Extra Easy How do emotional eaters stick at it?

Well I'm back restarting (again).

I've tried sw in the past, diet pills, slimfast, celebrity slim.

My problem is I binge eat. I emotionally eat. I eat for the sake of eating even when I feel physically sick from being so full.

It's always the unhealthy stuff. . Chocolate, sweets, cakes, crisps, just crap in general.

I usually stick at a diet for a few days and then the moodiness kicks in and I feel anxious and angry with cravings. My diets usually end in one big binge.

I've no support due to appearing slim. I'm a size 10 all over but my stomach is huge. I hide it under baggy tops as I've no confidence to wear anything else.

If I wear vest tops or a dress etc I look 8 months pregnant.

So because I look slim elsewhere people mock my dieting attempts. I'm constantly told I'm lucky and should be grateful.

I know there are people who would love to be a size ten.. but I'd rather be a size sixteen all over and feel happy with myself than how I currently feel.

This is day 2 so far on extra easy and I've stuck to it so far. But it's almost weekend and that's like evenings times full days to me.

Please help. I'll take anything right now.
I'm a bridesmaid in October and I'd love to be able to wear vest tops this summer.

I really need this but it's such a fight.

I can relate to you so much. Everything you do I do too. I was diagnosed with binge eating disorder last year but I've not got any help for it.

There are a few books you can buy that will help with the binging- one good one is by Christopher Fairburn and it's on Amazon.

I think the key is to sever that emotional connection with food. One phrase I've heard people say is "you're not a dog so don't reward yourself with food" and it really hit home for me. When you feel emotional try to deal with the emotion in another way rather than by eating. You need to distract yourself from your urge to binge, usually the urges come and go in waves. If you can ride one out then in only about 10-15 minutes it will be gone! It's just sitting with that overwhelming need to consume food for a while until it goes. Personally I like doing things like playing silly games on my ipad, having a bath, painting my nails, brushing my teeth (dont want to eat after), watching a tv programme or film, coming on here in the chit chat board and doing those games, going for a walk.

Yes it will be hard but it's not impossible and you'll feel so much better for sticking with the SW plan and not binging

Also what worked for me was to write a letter to myself but as if it were 5 years in the future and I'd kept binging. I had to imaging what weight I'd be, what health problems I would have, how unhappy I would be etc. Then write another letter 5 years in the future as if I'd stopped binging and really stuck to eating healthily and how happy and confident I'd be. That helped me to realise that I can't carry on binging any more or I'll soon get to being morbidly obese.

I have my assessment for binge eating disorder next week. I've struggled with emotional eating since I was a teenager but it's taken this long for anyone to take me seriously

I must be honest I've spent all night crying tonight but didn't have anything to eat because I was already in my pyjamas. I guess that's progress of a sort.

i agree with sarah butterfly about the chris fairburn book, it feels good to work through something. I also try and lie down in bed when I feel emotional. Then a lot of the time I'll end up crying myself to sleep. Not recently however as I've developed insomnia!

good luck with everything xxx

Thanks for your replies. I'll definitely look into the book.

I'm sorry to hear you are both suffering with it too.

Last night I got in bed with a huge glass of diet coke and just kept drinking. I remember feeling quite hungry at 11pm but decided I'd experience hunger for a change instead of going downstairs as less chance of messing up.

I'm wondering if allowing myself to go hungry for a little while before eating may help me feel more at ease with cravings etc and may teach me to "think" about things before just going on a mad binge like a raging bull.

I'm just getting up to begin day 3. I'm trying so hard to stick to it. Wednesday is weigh in so I'm hoping to see positive results to motivate me and spur me on x

faeriemoonfirerae said:

Well I'm back restarting (again). I've tried sw in the past, diet pills, slimfast, celebrity slim. My problem is I binge eat. I emotionally eat. I eat for the sake of eating even when I feel physically sick from being so full. It's always the unhealthy stuff. . Chocolate, sweets, cakes, crisps, just crap in general. I usually stick at a diet for a few days and then the moodiness kicks in and I feel anxious and angry with cravings. My diets usually end in one big binge. I've no support due to appearing slim. I'm a size 10 all over but my stomach is huge. I hide it under baggy tops as I've no confidence to wear anything else. If I wear vest tops or a dress etc I look 8 months pregnant. So because I look slim elsewhere people mock my dieting attempts. I'm constantly told I'm lucky and should be grateful. I know there are people who would love to be a size ten.. but I'd rather be a size sixteen all over and feel happy with myself than how I currently feel. This is day 2 so far on extra easy and I've stuck to it so far. But it's almost weekend and that's like evenings times full days to me. Please help. I'll take anything right now. I'm a bridesmaid in October and I'd love to be able to wear vest tops this summer. I really need this but it's such a fight.

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I understand this so much! Very brave move to share.
I'm in the same boat. I'm a size 12 and I have a constant battle with food. I'm currently sticking to this real well. I've got ibs real bad and that doesn't help the weight loss. I can't shift from 10st 10! I'm desperate to be 10st I'm getting married in September and I hoping to get there x

I found beyond chocolate by Sophie and Audrey boss very helpful.

Yeah I think part of binging can be down to a fear of hunger, and hunger can mean different things for different people. Hunger can remind you of being hungry as a child, it can make you feel out of control, it can make you feel ill and so on. I know that once I start to feel really hungry something snaps and I want to shovel food in as fast as possible! But sitting with hunger for a little while is probably a good thing- just dont get to the point where you feel lightheaded or anything. Too much hunger can also trigger binges.

faeriemoonfirerae said:

Well I'm back restarting (again).

I've tried sw in the past, diet pills, slimfast, celebrity slim.

My problem is I binge eat. I emotionally eat. I eat for the sake of eating even when I feel physically sick from being so full.

It's always the unhealthy stuff. . Chocolate, sweets, cakes, crisps, just crap in general.

I usually stick at a diet for a few days and then the moodiness kicks in and I feel anxious and angry with cravings. My diets usually end in one big binge.

I've no support due to appearing slim. I'm a size 10 all over but my stomach is huge. I hide it under baggy tops as I've no confidence to wear anything else.

If I wear vest tops or a dress etc I look 8 months pregnant.










So because I look slim elsewhere people mock my dieting attempts. I'm constantly told I'm lucky and should be grateful.

I know there are people who would love to be a size ten.. but I'd rather be a size sixteen all over and feel happy with myself than how I currently feel.

This is day 2 so far on extra easy and I've stuck to it so far. But it's almost weekend and that's like evenings times full days to me.

Please help. I'll take anything right now.
I'm a bridesmaid in October and I'd love to be able to wear vest tops this summer.

I really need this but it's such a fight.

Click to expand...

I really feel your pain. My binge eating is to such an extent (hence my name), that I struggle constantly to keep my weight in the 10s. Whenever I start to do well, my brain goes mad and sometimes now I am binge eating for one to two days per week every week. following my binges, I have diarrhoea for two days and really bad sulphur burps (egg tasting and smelling). It might sound funny but it really makes the whole family mad at me. I have to sleep in my sons room as my husband cannot sleep beside me!. Its ruining my life literally. I just cant stop. The urge to binge completely supersedes everything and everyone else. It must be just like drug addiction. I cannot make myself well!!

It all got so much worse in 2008 when I started my first total food replacement diet and I spent 8 weeks on liquids only. After that, I crashed and binged and put all the weight back on and much more. Since then, I have done every TFR diet going which i now realised triggered such awful binges. I have done atkins, dukan, ww and now slimming world. The best for me by far is slimming world. However, my binges are intolerable and so sickening. If I eat cake, a massive binge ensues. If i eat chips or fried food, the same happens etc etc. If i even touch junk, it brings on a huge binge last two or three days followed by rotten sickness for two days.

What more can I do?. The answer, I am aware lies in balance. Slimming world has helped me massively. Added to all this, I am type 2 diabetic but not on meds yet. Its obvious that I will be soon enough, if i dont get a grasp on this illness.

I am so sorry that I cannot offer words of wisdom in relation to this. That said, I know for a fact that starving, restricting food, eating junk are all elements for me at least that trigger huge binges. I cannot talk for everyone else but the key lies in balance. I have the answer but not the solution.

Hiya I know where you're coming from with being a size 10 and get little support (luckily hubby and my best friend are supportive)

Like you everyone else sees my size 10 and tell me I don't need to lose weight, or comment on what I'm eating saying things like 'surely you're not still dieting' I try not to comment back as it's none of their business but I do feel rotten.

Re overeating - Again I can easily binge but it's usually connected to days when I'm off routine, not been able to follow any healthy plan and i feel like a failure so then eat all the 'bad treats' cos I've f****d up. This then just causes more self loathing and then I can't restart (in my head) until I've had my weigh in, taken the gain (further punishment) and then I'm fresh to restart.

I've now decided to get a jar and use marbles for when I resist foods. I put a marble in my jar for every time I resist something that is likely to take me off plan. For me if I can see visually how many things I've resisted it helps give me a sense of achievement.

I'm also trying to include Paul McKenna 4 golden rules (from his I can make you thin book) to help combat my overeating for snacks.

Sorry for the long post lol hope it helps

I am so glad so many people have replied to you, it's great to feel you aren't the only one.

I used to wait until my hubby went out or after I took my son to school on my day off & start bingeing (well at least that's how I always thought of it maybe it wasn't that severe) but I'm talking probably 10 bags of crisps, sweets, oven on for chip butties but I only ever did it when no one was here to see it. What stopped me? Well honestly I was 19 stone & went to the Dr for help but didn't tell them about my binges & she prescribed orlistat which if tablet for morbidly obese people & it gets rid of fat if you eat it & not I'm a good way (think orange oil suddenly escaping with no warning) so the fear of eating rubbish kept me away from bingeing & although I've been off the meds 2 years I seem to have passed the stage although I try not to keep too many crisps in the house. Sorry if this isn't true bingeing but that's how it felt. Maybe it was just greed...

A friend of mine has a saying "remember it's food not love" it was a bit of a Mickey take at first but the more I think about it the more it seems true. I hope you find the help you need xx

as someone who has depression and therefore comfort eats, I have found a carrot approach works best for me.

The carrot- my aim is to lose 3 stone before my summer holiday, so as I tend to go for late deals anyway I'm holding off booking the holiday until I have lost the weight. I had a mini-target of 1 stone by easter, because I have beat that I am allowed to eat an easter egg.

Erm not sure how to follow THAT but I found hypnotherapy very useful and kicked my binge eating disorder using it in tandem with slimming world. I paid for it privately though and it was very expensive so may not be for everyone unless your LHA funds it as an alternative therapy. Good luck. I totally feel your pain. I used to eat in secret until I felt sick. Then I'd beat myself up and feel like poo and so the cycle continued....

Thank you so much for all your replies. I am getting there. On Saturday night I ended up having take away as I was at a friends and there were no other options. But rather than have a kebab or a full pizza to myself I had a cheeseburger and chips and garlic bread with cheese. Tons of syn's I am sure, but I am trying to draw a line under the sand and not get stressed over it. Although I can already feel myself thinking sod it I have screwed it up I may aswell order take out and eat all the crap in the house now.

Yesterday I was out all day and only had my alpen bars in the morning and nothing until 3pm. And my shopping was due to arrive today. So I went to Tesco express when hungry for something quick which was my mistake. They sell nothing decent at all unless you cook it all from fresh so I chose a lasagne ready meal thinking it wouldn't be too many syn's. Turns out it was about 19.So I am feeling a bit crap about myself again.

I haven't gone on a binge though so far so I am trying so hard to stick to it!

Goodness me faeriemoonfirerae your whole original post could have been written practically word for word by me. You summed up my situation very well. I'm very slim all over apart from my pot belly! People laugh when I tell them but then say "ah I see" when I show them. It looks worse some days than others but that and my chunky sides look very out of proportion with the rest of my body.

I've got liver disease so take nasty steroids which can cause weight gain and certainly dont help due to the 'false hunger' they give you but thruth be told I've always binge eaten when I'm fed up/tired/stressed/just feeling lazy. Slimming world is the best plan I've found for helping me curb it though as I found that most days I can resist the urge to purge by knowing if I save my syns throughout the day I can have a full size chocolate bar with a cuppa on an evening, it doesn't always work I do still binge every now and again but it's a lot less.

Have you tried exercise to tone up? I used to have the awesome Paul Mort as a personal trainer (google him) but got major fatigue years ago with the liver problem and then nerve damage to my right hand side due to incompetent hospital staff so struggle to do any real exercising of the stomach muscles nowadays but when I did train with Paul my stomach size reduced greatly although he did also put a huge emphasis on the food you eat.

Just my thoughts but I'm definately very similar in situations to you and hope knowing you're not alone helps somewhat!
Keep posting here for encouragement anytime you need to - it really does help!
Take care, Deb Xx

Thanks Deb. I have tried toning up but it increases my stomach muscles but the fat stays so it just pushes my stomach out even more.

I'm currently really stressed as an assignment is due in tomorrow and I've been trying to do it with my two young boys racing around the house.

I have just eaten 2 salmon fillets with salad for lunch and am definitely full yet still I'm struggling with cravings!

I guess it's emotions rather than hunger but I don't know how best to stop it.

I can't respond to your friends request yet. It said something about being a new member and needing to of posted 50 posts? X

faeriemoonfirerae said:

Thanks Deb. I have tried toning up but it increases my stomach muscles but the fat stays so it just pushes my stomach out even more.

I'm currently really stressed as an assignment is due in tomorrow and I've been trying to do it with my two young boys racing around the house.

I have just eaten 2 salmon fillets with salad for lunch and am definitely full yet still I'm struggling with cravings!

I guess it's emotions rather than hunger but I don't know how best to stop it.

I can't respond to your friends request yet. It said something about being a new member and needing to of posted 50 posts? X

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Ah ok, it's not something I've ever done on here before I was just gonna send you a Private Message but never mind. I crave sweet stuff after a meal no matter how full I am. I try to just have fruit and or yoghurt or a sweet hot drink or just hold off and the craving usually goes away after not too long.

Best of luck on your assignment. How old are your boys? Perhaps they could have a mini assignment of drawing you a picture/writing a story or something similar.....just a thought

Just a thought regarding always having a pot belly- it could be down to bloating or water retention. You could also have a food intolerance which causes the bloating- common food intolerance are to things like wheat, dairy, eggs. The only real way to know for sure is to try eliminating certain foods from your diet and see if it has any effect!

I have a wheat intolerance and if I eat wheat my stomach puffs out so badly