Food addiction
midpath
Posts: 246 Member
Do you believe it's real? Why or why not?
I'm talking addiction in the sense that you can't control it and it hinders your life. Like beyond emotional eating.
I'm talking addiction in the sense that you can't control it and it hinders your life. Like beyond emotional eating.
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I suppose someone who is extremely overweight/morbidly obese would have this?0
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I have serious trouble with white breads and pastas. If I have them, I want more. But more isn't enough. I'll want more after that. It will continue until I go to sleep. When I wake up, it's over.
I have so much trouble with it that I just don't eat those things. Skipping them is a bazillion times easier than having some and going through all that.
It would only affect my life in that I'd gain weight.
If staying away from something because you have trouble with craving more of it whenever you have some meets someone's definition of "addiction" then I suppose so. I don't personally consider it a true addiction.
True addiction, IMO, means quitting has some physical effect, some kind of uncomfortable withdrawal. Even caffeine, with it's painful withdrawal headaches would count as an addiction...a mild one, but it qualifies. My pasta issue doesn't.
It seems to make more of it than it is, KWIM?
IMO.
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True addiction, IMO, means quitting has some physical effect, some kind of uncomfortable withdrawal. Even caffeine, with it's painful withdrawal headaches would count as an addiction...a mild one, but it qualifies. My pasta issue doesn't.
This.
Binge eating/lack of self control isn't "addiction".
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Of course food is addictive, you will die without it. But I assume you are really meaning that overeating is addictive?
Overeating probably is mentally addictive for some people but not physically addictive. Your body stops desiring food when physical needs are met, any further desire is in your head.0 -
Food is addictive because it is necessary. You don not eat you die. The descriptive connotation of labeling food as "addictive" puts nutrition in a negative light. In the realm of fitness, health, and performance nutritional intake is the first skill set that sets the path to awesome health and well being. Cultural norms, nutrition education, personal objectives construct our eating habits, patterns and objectives. What we have to do is change our perspectives if we are suffering from negative effects of our eating patterns.0
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beemerphile1 wrote: »Of course food is addictive, you will die without it. But I assume you are really meaning that overeating is addictive?
Overeating probably is mentally addictive for some people but not physically addictive. Your body stops desiring food when physical needs are met, any further desire is in your head.
False logic..... Neccessity =/= addiction (Food)0 -
I think my 470lb coworker has it. It's actually kind of scary how his eyes light up when he sees someone with food that he thinks there might be more of. If he sees free food then any thoughts about his weight loss go out the window instantly. If there's food, he HAS to have it. Honestly I think it's less about the food and more about greed.0
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I think my 470lb coworker has it. It's actually kind of scary how his eyes light up when he sees someone with food that he thinks there might be more of. If he sees free food then any thoughts about his weight loss go out the window instantly. If there's food, he HAS to have it. Honestly I think it's less about the food and more about greed.
For everyone or just him? Just clarifying.0 -
I personally do not believe food is addictive. I do believe that eating disorders are the main culprit to many weight related issues.....(obesity, underweight/malnurished, etc..)0
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I think there may be a relatively rare condition that could be called food addiction that is basically the kind of compulsive overeating that super-morbidly-obese people have, where you essentially eat way beyond enjoyment and it takes the place of other things in your life, you basically sacrifice your life to it.
I suspect that the percentage of people on MFP who have anything like that is a fraction of a percent, so it doesn't seem particularly relevant to the discussions here.
I also don't think it means you can be addicted to a particular kind of food.
There are lots of other more common ways to feel uncontrollable about food, though, and it seems lately that lots of people want to call experiencing anything beyond perfectly reasoned and controlled feelings about food--or any desire to eat beyond their maintenance calories--to be addiction. To me that does violence to any reasonable definition of addiction.
I don't mean the rather joking, lighthearted uses of addiction, as in "I'm addicted to this song, I can't stop playing it!"0 -
Yea, I don't think it's a thing really. Craving and wanting does not make addiction.0
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I don't think it can be classified as physical addiction.
I think the real issue is compulsive / conditioned behaviour which bears many similar features to addictive behaviour but is not actually the same.
It's seems undoubtedly true that many people feel a tremendous sense of struggle, helplessness and lack of control however.0 -
For him.I think my 470lb coworker has it. It's actually kind of scary how his eyes light up when he sees someone with food that he thinks there might be more of. If he sees free food then any thoughts about his weight loss go out the window instantly. If there's food, he HAS to have it. Honestly I think it's less about the food and more about greed.
For everyone or just him? Just clarifying.
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Overeaters Anonymous
I'm not part of the group but I believe that their program focuses on the redefining relationship with food0 -
True addiction, IMO, means quitting has some physical effect, some kind of uncomfortable withdrawal. Even caffeine, with it's painful withdrawal headaches would count as an addiction...a mild one, but it qualifies. My pasta issue doesn't.
It seems to make more of it than it is, KWIM?
IMO.
I think there are food addictions, but they are mild - similar to a coffe addiction... JMHO
When I eat sugar (and by sugar I mean more than 1 or 2 grams at a time) I find that I felt badly a few hours hours after eating it and felt better again when I did, but only for a short time. When I say I felt bad, I meant I got tired, jittery, cranky and I started to think about eating more because I felt so hungry. I realize that some some of that is attributed to blood glucose issues; I do have mild insulin resistance so that will affect things.
Insulin resistance does not explain how I feel after giving up sugar (down to about 5g per day) for a few days. I had a migraine, was very fatigued and my mood was horrible - I couldn't concentrate well and small irritants turned into large irritants. This was not because my BG was low. When I felt like that my BG was between 4.4 and 5.4. This morning my BG was just below a 4 (often considered a tad low) and I feel just fine.
My physical symptoms of withdrawal were real. They were not psychosomatic symptoms. I went to sleep with the headache, I woke up in the middle of the night with a headache, when I moved it made the headache worse. A real thing.
On the other hand, when I gave up coffee while breastfeeding and pregnant, I had very mild discomfort - it wasn't a big deal for me. No addiction to coffee even though I was drinking a few cups a day prior to stopping.
I believe that addictions do not hit populations evenly. Some have issues and some don't. Some people have problems with some substances that others will not. Coffee, alcohol, and cigarettes were not an issue for me. I find sugar is. IMO
Just because someone hasn't experienced something does not mean it does not exist for others.
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IMO it's like gluten intolerance: it exists but almost everyone who claims to have it is mistaken.0
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No, I don't believe in food addiction.0
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LiftAllThePizzas wrote: »IMO it's like gluten intolerance: it exists but almost everyone who claims to have it is mistaken.
So eloquently spoken. I agree wholeheartedly.0 -
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Whoah. It's worse than I thought ..0 -
I believe in food addictions just as much as drug addiction. It is real for some. I would classify it as a behavioral addiction. The human brain is an amazing part of the body.0
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Thanks nvsmomketo for the detailed explanation and personal testimony, I won't go on repeating what you have already written about withdrawal and physical symptoms.
From other comments here I gather that some folks doubt that one could be a food addict. People have opinions often based solely on their own experiences, rather than actual knowledge. I am jealous and wish I was like those people who don't have personal experiences of food addiction.
Overweight people are often viewed as having a low socioeconomic status, as being unintelligent, dirty, and lacking self control. Let's not lie to ourselves. We judge (to some extent without even realizing it). When a fat person dresses well, has a good job, is smart, or has a salad for lunch we see the person as a fraud. I do it too, shame on me.
Foods are not just fiber, vitamins, water, and flavor. While whole foods are best for our bodies, the foods we eat in our society are usually processed to some degree and are enhanced with derivatives from other food sources.
For example: Sugar (which by definition is a drug). We take the sugar molecules out of sugar beets or sugar cane and add them to another foods to make them sweet(er). That concentrated derivative, or extract of a plant, is addictive. I bet we can all name other plant extracts that are addictive...
I'm addicted to Sugar.
It's real. It's really real. Until I realized what was happening to me I thought that I just really loved sugar (you know... straight from the bag if I couldn't find a cookie) I thought that I had no self control. I thought that I was just a "pig" and eating my emotions.
At almost 50 years old I can look back on my life and eating habits and tell you that I am a food addict. The only constant thread that weaves through my life of weight loss and gain is excess sugar and flour. It hasn't mattered if I was happy, sad, or angry. I ate them to extreme. It didn't matter what my circumstances were or how aware I was of what it did to my body.... I ate it. I couldn't get enough. I was ashamed.
Food is not my best friend. I don't have a love for cooking or baking. I forget to eat when I am busy. I appear "normal" aside from the extra pounds (that I am loosing for the last time).
Cravings are your body's way of telling you it needs something, such as protein, salt, vitamins, and carbohydrates. For me, eating sugar or flour is not controlled by a craving. My body wants them in excessive amounts so I can keep getting my "fix". Like a drug. I wake up wanting sugar. I go to bed after eating sugar and then dream of eating sweets. This is not a self-control issue.
Once I start eating them, I'm consumed by thoughts and desires of eating sugary foods, or foods containing flour.
I can't eat them AT ALL or it triggers awful binges and food orgies that last for hours or days.
I am so tired of trying to loose the same 50 pounds only to gain it back as soon as I reintroduce my old foods (because everyone around me can have just one and stop... I should be able to too, right?) . I can't be trusted to eat just a little bit. I sneak food. I eat whenever I get a chance. I always always always choose desserts, sometimes skipping meals and only eating desserts for days on end. I usually don't realize I am doing it, because of denial, and because eating is expected. I would tell people that I have a HUGE sweet tooth (politically correct understatement)... and that donuts are the perfect food (sugar and bread). I'm tired of not feeling like I can control my desire to EAT, CHEW, or TASTE... only to be unsatisified and want more and more even though I am full and physically sick.
No, I am not unintelligent. No, I am not making it up.
It's hard to change the way I have always behaved toward food, especially when those around me don't have a problem with it.
Sometimes I still want it. But, if I don't eat it at all, I have a much easier time saying 'no'.
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sixfarmhicks wrote: »Thanks nvsmomketo for the detailed explanation and personal testimony, I won't go on repeating what you have already written about withdrawal and physical symptoms.
From other comments here I gather that some folks doubt that one could be a food addict. People have opinions often based solely on their own experiences, rather than actual knowledge. I am jealous and wish I was like those people who don't have personal experiences of food addiction.
Overweight people are often viewed as having a low socioeconomic status, as being unintelligent, dirty, and lacking self control. Let's not lie to ourselves. We judge (to some extent without even realizing it). When a fat person dresses well, has a good job, is smart, or has a salad for lunch we see the person as a fraud. I do it too, shame on me.
Foods are not just fiber, vitamins, water, and flavor. While whole foods are best for our bodies, the foods we eat in our society are usually processed to some degree and are enhanced with derivatives from other food sources.
For example: Sugar (which by definition is a drug). We take the sugar molecules out of sugar beets or sugar cane and add them to another foods to make them sweet(er). That concentrated derivative, or extract of a plant, is addictive. I bet we can all name other plant extracts that are addictive...
I'm addicted to Sugar.
It's real. It's really real. Until I realized what was happening to me I thought that I just really loved sugar (you know... straight from the bag if I couldn't find a cookie) I thought that I had no self control. I thought that I was just a "pig" and eating my emotions.
At almost 50 years old I can look back on my life and eating habits and tell you that I am a food addict. The only constant thread that weaves through my life of weight loss and gain is excess sugar and flour. It hasn't mattered if I was happy, sad, or angry. I ate them to extreme. It didn't matter what my circumstances were or how aware I was of what it did to my body.... I ate it. I couldn't get enough. I was ashamed.
Food is not my best friend. I don't have a love for cooking or baking. I forget to eat when I am busy. I appear "normal" aside from the extra pounds (that I am loosing for the last time).
Cravings are your body's way of telling you it needs something, such as protein, salt, vitamins, and carbohydrates. For me, eating sugar or flour is not controlled by a craving. My body wants them in excessive amounts so I can keep getting my "fix". Like a drug. I wake up wanting sugar. I go to bed after eating sugar and then dream of eating sweets. This is not a self-control issue.
Once I start eating them, I'm consumed by thoughts and desires of eating sugary foods, or foods containing flour.
I can't eat them AT ALL or it triggers awful binges and food orgies that last for hours or days.
I am so tired of trying to loose the same 50 pounds only to gain it back as soon as I reintroduce my old foods (because everyone around me can have just one and stop... I should be able to too, right?) . I can't be trusted to eat just a little bit. I sneak food. I eat whenever I get a chance. I always always always choose desserts, sometimes skipping meals and only eating desserts for days on end. I usually don't realize I am doing it, because of denial, and because eating is expected. I would tell people that I have a HUGE sweet tooth (politically correct understatement)... and that donuts are the perfect food (sugar and bread). I'm tired of not feeling like I can control my desire to EAT, CHEW, or TASTE... only to be unsatisified and want more and more even though I am full and physically sick.
No, I am not unintelligent. No, I am not making it up.
It's hard to change the way I have always behaved toward food, especially when those around me don't have a problem with it.
Sometimes I still want it. But, if I don't eat it at all, I have a much easier time saying 'no'.
This really resonated with me. Hopefully you've found peace.0 -
Food is definitely addictive. Especially high calorie foods like carbs, especially sugar. Studies have been done on brain activity and food. High calorie food lights up the 'pleasure' areas in your brain, in exactly the same way cocaine does. Trouble is the more you do it the bigger the 'hit' you need as you build up a tolerance. It's not fair to say that emotional addiction to food doesn't count. There is a chemical reaction in your brain that gives you pleasure when you eat and people use food to find this. It's basic substance abuse. And if anyone on here has cut the carbs cold turkey before you know how rubbish you feel for a few days so yes it definitely is addictive.0
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Food is definitely addictive. Especially high calorie foods like carbs, especially sugar. Studies have been done on brain activity and food. High calorie food lights up the 'pleasure' areas in your brain, in exactly the same way cocaine does. Trouble is the more you do it the bigger the 'hit' you need as you build up a tolerance. It's not fair to say that emotional addiction to food doesn't count. There is a chemical reaction in your brain that gives you pleasure when you eat and people use food to find this. It's basic substance abuse. And if anyone on here has cut the carbs cold turkey before you know how rubbish you feel for a few days so yes it definitely is addictive.
Your body resonates the same dopamine response with anything enjoyable.. sex, petting animals, etc..
Just because your body releases dopamine, doesn't mean you are addicted, it means you enjoy it.
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I don't think it's a thing0
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I believe it's real. Alcoholics & drug addicts achieve success by abstaining from their drug/drink. A food addict has to dabble in their drug daily, but learn how to do it correctly & lightly. Personally, I randomly taste &/or smell food that isn't there. Desire takes over from there. & you can't just say no- you eventually have to eat something to live.0
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Food is definitely addictive. Especially high calorie foods like carbs, especially sugar. Studies have been done on brain activity and food. High calorie food lights up the 'pleasure' areas in your brain, in exactly the same way cocaine does. Trouble is the more you do it the bigger the 'hit' you need as you build up a tolerance. It's not fair to say that emotional addiction to food doesn't count. There is a chemical reaction in your brain that gives you pleasure when you eat and people use food to find this. It's basic substance abuse. And if anyone on here has cut the carbs cold turkey before you know how rubbish you feel for a few days so yes it definitely is addictive.
I stopped looking for value in this post once I attempted to read the bolded sentence.0
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