r/FoodAddiction

I'm always hungry, no matter how much I eat. I rarely ever feel actually full. I didn't even know I was hungry all the time until I got a dengue fever (the aedes aegypti fever, that one mosquitoe), and it completely took away my appetite. That's when I realized I had NEVER felt like that before. It was so freeing lol, the fever itself was awful, but not constantly wanting to get a snack felt so good. When I got cured, I felt the transition between no hunger and my normal amount of hunger. It was kinda surreal.

Is this psychological, or is something physically wrong with me?

I would appreciate some guidance—how did you manage the quitting process ? Did you stop abruptly, or did you use a gradual method?

I attempt to quit sugar but fail quickly.

I end up reaching for sugary snacks during the evenings.

I've been through (and am lowkey still going through) an extremely stressful era in my life and have thus gained a relatively significant amount of weight. My friends are the sweetest people on Earth and I love them so so dearly, however they're all skinny and greek god looking that I feel like a morbid entity especially compared to them. I feel like I'm a punishment to look at and I a) don't want to cause even the slightest amount of discomfort to my friends and b) don't want them to potentially worry about me and tbh c) I don't even want them to physically perceive me in any way shape or form. I feel so miserable right now and am also ashamed of what has become of me.

(this might be a lot, sorry :( )

Hello everyone.

I work as a cashier at a grocery store and it's so f*cking hard to not just grab and buy a bag of chips or cookies or candy or literally anything. I've been working here for a while now and having all of my favorite snacks available at all times makes self-control really hard. I gained a lot of weight and don't know how to handle it. I'm diagnosed with anxiety and depression so that certainly doesn't make things easier for me.

I don't know if any of you been through a similar situation but I could use some advice or any tips to deal with this. Thanks ❤️

I am a 27F and I struggled all my life with multiple ED‘s.. I now had a really long Phase of not that much food noise and really enjoyed life, but the last few weeks have been hell. Everyday I start the day telling myself it’s okay and to just live on normally, no restricting and trying to move as much as I can but always eating normally throughout the day. But as soon as I get home, no matter what time, I get really really bad food noise and always end up eating roughly 2-3k calories of food. If I have no food at home I just order something it’s like I’m possessed by something as soon as I get calm at home.
I gained 5kgs already and don’t feel comfortable in my body at all, always heavily bloated, nauseous and uncomfortable (obviously).
Does anyone have any tips? Medically I’m really healthy the doctors said I’m okay. Its just really exhausting losing control like that and always feeling sick when going to bed.

I stress-eat.
I gain weight. Then I look at myself and think, “It can’t get any worse,” and eat again. And trust me, it does get worse.
I’ve been stuck in this cycle for several years now. I try not to let my weight go over 100 kg, but I’m constantly on the edge.
I’m embarrassed to exercise. I’m afraid to go somewhere to work out because I live in Asia, where everyone seems so tiny and slim. I’m embarrassed to go back to the dance classes I used to attend. Sometimes I’m even ashamed to leave the house because I might run into someone I know, and they’ll see that I’ve gained so much weight.
I’m 170 cm (5’7”) and currently weigh 86 kg (190 lbs). I’ve managed to lose weight from 95 kg (209 lbs), but I’ve started binge eating again.
Today, for example, I ate an entire box of pastries and a ton of noodles, and now I feel absolutely awful.
What do you do when you’re constantly thinking about food and hate your body and yourself?

I need genuine help for binge eating. Not the whole “set a timer” or “take a walk”
You name it, I tried it. Yes, I have quit counting calories, it made it worse. I have stopped any compensation, just made me carry on and gain weight.
I even seeked therapy, got a meal plan and still. Nothing. Worked.

Countless videos, articles, research and I am still stuck in a hole I cannot get out of.
I need niche, unheard of tips that got you out of this. I am willing to do a lot. I am just sick of it frankly. Every week I make the same promise “I will honestly stop it”, including now, and then watch, one weeks time and I will have binged again.

This addiction has cost me money, caused arguments because I cannot even control myself around food and is so distressing. I need to get better and if anyone knows ANY tips, just tell me.

For example, my worst binging stories (yes, this is plural.) is that on birthdays my sister makes cake for people’s birthday. I cannot even control myself for a FEW HOURS. I scrape icing off, try to redecorate or hide my markings on the food. She will buy ingredients to bake like Nutella, and I will engulf it.

I also just overate vitamin gummies. Because I wanted food. wtf.

There has been times where I have binged the whole house out, we have had not much food, and then I JUST BINGE ON SUGAR. This isn’t even a night issue too, it has turned into a morning, afternoon, evening issue.

Surprisingly, I only gained around 5kg in total. This is only because my binges are currently weekly (slowly coming to be more than that tho- like I did 6x this month alone…)

I just don’t want this to be a thing where I convince myself “it’s only a kg… it’s only water weight” all the way up to plain obesity.

Im only 16, i dont want this to get worse than it already is..

P.s i research HEAVILY for hours into the brain amd all this habit stuff. I just cannot take that information and help myself with it,

ANY UNHINGED HELP. ANYTHING.

For me normally seem way harder to ignore later in the day. I'm Curious if its the same for everybody?

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please help. i can’t stop

ordering food from doordash. i tell myself i’ll stop i’ve even delete the app multiple times and canceled the subscription but i can’t stop. i’m gaining more and more weight and soon i’m not gonna be at a point where I can easily get the weight off. i can see my stomach poking out more and it makes me feel like shit. i just want to stop eating and idk what to do. all my money is spent of ordering out but it’s like i have no self control. i’m only 21 but i feel like i’m ruining my life but idk how to stop it. i’ve always had a binge eating problem. when i started babysitting at 14 that’s when i started going to dollar tree and buying a bunch of shit and just eating it all in one sitting. please i need some advice.

As a food addict, I could never relate to people around me saying they’re picky eaters. What does that even mean?

I realised I was different from others when living with a roommate. She wasn’t really a picky eater, but did have foods she didn’t enjoy. She was really specific about her food and preferred things to be done a certain way. When we bought new treats to try, she would sometimes rate them poorly, which felt strabge to me, because essentially everything with sugar tastes amazing. This friend of mine also disliked some of the healthier things I was buying: greek yogurt, lower fat products etc, whereas it didn’t really matter to me if my meals tasted amazing or not. Keep in mind that she is a very mentally stable person and eats with no restrictions and is skinny.

So…a picky eater is just someone with a healthy relationship with food?

I’m in my mid-40s, work an office job, and I’m really struggling to lose weight and get myself moving. I eat a lot of junk, especially when I’m stressed or bored, and I feel like I’ve developed a really unhealthy relationship with food.

The frustrating part is that whenever I try to restrict myself or “eat clean,” I end up thinking about food even more and eventually eating even more than I normally would. It feels like I’m constantly stuck in this cycle.
Exercise isn’t much better. I’ll get motivated, start walking or working out, do well for a bit, then fall off and feel like I’m starting from zero again.

Some days I genuinely feel like I gain weight just by breathing. I know that sounds dramatic, but that’s honestly how frustrated I’ve become.
I’m not looking for a crash diet or some insane workout routine. I just want to figure out how to eat normally, become more active, lose some weight and actually stick with it.

For anyone who has been through something similar, what helped you break this cycle?

I f20 weighed 160 when summer began. I am now 190 with only 30 days until school starts. I’m so mad at myself. I was finally being treated like I was beautiful and ofc I went and fucked it up. Does anyone else struggle with not being able to stop eating? If so how did you stop. Also getting fat makes me feel like a kid failing at a task. I can’t wait for boys to do that “my freind thinks you’re cute” prank on me again. College boys still do that (crazy right?)

I feel doomed. I ALWAYS gain the weight back. I was down 60 and now I’m just down 30. It feels hopeless I swear people are nicer to me when I’m smaller

I feel so bummed. I have been a year on wegovy and although lost 40+lbs I still have about the same to go. I feel like I’m not hungry and I’m forcing myself to eat. At this point on meds I don’t feel the difference with hunger or no hunger so I just force myself to eat because I have to have three meals a day. Moreover, I force to finish the meals too. Snacking is a problem because although I’m not hungry I crave for sugary and carbs foods only. I can’t even look at protein even though I need to to make sure that I don’t have too much skin afterwards. Please help with recommendations, I’m so bummed. I thought within a year by now I will be at my goal weight. I guess the hunger was never the issue because obviously meds didn’t help me loose weight quickly.

im trying to loose weight and the one thing stopping me is my emotional eating, ive been kind of sad ever since i was a kid, and i would eat so much my dad would call me a mouse from eating everything in the pantry and i honestly still cant help myself, everything in my life seems pointless and i can barely get through the day eating really is the only thing that makes me happy. ive tried shifting my focus towards something else but i just cant!! how did you do it??

So many people say that their appetite decreases when sick. However, as someone with food addiction and a BED, being sick is one of the biggest triggers. I feel Ill so I search for the easiest comfort I know: food. I eat all day and even night if I can’t sleep. Last night I baked because I was bored and told myself I’ll freeze most of it, well guess what happened. Does anyone else struggle with this and how do you deal with it?

So i am 25/F, and i weigh 232 pounds. I have started this weightloss journey multiple times in my life and have always failed, this october i almost lost 23 pounds and then again i had an accident and i was unable to go to the gym and hence i gained the weight again!
Now the thing is i am not able to control my cravings, i struggle soo sooo sooo much, it’s unbelievable
I have tried everything, eating protein and all shit! I even have diet coke but the thought never leaves mind and i end up ordering it.

I get way too hungry and even though i have had my meal i still crave for some food and end up eating junk, what should i do?

I try to eat in deficit which is 1400-1500 but end up crossing it every single day

I have bought treadmill for my home and i have 5 and 10 kg dumbells at my place, so i can do the workouts at home now as i have such a hard time going to gym, i am from India and i do wfh. So i struggle when it comes to getting ready and leave. AND ESPECIALLY TO Gym

Why am i not motivated and bothered enough. Why do i fail miserably, i don’t want to opt for GLP- 1 injections and drugs. I want to loose weight naturally

I really need the ways to get rid of the cravings, the ways that actually help. Also give me the silliest possible ways to loose weight and which motivated you to loose weight and to do the steps and go to gym

I am ready for everything - ways, books, anything that you guys recommend
Are there any chewing gums or medicines that i can take to loose my appetite. Not the weightloss drug (glp), tbvh i am financially not ready to take it

Please guys i really need you help

I’ve struggled with binge eating for years, mainly large amounts of sugary foods (chocolate, sweets, desserts) in short periods. Once it starts it feels automatic and hard to stop.

Pattern:

Cycles of calorie tracking/restriction (around 1600–1900 kcal) followed by big sugar binges (sometimes 4000+ kcal)

Weight has fluctuated a lot over the years

Strong triggers: work stress (especially after calls or stressful moments), boredom, anxiety, and the feeling that “the day is already ruined”

Recent weeks have been particularly bad — multiple binges close together, often driven by stress at work

I get strong cravings for specific “forbidden” or rare sweets and have eaten them secretly

After binges I get body aches, stiffness, brain fog, fatigue and feel wiped out

I’ve tried increasing calories a bit, deleting social media, breathing techniques, urge surfing, naming the real need, and started magnesium. I prefer to keep some flexibility with eating (including intermittent fasting) rather than strict regular meals.

Main goal is to stop the binge cycle and the automatic “stress → chocolate” response, not just lose weight.

Any advice, similar experiences, or things that actually helped would be really appreciated.

Hello, I need help. I can spot the binge, I can delay it or stop it at all. I can even stop it in the middle of the episode if I forget myself. I just don't know what to do instead of it. How do I process the emotions in the background?

If I stop the binge, the food noise doesn't disappear. It just hides and slowly grows until it gets all over me. Then I am so moody and emotional and I eventually give up and binge. Then I get relieved, my mood improves and people around me are happy with me again. Then it all repeats.