compulsive eating issues

I am a little over 3 years out from surgery. I had binge eating issues before surgery and am still battling it. I have only gained 5 pounds but the binging worries me alot. I don't do it everyday, I follow a routine on most days and then others once I let my guard down its all over. What I mean by binge eating is constantly eating(per the space my pouch will hold at a time, which is more than I would like). Its just like before I had WLS, I would eat constantly and get full and then as soon as I realize I am not full anymore I am back at it. I am a stay at home mom and try to remain active or busy so the thought of food doesn't consume me but some days are better than others. I don't know what to do. I cannot buy ANY trigger foods that might tempt me. When I buy the junk stuff I try to only buy what can be eaten in one serving. I could go on forever about this, is there anyone else going through this now? I would love to talk to someone else sharing the same difficulity.

Candy

I have compulsive eating issues. First I have to stop my self and find a way to relax. I try breathing/meditation, yoga or just exercise. Recognizing that I'm a compusive eater was half the battle. Now I work at it every day and realize that nothing I eat is going to "fulfill me" But finding the thing that replaces food is difficult. I don't want any other addictions.

Good luck and stick with it. It's a daily strugle but one worth the fight.

Heidi

Hi Candy,
I was diagnosed Binge Eating Disorder about 5 months ago and have been in therapy ever since.  I was told the issues aren't really about food, food is just the Red Herring.  Might I suggest a book to you that may help?  "Eating In the Light of the Moon" by Dr Anita Johnston.  I have read that book about 3 times, have tons of booksmarks and lots of things highlighted for easy reference.  Every time I have an urge to binge to refer back to that book and whatever I am feeling I look for a bookmark that refers to how I am feeling and I refresh myself.

Battling disordered eating is very difficult but you did the right thing by reaching out for help.  I have found that I am most successful in battling Binging when I speak out loud about it and not live in denial.  I wear my "Binge Eater" badge proudly and shout it out to the world so I never forget that that for me it's One Day At A Time.

Good luck to you and if you want more info on Binge Eating Disorder please feel free to message me and I would be happy to suggest a few other books that have helped me tremendously!

Jodi

PS:  I know I am not a Grad yet but I do like to surf boards and since I connected so closely with this post I just had to respond.  Sorry if I offended anyone!

Hi Candy. At about 2yrs out I realized I had a serious problem and found a therapist that specialized in eating disorders. I'm an emotional eater and a food addict so I needed to learn ways to cope when those time****~sometimes the coping mechanisms work and sometimes they don't, but I feel alot better about things now at 3+yrs out. I describe it as "having to talk myself down from the food" like when I get upset and find myself standing in front of the cupboard, doors wide open, looking for whatever to shove into my mouth to try to make myself feel better (which never works). I use relaxation, exercise, diversion and breathing techniques. My therapist gave me a great article on binge eating and it explained so much. It said that a "binge" doesn't have to do with the volume of food consumed (most people would think after having wls you wouldn't physically be able to binge), but it has to do with the way the food is consumed. As an example, someone might binge on 2 rows of oreos, grabbing them and eating them in a rushed, stressed manner almost slamming them down vs. eating some oreos b/c they sound good, taste good, eating them slowly  enjoying every bite. For a wls'er, we might have an oreo binge on just 2 cookies~its actually the way in which we eat them (not the amount of food) that makes it a binge. So, if we eat 2 cookies in the rushed, stressed manner, its considered a binge, but if we make a concious choice to eat 2 cookies and sit down and savor them, its not a binge at all~its an enjoyable eating experience. Does that make sense?? Anyway, there are many of us here that understand. If you're able to find a good therapist in your area, I highly recommend giving it a try! Good Luck!

Thank you for your response. I would probably be the one who would eat the two rows of oreos. I do notice that in my binges I do not eat in a frantic manner, but do eat until I'm full or I've reached my sugar limit point. I am so ashamed at the volume of food I can eat now and I know it is from all the times I have continuously ate reaching the stuffed point. I have been so blessed by my surgery, I have not had any complications what so ever. I do hate the way my body looks now and struggle to feel confident about myself everyday. I cannot afford PS so I'll have to just live with myself, thank god for capris and girdles...lol. I have ate in secret before because I think people would say something if they knew how much I could eat knowing I've had WL. I would very much like to see and talk with a pro but I am not fortunate enough to afford it...

Again thank you for your reply..

Candy 

Thanks for the honesty and openness of your post.  We don't get to the point of needing weight loss surgery without having some sort of dysfunctional eating.  Whether we call it a food addiction, binge disorder or compulsive overeating, it is a way to calm and soothe ourselves and our emotions.

I have a list of distractions that I pull out when my head hunger starts screaming at me.  I will call a friend, get myself out of the environment even going out on the back porch, straighten a drawer, try on some of my favorite clothes for positive reinforcement, or other types of things.  I have found when I'm distracted that the craving to eat does pass.  Sometimes it passes quickly and other times it takes doing a couple of distraction things. 

Your post and the responses are so inspiring to me.  Thanks to you for starting this thread and sharing as you have.  It is a concern we all understand!

Cathy

I do agree that I use food to soothe myself, weather I'm bored, happy, sad, or what ever the emotion is. I find that when I eat I am happy at least for the time being.  There have been times when I am eating something and its not really that good but I eat it anyway, how stupid is that, or I can be craving something and eat it and then I feel like nope that wasn't it. I hate feeling like food controls me. I would not take anything for my surgery because without it I would have never lost  the weight on my own.

Candy