Food Addiction?!
ArcyF
Posts: 23 Member
Now today was my first day that I recorded everything I ate, until I got to about 5 o'clock that is and something quite ugly hit me.
Cravings. Unsatiable cravings that overun my willpower. It starts out small and I try to suppress it with water or watching/reading something to take my mind off it but it persists, nagging at me until I loose it.
It's like I'm on panic mode, and I have to have something. I go blind until it hits me that I've just shoved 100's of calories in my mouth and then shame and guilt kick right in....
Wow, I sound crazy but has anyone here ever experienced anything like this? Or am I on my own?
I decided to do some googling and found that sugar is more addicting than cocaine?! What! This can't be true? And if food addictions are real than how do you go about overcoming them? I'm interested in knowing how you guys feel about this, because although I feel that my relationship with food is unhealthy, saying that it is an addiction kind of is a scapegoat, isn't it? A way to make yourself seem less responsible for your unhealthy choices...sheesh I don't know
Do you have any thoughts or advice to help suppress late night cravings?
Cravings. Unsatiable cravings that overun my willpower. It starts out small and I try to suppress it with water or watching/reading something to take my mind off it but it persists, nagging at me until I loose it.
It's like I'm on panic mode, and I have to have something. I go blind until it hits me that I've just shoved 100's of calories in my mouth and then shame and guilt kick right in....
Wow, I sound crazy but has anyone here ever experienced anything like this? Or am I on my own?
I decided to do some googling and found that sugar is more addicting than cocaine?! What! This can't be true? And if food addictions are real than how do you go about overcoming them? I'm interested in knowing how you guys feel about this, because although I feel that my relationship with food is unhealthy, saying that it is an addiction kind of is a scapegoat, isn't it? A way to make yourself seem less responsible for your unhealthy choices...sheesh I don't know
Do you have any thoughts or advice to help suppress late night cravings?
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Replies
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DITTO!! i'm exactly the same my friend, so i'll sit and wait for answers with you.x x x0
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I pretty much avoid sugar because I hate cravings. If I do, then I have to deal with them for a couple days. Don't know if it works but l-glutamine is supposed to help with sugar cravings... I got it for alcohol & cig cravings though and don't really use it now.0
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I'm not quite sure how to overcome it except by sheer will power >.<
I'm having the same problem as you, and usually my binge eating takes place in the evening.
I wonder if huger suppressants will do the trick?
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Read: IT STARTS WITH FOOD. All your questions will be answered. The book tells you when you binge and why. It will help you kill the sugar monster. The book has saved my life. You describe exactly what I was going through.0
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"I wonder if huger suppressants will do the trick?"
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NO! Bad advice.0 -
Now today was my first day that I recorded everything I ate, until I got to about 5 o'clock that is and something quite ugly hit me.
Cravings. Unsatiable cravings that overun my willpower. It starts out small and I try to suppress it with water or watching/reading something to take my mind off it but it persists, nagging at me until I loose it.
It's like I'm on panic mode, and I have to have something. I go blind until it hits me that I've just shoved 100's of calories in my mouth and then shame and guilt kick right in....
Wow, I sound crazy but has anyone here ever experienced anything like this? Or am I on my own?
I decided to do some googling and found that sugar is more addicting than cocaine?! What! This can't be true? And if food addictions are real than how do you go about overcoming them? I'm interested in knowing how you guys feel about this, because although I feel that my relationship with food is unhealthy, saying that it is an addiction kind of is a scapegoat, isn't it? A way to make yourself seem less responsible for your unhealthy choices...sheesh I don't know
Do you have any thoughts or advice to help suppress late night cravings?
Log everything you ate today. It's always a good eye-opener. If you're embarrassed, keep your diary private.
I think you're gonna have to experiment with different strategies.
One thing I know is that for MOST PEOPLE, total deprivation (i.e. cutting things out) and appetite suppressants do not work.
I also think that before you self-diagnose some pathological food obsession, everything you describe fits within the realm of normal human experience - we are genetically designed to crave high energy, instant hit feel good foods in vast quantities.
Why not work with your body instead of fighting it?
I've had two plus years of practice with this demon and some strategies I've tried have included:
1. Eating the cake or chocolate earlier in the day and fitting them into the day's calorie goal. This may involve forgoing something else you would normally eat for breakfast. I've had cake and cookies for breakfast on many days :laugh: Get's the craving out of the way so I can eat other healthier foods later in the day. I often still go over, but over by 300-400 is better than the thousands.
2. Not fighting a losing battle with your cravings. YOU WILL LOSE. Willpower is a finite supply and gets drained very quickly by many factors - bad day at work, 'women's problems', goal seeming distant/futile, you name it. And when you crack that's when the binge happens. I've attempted to substitute sometimes - if I'm craving something sweet, nibbling on an apple; drinking water and eating carrots if I'm feeling peckish. If 20 min later I still want that craving, well sod it I go and eat. I may aim for a small portion and end up eating double that - but it's far better than a full-on binge.
3. Exercise. You can get away with a lot more if you work out. Furthermore it increases your hunger and your appetite so you can really enjoy food instead of eating meaninglessly.
4. Tracking macros helps. I find that if I set a goal to eat x amount of protein a day and then promise myself I can eat the junk after I've met my protein goal, I'm often too full to do too much damage.
PS I'm at goal weight plus/minus life events :explode: and I still struggle with night snacking every single day.0 -
You are not crazy at all - food addiction is a recognised phenomenon, to do with spikes of seratonin in the brain when highly processed carbohydrates hit the body systems. The food industry is all about creating, feeding and serving this addiction.
As with all addictions, the solution is to remove the addict substances from the system, with support and with knowledge and understanding.
The group I belong to has a system using a food plan, based around specific amounts of fruit, vegetables, proteins and non-wheat carbohydrates. The early period of weaning off the sugar and flour does often cause unpleasant symptoms, but after a few days people report feeling a great freedom and energy.0 -
I forbade myself all my trigger foods the first month. Instead I had a protein shake, it was sweet enough to give me a chocolate taste and that was enough for me.
After a month I found out I was able to reintroduce my trigger foods without binging on them.0 -
You are not crazy, this is also a common problem with me & nearly everyone! Sugar is definitely addictive. Focus on keeping your blood sugars stable from breakfast till your last meal at night. Good luck. Have a look at sugar is toxic 60 minutes on u tube. I saw this pic once of a girl stuffing her face insatiably with food - which said: Breakfast 250 cals, Lunch 375 cals, Snack 125 cals, Dinner 70,450 cals0
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s, it happens to the best of us.
thats why you have to have a little introspective and look at yourself and what you've been doing. maybe yesterday was a lower than normal calorie day, and your body is craving a little more food. or maybe you exercised a little extra hard a day or so ago and your body is just begging to be refueled.0 -
For me, those insatiable hunger pangs were sugar/carb related. And yeah, you're not alone. You're not weak and there's nothing wrong with you. The more carby junk I'd eat the more I'd crave carby junk. So I cut it out. I still eat a boatload of food, but carbs are reserved for training days, specifically after training. Those mega-cravings ceased. Good luck. It's hard work.0
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addiction to food is a dreadful thing to have, i battle with it hourly sometimes..am a dreadful binge eater..the monster that lurks is such a hard one to deal with...
i read a book by zoe harcombe...was a revelation!!!!talks about the demon of food addiciton, and why it doeas what it does!!!
i would say that the only way to overcome this, is to follow a natural food kinda diet....read her boo, is all explained in the book...
but the thing that gets me is with all addictions, there is a trigger, and most addictions are about things you dont really need, but food is like a 24/7 issue...so sending hugs for that
also, chromium picolinate is supposed to stop the sugar cravings..apple cider tablets i have found it easier, but dont beat yourself up..its the biggest trigger of all!!!!
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I totally relate to feeling out of control to when it comes to eating. It is an addiction. I find a good distraction usually helps with the craving. I still have a long way to go but I believe if I can beat the mental game I can do anything.
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Well its not called my easy pal. Its hard, and it sucks.
Best advice I can give is just be aware of what you eat. I used to keep a stash of emergency snacks. I'd go over my limit, but at least it wasn't a midnight mass food binge.0 -
Thank you very much everyone,
for those that recommended books, I'm definitely going to check them out.
I think I might use some of the techniques @tjthegreatone does...
And really thank you guys for the support it means a lot, really,
my family is no where serious about leading a more nutritious life, so it can be difficult to talk to them about things like this
because they just call it crazy and think I'm joking. No matter how many times I plead them not to buy or bring home donuts, cookies, chips and other crap they do it anyways because they don't like to deprive themselves of these things.
I find it is so much easier to avoid something awful when you just quit it cold turkey, BUT if it's always there winking at you in the face while you try and grab something healthier, that dreadful disgustingly wonderful and delicious piece of cheesecake will always win....
At the end of the day this is my problem and I'm the one who has to get her shtuff together...so thanks guys for the advice to get me started on my way to a sexier, more awesome looking, and active me
:bigsmile:
And here's to beating that sugar monster...1 -
I think a lot of people experience that which is why obesity is so widespread and why telling people to simply quit eating so much is pointless, useless and can even be cruel.Cravings. Unsatiable cravings that overun my willpower. It starts out small and I try to suppress it with water or watching/reading something to take my mind off it but it persists, nagging at me until I loose it.
It's like I'm on panic mode, and I have to have something. I go blind until it hits me that I've just shoved 100's of calories in my mouth and then shame and guilt kick right in....
I don't have a good answer for you because my own food compulsions are minor compared to that of others. I am, however, an ex-smoker so I have some frame of reference. All the best to you. I hope others can offer better advice but I empathize with you.0 -
Sugar is not more addictive than cocaine. However, if you eat sugar in mass quantities and really frequently, you can become somewhat dependent on it and prefer its familiarity to cocaine (if you've never tried cocaine before). But you're right. I've struggled with this too. The good news is that you can overcome it with persistence and removing sugary snacks from your house.1
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MAIN reason im here, but i dont think its just sugar for me, and this was a near daily thing if i wasnt watching what i eat, fast food or going out and eating in general was a huge problem also. i find if i can almost eliminate that then im golden! Whats worked for me so far is that i know how "fat" ive gotten and how unhealthy and sick i can make my future if i dont stop. i dont want diabetis, or heart problems, nor do i want to be fat. Give your self a treat here and there and throw the rest the crap out! dont bring anything into your home that will trigger a binge. FOOD ADDICTION is real and it is just as bad as any other addiction! Good luck on your journey, you can do this! 1
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Log everything you ate today. It's always a good eye-opener. If you're embarrassed, keep your diary private.
I think you're gonna have to experiment with different strategies.
One thing I know is that for MOST PEOPLE, total deprivation (i.e. cutting things out) and appetite suppressants do not work.
I also think that before you self-diagnose some pathological food obsession, everything you describe fits within the realm of normal human experience - we are genetically designed to crave high energy, instant hit feel good foods in vast quantities.
Why not work with your body instead of fighting it?
I've had two plus years of practice with this demon and some strategies I've tried have included:
1. Eating the cake or chocolate earlier in the day and fitting them into the day's calorie goal. This may involve forgoing something else you would normally eat for breakfast. I've had cake and cookies for breakfast on many days :laugh: Get's the craving out of the way so I can eat other healthier foods later in the day. I often still go over, but over by 300-400 is better than the thousands.
2. Not fighting a losing battle with your cravings. YOU WILL LOSE. Willpower is a finite supply and gets drained very quickly by many factors - bad day at work, 'women's problems', goal seeming distant/futile, you name it. And when you crack that's when the binge happens. I've attempted to substitute sometimes - if I'm craving something sweet, nibbling on an apple; drinking water and eating carrots if I'm feeling peckish. If 20 min later I still want that craving, well sod it I go and eat. I may aim for a small portion and end up eating double that - but it's far better than a full-on binge.
3. Exercise. You can get away with a lot more if you work out. Furthermore it increases your hunger and your appetite so you can really enjoy food instead of eating meaninglessly.
4. Tracking macros helps. I find that if I set a goal to eat x amount of protein a day and then promise myself I can eat the junk after I've met my protein goal, I'm often too full to do too much damage.
PS I'm at goal weight plus/minus life events :explode: and I still struggle with night snacking every s
ingle day.
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Thank you very much, I think I might try using some of your techniques to try and beat the sugar monster..
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WOW well said!0 -
Sugar, I call myself a sugaraholic. But it is true. Sometimes I go on the wagon and eliminate all sugar junk. In a few days the craveings are very minimal.my sister and I was discussing this problem and I decided to eliminate sugar for a week and then start useing truvia which is the only alternative I can find that isn't bad for you. My sister says it is bitter if you use to much of it. So I decided to drop the sugar for a week and start truvia with very small amounts. We think it may be the best way to acquire a taste for it. I will let you know how it goes.0
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I always leave enough cal in the evening for treats. I think that might be the secret. It works for me at least.0
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What KIND of craving is it?
Chocolate? Chips? Candy?
Because I buy the 100 calorie snack packs for my cravings. I get the 120 calorie chips packs, 100 calorie oreos and chocolate chip cookies, and 60 calorie puddings.
That way, I CAN give in to my cravings, and feel like I'm still getting what I want. I mean, if I deprive myself completely, then I'm going to slip up and sabotage myself. And I feel less guilty about what I've eaten when it's under 200 calories.0 -
What KIND of craving is it?
Chocolate? Chips? Candy?
Because I buy the 100 calorie snack packs for my cravings. I get the 120 calorie chips packs, 100 calorie oreos and chocolate chip cookies, and 60 calorie puddings.
That way, I CAN give in to my cravings, and feel like I'm still getting what I want. I mean, if I deprive myself completely, then I'm going to slip up and sabotage myself. And I feel less guilty about what I've eaten when it's under 200 calories.0 -
I agree with having a small amount of what you crave on hand . I find that if I crave something I can have every thing else but that and still not be happy . So now I have a little of whatever it is I want and the craving goes - without me having hundreds of extra calories .0
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I take it you've never actually tried cociane?0
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What KIND of craving is it?
Chocolate? Chips? Candy?
Because I buy the 100 calorie snack packs for my cravings. I get the 120 calorie chips packs, 100 calorie oreos and chocolate chip cookies, and 60 calorie puddings.
That way, I CAN give in to my cravings, and feel like I'm still getting what I want. I mean, if I deprive myself completely, then I'm going to slip up and sabotage myself. And I feel less guilty about what I've eaten when it's under 200 calories.
Everything and all of it...
its more than a craving, its not feeling satisfied till the food goes kerplonk in my tummy and I feel full...
I've tried the snacks, they don't do the trick...Before MFP I did use those snack packs but realized I had to get rid of them when I was eating 2-3, 4, 5 a day... So yea I need a different method of getting around this thing0 -
I know most people will say total deprivation of snacks doesn't work, and for a lot of people it doesn't. But for me it was a great start. I decided to cut out chocolate to try to get rid of chronic migraines, and I figured I'd cut out all desserts while I was at it. Two weeks later, I had a brownie- and wow, it was nowhere near as satisfying as I remembered, I actually felt a bit sick. Since then my sweet cravings have gone way down, and when I do feel like snacking a little bit, I'm way more in control of portion size than ever before. So I've continued to seriously limit my desserts and I feel amazing.
Probably not the solution for everyone- but I do think that cutting myself off for a short bit helped with the sugar addiction. If I actually felt any desire for a scoop of ice cream now, I would have no guilt about eating it, because I know I wouldn't go crazy like I used to I also eat Greek Yogurt with strawberries for breakfast every day- sweet but still healthy. Good luck! 0 -
I take it you've never actually tried cociane?
You know I haven't because I figured it's kind of really bad for you and I'd have to be a complete idiot to take it, but I've known people who've used it once and a while--and they're not addicts.
I think that theoretically speaking, some people may have naturally tendencies to be more addicted to some things than others, that and the longevity of the use can influence how easily you can quit something. For example, back in college I smoked some cigs every now and then at parties. I never developed a habit and only really did it to be part of the group..silly right? Well that's an 18 year old for ya with no self-discipline or self-respect...
But anyways, studies have been done on the effects of consuming oodles of sugar and its effects on the brain, with data being quite astonishing0 -
Sugar IS a drug. Please, watch Hungry for Change. It goes into food addiction.
I am highly addicted to food. My cravings are almost painful. And they don't go away. They persist, and they get worse, like withdrawal.0 -
You are not crazy at all - food addiction is a recognised phenomenon, to do with spikes of seratonin in the brain when highly processed carbohydrates hit the body systems. The food industry is all about creating, feeding and serving this addiction.
As with all addictions, the solution is to remove the addict substances from the system, with support and with knowledge and understanding.
The group I belong to has a system using a food plan, based around specific amounts of fruit, vegetables, proteins and non-wheat carbohydrates. The early period of weaning off the sugar and flour does often cause unpleasant symptoms, but after a few days people report feeling a great freedom and energy.
Hi Helen! and thanks for your feedback!
Now what is this group you speak of and how might one be able become a member or gain knowledge of this food plan?0
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