Hope for Binge/Volume eaters (long)

Thank you for sharing this.  Just one more bite... that's the story of my life.
Food has been my friend, always.  And the more, the better.  But what a miserable friend it's been.
I have many emotional issues to 'fix' along with the physical, and appreciate your sharing that there is hope. 

Volume eating is also one of my issues.  Your candor about your stuggles- and victories- really hit home for me.  Thanks for sharing.

Thank you so much for posting this! I have been struggling with volume eating since I can remember. I have a similar history of abuse regarding food witholding and plus a history of neglect that included a lack of food on and off from ages 6-17. The daily cycle consisted of periods of 6-14 hours without food, then a large meal in which I could quickly consume as much as I could (similar racing with others feeling). In one sitting, I would pack away up to 2 pounds of cooked rice (That's 7 (yes 7) cups of cooked rice). As I entered adulthood and gained independence, I unconsciously continued the cycle until it developed into full blown binge eating and volume eating disorder within 2 years. 

Since turning 20 in 2002, My weight has fluctuated from a high of 311 to a low of 198 (current weight: 265). Everytime I seem to be doing well and getting healthy, a high-volume binge spree lasting a couple of months un-does all the hard work.

While I've been dealing with the underlying emotional stuff through therapy for a couple of years now, I can't make the jump from that to changing the behaviors in a binge state. Behavior modification only works if you can use it in the heat of the binge, and during that, it's like being in a fugue state. Forget it.

Aaaaanyway. I share all of this because it's so great to see a very real and very relevant description of someone's experience with something that is so shameful and secretive, even within the obese & WLS community. Your post gives me hope. 

Somayeh

 Thanks for the great post!  I am a fellow binge eater.  A great outpatient binge eating program, followed by the VSG, has changed my life.

 I was just reading a book my therapist wrote when I came across the following exerpt: 

"...remember that the more times the marble rolls down the groove in the sand, the deeper the groove will get. That’s why practice makes progress (notice that I did not say perfect). The more you think or behave in a certain way, the more ingrained the pattern becomes. Neural pathways are reinforced every time you perform an action such as chewing slowly, stopping eating when you are no longer hungry, or walking right past the mirror without checking out your body. The more you do something, the easier it becomes, forming the positive feedback loop that promotes ultimate transformation." ~ Karen Koenig, The Rules of Normal Eating


It made me think back on this post and reaffirmed my hope. Thought I'd share with others who found this post helpful.

Thanks again for posting it!
Somayeh