Food Addiction?

Woomytron

eldamiano wrote: »

vada44 wrote: »

I have the same issue and I believe you can be addicted to food just as you can be addicted to cigarettes, video games or anything else that takes over your life. I find that if I have other things to do that will keep my mind off of overeating. I don't buy food that I know I will overeat or if I do buy something like Doritos I will buy the smaller snack size bags instead of the family bag. It is about learning to eat in moderation. I leave snacks in my car so if I really want it I have to inconvenience myself to go and get it then I ask myself "do I really want it that bad"? most times I don't. Good luck

Video games arent an addictive substance, like food. Nicotine is, so you cant compare.

Just because they don't have an addictive substance in them doesn't make people NOT addicted to things. People with addictive personalities can become addicted to a number of things because of how it makes them feel while doing/eating those things. You should probably do some research before coming in here and telling someone they are faking their issues.

eldamiano

Woomytron wrote: »

eldamiano wrote: »

vada44 wrote: »

I have the same issue and I believe you can be addicted to food just as you can be addicted to cigarettes, video games or anything else that takes over your life. I find that if I have other things to do that will keep my mind off of overeating. I don't buy food that I know I will overeat or if I do buy something like Doritos I will buy the smaller snack size bags instead of the family bag. It is about learning to eat in moderation. I leave snacks in my car so if I really want it I have to inconvenience myself to go and get it then I ask myself "do I really want it that bad"? most times I don't. Good luck

Video games arent an addictive substance, like food. Nicotine is, so you cant compare.

Just because they don't have an addictive substance in them doesn't make people NOT addicted to things. People with addictive personalities can become addicted to a number of things because of how it makes them feel while doing/eating those things. You should probably do some research before coming in here and telling someone they are faking their issues.

Faking their issues? The point is that people may have an obsession with food and like yourself compare it to a clinically addictive substance such as nicotine as an excuse to hide behind. This is rather living in denial and does not combat the root cause.

As you have suggested, it is their personalities which are addictive, and not the food, so this is a question of willpower, not an addiction.

LeslieTSUK

I guess for me it is exactly the same, but maybe for different reasons.

As a child growing up in the 70's, my parents worked but money was real low, we never knew where next meal was coming from.

Everything was home cooked, and most times healthy things to, as fast food back then was super expensive.

Mum drilled it into us kids, we don't have the money for anything to be wasted, so if you open something you eat it, never leave anything.

So we didn't leave anything, but as time went on, cost of living got easier, but those drilled in teachings from a small child never left.

So more food comes in, more ya eat, more ya eat more ya crave thus the cycle continued.

My only way of dealing with it is to not keep anything in the house food/drink wise that will go off quick once opened.

So everything I have is either frozen or packet dried food, so when I do open something it doesn't trigger those feelings that something going to be wasted.

But as the OP said, I think of food every minute of every day, but knowing I will have to go and prep the food then cook it, or let something thaw out first, helps to stop me from having it.

I guess I have just hit that point where I realised i'm never going to get rid of those thoughts so why bother wasting effort trying to, just because i hear them don't mean I have to listen to them.



But from experience for those people like ourselves, we need something that makes us want to ignore those thoughts.

For me it was not going blind, I had to sort my diabetes out which gave me that focus the last 3 years and counting, it funny, I got told I was going to die and I laughed and said yayy i'll be pain free, but getting told I was about to go blind, that kicked me up the *kitten* to sort myself out.

Hope that helps.

KittieKatye

My problem I suppose is a lot like your own. I have always known when I should stop eating, when I really couldn't eat another bite, but to me, I grew up in a house where you ate everything on your plate, whether you liked it or not, because it was "wasteful". And usually we were given portions much larger than they should have been. But if it's really good, I don't care how full I am, I want to keep eating it. Because it's so delicious! Fast Food, chips, cookies and ice cream are always my downfalls. It's nothing for me to eat a good sized container of ice cream. Or a whole pack of chips ahoy chunky with a tall glass of milk. Or munch on a full sized bag of kettle cooked chips. And sometimes, I even feel hungrier after eating it! But for me, I can stop doing those things if my mind is put to it. But I have relapsed on more than one occasion. It's tough, but you have to stick it through! Good luck to you!

trinatrina1984

eldamiano wrote: »

vada44 wrote: »

I have the same issue and I believe you can be addicted to food just as you can be addicted to cigarettes, video games or anything else that takes over your life. I find that if I have other things to do that will keep my mind off of overeating. I don't buy food that I know I will overeat or if I do buy something like Doritos I will buy the smaller snack size bags instead of the family bag. It is about learning to eat in moderation. I leave snacks in my car so if I really want it I have to inconvenience myself to go and get it then I ask myself "do I really want it that bad"? most times I don't. Good luck

Video games arent an addictive substance, like food. Nicotine is, so you cant compare.

what about gambling?

sofaking6

eldamiano wrote: »

Woomytron wrote: »

eldamiano wrote: »

vada44 wrote: »

I have the same issue and I believe you can be addicted to food just as you can be addicted to cigarettes, video games or anything else that takes over your life. I find that if I have other things to do that will keep my mind off of overeating. I don't buy food that I know I will overeat or if I do buy something like Doritos I will buy the smaller snack size bags instead of the family bag. It is about learning to eat in moderation. I leave snacks in my car so if I really want it I have to inconvenience myself to go and get it then I ask myself "do I really want it that bad"? most times I don't. Good luck

Video games arent an addictive substance, like food. Nicotine is, so you cant compare.

Just because they don't have an addictive substance in them doesn't make people NOT addicted to things. People with addictive personalities can become addicted to a number of things because of how it makes them feel while doing/eating those things. You should probably do some research before coming in here and telling someone they are faking their issues.

Faking their issues? The point is that people may have an obsession with food and like yourself compare it to a clinically addictive substance such as nicotine as an excuse to hide behind. This is rather living in denial and does not combat the root cause.

As you have suggested, it is their personalities which are addictive, and not the food, so this is a question of willpower, not an addiction.

You don't know the difference between addiction and dependence. LORD I miss the Ignore feature!!!!!

lorib642

OP I hope you find support here or elsewhere


I think it is strange what they choose to call a disorder in the dsm 5. Caffeine intoxication, gambling disorder. There are eating disorders, like binge eating, but I don't know if they considered anything like food "addiction"
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DSM-5_codes#Substance-Related_and_Addictive_Disorders

Debmal77

This is not hard... I eat everything I like. I am having great success. I just eat less of it....calorie deficit...weight loss.....easy....works....end...

maoribadger

I dont think food represents a physical addiction like alcohol or cigarettes. But you do develop an emotional and mental dependence upon it.

LeonCX

I think it comes down to how you define addiction. I mean, gambling addiction is considered a mental addiction, heroin addiction is physical, and things like cigarette addiction are a combination of both. IMO, food addiction, is also a combination of both. Some here have said it doesn't exist, but I think it does.

twinzmom172

I can completely relate. I love to eat - I eat when I'm happy, sad, mad, celebrating or stressed. I used to work in a long term drug and alcohol rehab. I know many don't want to put food in that category, but for myself I feel it is. There are differences of course, but too many similarities for me to dismiss. I've binged, hid while eating, would eat a fast food meal before going out to dinner so I wouldn't eat as much while in front of others, reason with myself or try to justify why it was ok to eat so much. That being said, I'm all or nothing - so when I'm good - I'm great. Right now I'm back on track and hope I stay that way - but it is something that I will continually have to work at for the rest of my life - much like those who are dealing with other addictions - our difference is that food is legal and we need it to survive.