Depression | Depression Information

Question: Eating addiction/depression. please help. need serious answers.?

(Posted by: so_silent10 on 2010-03-14 18:10:24)

I'm 18 years old and lately I just haven't haven't been able to control my eating, which is very unlike me. As of now, I probably only weigh about 126 pounds, but about 16 of those pounds have come within the past 2 months. When I have my "eating days ", as I call them, I'll consume up to 4, 000 calories or sometimes more (I'm great at counting up calories, so that's how I can give a number). The worst part of all this is that these days are more like "eating nights " since that's when I do most of this eating. It usually comes after dinner, and before I know it, 1 guilty snack turns into an additional day's worth of calories. Once I start eating, almost nothing I tell myself can make me stop. I'll tell myself things such as " I'll stop having these eating binges starting tomorrow ", and usually I can get back on track for a day or two at most, but I always come back to them and consume far more calories than what I had burned off during those days. I've been deeply hurt about a girl since December, and I don't know whether my constant eating is due to this depression or just a simple lack of will power. If this is about the girl, then I'm simply going to keep gaining weight because nothing will help me move on from that any time soon. I could only move from her if I found another girlfriend, and with graduation around the corner, it's too late for that. I love her and will for some time to come. I do things such as jog and lift weights nearly everyday, but that doesn't completely make up for all the calories I consume. My parents won't listen to me, as they always said I needed to gain weight. Well now I'm technically at a healthy weight, but if my eating continues, I'll gain another 15 pounds by graduation. Gaining over 30 pounds in one semester is never good, no matter which way you look at it. Please, I need help and advice. How can I stop having these binges? It's beginning to really show on my face; I can't even see my jawline anymore. And, is this eating really due to my depression about her? I've always been jogging and lifting weights, just to stay in shape. Those aren't things that I just recently started to combat the weight gain.

Posted by: Alexx on 2010-03-14, 18:21:14

Ok, well it is very unhealthy to gain that much weight. I will tell you that you are very skinny though. How tall are you? You could be anorexic. It also depends on how tall you are. If you want to gain weight you should eat around 2500 calories day if you exercise a lot. Just watch what you eat. I do think you've been eating more because of this girl. I don't know the situation but if you like to eat that many calories then I would tell you to motivate yourself by working out or find someone else if possible. Stay positive and strong.

Posted by: Olivia V on 2010-03-16, 17:01:58

It could very well be the girl. Or maybe you're just now hitting your big growth spurt. Just try to eat healthier. I have been going through almost the same thing lately. I know how aggravating it is. I find that when I really workout, eating healthy comes easier. If you tell someone you trust, they could hold you accountable for what you eat, and that could be a tremendous help. And although this sounds silly, when I'm tempted to eat something bad, I tell myself "HATE IT! STARVE IT! OUTSMART IT! " It works. :D