Food addiction

montyeva1114

Okay I need to be honest about my relationship with food. I’m addicted to sugar. It’s not any food I crave, but it’s usually something sweet. Many of you say it’s okay to eat sweets or desserts as long as it works into my calories. My problem is that I don’t know how to make it fit and be able to stop. So what I am saying is for some of us, we do need say no to certain foods. I believe that food addiction is difficult because we can’t just cold turkey stop eating! Anyhow, it’s just something to think about.

Sadie2PointOh

Food addiction is indeed tricky in comparison to other addictions in that, as you said, a person needs to eat to survive and therefore, eating is legal, acceptable, and encouraged.

I'm similar to the poster above in that I do not have an ability (yet at least, maybe never) to moderate my intake of certain things. (Well, I've had one Oreo, might as well eat the entire row; one soda a day would be far better than what I used to consume. 4 days later: back to nearly a case per day)

I will say though that caffeine and sugar withdrawal are real. Sure, you won't drop dead or have a seizure from quitting the sugar and caffeine, but you may get headaches, not be able to concentrate, have zero energy, and feel completely exhausted yet feel jittery, unsettled and anxious at the same time (which is odd to experience). I'm a little over a week out from my 8-12 sodas a day habit and I've honestly never felt worse. I know at some point this will pass, my body will thank me, and I will feel better but I just felt the need to point this out as I had no knowledge of caffeine + sugar withdrawal until after I was experiencing it, and I think it's best to at least know what to expect vs being blindsided by feeling awful like I was.

missysippy930

I love sweets. I guess I’m a moron because I learned to moderate all foods. Lost over 1/2 my body weight. For the first 2 months on MFP, I avoided so called “bad” foods,sugar, fats, salty snacks. Then I read a discussion on here talking about all foods in moderation. It worked for this moron. For me, a life without ever eating the foods I love, would never be long term sustainable.

I’m not saying it will work for you, or anyone else, but it works for me.

Everyone needs food to survive. Addiction?

quiksylver296

There are usually two types of people, when it comes to dieting, moderators and abstainers, @montyeva1114.

Abstainers have to cut their trigger foods completely out of their diet. If they have one taste, it sets off a chain reaction that is difficult to stop.

Moderators have to keep their trigger foods within their diet, within reason. I'm this one. If I tried to cut chocolate or ice cream completely out of my diet, I will freak out and binge on them after about 8 days. I do better if I allow 200-300 calories each day for dessert. I know I get to have it and I am satisfied by that amount.

Some people are a little of both. They can moderate some things, and have to abstain completely from other things. You will need to experiment a little to find out what you are. Maybe you can moderate one type of sweet, and can have some of that, but will have to abstain from other types.

Good luck!

LyndaBSS

I was addicted to gumdrops, would eat them every night. When I started mfp, I tossed them. Within two weeks, my cravings were gone. I haven't had them since and I've been here three months. I pass the candy aisle in the grocery store and don't even think about going down it.

ChickieBoom22

I’m a food addict. I abstain from sugar and flour. I don’t encourage other people to do it but moderation doesn’t work for me so I don’t try to force myself to do something just because the “common wisdom” is that it works for everyone. Abstaining works for me.

Do what works for you. You don’t have to explain yourself to anyone.

montyeva1114

So good to read all the responses. I’m not sure what to do yet. I’m completing week 3 of MFP and am missing desserts. My weight loss has been so slow (2 lb), I feel like one dessert and the weight will come right back!

Alymeyer61210

I’m a food addict and I am fully aware. This is Day 3 of starting over for the 1,000th time in my life. Just got really off track over the summer. I have had a few successful streaks of losing in my adult life, but have gained it back. But I still feel the urge to press through, try again and get to my goal weight. Really fighting the negative thoughts this time. When I’m doing well I don’t try to cut out the sweet things completely, but I do get sugar free sweets or Halo Top for ice cream and that helps. If I cheat with something Oreos I’m just asking for another relapse. I also try to find healthier alternatives to the things I love like almond flour pancakes with sugar free syrup, Blueberry muffins made with coconut oil, almond flour, and Swerve sugar substitute, Torani sugar free coffee syrup in my morning coffee, etc. it just takes the sheer willpower to say yes to those and to taking the time to make them and to say no to the bad stuff. I have to turn a blind eye to the bakery section in the grocery store.

Pamela_Sue

quiksylver296 wrote: »

There are usually two types of people, when it comes to dieting, moderators and abstainers, @montyeva1114.

Abstainers have to cut their trigger foods completely out of their diet. If they have one taste, it sets off a chain reaction that is difficult to stop.

Moderators have to keep their trigger foods within their diet, within reason. I'm this one. If I tried to cut chocolate or ice cream completely out of my diet, I will freak out and binge on them after about 8 days. I do better if I allow 200-300 calories each day for dessert. I know I get to have it and I am satisfied by that amount.

Some people are a little of both. They can moderate some things, and have to abstain completely from other things. You will need to experiment a little to find out what you are. Maybe you can moderate one type of sweet, and can have some of that, but will have to abstain from other types.

Good luck!

The above post is spot on and great advice. You need to learn if you do best by abstaining from desserts, or from eating desserts in moderation. The only way to determine this is by trying both methods.

You can plan for desserts in moderation within your daily calories, or, save and 'bank' some calories for an occasional dessert. If you stay within your weekly overall calories you should be fine and the weight won't 'come right back'.

Some people on MFP are successful eating one small individual chocolate per day, such as Ghirardelli bags of chocolate squares, at about 50 calories per piece. I tried this and ate the entire bag, so I abstain from sweets. I do plan in a small tub of ice cream every 3 weeks when grocery shopping.

Wish you the best.

LyndaBSS

I keep a bag of Hershey dark chocolate kisses in my fridge. If I crave something sweet, I have one. The same bag has been there for months now. 😀

MichelleWithMoxie

OP, I feel you. I have an all-or-nothing mentality and have been struggling something fierce this summer with the whole binge/restrict cycle. It’s exhausting. I don’t have any real advice, but I completely empathize with you. I actually just recently started therapy to help with this and other things. Maybe that’s an option you might explore?

Sadie2PointOh

Some posts (for instance, mine where I reference some things mentioned not by the OP but a former reply) make much less sense now that the very first response to this thread is no longer there....

missysippy930

Sadie2PointOh wrote: »

Some posts (for instance, mine where I reference some things mentioned not by the OP but a former reply) make much less sense now that the very first response to this thread is no longer there....

...... hmmm, didn’t realize that post was gone. Now my earlier response doesn’t make sense🤷🏻‍♀️

BuddhaBunnyFTW

I used to eat a lot too and loved to indulge in Pizza and donuts a lot. I started to meditate on love, compassion, kindness, patience, and forgiveness for myself and others. By do this everyday for three years, I've built up my mental will power. Also for me I feared hunger, then I began to wait until I got hungry to eat and not be afraid of hunger.

For me nothing worked until I worked at it, and was patient to let it work. Nothing happens easily, you get out what you put in. It took me 10 years to quit smoking, but eventually I quit.

JessicaGarrantParmeter

I’m addicted to chips!!!! Love them... I have to cut them totally out of my diet or I would just eat a bag a day! True story!!!

Pamela_Sue

I forgot to mention another tip in my above post. I love chocolate. For me, I had to find something I 'like', but do not 'love'. So I buy sugar free chocolate pudding and plan for one almost every day. I like it and it soothes that chocolate craving. But I don't 'love' it enough that I would ever binge on it. Hope that helps!

oceangirl99

JessicaGarrantParmeter wrote: »

I’m addicted to chips!!!! Love them... I have to cut them totally out of my diet or I would just eat a bag a day! True story!!!

THIS is me!

oceangirl99

I'm also addicted to food. I always say that I have no "off switch" or at least I haven't found it yet. I binge on food I don't even particularly care for. Ugh. It seems strange though since I also love healthy foods and exercise.

montyeva1114

I have the most responses to my latest post about food addictions. Obviously this is a struggle for most of us. Currently my goal is to find other things that fill the void that I have used food to fill. People... exercise...reading...all help; but I literally wake up each day thinking about what I’ll eat that day. I think I will know I’m better when I wake up with other wonderful thoughts!