Doritos are not meth.

PJ64

STANDING OVATION!!!

I REFUSE to cut certain food out just because they might be "bad." I like to keep a tub of chocolate icing around my house so I can eat a spoonful or two when I need to quell my chocolate urge. Have I ever opened the top, grabbed a spoon and eaten half the tub before I batted an eyelash? Certainly! But I also used to eat a couple tacos and a box of mac & cheese for dinner. By myself. In one sitting. I realize that giving in to those tempations might mean I don't reach my goal as quickly as I might like, but it also means I won't (generally) gorge myself on crap foods all the time. That's just me.

So glad you spoke up!

This!!

Sharon_C

Standing up and clapping. I couldn't agree more. :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

And just for the record - I never eat Doritos. Not because they're like meth but because they make your breath stinky :sick:

SanteMulberry

While it is true that "Doritos are not meth" many food pleasures stimulate the pleasure centers of the brain and make us want more. It isn't actually a "real" addiction, of course. When I decided to stop eating sugar and wheat, I didn't go into DTs or anything--in fact, I actually felt better. But, for me, I know that there are certain foods that seem to do a number on my self-control, so I avoid them. I haven't had anything sugary or anything with wheat in it for two years. And you know what? After a very short period of time, I didn't crave them physically anymore. Now, I don't even WANT them, because I have had the benefit of being without them. (I lost 50 pounds and over 7 inches off my waist). But that is simply my way of approaching things. If some people want to try the "moderation" approach, I say more power to them. It is a personal choice and we shouldn't judge either way. Just like exercise, diet must be something that suits you and which you can stick with for the long haul.

Natihilator

Willpower is a stupid diet industry buzzword, points off for that.

Are there things that I look at in the grocery store, things that I have enjoyed too much in the past, that I make a conscious effort not to buy because I know they won't last the night in my kitchen? Definitely. Do I agonize over it and feel like I'm missing out on life and cry myself to sleep because I can't keep cartons of ice cream and bags of sugary cereals in my cupboard? Hardly. I eat lots of things that I love, and if you look at my food diary you will see that I don't 'diet' and my binges happen very infrequently, but I know my weaknesses. Nothing wrong with that.

Out of sight, out of mind is a fabulous weight loss tool, don't discount it. Prevention, when you can use it, works wonders.

PeachyKeene

Hey dear, you can try to talk sense into them until you are blue in the face, it will not work. There are actually people that believe this gibberish to be true. Maybe they are lying to themselves or simply are trying to force their will on others and believe they know it all so it must be true. Simple fact of the matter is, you know the truth and you are taking steps to help yourself. One thing I will tell you is, trying to argue this point is going to mess with YOUR serenity.

Dont sweat it. I feel bad for all the people that die every year because they believe this or someone else has convinced them that they can overcome addiction with willpower. But all we can do is all we can do. We walk the walk and if someone wants what we have, they will ask us how we did it.

Congrats to you for making the choice to get help with your addiction. Welcome to your new and wonderful life. :flowerforyou:

HAHAHA! Typical addict behavior, I just keep coming back for more. lol!!

Siege_Tank

Hey dear, you can try to talk sense into them until you are blue in the face, it will not work. There are actually people that believe this gibberish to be true. Maybe they are lying to themselves or simply are trying to force their will on others and believe they know it all so it must be true. Simple fact of the matter is, you know the truth and you are taking steps to help yourself. One thing I will tell you is, trying to argue this point is going to mess with YOUR serenity.

Wow.. you.. I...

You're right, they actually believe it, and nothing a rational mind can say will change that.

/thread

justal313

Standing up and clapping. I couldn't agree more. :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

And just for the record - I never eat Doritos. Not because they're like meth but because they make your breath stinky :sick:

So does meth

lizzzylou

Eat Doritos in moderation? Unpossible!

Seriously. It's not even remotely likely.

So yeah, avoiding food which so easily defeats one's willpower is a good life choice.

:drinker: this would be me. I can USUALLY be in the same room as them just so long as I dont take the first bite....once that happens...:frown:

rm7161

All chips are crack to me, hahaha. Even my super healthy Mary's Gone Crackers which I adore, but while healthy not low calorie!

The way I control my willpower is to use the food scale and never ever eat them out of the box or the bag. I measure my portion, log and eat it. That way works for me.

shining_light

My realization about myself was, surprise, if I buy it, I'm going to eat it. And not likely in moderation, I might add. For me, pre-packaged snack bars are bad news. I don't eat chips anymore, and I have to say, I don't feel deprived of them. I guess I never liked them much anyway. Big deal. My boyfriend will not buy foods that he knows I'll have a problem eating in moderation. Because of this cutting out entirely, it's been much easier to reincorportate small amounts of "bad" foods back into my life. It's much easier for me than slowly cutting them down, because for me, Doritos were meth. Cookies are crack. And no one would ever know it by looking at me that I'm a prisoner to food and I'm obsessed and disordered and all that. It's messy as hell. So yeah, I'm the one sobbing uncontrollably after eating something I "know I shouldn't".

I'm much better off telling myself that foods are forbidden, because after not having them for a couple of weeks, I don't miss 'em anyway. The desire is gone. I subsist mostly on veggies and lean meats, with some dairy, and I feel good about that.

G30Grrl

I actually saw that the originally OP was trying to say just because you eat a cupcake dont feel guilty its not the end of the world. It may have been a backwards way to go about it, and touched a lot of cords with those of us who are trying to manage our addiction on a daily, minute, meal by meal basis. It is sad that food addiction is treated like just a lack of will power, but people with true sex addiction also get treated the same way like its a joke. I think because unlike drugs and alcohol which is easy for someone to be flippant and say, "just stop!" You cant do that w/ an ED. All they can say is well do it in moderation,. Easy to brush under the rug and blame the individual for somehow being weak and lazy. If you dont know the pain of hiding, lying, and stealing to get your high (whatever the vice maybe) you cant understand. I hit a low with my addiction and couldnt go any further. I feel so much lighter now that I have opened to the world my dirty little secret. Food is indeed a drug.

I definitely agree with the OP about not beating ourselves up over a single cheat. That is self-defeating, and can lead to the kind of self-loathing that causes us to binge to "punish" ourselves.

The part I disagreed with was when she said " food can not own or control us. We have power over our own minds. You are not addicted to chocolate. You are not addicted to carbs." Clearly some people ARE addicted to carbs, or chocolate, or gluten, etc.

I think the respondents to this post can sort of be classified into two groups (though there are other ways to classify them as well): addicts and non-addicts. The non-addicts are responding positively, because they completely agree with the statement that they are not addicted, and they know that they just need to develop better eating habits and exercise better will power, as so many have advocated in this thread.

Those of us who HAVE addictions (food, alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, etc), however, know better. We understand that addictions are NOT just a matter of willpower, and we get frustrated when people who have no true understanding of addiction make ignorant statements to that effect. We know the danger of thinking that "with enough will power alone, I can manage my addiction and indulge in moderation." Some of us have watched many people die from that line of thinking.

My only wish in this thread is that people would actually accept and come to understand that just because they are not truly addicted, and they could learn to change their bad habits, that doesn't mean that nobody else has an addiction that cannot be conquered by will-power and changing habits alone. I know that this is an unrealistic expectation. But if perhaps ONE person becomes more open-minded with regards to food addictions, then having some people think I am a complete *sshole is worth it.

Siege_Tank

All chips are crack to me, hahaha. Even my super healthy Mary's Gone Crackers which I adore, but while healthy not low calorie!

The way I control my willpower is to use the food scale and never ever eat them out of the box or the bag. I measure my portion, log and eat it. That way works for me.

ETA: Sorry, I was just WAITING for someone to say crack so I could bring up Dave Chapelle

gsmithnp

I've not read all the posts, so please forgive if this is repetitive.

I think the OP's point is that each individual can control their own purchasing habits (i.e. not buy any of a particular food so that they're not tempted to eat/binge at home) but it's not productive to freak out when things happen that are really out of our control. The fact is other people will bring sweets in to work, there will be potluck lunches, or other situations where we are going to be tempted. It WILL happen, and there's NOTHING we can do about it, so freaking out won't help.

If you DO indulge (whether a little or a lot), don't let it get you down and make you forget the whole healthy-living/eating thing. Just get back on the wagon the next meal or next day and try again. You're human. You will make mistakes, but don't beat yourself up over it. Recovering alcoholics learn to deal with driving by bars, former smokers learn to deal with being around people who still smoke. Those of us trying to eat and live healthy have to learn to be around those who aren't. Sometimes we will be successful, other times not so much. It's a process.

NatWillBeSkinny

i dont like doritos they are like carboard but watsits i could eat forever lol

Natihilator

I definitely agree with the OP about not beating ourselves up over a single cheat. That is self-defeating, and can lead to the kind of self-loathing that causes us to binge to "punish" ourselves.

The part I disagreed with was when she said " food can not own or control us. We have power over our own minds. You are not addicted to chocolate. You are not addicted to carbs." Clearly some people ARE addicted to carbs, or chocolate, or gluten, etc.

I think the respondents to this post can sort of be classified into two groups (though there are other ways to classify them as well): addicts and non-addicts. The non-addicts are responding positively, because they completely agree with the statement that they are not addicted, and they know that they just need to develop better eating habits and exercise better will power, as so many have advocated in this thread.

Those of us who HAVE addictions (food, alcohol, drugs, sex, gambling, etc), however, know better. We understand that addictions are NOT just a matter of willpower, and we get frustrated when people who have no true understanding of addiction make ignorant statements to that effect. We know the danger of thinking that "with enough will power alone, I can manage my addiction and indulge in moderation." Some of us have watched many people die from that line of thinking.

My only wish in this thread is that people would actually accept and come to understand that just because they are not truly addicted, and they could learn to change their bad habits, that doesn't mean that nobody else has an addiction that cannot be conquered by will-power and changing habits alone. I know that this is an unrealistic expectation. But if perhaps ONE person becomes more open-minded with regards to food addictions, then having some people think I am a complete *sshole is worth it.

WendyTerry420

I love some of the things you said... like not beating yourself up about a slip. BUT I do believe people can be addicted to overeating. That would be the main reason there is a self help group called Overeaters Annonymous. Do I think I am addicted to one food? NO. Do I think I'm addicted to the feeling I get when I binge eat? Yes. It's the dopamine the brain releases after such a binge. IT IS LIKE DOING METH.
So yes, you pose a valid point. Do I agree with all of it? Nope. Thanks for a good read though! :flowerforyou:

Meth is not just about dopamine levels. :laugh:

Skinnyinsecure

I’m hesitant even as I write this, because I don’t want this to turn into some horrible flame war thread, because I write this with good intentions and not to judge or bully anyone. But it’s been on my mind for some time so I want to write it out…

Everywhere I look on this site I see threads or comments where people are losing their damn mind because someone brought cupcakes into work, or their mother-in-law made pasta for Sunday dinner, or they had to drive past a Taco Bell last Wednesday and it’s been giving them night terrors. They refuse to eat these things in moderation, or fit them somewhere in their daily/weekly/monthly goals and instead spend hours freaking out and obsessing about what they ate, didn’t eat or almost ate.

If someone brings cupcakes into my work, and I decide I’d like one – I eat it, I think “What a delicious cupcake.”, log it as best as I can in my food journal and continue with my day. I never think about it again, I don’t skip dinner or do an extra workout or pray to the Weight Loss God. I don’t shiver and sob on my bathroom floor while rubbing Sensa crystals all over my body. I ate a cupcake, I didn’t hit someone with my car and keep driving, so why should I feel guilty?

I’m not saying I don’t make bad choices some days. The other day I ate an entire bag of tortilla chips and an entire jar of queso dip. And not throughout the day or at a casual social event. I sat on my couch and crammed about 1500 calories into my mouth in 20 minutes. Did I regret it afterwards? Of course I did. Do I now think I have a queso addiction and refuse to have it in my house? No. There is a bag of chips in my cupboard and a jar of dip in my fridge. I like to enjoy a serving of each some nights after work.

The big picture is, food can not own or control us. We have power over our own minds. You are not addicted to chocolate. You are not addicted to carbs. There’s no shifty dudes hanging out in the alley trying to sell you Cheetos. Doritos are not meth. Losing weight to me has nothing to do with looking smokin’ hot in a bikini, one of my biggest goals is to continue to learn and implement my own self control. To learn how to keep things in balance, and make good decisions. I will slip up sometimes and moderation can fly out the window, but I’d rather learn from my mistakes than constantly worry about these “bad foods” and when they’re going to get me. I want to be free from these restrictions we put upon ourselves.

I’m not saying you have to keep eating junk food. If you don’t want to, don’t. If you want to eat clean (whatever that actually means), then go nuts. Just stop giving food more power than it has. I am so sick of people talking about food like it’s a drug. “Oh, I can’t control myself around sweets.” Yes, you can. You just never have. “I can’t have chips in my house!” Sure you can. Sometimes you’ll ration them out serving by serving throughout the week, and sometimes you’ll eat the entire bag at once and regret it afterwards. In my opinion, you will learn more from that than from walking through life with your eyes closed pretending chips don’t exist.

They do exist. And they are delicious.

I can tell you have an awesome sense of humour from this post :bigsmile: and i agree with you.
I guess i go OTT when i binge by praying to the weight loss Gods and pushing my muscles to the extreme in my next workout then emptying my house of all treats. I have found that it makes me go crazy when i go grocery shopping and the cycle continues viciously but this is a food for thought.
Well written!

applekrisp1988

Having junk food in moderation is fine, it's perfectly healthy to have a couple of them while making sure it fits into your diet. However, my personal problem with doritos and many other things is, I WILL binge if I have a bag of them. I am so bad at this it's not even funny.

I don't buy sweets, chips, pop, or even a can of peanuts because I find that I can't be trusted to eat them in moderation. Call me weak if you will, but its the truth.

Lesa_Sass

Hey dear, you can try to talk sense into them until you are blue in the face, it will not work. There are actually people that believe this gibberish to be true. Maybe they are lying to themselves or simply are trying to force their will on others and believe they know it all so it must be true. Simple fact of the matter is, you know the truth and you are taking steps to help yourself. One thing I will tell you is, trying to argue this point is going to mess with YOUR serenity.

Dont sweat it. I feel bad for all the people that die every year because they believe this or someone else has convinced them that they can overcome addiction with willpower. But all we can do is all we can do. We walk the walk and if someone wants what we have, they will ask us how we did it.

Congrats to you for making the choice to get help with your addiction. Welcome to your new and wonderful life. :flowerforyou:

HAHAHA! Typical addict behavior, I just keep coming back for more. lol!!

ROFL! I know right! I am going to prove my point even if it p!sses me off while doing it. :laugh:

Jonesingmucho

Standing up and clapping. I couldn't agree more. :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

And just for the record - I never eat Doritos. Not because they're like meth but because they make your breath stinky :sick:

So does meth

...but after smoking meth, Doritos breath is a turn on...

...at least that's what the methletes in dark alleys who sell me Cheetos say when I wander in with my Doritos breath and Cool Ranch powdered lips...

...wait what?

WendyTerry420

Willpower is a stupid diet industry buzzword, points off for that.

Willpower is about so much more than simply your diet. It's what gets you out of bed on days you feel too groggy. It's what gets you to pay your bills. It's what keeps you from choking a co-worker or in-law that is royally pissing you off. Willpower is another word for self-control.

G30Grrl

The GREAT thing about this thread is that it has brought me in touch with some AWESOME new MFP palsies! to all my new friends.

Jessymyn

http://www.foodaddictionsummit.org/foodaddiction.htm

"Just as alcohol is the substance that triggers the alcoholic's disease, there are substances that trigger a food addict's out-of-control eating.These substances are typically refined carbohydrates, sweeteners, fats and processed foods. These foods seem to affect the same addictive brain pathways that are influenced by alcohol and drugs."

As the adult child of an alcoholic reared in A.A. meetings, it just infuriates me to hear people state that addicts merely lack willpower. Obviously, the OP doesn't suffer from food addictions--neither do I. My go-to drug (which kept me skinny most of my life) was nicotine. Considering the fact that nicotine works on brain receptors in the same manner that many foods work on the brain receptors for those with a food addiction, I would never be so arrogant as to tell people that all they need to incorporate these foods into their lives is a little self-control.

Would you have told my father, a man who worked at his sobriety every day of his life for 51 years that he could incorporate alcohol into his daily life in moderation--all he needed was will power to overcome its addictive affect on him?

Would you tell me, or any other ex-smoker that all we need to obtain is a bit of constraint and restraint in order to smoke again in moderation?

No you wouldn't--because an addict cannot have just one drink, one cigarette, one line of meth, or one Dorito. One is too many--100 is never enough. And when it comes to addiction and brain chemistry--for an addict, food works on the human brain in the same manner as alcohol, drugs, and nicotine.

Addicts cannot have their addiction in moderation, plain and simple.

allisonlane61

Willpower is a stupid diet industry buzzword, points off for that.

Willpower is about so much more than simply your diet. It's what gets you out of bed on days you feel too groggy. It's what gets you to pay your bills. It's what keeps you from choking a co-worker or in-law that is royally pissing you off. Willpower is another word for self-control.

It's also what keeps you from buying the Doritos at the grocery store. :-)

StephCoff1969

The big picture is, food can not own or control us. We have power over our own minds.

^^^^This^^^^... Thank you for posting this, I agree 100%... We all have food issues that is why we are here... When I get to a point that I want something, whatever that something may be; I have it, I just practice moderation..
If I end up gorging myself on whatever it is, I ask myself a few questions... What made me feel I needed this particular item? What do I feel while eating it? I think you get the point... I think for me personally it is about figuring out my own personal demons and work through them, so I can learn to eat everything I love without hindering my health and sanity...

WendyTerry420

My realization about myself was, surprise, if I buy it, I'm going to eat it. And not likely in moderation, I might add. For me, pre-packaged snack bars are bad news. I don't eat chips anymore, and I have to say, I don't feel deprived of them. I guess I never liked them much anyway. Big deal. My boyfriend will not buy foods that he knows I'll have a problem eating in moderation. Because of this cutting out entirely, it's been much easier to reincorportate small amounts of "bad" foods back into my life. It's much easier for me than slowly cutting them down, because for me, Doritos were meth. Cookies are crack. And no one would ever know it by looking at me that I'm a prisoner to food and I'm obsessed and disordered and all that. It's messy as hell. So yeah, I'm the one sobbing uncontrollably after eating something I "know I shouldn't".

I'm much better off telling myself that foods are forbidden, because after not having them for a couple of weeks, I don't miss 'em anyway. The desire is gone. I subsist mostly on veggies and lean meats, with some dairy, and I feel good about that.

So, to clarify.... for you personally, Doritos prevent you from sleeping, make you want to chain smoke cigarettes and so horny that you want to watch porn and make love for hours on end? Lucky you!

If this were true then we have a new cure for meth addiction! :laugh: :laugh:

Natihilator

Willpower is a stupid diet industry buzzword, points off for that.

Willpower is about so much more than simply your diet. It's what gets you out of bed on days you feel too groggy. It's what gets you to pay your bills. It's what keeps you from choking a co-worker or in-law that is royally pissing you off. Willpower is another word for self-control.

I was referring to it's use when it comes to weight loss, not in general.

rpmtnbkr

Well said... I learned long ago to not 'deny' yourself your favortes. I went down that road and went nuts.... Moderation is the key!

I'm a self admitted 'salty snack addict'! I enjoy a portion almost every day! What helped me was switching to Pringles form regular chips.... (regular chips = open bag, empty, throw bag away!)... Pringles allowed me to easily count out a serving (or two) and then put the can away...

BTW... I love Pringles and have no problem devouring a whole can in a setting either... mind over matter....:)

It's nice to reward your efforts with that piece of chocolate cake, or cupcake or whatever... write it down and go on... cut back the next day... overall for the week you will be down which is what you intended to do anyway.

PQ4321

Interesting thread.

I laughed at the OP, her view was stated humorously, but it was dismissive of addiction. What had me really laughing was the aside of why the Mayans died and agism rearing it's ugly head. It amazes me where threads can go.

That said, I am on the side with the addicts. I quit smoking 10 years ago. I had quit many times before that for various lengths of time, just as I am sure for many people MFP is not their first attempt at weight loss. The difference between the quit 10 years ago and previous attempts was that I told myself it was the most important thing I had to do and I accepted any and all help including meds. I had to also tolerate everyone who had ever quit smoking telling me exactly how I should do it, because that was the way they did it and what I was doing wouldn't work. That was annoying, and very demotivating. The way I quit worked for me, or I should say it has worked for 10 years. I no longer cry because I can't have a cigarette as I did the first week of the quit. I no longer have anxiety attacks and hyperventilate when I get into my car. I no longer feel like someone is reaching in and ripping my heart and lungs out of my body every time I see, smell or think about smoking. Those things are addiction, and anyone who has not been there does not know that will power only takes you so far. Medical help, medications, counseling, and support groups got me through that quit and I am one who can never ever have a cigarette again. Now I am at a place where I very rarely think about it, mostly in an "I remember what it was like" way and my personal willpower takes me through those.

To a certain extent my weight issues stem from the smoking quit. So, now I have started a new journey and I will take all the help I can get to be successful. I will try every single strategy that might make a difference. Please do not assume your quit is everyone's quit. You don't know their medical background, personal history, or present circumstances. Without that knowledge, it is difficult to help someone and easy to be an obstacle to their success. Some people need to freak, to learn how not to freak. Some people need to fear, to learn how not to fear. Some people need to binge to learn how not to binge. Diversity is a good thing...

WendyTerry420

Willpower is a stupid diet industry buzzword, points off for that.

Willpower is about so much more than simply your diet. It's what gets you out of bed on days you feel too groggy. It's what gets you to pay your bills. It's what keeps you from choking a co-worker or in-law that is royally pissing you off. Willpower is another word for self-control.

I was referring to it's use when it comes to weight loss, not in general.

Ok, but it means the same thing, no matter what the context. A lot of things in life require willpower, not just food.