Addictive food personality
Anom26
Posts: 1
Okay I'm quite new to all this & was a bit hesitant about writing on a forum (never done this kind of thing before) but things have got a bit out of hand lately & would love some advice, especially if others have experienced the same kind of thing but even if you havn't and just have advice!) I think I must have a very addictive eating personality because when I find a food like that I love I seem to not be able to stop eating it until it's all gone. For example belvita breakfast biscuits and nature valley bars, if i buy a box I can quite easily eat the whole thing. Special K cereal i can get through the majority of a box, seeded bread & pita bread will be gone in a day. I never ever let myself by large amounts of chocolate now because I just can't stop myself. I really do wish I had more willpower but I simply don't. The thing is this is all quite a new thing to me because in my first term of university (I'm currently coming to the end of my second) I actually wasn't eating much at all and was loosing weight because of it + all the walking I was doing however this term things have gone the complete opposite way, I've gained weight and even though I am still walking a fair bit I just can't stop eating. I think deep down I know I need to go cold turkey on a lot of these foods but the thought of never eating my favourite things again is quite daunting. Also I'll be going home for the Easter holidays soon and as I come from a large family it's inevitable that there will be cereal, bread etc in the house and I'm scared that will trigger my over eating again. Anyone experienced something like this? Any tips on how to overcome it?
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Replies
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Sounds more like an lack of self control stemming from immaturity (sorry, that's the only way to put it). You gotta ask yourself "when do I want to grow up and hold myself responsible for my decisions?" If the answer is "not right now," then eat all the cookies and blame an addictive food personality. If the answer is "now," then put them away and snack on something else, or enjoy them in moderation like the others in your boat choose to do every day.0
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Sounds more like an lack of self control stemming from immaturity (sorry, that's the only way to put it). You gotta ask yourself "when do I want to grow up and hold myself responsible for my decisions?" If the answer is "not right now," then eat all the cookies and blame an addictive food personality. If the answer is "now," then put them away and snack on something else, or enjoy them in moderation like the others in your boat choose to do every day.
Yup0 -
Hey there!
In my third year of A Levels, I must have put on a stone and a half. I had a serious lack of self control when it came to stopping - I could eat two paninis at school at break, three chocolate bars for lunch, large McDonalds meal + McFlurry for second lunch, and then two bowls of pasta for dinner. This is not counting snacks!
What helped me was drinking water. Sometimes, you can mistake thirst for hunger, hence snacking. I drink at least 2 cups prior to a meal, and at least 1 in between meals. I swapped the breakfast biscuits (which, in my opinion, aren't as healthy as they are suggested to be) with fruits and vegetables like apples and carrots. I still have breakfast biscuits, but 1 pack for breakfast before the 1 1/2 mile walk to university. If I want chocolate, I have dark chocolate, and if I want biscuits, I make my own mixed spice/low sugar kind. I traded bread for wraps too, which I have noticed has helped somewhat.
I've also found exercising curbs any snacking habits. I'm more bothered about drinking water than filling up on snacks.
For me, not buying snacks/having them in the house helped. I'm in charge of the shopping, so if I buy snacks for my siblings or parents, I buy things I don't like. That way, I won't eat them. I don't think you necessarily have to go cold turkey with everything at once, because that can lead to worse cravings - cut out or reduce one item at a time.0 -
Sounds more like an lack of self control stemming from immaturity (sorry, that's the only way to put it). You gotta ask yourself "when do I want to grow up and hold myself responsible for my decisions?" If the answer is "not right now," then eat all the cookies and blame an addictive food personality. If the answer is "now," then put them away and snack on something else, or enjoy them in moderation like the others in your boat choose to do every day.
I have to agree with the 'lack of self control' aspect. I'm not going to get into the ins and outs of the 'addiction' to food, because I don't even know where I stand on that viewpoint, but it is definitely a self control thing.0 -
If you're undereating, then you will be constantly fighting the urge not to overeat, because it's a survival response due to eating too little. Is your calorie goal set too low? Quite often when people diet they cut their calories too low and then end up finding it really hard to stick to the diet in the long term. The trick is to find the highest number of calories you can eat but still lose weight steadily (not quickly, but steadily) and aim to stick to that long term. When you eat more you're less likely to fall into this kind of rebound overeating.
Also, I used to have this problem, i.e. certain specific foods I had to eat ALL of them, even though I wasn't undereating.... it was because of my mentality towards those foods, as in I saw them as "forbidden foods" that I wasn't allowed, so when I got them, I saw it as a once in a lifetime opportunity to eat these foods... hence the strong desire to eat ALL of them. When I changed my mentality, and allowed myself to eat just whatever I want so long as the portion sizes were sensible, the desire to eat a lot of foods simply went away and I could take them or leave them. And the ones that tasted really good, I still take them in moderation. Others that are not worth the calories I don't eat because I don't want them. If that's what's going on with you, then banning yourself from eating these foods altogether is only going to make the problem worse
Another idea, you can package them in ways where it's impossible to eat the whole pack at once, e.g. freezing them in individual portions and thawing just the ones you intend to eat, or putting them in separate containers and allowing yourself to eat one per day and keeping the rest put away, or buying them in single serving packs. It is important to learn how to eat all this stuff in moderation.
Also, eat them as part of a meal or as a snack following a meal, not as a snack between meals, where you're more likely to feel hungry and tempted to eat the whole pack.0 -
Sounds more like an lack of self control stemming from immaturity (sorry, that's the only way to put it). You gotta ask yourself "when do I want to grow up and hold myself responsible for my decisions?" If the answer is "not right now," then eat all the cookies and blame an addictive food personality. If the answer is "now," then put them away and snack on something else, or enjoy them in moderation like the others in your boat choose to do every day.
^This. Plus, to be successful in losing weight and maintaining, you will have to learn this skill sooner or later. It's the only way the process will work in the long run.0 -
Hi there,
I struggle with the very same issues (as do many people, I suspect) and I have cut out all added sugar and refined carbohydrates. I don't think this is a recommendation for everyone, but for me personally, I have found that added sugar and refined carbohydrates trigger something in me that makes me crave more and more and more. I switched from coffee to tea (after 20 years as a coffee drinker consuming many cups a day) and have found that by lowering my caffeine intake (from 5 cups of coffee to two cups of tea), increasing my protein in the morning and eliminating sugar and refined carbs, I am less hungry, my satiety lasts longer, and it isn't difficult to resist my trigger foods. In comparison, prior to this I could easily eat more than my husband who is over a foot taller and 100lbs heavier. Prior to this I could easily have eaten an entire 18" pizza and pint of ice cream. I have also basically eliminated all processed food. I would never assume this method is right for everyone, but it has helped me tremendously.0 -
First off- I'm going to warn you: this post has the potential to get crazy.... don't take offense to what anyone says; everyone is trying to help in their own way. You're probably not going to like a lot of the responses, but there will be a lot of good info that comes your way. Now, having said that...
Willpower- there's a notion that it is an exhaustible resource, that as we make decisions (even pleasurable ones) or become stressed, our willpower depletes. Do some reading on ego-depletion. The upside of this is, if it can be depleted, it can also be replenished!
There can be myriad reasons why one overeats... emotional reasons, stress reasons, nutrient deficiency reasons. Figure out the driving force behind your overeating and you can better address the issue. Since this seems to be a relatively recent issue, I would suspect this is a situational problem, but only you can figure it out.
Perhaps keeping aforementioned foods out of your reach until you figure out *why* you're eating this way is a good idea; although the vast majority of us on MFP advocate moderation, sometimes it doesn't work when lack of willpower is an issue.
ETA: Protein. Make sure you're eating enough protein, especially in the morning. I've found when I eat a proper, protein-filled breakfast (as opposed to carb-heavy or skipping it) I make better choices throughout the day.0 -
Sounds more like an lack of self control stemming from immaturity (sorry, that's the only way to put it). You gotta ask yourself "when do I want to grow up and hold myself responsible for my decisions?" If the answer is "not right now," then eat all the cookies and blame an addictive food personality. If the answer is "now," then put them away and snack on something else, or enjoy them in moderation like the others in your boat choose to do every day.
Yup
Whenever someone has a problem eating too much it's immediately dismissed as lack of self control. When someone has a problem not wanting to eat it gets labelled as anorexia and treated very seriously. Why the double standard?0 -
Compulsion and addiction are two different things. They are similar, but different. Compulsion is entirely psychological while addiction is psychological in combination with a physical dependence. The good news is that compulsive overeating is easier to conquer than addiction. But first, you have to make up in your mind that you want to overcome this. That is true of any compulsion or addiction. If you feel in your heart of hearts that you truly want to change this behavior, then you are going to have to learn to tell yourself no. You're going to have to find ways to moderate yourself. You are also going to have to understand that no one is responsible for what goes into your mouth, but you.
Ultimately, however, if you find all of the above completely impossible, then the only real solution for you is to see a psychologist, or at least, some kind of counseling or therapy. Because compulsion is completely psychological.0 -
Sounds more like an lack of self control stemming from immaturity (sorry, that's the only way to put it). You gotta ask yourself "when do I want to grow up and hold myself responsible for my decisions?" If the answer is "not right now," then eat all the cookies and blame an addictive food personality. If the answer is "now," then put them away and snack on something else, or enjoy them in moderation like the others in your boat choose to do every day.
Yup
Whenever someone has a problem eating too much it's immediately dismissed as lack of self control. When someone has a problem not wanting to eat it gets labelled as anorexia and treated very seriously. Why the double standard?
Either way, it's a lack of self-control.0 -
Sounds more like an lack of self control stemming from immaturity (sorry, that's the only way to put it). You gotta ask yourself "when do I want to grow up and hold myself responsible for my decisions?" If the answer is "not right now," then eat all the cookies and blame an addictive food personality. If the answer is "now," then put them away and snack on something else, or enjoy them in moderation like the others in your boat choose to do every day.
Yup
Whenever someone has a problem eating too much it's immediately dismissed as lack of self control.
Because that's what it is. But the problem doesn't stop or resolve itself there- *why* there is a lack of self control or willpower is the thing to be tackled. Everyone has experienced a lack of willpower or self control at some point, be it food, emotions, spending money, etc... In order to gain control, one needs to figure out why they lack it.0 -
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Beautifully put!First off- I'm going to warn you: this post has the potential to get crazy.... don't take offense to what anyone says; everyone is trying to help in their own way. You're probably not going to like a lot of the responses, but there will be a lot of good info that comes your way. Now, having said that...
Willpower- there's a notion that it is an exhaustible resource, that as we make decisions (even pleasurable ones) or become stressed, our willpower depletes. Do some reading on ego-depletion. The upside of this is, if it can be depleted, it can also be replenished!
There can be myriad reasons why one overeats... emotional reasons, stress reasons, nutrient deficiency reasons. Figure out the driving force behind your overeating and you can better address the issue. Since this seems to be a relatively recent issue, I would suspect this is a situational problem, but only you can figure it out.
Perhaps keeping aforementioned foods out of your reach until you figure out *why* you're eating this way is a good idea; although the vast majority of us on MFP advocate moderation, sometimes it doesn't work when lack of willpower is an issue.
ETA: Protein. Make sure you're eating enough protein, especially in the morning. I've found when I eat a proper, protein-filled breakfast (as opposed to carb-heavy or skipping it) I make better choices throughout the day.0 -
Know what your trigger foods are and stay away from them. Make sure you are eating healthy, balanced meals (and that may mean something different to you than it does to me), so that if you reach for a Belvita, you aren't so hungry you scarf the whole box. When you find yourself reaching for a trigger food, ask yourself why. Are you hungry? Are you bored? Are you stressed? Perhaps you could try a journal to figure out what triggers this for you.
Personally, I had to stop eating so many sugars and refined foods to stop my triggers. It wasn't easy and it can take up to 6 weeks for a new, better habit to take the place of an existing habit.
Good luck.0 -
Sounds more like an lack of self control stemming from immaturity (sorry, that's the only way to put it). You gotta ask yourself "when do I want to grow up and hold myself responsible for my decisions?" If the answer is "not right now," then eat all the cookies and blame an addictive food personality. If the answer is "now," then put them away and snack on something else, or enjoy them in moderation like the others in your boat choose to do every day.
Yup
Whenever someone has a problem eating too much it's immediately dismissed as lack of self control.
Because that's what it is. But the problem doesn't stop or resolve itself there- *why* there is a lack of self control or willpower is the thing to be tackled. Everyone has experienced a lack of willpower or self control at some point, be it food, emotions, spending money, etc... In order to gain control, one needs to figure out why they lack it.
Exactly and that's why in my post I said YOU have to figure out how to do it. Just know it will be hard but it can be done. To me, it's a skill that can be practiced and mastered.
ETA: It's also why I often post, "when you are ready to lose the weight, you will".0 -
Focus on getting more protein and a bit of fat into every meal, and snack on protein like yogurt, eggs, nuts, etc. Stop buying so many snacky simple carbs for now--it sounds like they trigger a "bottomless pit" situation for you.
I love all kinds of protein, but I find it much harder to go overboard on something like hard boiled eggs or cottage cheese than I would a big bag of Fritos.0 -
Because that's what it is. But the problem doesn't stop or resolve itself there- *why* there is a lack of self control or willpower is the thing to be tackled. Everyone has experienced a lack of willpower or self control at some point, be it food, emotions, spending money, etc... In order to gain control, one needs to figure out why they lack it.
Yeah but no one ever talks about needing to explore why the person over eats. They just label them as a fatty with no self control and they move on. Not the same if someone has a eating disorder. It's some big deep emotional thing. They want to help or have you at least get help. It's like, "Hey, you have the right idea being slim, but you're too slim. We can help." In fact, just the fact that people associate eat disorder with skinny speaks to the point. Do you not have a problem, one might say a disorder, if you eat too much? It's just an observation.0 -
Everyone likes to eat yummy foods....its all about self control. I can be very greedy (i.e. I have stopped even buying chocolate spread) and sometimes I am better at controlling myself than other times............for a variety of reasons, mood, health, workout schedule etc. I think you are just making excuses - its your choice!0
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Sounds more like an lack of self control stemming from immaturity (sorry, that's the only way to put it). You gotta ask yourself "when do I want to grow up and hold myself responsible for my decisions?" If the answer is "not right now," then eat all the cookies and blame an addictive food personality. If the answer is "now," then put them away and snack on something else, or enjoy them in moderation like the others in your boat choose to do every day.
Yup
Whenever someone has a problem eating too much it's immediately dismissed as lack of self control.
Because that's what it is. But the problem doesn't stop or resolve itself there- *why* there is a lack of self control or willpower is the thing to be tackled. Everyone has experienced a lack of willpower or self control at some point, be it food, emotions, spending money, etc... In order to gain control, one needs to figure out why they lack it.
Exactly and that's why in my post I said YOU have to figure out how to do it. Just know it will be hard but it can be done. To me, it's a skill that can be practiced and mastered.
ETA: It's also why I often post, "when you are ready to lose the weight, you will".
Accountability and portion control. MFP can help but only if you help yourself. No magic pill here. Take care of your body, it will take care of you! Get a food scale and an HRM and get serious. You can do this!!!!! Now if I could only get my own 19 year granddaughter would listen to me. All she wants to do is party and sleep and wonders why she keeps getting bigger and bigger.
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"when you are ready to lose the weight, you will".
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This!!!! It's up to you, you can do this......... don't let food control you. You take control, get stuck in, hatch a plan that works for YOU 0 -
Because that's what it is. But the problem doesn't stop or resolve itself there- *why* there is a lack of self control or willpower is the thing to be tackled. Everyone has experienced a lack of willpower or self control at some point, be it food, emotions, spending money, etc... In order to gain control, one needs to figure out why they lack it.
Yeah but no one ever talks about needing to explore why the person over eats. They just label them as a fatty with no self control and they move on. Not the same if someone has a eating disorder. It's some big deep emotional thing. They want to help or have you at least get help. It's like, "Hey, you have the right idea being slim, but you're too slim. We can help." In fact, just the fact that people associate eat disorder with skinny speaks to the point. Do you not have a problem, one might say a disorder, if you eat too much? It's just an observation.
I believe the issue lies in that obesity is a much slower death than starvation.
Truly, anything can become a compulsory issue for you. Not just food. It's the ultimate impact that discerns whether a compulsion should be addressed. Do you have some behavior that you are consistent about? Like maybe you put your clothes away in a certain order or your morning routine. Any of these things can become a compulsion. It's how these compulsions impact your life that determines if the behavior should be addressed. For OCD, people develop many different compulsions and ultimately their need to fulfill those compulsions becomes overwhelming and interferes with their ability to function.
The reality is that an anorexic could die in a few short months, but a compulsive overeater will spend years killing themselves. Because of the urgency of need to address the compulsions of an anorexic, it may seem like a compulsive overeater is not getting the care or help that they deserve.0 -
Compulsion and addiction are two different things. They are similar, but different. Compulsion is entirely psychological while addiction is psychological in combination with a physical dependence. The good news is that compulsive overeating is easier to conquer than addiction. But first, you have to make up in your mind that you want to overcome this. That is true of any compulsion or addiction. If you feel in your heart of hearts that you truly want to change this behavior, then you are going to have to learn to tell yourself no. You're going to have to find ways to moderate yourself. You are also going to have to understand that no one is responsible for what goes into your mouth, but you.
Ultimately, however, if you find all of the above completely impossible, then the only real solution for you is to see a psychologist, or at least, some kind of counseling or therapy. Because compulsion is completely psychological.
Agreed with this caveat (and I've been dealing with an eating addiction for 30+ years.) The brains of the truly addicted have been found to have actual physical changes associated with drug and alcohol addiction:The idea that a person can be addicted to food has recently gotten more support from science.
Experiments in animals and humans show that, for some people, the same reward and pleasure centers of the brain that are triggered by addictive drugs like cocaine and heroin are also activated by food, especially highly palatable foods. Highly palatable foods are foods rich in:
Sugar
Fat
Salt
Like addictive drugs, highly palatable foods trigger feel-good brain chemicals such as dopamine. Once people experience pleasure associated with increased dopamine transmission in the brain's reward pathway from eating certain foods, they quickly feel the need to eat again.
The reward signals from highly palatable foods may override other signals of fullness and satisfaction. As a result, people keep eating, even when they're not hungry.
People who show signs of food addiction may also develop a tolerance to food. They eat more and more, only to find that food satisfies them less and less.
From WebMD http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/mental-health-food-addiction
Of course, just because you are binge eating, this does NOT mean you are addicted.
There are some options. You can just cut the "trigger" foods out of your diet (diet as in ALL the food you eat, not diet as in the calorie-restriction common usage of the word.) Counseling is always an option but make sure the person understands food addiction/compulsion. If you need help immediately, you can join OA online or go to FAA for immediate help.
Good luck!0 -
Because that's what it is. But the problem doesn't stop or resolve itself there- *why* there is a lack of self control or willpower is the thing to be tackled. Everyone has experienced a lack of willpower or self control at some point, be it food, emotions, spending money, etc... In order to gain control, one needs to figure out why they lack it.
Yeah but no one ever talks about needing to explore why the person over eats. They just label them as a fatty with no self control and they move on. Not the same if someone has a eating disorder. It's some big deep emotional thing. They want to help or have you at least get help. It's like, "Hey, you have the right idea being slim, but you're too slim. We can help." In fact, just the fact that people associate eat disorder with skinny speaks to the point. Do you not have a problem, one might say a disorder, if you eat too much? It's just an observation.
Well, that's why I do. That's why I mention it every time food compulsion or addiction comes up. Because someone always says "willpower". And they're not wrong. But, if it were just as simple as choosing not to eat one thing over another, many of us wouldn't be here. Also, I view these things through the prism of my own struggles and experiences (doesn't everyone?) and as such, I always advocate that the person really figure out *WHY* they overeat or binge.0 -
Find something interesting to do while u are with your family like reading a book that u can't lay aside until u reach the end of it (u need to be busy not to think about food), share whatever u eat with others (this is the good side of being not alone, u don't have to eat the whole meal or fruit just because u don't want to throw it). Make sure there's no food around you when you are not having breakfast, dinner or lunch. Reduce only up to 200 cals a day. Good luck0
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Compulsion and addiction are two different things. They are similar, but different. Compulsion is entirely psychological while addiction is psychological in combination with a physical dependence. The good news is that compulsive overeating is easier to conquer than addiction. But first, you have to make up in your mind that you want to overcome this. That is true of any compulsion or addiction. If you feel in your heart of hearts that you truly want to change this behavior, then you are going to have to learn to tell yourself no. You're going to have to find ways to moderate yourself. You are also going to have to understand that no one is responsible for what goes into your mouth, but you.
Ultimately, however, if you find all of the above completely impossible, then the only real solution for you is to see a psychologist, or at least, some kind of counseling or therapy. Because compulsion is completely psychological.
Wow, great descriptions of the difference between compulsion and addiction.
Wrong but good effort.
I think how you should have worded it was - this is my interpretation of the difference between compulsion and addiction.0 -
If I sit down with the wrong food, I will eat and eat and eat and eat. For me, it's all about portion control and logging everything I eat. Popcorn (healthy popcorn like skinny pop) is my new favorite snack because I get a large portion for the amount of calories. If I don't measure out my servings though, I will easily eat two servings without knowing it and could probably eat the whole bag. By logging it, I have to be more mindful of how much I can/should have...sometimes I can have 8 cups of popcorn and sometimes I can only have 2. I have switched out almost all of the snacks in my house for healthier alternatives...sure there are things I love that aren't good for me, but there are just as many things out there I love that are (like the popcorn). It's taken time to find healthy foods that make me really happy and not everything I've tried has been something that makes me feel like I'm not missing out, but those foods are out there.0
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Compulsion and addiction are two different things. They are similar, but different. Compulsion is entirely psychological while addiction is psychological in combination with a physical dependence. The good news is that compulsive overeating is easier to conquer than addiction. But first, you have to make up in your mind that you want to overcome this. That is true of any compulsion or addiction. If you feel in your heart of hearts that you truly want to change this behavior, then you are going to have to learn to tell yourself no. You're going to have to find ways to moderate yourself. You are also going to have to understand that no one is responsible for what goes into your mouth, but you.
Ultimately, however, if you find all of the above completely impossible, then the only real solution for you is to see a psychologist, or at least, some kind of counseling or therapy. Because compulsion is completely psychological.
Wow, great descriptions of the difference between compulsion and addiction.
Wrong but good effort.
I think how you should have worded it was - this is my interpretation of the difference between compulsion and addiction.
Okay... well, I've been in recovery for addiction for many years, I've also had therapy for compulsory behavior, and I've had several psychology classes (though not a psychologist). I think I have a clear understanding of the difference.
I noticed that, while you felt the need to call me out as wrong, you didn't offer any interpretation of your own.0 -
Compulsion and addiction are two different things. They are similar, but different. Compulsion is entirely psychological while addiction is psychological in combination with a physical dependence. The good news is that compulsive overeating is easier to conquer than addiction. But first, you have to make up in your mind that you want to overcome this. That is true of any compulsion or addiction. If you feel in your heart of hearts that you truly want to change this behavior, then you are going to have to learn to tell yourself no. You're going to have to find ways to moderate yourself. You are also going to have to understand that no one is responsible for what goes into your mouth, but you.
Ultimately, however, if you find all of the above completely impossible, then the only real solution for you is to see a psychologist, or at least, some kind of counseling or therapy. Because compulsion is completely psychological.0 -
I agree with the above quote a lot of people say its all self control. You can have all the self control in the world and lose weight but the second you stop it can all go down hill unless you figure out the why. therapy works really well or there are meetings like AA just for people with eating problems called OA.
it works very well to help figure the why0
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