Over Eater, Binge Eater? How To Get a Grip On It, and Not On a Fork

 Compulsive over eater, binge eater, whatever you want to call it, clearly many of us have this problem. With two thirds of women over weight and half obese, we as a gender have a problem with our relationship with food! We are embarrassed by our weight, our secret eating habits, and miffed as to why we can't control this problem.

Willpower is fiction in the face of sugar addiction! It really pisses me off. I have been trying to control this problem for a really long time.  I am finally giving in, I need to get to the underlying problem.

When I over eat, I feel like crap and then beat the crap out of myself for it, nice. next I possibly over exercise, or if I'm really in the sh$ter, not workout at all. Of course promising to myself that this is the last time! I believe that with all my heart.

No offense, but skinny bitches have this problem too!

Men and Women who are Compulsive Overeaters will sometimes hide behind their physical appearance, using it as a blockade against society (Common in survivors of sexual abuse). They feel guilty for not being "good enough," shame for being overweight, and generally have a very low self-esteem. They use food and eating to cope with these feelings, which only leads into the cycle of feeling them ten-fold and trying to find a way to cope again. With low self esteem and self worth there is often constant need for love and validation, he/she will turn to obsessive episodes of binging and eating as a way to forget the pain and the desire for affection.

Why can't the emotional eating fix our emotional problem? Apparently half to two-thirds of us have crazy thoughts, behaviors and emotions with food.

Researchers have speculated there is an abnormality of endorphin metabolism in the brain of binge eaters that triggers the addictive process. This is in line with other theories of addiction that attribute it not to avoidance of withdrawal symptoms, but to a primary problem in the reward centers of the brain. For the compulsive overeater, the ingestion of trigger foods causes release of the neurotransmitters, serotonin and dopamine. This could be another sign of neurobiological factors contributing to the addictive process.

Abstinence from addictive food and the food eating processes cause withdrawal symptoms in those with eating disorders. There may be higher levels of depression and anxiety due to the decreased levels of serotonin in the individual.

So what is the answer for controlling this problem. Treatment, Overeaters Anonymous, a shrink?

I am now working on a new program for myself. I am going to start journaling when I start having these thoughts. I want to get a handle on the monkey in my brain, apparently I get low self worth and no esteem from my monkey. I really thought I had dealt with this stuff years ago, I guess it creeps back in when you are not paying attention! When you aren't paying attention you can eat 5000 calorie without batting an eyelash!  

My new motto is pay attention! My short ADD attention span gives me huge problems with this on consistency. Pay attention. Pay attention to the weird awful feelings that come with this compulsive over eating. Pay attention to what goes in my mouth. Pay attention to verything.