The worst addiction in the world is FOOD

lyndahh75

People can live without Meth, dope, and booze. Granted, ask anyone addicted to these substances to live without it, they may feel like they will die. They will live without it.
Food on the other hand, well we can't live without that. So of all of the things I could be addicted to, it is food. Of course, why not?
Why is there such comfort and joy brought on when eating something sweet or loaded with gravy? The true irony is, though during the initial consumption of unhealthy foods make me feel happy, merely seconds later I am laden with guilt.
Why can't I take pleasure in something physical, feel those same endorphins race through me after a nice walk around the block?
Why are there so many experts on the subject of diet and health yet we, as a country, are one of THE most obese countries?

I am so tired of being a slave to food. I want to quit it. Oh wait, silly girl, you HAVE to eat to stay alive. May as well enjoy the taste and continue to battle those terrible demons that plague you, pulling you like a tug of war rope to one direction then another. (Low fat, Low Carb, Low Calorie, Low food)
Lose lose situation unless I learn to look at things differently. How do you reprogram your 40 year old brain to stop beating yourself up, stop hating self, stop punishing self?
Love is all you need, right? Love thyself in order to really know how to love others. Is that it?
Gosh, I feel like a child that was tossed into a world of adults expected to perform like an adult. Sink or swim kiddo, sink or swim. How does a donut sound? No? How about some fried chicken...mmm.......

Oh, no, keep eating that apple- temptation will catch you later this afternoon when your will is weak. See ya then weakling!

DeguelloTex

It sounds like you might want to talk to a professional about your relationship with food.

Venus_Red

You aren't addicted to food. No one is. The whole slave thing, maybe-but that's between you and a therapist.

lyndahh75

Thanks Deguello- One would think so right? I am the type of person that resists the help of others. Stubborn- the sort that won't go to a Dr. Because I already know the problem. I think I can fix it myself. I have in the past, just have to find my 'self' again. Kinda lost her over the past few years. That is expected to happen when you are focused on family and put your own needs last, or not at all. The above writings is more like mental excrement. Had to take a dump ya know? Get it out to make room for better things.

lyndahh75

Withaflourish, your statement is a bit ignorant. How can you be so certain that not one person is addicted to food?

DeguelloTex

LyndaSheppardHowitt wrote: »

Withaflourish, your statement is a bit ignorant. How can you be so certain that not one person is addicted to food?

Because it's a behavioral issue, not a substance issue.

However, that discussion is going to get your thread deleted sooner rather than later.

Venus_Red

Do you know the definition of your body being addicted?

You may be behaviorally addicted to eating/overeating. You are not addicted to food.

lithezebra

You might have some poor eating habits, however food is far from the worst addiction that anyone could have. Have you seen the way that one person's drug addiction can devastate a family, including children who haven't done anything?

Venus_Red

DeguelloTex wrote: »

LyndaSheppardHowitt wrote: »

Withaflourish, your statement is a bit ignorant. How can you be so certain that not one person is addicted to food?

Because it's a behavioral issue, not a substance issue.

However, that discussion is going to get your thread deleted sooner rather than later.

Please tell me how this is ignorant apart from solely your feeling about it. I would appreciate data and scientific study.

lyndahh75

Isn't addiction behavioral? Yeah- I am pretty sure it is. https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/addiction
http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/eating-disorders/binge-eating-disorder/mental-health-food-addiction
http://authoritynutrition.com/how-to-overcome-food-addiction/

I mean any addiction is behavioral.
Anything that drives us in our life away from whatever is considered the 'norm' is behavioral. ADD, OCD, all are behavioral as well.
There are chemical responses to certain stimuli, these responses are triggered in the brain. No?

DeguelloTex

There are behavior components wrapped up with the addiction, but the addiction isn't behavioral. The addiction is a matter of (largely) brain chemistry that simply doesn't apply in the context of food.

Again, though, this is a discussion that's going to end up with your thread being deleted.

lyndahh75

Okay fair enough. The worst addiction for ME. Not for all or of all. Thankfully I am not addicted to any other substance. This was just a rant of sorts people, sheesh. Sorry withaflourish, I didn't realize you were an expert in life and have all of the answers. Thanks for your great wisdom .

Kalikel

I can think of many addictions I'd consider worse than food. Heroin, crack, alcohol, etc. As hard as it was (and as long as it took!) to flip my diet, I'd still rather do that again than try to get off cocaine, I've seen what those people go through. I don't want to go through that. There's no fun there.

Bad eating habits are TOUGH to break. But it can be done! You have to stick with it, forgive yourself for failures and learn from them, then keep going.

Just don't quit. If you keep trying, you'll get there.

Stop focusing on what you can't have and start focusing on what you can have. Learn about Nutrition from a reliable source. Learn to make healthy foods on ways that taste good! Then you get to eat foods you enjoy while losing weight and making yourself healthier.

It's all a lot of work, but it's a lot of fun, too. You'll be really happy with yourself, too.

Venus_Red

Wow. No. Your knowledge of addiction seems to be purposefully limited and wrong to fit what you want it to fit.
ADD, OCD-how do those fit in this context?

You really really want to believe you are addicted to food. You are not. Sorry.

Venus_Red

Op- nm. Believe what you want (except for the ADD/OCD stuff as behavioral because you really are whack about that).

I have zero interest, shouldn't have engaged. You do you.

sjohnny

lyndahh75

Thank you Kalikel, I have to agree with you. The focus is wrong. That is why I dumped it via this thread. Need to refocus. There are far worse things to be addicted to. I am well aware of that and am thankful that I am not addicted to any of them. My issue should be a lot easier to change than any other that I could be faced with.

I need to focus on what triggers the bad behavior- find a way to redirect it. Answers are there, now I just have to apply it. The next time I want to take a mental dump, I'll keep it in my blog, not a forum. People don't know me, don't know how I think or function and don't know how to 'take' me. Most certainly , with a grain of salt.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

lyndahh75

LOL sjohnny....omg....this is how it feels! YES! Love it!

sijomial

You aren't addicted - sorry but that's just an excuse.
It's a barrier you need to overcome to take responsibility for what you put in your mouth. Every swallow is your choice and yours alone. Doesn't make it easy of course.....

By the way the excuse that I used for 20 years was a really silly one but it seemed real enough to keep me fat and absolve me of responsibility.

lyndahh75

this cookie monster bit made my day

tennisdude2004

LyndaSheppardHowitt wrote: »

People can live without Meth, dope, and booze. Granted, ask anyone addicted to these substances to live without it, they may feel like they will die. They will live without it.
Food on the other hand, well we can't live without that. So of all of the things I could be addicted to, it is food. Of course, why not?
Why is there such comfort and joy brought on when eating something sweet or loaded with gravy? The true irony is, though during the initial consumption of unhealthy foods make me feel happy, merely seconds later I am laden with guilt.
Why can't I take pleasure in something physical, feel those same endorphins race through me after a nice walk around the block?
Why are there so many experts on the subject of diet and health yet we, as a country, are one of THE most obese countries?

I am so tired of being a slave to food. I want to quit it. Oh wait, silly girl, you HAVE to eat to stay alive. May as well enjoy the taste and continue to battle those terrible demons that plague you, pulling you like a tug of war rope to one direction then another. (Low fat, Low Carb, Low Calorie, Low food)
Lose lose situation unless I learn to look at things differently. How do you reprogram your 40 year old brain to stop beating yourself up, stop hating self, stop punishing self?
Love is all you need, right? Love thyself in order to really know how to love others. Is that it?
Gosh, I feel like a child that was tossed into a world of adults expected to perform like an adult. Sink or swim kiddo, sink or swim. How does a donut sound? No? How about some fried chicken...mmm.......

Oh, no, keep eating that apple- temptation will catch you later this afternoon when your will is weak. See ya then weakling!

I'm sure technically you can live without 'sweet stuff and food loaded with gravy'!!

The easy solution is just eat meat and vegetables.

Problem solved - food is now longer the worst addiction in the world (geez that was easy).

lyndahh75

tennisdude, ya easy to say, no always to do. BTW, not a fan of meat. I am quite the sugar *kitten*. Am working on it...I think.....

CSARdiver

There are several posts on "addiction" on this site and you'll find given the nature of MFP that there is a great deal of resistance to this thinking as it simply is not healthy. You are not addicted to food anymore that you are addicted to oxygen. You may have an unhealthy relationship with food, but thinking of it as a addiction is not a strategy for success. Thinking of this in terms of addiction is making the case that you have no control over your actions.

Take control over what you can control - first and foremost food and exercise. Don't do anything drastic and simply reduce your calorie intake and increase your exercise regimen. Make a calendar and put something in writing - again make Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Results-focused, Time-bound (SMART) goals. Hit that goal, celebrate, and make a new goal. Build up a strong network of people in real life and on MFP who will support you.

Get that negativity out of your head and out of your life. Identify your negative triggers and remove them whenever possible.

Char231023

You do need to eat to live but you don't need to eat junk food to live. Actually you don't need to even enjoy food to be able to live off of it. Foods purpose is to fuel your body no to make you happy. All junk food can be consumed in moderation. That might not be the case for you. If you can't control your self around cookies (just an example) don't eat cookies. You don't actually need cookies to keep you alive.

lyndahh75

CSARdiver- best advice so far! Thank you. You are absolutely right. My biggest issue is, I am VERY negative with myself. I am a cheerleader to my kids...feeding them all the positive feedback they need and yet when it regards myself, not a big supporter. THAT is what needs to change.

lyndahh75

Char231023 - right. I agree. I've said that many times before, trying to motivate myself. Did you use cookies as an example because of the cookie monster gif? LOL it makes me laugh every time i see it.

sashayoung72

@lyndahh75 Ok before everyone goes beyond all technical and quotey, I completely understand! But this time, something finally clicked, or snapped lol. I have weak moments, stupid ice cream, but I do my best to include it good or bad. And as someone who use to drink everyone under the table, many many many moons ago, I understand what you were saying, cause I don't have to walk into a liquor store. I just cut it out completely. But I have to go to the grocery pretty often and then there's all the fast food (which I also cut, and I do believe it has addictive properties).

brower47

LyndaSheppardHowitt wrote: »

People can live without Meth, dope, and booze. Granted, ask anyone addicted to these substances to live without it, they may feel like they will die. They will live without it.
Food on the other hand, well we can't live without that. So of all of the things I could be addicted to, it is food. Of course, why not?
Why is there such comfort and joy brought on when eating something sweet or loaded with gravy? The true irony is, though during the initial consumption of unhealthy foods make me feel happy, merely seconds later I am laden with guilt.
Why can't I take pleasure in something physical, feel those same endorphins race through me after a nice walk around the block?
Why are there so many experts on the subject of diet and health yet we, as a country, are one of THE most obese countries?

I am so tired of being a slave to food. I want to quit it. Oh wait, silly girl, you HAVE to eat to stay alive. May as well enjoy the taste and continue to battle those terrible demons that plague you, pulling you like a tug of war rope to one direction then another. (Low fat, Low Carb, Low Calorie, Low food)
Lose lose situation unless I learn to look at things differently. How do you reprogram your 40 year old brain to stop beating yourself up, stop hating self, stop punishing self?
Love is all you need, right? Love thyself in order to really know how to love others. Is that it?
Gosh, I feel like a child that was tossed into a world of adults expected to perform like an adult. Sink or swim kiddo, sink or swim. How does a donut sound? No? How about some fried chicken...mmm.......

Oh, no, keep eating that apple- temptation will catch you later this afternoon when your will is weak. See ya then weakling!

This post is so full of nope that my oversized nope storage bag is now empty. I guess no more forums for me today.

Though nothing is more addictive than air. I can go weeks without eating. Air, not so much. Stupid, addictive air!!!

lyndahh75

@sashayyoung72 Thank you.

lemurcat12

LyndaSheppardHowitt wrote: »

People can live without Meth, dope, and booze. Granted, ask anyone addicted to these substances to live without it, they may feel like they will die. They will live without it.
Food on the other hand, well we can't live without that. So of all of the things I could be addicted to, it is food. Of course, why not?

Obviously, none of us can live without food, which is why it seems wrong to call it an addiction. In a way, what an addiction is would be the way a substance you do not need can take advantage of your body's ways of encouraging us to do what we need to live (and reproduce) to focus on on other, unhealthy behaviors instead.

It's 100% normal to find food pleasurable and to desire it.

Why is there such comfort and joy brought on when eating something sweet or loaded with gravy? The true irony is, though during the initial consumption of unhealthy foods make me feel happy, merely seconds later I am laden with guilt.

I think it's this cycle of guilt/shame from eating foods you have told yourself are "bad" that tend to lead to more addictive-type reactions more often than not. For example, someone feels bad so figure why bother and eats more to self-comfort or decides "well, I blew it, might as well go crazy," or has told herself so long that if she eats one M&M she'll finish a giant bag of them that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Therapy is the way to go for many with food issues, definitely. For me, what has helped is to try and take a really logical, pragmatic approach to food -- to focus on why I like it (how it's made and all that, to be interested in cooking and recreating tastes), how it meets my nutritional goals, the calories, and not to imbue it with any powder beyond that.

And as for eating behaviors that are habitual I've tried to be aware of that, and to avoid bad habits and to act in ways that make it easier on myself. If I have a habit of eating in the middle of the day at work when stressed, I know I can't start snacking then -- I have much more control simply not snacking and eating at meals, and not letting myself eat as a reaction to stress.

Why can't I take pleasure in something physical, feel those same endorphins race through me after a nice walk around the block?

You probably can -- it just takes time to build new habits and sometimes to get pleasure from new things. I did find (after a while) that I could use exercise as a stress release much like I used to use food (and still want to at times).