Hi NatashaD, I haven’t heard the theory regarding seratonin and continuous appetite. I understand the constant unrelenting drive to eat and the inability to leave food alone if it’s there in sight – these are normal issues for me daily.

The only scientific discovery I have heard of is from gene research – for those with a continual craving for food, there is a gene that has been identified that causes this disconnect between genuine hunger and appetite.

hi Natasha,

I’m not sure I have a great scientific answer. I do understand that appetite is complex.

I struggle with periods of overeating/compulsive eating whereby I want to eat everything in sight, that ranges from somewhat healthy “low sugar foods” such as porridge to the more typical foods that people overeat on such as cake, bread and biscuits. It’s embarrassing, I can be at work, in the company of others and I quite openly just have to eat… I can’t hide it,. I do everything I can to avoid this- or prepare for it, i.e, try not to keep sons of foods in the house, try to exercise, keep busy, avoid too much time in the kitchen ensure I get adequate sleep (not easy). Although it’s hard with a family and guests wanting certain foods in the house (I mean most people have cereals in the cupboard, but I can’t even keep shred dies in the cupboard for a week!) but also have to face a low mood (that instantly disappears when eating) if i am not overeating.

I often wonder why, sometimes, all I can think about it food and at these points I am ashamed to say I can clear the cupboards at home, I have to ask people to hide foods from me. I have tried the approach of just loving myself, letting myself off the hook and allowing myself to eat these foods (in case this was a rebound psychological restriction thing) but hat makes it even worse, I can honestly say when I’m low, when I’m eating I can feel euphoric, again not undermining addiction but I feel frantic, I just want more and this becomes like a priority in mob brain, it’s horrible actually I can’t focus on anything else). Yet other times I can “take it or leave it” with the healthy carbs although food has always provided me with a “high” in a different way to my friends/husband, they view food as “yay yummy” but then they stop when full, or have an extra slice of cake then feel guilty.

Note I am always at risk with high sugar foods, for example someone brought in some chocolate crisps cakes at work, I had one, then moved onto six and went to the shop and brought two chocolate bars. Again for me personally I can’t touch the high sugar foods, all they do is provide a compulsion to eat more I am not sure that’s related to low serotonin levels but just that sugar is addictive.

Flitting back to your original question, why I think for me food is connected to low serotonin levels is because for me, I can’t understand it in the moment, it’s the urge to overeat on healthy carbs when my mood is low, people will say how could you eat a whole sauce pan of porridge? I can keep going. The fact that’s is always a carbohydrate makes me think this must be connected to serotonin. I think I probably have low serotonin levels/or happy hormones naturally but when something such as hormones, illness or no sleep arise, my mood dips and my appetite hits the roof. My poor husband stares at me as I overeat on foods he has to force himself to eat such as whole grains, and I compulsively eat them. I am ashamed, I would feel less so if I just ate extra then thought oh well I have over eaten now move on, but when I am like this I just want to keep going.

I maybe an oddball (very likely), and my theory might be incorrect, you did ask for the opinions of an expert, which I am not, but I do know from my own experience when I teether on depression, my carb intake and compulsion to eat carbs is overwhelming. I try not to absolve from responsibility but I am absolutely sure they will find a lot more about genetic propensity /brain health linked to appetite/ food consumption. If my appetite starts increasing and I start bingeing if I reflect I can quite often identify something that may have caused low serotonin i.e i always get moody before a cold or flu develops and whereby most people lose their appetite, not me! Also I can look at the calendar if I am bingeing and see it’s a particular time of the month. It will sound like I am excusing myself from overeating, but this is different to your “that’s yummy cheese cake I’ll have two or three slices” this a feeling whereby I want to keep going and not stopping.

It’s also why fasting is of interest to me, after watching the initial Horizon programme I thought”yep I can be a compulsive eater”. I’ve never really managed to keep it up and in the back of my mind I’m scared it will make bingeing worse, but here are some who have said it has helped.

I know there are some conditions that lead to overreacting, I know of a gentleman with alzheimer’s, who, props to diagnosis became depressed and started eating more, compulsively and hiding food, literally gained stones and stones in weight over the course of a year, and had been a sensible eater all his life then suddenly became ver overweight.

I would love to hear someone like Mr Mosley’s thoughts on such matters. I guess we are all individual and I may not be very self aware, but I think the only way we can move forward is know what we do about ourselves, my husband and friends keep saying have regular snacks, offer me cake and it doesn’t help (they have my best interests at heart) but you know you and what might help or doesn’t (worth keeping a diary to note if there are better periods?).

What has helped me:

Getting enough good quality sleep,
Coffee – I hav to be careful, too much is counterintuitive,
Running – there is a certain point when exercising that food no longer dominates my mind.
Stress reduction/ eating healthily to improve immune so don’t get ill whenever I’m ill my mood plummets.

What I am still debating:
Veggies and proteins focusing on the nutritional content of food – I’m cautious about this one as I thinking about food too much isn’t helpful!
fasting, I haven’t tried it properly but I can see that you have (well done!!) but I fear it may make bingeing worse.
SSRI’s

Hi folks,

I have something to add to this discussion re my own experiences with ‘addiction’ to certain foods. I need to look something up for reference and accuracy, and I may have to post in 2-3 times because my time available is short at the moment, but I will try to get it done today. Back in a little while,

Merry