Food Addiction

[Guble]

I am a member but scared about posting openly. I don't know why.

I have PTSD. I think I am re-developing problems with food. When I first had PTSD symptoms, I had problems with not eating as a way to cope. That went away when I got into therapy. I have a great therapist now and we focus on PTSD symptoms.Not food. She suggested finding other help to work out the food stuff, as she isn't sure how to help and I was feeling too much stress talking about it and feeling like we didn't have time to work on other aspects of PTSD. I like the idea of finding other support for this. We are also holding off on processing trauma for awhile.

When I feel stress, or trauma triggers, I want to eat, and eat lots of crappy food. I have gained about 10 pounds in the past month but I can't seem to stop on my own. I started to work at home about a month ago, and this coincided with this habit developing. I will even eat foods I'm allergic to and foods that make me sick. It feels like it is really out of control.

I called an eating disorder center and met with them. They said I had too much trauma to help. I am making calls to other therapists, but I think it is going to take awhile.

Anyone have any suggestions on what I can do in the meantime on my own? I am going to try to work from home less, and more at local coffee shops and libraries etc - but then the pull to get fast food gets stronger. Any suggestions would be much appreciated. It is like I feel stress, and the impulse is to eat crap food, even if I am sickeningly full. I have seen a doctor and they did a full hormonal work-up and all is well. I'm not on any medications that would increase appetite and it's not really an increase in appetite. It is a desire to feel anything good. Food feels like my drug.

 

[Ujer]

Hugs and support to you.

I have very disordered eating, and I either overeat or don't eat. And well... Uhh. Forgetting... Note tonsekf, reply tommoriw...

 

[Orele]

I have disordered thinking. Food is my drug as well, unfortunately.

 

[Jicod]

Don't keep junk at home. I have TONS of food sensitivities and allergies, but fortunately I don't binge on things that make me sick. Eating too much is enough to make me feel horrible without any added reactions.

If its a matter of cravings, you may have to white knuckle it through the first three days. It takes me up to 3 days to get those cravings out of my system, but after that, I'm ok. I literally have to get rid of ALL carbohydrates at first in order to let my system reset.

 

[Hedepev]

I have much the same problem, though not as severe. I've had to cut out a bunch of foods I really like, for health reasons, and it's making me depressed. Sometimes food is the only thing that feels good to me.

Food can be a numbing drug, as you know. Even if the answer in the end is to work through the trauma so you don't need it, I don't think it's realistic to give up your crutch without giving yourself something else to lean on meanwhile. Unless maybe you were in a full-time program where you could process things as they came up. Is there anything else that's healthy (or at least not harmful) that you could use to fill the same need? What's worked best for me is making some rules for myself about what I will and won't eat, and when, because that can be easier than trying to keep certain things to "just a little bit once in a while."

But then yes, the craving comes up, and you need distraction. Is there anything you can think of that would distract you until healthier eating becomes more of a habit? Something you don't normally do maybe, like rent an armful of comedy movies or borrow a bunch of light reading from the library? Whatever helps.

 

[Gawola]

If its a matter of cravings, you may have to white knuckle it through the first three days.

I have never managed this.

Good Luck to the OP.

I have been thinking that eating food is my most consistent form of self care and self love. So to give up comfort eating and binge eating feels like I will die. So I am looking at other ways of caring for myself.

 

[Sisep]

I read a study once talking about why people with depression crave carbohydrates and sugars. There was actually a chemical reason for it, which was pretty interesting, and helped me think differently about where the cravings were coming from (instead of just coming from "I'm a shitty person").

It's hard. I agree with the poster who said you'd have to white-knuckle it for a few days, especially if sugar is an issue. You need to cut out all of it - not just white sugar, but honey, agave, any kind of chocolate, and only do berries for fruit. Seriously eliminate it. After 3-4 days it will be a ton easier. I wish you luck, this stuff is really hard.

 

[Uvusod]

Yeah it is hard, very hard.

 

[Wacok]

Qhat I noticed helps me is distracting myself. But I got it better, I get to balance out disordered eating, as sometimes I overeat andd sometimes skip eating.p I'm so sorry for you. I kbow how you feel.

There is a loooong list of calming things, ans finding some that work and having it by you helps!