I don't care what you eat, really...

Thank you!  of course to me it seems low going, I have to sit back every once in a while and say.. helllooo you've lost over 70lbs in 4 months, stop it now!

Well said, Happy. I am a year behind you in this journey and still feel like a toddler some days. I agree, to an extent, with what Keith says below as most of us have some "head work" to do. Still...I don't know if I think that knowing WHY we eat necessarily "fixes" us. I had a **** childhood that has manifested in a few different ways, I'm sure. I am aware of WHY I turned to food in many cases. Still, I think I'm finding that it's more important to figure HOW else to deal with it. Like, I think developing new habits that minimize difficult choices is key (ie, always pack your food so you're not faced with a choice in the dreaded cafeteria, etc.), getting off your ass, etc. I may feel differently in a year, after more digging. But, for now, I think the reasons for overeating are so various and SO multiple that we may never figure them all out. I don't want to feel like I'm doomed for failure because I haven't been able to identify what Freudian stage I'm stuck in, LOL.  So, I hope to just develop strategies to deal with "the monkey" and, more importantly, keep reminding myself why this is all worth it, why I AM worth it and why I have to stay strong enough to tell the monkey to "F#CK OFF!". Thanks for all of your encouragement, Happy and thanks for "keepin it real".

There's a lot of head work and self-discovery for a lifetime.  I'm totally committed to it.  But the cure for compulsive overeating is to stop doing it.  This is the way I know I sound rigid and harsh, and I will be the first one to admit I'm not always successful.  But if I want to know why I eat compulsively, I just have to not do it and I will find out pretty quickly.  I will be confronted with discomfort or anxiety or anger or fear.  In OA, we say we have to act our way into right thinking, that we cannot think our way into right acting.  You're going to do great!!

I am you only I regained 55 pounds. I'm working it again & just this morning had that monkey on me.
I am 3.75 yrs out & I can't just eat less of what I want. I can, however, eat pretty large amounts of foods I know that I shouldn't eat. I can eat past the runny nose & past the first tummy signal that I've had enough.
I also have been in therapy for depression, marriage but no one seems to be able to deal with food issues. I have books that are good but do I spend 15 minutes a day reading them? No, I do not even though I know it helps me.
I didn't lose my hunger but feel like I get hungry like a normal person now.
I get help here & that's why I'm back. I am addicted & will have to be ever vigilant to get where I want to be.
Thank goodness this surgery is available & was able to get it.

Maggie, please hang in there.  This is a life-long struggle for many of us.  I am going to give you my best advice, though it's worth what you paid for it.  Do whatever it takes to get in one good day of clean eating.  White-knuckle your way through it.  You can do anything for 24 hours.  The next day *will* be easier.  "One good day" is kind of a mantra for me.  It's my version of "one day at a time." 

I feel very much like a normal person, now.  Trouble is, I mean "my normal" not "normal eater normal."

We do not have to act on our addictive urges, the desires we have to eat compulsively.  If we sit with the feeling, it will pass.  Keep reading and posting!

 

Ok Happy,
I'm going for it. Start time 1:00 pm. Go!
Maggie

Happy - you are awesomesauce with a cherry on top. thank you for your honesty and for sharing it.

I am glad that I hate Quest bars. Just saying.

You know, I had this kind of spiritual experience (for want of a better term) where I could see that sugar was killing me, that I couldn't  handle it, and that now I "recoil like a moth from a hot flame."  The urge has been removed, and I don't miss it.  But so many other things can cause problems, and I have not been as successful at having my attitude toward them transformed.  Quest bars fall into the category.  They are very, very triggery for me.  I'd be fine if someone would dole out one at a time, no more than once a week.  But what's the point in eating something that is that difficult to manage.  Yikes.  I talk about them a lot because they are really a symbol of all those similar foods - ones I do not avoid completely and cause me problems when I have them.  I try to be honest because it's important to my own recovery, and because people need to know that struggle is part of the process, and not an indication that they're failing!  I feel very successful, and I have struggled a lot, and will continue to struggle and that's just fine.  Thank you so much!!

Protein bars, in general, are such a trigger for me. Honestly, I cringe every time I see a newbie talk about them.

A small part of me envies the people who can eat half of a protein bar and their fine. Even though I hate Quest bars, I know I would stop at half - or at 1 1/2.

That's my issue. I have to live with it.

Happy, I don't think of myself as "addicted" to particular foods, but in the end, it is just word games.  The bottom line is that I have to stay away from many carbs because they trigger me to eat more carbs and make me fat.  It is really that simple.  I also agree with Rob that therapy alone can not really solve this problem.  However, I do find that understanding the root needs that the food satisfies helps me satisfy the same needs in other, healthier ways.  This in turn reduces my desire to eat more or eat more cabs.  Overtime, I feel stronger and more in control.  The problem comes in when I forget where I came from and think that my relationship with food can be normal.  It is than that I find out just how wrong I am and the monkey pounces.  This will forever be my soft spot.  It is like having a healed broken arm.  The arm is now quite functional, however, when it rains or you get stressed, you still feel the difference in your arms.  There will always need to be vigilance in my life or I will gain the weight back.  I am certain of it.

Thank you for your wonderful and much needed post.