Can you be addicted to food?

wackyfunster

I don't think you can be addicted to food, but you can be addicted to eating. Fortunately, addictions are just habits, and habits can be broken, or replaced with better habits! You have the power to take back control over your life!

LabRat529

I think there is a physical difference between habitual behavior and addiction

Smoking is an addiction

Over-eating is habit

I like this distinction and I am inclined to agree, although I do think there are some rare people who go beyond habit and into addiction with eating.

soonerthanlater

What LabRat said is all true. I would add that 'addiction' is an appropriate term as it is defined as doing some activity (in this c I ase eating calorie-dense food) despite negative consequences. All of us here have seen the negative consequences but we all give in at times anyway. That is addiction. Yes, it's also behavioral and our early programming reinforces the biological preference for calorie-dense food. But there's more to the story. Big Food is big business. They want us to be reliant on their products. Their food is chemically engineered to satisfy our base cravings and, in doing so, reinforce them. They want us to be fat, as fat people are better customers. No conspiracy paranoia is required, it's a simple result of market forces. Whoever gives us what our reptile brain wants in the most appealing packages will make the most money. Our culture is inundated w/ food advertising and they get their hooks in early. Watch childrens' programming on TV this Saturday morning and see what they're selling your kids.

What to do when faced by an irrational craving, something you know you don't need but still want very badly?

I try to remember WHY I want it - and REBEL. Rage against the Big Food machine. Refuse to be their slave. CHOOSE to be your own person. And go eat something you know your body needs.

Your reptile brain will come around. And Big Food can bite me.

sunnyshine1313

Addicted...YES. It is so difficult to resist the wide variety of temptations that are out there. It's so easy to fall into the same old bad habit of just eating whatever you want because the craving is so strong, but it is a struggle in the mind to walk away from what you want so bad. I do believe it's a lot like those that struggle with any addiction, it's in the back of your head all of the time, and the battle to fight the urges that you usually give into. It's a matter of becoming stronger and more aware of your addiction and knowing how to be strong in the fight that goes on in the mind, that's why it's so important to continue to log in and use MFP, so many have great advice and give some support that is so helpful.

herownkindofwonderfull

I am smart, in the medical field (which is embarrassing to be obese) and educated in how the body works. I feel my weight has gotten where it is because I am a food addict.... is that possible. I lack self discipline with food and I am suck an emotional eater. Any thoughts?

yes. technically, you can become addicted to anything. it's a mentality - not based on substances alone.

jenilla1

I know I'm definitely addicted to food. No matter how hard I try, I can't control myself. I just had a small pizza (seriously) and now heading to bed. I saw it in the freezer and just had to have it. I should have said no and just went to bed.

Get tht crap out of your house! I have basically no convenience food in my house. I cook almost everything from scratch. Because of this, I have to be really hungry to go out of my way to cook something to eat. Most of the time when I get a craving to eat but really don't need it, I think about having to prepare a meal and I decide I'm just too lazy. Works every time. :laugh:

DawnEH612

I used to think so. I used to think I was a food addict. I work with drug and alcoholics and when I first started my journey, back in November 2011, it was about learning how to have a healthy relationship with food, not necessarily about loosing weight, although that was a benefit I received. I tried to use many of the same principals I use when working with the drug and alcoholics.. Some are good principals but in the long run I found I really wasnt addicted because I was able to eat foods in moderation, including ones I sometimes felt powerless to such as ice cream...

What I realized thru my journey was I had poor coping mechanisms (ate to relieve bordem and/or stress or numb myself by going into what i call a feeding freenzy or eating coma/trance) and absolutely horrible eating habits, not really an addiction. In additin it seems I was so busy multi-tasking in my world, eating became one of those multi-tasking things, you know, driving while listening to the radio, talking on the cell, and eating OR coming home from work, on my cell, putting groceries away with the tv on and eating, OR sitting at my office desk, filing papers, on the phone and eating....

I realized EATING needs to be a totally separate activity fom everything else. I needed to be more MINDFUL, AWARE and IN TUNE with my body and mind while I am eating. It can no longer be bringing a bag of chips to the sofa believing I will stop at one serving, or eating out of a pint size container of ice cream while surfing the Internet or nibbling on some crackers while cooking dinner because I am so famished I can't even wait 15 more minutes for my dinner to be done. I had to totally make my eating an activity in and of itself....

I have been teaching myself healthier eating habits by practicing different things. This is what I found to have worked:

1) NEVER NEVER NEVER eat anything directly from the original container unless it is a single serve container., even then consider putting it on a real plate. Never eat your first bite of ANY food, snack food, ice cream or other food item/indulgence until the container is safely closed up and put back into the pantry or refrigerator/freezer. Never eat standing up, in the kitchen (I used to do this all of the time and it would lead me to scarf down what was in front of me in mere moments only to have me in too convenient of a place, the kitchen, to begin rummaging around for "just one more chip, spoonful of ice cream, nibble of cake, etc... "

2) eat without ANY distractions. No tv, no phone, no internet. Be MINDFUL! Sit at a table if you can. For dinner, I set the timer on my cell phone that counts backwards by the second. I set it for 20 minutes. I take each bit, chew thoroughly. I put my eating utensil down between each and every bite. Once I swallow the food in my mouth I wait no less than 10 seconds before I pick up my utensil for another bite. while I am waiting to take the next bite I stare down my food. I talk to myself sayng that it is not urgent that I quickly put another bite into my mouth, I CAN wait, there is NO RUSH. When I first started doing this I realized how much it pained me to wait for that next bite because I used to have the next mouthful already loaded on my utensil and ready to shovel in my mouth before the stuff in my mouth was even chewed properly! When I first began this exercise I finished most of my meals in about 10-13 minutes (to consume a diet frozen entree and 2 servings of fresh veggies). My goal was to take a full 20 minutes as that is the time it takes for your brain to be signaled that you have eaten. I now always reach my 20 minute goal and sometimes, like tonight it took me over 30 minutes to eat. Now, when I am done eating, my brain knows I ate and I am not as compelled to go into the kitchen to eat more. I used to do that, go into the kitchen immediately after i ate and eat more. Now I realize it's because I I ate so fast that my brain didn't even have time to process it, so I still felt hungry and would compulsively reach in for unhealthy and quick things to put in my mouth despite having just eaten a nourishing meal!

3) for any food you think you cannot control your intake in eating, I assure you, you can. I thought I was totally addicted to Ben & Jerry's ice cream and at first avoided it like the plague, only to realize, my goal was to have a healthy relationship with food, ALL foods... And avoidance is not healthy, nor is eating excessive amounts. So, I began to practice eating healthy portions of my indulgent foods. First, portion out ONE serving.(much to my dismay a pint of ice cream was not one serving) Put the container away BEFORE taking that first taste! this is imperative. Also make sure you do not eat it out of the container. I try to eat off regular plates as much as possible, even if single serve items b/c it helps me visualize what ONE serving should look like on a plate, bowl etc. once I have my indulgent item out, I take it to a quiet place wth no distractions. Sometimes I even close my eyes. I take the first bite and try to enjoy every sensation whether it be the creaminess of ice cream, the saltiness and crunch of a chip, the stickiness of peanut butter, the moistness of a brownie, etc. I try to taste each flavor ad texture and really enjoy it. If my mind begins to drift off to other things such as the kids, the dog, the phone, the laundry, whatever, I do not take the next bite until I have forced my attention back to eating my indulgence. This helps to stay mindful in your eating and tasting and enjoyment of the item. Between each mouthful put down the utensil and wait 10 seconds between bites. If there is no utensil and your eating something like chips, sit on your hands or cross/fold your arms for 10 seconds... Anything to prevent you from impulsively grabbing the next chip and putting it in your mouth before that 10 seconds is up. Once youre done, have an activity at the ready to distract you, for atleast 15 minutes, thus preventing you from grabbing more of what you might normally binge on. It can be taking the dog for a walk, bathing the kids, folding laundry, talking on the phone in a room well away from the kitchen, logging and/or blogging on MFP or taking a shower. I like taking a shower as it is relaxing, totally prevents me from wandering back into the kitchen and takes atleast 20 minutes from start to finish to complete. I find that this immediate time away from the kitchen and my indulgent food STOPS my compulsion to eat and I have been successful more times than not, in eating just one serving.

I have practiced many of these things so many times that I no longer need to do some of them anymore as my new habit has kicked in. Sometimes I need a refresher and some things I still do, such as setting my dinner timer, just because I like to see how long I can drag out my dinner. Be patient.... Bad habits take a lifetime to learn... They will not be broken over night!

good luck!

Heidi_M78

Yes, recent studies show that refined carbs are as addictive to the body as heroine .

The difference , for example, between me dieting, and a smoker trying to give up, is that the smoker can go cold turkey, and I still need food to survive:grumble:

DawnEH612

I don't think you can be addicted to food, but you can be addicted to eating. Fortunately, addictions are just habits, and habits can be broken, or replaced with better habits! You have the power to take back control over your life!

Correction... Addiction is a disease... Not just a bad habit. sadly it isn't as some as replacing an unhealthy habit with a healthy one. I work intensely with drug addicts and alcoholics. I see the horrible devastation of the disease of addicition. I have also seen drug abusers cross my path... Abusers are not addicts. Maybe there are food abusers, not food addicts?

timmymon

I don't think so. I think the word addiciton is thrown around in almost every circumstance where people lack will power and it is often used as an excuse. Once people think that addiction is a real problem then they have justification to continue in the negative behavior. I think it is just weakness of the will

FatFreeKandee

I believe you can be addicted to food, especially with all the processing and chemicals they put into things now. The difference between the addiction to alcohol or drugs, and the addiction to food is that alcoholic and drug addicts can walk away from their addiction (no easily but it can be done)..... We NEED food to survive...so we cannot walk away from it...simply have to try to control it.....someone with a food addiction going to a grocery store is very much like an alcoholic walking into a bar.

KettleBellHoe

some people eat to cope with the stress they experience on a daily basis which is crazy cuz people need to fkn stop taking life so seriously.

clamoreaux2012

Thank you for your response, I have never thought of it that way. Maybe the term "addiction" isn't the right one to use, I couldn't think of a better one. It makes sense how the neurotransmitters can trigger various responses in the brain to food. Thank you!

clamoreaux2012

Thank you, very informative. I am currently (in addition to diet and exercise) doing a cognitive therapy program to help me re-train my brain on how to think of food. I loved your suggestions!

kristianamonroe

yes defiantly, emotional addiction to food is common also i know wheat ( white, whole grain, whole wheat doesn't matter) in particular is a very addictive food/ingredient, it reacts with the brain the same way heroin or cocaine would