food is a drug to me, would rather be on crack, at least i c

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  • keith0373
    keith0373 Posts: 2,154 Member
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    You can still be the addict if you are willing to pay the price. I try to think of everything I eat or drink in the terms of exercise. If I want to have a beer . . it will cost me a mile on the elliptical. If I want a 6 pack then I better be willing to do the 6 miles plus what I need to to meet my calorie goals. I used to be the guy who drank what I wanted to, ate what I wanted to,and didn't exercise. I have now linked all of them in my mind. If I want to eat more or drink more then I make sure to exercise off the calories.
  • david1956
    david1956 Posts: 190 Member
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    You can still be the addict if you are willing to pay the price. I try to think of everything I eat or drink in the terms of exercise. If I want to have a beer . . it will cost me a mile on the elliptical. If I want a 6 pack then I better be willing to do the 6 miles plus what I need to to meet my calorie goals. I used to be the guy who drank what I wanted to, ate what I wanted to,and didn't exercise. I have now linked all of them in my mind. If I want to eat more or drink more then I make sure to exercise off the calories.

    Yup, spot on. We CAN decide which we want, and there's no universal law that governs that decision... it is our choice.

    It's complex, takes a paradigm shift, but from my experience of dealing my own serious addictions (I have no idea how the hell I did not die as a consequence of alcoholism and to some extent drugs as a youth) including a stint in what was reputed to be one of the world's best treatment centres (local people who were not even addicts used to flock to a certain Drs lectures, they were so fascinating)...

    ...it's about the lop-sided role that emotions tend to play in the addict's life. Too hard to explain in a way, but... whether I feel crappy when I wake up tommorrow morning has zero relevance to anything (unless I am sick). Whether a co-worker is in a crappy mood is even less relevant, that's his problem. Whether I "love" my job is irrelevant in comparison to whether it is the best solution for my needs. Rampant lust may not be the best indicator of a marital partner. Emotions are just emotions, they come and go but are absolutely unreliable indicators of decision making. Of course feelings such as love, empathy, peace etc are a totally different thing. But fleeting emotions are... just stuff that inevitably comes and inevitably goes.

    Simple huh? Not really, but I'm convinced (and an addiction expert would agree)... understanding the role of emotions is critical.
  • natspoiledbrat
    natspoiledbrat Posts: 133
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    I feel the same way! Food is a drug for me............I eat when I am happy, I eat when I am sad, any emotion you can think of, I eat! I find myself spending so much of my day thinking what I get to eat next. Its like my life revolves around food. Sometimes I choose not to go out with friends because I know that I don't have the willpower to say no to this or that. For those of you that can say you eat to live, that is great, but it is not that easy for everyone. I wish I could change my mindset, but so far along my journey I have not been able too. I have made a lot of small little changes that have really helped me, but everyday is a struggle. It is hard to live your life always having to think about food and not taking part in certain things because you are scared to "relapse". Good luck to you and I hope you can find the tricks to get through to meet your goals, and maybe one day for both of us we can say that we eat to live instead!
  • Ellem86
    Ellem86 Posts: 204
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    May I suggest something that has so far worked for me? Every night for the last week I have input into my diary what I am going to eat the following day and when I am going to est it. Pre-planning means that I don't panic about what to eat and then eat tons of food because I am panicked! If I really fancy steak and chips and it falls outside of my calorie allowance, I know beforehand that I will have to go to the gym that day and if I can't go to the gym, I can't have the steak. Like I said, I have only tried it for a week but I get the feeling that removing the constant thoughts about what I am going to eat and removing the need to continuously make decisions all day about what to eat is helping me and might help you too. All the best xxx
  • mswing7674
    mswing7674 Posts: 44
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    Seeing it in black and white has made a hugeeee difference for me... the other thing to think about is... when you want to make that exception its ok.. just work out extra to get the extra calories for that special something. The other thing I do is when I am going out to eat... I use the website the daily plate and look up the calories for the restaurant I am going to and pick what I am going to order before I even step foot in the restaurant.. that helps me keep control of what I would normally eat.. and most of the time I don't even have to look at the menu to keep from tempation... and if for some reason that restuarant isn't there (however most of the chains are) then I work with what I know.. grilled chicken, salad.. I ask alot of questions about how they cook stuff... it didn't take you overnight to get where you are with your attitude about food... and it won't happen overnight to change it.. you can do it... just stay strong and make small changes

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