Comfort eating and unhappiness?!

Comfort eating and unhappiness?

I seem to have developed a problem with comfort eating over the past year, I've gained a lot of weight (almost 3 stones) and gone up from a size 12 (UK) to a size 18.

I eat whenever I am upset or feeling low, which seems to be all the time pretty much, although there doesn't seem to be any particular trigger for it - I just generally feel kind of low all the time.

I moved out of home about 18 months ago to come to university, but I'm finding it difficult to settle in and make friends here - I've always been quite shy and quiet. Now that I've put on so much weight I find it even more difficult, I have no confidence or self esteem at all, but I can't seem to stop myself from eating - I eat sweets and chocolate and it makes me feel better, even if it's only for a short time.

What can I do about it? How can I break the cycle of eating? I can't look at my body in the mirror because it disgusts me, but when I see myself I get depressed and then next thing I know I'm eating again...

your situation is very easy for me to relate to and i am at a point in my life where i have decided to do something about it,it was only this after noon that i went to see my doctor about similar problems to you! you are not alone. i am nineteen, in my first year of university, i left my home and my family eight months ago and have struggled to make friends because i have social problems which are mainly down to my lack of self esteem and confidence. I started feeling socially inept so to speak about two years ago and i have gone from a size 10/12 to a size 14/16, which has really made my self image take a plummet. I decided yesterday that I would go and see my gp and talk to them about perhaps seeing a councillor and i saw them today. I broke down crying and was recommended antidepressants and have been referred to a councillor. Although today was tough as I forced myself to talk to someone about how i feel, it has helped. I totally understand what you are going through and the first step is the hardest. I comfort eat a lot and like you it has resulted in me putting on weight and I now feel even worse about myself than i did initially, but its just a vicious circle, you feel bad so you eat and once you have eaten you end up feeling bad again-ultimately i think councilling might help you too. You will be able to speak to a professional that understands and will talk to you about how to break free of this problem that is literally compromising your experience of university. Dont feel as though you are alone, i am in the same position as you and i long to make friends and feel able to walk out of my front door without feeling the dread of other people judging me, its hard to break out of these problems but it is possible. Thank you for posting this message, i am glad that i have been able to relate to someone that is obviously going through something similar. If you want you can email me, i hope that you feel better soon and can make some positive changes that will benefit you. All the best, love Hannah xxx