Addicted to food, really?

Four words: external locus of control.

It's not an addiction, it's a lack of self control. People don't have withdrawls from not eating one more oreo! It's an excuse because they can't control themselves. And before anyone jumps all over me for this, everyone on this site has had this problem at one point or another or we wouldn't be here. Some have just learned self control along the way...

i agree with this! i mean in literal sense we are all "addicted" to food because we need to eat it everyday to survive, but the issue lies with how much food you eat. people have problems with eating too much food whether the reason being is emotional/mental/medical etc so i think there is a problem with eating too much but i wouldnt use the term addiction.

I mindlessly ate, I was dealing with severe depression, suicidal tendencies, Lost my Sister to Diabetes and then lost my mom and dad 6 months apart... I turned to food to drown my feelings. I didn't care what I was eating as long as I was completely stuffed. I would then beat myself up for doing it to myself but that only lasted til I had room and then I would eat again... I was eating over 10,000 calories a day back then... I was homebound, unable to walk from room to room with out the assistance of a chair on wheel's. I ordered 21in. Pizza's 3 or 4 times a week and would put the pizza in tupperware, cut the boxes into little pieces and hide them in the garage trash can and then hide the pizza in the closets in our house so that when my wife went to bed I could have some comfort food. I bought boxes of little debbie's swiss cakes, nutty bars, etc. and hide them in different places I new my family would never look and I would eat my usual 2 or 3 plates of food with them at breakfast lunch and dinner and then have my snacks for later... We would go through taco bell and I placed my order by quantity of items, I had to have 18 items off the menu (that did not include my pop or cinnamon twist) and I ate every bit of what I ordered in one setting... this is just a general summary of the mindless eating I did back then... I sat in my recliner with a loaded handgun for 3 days trying to figure out how to blow my brains out and not leave a mess for my family to come home too... On that 3rd day I had hit rock bottom, my wife came home, I was sitting in the chair with the gun in hand and told her I could not live another day like this... The next day i was in therapy, also making the rounds to the medical doctors to find out the damage I had done eating myself to 560 lbs. but I had to come to terms with my addiction to food and I worked through the 12 step program and I came to terms with my eating and those things that was causing me to drown my feelings with food.... It took alot of hardwork to get past using food to drown my emotions and understand that food was only necessary to sustain my life and that I needed to use other outlet to deal with stress in my life that caused me to turn to food... I too have ice cream in the freezer, pop tarts in the cupboard, will be going out for pizza and beer tomorrow night and Cold Stone Creamery for dessert. Do I still fight those cravings to mindlessly eat? Sure everyday.... Could I easily slip back into old habits?? Yes... I can still eat the way I use to if I ever gave into those urges... You never get rid of any addiction you just learn to replace it with something else... I choose therapy to talk through my emotions and feeling and I use exercise to release my stress.... So.... and I do not mean any disrespect when I say this even though it may sound blunt but I know what I went through to get to where I am today and whether you agree with it or not makes no difference to me whatsoever. I made a choice in this recliner 4 years ago to put the gun down and I took charge of my life and did what I thought was necessary to make the changes needed to fight my way back... Your definition and mine of food addiction may never be the same, I only know what i have been through and what I believe in...... Best of Luck

So... because this wasn't your experience, it's no one's experience?

Don't get me wrong, I have no experience with this myself and I can't always wrap my brain around it, but I think there are plenty of mental healthcare professionals who would disagree with you and give you a wealth of evidence as to why.

Also, I think you're confusing "a lot of people exaggerate and say they have this problem" with "this problem can't possibly exist."

I have lived, worked and been born overseas, where food has a 'natural' place in life. Food is consumed socially, and you are 'closer' to where food is produced . In North America, food is just another product. I think it's precisely because we in North America are so out of touch with what food is that we can talk about being 'addicted'. Unfortunately, the way we in North America think about food is being exported to places like China and India and the consequences are higher rates of obesity and heart disease there.

None of the above excuses anyone for being personally responsible for what they eat. In fact, if more people 'put their money where their mount is', we would have healthier food alternatives in the stores.

I personally have an emotional attachment to food in that I enjoy the smell and taste of it but also the (most of the time) people with whom I share it. Food for me is linked to many adventures, triumphs, losses and disappointments. But, I can't say that I am 'addicted'.

I am probably going to catch some major flack for this one, but oh well what the hell, I am used to it.

Reading through the threads I am reading a lot of "I can't eat carbs because it make me binge on more carbs", or "I can't eat sugary foods, because then I want more sugary foods and can't stop myself" or "I have to eat clean because I have a food addiction..." there are more but I think I have laid out the general thoughts that I have seen on the subject.

So I think back to when I was like 200# and totally out of shape...I was never "addicted to food" I mean I just ate way too much of foods that I liked and did zero exercise. It was not like I eat some pasta, and was like "oh, my god I have to have more pasta" I would just cook a crap ton of it and eat all of it. Now, I still eat pasta, ice cream etc on occasion, I just eat less of it and watch my calories and macros goals or the day. Its not like I make a serving of pasta and immediately want to make five more servings to eat. I have ice cream in the freezer right now, if I have a servicing I do not woof down the whole pint...

I do not think that anyone can be "addicted to food", it just seems like a strange concept to me. I mean if you do not have that food will you have withdrawals? I just think that it is an excuse that people use to tell themselves that they can't eat certain foods, or to just blame their obesity issue on something else, or to cover up an underlying mental health issue. I mean people binge, but to me that seems tied into more of a mental health issue or just bad relationship with food.

So I will toss it out to the MFP crowed..what do you all think ...food addictions yes, no, or total garbage..?????

"Food Addiction" is kind of a misnomer. From my general understanding, people really aren't "addicted" to food like they're addicted to smoking or drugs. They're addicted to the FEELING it gives them. The pleasure center that is activated in the brain when you enjoy something ... pretty sure it has a more scientific explanation, but yea.

I was (I still relapse) so addicted to food, any food including healthy food that I would eat all day, frantically, like a shark on a feeding frenzy. I became addicted to the feeling of the stuff in my mouth, the hand to mouth motion, the comfort; like a smoker.

At one point I tried to throw the food away, but I got it out of the bin. The only way to stop was to pour bleach on it first, that's not just overeating, that's a compulsion.

People get fat without being addicted to food, consider yourself lucky. One can have low willpower without being addicted. It's the difference between giving in to an extra drink at the pub and chugging vodka alone until you pass out.

Why post this?

I am still laughing about the wolfs vs woofs comment. That was funny or maybe i'm just really hungry. Lol.

In for drama. :bigsmile:

Also, I agree with OP on this one! :bigsmile:

People use odd things to cope i suppose food is just one of those things that give comfort

Why post this?

why not?

unoriginal and argued to death already?

It seems to me that everyone is addicted to food. I think what people mean with the carb binging is that eating carbs is a pleasurable experience, probably dopamine release, and they are addicted to the pleasure of eating sweet things.

That release of dopamine is what causes addictions. Sugar highs cause a dopamine release, higher in some people than others, then the resulting crash causes withdrawal symptoms. I know how eating sugar causes me to be hungry quicker and want more sugar. For me it gives me energy for a short period of time, then I get tired and want more energy.

I do not have a true food addiction, but I believe that many people who are morbidly obese do. Why else would they do that to their bodies, if it was just a matter of a little willpower. My ex was an alcoholic, and would get so mad at me because I could go to the bar and only have one drink all night, or maybe not anything at all. I couldn't understand why he couldn't just have 1 or 2 then call it a night. His brain worked differently than mine did.

If people were using having a food addiction as an excuse for not being able to lose weight, so they don't even try, then yes, that is wrong. But if someone says they have to stay away from sugar, or some other trigger food, because it will cause a binge, then they are knowing themselves, recognizing their weaknesses, and being responsible enough to stay away from those foods that they have problems with. It really makes me mad when I see people telling them that they are stupid for cutting out those foods. Kudos to them for doing whatever it takes to take control of their lives and their health.

Diabetes and insulin resistance is very common in obese people. These conditions cause their bodies to respond differently to carbs and sugar than the normal person, Just because you do not have those conditions and do not have a problem with certain foods, doesn't mean that someone else cant.

I like this makes sence

It seems to me that everyone is addicted to food. I think what people mean with the carb binging is that eating carbs is a pleasurable experience, probably dopamine release, and they are addicted to the pleasure of eating sweet things.

That release of dopamine is what causes addictions. Sugar highs cause a dopamine release, higher in some people than others, then the resulting crash causes withdrawal symptoms. I know how eating sugar causes me to be hungry quicker and want more sugar. For me it gives me energy for a short period of time, then I get tired and want more energy.

I do not have a true food addiction, but I believe that many people who are morbidly obese do. Why else would they do that to their bodies, if it was just a matter of a little willpower. My ex was an alcoholic, and would get so mad at me because I could go to the bar and only have one drink all night, or maybe not anything at all. I couldn't understand why he couldn't just have 1 or 2 then call it a night. His brain worked differently than mine did.

If people were using having a food addiction as an excuse for not being able to lose weight, so they don't even try, then yes, that is wrong. But if someone says they have to stay away from sugar, or some other trigger food, because it will cause a binge, then they are knowing themselves, recognizing their weaknesses, and being responsible enough to stay away from those foods that they have problems with. It really makes me mad when I see people telling them that they are stupid for cutting out those foods. Kudos to them for doing whatever it takes to take control of their lives and their health.

Diabetes and insulin resistance is very common in obese people. These conditions cause their bodies to respond differently to carbs and sugar than the normal person, Just because you do not have those conditions and do not have a problem with certain foods, doesn't mean that someone else cant.

This is why I love you Debbie