Why cant I stop eating?

Question

I have quite a bit of weight to lose but as I am disabled with athritus I cant excercise as much as I used to as I am quite sedentary. I used to swim every day to keep fit. I have been on the Cambridge diet for a month and lost a stone which was wonderful but then all of a sudden my appetite came back with a vengence and I couldnt control my eating, I have never binged like this before. I understand that I had been depriving my body of something it needs and of course its craving it now, but when will the binge eating stop? Stupid question I know but I am desperate.

Answer 1

This is not a stupid question at all, and you are definitely not alone. Restrictive dieting can often lead to periods of binge eating, its a psychological response to storing food to prepare for the next "famine" as such. Im told this reaction was a survival technique that helped humans evolve but now we dont need to stock up by binge eating and these habits end up just making us overweight and unhappy. Im speaking with experience since I am being treated for bulimia, dont have the answer yet but Im getting there I think. I would suggest that if its worrying you to go and have a chat with your doctor. There is an Aussie written book that you might like, its about letting go off the idea of dieting....heres the link.
Best of luck

http://www.ifnotdieting.com.au/cpa/htm/htm_store_product_view.asp?id=11

Answer 2

Over-eating is an addiction, depending on the circumstances. If you have emotional trauma in your past, counseling or a support group may be necessary, and there are many available. If you believe yourself to be emotionally healthy, then the solution I would recommend would be to take up a light coffee (which contains roughly the same amount of caffeine as a candy bar) with a packet of Splenda (to satisfy the sweet tooth.) Caffeine is an appetite suppressant, and coffee has minimal calories, plus water-based products tend to fill the stomach much faster than solid foods/candy. Also, this habit could satiate your caffeine fix while at the same time make you feel more full and reducing your appetite. Be advised; I said a LIGHT coffee.

Answer 3

It know it can be hard to stop those cravings. If your body wants foods then listen to it, but instead of going tor any food go for mostly fruits and veggies. Also the key is to eat many small meals rather then one big one, so try to eat at least 4-5 times a day. They will subside your cravings and at the same time not add a lot of calories. Also try to drink 8-10 glasses of water throughout the day.

Answer 4

It's not a stupid question!!! It could be emotional eating. You may be trying to stuff your emotions. Or it could be you are tired. I heard the other day that sometimes we confuse feeling tired with being hungry. That was a revelation to me! Anyway try weight watchers. If you don't like the meetings they do have it online as well. Also try having only healthy food in the house. Good Luck.

Answer 5

Try having your mouth sewed shut.
Or find some other way of physically stopping yourself.
Heck... just expire the food reserves in the house and refuse to buy any more. If there isn't food then you won't be able to eat it, will you?

Honestly though if you don't have the willpower to control your eating habit to a healthy degree then I can't really have any sympathy for you.
The only time I ever lost control in such a situation was when I tried to commit suicide by dehydration... and went for about 36 hours without eating nor drinking anything... not even water. THAT was enough to force me to give in and drink a bit of water, but that was it. If you can't even manage to go without food for that length of time then theres probably no helping you. Food and water are two rather different needs afterall, and I've been for a week before without eating... sans serious discomfort...and I don't even have fat-reserves to fall back on (I'm underweight, in fact).


Perhaps you need to train your willpower to be stronger... or at the very least try to convince yourself that it is stronger...

Answer 6

well, try a high quality multivitamin. in the States we have a company called TwinLab that is a good value. also consider taking calcium, magnesium, and zinc (after looking at how much is in your diet and the multivitamin) Also, fish oil and/or flax oil, or some kind of beneficial fats (omega-3-6-9) supplement.

I do happen to notice that skipping a multivitamin will cause me to eat more sometimes.

Answer 7

arghh.. i definitely feel for you!! I have felt and feel the same thing, still trying to get off this binge cicle.. which the same, came from the fact that i restricted too much. Dunno the cure, but i can let you know, you're not alone in this! I drink some weight loss teas after i eat something, but those don't help too much, I still gained... but makes me feel better and have some sort of control...take care ~

Answer 8

i can tell ya that diets dont work.trust me,and exercisin is only good if ya dont stop. been there,done it.sry i hadto take this question even though dad is on here but i knew this 1 for sure.i put on over 20 pounds in a week,I was bored so i ate and it was just kinda a security thing,the food,try to put small portions of veggies,or sliced fruit,or light cereal in small sandwich bags.what i did was wrote on paper FAT and taped it to fridge and cupboards.could tell more but gotta go.hoppe i helped at least abit,.

Answer 9

The only thing I can suggest is to keep all good foods around the house, and not junk food. That way, at least if you want to keep eating, you are eating healthy stuff, and won't put weight on. Good luck.

Answer 10

you have to look at what your eating,if you are eating lots of sugary things you burn up the energy rapidly and end up craving more sugar.Its best to have protein for every meal,it assists weight loss,building muscle and does not bulk you up like carbs do.Feeling really hungry?eat loads of fruit and veg. You can do great things with fresh fruit and veg and you eat these instead of munching on loads of lollies or fats.