Binge eating help/advice needed

I don't feel like I need any more food, yet even when my stomach is completely full—I just keep going. A little more, and then a little more, and then just a little more still... until I reach that point where I feel physically sick to my stomach. It’s this deep sense of dissatisfaction that follows. It feels like depression. How do I deal with this? How can I make it stop? I would truly appreciate hearing about your own experiences.

I’ve tried gaining weight before, and let me tell you, overeating to the point of sickness is a miserable experience. I end up feeling nauseous for two and a half hours straight, yet I don't see any other way to pack on the pounds. If only I had to lose weight—you can just sit there and do nothing. With this, you have to force-feed yourself five times a day. It’s awful.

Rachel Allen57 said:I don't feel like I need to eat, but once my stomach is full, I just keep going—one bite after another, and then another—until I feel so sick that I'm on the verge of throwing up. It leaves me with this heavy sense of dissatisfaction and depression, and I'm really struggling with how to handle it. How can I make it stop? Has anyone else dealt with this?

Please reach out to a psychiatrist!
What you're describing sounds like the classic symptoms of bulimia. It is so important to seek professional help as soon as possible and be completely honest about everything during your appointments.
I have spent a lot of time wondering about the connection between depression and binge eating, specifically whether one causes the other or if they are both just symptoms of an entirely different underlying issue. Usually, there is a deeper root cause at play here.
There is absolutely no reason to feel embarrassed, and please, try not to downplay how serious this is.
Do you think you could open up and talk about this with someone close to you?

Rachel Allen57 said:I don't need food, but once I start eating—once my stomach is full—I just keep going. And going. Until I feel nauseous and want to throw up. It leaves me feeling unsatisfied and depressed. How do I deal with this? How do I stop? Any experiences?

I have a similar issue.
Once I start eating, especially if it's something I actually enjoy, I end up overeating.
For instance, I can easily polish off two massive pizza-sized bowls of pasta and then be unable to move for hours.
Luckily, I don't struggle with weight, so I don't obsess over it, but I've started avoiding eating altogether.
The issue isn't a constant craving; it's the inability to stop once I begin.
It usually ends with me having just one meal a day, which I absolutely binge on.
Then I feel so miserable for the rest of the day that I won't touch anything until the next day. It’s a cycle.
I eat once every 24 hours.

It doesn't happen every single day, but it happens too often to be healthy.

Who actually needs a psychiatrist? I’ve got friends who work professionally in this exact field... they act as nutrition consultants. They've helped me through a massive amount of stuff... including issues pretty similar to what you're facing. So, if you're looking for some actual expert help, I can send you their info via DM.

Edward Sanchez72, you actually forgot to mention that those "nutrition consultants" might try to push their own special supplements on you in addition to all the advice, and then they'll probably charge you a fortune for the whole package!

feralharbor89 said:Edward Sanchez72, you totally left out the part where those "nutrition consultants" might try to push their own supplements on you after giving you advice—just so they can charge you an arm and a leg for the whole package!

Nah... I don't think they'll push supplements, but who knows how much they're actually charging just to sit there and design a meal plan?

Edward Sanchez72 said:nobody actually needs a psychiatrist... I have friends who work professionally in this exact field... they act as nutrition consultants. They've helped me through quite a few things... even issues similar to this one... so if you want some expert assistance, I can give you their info via DM.

Look, you can hire ten different nutritionists if you want, but that isn't going to do much if you're binge-eating because of underlying psychological issues. 😉
There was an episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show earlier this year specifically focused on the theme "What Are You Hungry For?"
People who overeat are using food as a coping mechanism for something deeper. In my view, they might be aware of the issue, but they simply lack the strength to confront it head-on, so they turn to food for comfort instead.
Seeking help from a psychologist or a specialist at the Mayo Clinic is nothing to be ashamed of.

feralridge3 said:you can hire ten different nutritionists, but it won't do squat if you're bingeing because of mental health struggles. 😉
There was an episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show this year specifically about the topic "What are you hungry for?"
People who overeat are using food as a crutch for something else. I think they know there's an issue, but they just don't have the strength to face it head-on, so they find comfort in the pantry instead.
Seeing a psychologist or a psychiatrist isn't something to be ashamed of.

Look... I don't get too deep into these things... but I'm certain not everyone struggling with their weight is dealing with psychological issues or trauma. Some people actually are... while others are just looking for any excuse to raid the fridge.
I dropped 20 pounds myself, so I know how the process goes. I don't recall bingeing because of some mental breakdown... for me, it was mostly just having way too much free time and food being too easy to grab.
But I do agree that seeing a psychiatrist or a psychologist shouldn't be treated like a taboo or something shameful.

Edward Sanchez72 said:Look, I don't try to play doctor here... but let's be real: just because someone is struggling with their weight doesn't mean they're dealing with deep-seated psychological trauma. For some people, it really is an internal battle... but for others, they're just looking for any excuse to raid the pantry.
I personally dropped 20 pounds, so I actually know what this process looks like. And if I recall correctly, my issue wasn't some underlying mental health crisis—it was simply having too much downtime and far too much food within arm's reach.
That being said, I absolutely agree that seeing a psychiatrist or a psychologist shouldn't be treated like some shameful taboo. Seeking help should be normalized.

So, how exactly did you pack on those 20kg?

feralridge3 said:So how exactly did you pack on those 20 pounds?

Just by eating.🙂 It definitely wasn't from hitting the gym.🙂 I’ve always struggled with my weight because, honestly, I had zero clue what I was supposed to be eating.

Rachel Allen57 said:I don't need to eat, but once I'm full—I just keep going. A little more, then a little more, until I feel so sick I want to throw up. It leaves me feeling completely unsatisfied and depressed. How do I deal with this? How do I stop? Any experiences you can share?

I struggle with constant cravings too. The problem is, nothing actually tastes good anymore; it’s like I’ve become impossibly picky. I have the urge to eat everything, but the moment I see what’s available, I lose all interest. I can easily spend an hour just standing there, staring blankly into an open fridge, totally lost on what to grab.

Try replacing that addiction with something else—something less destructive that can capture your focus. If you can meet up with friends for coffee, go do that. Don't just sit at home; staying stationary triggers that exact same impulse for me.

Edward Sanchez72 said:well, obviously 🙂 it's not about working out 🙂 I've always struggled with my weight because, frankly, I had absolutely no clue what I was supposed to be eating

😁
so, what's your diet looking like these days?

Where on earth is our moderator? 🤷
It isn't an issue if you overindulge occasionally—like during the holidays when everyone tends to pack on a few pounds—but the real trouble starts when that becomes your baseline, and I suspect that might be the case with Rachel Allen57.
Chronic overeating is the actual problem here.
She probably knows deep down why she turns to food for comfort.
Some people smoke, some drink, some gamble, and some just binge eat.

Consistent exercise, exercise, and more exercise. It keeps your appetite in check so you won't feel that constant urge to binge.

The whole idea that exercise alone solves this isn't quite right. I actually know someone personally who struggled with bulimia, and their routine involved walking miles every single day at a brisk pace, on top of hitting the gym three times a week.

Exercise seems to just trigger more hunger, yet the actual calorie burn is negligible. I went to an aerobics class recently and spent an hour jumping around like a maniac with the rest of the group; I was absolutely drenched in sweat. One woman in the class actually asked how many calories we’d burned, and the instructor replied, "About half a sandwich." If that's the case, what's the point? As for overeating—it's a habit I've had since I was a kid. Whenever I felt bored, I'd head straight for the fridge. Now, I struggle to maintain control, and frankly, I hate it. I'm not even hungry; I just eat out of habit.

Edward Sanchez72 said:No... they won't be getting any supplements, but I have no clue how much it costs to design and implement a full program.

Nutritionists are generally a useful resource, especially for people who don't know what a balanced diet looks like—particularly those in specific niches like athletes and such.

But we’re talking about people who already realize their eating habits are a mess (which just adds to the depression), yet they can't stick to a plan, whether it's their own or someone else's. Seeing a psychiatrist isn't a failure; it's actually a rational move when dealing with this kind of dysfunction. I’d suggest finding a psychiatrist-psychotherapist, maybe at somewhere like the Mayo Clinic (though they've moved locations recently).

It suppresses your appetite, so you won't feel that urge to binge!

That’s just another myth. Binging isn't actually about having an appetite. You can overeat even when you aren't hungry—in fact, people often binge even when they feel totally repulsed by food.
The root cause is psychological, which means the solution has to be found there too.

So how exactly did that "delusion" help me stop overeating?
A few years back, I started a routine of regular exercise—mostly using an elliptical combined with some strength training. I didn't follow a strict diet or anything; I just naturally started eating less and dropped weight. The problem is, whenever I stop working out, for some reason, I immediately start bingeing on junk and sweets. But when I’m actually active, I don't sit there obsessing over how many "calories I've burned." I just enjoy moving my body and feel better about being active instead of just stuffing my face.

Go straight to a psychiatrist.🙂 I deal with the exact same thing, but nobody notices because I’m thin. People are so shallow; if you aren't carrying an extra 50 pounds, they assume you're perfectly fine.🙄 That’s why I don't even bother looking for help. There's no point.🤷 Seriously.😁

I have a few friends going through this too. It’s a total nightmare.