Food addiction
jennpryce419
Posts: 1 Member
Chocolate is the love of my life. But unfortunately something clicks in my brain and all of a sudden, 1 chocolate chip cookie has turned into 10. I'm active, healthy but overweight and this has been the battle of my life. I start every day healthily and end in disaster. Sugar is a terrible addiction, I feel like I will never be able to kick the habit. Anyone know what it takes to get over the hump? I'm thinking purging all sugary stuff but that wouldn't be fair to my kids. Help!
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Replies
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There are several strategies to deal with problem foods.
Some people just eliminate them and don't keep them in their house. I think as a start while building dietary momentum it can help, but I think ultimately, permanently removing food for non-medical or non-ethical reasons is perpetuating an emotionally unhealthy relationship with food. There is some evidence that such restrictions lead to increased cravings because a person is making a food a greater and greater reward as now it isn't just the food, but the sensation of self-determination, not having to obey rules, even if they are rules you set on yourself.
Some people find that pre-logging their entire day, including exact numbers of snacks helps, i.e., "I have 1 cookie today at noon, 1 before bed, and tomorrow I can do the same! There will always be cookies! Yum."
Some find that taking snacks and repackaging them into individual servings helps, i.e. "I'm opening the cookie package. I get to eat the whole thing!"0 -
Food is not addicting. You are giving too much power to food which is a cop out. Learn to eat all foods in moderation, you cannot avoid sugary goodness for the rest of your life. Kids learn by watching their parents, you don't want them to have the same silly notions about sugar. Chocolate chips, FTW!
You can do this!!0 -
We are all addicted to food. Just try going without it for a few days!
I would suggest making your own chocolate cookies with lots of fiber (add things like PB2, nuts, oats, ground flax). High fiber slows digestion which can help with the "I need ALL the cookies" type fiascos.0 -
Some people just overeat anything, but the most common stuff people crave, is sweet, fatty and non-nutritious. That should tell us something. I have suffered from intense cravings too. They lessen when I don't feel tempted. So I chose to stop buying "problem foods". I know that what I eat doesn't affect my health and weight as long as I watch portions, so in principle, I can have whatever I want. But what I want, has changed after eating really well and very little sweets etc. So now I just focus on delicious unproblematic foods. And I've realised that I don't "love" chocolate, cookies, candy, chips, ice cream, I really can't say I do, as I haven't had any in a year and don't miss them. I just want a lot of it, all the time. That would affect my health and weight dramatically.0
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Food can be addicting for people. Specifically sugar. There have been many studies that prove this.
I also struggle with chocolate. I am really kind of picky about my chocolate though. So, I buy the poptarts that I don't like and the snacks that I could care less about.0 -
There are several strategies to deal with problem foods.
Some people just eliminate them and don't keep them in their house. I think as a start while building dietary momentum it can help, but I think ultimately, permanently removing food for non-medical or non-ethical reasons is perpetuating an emotionally unhealthy relationship with food. There is some evidence that such restrictions lead to increased cravings because a person is making a food a greater and greater reward as now it isn't just the food, but the sensation of self-determination, not having to obey rules, even if they are rules you set on yourself.
Some people find that pre-logging their entire day, including exact numbers of snacks helps, i.e., "I have 1 cookie today at noon, 1 before bed, and tomorrow I can do the same! There will always be cookies! Yum."
Some find that taking snacks and repackaging them into individual servings helps, i.e. "I'm opening the cookie package. I get to eat the whole thing!"
This post is where it's at. My response is long and has two factors.
Food Tips:
At the start, I simply did not have certain things around. (Chips. Cookies I can more or less deal with, but salty snacks are my kryptonite.) If I really, really wanted something, I'd have to go out and get an individual portion of it. Laziness/being broke usually stopped me from doing it, but sometimes I chose to.
Later, when I became more comfortable with logging and felt like I could manage it, I started bringing in small portions and having them around, or buying a larger bag and portioning it out. It helped when I transitioned from working at home to working outside the home because I wasn't around the food all of the time and I could pack things as part of my lunch.
Nowadays, I don't have too much trouble with foods. I still struggle when there's chips nearby and I'm bored (read: most winter weekends) but overall, I have a lot easier relationship with smaller portions and moderation.
Other Thoughts:
Also! Have you looked into decision fatigue? Learning that willpower is a finite resource helped me feel less *kitten* about the days where I'm simply worn out at the end of the day. The combination of knowing I'll turn to food when I'm worn down and knowing what foods I'm likely to overeat has helped a lot in curbing those days where I undo an entire day or two worth of deficit.
(Note: It has not ended them. I polished off what was left of a box of Cheez-its, unmeasured, the first day of my period because it was late, I was tired and watching TV, and they were right there. Nothing is perfect, lol.)0 -
Food is ABSOLUTELY addictive! Not for everyone who is overweight, but it is for some! Research has shown it can be just as addicting as drugs or alcohol...again, for some, not all....0
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I'm in the same boat. Except my vice is salt. I literally feel sick if I don't eat something greasy/salty each day. All aspects of food gives me super high anxiety. If I don't have money to get what I want, or if I don't have time to cook because my baby won't stop crying, I feel so overwhelmed. Even the thought of never eating certain foods again makes me anxious. Food really is a necessary evil...0
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I was a big time sugar addict, cake and baked goods every night and lots.... those days are gone. On Jan. 1st, I got rid of every bit of junk in the house. That, I think has helped immensely because if it is not in the house, I don't crave it. Saturdays is family treat day in our house. We have whatever we want for supper and we'll get a big bag of chips to share and a bar, and when its gone...it's gone. Also I quit drinking Diet pepsi. I think that was giving me sweet cravings. The more sugar I eat the more sugar I want. When I don't eat it I just don't crave it.0
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Food can be addicting for people. Specifically sugar. There have been many studies that prove this.
I also struggle with chocolate. I am really kind of picky about my chocolate though. So, I buy the poptarts that I don't like and the snacks that I could care less about.
Actually, there have been a few studies done at rats that initially caused the claim that sugar is addicting. The same results have not panned out in human trials. At least one of the studies had a write up that was so completely ignorant of biology as to claim that humans evolved with low access to sugar - sorry, our ancestors were frugivores similar to modern chimps, if you're claiming otherwise, please don't work in biology.
The other issue with claiming sugar is addictive is that none of the eating behaviors people call addictive exhibit themselves with raw sugar - people who claim addiction won't substitute what they want to eat for eating a bag of sugar straight, something those rats would do. This shows that it wouldn't be appropriate to say the sugar itself, as a substance, is addictive. Rather, we tend to see that humans sometimes, rarer than the number of people using the term, have eating addiction - a behavioral addiction similar to gambling addiction, rather than a fixed substance dependence.0 -
I am a sugar-holic. I've become pre-diabetic so I've been extremely careful lately. Sugar has been shown to have the same chemical reaction in the brain as cocaine does so yes it's extremely addictive. Personally I have to keep it out of the house as much as possible, and if I want ice cream or a treat I go out and buy one single cone or one chocolate bar. If I have to leave the house to get it 99% of the time I won't go because it's too much hassle.
There's sugar free options out there if you want some options to keep in the cupboard. I just bought some Lily's chocolate from Whole Foods last night to keep around. I limit myself to 1 row at a time though and put the rest away. If you can't do that, get SUPER dark chocolate, like 90% chocolate and try that until you have it under control. It's so intense I can only handle 2 squares at most.
You can also try:
Sugar free jello/pudding with a little whip cream
Almonds with flavoring - smokehouse is my favorite, and there's a company that makes vanilla and chocolate ones that are lightly sweetened and high in fiber
Greek yogurt (full fat, low fat has added sugar) with a few berries
Flavored teas, these are mostly low on sugar and you can always add a little honey if you need it. Tea goes a long way since you have to sip it plus it counts towards your daily water intake.
As far as your kids go that's up to you as a parent, but you'll want to show them healthy eating habits anyway right? Instead of keeping a tub of ice cream around the house, have a single night where everyone gets an ice cream cone. Or have a movie night with one bag of popcorn or one treat they picked out for that night. For example last weekend I took my daughter to the arcade (she's 3) and she spent her points on a small bag of M&Ms and a bouncy ball. We don't keep M&Ms in the house but she can have them sometimes when we go out.
I hope this helps and gives you some ideas
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Sugar has been shown to have the same chemical reaction in the brain as cocaine does so yes it's extremely addictive. Personally I have to keep it out of the house as much as possible, and if I want ice cream or a treat I go out and buy one single cone or one chocolate bar. If I have to leave the house to get it 99% of the time I won't go because it's too much hassle.
You know what else gives the same chemical reaction as stated above? Petting that cat in your avatar...
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jennpryce419 wrote: »Chocolate is the love of my life. But unfortunately something clicks in my brain and all of a sudden, 1 chocolate chip cookie has turned into 10. I'm active, healthy but overweight and this has been the battle of my life. I start every day healthily and end in disaster. Sugar is a terrible addiction, I feel like I will never be able to kick the habit. Anyone know what it takes to get over the hump? I'm thinking purging all sugary stuff but that wouldn't be fair to my kids. Help!
There are some foods that I feel crazy over. I will not have them in the house because it isn't worth the mental games that go on. You are in charge of what your kids eat. Buy or make things that aren't on the crazy list for you. My laziness often wins because I won't leave the house for whatever I think I need to eat that doesn't fit in my goal for the day.
The longer I have been counting calories, the shorter my crazy list is. I still struggle though. I save calories to eat during the times of the day/night when I want to eat instead of eating just because of the time on the clock. I also eat low cal treats like Skinny Cow ice cream almost every day. In the beginning though I couldn't have SK ice cream in the house because I would polish off 3 or 4 a day.
One tip I read somewhere here was to picture myself one year from the time I am considering eating something that will put me over my calorie goal. I want to be smaller in a year. If I continue to overeat I will not be smaller.
Also I have given up eating what I considwred diet foods. I eat what I want and will eat the same when at goal. At first I was very hungry because the foods I wanted did not fill me up. Cookies will not satisfy real hunger. In the beginning I was very strict with my calorie goal. When I reached it, done for the day. I learned what filled me up and what didn't with that method. I had hungry times doing it like that but I had no choice. I know when I am hungry now or if I am just wanting to eat for other reasons.
Stick with it. In my opinion these issues are not solved overnight. Someone here says you have to be viligent the rest of your life. I believe that.0 -
Sugar has been shown to have the same chemical reaction in the brain as cocaine does so yes it's extremely addictive. Personally I have to keep it out of the house as much as possible, and if I want ice cream or a treat I go out and buy one single cone or one chocolate bar. If I have to leave the house to get it 99% of the time I won't go because it's too much hassle.
You know what else gives the same chemical reaction as stated above? Petting that cat in your avatar...
Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur. Who can resist?0 -
Recognize the trigger foods. And replace the refined sugar junk foods with low glycemic healthy sweets that are also healthy for your children. Refined sugar is addictive. Fill fruit bowls with pesticide free healthy fruits. Buy organic fruit juices. There are thousands of healthy sweet alternatives. You are not depriving your children by removing refined and junk food sweets from your home; you are protecting their health.0
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Sugar has been shown to have the same chemical reaction in the brain as cocaine does so yes it's extremely addictive. Personally I have to keep it out of the house as much as possible, and if I want ice cream or a treat I go out and buy one single cone or one chocolate bar. If I have to leave the house to get it 99% of the time I won't go because it's too much hassle.
You know what else gives the same chemical reaction as stated above? Petting that cat in your avatar...
I am trying to help the OP and I don't see how that kind of comment is helpful. She says she's addicted to sugar.0 -
Because step one is realizing that "No, she's not addicted to sugar".0
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There are several strategies to deal with problem foods.
Some people just eliminate them and don't keep them in their house. I think as a start while building dietary momentum it can help, but I think ultimately, permanently removing food for non-medical or non-ethical reasons is perpetuating an emotionally unhealthy relationship with food. There is some evidence that such restrictions lead to increased cravings because a person is making a food a greater and greater reward as now it isn't just the food, but the sensation of self-determination, not having to obey rules, even if they are rules you set on yourself.
Some people find that pre-logging their entire day, including exact numbers of snacks helps, i.e., "I have 1 cookie today at noon, 1 before bed, and tomorrow I can do the same! There will always be cookies! Yum."
Some find that taking snacks and repackaging them into individual servings helps, i.e. "I'm opening the cookie package. I get to eat the whole thing!"
This post is where it's at. My response is long and has two factors.
Food Tips:
At the start, I simply did not have certain things around. (Chips. Cookies I can more or less deal with, but salty snacks are my kryptonite.) If I really, really wanted something, I'd have to go out and get an individual portion of it. Laziness/being broke usually stopped me from doing it, but sometimes I chose to.
Later, when I became more comfortable with logging and felt like I could manage it, I started bringing in small portions and having them around, or buying a larger bag and portioning it out. It helped when I transitioned from working at home to working outside the home because I wasn't around the food all of the time and I could pack things as part of my lunch.
Nowadays, I don't have too much trouble with foods. I still struggle when there's chips nearby and I'm bored (read: most winter weekends) but overall, I have a lot easier relationship with smaller portions and moderation.
Other Thoughts:
Also! Have you looked into decision fatigue? Learning that willpower is a finite resource helped me feel less *kitten* about the days where I'm simply worn out at the end of the day. The combination of knowing I'll turn to food when I'm worn down and knowing what foods I'm likely to overeat has helped a lot in curbing those days where I undo an entire day or two worth of deficit.
(Note: It has not ended them. I polished off what was left of a box of Cheez-its, unmeasured, the first day of my period because it was late, I was tired and watching TV, and they were right there. Nothing is perfect, lol.)
Good tips in the quotes above. Another one to throw out is the HALT acronym. Try not to let yourself get too Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. These are times when our willpower is lower than normal and we're more likely to overeat. Now, that's a lot easier said than done, and strategies to help with those feelings, but sometimes it helps to know.0 -
[quote="
[/quote]
Soft kitty, warm kitty, little ball of fur. Who can resist?[/quote]
Thanks. Now that song is stuck in my head!
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Because step one is realizing that "No, she's not addicted to sugar".
Not necessarily. IF she were saying "I can't lose weight because I'm addicted to sugar" that might be true. But she is not doing that. She asking for suggestions on how to break the addiction, obsession, dependence, seemingly uncontrollable cravings, whatever. In this case, how is pointing out that you think she's misusing a term helpful?0 -
jennpryce419 wrote: »Chocolate is the love of my life. But unfortunately something clicks in my brain and all of a sudden, 1 chocolate chip cookie has turned into 10. I'm active, healthy but overweight and this has been the battle of my life. I start every day healthily and end in disaster. Sugar is a terrible addiction, I feel like I will never be able to kick the habit. Anyone know what it takes to get over the hump? I'm thinking purging all sugary stuff but that wouldn't be fair to my kids. Help!
I had addiction like issues with sugars. Carbs in general seemed to prime me for wanting more sugar, and i had a very hard time trying to moderate sugars. i failed at it more often than not.
I eventually switched to a a very low carb diet and that helped within days. If I had none of my old sugary treats, and limit carbs, my cravings are gone. Will power doesn't get used at all any more. It was quite freeing. Plus I can have sugar in the house and barely bat an eye. If I try just a bite, that's a whole other story...
The hardest part was thinking of giving up foods. It took my many months before I would commit.
Hope you find an answer.0 -
Whether "addiction" is the "correct" term or not, isn't all that important to me, neither what other people who have totally different experiences, think my experiences are and what I should feel and do; the most important thing for me is to do the things that work for me. Not reading threads about "food addiction" is one of them. Sadly, I'm addicted to reading threads about "food addiction".0
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I am a sugar-holic. I've become pre-diabetic so I've been extremely careful lately. Sugar has been shown to have the same chemical reaction in the brain as cocaine does so yes it's extremely addictive. Personally I have to keep it out of the house as much as possible, and if I want ice cream or a treat I go out and buy one single cone or one chocolate bar. If I have to leave the house to get it 99% of the time I won't go because it's too much hassle.
No, the chemical reaction is not the same as cocaine:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10218216/sugar-and-carb-addiction-addiction/p10 -
I am a sugar-holic. I've become pre-diabetic so I've been extremely careful lately. Sugar has been shown to have the same chemical reaction in the brain as cocaine does so yes it's extremely addictive. Personally I have to keep it out of the house as much as possible, and if I want ice cream or a treat I go out and buy one single cone or one chocolate bar. If I have to leave the house to get it 99% of the time I won't go because it's too much hassle.
No, the chemical reaction is not the same as cocaine:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10218216/sugar-and-carb-addiction-addiction/p1I am a sugar-holic. I've become pre-diabetic so I've been extremely careful lately. Sugar has been shown to have the same chemical reaction in the brain as cocaine does so yes it's extremely addictive. Personally I have to keep it out of the house as much as possible, and if I want ice cream or a treat I go out and buy one single cone or one chocolate bar. If I have to leave the house to get it 99% of the time I won't go because it's too much hassle.
No, the chemical reaction is not the same as cocaine:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10218216/sugar-and-carb-addiction-addiction/p1
It doesn't matter if food or sugar is addictive in this thread. Doesn't help to read debates about. Strategies on how to overcome it have helped me greatly. The debates set me back. There are many others here that think the same.0 -
[quote="It doesn't matter if food or sugar is addictive in this thread. Doesn't help to read debates about. Strategies on how to overcome it have helped me greatly. The debates set me back. There are many others here that think the same. [/quote]
AGREED.0 -
jennpryce419 wrote: »Chocolate is the love of my life. But unfortunately something clicks in my brain and all of a sudden, 1 chocolate chip cookie has turned into 10. I'm active, healthy but overweight and this has been the battle of my life. I start every day healthily and end in disaster. Sugar is a terrible addiction, I feel like I will never be able to kick the habit. Anyone know what it takes to get over the hump? I'm thinking purging all sugary stuff but that wouldn't be fair to my kids. Help!
As others have pointed out, I believe that there are a lot of things that steer us toward those comforting foods like chocolate chip cookies. I don't personally believe that sugar, or any food substance, is a physical addiction for the scientific reasons mentioned above. I do understand that there are a lot of factors that tempt us to eat more than we intend to eat at certain times, and that can feel like it is something out of our control similar to an addiction.
You've gotten some good suggestions about eliminating the temptation (permanently or temporarily), prelogging the food, buying single servings of the food that tempts you, or looking for alternatives that you are better able to moderate without feeling like you have to over do it. It really is a personal decision but for me, knowing that I could never have something sweet again would only make me want it more. It would make me feel out of control and that the food itself had all the power, and that's not something that I personally think is a healthy mindset.
I prefer to allow for a small treat on a regular basis. If the chocolate chip cookie is too hard to stop at one, try a different sweet treat. A piece of really dark chocolate - not as sweet, not usually something that people tend to overeat - I have one pretty much every day. I also really like Chobani Flips - they have a lot which are more like dessert and at about 200 calories, those make a nice afternoon snack for me and it has some protein in it. Then when I am pondering hitting the ice cream after dinner I think, "well, I already had something sweet today, maybe just a glass of wine instead".
Good luck OP - and definitely give the threads linked above about food addiction a read, there are some great perspectives in there.0 -
Because step one is realizing that "No, she's not addicted to sugar".
Here here. I'm sure anyone who is actually addicted to something, like alcohol, or heroin, or cocaine, would be upset that their life-threatening addiction could be equated to wanting lots of sweets. No one is going to jail for smuggling cookies or selling their bodies for another hit of pie.
Regarding that urge to keep going-I do understand. I have a hard time stopping at one, because they usually taste so damn good! Plus, I know I'm in trouble to "eat my emotions" if I get something unhealthy for me when I'm upset or stressed. It takes time to practice doing something healthy in response to emtions, rather than the ol' standby. Like going for a walk or playing with a pet.0 -
Yep, we can debate sugar addiction all day long.
I actually have several things that I am addicted to food wise. It is not sugar, but I do declare I am a FOODIE all day every day. As a matter of fact I had to get rid of the things in my house that set me back, and I am not one of those to get in the car to go buy it..
Just have to kick the old brain in gear and make tough choices to eat it or not eat and if you can't control it, get out of the house!!0 -
Sugar addiction is tough, some studies show it's tougher than drug habits because you can't avoid it, it's legal, it's everywhere, and in most cases it comes in very convenient packages.
I know you said you have kids, and you don't want them to have to go without, but what I've found that works for me, is simply not having it in the house, that way if I want something sweet, or "bad" I have to go out and get it, and I'll get it in a single serving, not a family sized bag.
This could work with your kids too, try keeping fruit and veggies cut up and ready, and if there's really an urge for a cookie, or other sweet, take the time to take the trip to go get it.
They'll probably like the fruit, and you can always get some dark chocolate, and do chocolate covered fruit, it's delicious and way more nutritionally sound that 10 chocolate chip cookies!
You can do it!
Good luck!0
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