Thread: Binge eating disorder

I have done some research and it looks like i might suffer from binge eating disorder. I have answered yes to many of the questions below from the nhs website e.g.
eating much faster than normal during a binge,
eating until feeling uncomfortably full,
eating a large amount of food when not hungry,
eating alone or secretly due to embarrassment about the amount of food being consumed, and
feelings of guilt, shame or disgust after overeating.

I was wondering whether anyone else has heard of it or suffered from it. I want to start SW but i think until i have sorted this out i will never lose any weight. It is really getting to me and i'm really depressed after getting back off holiday and only just fiting in the seats on the plane. Sorry for the rammble but i just don't know what to do anymore.

S x

I recognise myself in those questions as I have done them all too. I have hidden things and eaten them later when no-one is around. I have also eaten something and didn't even taste it. Before I knew it I was finished it and didn't even realise I had eaten it.

Don't worry though coz sw is brilliant for people like you and me. You can eat an unlimited amount of free food and not feel guilty about it. It's a fantastic plan, and I am never hungry. I fill up at meal times with free foods with a huge fruit salad mid morning and I nibble on cereal bars, kellogs oat bakes which are like tiny cinnamon biscuits. Grapes are great to nibble on too.

We are just about the same weight and have the same goal weight, we can do this journey together if you want.Good luck, and hopefully you will take that first step towards the new you x

Originally Posted by iwillbeslim84

I have done some research and it looks like i might suffer from binge eating disorder. I have answered yes to many of the questions below from the nhs website e.g.
eating much faster than normal during a binge,
eating until feeling uncomfortably full,
eating a large amount of food when not hungry,
eating alone or secretly due to embarrassment about the amount of food being consumed, and
feelings of guilt, shame or disgust after overeating.

I was wondering whether anyone else has heard of it or suffered from it. I want to start SW but i think until i have sorted this out i will never lose any weight. It is really getting to me and i'm really depressed after getting back off holiday and only just fiting in the seats on the plane. Sorry for the rammble but i just don't know what to do anymore.

S x

I've had BED for about 35 years, but think I've sorted it now. No binging for over a year, so fingers crossed.

Hope you find your answers.

Hey hon. I would think a diet like slimming world would suit you well as it takes the "guilt" out of eating and does not restrict the amount of food you eat, but rather the type of food you eat. Hence you are giving yourself permission to eat.

Good luck x

I also suffer from this but with SW I am definatly more in control. Before I was in a terrible cycle of binge eating/ strict dieting. Now that I'm following SW I know that if I want to eat more I can munch on lots of free foods and I don't beat myself up about it.
Of course it doesn't always work out like that- last night for instance I went slightly over my syns and then ended up on a complete junk food binge and went to bed feeling like I was going to burst, but today I have stuck to plan and have not beat myself up about all that crap I ate last night.
I really think this is the key for me, forgiving myself for eating junk now and again. Otherwise I think I might end up on a month-long binge or something.
Self-critisem makes me depressed so I binge, then feel crapy for binging so sometimes I end up drinking some wine, and bingeing some more! So now everytime I catch myself starting to put myself down I stop and say to myself outloud (if I'm alone LOL), no I'm not and say something positive.It's hard at the start and sometimes I'm sure they slip through without actually realizing I'm doing it, but generally I try to do this as soon as I catch myself on.
I also find it's alot to do with self-esteem, and I find exercise helps me feel better about myself. I'm less likely to binge if I have exercised, and then if I do eat something I think I shouldn't have, or if I do go over my syns, I tend to forgive myself easier as I think ' aw well, I worked out hard today so it will help counteract it' OR 'I'll work out hard tomorrow when I'm at class and burn it off' . I don't use it as an excuse, I just forgive myself and accept it.
If you ever need to chat you can PM me or email me.
You're not alone on this x

I don't think the good thing about SW is that you can "binge" on free foods, more what Pumpkin says - you learn to take control.

I think first step would be: see a doctor and explain your worries. Having a family history of depression and such illnesses, I have so much respect for our doctors and the NHS. They can help so much.

And you're not alone. We're all here to help you. I love SW and no longer think I'm on a "diet". This is my way of healthy eating. And minimins has helped so much.

I think everyone on this forum must have suffered from this on some form or another - or else why would we be the size that we are ?
I wouldn't say that I binge as such, but I just eat large amounts of all the wrong things....I have an issue with portion control, and I agree with the earlier comments about the fact that you are NOT supposed to binge whilst on SW, just putting yourself in control for a change.

Tracy

Hi, please join the SW group near you. The consultant will understand and help. Groups are friendly and full of different people with different needs. You will gain so much info on healthy eating. It is not like a diet at all... just a lifelong lesson on how to stay healthy and lose weight at the same time. I joined last July and have never looked back. At 13stone 10lbs I felt horrid and I took tiny steps to get to know what I was doing, I was using laxatives as a way to try and lose weight, little did I realise it doesn't work like that !! Most people have tried excessive ways to shift the pounds.. please join, you will see results, as for the binge? Well I would agree that a GP is needed for advice, but it is a cycle that you will have to gain control of, and I personally feel that by meeting others at group and staying for the whole meeting each time you will gain confidence and slowly overcome your fears. I am now 11stone 1.5lbs and I know SW can work !! Give it a try.. what have you got to lose? But you have plenty to gain x :-)

I used to do this too! As the others have said though with SW, you dont have to worry about hiding the food, or eating to excess, as you can with the free foods and the bonus is that you are loosing weight too!

Take care.

Originally Posted by Madferret

I think everyone on this forum must have suffered from this on some form or another - or else why would we be the size that we are ?

There's a fine line between binge eating and overeating, but it's there all the same.

Binge eaters vary in the way they binge and comes down to just 2 defining characters of a binge eater.

1) They eat in a discrete period of time and an amount that is way larger than an overeater.

2) They have a complete lack of self control in that period.

The main one being the lack of self control. Of course, there are other factors including speed of eating etc.

I was an overeater that also had BED. I believe I no longer have BED (or that I've learnt to control it). It has a very different 'feel' to when I just overeat.

BTW, you can have BED and not be overweight. Even some underweight people have BED.

Originally Posted by Mrs V

I used to do this too! As the others have said though with SW, you dont have to worry about hiding the food, or eating to excess, as you can with the free foods and the bonus is that you are loosing weight too!

Take care.

I'm sorry, but I have to chime in here. I lost weight very successfully with SW, but it did nothing whatsoever to help me with my binging, though it did mask the problem.

Not saying Cambridge helped either...in fact, none of the 100s of diets I did helped, but they sure did make it look and feel like they had (at the time)

Apparently i suffer from this. when i went to see the dietician she gave me a questionaire to fill out (last friday), she said she couldn't help me lose weight due to my binge eating until i have seen the psychologist. I was very angry at first and thought how dare she insinuate i have somthing like this. Then when i calmed down i realised (also with a little help from someone on this forum, you know who you are lol) that i prob should sort out my binge eating once and for all.

So my plan is to follow sw plan and see psychologist about my bing eating. My day 1 for plan is today and i'm going to give it my all xxx

As has been said earlier, I'd be surprised if anyone here wouldn't answer 'yes' to one or all of the questions you listed!

We've all got some sort of issue with food. That's how we got fat in the first place. Whether it's binge-eating, over-eating, emotional-eating, or another mental issue...or just plain old lack of knowledge about basic nutrition (which so many more people have than I realised!)

I have never seen a 'professional' about my weight or my issues with food. I know I have them though. And I'll tell you what my main issue is...guilt. I have a pig out and I feel guilty. I'll eat something slightly naughty and rather than enjoy it and move on, I feel guilty. And the guilt leads to secret eating, emotional eating and that's all one big vicious circle!

I wouldn't say I had an eating disorder though. Perhaps that's just me and another person with my issues would say they had. And that other person might take other measures to sort it out, but for me, getting my bum in gear and getting on SW has sorted me out (well, started to) so much.

I have been on a variety of other diets before. Atkins? Hello whole roast chickens. 2 in a day! WW? Eat 0 point soup all week and spend all my points on crisps and chocolate. Exercising? Looked like Tessa Sanderson!

SW took me quite a long time to get my head around. At first, I was following the plan, but with all my usual eating habits. I'd still pick, secret eat, over eat and always feel guilty...even if I was eating free foods or low syn ones. It's still a struggle but just this last couple of weeks I am starting to allow myself to eat my syns and I am feeling excited about using them on things I'll enjoy without the guilt.

I'm talking a lot about myself here! LOL! Sorry. What I'm trying to say is, if you think you need professional help to sort out your issues, then go for it! However, if you get stuck into SW and the psychology of it, you might find yourself able to start tackling your issues head on yourself. And you should be losing weight in the process...which in turn will spur you on, help you feel better about yourself and more determined to sort your issues out!

Good luck

Yup, that's me too. I'm fine most of the time but when I lose it, I lose it and cram chocolate and all sorts of junk in in world record times!

Thank you all for your wonderful and kind replies. I had a chat with a friend at work and she mentioned she was joining SW after work tomorrow so it must be a sign. I have seen my GP about my weight previously and he was the most unsympathetic man i have ever met therefore i haven't been back to him since. I have decided that i am going to have to see a counsellor to get this issue resolved as i can't keep feeling like this. It doesn't help when my other half says hes not impressed that i have gained 2 stone in a yr
So if anyone knows of any good councellors in the west midlands area let me know

S x