stopping me from eating that food item unless I was extremely distracted by something I really liked doing.

I have syncope so walking is hard for me as I feel faint often even though I don't have an abnormal weight so I get the walking thing too some. I hope you find out something that works for you. My messages are always open if you ever want to talk.

Thank you for your comment.

It's funny because I haven't been obese my entire life. It all started when I was 13-years old and was in secondary school. I think it was a mixture of my mental health, bullying at school, and the winter season. It started as comfort eating and dealing with my emotions.

*sigh* I just wish I wasn't so big.

 

[zozie]

Welcome, formerly-obese autist here. I was an athlete at a young age, then I was depressed, medicated, and sedentary for a couple of decades, and now I'm not medicated, fit, and generally happier with my body. I work out a lot these days (though 2020 really wrecked my schedule and threw me off), but I rest a lot, too.

I still monitor my relationship with food. I feel like it's a stim to have food in my mouth and to taste and feel the texture, but my stomach isn't always hungry. Understanding that I eat when I'm stressed or overstimulated helps. That said, I'm not perfect, sometimes get down on myself, and have been through all manner of "how do I fix this?" brainstorms.

To be honest, I do think that a portion of my weight loss was due to not taking antidepressants (I stopped in Oct 2009). That wasn't the only reason, but I feel it contributed. As for the rest, well this book helped me, so maybe it will help you.

Eating in the Light of the Moon

It takes a narrative approach, an archetypal one, and that has always resonated with me more than any cognitive approach.

I will say, though, that even though I lost a lot of weight 12 years ago, it has taken this long for me to develop a relationship with my body that is generally loving. It takes time, and everyone has their own path.

And I also want to say that just because I have found a style that works for me, I'm still subject to falling into unhealthy habits when my routine changes suddenly or I'm overworked. So my challenge now is learning how to integrate my needs into everyday life. I'm a college student, for example, so I can get my gross motor stimming done in the gym and on the trail fairly easily, timewise. But what about when I graduate and hold down an 9-5? Last time I did that my exercise dropped off and I fell into a depression. This time I've got to think outside the box and be uncompromising about my needs, which is tough.

That's part of what has helped, though. Understanding what my needs are and being uncompromising about them. Binge-eating is expression of some kind of need, as is the feeling after. I hope this helps.

Good luck, and welcome!