Binge Eating Disorder - At Last, Relief

[Heatherweather]

I spent years battling binge eating. Therapists, psychiatrists, nutritionists — I tried them all. Once GLP medications hit the market, I was turned away since my weight fell in the "healthy" range. Nobody stopped to ask what I was doing to stay at that weight. Whole days consumed by thoughts of food, sneaking away from home or the office on a fake errand that actually meant picking up a gallon of ice cream. I would eat far past full, putting away 4000-6000 calories in one sitting without effort. Then I'd go days without eating to make up for it.

It baffles me that GLP-1's don't carry FDA approval for eating disorders (though I understand the reasoning) — because the weight loss so many people see comes from their food noise disappearing. For most people, an eating disorder is fundamentally a food noise problem. And hear me out — even anorexia, which I've fought too, is an intense fixation on food.

Maybe this reaches someone who needs it. At 45 years old, a minimal dose (2.5 Tirz) has finally brought this under control for me.

 

[Skidude]

Heatherweather said:

I spent years battling binge eating. Therapists, psychiatrists, nutritionists — I tried them all. Once GLP medications hit the market, I was turned away since my weight fell in the "healthy" range. Nobody stopped to ask what I was doing to stay at that weight. Whole days consumed by thoughts of food, sneaking away from home or the office on a fake errand that actually meant picking up a gallon of ice cream. I would eat far past full, putting away 4000-6000 calories in one sitting without effort. Then I'd go days without eating to make up for it.

It baffles me that GLP-1's don't carry FDA approval for eating disorders (though I understand the reasoning) — because the weight loss so many people see comes from their food noise disappearing. For most people, an eating disorder is fundamentally a food noise problem. And hear me out — even anorexia, which I've fought too, is an intense fixation on food.

Maybe this reaches someone who needs it. At 45 years old, a minimal dose (2.5 Tirz) has finally brought this under control for me.

Looking back, I've had stretches where I wondered if this was what I was up against too—or at least something close—though I never went days without eating to make up for it.

It's good to hear things are going well for you. How long have you been on this path?

If you're okay with me asking, what steps are you taking so anorexia doesn't become an issue?

 

[UghItsStupidNIHateIT]

I’m not someone with binge eating disorder, but the shift in food noise is genuinely unbelievable. It’s like I don’t spend hours fixated on what I’ll eat anymore. That’s simply vanished. I’m thrilled about it.

 

[krsct]

I'm 69 years old. Tirzepatide helped me shed the weight 2 years back, and these days I'm keeping it off. Obesity was my reality from childhood onward, and I felt shame about how I looked in countless situations. I could tell my children felt it too, though it was never said out loud. In my line of work in health care, I was constantly scrambling to locate scrubs and Xray gowns that would actually fit. These miracle drugs have given me an entirely different life. I'm making the best of the time that I have left.

 

[Flash-BCR]

Heatherweather said:

I spent years battling binge eating. Therapists, psychiatrists, nutritionists — I tried them all. Once GLP medications hit the market, I was turned away since my weight fell in the "healthy" range. Nobody stopped to ask what I was doing to stay at that weight. Whole days consumed by thoughts of food, sneaking away from home or the office on a fake errand that actually meant picking up a gallon of ice cream. I would eat far past full, putting away 4000-6000 calories in one sitting without effort. Then I'd go days without eating to make up for it.

It baffles me that GLP-1's don't carry FDA approval for eating disorders (though I understand the reasoning) — because the weight loss so many people see comes from their food noise disappearing. For most people, an eating disorder is fundamentally a food noise problem. And hear me out — even anorexia, which I've fought too, is an intense fixation on food.

Maybe this reaches someone who needs it. At 45 years old, a minimal dose (2.5 Tirz) has finally brought this under control for me.

That's exactly why I'd keep my own GLP stash on hand even if the Pharma versions cost nothing. The dose is mine to set... the compound is mine to choose... no prescription drying up, no sitting around for a doctor, for Pharma, or for .gov... I just get to enjoy my life, secure in the knowledge that food stays handled....and in my hands...

 

[bbbilly]

i'm pretty much in the same situation. BED is something i also live with, and tirz has been what keeps it in check for me. at 2.5mg it's allowed me to remove that urge, and for my own part i prefer to stretch my doses apart so a bit of hunger comes back — that way i can actually notice those signals and feel the difference when i begin sliding toward a binge of "all week i never went this deep into the pantry...so why now" it's been life changing as well to not have to sit there thinking i need 2 entrees when i'm at a restaurant, just so i can walk out not completely stuffed.

before glps, back when i'd run a hard calorie deficit, i had a motto. "its not about being full, its about not being hungry" and with the glps that line has become far more meaningful to me.

i'm happy it's going so well on your end, and at such a low dose it makes it so cheap and simple to make 1 purchase and end up with a lifetime supply of it hahahaa

 

[lessthanhalf]

It's encouraging to come across others dealing with comparable issues who've found something that works. No formal eating disorder diagnosis has ever been given to me, yet I can gain 1kg or more in a week purely from overeating that doesn't feel within my control, so I'm fairly confident it would meet the criteria.

Before I began GLP's, I had already gotten my eating and weight in check, though it took nothing short of extreme discipline: for 3 years I completely avoided anything with a high glycemic index, high calories, richness, reward value, or trigger potential, and stuck to a high protein, low fat, low calorie density way of eating. That wasn't my first time reaching a normal or near-normal weight either, and keeping it off never worked. Even tiny amounts of rich food could set off overwhelming, uncontrollable hunger. In 2013 I hit 65kg, by 2022 I was at 145, and by 2023 down to 75. Staying at that weight without GLP's was tough; I managed roughly a year around 2023-24, felt hungry constantly, and had to follow the diet flawlessly with not even the smallest deviation, all to avoid that extreme hunger response. Whether I could have maintained it long-term that time, I'll never know, but it certainly felt like hard work.

With GLP's, everything became far simpler. Even a low dose of ozempic that left me nauseous for a year was still worthwhile, because the drop in hunger made enduring a year of feeling unwell acceptable. Moving to tirz, then adding reta and cagri, also made a difference, so that as long as I kept taking them, weight maintenance just occurred, with no real trouble from cravings or uncontrollable hunger.

While GLP's use in people with anorexia is a genuine, or at least possible, concern, for binge eating disorder or food addiction these drugs do appear to help resolve things, at least frequently. Most who treat the disorder see it as psychological and requiring a psychological fix, so they dislike the idea of GLP drugs, and to me they seem overly focused on possible harms while understating the benefits. My guess is that eventually it will become a standard part of treatment, particularly for those carrying extra weight.

 

[slimmingmouse65]

BED, that's me. A hidden shame, eating with tight restraint around people, then bingeing by myself at home. That's over. My stomach shrank and overeating is physically impossible, it causes pain. So I also keep 10 years' worth of Reta in a freezer. For me, that's liberty.

Reta calms the mind

Food no longer interests me

Peptides, tranquility and affection

 

[massmaestro]

Heatherweather said:

I spent years battling binge eating. Therapists, psychiatrists, nutritionists — I tried them all. Once GLP medications hit the market, I was turned away since my weight fell in the "healthy" range. Nobody stopped to ask what I was doing to stay at that weight. Whole days consumed by thoughts of food, sneaking away from home or the office on a fake errand that actually meant picking up a gallon of ice cream. I would eat far past full, putting away 4000-6000 calories in one sitting without effort. Then I'd go days without eating to make up for it.

It baffles me that GLP-1's don't carry FDA approval for eating disorders (though I understand the reasoning) — because the weight loss so many people see comes from their food noise disappearing. For most people, an eating disorder is fundamentally a food noise problem. And hear me out — even anorexia, which I've fought too, is an intense fixation on food.

Maybe this reaches someone who needs it. At 45 years old, a minimal dose (2.5 Tirz) has finally brought this under control for me.

That's a genuinely useful way of framing the issue. Don't stop now — this is your moment to shine

 

[vale113]

My situation matched this exactly: weight would hold steady for a stretch, then temptation won—a single minor lapse could set off a full binge. Four months of Reta at the top 4mg dose brought me to 9% body fat, and now, even following a 1-month pause, I don't appear to have fallen back into it, plus I keep dropping a small amount of weight here and there.

 

[bamagirl26]

Honestly

Heatherweather said:

I spent years battling binge eating. Therapists, psychiatrists, nutritionists — I tried them all. Once GLP medications hit the market, I was turned away since my weight fell in the "healthy" range. Nobody stopped to ask what I was doing to stay at that weight. Whole days consumed by thoughts of food, sneaking away from home or the office on a fake errand that actually meant picking up a gallon of ice cream. I would eat far past full, putting away 4000-6000 calories in one sitting without effort. Then I'd go days without eating to make up for it.

It baffles me that GLP-1's don't carry FDA approval for eating disorders (though I understand the reasoning) — because the weight loss so many people see comes from their food noise disappearing. For most people, an eating disorder is fundamentally a food noise problem. And hear me out — even anorexia, which I've fought too, is an intense fixation on food.

Maybe this reaches someone who needs it. At 45 years old, a minimal dose (2.5 Tirz) has finally brought this under control for me.

Hearing you say that makes me genuinely so glad. For women especially, the way we relate to food—or to going without it—gets drilled into us at such an early age. That said, social media blowing up the way it has means guys and boys are under a lot of appearance pressure too. With GLP's, it seems like the whole thing just stops occupying your mind, and honestly that on its own is huge for a lot of people. Right now the only moment food crosses my mind is when my belly pipes up like, hey, how about a little something over here (and it literally just did!). Guess it's time to eat! Wishing you tons of success (whatever that ends up meaning for you) on Tirz

 

[Heatherweather]

slimmingmouse65 said:

BED, that's me. A hidden shame, eating with tight restraint around people, then bingeing by myself at home. That's over. My stomach shrank and overeating is physically impossible, it causes pain. So I also keep 10 years' worth of Reta in a freezer. For me, that's liberty.

Reta calms the mind

Food no longer interests me

Peptides, tranquility and affection

That really is liberation! Nobody who hasn't dealt with BED can grasp the mental gymnastics that go on for those of us who have it. I'm so glad for you!

 

[Heatherweather]

vale113 said:

My situation matched this exactly: weight would hold steady for a stretch, then temptation won—a single minor lapse could set off a full binge. Four months of Reta at the top 4mg dose brought me to 9% body fat, and now, even following a 1-month pause, I don't appear to have fallen back into it, plus I keep dropping a small amount of weight here and there.

What made you decide to pause — did you plan it? And you managed to avoid bingeing? My main reason for using tirz is binge eating, since weight loss isn't my goal, but I really want to understand how breaks from the medication work.

 

[subterfuge]

6 weeks back I started GLPs. There wasn't a huge amount of weight for me to shed to begin with, but my sweet tooth is off the charts and that usually leads to binges, so eventually I went with reta.

In 6 weeks I dropped 10 KG and I'm now pretty much at the weight I feel I ought to be, yet the biggest win is that not once in all that time have I binged

 

[diplomat]

subterfuge said:

6 weeks back I started GLPs. There wasn't a huge amount of weight for me to shed to begin with, but my sweet tooth is off the charts and that usually leads to binges, so eventually I went with reta.

In 6 weeks I dropped 10 KG and I'm now pretty much at the weight I feel I ought to be, yet the biggest win is that not once in all that time have I binged

Six weeks in and you're already doing this well — that's seriously impressive!

That "sweet tooth" thing is very much a British issue — the 'candy' over there is top-notch and pushed on people hard.

I know a bit about this firsthand: Cadbury's was where I worked at my very first job

 

[vale113]

Heatherweather said:

vale113 said:

My situation matched this exactly: weight would hold steady for a stretch, then temptation won—a single minor lapse could set off a full binge. Four months of Reta at the top 4mg dose brought me to 9% body fat, and now, even following a 1-month pause, I don't appear to have fallen back into it, plus I keep dropping a small amount of weight here and there.

What made you decide to pause — did you plan it? And you managed to avoid bingeing? My main reason for using tirz is binge eating, since weight loss isn't my goal, but I really want to understand how breaks from the medication work.

The reason I started was not voluntary—a specialist visit I have to go to made it necessary. Regarding binge eating, that has not occurred. Sure, during vacation my intake went up somewhat, and a little cookie in the evening is something I regularly allow myself, yet I'm definitely not going overboard the way I did before—even if my appetite has clearly grown.

 

[justin1234321]

I'm in the same boat. I dropped 120lbs on my own, but BED has been a battle — a few binges each week turn maintenance into a never-ending struggle. After researching GLPs/Peps, I chose to test out Reta. Just a few weeks in, and it's completely changed the game.

 

[AngieHolmes]

bbbilly said:

i'm pretty much in the same situation. BED is something i also live with, and tirz has been what keeps it in check for me. at 2.5mg it's allowed me to remove that urge, and for my own part i prefer to stretch my doses apart so a bit of hunger comes back — that way i can actually notice those signals and feel the difference when i begin sliding toward a binge of "all week i never went this deep into the pantry...so why now" it's been life changing as well to not have to sit there thinking i need 2 entrees when i'm at a restaurant, just so i can walk out not completely stuffed.

before glps, back when i'd run a hard calorie deficit, i had a motto. "its not about being full, its about not being hungry" and with the glps that line has become far more meaningful to me.

i'm happy it's going so well on your end, and at such a low dose it makes it so cheap and simple to make 1 purchase and end up with a lifetime supply of it hahahaa

IMO, one of the biggest things GLP gives you is that pause in the pantry — the chance to notice what you're doing while you're doing it. Before, I'd just keep eating and the whole time my head was screaming, "This is bad I shouldn't be doing this I'm bad omgggg" — there was never any room in my mind to stop beforehand and actually ask, "Should I be doing this?" and have that question mean something. Being able to make that a genuine choice changes everything!

 

[AngieHolmes]

slimmingmouse65 said:

BED, that's me. A hidden shame, eating with tight restraint around people, then bingeing by myself at home. That's over. My stomach shrank and overeating is physically impossible, it causes pain. So I also keep 10 years' worth of Reta in a freezer. For me, that's liberty.

Reta calms the mind

Food no longer interests me

Peptides, tranquility and affection

The shame, yes. Mine shifted from "this isn't good" into "I'm not good." For years and years, starting when I was still in single digits, I lived inside an identity of being uncontrollable and bad, with no break from it.

About 2 weeks back, because the food noise had gotten dangerously loud, I injected a bigger dose of tirz than usual.

Nothing happened. Zero effect.

That had never occurred before. My guess is the vial sat in the fridge past its prime. I wasn't paying attention.

Then all at once I was back there, in that terrifying lack of control. It came over me with no warning. I spread a pint of ice cream across 2 days, so it wasn't my biggest binge, but the emotions beforehand, mid-way, and afterward are identical. Shame again, and any self-trust I'd built across the last 8 months was wrecked. It got so bad that I erased the memory of doing it. I even posted something here along the lines of, "It was tempting but I managed." Even now, after the following dose did work, I'm still uneasy.

As I put together a maintenance plan, all of this will be simmering in my mind. Maybe I need a list of "NO" foods. Or perhaps a decision tree for when cravings hit hard. A failsafe I can lean on even when I'm caught off guard. Does anyone else keep something like that? Instructions for yourself, whether informal or formal?

 

[subterfuge]

diplomat said:

subterfuge said:

6 weeks back I started GLPs. There wasn't a huge amount of weight for me to shed to begin with, but my sweet tooth is off the charts and that usually leads to binges, so eventually I went with reta.

In 6 weeks I dropped 10 KG and I'm now pretty much at the weight I feel I ought to be, yet the biggest win is that not once in all that time have I binged

Six weeks in and you're already doing this well — that's seriously impressive!

That "sweet tooth" thing is very much a British issue — the 'candy' over there is top-notch and pushed on people hard.

I know a bit about this firsthand: Cadbury's was where I worked at my very first job

haha, I've got relatives in both Canada and the US. Whenever they see me, they ask me to haul over big slabs of our chocolate because in their opinion it tastes way better. Cadbury's does exist over there, sure, but according to them it's somehow not the same as the Cadbury's we have here?