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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Over-stuffing is a symptom. 
Are they on pharmaceuticals?[/quote]

+1. You are trying to address the issue backwards[/quote]

I’m chiming in as an adult with ADHD who massively binged at that age exactly — my experience may be helpful, or it may not, FWIW.

The overeating was absolutely a symptom of my depression/anxiety compounded by boredom. There was healthy fruit available but it didn’t provide immediate gratification the way carbs did. My parents put a lock on the pantry, but I still figured out how to unlock it. I learned to be smarter about hiding food wrappers; I took to taking the empty packages into the woods behind our house, but always got caught in the end.

Locking up food has some residual impacts on me. I inhale carb foods quickly, like there’s a subconscious fear it’s going to be taken away. I feel like I have to sneak occasional bites of junk food away from my spouse, even though he wouldn’t ever judge me. But as an adult, I no longer binged junk food regularly, just occasionally like after a breakup, extreme boredom, etc.

If this is something your kids need, I’d suggest a few things: tell them this isn’t about the food, but rather about helping them. Don’t make this about their physical health, don’t require “exercise.” That’s ripe for developing self-image issues. Scheduling more activities and distractions are good, but don’t do it because they need to make up for the junk food. They’ll just grow up viewing physical activity as punishment.

And I would check in on the possibility of the binging as a symptom.
[/quote]

Yep. I put on a little weight pre-puberty and that, combined with impulsive eating/perceived overeating due to anxiety and poor executive family, provoked a less-than-helpful response from adults in my life. The more restrictions there were on eating, the more I felt the compulsion to eat. The more attention there was on my eating, the more I felt the compulsion to eat. It's a vicious, vicious spiral with lifelong implications. I slimmed down in adolescence, but my relationship with food and body image never recovered.

Locking the cabinets, confrontations, etc. can lead to a lifetime of disordered eating. The more you and DH try to exercise "control" (I realize your intentions are good, but it probably feels controlling to your kids) over their eating, the worse the behavior will get. They could learn to hide it from you by bingeing in secret, for example. In high school, I had a friend with severe bulimia who used to drive thru fast food restaurants and/or stop at the convenience store and binge in her car. When she was done, she disposed of the evidence (the car trash, and later the food itself by purging) so her mom (who watched what she ate) wouldn't know.

This type of eating is a symptom. They call it "eating your feelings" for a reason. The only way to healthily address it is to address the underlying issue. That kind of eating doesn't feel good after the impulse has passed. It brings on guilt and shame, or defiance.

This is a job for a good therapist.

The decision to try medication is deeply personal, but I can tell you in my experience, medication has helped with my impulsivity, anxiety, and executive function, all of which have helped me make better lifestyle choice. I do not take stimulants for a variety of reasons. An important note about stimulants, as PPs have mentioned, is that stimulants can cause appetite suppression during the day that ends in ravenous eating at night when the medication has worn off.

Please know I'm not flaming you at all. I have a kid with alarming eating habits and I struggle with it as well. I feel like I'm being forced to deal with my own baggage in order to parent DC. You just want your kids to be healthy. Sending you love.[/quote]

PP here. Poor executive function, not family. LOL.[/quote]

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