It's absolutely ruining my life. Every moment of my day is consumed with either eating food or thinking about my next intake of food. It's controlling me so much and my body is at a point where I barely have enough energy to do daily tasks any more. I'm exhausted and put of control.

Im Mexican and I’ve been eating spicy sauce since before I could talk. It was never a problem but recently my anxiety has been increasing, that plus my spicy food addiction have made my stomach miserable, this month I already had 2 vomiting episodes where they have to inject me so I can stop vomiting. After the second time the doctor told me I can’t eat ANY spicy food for two months, I swear I tried but I experienced what I can only describe as abstinence syndrome, I started shaking and I had so anxious and spicy sauce was all I could think about, today I ate so much spicy food and I’m so frustrated, I just want to be healthy but is so hard I want to cry and idk what to do, rn I’m in my room with a burning stomach praying to god I don’t puke. Please if someone knows what can I do to quit it tell me.

No one takes me seriously when I say I have food addiction and I’m seriously tired of it. It’s so exhausting that no one believes me even my closest friends.

In my day to day routine life i make super healthy choices and I’m very fit, so on the outside you probably couldn’t tell the severity of issue I struggle with. I think i do well in my day to day i realized bc i am completely abstinent from any trigger food. I try to take joy out of eating and get my joy elsewhere or else I binge. It’s also fucking sad I avoid social situations bc I’m so scared of my behavior.

The moment I step out of my routine or the moment sugar touches my mouth I’m done. It could be days if I’m home or weeks if I’m traveling.

Once i eat one tiny bit of sugar, I binge eat like an absolute animal. I travel every 3 months on all these adventures which i love doing but because of my problem with food I can no longer enjoy it. Airports are a trigger for me. I will get one thing and suddenly I’ve bought boxes of cookies and chips eating to sickness in secret and then abusing myself internally being so fucking mean.

I just got back from a scuba trip in Japan and this is when I realized my binge eating was actually an addiction. I was eating everyday to absolute sickness. I wasn’t even enjoying the food at all but I COULDNT STOP. It prevented me from enjoying Japanese cuisine bc all i cared about was running to the convenience store for ultra processed snacks. I would make sure to go to different ones in a row so the workers didn’t realize how much and how fast i was eating.

My whole energy and motivation to be social is shot and I can’t even enjoy my time.

It got to the point I was hiding in the bathroom sitting on the toilet eating cookies because I didn’t want my friend to see me. I’d go to the store and I’d eat the entire box one twinkies and start on the Oreos before I even made it back to my hostel. The “food” can not get into my mouth fast enough. I was sick during the dives having horrid heartburn and then was like wtf this is so dangerous what am I doing.

I told my friend to try and shame me if she saw me but then I’d run to the store when she was in the shower, i knew what i was doing but could not stop.

I actually cannot control the impulse once my brain is on the processed snacks it’s game over. I was only able to stop myself in the airport on the way home by deleting cards off my Apple Pay and checking my physical cards in my luggage, so at least that’s a trick for the future.

I know it’s a dopamine issue because I’ve binge ate so bad that now the sugar hits need to be more and more each time.

What really upsets me though is my friends don’t believe me, they tell me to stop being hard on myself and I’m allowed to enjoy a treat because I eat so well at home. Yeah in fucking theory it would be BUT I CANT EVER STOP AT ONE TREAT. It always turns into something and i realized im actually harming myself on a physiological level. It’s actual self abuse and that made me cry.

My one friend even said “oh my god you don’t have a food addiction”. I wanted to cry because she just didn’t get it. Just didn’t understand the demons I battle and i think there’s a stigma you need to be overweight to have food addiction. YOU DONT. I’m healthy weight because I’m fucking abstinent from sugar and ultra processed food when I’m not traveling. But if i traveled for more than 2 weeks best believe i would not be a healthy weight bc i cannot control myself in non-routine settings. I have to be on my game 100% or I fucking lose it.

I myself understand addiction bc i was addicted to adderall badly a few years ago but people dont view food the same way as drugs. They dont get it can be an actual addiction. The driving painful impulses.

I once ate 43 KitKats at once and all my friends were laughing joking. Like not fucking funny for me who had a stomach full of 43 KitKats. That’s someone with a serious problem.

Any advice what I can say to my friends to help them understand this is a real problem and not me just about me not wanting to “enjoy a treat”? I hate trying to explain because it’s invalidating and exhausting.

I even feel like I was trying so hard to prove I have a problem in this post because I have trauma from people not believing me so I’m sorry.

My friend stayed with me for a few days and didn’t want to eat any of the “crunch”/healthy food I have now. So, I fell off for a bit to accommodate them but obviously because of addiction I can’t just have a small treat and have spiraled out a but. I’ve recognized this as the cause and am making my way back into my new, healthier habits but how do I say no in the future?

I binge eat because my emotional needs were never met by my parents.

But who was there for me to make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Always reliable? Food. Comfort food.

Junk food is there for me and understands me like no one else does.

My entire life was one of survival.

Parents always fighting, involving me in their fights, expecting me to pick sides, be the peacemaker, badmouthing each other.

Mom constantly trauma dumping on me as if I am her mother.

My father yelling at me when I cried and constantly having sky high expectations for me.

I was bullied in school, I had no friends.

Nobody was emotionally safe for me.

But food always was.

I’m a junk food junkie by choice, because it was the only soothing entity I ever had.

Now I have learned to enforce boundaries, ask for help and meet my own needs. But still, I deserve to have them met by others.

Friends and boyfriends were vampires, always took all the help I could give and trauma dumped on me, but when I ever needed some support it was crickets.

I matter too.

My feelings matter too.

I’m important too.

This charity shop is closed.

Nobody is entitled to my help, love, energy, encouragement or support unless I decide so, with a right to withdraw at any time and change my mind.

I still binge eat, but when I do - I know it’s because I feel emotionally lonely, need soothing and support.

The awareness of it helps decrease it to large degrees.

Hugs to anyone reading ❤️

Okay I do sometimes have a Konjac jelly or energy drink or diet soda as a snack, if I’m really hungry I have celery stick or sugar snap peas or a spoonful of kimchi. But I’m trying to limit this and stick to 3 meals a day.

• I have a lot less food noise. I’m not constantly focused on food and I can think about other things.

• I can tell when I’m full and feeling overstuffed is uncomfortable. UPFs disrupt my ability to tell when I am full and I eat and eat and won’t stop.

• I have a lot of energy! I used to feel so tired and heavy but now I feel much better.

• I don’t get very hungry between meals anymore. I used to get ravenous at 10 am and 4 pm and would eat and eat and eat.

• I can keep food without eating the whole thing. There is bread in my house!! And cut up fruit and dragonfruit and kimchi. I don’t feel the need to eat it all.

• I can skip a meal because I am too busy! I can skip meals without feeling starving eg I was moving house earlier and didn’t have time for lunch so I had a big dinner.

• I enjoy my food more. Flavour profile of fruits etc has changed and they taste sweeter and richer.

• I don’t emotionally eat. I was stressed earlier and actually LOST my appetite. Everything has changed.

I’m 25 days binge free but I know Christmas will trigger me. Instead I will spend time with my family on Xmas eve doing Sth not food related.

I know it’s hard but this is what’s right for me (we aren’t big Christmas people anyway) - I’ve had takeout three days in a row and if I continue I will trigger a food addiction response. I need to avoid hyper palatable foods for now because that will start a slippery slope. Like how an alcoholic may not celebrate New Year’s.

I’m at a point where purging seriously fucks with my body and I don’t want to trigger that.

I know I probably can’t have a birthday cake on my birthday in a few months time; a normal person wouldn’t even think about their birthday cake. This shows how focused I am on food and how those foods are simply dangerous for me.

I have been doing good the last 6 days! 🙂 Urge surfing has worked very well for me this time. The urges were especially BAD and plenty on day 3 and 4, but as of today I feel super relieved and content. I was actually FULL after eating lunch today, I haven't felt that in a while.

I know that around day 14 and day 20 I usually hit another low, where the urges run rampant again, but I am super determined to get through those days to get out of the other side. Because I know from experience, that it get's so much more comfortable and beautiful after the first 4-6 weeks. One day at a time. I'm gonna make it.

Hi all! I’ve given up fast food (was having four Times a week roughly)

Since giving it up I’ve lost my appetite?! I have a stomach gurgles and the runs and feel nauseous?! Is this normal?!

I think I have some kind of trauma because there was a period when my family was really poor and we had to starve. It wasn't fun.

Since then, even a slight sense of hunger sends me into panic mode or terrible anxiousness.

I also use food as coping mechanism mechanisms for stress and struggles. I've tried replacing it with movies, books, masturbation, etc. Nothing works.

Would you believe me that all of the above sent me into credit card debt? I'm too ashamed to admit that I'm living from paycheck to paycheck because I spent most of my money on food.

Any advise?

Ever since middle school, I've struggled with major overeating (2-3 plates of food at dinner + a midnight meal). I moved out about a year ago and things started to get better, lost some weight, eating 2-3 decent sized meals a day, moving around more, etc. More recently, however, I've had nights where I'll go to the grocery store and buy like 20 hot dogs or 2 family sized bags of chicken nuggets. I'll binge an insane amount and still not feel satisfied. That's become almost every day now. I've gained back all the weight I lost over the past year plus more. I've been severely lacking on steps walked, going from around 15k a day to barely 3k. I actively know that I'm doing is wrong, but I do it anyways. One of the worst parts is, money isn't a problem, so there's no real financial downside to be excessive purchasing of food. I never thought I had food addiction until a few days ago. I ended up buying 3 10 packs of hotdogs plus an equal amount of buns. I ended up eating every single one before I lay down to go to sleep the final thought that raced through my mind was that I was still hungry. Tonight as I was walking out of my apartment to go to the store and get more food I stopped myself to post this. I know nothing truly positive is coming with the food I consume. I no longer want to be a slave to my compulsions, but I'm afraid this brief state of clarity will only be temporary and I'll go back to my old ways. I'm sorry this was long and rambling, but I just needed to get it out there. Maybe somebody in this community Has or had something similar going on and knows of way I can curb my addiction. Thank you.

I am looking for a person who wants to chat about junk food addiction and maybe hold each other accountable in recovery on the long run.

You should be over the age of 18, preferably around my age or older. You should be (self) diagnosed with food ADDICTION, not solely BED or another eating disorder that's not directly linked to addiction. You should be interested in the ABSTINENCE route of recovery, preferably even consuming media around topic from experts in that field (e.g. Susanne Peirce Thompson, Vera Tarman, Connie Stapleton, Pamela Peeke, Glenn Livingston and many more). I would prefer if you have spent some time being sober already, even if you're relapsed at the moment, but this isn't a must. I would love if you want to break free from victim mentality, and take accountabilty for your future, like I do!

About me: I am 35 y/o woman, married with kids and from Germany. I have been struggling with this addiction for 20 years by now and have been in active recovery since 2021 and had a sober streak of over 1 year, but I slowly started relapsing by summer of 2023. I have been in denial about my relapse for a while and ended in a very dark place in the last 6 months. I finally started to accept my relapse and my addiction again and committed myself to recover again for good. 4 days sober as of now. I opened up to many people throughout my life - including several therapists - but my husband was the only one who even believed me that food addiction exists. And his insights are still very limited, since he never was addicted to anything. I think that at least 1 person who gets me and keeps me accountable could really help me out in the future to stay committed to my sobriety. Next to my addiction I deal with PCOS, IBS, celiac disease and 15+ food allergies. My hobbies include music (especially nu and progressive metal, metalcore, dark wave and goth rock), reading, video games and DnD. My favorite animals are axolotls (duh), bats, cats and frogs.

If anyone feels like they might resonate with me, wants to chat up or just have a brief talk, no strings attached, feel free to comment or send me a private message.

The past month has been awful for me. I’ve struggled a lot with overeating and only wanting to eat junk food basically for ever but the past couple weeks have just been… extreme. If I don’t eat to the point of being stuffed I’m not satisfied. I have to basically be on the verge of throwing up if I eat any more.

I think I’m also addicted to sugar and maybe like salt or carbs or something because the healthy foods that are “supposed” to make you feel full like meat, broccoli, other leafy greens, some fruits, beans… none of it works for me. I could eat a good size plate of chicken and broccoli maybe even throw some rice in there and I’d still be hungry after. And not just not full, HUNGRY. The only foods that satisfy my hunger are highly processed foods and junk food. And even then it’s in large quantities, like an entire family size bag of chips or an entire box of cereal or something. And then I’m hungry again 45 minutes later.

I don’t know what to do anymore. I’ve been trying to not buy unhealthy foods but I keep falling into the “this will be the last time” trap. I really need more self discipline but it’s so hard because I work 4-9pm, and since that’s less then 6 hours I don’t get a break and it’s during dinner so when I’m done with work I’m always so hungry but exhausted and I don’t want to cook. So then I decide to go pick something up and it always ends up being junk food.

I also live alone and it feels like fruit and vegetables just come in such large portions that they always go bad before I finish them and I can’t afford for it to be going bad all the time so then I just don’t buy it. I also don’t enjoy cooking and I know I need to get over it but it feels like such a chore to me. I have to get the ingredients, prep them, cook them, plate them, and then clean up after, just for a meal that doesn’t make me feel as satisfied as a bag of chips, which requires no effort, would. So if I’m going to eat the bag of chips after the meal either way so that I can feel full, I might as well just start with the bag of chips.

I feel fat and disgusting and out of control. I’m the heaviest I’ve ever been and I would like to lose weight but I eat so many calories that I don’t think exercise would even help. I definitely think I should start exercising but the root of my problems are my relationship with food and the mental stuff going on there. I’m sitting here now feeling stuffed because I just made myself a wrap that had turkey and cheese as well as some veggies but didn’t feel satisfied after eating it so I made a box of mac and cheese and ate the whole thing and now I feel super fool. My stomach hurts but if it didn’t I’d still be hungry.

I know this isn’t sustainable or healthy. But I always say I’ll do better and that I’ll “start tomorrow” blah blah and then I never do. I’ve been watching videos about drug addicts all day and thinking about how it could be worse, but also how much it sucks that I can never escape my addiction. No matter what I have to eat. The temptation will always be there. It’s like giving an alcoholic a beer and telling them to only take a few sips. I just can’t. I don’t know what to do anymore. I hate this.

Hello! For my PhD in clinical Psychology, I am conducting a study on binge eating behaviors. If you are a U.S.-based adult who can read english and regularly binge eat, please take a moment to check out my survey. If you are eligible and answer all questions in good faith, I will pay you 10 dollars via Venmo, Cashapp, or Zelle.

Thank you and best of luck in recovery! https://usf.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2aFDmHaoAaI2AT4

P.S. the survey itself will let you know if you are eligible by continuing to ask you questions. No need to self-edit if you are worried you might not meet criteria.

Please reach out if you have any questions! Contact info on the first page of the survey

A few months ago was just looking for a new snack to buy, and got a small pack of Sea Salt Cashews. That was the start...

I fell in love. The tasted so awesome, I remember the 1st time I tasted them I devoured the wrapper in 2 minutes. About 35 minutes later, I went to sams club and got 4 big tubs of Sea Salt Cashews (Name Brand) (Great Value is for Fluoride Suckers).

I made a trip to Sam's 5-6 times stocking up on Sea Salt Cashews, I didn't want to run out in case anything happened, they come in handy in stressful situations. Now I've been eating them every single day and night for the past month, and I can't stop.

Every time I say "Last handful" it's like this parasite in my body taps in to my brain and says "eat another scoop, punk", and I obey. I swear something is in those cashews, they're becoming apart of my life and my identity. I can't stop, they're so good.

Now every time I get stoned, SEA SALTED CASHEWS pops up in the old poor house. I can't stop, please can someone lead me in a direction on how to deal with this complex issue? Seriously, wtf.

Hard Boiled eggs feel too heavy and leave strange bitter taste in my mouth. But poached eggs are easy on my tummy and I feel satiated. They also taste much sweeter?

I am on a ketogenic diet but I am based in India which has decreased my options drastically! I started ketogenic diet after two years of binge eating lose weight and manage hypoglycemia. I believe I will be on keto forever. The special dishes and stuff are mad expensive. Its insane how much I have cheated!

So guess I was bored? And have to figure out my favourite meals within the constraints of my diet. So guess more homework for me 😩

I want to change but really don’t know how. I have a pretty good routine during the day of eating my meals and snacks. After dinner though, I sit down to watch a show around 9pm and I always eat something while watching. It’s usually something like a big yogurt parfait, chocolate, chips, and last night I had a good amount of candy (kids Halloween candy). I felt so bad after and feel like I am setting myself up for failure with this kind of behaviour. I don’t know what is wrong with me that I have to have something while watching. I really enjoy it but it is not good for me.

I’ve read things like brush your teeth after dinner, go to bed after dinner, do other activities other than watching something, eat carrots etc. I want to unwind and watch a show after dinner though and I certainly do not want to eat carrots while watching.

I am thinking maybe if there is something I can do mindlessly with my hands to keep me busy while watching I could get away from eating while watching. Does anyone have any suggestions? I don’t want to do anything I have to learn or that requires attention like crocheting or knitting because then I will miss the show. Just something mindless to occupy my hands.

I'll try to keep this as short as possible.

I'm fat. I think about my body negatively every single day and wonder what people think about me. I assume it isn't good. I'm addicted to sugar and fatty food. I weigh the most I ever have. I'm nauseous every day, and heavy foods are starting to not sound appetizing to me (which I guess can be a good thing). I have a hiatal hernia and/or gastritis. (Endoscopy report was confusing. I'm waiting for clarification.)

I'm 41f and have 2 young daughters. I don't want them to end up like me, and I'd like to be better for them, but idk how.

I know I need professional help, but I travel for work, so I don't have time. I need to tackle this on my own. Also, traveling means I eat out all the time, and that's never healthy.

I've dieted before and had an exercise routine before, but they've never lasted, and I feel like my addiction is getting worse. I do take antidepressants and have therapy every week, but idk what else to do.

I use tiny forks, tiny spoons, chew each bite to mush, put my fork down between bites and really focus on my food. I can make a meal last 30-50 minutes doing this (I’m on uni break so I have time lol). This and eating clean has really reduced my binge urges and crippling hunger.

What is something you do to quiet the food noise? Whenever I try to control my eating, the food noise takes over and I can’t help but to binge

I have dealt with food addiction for the better part of my adult life but this phase is by far one of the worst ones. At different points in my life I was able to get a hold of myself eventually and stay on track on and off but for the past one year everything’s been going downhill, I have moved countries and the change has not been easy to say the least! I promise myself each day 10 thousand times that I will start tomorrow and end up falling off literally after 5 minutes! Its like my mind has lost all control and I just can’t seem to get a grip of myself! I need help but can not afford therapy at the moment! I feel like I am going crazy and it’s not going to end well if I do not manage to get a hold of myself anytime soon! I need help! Someone tell me what to do!!

I'm so fat i disgust myself. I crave food all the time. Think about it all the time. Always thinking about the next meal. What are some tips to escape this?

Every addict misses the pleasure that their drug of choice gave them. Saying “my life will be so bland without chocolate” is like saying “my life will be so bland without alcohol”. Those foods are engineered to be hyperpalatable and make us crave more. It would be nice to eat a chocolate bar but it is not worth the cravings, food noise, binges etc.

Now that I do not eat ultra processed foods I know when I am too full. I feel clean and healthy inside. I am more than my addiction.

I’ve been depressed. There’s multiple causes of it and I know that it plays a major role in my food addiction that I currently have. I also recently got off of ozempic because I could no longer afford it. I was on it for about 6 months and lost 20 pounds but I’ve now gained about 30 back. I can’t stop eating. I recently also just lost my job do to hurricane helene and was out of work for a month. My laziness kicked in to the extreme, I found a new job but I’m trying to get used to it. I find myself feeling hopeless in life and so eat to give myself excitement and comfort to the point where I feel sick. Then regret it and wish I could stop. I can’t stop. I don’t know what to do. I need to come out of the depression in order to stop the eating habits but I don’t how do it. I can’t find the motivation to get out of bed most days.