Do You Identify as a Food Addict?
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daniellethesheep wrote: »it’s ruining my life and relationship
@daniellethesheep I can relate to this so much. Food addiction, like most addictions (all?), has the potential (the probability?) of ruining our relationships and our lives to boot. My thought is that we all need some support. Do you have any support in place for yourself to help you?
For most of us, having "support" feels like weakness. But I have found that -- at least for me -- it is a strength. It's difficult to have help, to ask for it, to realize that you need it. But it's empowering to feel that you want it and that you are brave enough to seek it.
Help looks different for everyone.
I think that experimenting is important. There are books, therapy, light workers, massage and reiki, support groups, ritual, meditation, and so much more to explore. Either way, don't give up on yourself. You are never alone -- I believe that there is endless support to draw from and contribute to out there...we just have to get out there and find some connection.
Warmly,
Jenn0 -
I definitely identify as a food addict! The hardest part for me is that unlike other addictions, abstinence can't be used. I'm pretty much all or nothing, the second I get a taste of food it consumes me, but I can't not eat indefinitely. I'm really struggling to lose weight with my ED
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Yes. I discovered Bright Line Eating and it is so wonderful, loving and amazing. I would recommend it and the food freedom quiz to anyone!0
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Hi everyone stressful eater here trying so hard to keep it under control. So many things happen this year.
I always want to eat my way thru them. But I know I have to make some lifestyle changes.
Open for any suggeations or encouragement.1 -
I definitely identify as a food addict! The hardest part for me is that unlike other addictions, abstinence can't be used. I'm pretty much all or nothing, the second I get a taste of food it consumes me, but I can't not eat indefinitely. I'm really struggling to lose weight with my ED
I hear you abou the "all or nothing" mentality! I realized that I also had this way of thinking, and that it affected my eating habits, early in life. Over the years, I have become even more sharply aware of it as I have journeyed toward finding more of a middle ground for myself. Have you sought out how to equalize yourself a bit more?0 -
@damaddox7
Sending hugs your way. Eating disorders are really overwhelming, and I have struggled with food addition and overeating, binge eating, and more, for a very long time. Wanting to eat my feelings? Check.
I have found that it's the way that I deal with my feelings that poses the issue rather than the eating, which is just a symptom of that problem. Deal with the feelings, cure the eating.
But it takes time and intention. How are you moving toward a journey that helps you to deal with your feelings more?
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sending out an SOS.. could really use some freinds and accountability buddies feeling very alone in the struggle..3
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@mermaidnj Sorry to hear about your struggle. You are not alone. So many people struggle with an unhealthy relationship with food.1
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@mermaidnj So sorry you feel all alone in the struggle, me too. Even worse, I feel like I’m losing ground every day. I know what I should do but just somehow can’t (or won’t I suppose). Not sure where rock bottom is but it has got to be close. I’m ready to start climbing back up and could also use accountability and support. I’m new to MFP but not new to online forums. I attended a week long camp sponsored by the Biggest Loser TV Show 4-years ago. I lost 70 lbs in 5-months and we had a FB Group for a while but everyone kinda faded away after 2-years and I gained it all back... It really helped to have Group support so you are on the right track to reach out and ask for help. You may message me if you like for support.1
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@pslansky I wish that people supported us on our journeys like a Biggest Loser camp would, working together with us to set the bar and keep us motivated and focused. But "life" gets in the way. And we learn that if we are going to make a lifelong commitment then we have to be able sustain it alone. That's not to say that community isn't useful, but frankly it just never is there enough. We have to be able to rely on ourselves to make change, and that's sometimes a sad or isolating realization.0
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@pslansky I will send a freind request I also find that it helps to have group support when making lifestyle changes ..I lost 100 lbs and have gained it all back so I totally get where you are coming from..
@ladyzherra So true that life does so often get in the way and that we are ultimitly Captians of our destiny .. a good reminder to keep expectations realistic..1 -
@ladyzherra Thank you for responding, I couldn’t agree more. During BLR we had to make a poster about why we were losing weight and I focused on doing it for my family. I told myself it was because I wanted to live long enough to make it to my daughter’s wedding and be a better husband for my wife. While these are true, they are not sustainable reasons. My daughter has moved off to college and isn’t around every day to remind me and my wife loves me no matter what weight I am so I’ve now realized that the only real reason to lose weight is for my own health. At first it seemed selfish as my whole life I’ve felt compelled to help others. Working as a fireman for many years I put others before myself. Having my own construction company I felt responsible for my employees safety and to make sure they made it home every day and their families received a paycheck every week. I’m sure I did these things for myself because it felt good but I couldn’t grasp doing something just for me. I’ve recently realized that unless I actually want to lose weight and feel better for myself there will always come times when it doesn’t happen. So, yeah, it feels a bit lonely in the struggle. My wife always asks what more she can do to help and I have to tell her “nothing” because this is my struggle. She does cook healthier foods and support my efforts but she isn’t there on my drive home when I make three fast food stops and literally consume 5,000 calories (I’ve put it Into MFP as a meal to count it!!!). Having said all of this I’d call it lonely but not alone. At least now that I’ve gotten past denial and blame I feel like I can own the struggle and do it for me. Down 20 lbs and feeling better already. I’m also excited to be using MFP, not only for tracking but for the community support and camaraderie.7
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Wow, @pslansky. I think that you really hit on something important when you write about how for so long you placed the "weight" of your journey on others -- such as getting healthy for your daughter or wife -- only to realize that when you were brave enough to frame this journey as YOURS and for YOU, then things shifted. And how HARD that really can be, right? Making yourself the center of things, and framing that in a postive way, isn't as easy in reality as it should be. And when you do finally get up the courage to do that, you find that it changes the game.3
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Definitely. I find, like the people in Food Addicts Anonymous, that any form of flour or sugar sends me into a binge spiral. While the program isn't one that I've adopted, I find that the fewer processed foods I eat the more food has an appropriate place in my life. The more processed foods..and so many of these have flour and sugar in them...the more I eat almost unconsciously.4
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I can't seem to add to the above, so I'll add here: I think the popular image of a food addict is someone who is visibly overweight. I'm not. I'd like to lose some vanity lbs, and to be a better athlete, but I'm not visibly overweight. However, what people don't see is the amount of time I have spent thinking about food, struggling with food. So to some degree it has made me more compassionate..3
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@ShredWeek1 I agree with you about how refined foods will send me into a spiral. I am usually able to avoid refined foods but pasta is my ultimate comfort food, and I have to make a conscious choice to not eat it, which is difficult when I need comfort.
Like you, I am not overweight. However, I have had binge eating and overeatkng problems for my entire life, even as a kid. I think that our addictions are not always visible for others.1 -
Yes, I started Weight Watchers this year and I suspect that many of the other attendees wonder why I'm there. I'm actually slimmer than our leader. I'd like to drop a few lbs for athletics, but primarily I'm there to finally develop a healthy relationship with food.2
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@malimalai Thanks for the encouragement. You are absolutely right, and my wife does try to help in many ways. She prepares healthy dinners and snacks for us but she just also keeps some foods around for herself that aren’t the healthiest. She is on her own journey and has actually lost a lot of weight, about 40 lbs and she feels and looks great. It’s just the bologna and Oreo’s that I joke about because they are so tempting. But in all reality, it is good practice to have things around and learning to have my own self control because at work, out driving around, and out at restaurants there are plenty of bad choices too. I used this MFP app one time to add up all the fast food I ate driving home one night and it was over 5,000 calories. It was then that I knew I had a real food and self control issue and not just a little overeating. I also realized I was the only one that could change this habit. I’ve gone back and forth and the best thing is that my wife supports me through it all. She gently reminds me when I make bad choices and praises me when I do good. It is just a hard addiction to deal with since we have to eat every day so we can’t avoid food all together. I also want to set a better example for my daughter. She’s home since her college is closed due to the virus. Mom grilled chicken yesterday and we ate very well. Full and happy with calories to spare! Was a good day.4
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@pslansky , You already lost 20 lb and you seem to be in a good place. If you want to eat a lot and lose weight too. Check out '' Volume Eaters Thread '' .As for me,I can't have choccolate in the house even though I don't eat the whole bar, only 2-4 sqaures of it.It's better to have only healthy snacks on hand. I lost 23 lb and I'm not fat any more but I want to lose 5-10 more lb.I wish you good luck on your journey.🍀🌠🤞🏽1
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Hi folks - I think I’m in a similar boat to what folks have posted above. I struggle with binging at night and and have anxiety. I too have found how triggering processed food is and am working hard to balance out my weight and cravings and relationship to food. I could use some friends - first time through MFP I accepted any friend request that came my way but am now understanding the importance of having ppl who understand where you are at. I’d love some community with folks like you.
@pslansky @Malimalai @ladyzherra @mermaidnj et al4 -
@fostersu ,I send you a friend request. Now,I'm less than happy since my grown up son , his girl friend and their dog move in with us.I have more cleaning to do. My son doesn't drive a car. He depends on his girl to do the driving. She seems to be happy about him depending on her.They are co- dependents with each other.They used to live in a big city with good public transportations. Now they live in semi rural area and they have to drive everywhere.They have a lot of free time . Why won't he go out and learn to drive with her? He had load of driving lessons in the past.Now, he can't go to work if they have to work different shifts.I'm sad for him. 😞1
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Well today, we had a big arguement finally. We called our son out about his inaction. He is full of excuses why he can't learn to drive. His girlfriend smirked when she said '' I can't make him learn to drive'' '' it's his problem if he can't go to work because he can't drive''.So,I called her out about her selfish attitude too. we are going to pay for his driving lessons. She will have to let him drive their car eventually.Sorry, I have to let it of my chest.😖0
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Hi! I’m dealing with food addiction. I lost 40lbs going off sugar and flour, then hit a wall and gained it all back. I’m unsure of whether I just need to accept that what I was doing worked and accept that will be lifelong, or if I can go a more moderate and intuitive way. Either way, I would love friends who know the obsession with food. Please friend me, my diary is open as I find open diaries helpful. (I can’t remember how to do a friend request!). 🤪3
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@insideoutgirl , we will try to help each other from now on . 🤞🏽💙1
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You know, it has been awhile since I actually tried to limit what I’m eating. This is so hard for me. I work with people who have other types of addictions (alcohol, drugs, sex, work) and this is just as hard. What will happen if I don’t eat when I’m not physically hungry. That’s the thing I’m going to be curious about.3
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@insideoutgirl , your diary looks good to me.Sometimes, when I want to eat even when I'm not hungry, I will eat something healthy or low cal.I'm trying to stay away from junk foods.It is one hour at a time, one day at a time for me. If I have a bad day foodwise , I will try again the next day. We keep trying , we don't give up.🌞🤞🏽
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@insideoutgirl You're not alone. Limiting what we eat is not always the answer. As emotional eaters and /or food addicts, diet or limiting foods can sometimes actually not lead us to success because we tend to have an emotional relationship to food that is unhealthy. Unless we address that, then dieting and limiting will eventually fail us. These may work eventually, perhaps after we address the emotional connection and learn to rewire our brains and practice ways to give ourselves when we use food to give. To recover from food addition, is a serious process. I have found that educating myself about it is key. Like all addictions, the more that you know about it, the more potential to empower yourself you gain.
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Hi everyone! I’m definitely a food addict. I didn’t know that was a thing until 3 years ago when I was talking to my dr about my emotional eating. I was saying that I eat double or triple portion sizes, hide to eat, keep eating after I’m feeling full, snacking while cooking meals... She asked if I’d heard of Food Addicts Anonymous and I was surprised. Food Addicts? How can you be addicted to something you need to live?! She gave me some info to read and then I did research. I fought it for a very long time. I thought I’d get over it as soon as the stressful period stopped. But, as we all know, there’s always stress. And now I’ve let it get so far out of hand that I’m more than 100lbs overweight.
So in the last couple months I’ve decided that I need to really address this and learn to manage it. I’m looking for a therapist now. The FA group near me had meetings at a time I couldn’t make.
If anyone is still looking for friends, please add me. I love all the compassion and good ideas being shared here!3 -
I just started BACK keeping a food diary. A few years back, I did really well - lost almost 50 lbs then gained back roughly 25 of it. Need to get those back off and of course the older you get the harder it is. Started back 2 days ago and have done OK so far but need to stay focused. Appreciate any support!
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