Interesting new study on "food addiction"

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Summerfit321
Summerfit321 Posts: 142 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
The term "food-addiction" is being used more and more nowadays. I see myself as a food addict. I know how bad overeating is: it affects my health, self-esteem, work and relationships, yet for some reason I cannot stop doing it. I call myself a sugar addict, because I only really struggle with sweet foods. According to this new study, however, people don't get addicted to certain foods as they do to other addictive substances, such as cocaine or alcohol, instead, the addiction is a behavioral problem, which kind of makes sense, though I always believed that there was a chemical element as well.

Here is the article

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-edinburgh-east-fife-29126872

I know that with addiction, the ritual is very important. This is how I see it. Say you got used to overeating each time you felt bad... your brain will link eating to a relief of bad emotions. Each time you eat to suppress those emotions, that connection will get stronger and stronger and because weight gain and health issues don't occur immediately, you can repeat the behavior many times before seeing any consequences. Eventually, however, your brain will find a new homeostasis, in which you feel low without overeating, and need to overeat just to feel okay, eventually, you overeat more and more. Behavioral, or substance-related, I still feel very much addicted. :frown:
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Replies

  • snikkins
    snikkins Posts: 1,282 Member
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    Interesting and thanks for sharing the link!
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,658 Member
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    I call myself a sit on the couch and watch football instead of mowing the lawn addict. Makes it easier to cope when I choose not to do what I know I should.
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,112 Member
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    The term "food-addiction" is being used more and more nowadays.

    Of course it is. By playing the addict card people don't have to accept responsibility for their actions. Over eating is a lack of self control.
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
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    The term "food-addiction" is being used more and more nowadays.

    Of course it is. By playing the addict card people don't have to accept responsibility for their actions. Over eating is a lack of self control.

    I think "lack of self control" is over simplifying things. People over eat for many different reasons.

    For me...I had to take a look at why I over ate...why allowed myself to become over weight...before I could fix it. Being honest with myself about those reasons is why I have been able to lose as much as I have and not quitting when it gets tough.

    I will say this...food became my "new best friend". It was there for me when I felt like nothing else was...it also allowed me to hide behind a wall of fat. Some would say that I had good reason to hide...I look back now...it wasn't...but it was easier than the other alternative.

    Not sure that self control had anything to do with it...
  • wonderwoman234
    wonderwoman234 Posts: 551 Member
    Options
    The term "food-addiction" is being used more and more nowadays.

    Of course it is. By playing the addict card people don't have to accept responsibility for their actions. Over eating is a lack of self control.

    I think "lack of self control" is over simplifying things. People over eat for many different reasons.

    For me...I had to take a look at why I over ate...why allowed myself to become over weight...before I could fix it. Being honest with myself about those reasons is why I have been able to lose as much as I have and not quitting when it gets tough.

    I will say this...food became my "new best friend". It was there for me when I felt like nothing else was...it also allowed me to hide behind a wall of fat. Some would say that I had good reason to hide...I look back now...it wasn't...but it was easier than the other alternative.

    Not sure that self control had anything to do with it...

    I agree with you. It's not a lack of "self control". In fact, there have been studies that show that "self control" or "will power" are not factors in losing weight long-term. It's a complex issue with complex solutions. Some people think in black and white, though....
  • tuxedord2
    tuxedord2 Posts: 69 Member
    Options
    The term "food-addiction" is being used more and more nowadays.

    Of course it is. By playing the addict card people don't have to accept responsibility for their actions. Over eating is a lack of self control.

    Of course that depends on the definition of addiction in general. Sex addiction, gambling as noted in the article.. The word itself is in need of more defining criteria.

    That being said, research does suggest that certain individuals, are more vulnerable to the effects of the hyper stimulation of dopamine ("feel good") pathways. It's probably true that the issue is not a chemical addiction to a substance, but rather a behavioral one. But let's remember behavior is also dictated by a long series of chemical interactions among neurotransmitters.

    So if an individual is vulnerable genetically - they will have a much much harder time managing their behavior. If the dopamine stimulus is food, their body is telling them to go get it. Just like that of an alcoholic. Alcoholics are indeed chemically dependent on a substance but also deeply rooted habitually. Which is why the 12 steps are often more successful than just a trial of abstinence alone.

    "Self control" is NOT the appropriate treatment for many people. This is about understanding why your body works the way it does and then working to make the necessary changes to manage the vulnerability.
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,112 Member
    Options
    The term "food-addiction" is being used more and more nowadays.

    Of course it is. By playing the addict card people don't have to accept responsibility for their actions. Over eating is a lack of self control.

    I think "lack of self control" is over simplifying things. People over eat for many different reasons.

    For me...I had to take a look at why I over ate...why allowed myself to become over weight...before I could fix it. Being honest with myself about those reasons is why I have been able to lose as much as I have and not quitting when it gets tough.

    I will say this...food became my "new best friend". It was there for me when I felt like nothing else was...it also allowed me to hide behind a wall of fat. Some would say that I had good reason to hide...I look back now...it wasn't...but it was easier than the other alternative.

    Not sure that self control had anything to do with it...

    The term "food-addiction" is being used more and more nowadays.

    Of course it is. By playing the addict card people don't have to accept responsibility for their actions. Over eating is a lack of self control.

    I think "lack of self control" is over simplifying things. People over eat for many different reasons.

    "Reasons ". Are our justifications for over eating.

    Only you can control wether or not to eat that bite of food. you can dance around it a million different ways but it boils down to self control. Self control isn't will power. Self control is a practiced discipline and being accountable to ones self. willpower is just wistful thinking.
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    Options
    The term "food-addiction" is being used more and more nowadays.

    Of course it is. By playing the addict card people don't have to accept responsibility for their actions. Over eating is a lack of self control.

    I think "lack of self control" is over simplifying things. People over eat for many different reasons.

    For me...I had to take a look at why I over ate...why allowed myself to become over weight...before I could fix it. Being honest with myself about those reasons is why I have been able to lose as much as I have and not quitting when it gets tough.

    I will say this...food became my "new best friend". It was there for me when I felt like nothing else was...it also allowed me to hide behind a wall of fat. Some would say that I had good reason to hide...I look back now...it wasn't...but it was easier than the other alternative.

    Not sure that self control had anything to do with it...

    I agree with you. It's not a lack of "self control". In fact, there have been studies that show that "self control" or "will power" are not factors in losing weight long-term. It's a complex issue with complex solutions. Some people think in black and white, though....

    I have a nephew that craved attention from his mother as a child. When he over ate...he got that attention. He was made to feel special by how much he could eat. Today...he is a 300+ pound man.

    It wasn't a lack of self control...food masked the real problems that he had.

    This is why I think that many of us have to face the issues that caused our lives to get so out of control...that we turned to the one thing that would give us pleasure and what we needed.

    Even now...after having lost 80lbs...I still have to deal with the issues that I had in life. If I don't acknowledge those issues...i will be right back where I started.

    I am not saying that for some people that it is not just a lack of self control...I just believe that for some...it goes much further than that.
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,112 Member
    Options
    The term "food-addiction" is being used more and more nowadays.

    Of course it is. By playing the addict card people don't have to accept responsibility for their actions. Over eating is a lack of self control.

    Of course that depends on the definition of addiction in general. Sex addiction, gambling as noted in the article.. The word itself is in need of more defining criteria.

    That being said, research does suggest that certain individuals, are more vulnerable to the effects of the hyper stimulation of dopamine ("feel good") pathways. It's probably true that the issue is not a chemical addiction to a substance, but rather a behavioral one. But let's remember behavior is also dictated by a long series of chemical interactions among neurotransmitters.

    So if an individual is vulnerable genetically - they will have a much much harder time managing their behavior. If the dopamine stimulus is food, their body is telling them to go get it. Just like that of an alcoholic. Alcoholics are indeed chemically dependent on a substance but also deeply rooted habitually. Which is why the 12 steps are often more successful than just a trial of abstinence alone.

    "Self control" is NOT the appropriate treatment for many people. This is about understanding why your body works the way it does and then working to make the necessary changes to manage the vulnerability.


    Who doesn't love a good dopamine rush ? LoL

    Education is critical but at the end of the day nobody but you is sticking that fork in your mouth and only self control is going to stop it, Self control is at the tot of it all. Holds true for herion addicts, alcoholics, over eaters, sex fiends and every other action we humans do.
  • tuxedord2
    tuxedord2 Posts: 69 Member
    Options
    The term "food-addiction" is being used more and more nowadays.

    Of course it is. By playing the addict card people don't have to accept responsibility for their actions. Over eating is a lack of self control.

    I think "lack of self control" is over simplifying things. People over eat for many different reasons.

    For me...I had to take a look at why I over ate...why allowed myself to become over weight...before I could fix it. Being honest with myself about those reasons is why I have been able to lose as much as I have and not quitting when it gets tough.

    I will say this...food became my "new best friend". It was there for me when I felt like nothing else was...it also allowed me to hide behind a wall of fat. Some would say that I had good reason to hide...I look back now...it wasn't...but it was easier than the other alternative.

    Not sure that self control had anything to do with it...

    The term "food-addiction" is being used more and more nowadays.

    Of course it is. By playing the addict card people don't have to accept responsibility for their actions. Over eating is a lack of self control.

    I think "lack of self control" is over simplifying things. People over eat for many different reasons.

    "Reasons ". Are our justifications for over eating.

    Only you can control wether or not to eat that bite of food. you can dance around it a million different ways but it boils down to self control. Self control isn't will power. Self control is a practiced discipline and being accountable to ones self. willpower is just wistful thinking.

    Camo, I actually agree with your last two statements!
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,112 Member
    Options
    The term "food-addiction" is being used more and more nowadays.

    Of course it is. By playing the addict card people don't have to accept responsibility for their actions. Over eating is a lack of self control.

    I think "lack of self control" is over simplifying things. People over eat for many different reasons.

    For me...I had to take a look at why I over ate...why allowed myself to become over weight...before I could fix it. Being honest with myself about those reasons is why I have been able to lose as much as I have and not quitting when it gets tough.

    I will say this...food became my "new best friend". It was there for me when I felt like nothing else was...it also allowed me to hide behind a wall of fat. Some would say that I had good reason to hide...I look back now...it wasn't...but it was easier than the other alternative.

    Not sure that self control had anything to do with it...

    I agree with you. It's not a lack of "self control". In fact, there have been studies that show that "self control" or "will power" are not factors in losing weight long-term. It's a complex issue with complex solutions. Some people think in black and white, though....

    I have a nephew that craved attention from his mother as a child. When he over ate...he got that attention. He was made to feel special by how much he could eat. Today...he is a 300+ pound man.

    It wasn't a lack of self control...food masked the real problems that he had.

    This is why I think that many of us have to face the issues that caused our lives to get so out of control...that we turned to the one thing that would give us pleasure and what we needed.

    Even now...after having lost 80lbs...I still have to deal with the issues that I had in life. If I don't acknowledge those issues...i will be right back where I started.

    I am not saying that for some people that it is not just a lack of self control...I just believe that for some...it goes much further than that.


    All these things you mention are true and valid things that lead to over eating as they can easily overcome a persons self control. But at the end of the day....... Self control is what keeps the fork out of your mouth.
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,112 Member
    Options
    Anyhow , I am not here to argue.

    Just sharing my point of view gained from extensive experience with "addiction". And I have made my point.

    Agree or disagree, that's up to you.

    All I ask is seriously ponder it if you disagree and ask yourself. If not you ? Who will be responsible for your every action ?
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    Options
    Some times...it takes all of your self control...just to get out of the bed in the mornings...to put one foot in front of the other.

    Some of us survive those times...however we can...and at some point put our lives back together...we no longer need the over eating. It is however a hard habit to break.

    IMO...until we recognize what we have been doing...until we acknowledge those things...you have little self control. The mind is powerful...it will take over and do what it needs to in order to survive.

    I am not saying this is true for every over weight person...many as you say just don't exercise any self control.

    Oh well...we all view life from our own perspectives I suppose.
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,326 Member
    Options
    The term "food-addiction" is being used more and more nowadays.

    Of course it is. By playing the addict card people don't have to accept responsibility for their actions. Over eating is a lack of self control.

    I think "lack of self control" is over simplifying things. People over eat for many different reasons.

    For me...I had to take a look at why I over ate...why allowed myself to become over weight...before I could fix it. Being honest with myself about those reasons is why I have been able to lose as much as I have and not quitting when it gets tough.

    I will say this...food became my "new best friend". It was there for me when I felt like nothing else was...it also allowed me to hide behind a wall of fat. Some would say that I had good reason to hide...I look back now...it wasn't...but it was easier than the other alternative.

    Not sure that self control had anything to do with it...

    I agree with you. It's not a lack of "self control". In fact, there have been studies that show that "self control" or "will power" are not factors in losing weight long-term. It's a complex issue with complex solutions. Some people think in black and white, though....

    I have a nephew that craved attention from his mother as a child. When he over ate...he got that attention. He was made to feel special by how much he could eat. Today...he is a 300+ pound man.

    It wasn't a lack of self control...food masked the real problems that he had.

    This is why I think that many of us have to face the issues that caused our lives to get so out of control...that we turned to the one thing that would give us pleasure and what we needed.

    Even now...after having lost 80lbs...I still have to deal with the issues that I had in life. If I don't acknowledge those issues...i will be right back where I started.

    I am not saying that for some people that it is not just a lack of self control...I just believe that for some...it goes much further than that.


    All these things you mention are true and valid things that lead to over eating as they can easily overcome a persons self control. But at the end of the day....... Self control is what keeps the fork out of your mouth.

    i agree with the others that say you are being oversimplistic.

    lack of self conrol implies that people arent 100% conscious of their behaviors AND the consequences of those behaviors. many people over eat fully in control knowing full well what they are eating and that they will gain weight.

    the only constant reason why people are overweight is because they ate more food than their body needed over a x amount of time. the contributing factors into why that happened (whether that be lack of selfcontrol, compensating and coping, hormonal/adrenal issues, etc) are going to be as varied and numerous as the number of overweight people
  • violasmith85
    violasmith85 Posts: 274 Member
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    all addictions are a lack of self control. Which is by definition the truth. Have no will power to stop yourself from doing something. Calling them diseases annoys me. You may truly be unable to control yourself, and that's fine. That is a problem that needs help. But calling it a disease just seems insulting to people who have medical diseases.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    Options
    Annie, both your posts were so poignant and your specific examples so compelling. Thank you for sharing them.

    Your first reminded me of a weight loss blogger comment. Desserts used to be her best friend, and when she could take a single cookie off a whole dessert buffet table and feel satisfied with that, it felt a little like losing an old friend. I get that, but sometimes it's best to let some friends go, and there are much better friends to be had.

    Sugar is unquestionably a drug, an addictive one that has huge metabolic impacts. Self-control/willpower is a legitimate variable in the equation, too, to agree with camo. Abstinence is a viable option for alcohol and narcotics but not for food. Hence, food addiction is complex. Unmet needs lie at the heart of many addictions.
  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
    Options
    Anyhow , I am not here to argue.

    Just sharing my point of view gained from extensive experience with "addiction". And I have made my point.

    Agree or disagree, that's up to you.

    All I ask is seriously ponder it if you disagree and ask yourself. If not you ? Who will be responsible for your every action ?

    If this was directed at me...I didn't realize that we were arguing. That wasn't my intent.

    Based on my own experiences...I voiced my opinion. Also...no where did I place blame on anyone else. Not even the issues that I faced when I started depending on food to fulfill a void...though those issues were not my doing.

    We will leave it at this however...I tend not to like long drawn out conversations!
  • blessedmomma3
    blessedmomma3 Posts: 2
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    I severely lack self control! I agree though and want to add that any type of eating habit can be replaced with a different eating habit. For example, I am working to replace reaching for a cookie with reaching for a piece of fruit and mindless snacking from boredom with drinking a glass of water. I am finding that I automatically head to the water cooler now instead of the pantry.
  • tuxedord2
    tuxedord2 Posts: 69 Member
    Options
    all addictions are a lack of self control. Which is by definition the truth. Have no will power to stop yourself from doing something. Calling them diseases annoys me. You may truly be unable to control yourself, and that's fine. That is a problem that needs help. But calling it a disease just seems insulting to people who have medical diseases.

    Well disease needs to be better defined as well doesn't it? But certain individuals are susceptible to developing diabetes - a "disease" affecting the way the body manages blood sugar. Others are vulnerable to developing cancer - a "disease" causing normal cells to replicate without "control." I hear what you are saying in that those "physical diseases" are more "real." But the field of mental health which includes addiction, is breaking open right now and discovering new causes for what used to be "in the head" issues. Bacteria, viruses, auto- immune issues, gut inflammation and dysregulated biomes... are all now considered to be potential triggers for disordered neurotransmitter balances-- which lead to disordered thinking-- and thus disordered action.

    There was a time not so long ago that people with diseases like epilepsy and polio were shut away in mental institutions.

    Is that an excuse? No way! But let's acknowledge that some individuals have a harder time managing their relationship with food than others. Who knows the cause? Maybe it is "disease?" Can the mind overcome such an issue? Absolutely! The mind can also slow down your own heart rate and reduce your body temperature if trained to do so. Mind and Body are connected. We just don't understand them yet.
  • Summerfit321
    Summerfit321 Posts: 142 Member
    Options
    all addictions are a lack of self control. Which is by definition the truth. Have no will power to stop yourself from doing something. Calling them diseases annoys me. You may truly be unable to control yourself, and that's fine. That is a problem that needs help. But calling it a disease just seems insulting to people who have medical diseases.

    Well disease needs to be better defined as well doesn't it? But certain individuals are susceptible to developing diabetes - a "disease" affecting the way the body manages blood sugar. Others are vulnerable to developing cancer - a "disease" causing normal cells to replicate without "control." I hear what you are saying in that those "physical diseases" are more "real." But the field of mental health which includes addiction, is breaking open right now and discovering new causes for what used to be "in the head" issues. Bacteria, viruses, auto- immune issues, gut inflammation and dysregulated biomes... are all now considered to be potential triggers for disordered neurotransmitter balances-- which lead to disordered thinking-- and thus disordered action.

    There was a time not so long ago that people with diseases like epilepsy and polio were shut away in mental institutions.

    Is that an excuse? No way! But let's acknowledge that some individuals have a harder time managing their relationship with food than others. Who knows the cause? Maybe it is "disease?" Can the mind overcome such an issue? Absolutely! The mind can also slow down your own heart rate and reduce your body temperature if trained to do so. Mind and Body are connected. We just don't understand them yet.

    I agree with most of this. I don't think that argueing over whether this is due to a lack of self control or whether one disease is more real than another is useful, because those are things people don't tend to change their minds over. My view is that there are physical diseases and mental diseases. A disease is something that causes harm to the patient, something outside the norm...
    If someone has bulimia or anorexia, most people will acknowledge that this is a disease. A lot of people who recover from either of the two go-on to develop binge-eating. I personally only acquired binge-eating disorder after years of dieting and maintaining a healthy weight. I can even remember the first stressful event and day I binged. Slowly the binging became worse: I could eat pounds of food at a time, sometimes feeling pain in my esophagus. All the while, however, this was causing me a certain relief, like an outlet of something I believe(d) to be worse. I only ever gained weight over a few days of severe over-eating, not over months: this kind of lack of self control is a disease, and addiction to me, and one I am willing to do my best to overcome :smile:

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