Over Eating

[Squirrelmummy]

Iv always struggled with weight and I love my food but since withdrawal my eating has gone into overdrive. I'm eating everything in sight, especially sugary fatty foods and I hate how out of control I feel. Does anyone else experience this? 

 

My brother is a recovering addict and he said that this happened to him when he was in heroin withdrawal and I wondered if its like my brain is happy chemical deficient and trying to boost itself with sweet foods. What does everyone think? Any ideas how I can get a hold on this? 

[TurkeyCold]

Hey @Squirrelmummy,

 

I am quite familiar with what you describe since overeating and craving for sweets has been my first symptom even before I was aware of the withdrawal which was going to come. This nasty symptom has accompanied me more or less for 5 years until today. I got a grip on it - in addition to things getting easier slowly - by eating only 2 meals a day (no more snacking) and furthermore by assembling everything which I'm planning to eat for lunch or dinner on a tray, arranging it in a nice manner and then enjoying it without eating anything more afterwards.

 

Furthermore, at some point I could replace the sweets with nuts and raisins so I didn't spoil my system completely when binge- or overeating.

 

All the best

Cornelius

 

 

[ChessieCat]

9 hours ago, Squirrelmummy said:

Iv always struggled with weight and I love my food but since withdrawal my eating has gone into overdrive. I'm eating everything in sight, especially sugary fatty foods and I hate how out of control I feel. Does anyone else experience this? 

 

First thing I would do is go and get a fasting blood test which includes HbA1C.  Eating more sugar can be a sign that you are pre diabetic/diabetic.

 

Last year in October 2021 I was diagnosed with diabetes and after researching I decided to try a low carb diet (with moderate fat, not high fat).  I have watched/listened to a lot of videos and podcasts on the topic and have learned more about different things.

 

One thing that I was amazed to learn was that stress produces cortisol and that cortisol uses glucose in the blood and once that is gone they you get cravings for sugar and high carb/starchy food.  After starting the low carb diet I found that I wasn't craving those sort of foods and because of what I was eating I wasn't getting hungry like I used to do.

 

Interestingly, when I was sick recently I started craving certain high carb foods.  In the past I would have just put this down to wanting to eat something with a different/strong flavour, but because I had learning about cortisol I realised what was causing it.

 

After 3 months of low carb I reversed my diabetes.  I have also lost a lot of weight without even trying.  I only do light hand weights for arm and upper body strength, strengthening and stretching exercises and pilates.  In 10 months I have gone from 80kg down to 65kg, 15kgs which is 2 stone, 28lbs.  The quality of my sleep has improved, my waist measurement has gone from 44" down to 38", my cholesterol numbers are good and I have stopped my blood pressure medication.  And all because I changed what I was eating.  No drugs, no strenuous exercise, no fasting.  Just eating proper food.

 

If you do decide to change your diet, do it gradually, and take measurements before you start and find some clothes that fit well now and others that don't quite fit.  It is really encouraging to have a benchmark to compare to.  I'm still amazed at how much weight I have lost.  Yestereday I carried in 2 bags of groceries one in each hand, one bag weighed 4kgs, and the other 3kgs, so about half of the amount of weight I have lost.  That is a lot of weight that my poor arthritic knees (with meniscus tears) no longer have to cope with.

 

Two Youtube channels which have some really good information, all free and these 2 are real medical doctors:

 

Dr Ken Berry (proper human diet)

 

Adapt Your Life (Dr Eric Westman - prescription keto, nice and simple, as opposed to what he calls internet keto which can include fat bombs and keto bars and MCT oil)