Seeing doctor about my binge eating

Smoking is an addiction and I know how difficult it is to stop.
I knew an alcoholic of whom I was very fond.
He was told to stop drinking and smoking or else the consultant would not operate on him for a vital operation. He did manage it, by himself.

Just a thought - what about seeing a hypnotist antjexix?

I wondered (in an earlier post) if the OP is lacking certain nutrients and binge eats - like pregnant women having cravings?
And, of course, when we were young (but the OP is much younger!) we always had to eat up everything on our plates because there was rationing and nothing could be wasted. Another thought is that parents sometimes give sweet food when a child is hurt; 'let me bathe your knee with this horrible stinging antiseptic nice stuff that will make it better and then you can have a sweet'
Eat up your dinner, then you can have pudding etc
An association with sweet food as something to look forward to begins.

OK, before anyone corrects me, jinglbellsfrocks had two posts deleted so I don't know what they said, but I thought a lot of her advice was very sensible - and no different to what other posters were saying - until other posters piled in saying this is a 'mental health issue' and took issue with her.
Now it may, or it may not be; we are not on here and are not qualified to make a diagnosis but certainly it turned into a very aggressive thread against one person who expressed views with which other posters vehemently disagreed.

The OP said she was worried in case things got out of hand and wondered if she was wasting her money at SW having not lost any weight for a year. So presumably they are not out of hand yet - so time to take charge surely?
Most people of that height and size would be quite happy, so perhaps the problems lie elsewhere, perhaps with relationship issues?

Most binge eaters are normal weight.

I have just read this thread and couldn't agree more with Jalima

We've had incidences before where an OP asks for advice but actually doesn't want to consider any opinion that might cast a negative take on their situation.

I think the posters who waited until jingl had signed off last night before mounting a united attack were behaving like playground bullies.

mumofmadboys says that most binge eaters are normal weight so those of us who have to watch everything we eat in order to maintain a healthy weight are more likely to take a bit of a tough line.

How about if the OP had said "sometimes I can't stop myself from binge drinking. It doesn't affect the rest of my life, I do it at home then go to bed, but it worries me that I get this compulsion to drink lots of alcohol and can't stop myself."?
Would she be getting replies saying " What's the problem?" and "Why not just enjoy it?" ?

You are not alone in your binge eating disorder, it is surprisingly common although most keep it as a shameful secret. It has nothing to do with being hungry, or even enjoying what I eat. It is like being an alcoholic, I plan my next secret fix, such as buying chocolate when filling up with petrol. I stuff it in when on my own and then feel disgusted with myself. The only way I can attempt some control is by not having anything in the house, even crackers. Last week I bought a four pack of twix when buying petrol and ate all four, in secret, when DH was out of the room at various times that evening. I am overweight though and know that the sugar is poison, and need to tackle it. I have jokingly said that I am semi-bulimic; I binge but dont purge. Good luck with your GP visit, I hope you find understanding and help.

Clearly the OP hoped that attending Slimming World would help her to take control of her binge eating as well as of her weight. Unfortunately that didn't happen but the two things are still connected in her mind, hence her posting in the Diet forum.
Some posters are missing the point that weight isn't really the issue.

I think the difference between alcoholism and binge eating is that binge eaters are unlikely to harm others with their addiction.

I could be wrong of course but whenever somebody is concerned that they may be an alcoholic all kinds of alarm bells ring..... drink driving, absenteeism, domestic abuse to name but a few.

Not quite the same reation for binge eating.

Weight isnt really the issue I think, and I also wonder if SW and WW make the problem worse. Although people undoubtedly lose weight and find support, there is an almost obsessive emphasis on food and eating and I think that if, like me, you have a problem with food, this could be counter productive.

It's quite a relief to read some of the posts on this thread as I am a secret binge eater. I'm only about a half-stone overweight, and manage my weight through regular exercising - gym, swimming, running and walking. I dread to think what my weight would be without exercise! I binge eat probably 2-3 times per week, always in secret and hide the evidence!! I can comfortably eat my way through a whole pack of biscuits, large bar of chocolate, large bag of crisps etc etc and will continue to eat until I feel over-full. I usually feel relieved when I have eaten everything available and feel sick and full of self-disgust, as I know that I will now stop (for the day). GillT57 - your post above at 21.46.40 could have been written by me. I also know that I need to tackle this issue. I can start a day full of good intentions to eat normally but can't identify the trigger which sends me off-course and heading to the cupboards to find anything to binge on. I'm quite interested in one of the suggestions to try hypnosis and will look into this further.

Does anyone remember those chewy tablets that you were supposed to eat before a meal that would make you eat less? They were really expensive and I used to end up eating most of them in one go. I also remember buying things like a loaf of Nimble bread [remember that one?] and eating the whole loaf. It's as if my whole life has been one huge diet but the minute I break that diet [eg eat a few biscuits or a couple of chocolates from a box] the 'handbreak' has been let off and I just can't stop. It used to happen more if I was upset about something as well. But always late at night.

I think those chewy tablets were called "Aids"!!!

They were!

I remember those - weren't they Ayds? I used to scoff the lot too!

That Nimble bread had the consistently of nothing ........no wonder "You Could Fly Like a Bird" after eating it ?

It was lovely lightly toasted though

My mother used to stock up with 'Energen Rolls' whenever she was dieting.

A bit like eating loft insulation.

Loft insulation ???!!

Haha, yes remember all of the above, Ayds, Energen rolls, Nimble. No wonder we all feel so effing guilty about eating 'normal' food! Esp now with 'sugar is poison', (and previously 'fat is poison') ... It's a wonder we haven't ALL got eating disorders!

Oh dear! At the time of the request for an apology was made, I was in a London theatre waiting to see a show.

Don't hold your breath waiting for me to get round to it, will you?

'There but for the grace of God' ....... I too consume huge amount so of food and over the years have probably got through a factory full of chocolate bars mostly eaten several at a time and in secret. I had gall stones at 24 and was fully convinced that was due to the amount of sweets I was eating. I don't seem to have that 'switch' which you're supposed to have to tell you you're full and therefore stop eating so don't. My day seems to be one long grazing fest and as I'm sitting in front of a computer all day long only 10 feet from the kitchen its too easy just to keep going. I do try to buy 'healthier' snacks such as low fat crips, low calorie biscuits and find peeling an orange and apple in a bowl takes longer to eat than a banana. I also seem to have to stuff it all in as fast as I can so consequently eat more and then feel guilty. As someone whose life has been dominated by an OCD problem totally unrelated to food I can relate to how difficult it must be to control the binges and hope that you get some help from the doctor. Just one thought - someone told me about a couple she knows who both lost a lot of weight through a hypnotic gastric band - wondering if hypnosis could help with this?

I have a friend who lost a lot of weight through a gastric band hypnosis treatment....she had several sessions and was given a CD afterwards which she listened to regularly, and which kept her weight off. The treatment apparently makes you feel very full and you are only able to eat small portions, she found she felt full very quickly....it really did work. However, she gradually stopped listening to the CD, and over time, put all the weight back on again. It seems you have to listen to the CD regularly to keep the hypnosis"topped up"

I had a phase in my early 20s when I used to binge eat, then make myself sick as I was worried about getting fat. I think that's bulimia. I was unhappy at the time (love life gone wrong.)
Antjexix - do you have one particular place and/or time when you do your eating? Sometimes it helps to change those, to break the habit.
It's a maladaptive habit, not necessarily a mental illness.

I bet none of us who sometimes binge eat thought we had a mental illness, did we?
Very worrying indeed if that is the case.

At least you have recognised that you have a problem Antjexix and hope you can get over it with help.