Anyone like to eat all the time, even when you don't have to and you aren't hungry?

If this sounds like "gluttony" to you, then I guess it is or in modern terms; "overeating." Sometimes I surely overeat and have been this way since child hood. If I have the money or am able to sweetly ask my father (which does sicken me to do so) to purchase unhealthy fast foods, I will gorge on plates of food. Its like food has always been there and people have not. Great tasting food is like a drug; you keep wanting more of it. I am addicted to food. Not good.

But then there are periods too where I will go through a bit of anorexia. Its not extreme like the ones you see on t.v. Oh no. But I can lose up to nine pounds in like a day if I really wanted to, simply by not eating at all. And I get like that. Where I am tired of food and simply opt out of eating for much longer than I should.

Sometimes I even eat foreign material (my favorite is the cotton from fluffy, warm bath towels straight out of the dryer). Yeah, I know, its weird...

Anyone else struggle with eating disorders of any kind? I know its very common to have when you're trans.

I get depressed often, usually due to dysphoria, and I usually massively over eat. I see what you mean.

With dysphoria and other 'illnesses' that you are more susceptible to developing because of your dysphoria, relationships with food aren't always uncommon. I know lots of guys that comfort eat, myself being one of them.


When I was younger and not out, I had around 3 months of eating every 2-3 days and bingeing on food often. I lost a ton of weight, but I also has no energy, felt faint and I began throwing up when exercising.

It's difficult to find a healthy middle - I've yo-yo'd between healthy, overweight and slightly underweight for years - you just need to concentrate on getting right right amounts of food, and if you're overeating maybe try go out for a walk - I ate a ton the other day and went on an 8 mile hike, which made me feel better about the food but also cleared my mind.

-overeating might help soothe emotions. You might think about how else to soothe them : reading a book ... etc...
Additionally instead of overeating it might be possible to have a cup of tea ... some hot tea with honey ... jut enjoy it, take your time and really relax and concentrate on feeling good .. it should also help avoiding gaining a lot of weight.

-anorexia gives a feeling of control. You might make a list of things you would like to control or change in your life, and work on it. that way you have a feeling things move forward, and anorexia is not necessary.


hugs

I have never done it but I am very aware of it because much was written about it when it became a formal diagnosis. It is something you need to discuss with your therapist because it will be nearly impossible for you to stop it without treatment and there are drugs available that can help break the cycle and restore you to a healthy eating pattern. Many people have died from eating disorders and the most famous was Karen Carpenter. Her death impacted me greatly because her wonderful voice and inspired singing while she was hurting on the inside. I have pulled off a few links for you to consider that discuss this condition. Please seek help because you will not be able to deal with this by yourself and it is currently hurting your health.
http://psychcentral.com/lib/bulimia-binging-and-purging/
http://www.bulimia.com/topics/binge-eating/
http://www.helpguide.org/articles/eating-disorders/bulimia-nervosa.htm

I did have a big problem with overeating while depressed. It was a coping mechanism for me. It got really out of control in the year before I decided to come out and transition. I gained probably 30 pounds in that year alone.

It was a very tough habit to break. Ultimately my doctor harping on my weight and knowing that I'd need to lose it to qualify for bottom surgery helped. I'm back down to my starting weight now, looking to lose another 30lbs on top of that.

I guess I could have what's considered an eating disorder but I'm not as bad as I was. When I was 16 and very depressed I used to eat a lot of junk food and craved any type of unhealthy food. I didn't eat much else for the rest of the day.  I still have an addiction to food now. If I have a food craving then I have to eat it or I can't stop thinking about it. Or I can be completely unbothered and not want to eat at all. I can never get into a routine and eat 3 meals a day.
And I hate how I can never eat anything without feeling guilty about it causing me to put on weight; even if it's a small amount of food and healthy.
If there's junk food in front of me I have to eat it. I can't stop myself. It's frustrating as hell that many people don't believe food addiction is a real addiction.
I've always been this way and I don't think it'll ever go away :/

Quote from: Elis on February 14, 2016, 11:08:54 AM
I guess I could have what's considered an eating disorder but I'm not as bad as I was. When I was 16 and very depressed I used to eat a lot of junk food and craved any type of unhealthy food. I didn't eat much else for the rest of the day.  I still have an addiction to food now. If I have a food craving then I have to eat it or I can't stop thinking about it. Or I can be completely unbothered and not want to eat at all. I can never get into a routine and eat 3 meals a day.
And I hate how I can never eat anything without feeling guilty about it causing me to put on weight; even if it's a small amount of food and healthy.
If there's junk food in front of me I have to eat it. I can't stop myself. It's frustrating as hell that many people don't believe food addiction is a real addiction.
I've always been this way and I don't think it'll ever go away :/

I felt the guilty feeling you are talking yesterday, at dialysis.

Its bad enough that I hardly say a word to anyone there, so even when I do say "hi" randomly to someone out of politeness, I get ignored. Anyways, in celebration of Valentine's Day, the dialysis staff passed out candy to all the patients. I figured they do it cause its their job. I don't even eat candy on a regular basis. Yet when I saw it just sitting there innocently in a shiny plastic clear bag in front of me, I just had to devour it all. And man, I felt like the biggest pile of dung afterwards, lemme tell ya.

And the only ones who do not think food can be addiction are not the ones we should seek help from, cause they obviously do not have an addiction to food.

People can be addicted to food, or even just the act of eating. You can be addicted to anything if the pathways in your brain generate a gratifying response to the action. As a kid I used to be addicted to biting my nails, now I gotta try hard not to bite my lips. It produces some kind of response of pleasure in the brain but not a "happy" feeling you would notice, just a sort of "must do this" feeling and then you do it almost unconsciously until you've got nothing left of it to do.

I remember reading about it when I was trying to find information on why I was addicted to biting... any action can become addictive. It's a common response in people and animals, especially to stress or some neurosis. I once saw a parrot in a store that had started to pull all its own feathers out, maybe with stress, or boredom, but it was addicted to doing it, and it's not so far off biting nails or skin... or even just comfort eating every time you feel unhappy. Once you're addicted to it though there's a chance you'll always be, so you have to work consciously against it to stop.

I've got so many "bizarre" addictions/habits, that seeking help to break them is practically impossible. I feel like I will be their prisoner for the rest of my life, until I transition perhaps.



Phoenix

Look this is like a balloon holding too much pressure until it escapes through some holes.

Try to reduce pressure.

Try to do a few things that make you happy (within reason) and try to move in a direction where you feel it will get better.
It will get better eventually .


many *hugs*

I had major issues with food, and ate all the time.  Once I started on anti-anxiety medicine, the eating disorder disappeared.