I don't think this counts as an eating disorder, which is why I didn't put it in that forum. I hope some of you can relate.

Lately I have been gaining weight. 8 pounds in a couple of months...not good! What happens is, I see food and I eat it. It masks any pain or trouble I'm going through. I suppose you could call it binge eating at its worst. It's at its absolute worst when I'm feeling really depressed.

Can anybody relate? What can I do besides stuffing my face?

[invisigirl]

Yes, I can relate. Not entirely in the same way though. My depression has the opposite affect on me. The more depressed I get, the less I eat. Food just doesn't sound good at all to me and sometimes it will get to the point, if there is a lot of stress involved, where I will feel nauseated.

It is pretty common for depression to affect our eating habits and our weight.

[babygirl2201028]

are u taking any meds that has a side of apitite gain?

invisigirl - Sorry to hear that you struggle with not being able to eat during a depression. This has happened to me once before, and it's definitely not fun to go through.

babygirl - Yes, I am on 550mg of Seroquel per day, and one of the side effects is increased appetite. However, I've been on it for quite some time, so I'm not even sure if the side effect is still there!

[Chronic]

Yes I can totally relate, although I'm not sure how much help I can be.

T says I do it as a form of self harm to stop the overwhleming feelings. Apparently people who binge on carbs etc use them to alleviate the constant pain and hurt we carry around. People who binge on chocolate, cakes, crisps etc use them to control an immediate emotion, like an arguement you've just had or after a stressfu day. Unfortunately I do both, SI and spend to excess so things dont look great, and nothing I try ever seems to stop the pain, but adds to it.

I had a session today about using better coping skills like "radical acceptance" which is accepting you feel an emotion and not trying to punish yourself for feeling like it but being kind to yourself and taking a bubble bath or reading a magazine or taking a walk, or whatever else you enjoy- basically giving yourself a treat. Which sounds do-able in principle, but I need INSTANT relief because the pain is just too much to bear, so I revert back to my bad coping skills.

When I feel depressed I really do find that being outside in the fresh air, among other people does help even if it's just for a few minutes, but I know it's easier said than done and most of the time I want to hide away from the world.

[SophiaG]

Sounds like learning how to self-soothe in a non-destructive way might be helpful.

[mudgey]

Try keeping fruit, vegetables, healthy snacks around to munch on instead of the bad stuff that puts on the weight. I know, easier said than done. I love chocolate! I don't think I binge or anything, but food does comfort sometimes. Bad habit to form, but not if you can switch it around to eating healthier.

[thine_self_untrue]

We crave food to make us happy because while it's in your mouth, it blocks out all other sensations and it feels pretty darn good. But the second you swallow, everything will come back again.
When the urgue to binge strikes, ask yourself if you are truly hungry, or just stressed/unhappy/worried/whatever. If the answer is that you're hungry, grab one of those healthy snacks mudgey suggested! Don't make food the bad guy, even sugary foods. Everything in moderation, right? If you are only stressed, then try distracting yourself. Read a book, go for a walk, dance to some music, take a bath, calll a friend, just do something! If food keeps coming to mind, ask yourself why again. Maybe you really are hungry, but if not, refocus yourself on the distractions. If your urge to binge is truly overwhelming, consult you T about it. The important thing is seperating true hunger from emotional distress, so you know what you're trying to fix. Food won't make you feel emotionally better in the long run, but a healthy body will definately help.

[venusss]

try not to have the bad foods around. Buy some nuts and dried food and good quality dark chocolate (75%... it's impossible to each too much of that one and it will soothe your cravings. Chocolate is healthy in small doses).