I don't think this is really an ED thing but I guess it fits best here!
I appear to be unable to stop eating. It's not ideal. I'm overweight already and I really want to lose weight and get to a healthy weight and get back to being fit and healthy. At the moment, I feel like crap and I'm really uncomfortable and I just feel horrible.
I don't know why it's so hard! Usually I like my food but I really wouldn't overeat to this extent at all. I know that it helps to stay busy so I'm not just sitting eating, and eat healthy balanced meals, which I am trying really hard to do. I still wake up in the middle of the night, half asleep, and find myself binge eating anything unhealthy I can find. I will stagger downstairs and raid the cupboards, then just go back to sleep. It's awful! I live with my parents so just not having any unhealthy food in isn't an option. I don't know how to control myself!
"I know you're sad, so I won't tell you to have a good day. Instead, I advise you to simply have a day.
Stay alive, feed yourself well, wear comfortable clothes, and don't give up on yourself just yet.
It'll get better. Until then, have a day."
Hi Hannah, I can empathise with this. Medication can be a strong factor, especially with night-time hunger in my experience.
At night-time, would it be possible to keep a box of healthier foods in your room? These could include portions of nuts/seeds if you like them, little boxes of cereal, pieces of fruit, individual sachets of biscuits or oatcakes etc. You could also keep a flask of decaf tea and a bottle of water or squash by your bed. It's really hard when you're craving carbs but if you try and slow things down a bit it might help (ie eating a piece of fruit/veg sticks, a few nuts and a little bowl of cereal and then doing something else for 20mins to see if the hungry/craving feelings pass before making something else to eat?
I know some people say not to eat before bed - I disagree. Don't go to bed hungry. Have something warming like porridge or peanut butter on toast before bed maybe.
I don't know if you've ever seen/done the 'assessing my need to self harm' worksheets but for emotional eating I think these could work great in slowing things down.
Something which might be helpful when you need to binge is doing some exercise. I don't know why but that tends to work well for me.
That is really good advice, I'll definitely try to take it on board. Keeping healthier food in my room is a great idea, I can imagine that might help. I'll definitely give it a go.
Exercise is definitely good. I've joined a gym, and I'm doing Couch25K to get back into running. Hopefully that will help a bit.
I don't think I have seen 'assessing my need to self harm' worksheets, I'll have a look. I think the main time I really binge as such is in the middle of the night and I'm not really 'with it' enough to do anything sensible like that at the time, but I do kind of 'graze' throughout the day so I guess it could help with that, and hopefully the other stuff will help at night!
Thanks again :)
"I know you're sad, so I won't tell you to have a good day. Instead, I advise you to simply have a day.
Stay alive, feed yourself well, wear comfortable clothes, and don't give up on yourself just yet.
It'll get better. Until then, have a day."
Everyone has made far more helpful suggestions than I can but I just wanted to say I am right there with you with the binging at night.
I find setting really strict rules for myself (for example, no food allowed in my bedroom) or making sure I've brushed my teeth makes me less likely to want to eat after. It's really tricky though and I hope you find a way to manage it.
Carmen, that is a good idea but I think I'd really struggle with it. Living with my parents is a bit rubbish because I miss my independence blah blah and I don't think I'd take it very well if I were being locked out of the cupboards! I can imagine me being a bitch about it and that is probably the last thing they need! I will keep it in mind though.
Those are good ideas, Ali. I will try that.
I've been trying to watch how much I've been eating but actually finding it really hard because I am actually hungry ALL THE TIME. Like, seriously, being hungry is not normal considering what I eat. Getting concerned I'm incubating a worm or something. Not really, probably. But it's a bit ridiculous. Going to try and work on at least eating healthier things.
"I know you're sad, so I won't tell you to have a good day. Instead, I advise you to simply have a day.
Stay alive, feed yourself well, wear comfortable clothes, and don't give up on yourself just yet.
It'll get better. Until then, have a day."
Thank you. I'm not sure if it's medication related or not. I thought it might be, and I have been eating more since starting on this medication, but it's got a lot worse in the past few weeks so I don't know. I will definitely bring it up with them if I can't get control of it. I'm trying really hard at the moment to be healthier and try out some of the suggestions from this thread, so I guess I'll see how that goes first.
Thanks :)
"I know you're sad, so I won't tell you to have a good day. Instead, I advise you to simply have a day.
Stay alive, feed yourself well, wear comfortable clothes, and don't give up on yourself just yet.
It'll get better. Until then, have a day."
Do you think perhaps that maybe it has gotten worse over the past few weeks because of the xmas/new year period?
I don't know what food your family gets in but I know I ate more when I stayed with my parents for xmas because there was xmas nibbles on the side so easily accessible and it's stuff that mostly only comes out over that period.
I also thought about a lot of people I know find they tend to eat healthier when they are exercising regularly. I don't know if you are. But perhaps this may be something to consider.
I think it's good that you are open to speaking to your treatment team if you cannot get it under control yourself.
'Cause I'll always remember you the same.
Oh eyes like wild flowers within demons of change ♥
Thanks Amy. I actually don't think it's Christmas related, as it was an issue before Christmas food entered the house, and also aside from the random middle of the night binging I am actually genuinely hungry. Which sucks.
Exercise is a good point, yeah. I've joined a gym and have started going, and I'm doing couch 2 5k to get back into running. I'm hoping that will help at some point!
"I know you're sad, so I won't tell you to have a good day. Instead, I advise you to simply have a day.
Stay alive, feed yourself well, wear comfortable clothes, and don't give up on yourself just yet.
It'll get better. Until then, have a day."
