food addiction struggles

Serah87 wrote: »

You don't have an addiction, you just don't have self control.

How many calories are you doing?

Will you open up your diary?

Strong this. It is all about control. There is nothing wrong with liking food. If I could, I would binge on pizza and ice cream daily.

Just learn to work in a small meal with the foods you like to eat into your diet once a while to ease your cravings.

OP, I have been where you are and understand. My entire world at one point was 100% about what I was going to eat next. To deal with my addictive behavior with food, I had to cut out certain foods completely because I binge on them without control.

If you are obsessing about certain foods or binging on the foods to the point of no control then you need to talk to someone far more qualified than the people who are going to respond to this thread.

Overeaters Anonymous is a good place to start; you can check out their website. You can also look for a therapist who works with eating disorders.

Best of luck to you.

Serah87 wrote: »

You don't have an addiction, you just don't have self control.

No self control is the fundamental problem she's describing. She is unable to control herself around certain foods, and she is fixated on them to the point of feeling like an addict.

zSandman wrote: »

It is all about control. There is nothing wrong with liking food. If I could, I would binge on pizza and ice cream daily.

No. You don't get to "choose" to binge -- you choose to overeat. Overeating is not binging. Binging isn't some fun little game that fat people like to play. Binging is vicious, destructive relationship with food that brings many people who suffer from it to the point of suicide.

My guess is that it's not about self control, or even necessarily about overeating. I would wager that it's about feeling as though you have to stop eating foods you enjoy. I find this is the problem many people have when attempting weight loss. So many times I have heard people say things like... "I would try to lose weight, but I like cookies too much". Yeah, I like cookies, too. What's your point? You can eat those things. Learning moderation is hard, and that does take some self control. It doesn't necessarily mean you do or don't have self control (that you feel this way). It just sounds like you feel as though you have to restrict things you like.

If you really like pizza, and you suddenly stop eating pizza, you are going to feel like you cannot eat pizza. The more you force yourself not to eat pizza, the more you are going to think about pizza, so the more pizza you're going to eat when you eat pizza. Make sense?

It was the carbs that had me. It took me two months of trying then a month before my next doctor's appointment I said enough is enough. After about a month off the carbs like stuff with added sugar and any grains the cravings just left. I still have a memory of them but no addiction like craving but I do keep my protein up around 100 grams a day at 220 pounds. Protein does help with the cravings I read. Best of luck. What you are going through is real many of us know. It is not for everyone but getting into a state of nutritional ketosis prevents me from getting hungry unlike when on carbs I was hungry all of the time.

Addiction has (at least) 4 components. Craving, Compulsion, Loss of Control and Negative Consequences - the four C's. So self control, while important is only part of the equation. Self-control is more than just stubborn will-power. Sometimes you need to become a behaviour detective to understand and manage the multitude of things driving the show. That can take time, and relapses. And best done with genuine support and not smart-*kitten* Dr Phil-isms. So it is self-control, but it is COMPLEX self control. And that may diminish the cravings and compulsion over time - but it may not. Only time will tell if certain foods and environments are safe, or whether total abstinance is the only workable solution.

There are no "bad" foods. Eat at a deficit and you'll lose weight.

I'm a binge eater. It has taken me this whole year until October 6th to conquer my addiction, and even from then til now I've binged..a lot. I've only lost 18 lbs. Every time I tried MFP I saw a burger or chocolate, and said, "Oh, I'll start tomorrow. Forget it. One more burger won't hurt." I finally just made it up in my mind a week ago that I was going to lose weight no matter what. I decided I was going to have a life. You can't deprive yourself of things you love though. I love chocolate and iced coffees from McDonald's. I have to sacrifice the sugar, and go with sugar-free vanilla syrup for my coffee and if I want chocolate or cookies, it's logged no matter what. They say not to use food as a reward on here, but I work really hard through the week and then do small workouts on the weekends and reward myself with cookies or chocolate on the weekends. It just works for me. You have to find what works for you, and stick with it no matter what. You have to make up in your mind that you are tired of being the way you are. Another motivator for me is that I want my bellybutton pierced. It may seem stupid for some people, but I've wanted it since I was 16 and have always been a big girl but I'm not going to be "twenty-something" forever. It takes a lot of willpower to walk past chocolate, but I tell myself I can have my treat Saturday or Sunday and that keeps me going. If I absolutely have to have chocolate right then and there, I make sure I log it and cut down on whatever I had planned for dinner so I still have a "green" day. I hope this helps encourage you:) My diary is public if you would like to look at it or add me. You're not alone:)

I disagree with people who say that addiction isn't a real thing. I still think about food every second of every day despite my self control that has allowed me to lose 75lbs.

The more good, healthy, nutritious foods you eat (that give your body what it needs to function at it's optimum level) the less it will crave unhealthy stuff.

The self control thing - it can be done. You just need to get your head in the right place, remind yourself of your goals and WHY you're looking to get there. Then obsess over that!