Food addiction
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Agree!! ^^LiftAllThePizzas wrote: »IMO it's like gluten intolerance: it exists but almost everyone who claims to have it is mistaken.
Answer your question OP, NO!!!
It's lack of self control!!
Do you think that gambling and sex addictions are just a lack of self-control?
If so how would they be different than food addiction? Neither gambling nor sex would be considered physical addictions.
I tend to lean on the side that gambling, sex, food addictions are all three psychological addictions.
I am a smoker...I have tried to quit several times...have failed. I am attempting again this weekend to quit. The withdrawals from the physical side of that addiction doesn't scare...the psychological side of it concerns me however.
I would imagine that many people that feel they are addicted to some type of food such as sugar might have that same psychological fear of giving it up.
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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.
Yes, the hormonal releases are the same. The body feels satisfied and happy only when dopamine (& others) is released by the catalyst. The "rubbish" you feel after quitting carbs is your body changing how it processes energy. Not quite sure why it is present, though. And I have never seen a big guy eat a salad and say "I am full." Just the same, I have never seen a petit woman be able to polish off a Big Carl. So I see your logic that the "hit" gets bigger the more massive (resistant) one becomes. That is just sheer physics. It takes more energy to move more massive people, and if your body gets the majority of its energy through metabolic sources...it therefore would take more food. That is just the body adapting to current conditions.
If food gives the same feeling to someone as, say, sex or animals, could we be attracted to it in the same way? Many people have sex addiction, in the sense that the more we have it, the more we want it. If we dont orgasm for awhile, the sex hormones are not as prominent and taper off. Isn't that the same with certain foods? The more we have it, the more we want it?
Will power, I believe, is a big part of not overeating, mostly because of invasive and repetitive commercial advertising. They use neurological science to promote their product, because they know that their techniques will work. Carls Jr has a big-breasted woman holding a straw above her mouth with soda flowing out of it, because they know guys will relate to that image, instantly enhancing sexual arousal. They have now paired sex and food. You will then see that same commercial 6 times per hour during that game. You will eventually want what she is promoting. How is your will power then?
Can people develop a food addiction? Who knows. Is addiction a subjective term? Judging by the responses to the question posed, I would say most definitely. A recovering cocaine addict will have a different meaning for addiction than the person who has never smoked or done any drugs. Smoking was an addiction for me because when it came to my last dollar, I would buy cigarettes over things I really needed. In that context, if a person eats something (or quantity of something) they shouldnt, even though they KNOW the outcome of eating it as opposed to eating a smaller amount of/or something else that they really need to eat, couldn't food become an addiction to someone? Couldn't this behavior be repeated, and consequently develop a pattern?
Now, I will go enjoy my McD smoothie that I won from a gamepiece on the nuggets I just ate! :-)0 -
Agree!! ^^LiftAllThePizzas wrote: »IMO it's like gluten intolerance: it exists but almost everyone who claims to have it is mistaken.
Answer your question OP, NO!!!
It's lack of self control!!
I am a smoker...I have tried to quit several times...have failed. I am attempting again this weekend to quit. The withdrawals from the physical side of that addiction doesn't scare...the psychological side of it concerns me however.
I have been there. What helped me is I loathed myself as a smoker. I could be alone, and I felt like **** every time I puffed. I felt ashamed. In the previous 4 times I tried and failed, this was not the case because I truly did not want to quit.
Also, I found it very difficult to stay away from smoking WHILE dieting at the same time. So, I splurged on whatever I wanted. If I felt like smoking, I felt like eating. So I ate. A. LOT. It gave me the SAME satisfaction (hmm...)Gained 20 lbs, but guess what? Nicotine cravings went away, and my urge to eat so much tapered off (evidence for food not being addictive?). I became a nonsmoker. Weight is completely temporary. Damage from cigs may not be.
Feel it inside, compromise on something (I ate everything without remorse), and you will succeed. Do it!0 -
No, it does not activate the pleasure centers in the brain the exact same way cocaine does. Cocaine is an actual reuptake inhibitor for dopamine (also neurophenrine and serotonin). Food is by no means a reuptake inhibitor. Dopamine is the anticipation and association of rewards neurotransmitter, and it will naturally lower as something loses novelty - food loses its dopamine response as you consume more.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.
Cocaine actually blocks dopamine from being broken and essentially forces it to stay in the system, constantly over-stimulating the receptors. It will not reduce dopamine naturally on its own. It will generally produce the same amount of dopamine changes, the only reason addicts keep taking higher and higher does is cells try to avoid overstimulation as a form of bad signals - after shoving dopamine on cells again and again, they reduce their number of receptors. To date, I'm not aware of anyone having a dopamine receptor reduction in response to over stimulation from food - food just loses novelty and the body won't produce the same amount of dopamine.
That is a huger difference there, and is part of the the reason cocaine can be physically addictive, but food is not.0 -
Also, FYI, sugary and carbohydrate foods tend to actually have more to do with serotonin, which it does to actually drive down appetite post feeding. It's actually a decent self closing cycle.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.
Feeling like "rubbish" in switching to ketosis actually has a lot more to do with the body having to start producing glucose and switching some brain processes to running on ketones instead of glucose. It is not a form of physical withdrawal.0 -
The only success I've had of getting off cigarettes was switching to a vape for 7 months...three weeks ago I switched back to cigarettes. So technically I never quit nicotine. It really sucks and makes you feel like a failure.
I personally think it can be an addiction. Especially if it interferes with or controls your life. These are a little embarrassing but I have a bad history of food and its lead me to believe that I am addicted. Even now that my appetite has subsided with low carb its SUPER easy for me to fall into old habits.
-I would take my daughters Halloween candy and replace it later when she didn't notice
-I've stolen food from friends houses
-I've woken up in the night to eat things sometimes even twice to three times a night
-I would actually go sit in a drive thru contemplating buying food and I'd decide not to, drive away, come back, drive away, come back, buy something, hate myself and try to throw the food away, couldnt bring myself to throw it away, and end up driving the food behind a grocery store or something eating it and crying.
-I've actually skipped family outings and in highschool I'd skip classes to go get ice cream or some other snack because I knew nobody would see me
-I'd make a dessert for my husband and I'd keep it in the fridge and it would almost have me sweating trying not to eat the damn thing so I'd decide I could have one bite and then I'd put the dessert back but I'd come back every 10-15 minutes for another bite until I realized it was half gone the next day
-I've held off on cigarettes so I'd have time for food. for example if my husband was leaving to go to the gas station or something and I really really needed a cigarette, I'd hold out so I could eat a candy bar or something while he was gone, then go out and smoke.
It wasn't really bingeing though because I've never really sat down and ate a crap ton in one sitting. I've been to a few therapists about bringing and they didn't think that was my problem. I know that this was mostly with fast food, cookies, plain sugar by the teaspoon, donuts, etc. It did happen with other foods though in the absence of those treats but it felt empty if I didn't get what I wanted. Honestly it felt very similar to needing a cigarette. It makes you angry, it makes you restless, its all you can think about, and you physically feel like there's something not right about your body.
It could have a lot to do with my childhood but I honestly don't know. I was raised on snack cakes and sodas and pizza fast food etc. My mom bought me my own personal two liters when i was like 6. That's not a joke either. That was my entire diet until I got a little older and started researching food and wondering why I was fatter than the other kids.
my boring post is over lol.0 -
All these people thinking that just because the same neurotransmitter comes into play, it is all the same stuff...
Look up oxytocin - it produces both lactation letdown and lordosis reflex in female rats, but I sure hope none of you have those two actions confused because that would be gross.0 -
I think it is all a brain chemistry thing, and all people are different in how their bodies handle certain substances.
Including food.0 -
LiftAllThePizzas wrote: »IMO it's like gluten intolerance: it exists but almost everyone who claims to have it is mistaken.
^^Yeah, that.
Some people might have an obsession with food, but actual addiction is so rare as to be almost non-existent.
The ever-expanding DSM doesn't even have a classification for "Food addiction". The closest thing is "Binge-eating disorder", which isn't the same thing.0 -
LiftAllThePizzas wrote: »IMO it's like gluten intolerance: it exists but almost everyone who claims to have it is mistaken.
Succinct, and perfectly sums up my opinion as well.
As far as what I've gleaned from some reading on the issue, research on the the whole thing is still in its infancy.
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karla24687 wrote: »It is real. I researched it for my psychology courses. There was a post about it yesterday, I believe, that has some good info as well.
Think of it this way: when you eat certain foods (especially sugars, starches like white bread) you feel something. Some people get "high" on this feeling because your brain releases pleasure chemicals so you feel good. It doesn't happen with everyone, but certainly some people (myself included). When you stop eating those foods or don't get the same levels your brain is used to, those feel-good chemicals are not released so you end up feeling crappy. You get tired, grumpy, irritable, etc. Eating those foods makes you feel better. The addiction cycle continues.
Will people die if they don't eat those foods? No. Should they be admitted to the hospital? No. Should you file for disability? No. But it is a tough thing to deal with, especially when you're trying to lose weight or eat healthier.
My only advice is to keep your calories at an acceptable level & don't cut too much. Stick to your macros (I just use what MFP recommends but not always 100%.
Your research must have found something very different than my research has.
The science is far from conclusive on the issue.
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Partly it has to do with what you consider "addiction." Lots of people seem to mean by it something very different than I would--basically they seem to be reducing it down to a habit that is tough and stressful to break. I don't like using the term "addiction" for all things that fall in this category (emotional eating does, and that was excluded in the first post), as to me they are vastly different than the kind of life-destructive horror of real addiction. I especially find it bothersome when people assert that "sugar addiction" is JUST LIKE meth or heroin addiction. Ugh.
Senecarr's posts are really good on this point too.
Now, if you want to say that for a relatively small number of people (some of the super morbidly obese) their eating disorders are basically analogous to an eating (not a "sugar" or "pizza") addiction, and that one can be addicted to eating like sex and gambling, shrug, I think that might be a reasonable analogy or way of thinking about it. But again it has essentially nothing to do with the usual post on the forum.0 -
The only success I've had of getting off cigarettes was switching to a vape for 7 months...three weeks ago I switched back to cigarettes. So technically I never quit nicotine. It really sucks and makes you feel like a failure.
I personally think it can be an addiction. Especially if it interferes with or controls your life. These are a little embarrassing but I have a bad history of food and its lead me to believe that I am addicted. Even now that my appetite has subsided with low carb its SUPER easy for me to fall into old habits.
-I would take my daughters Halloween candy and replace it later when she didn't notice
-I've stolen food from friends houses
-I've woken up in the night to eat things sometimes even twice to three times a night
-I would actually go sit in a drive thru contemplating buying food and I'd decide not to, drive away, come back, drive away, come back, buy something, hate myself and try to throw the food away, couldnt bring myself to throw it away, and end up driving the food behind a grocery store or something eating it and crying.
-I've actually skipped family outings and in highschool I'd skip classes to go get ice cream or some other snack because I knew nobody would see me
-I'd make a dessert for my husband and I'd keep it in the fridge and it would almost have me sweating trying not to eat the damn thing so I'd decide I could have one bite and then I'd put the dessert back but I'd come back every 10-15 minutes for another bite until I realized it was half gone the next day
-I've held off on cigarettes so I'd have time for food. for example if my husband was leaving to go to the gas station or something and I really really needed a cigarette, I'd hold out so I could eat a candy bar or something while he was gone, then go out and smoke.
It wasn't really bingeing though because I've never really sat down and ate a crap ton in one sitting. I've been to a few therapists about bringing and they didn't think that was my problem. I know that this was mostly with fast food, cookies, plain sugar by the teaspoon, donuts, etc. It did happen with other foods though in the absence of those treats but it felt empty if I didn't get what I wanted. Honestly it felt very similar to needing a cigarette. It makes you angry, it makes you restless, its all you can think about, and you physically feel like there's something not right about your body.
It could have a lot to do with my childhood but I honestly don't know. I was raised on snack cakes and sodas and pizza fast food etc. My mom bought me my own personal two liters when i was like 6. That's not a joke either. That was my entire diet until I got a little older and started researching food and wondering why I was fatter than the other kids.
my boring post is over lol.
Your post was far from boring. I read it last night and woke up this morning thinking about it so I came back to read it again. I know that it must have taken courage to share your story.
I wish I had answers or even just a bit of advice to share with you. I hope that you continue to find ways to deal with your situation. I wish you the strength and courage to continue battling.
One last though...I am fairly sure that there is an Over Eaters Anonymous group on MFP. I have seen it mentioned a few times...you might check it out and do some reading even if you choose to not to join.
Good luck midpath!
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The only success I've had of getting off cigarettes was switching to a vape for 7 months...three weeks ago I switched back to cigarettes. So technically I never quit nicotine. It really sucks and makes you feel like a failure.
I personally think it can be an addiction. Especially if it interferes with or controls your life. These are a little embarrassing but I have a bad history of food and its lead me to believe that I am addicted. Even now that my appetite has subsided with low carb its SUPER easy for me to fall into old habits.
-I would take my daughters Halloween candy and replace it later when she didn't notice
-I've stolen food from friends houses
-I've woken up in the night to eat things sometimes even twice to three times a night
-I would actually go sit in a drive thru contemplating buying food and I'd decide not to, drive away, come back, drive away, come back, buy something, hate myself and try to throw the food away, couldnt bring myself to throw it away, and end up driving the food behind a grocery store or something eating it and crying.
-I've actually skipped family outings and in highschool I'd skip classes to go get ice cream or some other snack because I knew nobody would see me
-I'd make a dessert for my husband and I'd keep it in the fridge and it would almost have me sweating trying not to eat the damn thing so I'd decide I could have one bite and then I'd put the dessert back but I'd come back every 10-15 minutes for another bite until I realized it was half gone the next day
-I've held off on cigarettes so I'd have time for food. for example if my husband was leaving to go to the gas station or something and I really really needed a cigarette, I'd hold out so I could eat a candy bar or something while he was gone, then go out and smoke.
It wasn't really bingeing though because I've never really sat down and ate a crap ton in one sitting. I've been to a few therapists about bringing and they didn't think that was my problem. I know that this was mostly with fast food, cookies, plain sugar by the teaspoon, donuts, etc. It did happen with other foods though in the absence of those treats but it felt empty if I didn't get what I wanted. Honestly it felt very similar to needing a cigarette. It makes you angry, it makes you restless, its all you can think about, and you physically feel like there's something not right about your body.
It could have a lot to do with my childhood but I honestly don't know. I was raised on snack cakes and sodas and pizza fast food etc. My mom bought me my own personal two liters when i was like 6. That's not a joke either. That was my entire diet until I got a little older and started researching food and wondering why I was fatter than the other kids.
my boring post is over lol.
Your post was far from boring. I read it last night and woke up this morning thinking about it so I came back to read it again. I know that it must have taken courage to share your story.
I wish I had answers or even just a bit of advice to share with you. I hope that you continue to find ways to deal with your situation. I wish you the strength and courage to continue battling.
I know this isn't the response desired, but a LOT of that sounds to me like the result of demonizing certain kinds of food and saying you can't have them. I think that really often results in disordered behaviors like secret eating and obsessing and overeating when you do eat. I'd recommend some of the people who write about mindful and intuitive eating, even though I am not a true believer in intuitive eating.
One book I enjoyed that's more reporting than self-help but still has lots of those elements and good talk about these issues and how they can mess up your thinking is Laura Fraser's Losing It.
I've also recently heard Isabel Foxen Duke interviewed on some podcasts, and I think she had some valuable things to say, and would recommend Nia Shanks' podcast--less for the workout stuff and more for the eating issue stuff. Her interview of Heather from the Half Size Me podcast was particularly worthwhile, IMO.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »Partly it has to do with what you consider "addiction." Lots of people seem to mean by it something very different than I would--basically they seem to be reducing it down to a habit that is tough and stressful to break. I don't like using the term "addiction" for all things that fall in this category (emotional eating does, and that was excluded in the first post), as to me they are vastly different than the kind of life-destructive horror of real addiction. I especially find it bothersome when people assert that "sugar addiction" is JUST LIKE meth or heroin addiction. Ugh.
Senecarr's posts are really good on this point too.
Now, if you want to say that for a relatively small number of people (some of the super morbidly obese) their eating disorders are basically analogous to an eating (not a "sugar" or "pizza") addiction, and that one can be addicted to eating like sex and gambling, shrug, I think that might be a reasonable analogy or way of thinking about it. But again it has essentially nothing to do with the usual post on the forum.
Very good post.
I'll preface my following remarks by saying they don't apply to people who might be in the very small percentage of the morbidly obese who theoretically are truly food addicted...
One of the main issues I have with the casual adoption of the term addiction to describe one's relationship with food is that I think that how we frame our beliefs about ourselves tends to have an influence on our behaviors and ultimately, the outcome resulting from those behaviors.
One of the things I have learned on my long, long path in dealing with my weight (and many other issues in my life) is that contrary to what I might have been led to believe by many voices (media, diet gurus, the blogosphere, a negative parent and other relatives), *I* am the only factor controlling my behavior.
For many years, I hid from that fact by playing a blame game. It was sugar's fault. It was carbs fault. I was an addict. I was a victim of them and other things. Thinking of myself as a victim put me in a position where I thought of myself as powerless. Not a good mindset when you want to succeed. And I didn't succeed.
I'm older now and over all that. I'm not a victim of anything. I'm not an addict. The problem was me. I just liked how things tasted. The effects I thought I felt and the irresistible urges? Obviously not an issue because I have no problem with moderation, even with my so-called "trigger foods". It was all in my mind, it was all a result of me running away from facing a simple truth: I ate too damned much and didn't want to stop.
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I converted my over-spending money and pasta addiction into martial arts and more responsibilities at work...different drug same effect.0
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lemurcat12 wrote: »The only success I've had of getting off cigarettes was switching to a vape for 7 months...three weeks ago I switched back to cigarettes. So technically I never quit nicotine. It really sucks and makes you feel like a failure.
I personally think it can be an addiction. Especially if it interferes with or controls your life. These are a little embarrassing but I have a bad history of food and its lead me to believe that I am addicted. Even now that my appetite has subsided with low carb its SUPER easy for me to fall into old habits.
-I would take my daughters Halloween candy and replace it later when she didn't notice
-I've stolen food from friends houses
-I've woken up in the night to eat things sometimes even twice to three times a night
-I would actually go sit in a drive thru contemplating buying food and I'd decide not to, drive away, come back, drive away, come back, buy something, hate myself and try to throw the food away, couldnt bring myself to throw it away, and end up driving the food behind a grocery store or something eating it and crying.
-I've actually skipped family outings and in highschool I'd skip classes to go get ice cream or some other snack because I knew nobody would see me
-I'd make a dessert for my husband and I'd keep it in the fridge and it would almost have me sweating trying not to eat the damn thing so I'd decide I could have one bite and then I'd put the dessert back but I'd come back every 10-15 minutes for another bite until I realized it was half gone the next day
-I've held off on cigarettes so I'd have time for food. for example if my husband was leaving to go to the gas station or something and I really really needed a cigarette, I'd hold out so I could eat a candy bar or something while he was gone, then go out and smoke.
It wasn't really bingeing though because I've never really sat down and ate a crap ton in one sitting. I've been to a few therapists about bringing and they didn't think that was my problem. I know that this was mostly with fast food, cookies, plain sugar by the teaspoon, donuts, etc. It did happen with other foods though in the absence of those treats but it felt empty if I didn't get what I wanted. Honestly it felt very similar to needing a cigarette. It makes you angry, it makes you restless, its all you can think about, and you physically feel like there's something not right about your body.
It could have a lot to do with my childhood but I honestly don't know. I was raised on snack cakes and sodas and pizza fast food etc. My mom bought me my own personal two liters when i was like 6. That's not a joke either. That was my entire diet until I got a little older and started researching food and wondering why I was fatter than the other kids.
my boring post is over lol.
Your post was far from boring. I read it last night and woke up this morning thinking about it so I came back to read it again. I know that it must have taken courage to share your story.
I wish I had answers or even just a bit of advice to share with you. I hope that you continue to find ways to deal with your situation. I wish you the strength and courage to continue battling.
I know this isn't the response desired, but a LOT of that sounds to me like the result of demonizing certain kinds of food and saying you can't have them. I think that really often results in disordered behaviors like secret eating and obsessing and overeating when you do eat. I'd recommend some of the people who write about mindful and intuitive eating, even though I am not a true believer in intuitive eating.
One book I enjoyed that's more reporting than self-help but still has lots of those elements and good talk about these issues and how they can mess up your thinking is Laura Fraser's Losing It.
I've also recently heard Isabel Foxen Duke interviewed on some podcasts, and I think she had some valuable things to say, and would recommend Nia Shanks' podcast--less for the workout stuff and more for the eating issue stuff. Her interview of Heather from the Half Size Me podcast was particularly worthwhile, IMO.
I don't know LC what the answer is. How can I when science still doesn't know.
I didn't gain weight because of any addiction...sugar wasn't the issue...not fast food or even processed. I gained weight because I used food as a crutch to ease the pain of other things in my life. As I gained weight I found out that I could hide behind the fat...didn't have to worry about putting myself out there to hurt again. Yes...the added weight was painful but at least I was doing it to myself instead of someone else doing it.
Was food an addiction for me...NO...but it was a way out. I pay the price for it now many years later.
Another poster popped in and threw out "self control". I think that just trivializes the situation. If I could have found the self-control when I was "hiding"...I would have used it. In the case of someone like midpath and her story help is needed beyond just someone saying "get some self-control".
It took me many years to come to terms with my eating habits and why I was over eating. I struggled to change those things...it took work...a lot of hard work to finally understand that I was worthy of a good life. I still have moments occasionally where I find myself slipping back in to old ways of thinking. Finally at this point...for me...it is about self-control.
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nope, food is not an addictive substance.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.
Nope, not true.
and you get the same dopamine response from petting puppies, does that mean you can get addicted to that too??
you feel like rubbish from cutting carbs because you are depriving your body of energy.
there is no such thing as sugar addiction. Please post a study that has a human trial showing a link between sugar and addiction.0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »The only success I've had of getting off cigarettes was switching to a vape for 7 months...three weeks ago I switched back to cigarettes. So technically I never quit nicotine. It really sucks and makes you feel like a failure.
I personally think it can be an addiction. Especially if it interferes with or controls your life. These are a little embarrassing but I have a bad history of food and its lead me to believe that I am addicted. Even now that my appetite has subsided with low carb its SUPER easy for me to fall into old habits.
-I would take my daughters Halloween candy and replace it later when she didn't notice
-I've stolen food from friends houses
-I've woken up in the night to eat things sometimes even twice to three times a night
-I would actually go sit in a drive thru contemplating buying food and I'd decide not to, drive away, come back, drive away, come back, buy something, hate myself and try to throw the food away, couldnt bring myself to throw it away, and end up driving the food behind a grocery store or something eating it and crying.
-I've actually skipped family outings and in highschool I'd skip classes to go get ice cream or some other snack because I knew nobody would see me
-I'd make a dessert for my husband and I'd keep it in the fridge and it would almost have me sweating trying not to eat the damn thing so I'd decide I could have one bite and then I'd put the dessert back but I'd come back every 10-15 minutes for another bite until I realized it was half gone the next day
-I've held off on cigarettes so I'd have time for food. for example if my husband was leaving to go to the gas station or something and I really really needed a cigarette, I'd hold out so I could eat a candy bar or something while he was gone, then go out and smoke.
It wasn't really bingeing though because I've never really sat down and ate a crap ton in one sitting. I've been to a few therapists about bringing and they didn't think that was my problem. I know that this was mostly with fast food, cookies, plain sugar by the teaspoon, donuts, etc. It did happen with other foods though in the absence of those treats but it felt empty if I didn't get what I wanted. Honestly it felt very similar to needing a cigarette. It makes you angry, it makes you restless, its all you can think about, and you physically feel like there's something not right about your body.
It could have a lot to do with my childhood but I honestly don't know. I was raised on snack cakes and sodas and pizza fast food etc. My mom bought me my own personal two liters when i was like 6. That's not a joke either. That was my entire diet until I got a little older and started researching food and wondering why I was fatter than the other kids.
my boring post is over lol.
Your post was far from boring. I read it last night and woke up this morning thinking about it so I came back to read it again. I know that it must have taken courage to share your story.
I wish I had answers or even just a bit of advice to share with you. I hope that you continue to find ways to deal with your situation. I wish you the strength and courage to continue battling.
I know this isn't the response desired, but a LOT of that sounds to me like the result of demonizing certain kinds of food and saying you can't have them. I think that really often results in disordered behaviors like secret eating and obsessing and overeating when you do eat. I'd recommend some of the people who write about mindful and intuitive eating, even though I am not a true believer in intuitive eating.
One book I enjoyed that's more reporting than self-help but still has lots of those elements and good talk about these issues and how they can mess up your thinking is Laura Fraser's Losing It.
I've also recently heard Isabel Foxen Duke interviewed on some podcasts, and I think she had some valuable things to say, and would recommend Nia Shanks' podcast--less for the workout stuff and more for the eating issue stuff. Her interview of Heather from the Half Size Me podcast was particularly worthwhile, IMO.
I don't know LC what the answer is. How can I when science still doesn't know.
I didn't gain weight because of any addiction...sugar wasn't the issue...not fast food or even processed. I gained weight because I used food as a crutch to ease the pain of other things in my life. As I gained weight I found out that I could hide behind the fat...didn't have to worry about putting myself out there to hurt again. Yes...the added weight was painful but at least I was doing it to myself instead of someone else doing it.
Was food an addiction for me...NO...but it was a way out. I pay the price for it now many years later.
Another poster popped in and threw out "self control". I think that just trivializes the situation. If I could have found the self-control when I was "hiding"...I would have used it. In the case of someone like midpath and her story help is needed beyond just someone saying "get some self-control".
It took me many years to come to terms with my eating habits and why I was over eating. I struggled to change those things...it took work...a lot of hard work to finally understand that I was worthy of a good life. I still have moments occasionally where I find myself slipping back in to old ways of thinking. Finally at this point...for me...it is about self-control.
I agree with both you and the person who said we need self-control.
The thing is, at least in my experience, the whole mess of emotional issues and self-control were on a continuum.
Those of us who have used food as a crutch have a lot to untangle, that's for sure. However, at the end of the day, we're left with the behaviors we've developed during the time we were broken and we still have to exercise self-control to fix those.
It's a process.
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