Non-emotional binge eating

Question
Hello,  

I am 23 years old, 5'4", and weigh 145 pounds.  I gained about 15 pounds over the last year (I was under a lot of pressure to perform academically and stopped exercising and had daily junk food binges).  I am very unhappy at this weight and it is affecting the rest of my life.  I have always been a junk food binger, for years now.  It's not emotionally triggered, but rather I physically crave either chips or chocolate so much that I can't relax until I get it.  I have always had a very fast metabolism and didn't gain much weight, but I think my eating over the past year finally overpowered it.  

During the school year I could put away a family sized chips and dip and a can of icing without any discomfort, on a daily basis.  While Im doing it a bit less, I don't know how I'll be able to quit this long standing habit entirely.  I've tried allowing myself small portions of these foods I crave each day on a regular basis, allowing myself small portions just when I feel the urge to eat them, replacing them with other things, etc... but nothing can stop me.  I just love to eat until I am ready to burst.  I quit smoking no problem, but I can't quit eating.  Before I started writing this message to you, I felt fine, but now my mouth is watering and I'll probably need to run to the corner store in a few minutes to buy some junk food.  

I don't know what to do.  I eat a pretty good diet during the rest of the day.  I've done a lot of reading on this, but have only found info relating it all back to emotional eating. Can you please advise me on how I might stop?   Thank you!

Answer
Hi Elizabeth,

I'm sorry to hear of this problem you are struggling with. It's actually so common there is an official diagnosis for it: Binge Eating Disorder. It's not a physical craving because our bodies never need to eat chocolate or sugar. Your body would be fine if you didn't give in to the urge for chips, but your mind cannot rest until you eat what you want and what you're thinking of.

As a dietitian my job is to educate people about nutrition; what to eat as well as what not to eat. But you already know what you are eating is not good for you.
There are many fine specialists who deal with treating binge eating disorder. If you're at a college there will be someone in the student clinic; otherwise call around to some clinical social workers or therapists to find out who they recommend. You will feel much better when you are seeing someone who can help you overcome this issue.

I would love to hear how this is going for you if you'd like to stay in touch.

Laurie

1. Prev:Im 17 and have PCOS
2. Next:want to loose weight