struggling with a potential binge-eating disorder

[izzybizzy]

hello everyone
i need some advice on my current situation as i am feeling confused and lost as to what to do and how to go about this problem.

ever since i was a kid, i have struggled with weight and obesity, even though my parents tried to be super careful with what food they bought and meals they cooked us. now being older, they have loosened these restraints slightly and i have a job so i am able to fund my habits secretly. especially in the past few years, i have had an issue with binging. on the way back from school, work or hanging out with friends, i would stop by a local corner shop and buy shedloads of junk food, sneak it home and sit there eating it all until i physically couldn’t leave my bed for a few hours. i would usually do this before dinner as well so i’d still have an entire meal to go down to afterwards. these binges leave me feeling awful, both physically and mentally, and really aren’t helping my weight loss journey that i’ve been trying to go on for ages. i’ve become a pro at disposing the evidence without my parents knowing but sometimes they may still come across an empty packet or two and ask me about it which makes me feel even worse as if i’m letting them down. it’s a common thought of mine that ‘tomorrow is a new day, i’ll never binge again’ but obviously that never happens and i just keep binging day in and day out.

it’s only until today that i considered this habit a potential eating disorder as there is the stigma that ed’s only come with weight loss and the idea of being ‘skinny’. i’ve been doing research all day about binge-eating disorder but despite this, i’m still lacking the personal advice i need to help me figure out what to do next. i spoke to my mum today about my habits and at first she was apprehensive that it was an eating disorder but she did suggest i call my GP, as did many websites. i am willing to do this but i’m petrified of talking to health specialists about weight as i know that the truth is horrible and i will be labelled clinically obese. i’ve also tried talking to friends but until i am diagnosed, i am scared that they’ll think i’m trying to be attention-seeking by ‘self-diagnosing’.

i’m very stuck on how to go about this but even the smallest bit of advice could really help me right now. anyone who has gone through a similar experience, if you could share how you first approached binge-eating and seeking help, that would be amazing.

 

[bpd2020]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Good for you researching binge eating to get more understanding. The diagnosis of binge eating does not go by how much a person weighs. It goes by the way they eat. You do not need to worry about being told you are overweight. I think it would be a very good idea for you to see your GP. Tell them you think you have a binge eating disorder and ask to go to an eating disorder clinic. I myself have binge eating disorder. I had therapy at a clinic which I found very helpful.

Please do not worry. It is a horrid thing to have but there is hope. You are not alone.

 

[izzybizzy]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Good for you researching binge eating to get more understanding. The diagnosis of binge eating does not go by how much a person weighs. It goes by the way they eat. You do not need to worry about being told you are overweight. I think it would be a very good idea for you to see your GP. Tell them you think you have a binge eating disorder and ask to go to an eating disorder clinic. I myself have binge eating disorder. I had therapy at a clinic which I found very helpful.

Please do not worry. It is a horrid thing to have but there is hope. You are not alone.

thank you for replying so quickly and with good advice
i’ll definitely try and book an appointment by the end of the week and see if they can refer me. i’ll keep the thread up to date pahaha

 

[bpd2020]

I will await your update. Good luck.

 

[Am33]

I used to do that too until I read that sugar effects the part of the brain that controls self control. Its a drug so my brain was craving the sugar and once it got it I lose control of my eating same with alcohol has sugar also. So I cut out sugar very hard cause its in everything just eat a apple , carrots when I want something sweet .

 

[Tawny]

Please forgive my possible unhelpful reply, all i know of over eating is my own love of sweet foods and how i have to be careful i do not buy a packet of biscuits each time i walk to the shop. I eat the whole packet in a day. I have been known to eat a whole birthday cake, which i had bought for someone else, in two days.

I know that is nothing in comparison to a disorder, but i have learnt to buy a cake only on the way to the birthday person's house. I also do not buy sweet foods in my regular shop, but have to walk to the local shop if i want coffee or biscuits. I buy only one treat so i won't buy biscuits and ice cream, just one treat, on my big shop.

I will wear my jeans even if they are too tight, when i go food shopping, to remind myself i need to cut down a little bit.

My main worry is my teeth health, especially at the moment because it is hard to see a dentist and they seem to be pulling teeth rather than filling. There are many older people with bad teeth or missing teeth and i am aware i need to look after them. Diabetes is also a big worry as it is an extremely bad condition to have and i don't want to have that.

That is how i assume a normal eater behaves so you have a benchmark there to judge how your habits are different to mine. I have a big fear of being overweight but i do not have anorexia either. I consider myself to have poor willpower so just fill up on healthier foods so i am not hungry. I also might eat before i go food shopping so i don't buy more than i need. Sticking to my shopping list only helps.

Can you go a different way home to avoid the shop? Or ask someone to help you not go in and buy anything? I know the underlying problem needs addressing but these are just ideas and the more ideas the better i think.

 

[Miss_rivendell]

Hi, I have a very similar story too, and have just reached out for the same worries. I haven't got any advice to give, but you're not alone, and I am happy to be someone you can contact for a chat

 

[izzybizzy]

Please forgive my possible unhelpful reply, all i know of over eating is my own love of sweet foods and how i have to be careful i do not buy a packet of biscuits each time i walk to the shop. I eat the whole packet in a day. I have been known to eat a whole birthday cake, which i had bought for someone else, in two days.

I know that is nothing in comparison to a disorder, but i have learnt to buy a cake only on the way to the birthday person's house. I also do not buy sweet foods in my regular shop, but have to walk to the local shop if i want coffee or biscuits. I buy only one treat so i won't buy biscuits and ice cream, just one treat, on my big shop.

I will wear my jeans even if they are too tight, when i go food shopping, to remind myself i need to cut down a little bit.

My main worry is my teeth health, especially at the moment because it is hard to see a dentist and they seem to be pulling teeth rather than filling. There are many older people with bad teeth or missing teeth and i am aware i need to look after them. Diabetes is also a big worry as it is an extremely bad condition to have and i don't want to have that.

That is how i assume a normal eater behaves so you have a benchmark there to judge how your habits are different to mine. I have a big fear of being overweight but i do not have anorexia either. I consider myself to have poor willpower so just fill up on healthier foods so i am not hungry. I also might eat before i go food shopping so i don't buy more than i need. Sticking to my shopping list only helps.

Can you go a different way home to avoid the shop? Or ask someone to help you not go in and buy anything? I know the underlying problem needs addressing but these are just ideas and the more ideas the better i think.

thanks for your reply
i am the same when it comes to fears of complications with my teeth and diabetes as, although i’m young, i’m scared to keep my habits until the point that the consequences are irreversible and this gets even harder to safely manage.

when it comes to shopping, my mum does the food shop and buys mostly healthy food like lots of salad and fruit. i’ve told her to avoid buying me multipacks of crisps though as i will sit there and eat all 6 in one night before going to raid their crisp stash as well. because of covid and getting less work shifts, i am also more strapped for cash so i’m hoping this will stop me from buying food for my binges, leaving me to scavenge round the house for stuff and making it more difficult for my situation to go unnoticed by my parents.

in terms of routes going home, i can’t really avoid shops because i live by a main road with lots of them on it. there are some days when i can restrain myself from going in them and buying out the shop and some where i just find myself doing it but again, my money and awareness for what is happening will hopefully hinder this completely.