How sick am I for doing this? It's really bugging me.?

Question

I have a tendency to buy several bags of candy on the weekends, secretly. I have to make sure no one knows I bought them.
Secondly, I binge on it. I eat about half a bag.
Then, I get disgusted with myself and throw all the candy I bought in the trash can.

And, you can always find me digging that candy out of the trash can later and eating the ones that are unopened.

What the hell? Anyone else have such a struggle with deciding to eat stuff? I wonder if this is just weird and stupid, or pathological. It sure feels disturbed to me.

I try not to buy the candy, but my mind always finds a way to trick me into it.

Answer 1

It sounds like you have a food addiction which is different from cravings. When I typed "food addictions" in the Google search engine, it came back with 1,390,000 hits! Rest assured, you are not alone.

I read some time ago that food addictions are nearly always the result of an unresolved hurt from your past. It may be something you don't even think about consciously, but this is your mind's way of dealing with it. The article also said to write down what you are thinking and feeling at the time you make the decision to binge. Whatever comes into your mind, where you are, what you're doing, sights, smells, time of day...it's all important. Document it. Sometimes reading what you wrote later can help you identify the occurrence that lead you to the point of binging and maybe even help you avoid the situation altogether.

Answer 2

Hun, don't worry. WHat you described is a very common symptom of an eating disorder or the very beginnings of one Eating disorders don't just have to be anorexia or bulimia they can be subtle little behaviors that develop into these more serious ones. I know because I have done the very same thing. I am just recovering from bulimia. If you have ever been or known a bulimic you will know that they are obsessed with the idea of food. Did you know you can be a bulimic in your mind without actually doing the bingepurge thing? Yeah. I used to go through grocery stores everyday just walking up and down the aisles dreaming about eating all of that food. It was like an addiction for me. I no longer binge and purge but I do the craziest things. I will buy some low calorie bread and take off all the crusts and eat that and then throw the rest away. Or take on tiny bite of something and throw it away because I would feel terrible if i ate the whole thing. I only eat crumbs left in the bag of chips. And believe it or not I have searched the trash for things that I just threw away too. You are not alone. It's a very common thing for eating disordered people to do. Simply put you are preoccupied with food. I would suggest that you find someone to talk to this about before it develops into a full-fledged eating disorder. THat's just from experience. If I would have gotten the help I needed I would not have wasted 5+ years of my life at the toilet. I wish you the best of luck. Don't beat yourself up. Get some kind of help. God bless and take care. If you would like some support my email is [e-mail]. I would be happy to help you with anything. Hey, it would be awesome to prevent someone from going down the road I did.

Answer 3

I am really bad like this as well. I'll go buy 4 or 8 candy bars at a time and eat them all. Then I hate myself for it. Eat another one though - I'll feel better (for a little bit). The 4 or 8 part is due to my OCD - every thing has to happen or function with the # 4 or a multiple of it.

I just get this compulsion to buy and have to answer to it. I am not a big spender on clothes/fashion or normal things like that. But just look at my food and liquor bill (okay, the liquor is different), but the food - most of the time it's just wasted or unneccessary.

I constantly throw all the food away or the candybars because it was dumb to buy it all, and I don't need it. I totally hide my food addictions and binges. You should see all the evidence I have to destroy. The only reason I wanted to live on my own was to keep others in the dark. They wonder why I function best between 2 and 6 in the morning - well, duh, nobody is awake to see the damage I am doing..

By the way, I am doing really well eating properly and enjoying a walking program in everyone else's eyes, but um, yeah, the only thing it's doing is keeping me from gaining more weight because of my binges................

Answer 4

About as sick as I am, lately--I've been craving chocolate. I also don't let anyone know when I get it. I eat a whole bunch of it at one time, too. I DON'T throw it in the trash, but I hide it in the cabinet or fridge.

I try to buy Slim Fast bars, Balance bars, or sugar free chocolate--to replace the chocolate with things that taste like chocolate. A lot of times, though, these are not available--or I can't afford them--so I go to the regular candy. (The alternatives do work--but I wonder if there's something addicting in them, that makes me crave the chocolate?).

The problem is, I have both high cholesterol, and high blood sugar (recently). So I really shouldn't be eating candy at all. It seems I wanted more chocolate when I found out about the high blood sugar...go figure.

Answer 5

First of all, it wouldn't be a tendency if this is something you regularly do. That sounds OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) like to me. Secondly, if you are doing this "secretly" it says to me that you are ashamed of this. Why? Overweight? Diabetic? Masking a deeper problem? Obviously it wouldn't be what most folks would consider "normal". Thirdly, Your digging it out of the trash sounds like it may be linked to an "Eating Disorder". I'm no Doctor, but it sounds to me like you have more than one thing going on and need to seek some help. You can access Mental Health Help free in lots of places in today's time. Try your local community mental health if you don't have insurance or funding. Best of luck to you.

Answer 6

"I try not to buy the candy, but my mind always finds a way to trick me into it."
Take a look at http://www.thework.com/index.asp
The Work of Byron Katie
The Four Questions

1. Is it true?
2. Can you absolutely know that it's true?
3. How do you react when you believe that thought?
4. Who would you be without the thought?

And remember to turn it around.

Answer 7

Take along just enough cash to buy a smaller amount, and eat it all in one sitting. For Mamabear: they have chocolate that contains no sugar at all now, especially for diabetics and dieters (it uses aspartame, or similar, and is excellent; Cadbury produce one variety.) I get some natural yoghurt, add a heap of cocoa (3 types, Nestle, Cadbury& 1 other), then a lot of sweetener, and mix, adding full cream milk, or soy milk, and a dash of coffee. Try it; you may need more milk than me; I like it STRONG!

Answer 8

Don't completely cut out candy from you're diet. Have a small piece of chocolate a day or some other small candy sometimes. Good luck.

Answer 9

Don't make a secret of buying it. Get a couple of bags and leave them on the kitchen bench. Have one whenever you feel like it. You don't need to hide and binge, it's not drugs or alcohol. Hell, share them around after dinner.

Answer 10

It sounds like a nervous habit. Just like people who bringe eating than throw it up. Sound like a game your playing in your head, I suggest you speak with a professional. You could be someone lacking sugar in your body, find out and get a medicalcheckup