Does anyone think they are a food addict?

AtomicLemon

I have struggled with this for a long time. It seems sinful to love food so much, and to crave it and want it so badly. So badly that at times, I cannot stop. Last week I found myself in the garage puking because I ate so much. I couldn't go into the bathroom, because I was afraid my family would hear it. Once it was behind a market after I had devoured a box of cookies and quart of milk. When will it end? Seems I am an extremist. I am either binging or only eating fruits and vegetables. I need to find a balance. I have lived with this shame and disgust for too long. I need to lose this weight once and for all and do it the RIGHT way. BALANCED.

Please share if you have struggled like I have. Maybe it will help to know we're not alone.

faerygal

Yes my sweet.You are NOT alone.I have eaten till I am in PAIN and puking.I can see two reasons why I did this.
1:My issues with food stemmed from a horrible childhood.Food scarce and controlled.
2:Starving myself to lose weight and then going crazy and eating HUGE amounts!
I am sure I was not actully enjoying most of the things I ate and I know the pain of feeling so ill and sleepy and ashamed was HORRIBLE.
That's not loving food.
That's hating myself.
I now eat well,clean,and eat five small meals a day.
I exercise to lift my mood(proven to work).
BUT.......
I still have a cheat day,which stops me going crazy.
I am not suggesting this is you.
BUT.....
Food is not a painkiller.
Food does not replace love.
6 days a week it is fuel one day a week it's fun.
The answer's are NOT in the fridge.
AMEN

:laugh:

lulabellewoowoo

You are by no means alone. I believe a lot of us are on this site because of a love/hate relationship we have with food. Every day for me is a battle and starts off with resolves and at least half the time ends in disappointment. So use this site to plan out AHEAD OF TIME your day. Allow for little incidentals. But for the first few weeks, try and stick strictly to what you log. Set up a non-food reward system. And yes, allow for "cheats" and little pleasures in food. Try the 3 bite rule. First bite to see if you like it; second bite to enjoy it; third bite to say good-bye. And remember that once you are done those three bites, there is no rule that says you will NEVER get that food again. It will come back around.

Keep posting here and let us help each other.

Welcome!

BrenNew

Well I've never eaten so much that I've thrown up, BUT, whenever I'm at an all you can eat buffet, or somewhere where there are tons of fattening desserts, I go absolutely crazy, and eat everything in sight! I end up with a stomach ache and feeling just awful, but, that never seems to stop me, I do it anyway! I hate when I get out of control like that, and feel soooooooo much better when I AM in control. Sooo, MOST of the time, I "behave", and pretty much tend to eat the same things all the time, so that I CAN have that feeling of control. I mostly eat oatmeal with blueberries for breakfast, a chicken sandwhich and 70 cal. chips for lunch, an orange and Quaker Oats 90 cal. bar for snacks during the day, and a dinner of around 600 cals.
I do try to get in more exercise on days when I know ahead of time that I'll be pigging out.
Anyway, just wanted to let you know that you are DEFINITELY NOT alone with your food cravings!

CarolTempleton

I have definitely have had a problem with what I eat. I Love food and sometimes I don't realize i ate too much till my plate is clean. I have been on eating very small healthy meals and that last about 3 days and then i am back to craving the fatty stuff. It is very hard. I am still struggling with it. I wish the cravings would stop. But I am trying to control what I eat. Its a lifetime journey. and I am taking one step at a time.

SherrellB

Yes definitely !!! Its one of the only things that makes me happy when im stressed. I am trying to get a hold of it to control it. I will find the discipline I need to slow down

faerygal

How long does the pleasure of overeating REALLY last.As for stress,there is science behind that relief that food brings.When we eat carbs our body releases serotonin which has a calming effect.LUCKILY exercise also releases that same hormone.My food issues got me in therapy and if I can stop anyone else going through it I will!I cracked my food problems and then got a thyroid problem!Who Knows........that could of been because of the abuse I gave my body!Look at it this way...... FOI GRAS PATE is made from the fatty livers
of birds who have been stuffed with fatty foods until they are full to burst.What internal damage will binge eating do to us?

DeeDeeLHF

When I read the thread title my first thought was "yes!". I think about food all of the time. As soon as I am done eating I am already planning my next meal. "Dieting" does not help. I really want a better relationship with food. My husband and I are planning a 25th anniversary second honeymoon and I am already thinking about how to get the excercise in so that I can eat! I am more focused on the food than my husband! YIkes!

Now, when I read your text, it made me wonder if you would find some benefit in talking to someone. It seems like eating to the point of throwing up leans itself towards thinking more of an eating disorder which can be helped through some good counselors. Just a suggestion for you to consider. Only you can really answer that. Frequency might be a consideration...is this something that happens very often or is it just that it happened recently and it happened once before a couple of years ago.

Best of luck on this journey.

LittleSister

I have struggled with this for a long time. It seems sinful to love food so much, and to crave it and want it so badly. So badly that at times, I cannot stop. Last week I found myself in the garage puking because I ate so much. I couldn't go into the bathroom, because I was afraid my family would hear it. Once it was behind a market after I had devoured a box of cookies and quart of milk. When will it end? Seems I am an extremist. I am either binging or only eating fruits and vegetables. I need to find a balance. I have lived with this shame and disgust for too long. I need to lose this weight once and for all and do it the RIGHT way. BALANCED.

Please share if you have struggled like I have. Maybe it will help to know we're not alone.

You poor thing! Yes, I think most of us here have an idea of what you're going through.

Whenever I crave something, if I tell myself I can't have it, I feel something like rage. I didn't know that's what it was for years and years, but now I've identified it. If I was craving something, let's say taco chips with melted cheese (a favorite binge food), and if I tried to talk myself out of it, I would experience something like a blind rage. Something inside me said "I'll &*^ing show YOU!" and I would eat 2-3 large plates of the stuff.

I haven't found a total cure yet, but I've learned to at least not anger that monster in me. That seems to be the key. Don't make that craving monster angry. If I'm craving something, I'll have a bit of it, then go do something else (like take a walk, take a shower, etc), with the PROMISE to myself that if I still need more if it when I get back, I can have more. And it's important to keep this promise. If I still absolutely MUST have more, I give myself a little more, with the same promise. No sense betraying myself and making my monster even angrier, right?

It does seem sinful to love food that much - I know what you mean. It's like gluttony or greed or something. But when I think of it as sinful, all it does is make me ashamed. It's like being a teenager and being smitten by the "bad" boy in town - you can't resist him, even though you know you're going to get grounded for sneaking out to see him. And if you're locked in your room, you're just going to rebel and sneak out the window.

I started the South Beach plan about a month ago, and I've been very pleased with how it's cut down on my cravings. It's probably not for everyone, and like I say, I've only been on it a month, so time will tell. But the additional protein and the lack of refined white carbs seems to have reset my appetite button so that the things I used to binge on don't even sound all that good anymore.

Good luck to you!

lawkat

Personally I think most people with a weight problem are food addicts. Food can be such a comfort when we are sad, happy, lonely, bored, tired... The problem with being a food addict is that we can't give up food compared to those who are addicted to cigarettes or alcohol. We need food to survive.

What I have discovered is yes, I am an emotional eater. I realized that food won't make things better, but only make me feel worse. What I did to help myself was ask myself why do I feel the need to eat a whole bag of X. I realized it wasn't because I was hungry, but because I had stress or boredom or whatever emotion was there. I would stop myself and only take what I wanted to eat in moderation. That is the key to it all. Moderation.

Why did you binge? Did something happen during the day that triggered it? Were you looking to fill some kind of emotional void that you thought would bring happiness? When you ate the cookies, did you actually taste them or just shove them in your mouth looking for solace?

One other thing, have you given up your favorite foods or foods that seem like they are bad? In the past, I would give up everything I felt was bad for me and eat boring foods because I thought that is what one had to do to lose weight. I realized that I didn't have to give up chocolate or wine or "fattening" foods. I just had to eat them in moderation. I rarely get tempted to binge on something unless I am having a stressful day. I think when I put certain foods off limits, it made falling off the weight loss wagon so much easier to do. I feel much better about my approach towards food and realize that I eat to live not live to eat.

eliz405

Absolutely, I have been there. As recently as late 2009. I know that I have some major issues with food. I always have. I am an emotional eater and I have strugled with Bulimia. After a lifetime of stuffing my feelings with food , it can take a while to change. There also can be bumps in the road as we revert back to old behavior. I spent many a day in counseling over the past few years to get this issue under control. I had a brief relapse (1 binge 1 purge). In the latter part of 2009. I didn't use the tools I had learned. There was lots of guilt and shame after that. I have to have a support group, People I can talk to when times get tough. If I reach out the chances are pretty good that I wont do that. I also have had to learn other ways to deal with my feeling.
I often have to remind myself that, this is not the last piece of cake on earth or the last time pizza will be available. I keep a food journal and try to remind myself of the negative feeling I have when I have purged. If I overeat, I force myself to be miserable. Throwing it up is not option. It's not worth it.

It's pretty cool that you had the courage to bring this up, we often suffer in silence, or isolate. Please feel free to contact me if you ever want to talk or if times get tough. :flowerforyou: