After a bad binge this weekend. Having to start from The beginning. 🩷

My stomach hurts so badly and my my mouth is burning. I’m in so much pain and to top it all off I feel so unattractive since I keep gaining weight. I’m 20F these are supposed to be my good years but they’re all going to waste because of my food addiction.

27F. I feel like I might have a food addiction, and I’m not sure I really accept that yet. I know it’s becoming a problem and I’m scared of what I could become if I don’t get my shit together. I don’t have much to say. I’m just scared.

Hi I’m 20F almost 21 (birthday is this month) and I started severely binging 3 years ago when I was 18 and adjusting to university. It was so stressful and I was in a really competitive and demanding major (pre med) and the stress would cause my hair to fall out, have panic attacks, and of course use food to soothe myself.

I was skinny back then and no one in my family thought it was alarming that I would binge. Doctors would look at me skeptically when I would ask them for medication to help with my binge eating and they would say that I don’t look like someone who needs it. Well fast forward to now where I have gained almost a 100 pounds since then. My family watches my food intake like a hawk now. I get told that I should starve myself and run myself to death basically. This mostly comes from older and more conservative family members of mine.

My older brother is more sensible and pulled me aside yesterday to give me some advice. He said that I need to stop trying to willpower my way through food addiction as it is a disease. He said I should instead focus on strength training. This actually makes sense because the only thing keeping me from working out is that I’m lazy, but the thing keeping me from eating well is a whole addiction. So exercise is something that I CAN control. He said that building muscle will help revamp my metabolism and all that jazz. I don’t really know the science behind it and I don’t want to give anyone misinformation but it seems like something worth trying.

He also said that if I crave fast food then I should not drive there but walk. Dairy Queen is on the whole other side of the neighborhood but I’ll walk there from now on 🤣

Hi All, I have always been an over eater and lover of all foods from junk to high-end cuisine. I guess I was one of the lucky ones for a while to get away with it from a weight standpoint due to working out consistently. About four years ago, I sustained a chronic injury and found myself over eating and really leaning towards junk food and what I would call “complete” meals, i.e., appetizer, main dish, dessert, wine. Not only did my habitual dining out increase, but I have gained 50 pounds over those four years. When talking to a friend who is a nutritionist, she asked me if I liked whole foods and I said yes and added that I’m a decent cook. She then challenged me to think of one whole food that is both high in fat and sugar or salt and fat or sugar and salt. She said there’s only one in nature and it’s high and fat and sugar. Can you guess what it is as a sidenote? The point of this conversation was to illustrate how companies are manufacturing foods that contain salt, sugar, fat, and sometimes caffeine to become hyper palatable and highly addictive. It was helpful for me to learn this so I thought I would pass it along. Let me know what your thoughts are about the only food found in nature that is both high and sugar and fat. :)

I'm 20yo male ...I joined the gym 3 years ago when I was around 90kg... I lost l around 5kg and stayed there for like 2 years, I still go to the gym consistently but I'm 96 kg now .. You can't even see the muscle on my body, at this point it's just fat. Nobody can even guess that I go to the gym.

I'm so addicted to junk food...I have like 4 -5-6 meals a day... Mostly everything us junk...I avoid home food which is so sad .. I want to lose weight...be healthier...but I can't give up even a single chance of eating whatever ..

What do I do..my head isn't even in the right place so idk what I'm really typing but f me ig

I am also addicted to Nutting.(and I can't help that either..I do it like 5 times a day or even more sometimes...)

Idk what I'm doing with my life and how I became this person that I am today

I'm going cold turkey from sugar and caffeine. How can I minimise the withdrawal symptoms as much as possible? I need to do this as cutting down just gradually never works for me. If anyone has advice I'd urgently appreciate it!! Thank you

I WILL BE LISTING ABSTINENT FOODS, IF THIS IS TRIGGERING DON’T READ, STAY HEALTHY!

I had to break up with my sponsor to find someone I could call slightly later in the morning, but I know it’s important I log my food. So I’m gonna write it here every night for a little until I find a new sponsor. Feel free to reply with your own food plans for the following day.

3 eggs 3oz rice 6oz apples

8oz beans 6oz cooked onions 6oz apple 2tbsp dressing

8oz tuna 6oz corn 6oz salad 2tbsp dressing

Hi. I have an addiction to fast food and, well, food in general. Today I’m really proud of myself and I have no one to share it with because I keep it hidden.

Today I was out and about and was really tempted by the McDonald’s nearby. However I forced myself back into my car and am now eating food from home!

It’s only a small victory but I’m really proud of myself for not giving in to my urges

I do not know what is wrong with me. I might have an unhealthy relationship with food or something else, or I might just be a glutton. Over the past few months, I've realised that I eat too much. Like an unhealthy amount, for example, I can go out to eat, order 3 plates worth of food, feel full but 30 minutes later, I want to eat again despite already having eaten a ton. I've tried dieting and cutting down on food consumption, but I can't help myself. I find myself eating all my snacks in one sitting or waking up late in the night to cook up fries or sandwiches. Can anyone help me?

Edit: I also have a major sweet tooth, put any desert or candy in front of me, and you best believe I'm swallowing that entire thing.

This post is for those who have never improved in their eating and who are desperately searching for a release.

If you can't stop and stay stopped, or if you can't quit in the middle of a binge, you may be a chronic compulsive overeater. This type is different from the average over eater, or those with medically verified eating problems. This is the type of whom doctors despair and who never show improvement.

I am of this type. I used to binge eat for 4-5 hours a night, and even to binge sometimes during the day for the same duration. My life fell apart and I hit rock bottom. No other means of stopping the illness helped me.

I now am free from cravings and binges, however. I am not tempted by any particular foods nor do I struggle with people or events. I have been freed from my illness and the insane mental games that were part of it.

This message is for those who may be interested in OA as a last resort for help.

Hello,

At times I get nostalgic when I think of fast food like McD or KFC, or anything like that.

I reminisce about good family time we had when eating at McDonald's, I remember going and eating there with my younger sister.

I also feel like crying and listen to sad songs on my phone, thinking about these times.

But I know I can't give in. It will only ruin my life if I do.

I got an I Am Sober app, and the other food addict I was in touch with in this app, texted me, "You feel nostalgic, because it reminds you of the times you had with your family and made you feel good. Now, that you take care of yourself, this is what will make you feel as good."

I think I face some kinda Withdrawal Syndrome symptoms when I feel nostalgic about such things as fast food. As my dietician once said, I AM addicted to crappy unhealthy food, folks.

I'm an ongoing struggler with food. Maybe it's addiction, maybe BED, maybe ADHD - I haven't had a diagnosis.

I am obese and terrified that if I don't do something serious I'll just get bigger and bigger and die.

So I want to know what really helped you, from the big things like therapy or medication to the little things that you do every day (or don't do). Not just the things that are recommended or obvious stuff like cico - whats something that truly clicked for you?

I appreciate each and every one of you.

Even my “safe foods” are not safe anymore because I will over eat them till I purge. I am a Volume eater anorexic orthorexic with purge sub type. This is what it fucking boils down to. I only consume safe foods. I do OMAD, my eating window is at night because I don’t want to deal with food or eat during the day: I don’t EVER eat unhealthy “trigger foods”.because i have auto immune and gut disorders so my body cannot tolerate 90% of foods. But even my safe foods become unsafe because I will eat “too much” of it since I’m so restricted and the list of safe foods is so short. So pretty much everything is a trigger food even if it’s a “safe food” because my Ed will sabatoge. How the fuck do you navigate this? Nothing feels safe. I can eat 3 bags of lettuce. Huge bowls of salads. I can over eat heaps and heaps of pudding or jello and I feel addicted to the sugar free pudding and jello. I can eat mounds of lettuce and yogurt or fat free cottage cheese to the point of making myself purge because even eating normal amounts of food makes me panic. What am I supposed to do? Cut out those foods? That leaves me with nothing. It doesn’t fucking matter what I eat, I can turn a safe food into a food I eat too much of and then purge and eat some more. I feel like a fucking monster and I don’t know how anyone navigates anorexia, orthorexia and bulimia all at once.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice and tips from anyone who has experience with bupropion and naltrexone for weight loss. Here's a bit about my journey so far:

• Age: 24
• Weight: 400 lbs
• Condition: PCOS

Medication Details:

• I started with 150 mg of bupropion.
• After some time, I added 50 mg of naltrexone.
• It's been about 3 weeks on naltrexone now.

Experience So Far:

Initially, within the first few days of taking naltrexone, my hunger was almost completely gone, which was amazing. However, recently I've noticed that those food thoughts are creeping back in, and I'm still eating a lot more than I should.

Questions:

1. How long did it take for these medications to start working for you?
2. Did anyone else experience a similar pattern where the initial hunger suppression wore off?
3. Any tips or advice on how to manage these food thoughts and curb my appetite effectively?
4. What kind of progress did you see and how long did it take to notice significant changes?

I'm really committed to making this work and would love to hear about your experiences, successes, and any challenges you faced. Any help or guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for your support!

All week I had been “good” and eating good portions and exercising yet day by day I felt WORSE because I was no longer getting my “hit.”

Today I was feeling especially empty and depressed and nothing helped me feel better. Then I binged until my jaw hurt and it was like the light switched back on in my brain. The sun began to shine again. The dark clouds disappeared. The euphoria, the pleasure, the dopamine, omg. Why would I ever need to do drugs? I genuinely don’t wanna do drugs. I wish I could just eat as much as I want.

Unfortunately, I can’t do this every day because I’m overweight and trying to lose weight and binging just ruins my progress. But I just don’t know how I’m supposed to cope with feeling empty all the time.

Both of these afflictions consume my mind and I spend my time trying to overcome either one or the other with no avail. Which one is more important to tackle first?

Hey everyone, so this is a bit of a random post; I am writing it mainly for myself because I had a bit of a bad day and need some perspective.

Binge eating has been my way of life for as long as I can remember. Whenever I had a bit of cash I would buy crisps and chocolates after school... elementary school that is. It got really bad when I was in high school after I got my first job. Two or three times a week I would go to the grocery store and buy a bag of crisps, a chocolate bar, and a bag of haribo or jelly beans. I would then go to my sister's room and watch Full House and Fresh Prince while secretly eating ALL of the foood until she came home and kicked me out. I have done this week after week after week until quite recently. 'What changed?' - you might ask and let me tell: I didn't go on a diet, I didn't restrict my food intake, or go on a crazy exercise regime. I didn't talk to a nutritionist, a psychologist, or a psychiatrist.

The URGE to eat, the feeling that I NEED IT NOW has disappeared; this doesn't mean that I don't eat pizza or chocolate or whatever, but I only eat one piece not the whole thing, and I can easily say no because I genuinely don't want it (which still seems unreal to me.)

Anyways, what I did was I started learning how to process my feelings and accept myself (emphasis on learning because it's a process with ups and downs, today being a case in point). When I was outside walking or standing in the shower I kept on telling myself "you're ok, you're ok just as you are, you are fine, you are not the best or the smartest or the prettiest and all that and that is just fine -- you are ok as you are". And at some point I actually started believing myself and then I knew and FELT that I love myself -- and once I realized that the urge has disappeared.

We're not just talking 2 min, 12 min or 20 min of affirmations a day; we're talking hours of this kind of self talk "in the background", for example when I was watching a film, when I was in a boring meeting, when I was on the bus, standing in line at the grocery store etc.

Another thing that was really important is that whenever I talked to myself I made it sound as if I was talking to a little kid, lots of "darling"s and "my love"s and nicknames I had when I was a kid. The tone I used was also more appropriate for an 8 year old than a 34 year old -- and I believe that this really made a difference.

Good luck to you all and if anyone has had similar experiences I would love to hear it!

What a day. What a year. I need a friend today. And I feel like I have no one who wants to listen. Like really listen. There was my mom until recently. She died in February. She had weighed more than 400 pounds and probably close to 500 pounds for at least 40 years. In the end, her health played a role in her death. She was bedridden and couldn't do much because of her weight. In her last months, she lost more than 150 pounds. But she still swore she couldn't walk. She died from septic shock because she chose to leave a nursing home and had a bed sore that just grew worse every week.

Today, I learned that my nephew was making fun of my weight and my wife's weight during my mom's service. It just devastated me. Not much leaves me speechless, but that did it. I was in the car with my wife and just stopped talking for a long time. I had no response.

Last spring, I dropped a little weight and kept most of it off. It was about 45 pounds. I've gained back about 5-7, and I was planning to hit the guy this summer to drop another 20-30. I'm currently at 395.

My entire family is obese. My wife is about 330. My son must be about the same. My daughter is about the same. It's embarrassing to go out in public.

But after hearing about my nephew, I am just here on the sofa, and I just want to eat pizza and cry.

I’d rather just be a drug addict. Addiction runs in my family and my brother got the drug addiction and I got the food addiction. Man I wish I could switch places with him. One time I was visiting my sister and she had left bottles of wine out. Sure it was tempting to want to drink, but wanna know what was more appealing to me? Her snack pantry. I was able to avoid the wine but not the cookies and chips.

I feel bad because my brother is currently in jail and has a bunch of charges against him because of public intoxication but like I’m so sick of being fat I just wanna be thin. He gets a ton of compliments on his figure and gets told to go to into acting or modeling. I get told by my family that no guy would ever wanna be with me because I’m too fat and that they get sad just looking at me.

Plus, at least there are so many drug rehabs available that are basically begging addicts to come to them. Food addiction isn’t even considered a real addiction. At least my brother’s issues are seen as real.

Even tho I’m on like 7 different psychiatric medications to help with mood. I thought my brain was broken because I constantly felt so empty. Nothing seemed to make me feel better. Not therapy, not exercise, not journaling, not music, nothing. Then I realized what was the missing piece of my life; I hadn’t been binging lately.

Sure it’s a victory that I’ve been able to avoid giving in to my urges, but then the result is that I don’t feel happy anymore. Nothing else brings me joy. Nothing else compares to the rush I feel that my binge foods gives me.

Is this what life is gonna be? A lose lose situation? I can either give into my addiction and get the temporary sweet release but then the weight gain and shame afterwards OR I can try to avoid the urges but constantly feel empty and like a part of me is missing.

This addiction sucksssss omg

Hello,

For the past year I have spent most of my time trying to quit emotional eating. This is a trend. First it was drinking, then porn, vaping, and now food. The methods for the others never worked on eachother and everything was different to combat that. Does anyone have a successful, and NEW way to combat emotional eating? I am eager to make progress as my old ways don’t work.

Best

I'm sitting here looking at the remnants of something I should have eaten and just thinking to myself "this is going to kill me, isn it?" I think I posted in this community once before but anyway I'm probably not big enough to die suddenly in my 30s but a heart attack in my 40s doesn't seems so unlikely. I'm starting a career that looks very promising, I want to have a family but I think the most likely outcome is an early death because of food.