[hippychick]

Ok, I just have to confess... just come right out and say it... I am addicted to food, completely addicted. Here's the deal: I have to eat something salty, and then sweet, and then salty, and then sweet. The textures of what I want vary; but the texture of that particular craving is very important - like I must have a soft pretzel, or I must have cheese and peanut butter crackers. Then I must have a white chocolate kit-kat - or whatever. Or I must have McDonalds big mac and fries, then a box of oreos with milk. What I'm trying to say is that I have very specific and very strong cravings. Someone addicted to heroine or crack could not possibly be more consumed by their cravings than I am. It's all I think about. I can't diet because of this... I say that I am trying and that the weight just won't come off... but the truth is, I just can't stop eating. Period. I starved myself to fit my wedding dress... that was a month and a half ago... I've already gained 20 pounds again.

I've tried overeaters annonymous. It's just not for me. I did not feel comfortable sharing because most of the people were thin.

I just want to talk to people who can relate, and see if anyone can suggest something other than oea. Thanks!

[colors]

Hi hippy,

Well you are getting married? Congradulations!

Eating habits are learned, and therefore so are all of the better eating habits. Many women eat better for themselfs when they are married. So this is a good time to undo the old habits.

When I first started watching my weight, I would count calories. Old fashioned calories. This helped me learn what types of foods had high fat content.

I bought a cheap pocket type calorie counter (with all the brand named foods) and looked up everything I ate. Then when I found it hard to stay in a certain calorie range, I looked at the alternative items in the book. I started reaching for the foods that had less calories.
An example of this would be the oreos. How many calories in just one? Then I would look at the others...maybe a oreo that was called low fat oreo...how many calories? So I would switch. I did this with each item I bought.

It took maybe a month of matching an alternative. Each time I took an item and switched, I came out ahead. I lost weight!

I felt so good...that I started doing just one exercise in the morning. Just one. After one week that one exercise was so easy, I did two different exercises a day. Like 5 jumping jacks, and 4 sit ups. After the week was up, those exercises were too easy, and I increased them, or added more.

This is the way I started hippy so many years ago. I am still thin, and have added a great many more ideas since then. It just started with the Calorie Counter, easy, inexpensive, and it works!

Hope this will help you break the ice. Whatever you switch, will be one more step to loosing your weight and keeping it off.

Good luck with your new habits!

Colors

[mj14]

hippychick,

I know exactly how you feel. I know just how strong that compulsion can be. I've sat there, literally shaking, trying to stop myself from giving into the compulsion.

I think the key is to realize that it's not about food. Diet tips aren't going to help. For many people with compulsive overeating disorder, "dieting" only makes the problem worse. It tends to turn into a binge/restrict cycle, and never addresses the problem.

One thing that has really helped me is whenever I feel that compulsion, I try to think about what I'm really feeling. I mean, I know I'm not hungry...heck, sometimes I'm so full I feel sick, but still "need" to eat. So I just keep asking myself, "what am I feeling?" It's hard, because a lot of times the first couple of times I ask that question, the only thing I can think of is, I feel like eating something. But there's a deeper feeling. Are you happy? Are you sad? Are you lonely? And this part is *really* tough, but try not to beat yourself up about the eating...even if you give into the compulsion, just keep digging, trying to find out what feelings are behind it. As you uncover the feelings, and deal with them, then the compulsions will get weaker.

There is an author, Geneen Roth, who has written several books on compulsive overeating. You may want to check out her books.

Good luck...and feel free to PM me if you ever need to talk to someone who's in the same place you are.

*hugs*
Jo