Hi guys, I've finally accepted that I actually have a compulsion to eat - as in I eat even when I have just told myself I am full or have had enough or whatever.

So, I'm looking at what I can do to turn that around. So far in my little brain storm I have thought of gastric surgery and going to Overeaters Anonymous.

Does anyone have any advice on either of those and/or any other ideas of where to start given I accept I have a problem but am still finding it very hard to just stop and turn things around?

Thanks guys.

I have been using virtual gastric banding hypnotherapy for the last month and it has been easy and effective at stopping me even thinking of food. I would recommend you look into this as a much cheaper option (under $100)

How does that work, Twitch? What does it involve?

I bought a hypnotherpy package from a lady called Taya Micola for virtual gastric band australia. She sent it via e-mail once paid.
It involves 4 sessions used once a week, each is between 30-50mins. You need to have in interruptions etc while listening.
You also listen to a 13min support session EVERY DAY first thing in the morning.

I have lost over 6kg in less than 5 weeks. I am now eating maybe 1/3rd of what i used to eat, and i find i just forget to eat often which is really weird for me!!

I will see if i can find a link.......

here we go http://www.virtualgastricbandaustralia.com/about-us I got it half price on a coupon deal thing

I am so bad at these xmas names, who are you "normally"???

Oh that sounds interesting Twitch. I know someone who got hypnotised to hate chips and crackers which totally worked.
I do lots of things...I dish my entire meal up onto a plate, even if I am having an apple. I don't eat ANYTHING not sitting at the table (I used to virtually stand in the pantry eating). I plan my meals a week in advance so then I don't have to think "What am I going to eat?" cos I already know what I am going to eat, and that stops me mulling over the possibilities!
I also think it is important to think hard about how eating/being overweight makes you feel. For me it served the purpose of a kind of armour, made me feel unattractive (I didn't think I "deserved" attention, wanted to be respected and loved for my mind and achievements rather than my appearance) and there was a deeply ingrained pattern of eating/food as a reward. We were broke when I was a kid, my Mum used to buy 6 bottles of lemonade at Christmas and if you didn't drink your "share" it would all be gone, so when I get any food I think is a "treat" I feel like I have to eat it all, or someone else will.
It takes a lot of work, but you can do it.

Theres also a book on overeating, which I've started reading (and haven't read any further, is on my list of things to do whilst camping) and have found interesting so far.

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Eating-Less-Gillian-Riley/9780091902476


That hypnotherapy stuff sounds really interesting Twitch.

So Twitch, the 13 min sessions every day, do you find it hard to get that uninterrupted time. Is it better done in the morning or at night?

Twitch, I'm Catty

This is the whole saga in a nutshell:

I was always a size 12-14. then I had a burst ectopic and while I was recovering I gained heaps of weight, then got serious flat feet and so got more sedentary and put even more weight on! It was all quite quick, too - months - and boom I was up to a size 18-20.

Then, about 4 years later, I lost lots of weight due to stress and was back to a 12-14, then put it back on within months, then back to a 14 again for the IVF. Then I got preggy and was like a house side (much of it my own fault as I used pregnancy as an excuse to eat like a hippo) and now I am an 18-20 again! With two hernias, sciatica and still got the flat feet (flat to the point they hurt and they swell my ankles).

But I've been using the feet/back/hernias as an excuse to just give in trying, and so I've slowly got fatter and floppier until now I truly look 8 months pregnant as all the weight's on my stomach.

So, finally I accepted that I don't like being like this, fat, unfit and unhealthy. Time for a change

I'm just reading through the links you sent and will come back in a bit with some thoguhts (bet you can't wait for that hahahaha)

I've just requested the Eating Less book from the library - thanks for that tip, Kasey

not sure about the hypnotherapy at this stage. I'd like to just re-learn my relationship with food if I can. But maybe I might come to need that help?

Beekay, the behaviours you describe are just like my own. I was readin and nodding And the worst thing is, I *know* what I should do, but then don't do it! Madness.

Thanks for the support ladies - it means a lot

I listen first thing in the morning, Sometimes i am awake before the kids so listen then but otherwise i tell them to go out and i shut the door, 13 mins goes quite quickly.
the 4 weekly sessions go into relationships with food, making healthy choices, decreasing the amount of alcohol/soft drink you need etc.

I just e-mailed Taya Micola about the support sessions as i have just been listening to session 1, but she tells me session 2 is more about motivation to exercise so i will start listening to that daily for a while. I am also going to re-listen to session 2 as that talks about making good choices and how to cope with your food weaknesses.

If you truly believe that you have a problem with food, then I would look at something like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy. Compulsive overeating is actually an eating disorder.

Good luck!

I've been reading more into this thing i am listening to and actually went to look at her own site to see if she had a stop nail biting program (coming early new year apparantly) anyway she says she also uses NLP, is this the same sort of thing as cognitive behaviour therapy??

Nope not the same

The trouble is, I can't afford $100 per session for weeks or months on end. But so far, even just acknowledging it has made some change - I even told my husband that this is what the problem is and he was very supportive. In the new year I'll go to Overeaters Anonymouse and see what that's like, but I'm always wary of groups cos imho they can sometimes turn into a hobby, which surely is not the goal.

I wish there was help on the health service - it'd be better than them fixing up the things that go wrong with me due to weight, in the end.

Have you talked to your GP? There are different things through the 'green prescription' that they can do, not sure of the extent of it though.

I am heading to the GP in the next month, as I have put on a lot of what I lost due to my thyroid issues (blardy hell, we joke about it being our 'glands' can I jsut say that when it really is hormonal, it farking sucks), and one of the major problems with my thyroid issues is that even when under control it is actually extra hard to lose weight (as in doing what I did before when I lost 30kg has little to no effect - and is common thing from what I have been reading). So I basically need himto help me find solutions, because I want to at least get back to where I was before my body farked up!

Anway, sorry for the meme, what I mean to say is - have you discussed all the options with your GP, I know not all are created equal though, mine has been pretty awesome in the past so hoping he ahs some ideas. If you have a decent one I really would call on his/hers expertise.

Santa Claws, what is the $100/session for??

Felicis, i bet it is hard with real hormonal issues

$100/session is for therapy, behavioural or otherwise.

Felicis, that sucks eh? I've had my thyroid tested twice as all my many ailments point that way, but it was normal - bottom level, but within normal. That said, no matter what medical issues may or may not be contributing to my own weight problems, my eating is the main one and that's the one I need to change. I eat when I have told myself to stop, when I am full, etc, so it's a very bad habit now that I need to break. I've lost 2kg so far since I first posted this thread, and am improving with choices, but I need it to be a long term change so I'm not rejoicing just yet, lol.

Well done. Mindful eating is the key I think. So that you eat when you want to, and even what you want within reason, but only while you are enjoying it.

Like when I think of chocolate, the first mouthful is always the best. I don't need to follow that up with mindless, at the computer shoving in all the rest.

Where you eat is helpful - so no eating at computer, or other places you are likely to shovel the food in without reallly thinking about what you are eating.