I can't stop eating.

[georgiamay]

I've been going in between hardly eating a thing, and eating everything in sight for a long time now. For the last 2 or so weeks, I haven't been able to stop eating. Most of the time I'm not even hungry, I just want to eat. I can't explain why, and I can't explain what the feeling is. It's like I just need food, but even after I've eaten a stupid amount of food, I still don't feel completely satisfied. I feel full, but I still want more food.

I keep going from one extreme to other, and no matter how much I try I can't find a balance in between, I can't actually have a balanced, healthy diet, it just doesn't work. At the risk of sounding completely insane, I want to go back to the other extreme of hardly eating again, I feel less disgusting that way.

On the plus side, I've only gained 2 pounds in the last 2 weeks, and considering the amount I've eaten that's not so bad. I'm not over exaggerating, the amount I've eaten is embarressing and disgusting.

Anyway, I suppose I just want to ask how I can find a balance?

[love is louder]

you dont sound insane at all. well at least not to me if that helps.
i am in the exact same position as you at the moment. this is my fourth day of eating excessively in a row. i had to go to asda yesterday at 3.30am because there was nothing left. i tried to explain it to my doctor and he just dismissed it and said "it will probably sort its self out when i sort out my other issues". the only way i can explain it is that i cant get it out of my head. all i can think of is eating and i cant distract myself what ever i eat isnt enough. even when i am beyond full but he didnt seem to get it.

and wanting to go back to the other extreme is a completely natural feeling. (not that its a good idea) you feel more comfortable in that state. like its more you? well more you than over eating.

finding the balance? i cant help you with that. my therapist said that eating seven small meals a day would be a good start. you feel like your always eating but if you look back on your day you have eaten a "normal" amount.

its not a "normal" balanced diet but at least your weight will be stable. and your body will work out what your doing and it will hopefully help.

[Desuetude]

I went through something like that, going days with only a glass of juice to getting out my lunch at 9am finishing it all then being hungry by 10.
I think it could just be a phase, hopefully it will pass but a few things you can try are eating the types of foods that will make you feel full for longer like eggs, oats (porridge), pasta, low fat milk/yogurt, fruit, potato. Foods with lots of protein and fibre tend to make you stay full for longer. Chew your food slowley, Some of the hormones needed to send the satiety signals to the brain are released by your chewing. Anouther option is drink water, sometimes our body thinks we need food when really we are just dehydrated.

Its ok that this has happened though, listen to your body and give it what it wants is the best way to go about things.

[Triceratops]

I've been going in between hardly eating a thing, and eating everything in sight for a long time now. For the last 2 or so weeks, I haven't been able to stop eating. Most of the time I'm not even hungry, I just want to eat. I can't explain why, and I can't explain what the feeling is. It's like I just need food, but even after I've eaten a stupid amount of food, I still don't feel completely satisfied. I feel full, but I still want more food.

I keep going from one extreme to other, and no matter how much I try I can't find a balance in between, I can't actually have a balanced, healthy diet, it just doesn't work. At the risk of sounding completely insane, I want to go back to the other extreme of hardly eating again, I feel less disgusting that way.

On the plus side, I've only gained 2 pounds in the last 2 weeks, and considering the amount I've eaten that's not so bad. I'm not over exaggerating, the amount I've eaten is embarressing and disgusting.

Anyway, I suppose I just want to ask how I can find a balance?

I get myself into this position very regularly. After a period of restricting my intake and the kinds of food I eat my body feels like it's shutting down and wearing out so when I reach out for food that my body needs I simply lose control over the amount of food I eat during binging since it's been so long since I've eaten properly. I go absolutely mental, words honestly can't describe how shocking the amount of food I'm able to consume is. It is literally or nothing with this and it's horrible.

I also completely agree with you when you say you feel better at the other extreme. I know it's a bad thing but I genuinely feel great when I'm dropping pounds, barely eating and exercising a lot. I feel in control, successful, empty and pure almost, but then I ruin it by putting a horrifyingly large amount of food in my body.

I honestly don't know how I can help here, because I'm in the exact same boat and I have no idea how to help myself. Although I can stab a guess and say that maybe it's something in your life that you feel like you don't have any control over, or there are problems going on that you can't cope with so you use starving and binging as a distraction. Those are most definitely the case for me, but I'm unsure whether it might be the case for you.

Hang in there and remember that you're not alone as there are people here who understand and are going through the same thing. :) <3

[georgiamay]

you dont sound insane at all. well at least not to me if that helps.
i am in the exact same position as you at the moment. this is my fourth day of eating excessively in a row. i had to go to asda yesterday at 3.30am because there was nothing left. i tried to explain it to my doctor and he just dismissed it and said "it will probably sort its self out when i sort out my other issues". the only way i can explain it is that i cant get it out of my head. all i can think of is eating and i cant distract myself what ever i eat isnt enough. even when i am beyond full but he didnt seem to get it.

and wanting to go back to the other extreme is a completely natural feeling. (not that its a good idea) you feel more comfortable in that state. like its more you? well more you than over eating.

finding the balance? i cant help you with that. my therapist said that eating seven small meals a day would be a good start. you feel like your always eating but if you look back on your day you have eaten a "normal" amount.

its not a "normal" balanced diet but at least your weight will be stable. and your body will work out what your doing and it will hopefully help.

Thank you for replying, it really means a lot :)

I think I might try eating small meals regularly, just to get me out of this thing at the moment. It might not solve all of the problems, but it'll stop me from eating everything in sight :P

I get what you mean about not being able to get it out of your head, sometimes even when I'm in the middle of one binge, I'll be thinking about what I'm going to eat afterwards. When I'm done, I feel sick and I'm on a very uncomfortable sugar rush (which really aren't nice a lot of the time), and I still want more food. It's impossible to explain why.

I went through something like that, going days with only a glass of juice to getting out my lunch at 9am finishing it all then being hungry by 10.
I think it could just be a phase, hopefully it will pass but a few things you can try are eating the types of foods that will make you feel full for longer like eggs, oats (porridge), pasta, low fat milk/yogurt, fruit, potato. Foods with lots of protein and fibre tend to make you stay full for longer. Chew your food slowley, Some of the hormones needed to send the satiety signals to the brain are released by your chewing. Anouther option is drink water, sometimes our body thinks we need food when really we are just dehydrated.

Its ok that this has happened though, listen to your body and give it what it wants is the best way to go about things.

Thank you :) I don't think it's just a phase, otherwise it wouldn't have been happening all the time, I've been going from one extreme to the other for nearly 2 years now.

The chewing thing is definitely an issue, I need to work on that. I sometimes eat so quickly that I hardly chew at all, sometimes I swallow things without chewing (not often, but it happens).

I get myself into this position very regularly. After a period of restricting my intake and the kinds of food I eat my body feels like it's shutting down and wearing out so when I reach out for food that my body needs I simply lose control over the amount of food I eat during binging since it's been so long since I've eaten properly. I go absolutely mental, words honestly can't describe how shocking the amount of food I'm able to consume is. It is literally or nothing with this and it's horrible.

I also completely agree with you when you say you feel better at the other extreme. I know it's a bad thing but I genuinely feel great when I'm dropping pounds, barely eating and exercising a lot. I feel in control, successful, empty and pure almost, but then I ruin it by putting a horrifyingly large amount of food in my body.

I honestly don't know how I can help here, because I'm in the exact same boat and I have no idea how to help myself. Although I can stab a guess and say that maybe it's something in your life that you feel like you don't have any control over, or there are problems going on that you can't cope with so you use starving and binging as a distraction. Those are most definitely the case for me, but I'm unsure whether it might be the case for you.

Hang in there and remember that you're not alone as there are people here who understand and are going through the same thing. :) <3

I totally understand what you said about feeling pure etc at the other extreme when you're starving. I feel like shit physically when I'm in that phase, but when I feel empty I feel like I've got so much self control and I've acheived something great. It seems to make up for being constantly tired and hungry and makes it feel worth it.

There are some things going on right now, but I didn't think it bothered me that much. I started binging all the time when everything kind of kicked off, so I suppose it would make sense... Maybe I'm just masking it and telling myself that I don't care, and so I'm just binging as a distraction like you said.

Thanks for replying Marcie, I really appreciate it :) You hang in there as well yeah? :hug3:

[dinosaur_go_rawr]

I used to not eat that much and my mum would get annoyed at me for not eating hardly any of my dinner. I used to convince myself I was fat and try to skip meals even though i was rather skinny. But within the last 6 months a lot has happened to me and I found that eating made me feel better. So now i do eat way too much - even to the extreem that i will take food into my classes to eat without the teacher knowing. I guess i comfort eat and I think the only reason Im not obease yet is the fact im so hyper and full of energy all of the time.

My parents work from home and have banned me from the cubords and have rang school and told them to make sure i dont eat in lessons. This should of helped me but my friends keep on giving me food and i just cant help myself.

I hope you can work something out to help yourself. Maby keep a food diary to keep what you have eaten in, that way you can see if you are eating the right amount of food. I hope this helps. Xx

[Caver]

Hmm obviously eat three meals a day, but if you need/want a snack try fruit or saltannas.

[unknownuser]

I'm sorry I can't offer you much advice since I go through the same thing...

What helps me is finding something distracting to do that will take you mind off food... start an art project, read, clean up around the house, go for a walk, ect.

Also, if there are foods that you can't stop yourself from eating, ask your family not to buy them or to hide them from you. I know it sounds a little stupid, but it's worth trying.

Good luck

[DirtyDog78]

Ok one thing that may be causing this eating disorder to eat all the time may be because you are depressed, you are sick or maybe your body needs more vitamins and wants to digest more food.

[Amaryllis]

Overeating wrecks a lot more havoc on your mind than on your body. I wish I could help but unfortunately, I'm in the exact same situation as you. Except it's been about a year or so.

It's frustrating to find only books/websites on only emotional eating when you want help for anorexia to bingeing (which is what's happened with me.)

Everyone says it's because you're trying to comfort yourself but I don't know about that. It's more of just the blind need for food because of endless deprivation and possible fear of returning to that ditch of Ana's/Mia's.

Maybe we overeat because we're afraid of being thin. I know I am. Sometimes I'll want nothing more than to the skeleton I once was, the one with a sunken butt and jutting knobs on her back. But usually I'm afraid of the horrible place I was in. The absolute hopeless loneliness.

Perhaps you're trying to fill the emptiness. The void where your previous eating disorders used to be. Or just a void created by... Something or rather.

I truly wish I could help you. If I knew the steps, I'd have taken it. But unfortunately I lack answers and advice. But Georgia, all the best. Eating disorders can't possibly last forever. We'll get there.