HELP PLEASE!!!!!!!!!

[stardust]

Please help, ive got a big problem with overeating and ive had this for a few years now, it has just grown out of control in the past few months. Basically i am overloading and stuffing myself with food, tonight just 10 mins ago ive eaten 8 pieces of wheatbix with full fat milk and a lot of sugar. I am just soooo greedy and im gonna make myself very ill if i carry on. But i just cant help it, ill pop into the shop and get loads of chocolate or ill have 4 slices of cheese and toast if i want to. I cant resist eating loads and i have no limits. I no its bad but i cant control myself or order my self to stop. Im already chubby and 14 stone but i fear im getting very chubby and gonna pile on even more weight.m not staisfied with just having a square of chocolate or one packet of crisps, ill eat so much until im bursting. I dont binge eat and sick it up, im not bulimic, but i have a totally out of control habit for overeating. Im very concerened with myself but i cant find the power to stop. I was meant to be starting the fruit diet, but it doesnt last and the cravings start to kick in, also im supposed to be going running but because of all the other psychological pain im going through im just cant be bothered and cant bring myself to do it. Im gonna pile on the weight and get obese like Mchelle McManus but i think theres something seriously wrong with me, i have no self control and treat my body like a recycling bin. Soon its gonna be too late and ill have wrecked my body. HELP! What can i do?

"The truth is out there" Frank Gallagher, Shameless

[in1peace]

OCD girl,
Can you get to see a nutritionist? There may be many explanations for why you are over-eating. Don't beat yourself up about it. That seems to be making you worse! You can get some really good advice from someone who checks into your whole medical history and it can be really helpful. You can even learn what foods will reduce your cravings. I have received a lot of input at Ediets.com. It has really helped me take off some weight. I need to get back there and go at it again, because I am feeling like you today. I have a ravenous appetite after eating well for weeks. I want doughnuts and chocolate in large quantities, LOL! Hang in there! If you can talk to a professional, you can probably pinpoint some things that will help you get control. That said... heading back to my meal plan and fitness routine for some helpful advice! [:I][8D]

"Honey, if ya ain't feelin' the bumps in the road, ya ain't goin' nowhere!" (A wise Georgia Granny's take on living life to the fullest! LOL!)

[Antipodes]

Hi,

I'm a PTSD-er but I have/had a problem similar to what you describe - I put on over 25kg. At work, they called me "Junkie Jeff"! This is all gone now.

In my case, my psychologist gave me the name of a book called "Too Perfect". I bought it but can't find it to quote the author names. There are, I'm sure, many similar books. I strongly recommend you read one or several so you can understand what's going on.

I'm sure the advice to see a dietician is sound but I would urge you to see a competent psychologist. Choose carefully and find one with experience (or specialises) in OCD. Cognitive therapy really does work.

There are also medications that are helpful but this may mean a referral to a psychiatrist (and there's nothing wrong with that).

I don't know how you feel about this advice. Four years ago, I would probably have thought these suggestions repugnant or at least hard to follow through. But I have an excellent GP. He pursuaded me to be open minded and see the psychologist and psychiatrist and give it a go.

My real problem is PTSD. I'm not claiming this is _the_ answer but I have empathy for your post and can only offer my experience.

I hope you can overcome this and get onto the road to wellness.

sincerely
Antipodes.

[scoobygirl2005]

Hi

Poor you, if you need anything then just let me know yeah? pm or chat yeah? Have you seen any professional person? Dietician etc.? Doctor? Because if you haven't the very best thing to do is go to the doctor, I have some forms of ocd and panic attacks, I didn't want to go to the doctor at first and was very scared, but now that I have been there I feel more at ease and he has referred me to someone that will help me. So if you haven't been to see anyone then do go and see someone. Does your family or friends know about all this? Doesn't eating all that food make you sick? Does it fill you up? Sorry for this long message, would like to help you though :) Hang in there mate. Do you eat all this food because you just don't get full up? As in like you eat something and it doesn't fill you up so you go and get some more because if that is the case then you need to eat more fullfilling foods that will fill you up for longer, do you exercise? Because that will help do that aswell, go to the gym, find some sports that you enjoy and do them, also find a hobby that you enjoy doing that will take your mind of eating so much, find something that will keep you focused, how old are you? Keep talking to people about this problem, it will help you honestly it will. Hang in there mate and try not to worry.

Scooby2005
x x

[stardust]

Thanks for your replies.

"The truth is out there" Frank Gallagher, Shameless

[mico]

This is a topic I find interesting.

Myself, I have no trouble with my weight and I don't over eat to any great extent. But, I can be a little partial to a few appertisers throughout the day which sometimes can be very difficult to cut out when you try to make the efforts, I can completely understand your feelings on this.

My view on it, is that it is a form of escape, escaping the general pain of life and seeking comfort, hence the term 'comfort eating'.

Everytime I have made an attempt to convert to a complete healthy diet I have failed. On every attempt, I have noticed something about me, about my inibility to control my own actions over this. It's almost scary to think that I have so little self control, I don't even have much to do. It then makes me think about other parts in my life that I have so little control over.

And this is exactly where it interests me.

I don't think this is an OCD problem, it may well be an anxiety problem, but it is one that is commonplace throughout humankind through varying degrees.

I think this problem can reflect many other problems in your life. But, I really don't want to go that deep into it right now.

But, if you go back to the original 'escape' theory then you have to come to the conclusion that you're escaping something. As you probably know, the best way to deal with most problems is to face them. I'm not talking about a particular problem such as some deeply rooted psychological experience from childhood, not at all. Your problem may be something as simple as boredom, and to escape that boredom you seek comfort in food.

That almost sounds patronising. It's not meant to be. It's just that we all learn to deal with problems in our own little ways, or maybe more appropriate to this post, we all learn to escape in our own little ways, we all do it.

Unfortunately, as I said before, the simple (but difficult in practice) answer is to face your problems. If that's boredom, well, just sit in boredom.

I know, I know, you're thinking that's a crap answer!


There's a couple of things you could do though.

Firstly, and this may sound a little odd, but when you do eat, really try to be aware of it. For example, don't just eat snacks while you're doing ten things at once, sit down somewhere in peace (no TV, no distractions) and put your attention into the food you're eating, notice the flavour, the texture, etc. You may be surprised at how much you don't do this normally. When you shovel food straight into your mouth (like I often do) you miss the entire experience of eating altogether, it's just part of your escape.

Secondly, I would devise some kind of plan. The could be anything you want, you may introduce the rule of no food in between meals. Or, you may devise a plan of every meal you're goin to eat for the next week including snacks to allow yourself.

The important part, is to stick to the plan. I find once I eat one thing that wasn't in my plan, that's it, the cakes are gone, a full packet of biscuits is gone and I'm shoving a pizza in the oven thinking 'it's ok I'll stick to the plan tomorrow...'.

Also, when it comes to certain foods, they can be quite addictive. Such things as sugar, chocolate, caffeine, etc, can be difficult to cut out of your diet. And say if you cut sugar out overnight, then you'll feel the wrath, it'll play hell with your sugar levels. So, maybe if you devise a plan, it may be wise to cut out these slowly.

Besides that I'm interested in what everyone else says on the matter.

Good luck


mico


'Security is mostly superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding Danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.'

[stardust]

That was a helpful reply thanks mico. Well im back on my fruit diet, and ive been running tonight, so here is my list of foods that ive cut out now:

White bread
potatoes
pasta
biscuits
sweets
chocolate (sorry these things are obvious)
cereal
fried stuff
fattening cheese

My in foods list:

Any fruit
A lot of nectarines
Fish
Fresh Fish-lots of fresh salmon
Chicken
Meat
Vegetables
Clear soups

My diet plan goes like this now:

Breakfast- One nectarine and a glass of water with squeezed out lemon juice.

Snacks- No snacks

Lunch- One piece of fruit (peach or something else) Glass of water with lemon juice

Snacks- No snacks

Tea- If im lucky ill have something like chicken with salad or before i was having a jacket potatoe, now ill have nothing or to treat myself ill have a piece of ryvita or nothing.

Snacks- No snakcs

Supper- No supper, just a glass of water with lemon




"The truth is out there" Frank Gallagher, Shameless

[nomorepanic]

that is not enough food to sustain you!

Nicola

"Nearly all happiness comes into our lives through doors we don't even remember leaving open"

[stardust]

i think ill cut it down even more to the bare minimum, ive decided. maybe i should cut out the lemon juice from my water, im not sure

"The truth is out there" Frank Gallagher, Shameless

[nomorepanic]

Maybe cut it all out and follow a sensible diet and not one of these fads and stop being silly!

Nicola

"Nearly all happiness comes into our lives through doors we don't even remember leaving open"

[mico]

Hmmm, I slightly agree with Nic.

The most obvious thing to point out, is that you do need enough to sustain your health.

But, and this is probably what you're more interested in, the bigger change you make, the more difficult it will be for you to keep up. At what you've listed, I know I would fail at that within 2 hours. And when you fail, you feel defeated, like nothing is working, the world is against you, and you're right back down to square one.

I'm not at all a fan of 'diets'. I'm a fan of healthy eating. I could swear most diets are designed to kill you, or depress you, one of the two.

I would start off by eating the meals you normally eat, just with nothing in between. Maybe allow yourself something sweet for a desert though so that you're still keeping your sugar levels up a little.

Say, try that for a couple of weeks, see how it goes. If it goes good, then cut out the desert.

Another two weeks passed, then swap your usual meals for more healthy options. That's if you wish to do so, just aborting the snacks will make a huge difference!


mico

'Security is mostly superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding Danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.'

[stardust]

im sticking to this diet plan, it will be good for me. maybe you should give it a try no more panic?

"The truth is out there" Frank Gallagher, Shameless

[eeyorelover]

I understand that you want to lose weight but you have to give your body the nutrients that it needs or not only will it have a negative effect on your health but you will never be able to stick with it. Changing eating habits is a way of life and I really don't see how you could live the rest of your life only eating what you have described.
I know that you are determined but please for the sake of your health, change your eating habits to what your body needs. The food pyramid is a good guide to start with.
I'm not trying to nag at you, only get you to see that changing your eating habits to this extreme can only make you become more restrictive in what you eat and that can lead to anorexia.
I don't want to see that happen to you.
Please reconsider

Sandy
(eeyorelover)

[nomorepanic]

OCD girl

The fish, chicken and fresh fruit are great choices.

It would be better if you had a bit more to eat for breakfast (could you eat something like porridge as it is very filling and will keep your energy levels up) and lunch - maybe something like a tuna salad?

Just making small changes to your diet will help. My downfall is crisps so instead of one or 2 packets a day I tried to have one packet every 2 or 3 days. That should make a difference.

Good luck with it.

Nicola

"Nearly all happiness comes into our lives through doors we don't even remember leaving open"

[scoobygirl2005]

Ocd girl, good thing that you're going on a diet but I am going to have to agree with Nic here, you're not eating enough, try to eat a little more especially for breakfast because as they all say breakfast is the most important meal of the day and one nectarine is not enough, try eating perhaps a slice of brown wholemeal toast with something non sugary on it or just plain, or eat a bowlful of cornflakes, with no sugar and perhaps have a banana on top, because at least then you will be eating something and thats ok just don't eat as much sugary things, you could perhaps limit yourself to one treat a week, let us know how you're getting on. Keep smiling and hang in there. :)

Scooby2005,
Lu
x

[stardust]

Thanks for all your nice replies. I have been good with my new diet plan so far, and also thanks for all your diet suggestions which arevery professional. I have a gorgeous chinese takeaway once a week and thats my treat, gives me something to look forward to on the food side of things, because one things wil always remain true, dieting sucks.........no one can deny that....it really does but im gonna give my new diet plan the bestest shot. Ive been eating peaches today but they are not even ripe!

"The truth is out there" Frank Gallagher, Shameless

[nomorepanic]

Hey there is nothing wrong with a treat like a take-away once a week. We can't all diet 24x7 can we?

I actually like un-ripe peaches but then I like hard pears too!

Nicola

"Nearly all happiness comes into our lives through doors we don't even remember leaving open"

[stardust]

Hi Nicola, How can you make fruit ripe? on the pack it says keep refrigerated but if you do that it makes it rock hard......[?]

"The truth is out there" Frank Gallagher, Shameless

[scoobygirl2005]

Well done with limiting yourself to one treat a week, thats brilliant and it will help a lot. But don't forget you do need to vary your diet, just eating peaches all day isn't enough, you really do need to eat a range of other foods too, otherwise you will end up making yourself ill and you don't want that do you? So take that advice on board and eat different things. Write up a list of the foods that you like that are healthy and pick from them. Keep in touch.

Scooby2005,
Lu
x

[nomorepanic]

<b id="quote">quote:</b id="quote"><table border="0" id="quote"><tr id="quote"><td class="quote" id="quote">Hi Nicola, How can you make fruit ripe? on the pack it says keep refrigerated but if you do that it makes it rock hard......[?]

"The truth is out there" Frank Gallagher, Shameless

<div align="right">Originally posted by OCD Girl - 09 September 2005 : 20:19:25</div id="right">
</td id="quote"></tr id="quote"></table id="quote">

I think you put it out in the sun - on a window ledge for example.

Nicola

"Nearly all happiness comes into our lives through doors we don't even remember leaving open"

[stardust]

Really? i might try that, if there is any sun. lol. I busted the diet rules by having a pizza and cheese on chips last night, and the night before id had fish and chips! But i went runnign the other night for like, one hour which was such hard work on my legs. Im going running again tonight so in the hope i will lose weight, hopefully. But all those temptations!

"The truth is out there" Frank Gallagher, Shameless

[nomorepanic]

I am not a great runner - I find it hard work, so you are more dedicated than me lol.

I love swimming though so do a lot of that.

Nicola

"Nearly all happiness comes into our lives through doors we don't even remember leaving open"

[Southern_Belle]

If you thought you felt bad before sticking to this new diet plan will make you feel even worse. You defintely need more fuel than you are allowing yourself. I would eat protein at breatkfast and at lunch. Fruit at every meal and veges at lunch and dinner. You also need carbs (good carbs) at least twice a day (tiny amounts). Plus a bit of dairy and yes, some fat. Otherwise, your health is truly at stake. We all need everything in moderation. You have gone from overeating to barely eating. I would suggest you eat a sensible diet and write down everything you eat in a day so that you can see how much you actually eat and how healthy you are eating. Plus drink tons and tons of water, it flushes the system out and boots the metabolism. I truly hope you will heed all of our words. They are meant out of concern.

Bell