Successfully overcoming an eating disorder?

[Climber18]

Has anyone done it?
How did they do it?
Specifically, binge eating,
not bulimia or anorexia.

[flemmex]

I have had eating disorder issues since I was 8. I am 50 now. Two years ago I finally got to the point where, at over 250 lbs, I was ready to top myself or do something completely different. I had been to therapists and Weight Watchers and tried dieting and all the rest, having temporary success with some of these things, but always fallen in a heap and put back on the weight and more.

I knew that the problem was to do with my emotions more than anything else. Nothing that only addressed the physical issues had ever worked for me. Two years ago I joined Overeaters Anonymous. It is a free self-help group which works the same way as Alcoholics Anonymous. This is the only place I have ever felt totally at home with people who completely understand where I am coming from about food and my relationship with it. It is a spiritual (not religious) program, not a diet and calories club. You can find out about it on the web if you are interested. There are online meetings as well as face to face. I wouldn't be without it.

In the first year, I lost 100 lbs and have lost another 10 or so in the last year. According to my scales at home, I am now 137. I started exercising gently early in the piece, just going for a walk every day. I didn't think of it as exercise, which I hated the idea of then. At that point I thought about it as meditation. That worked for me. The walking very slowly changed to jogging. By the eighth month, I was ready to join a gym. I have been going there regularly ever since. From hardly being able to walk up my drive, I can now jog for an hour without difficulty, and do regular weight training.

Binge eating disorder is the pits, but I have to say that I have found a way out that works for me. Please feel free to respond or email me if you would like to know more about my experiences with it.

[Fit_4_Life]

Climber~~~

Alot of people struggle with binge eating. Dont let it get you down. I actually have a problem with wanting to eat, when I am not hungry & eating in the hours of the night....I know I am not suppose to be eating at. It is a real struggle within my self sometimes. I need to seperate myself from the kitchen just so I wont eat. Or purposely will leave things I love out of the house. Just so I wont constantly be eating. Or eating at times I am not suppose too.

Ive never had an issue with my weight----however. I have had real issues with food. I have had so much of a struggle with it. I feel guilty for eating certain things. Its hard to controll. But you can do it. Just need self Discipline. LOTS of it. & Dont ever give in.

I hope this helps.

I have noticed, that I also, eat when I am depressed. Life sucks or things just arent going as planned. More frequently at these times then I usually would. Kind of like comfort food. Or a way to punish myself because I feel angry & I know deep down I dont really want to do it.

[Climber18]

I was convinced I had binge eating disorder, but i went to a counselor and she helped me realize that it was just my body's natural reaction...In my attempts to lose weight unneccessarily (Im not overweight) I habitualy got too few calories, and my body made up for it this way.
Ive started using fitday.com and eating more frequent, small, and nutritional meals. I find that this is easy, as i never get too hungry and overeat, and i never have the desire to eat things i dont need. So far so good, anyway.