I got a little static yesterday for comparing my food issues with alcoholism or drug addiction. While I will certainly never say that my struggle is as difficult as the one that recovering alcoholics or drug addicts have, I will tell you that it’s not easy to stay on the diet straight and narrow. (By “diet” there I mean eating habits, not a reducing diet, per se.)
I don’t know that I’ve ever admitted this in public and in all seriousness before – I am an emotional binge eater. When I am feeling worthless or hurt, I will eat absurd amounts of food – usually food that is high in fat, sugar and calories. I do this in secret and am deeply ashamed of having done it. That shame eventually leads to another binge. And the cycle goes on and on. I was always a little jealous of those with bulimia, as twisted as that is! They purged and were thin. I didn’t and was obese.
I’m not alone, am I? Some of you are binge eaters, as well.
Here are some of the habits (certainly not a comprehensive list) I used to help me lose the big weight. I’m using them again as I recover from yet another slip up.
The Daily Doty 
Oh lawsy! Gas station fried chicken is OFF the edible list from now until…. Yes, I must have been flashing back to college BQuik days! The GI tract that has been mostly given clean food choices is in absolute MUTINY! Talk about a binge eating!
Even then, you called it B-Sick chicken. Turn away! Quickly. Turn away!
Welcome to BEA (Binge Eaters Anon), Jon Anne, My name is Chele and I am a binge eater. My stressors tend to be feelings of worthlessness, insecurity, failure.
Why is it that with all of your extraordinary traits, those are the ones you focus on? Why is that true for so many of us. This comment may prompt another whole piece.
Those static makers don’t realize the truth in the comparison. They use more basic chemicals to create a different brain environment but emotional eaters do the same with the chemicals in the foods that we choose. All of us have to struggle with the choices we make DAY BY DAY and HOUR BY HOUR. Binge eaters are just as self-destructive–we just don’t stumble around slurring our words.
Agreed, Chele! Our addiction is easier to hide. Of course, the weight is visible, but no one can see the immediate effects when we’ve wolfed down a couple of family-sized bags of chips, a pint of ice cream, two bags of Pepperidge Farm cookies and a box of Poptarts in 30 minutes.
Emotional-Binge eater as well as a boredom eater.
Yup. Sounds VEEEERRRRRYYYYYY familiar!
An encyclopedia could be written about how we view our negatives as greater than our positives. I had to reread your comment 3 times to grasp that you used ‘extraordinary’ to speak about me.
That’s a place to start! Recognizing that I am talking about you!