hi, everyone tells me that i need to get out of the house and find something to do instead of eating. they maybe right but ive been depressed and the only things i do to cheer up is either shop or eat. unfortunately ive already put far into debt, so that just leaves eating. i dont really have any friends other then my family. i dont feel comfortable talking to my family about my problems lately because they dont seem to understand. so i sit home and eat. my other problem is fast food. i swear they put something in their food to make it addictive. once i start eating out, by that i picking it up and bringing it home, i cant seem to stop. i sometimes can eat out three or four times a day. i try to stay away from fast food but they are all around me where i live. i have been having major problems with depression and whatever hobby i used to have, im not interested in anymore. i dont feel like doing any thing other then eating. how do i beat this thing. i feel like its taken over my life. i am 5'1 and weigh 210 lbs. i guess i should give myself a little credit because my highest weight was 246 lbs. since last may i had lost 46 lbs, and then gained 10 of it back. i just cant seem to get back on the right track. i eat for the sake of eating, then i feel really depressed because ive done it again. does anyone relate. im looking for any encouragement that you can give me to get me on the right track. i dont want to gain all this weight back. i have alot of health issues and really need to take this weight off.

I am sure that someone here will have some good advice. I too eat out of boredom, though not to the extreme that you are describing. A compulsion to do it 3-4 times a day sounds like more than just bored eating to me. Have you talked to a counselor - specifically about the eating issues? I would strongly suggest that you do.

Additionally, there really is something to the "addictive" nature of fast food. It is my down fall as well. I know it's bad bad bad for me, and yet I gotta have those fries sometimes!! There have been several books written on this topic ("The Good Mood Diet" comes to mind, I can't think of the others) that address this downward cycle in women, specifically, but it probably applies in general as well. You don't mention any other issues, but a lot of women who are depressed and eat a lot of fast food also have lots of caffeine, drink alcohol, etc. The combination somehoe creates the addiction (and further depresses us).

I just wanted to say that I feel for you and wish you the best of luck in finding a solution. Being lonely and isolated is a horrible thing in so many ways. I never realized what it does to the rest of our bodies until recently.

Good luck to you. I hope someone here has some good advice!