Life long addiction to food

it is all about life change vs. a diet. make changes you can suport for the rest of your life.

I'm right there with you!

I've tried lots of things in the past 10 years, starving myself, weight watchers, diet pills, eating only salads, you name it! Shockingly, the one thing I haven't tried yet....eating right and exercising!

I love this site, because I am making healthy choices, and the people here are really motivating me to work out! I'm really commited to changing my life for my children, and making healthy food choices for my whole family. I think if I can change my habits, than this will work for a lifetime.
Feel free to friend me for motivation!

I think any one willing to admit the addiction is going through or gone through the same thing. I too have a food addiction, I too need to find out how to get past it, But the biggest thing I finally admitted was I wasn't willing to change. I always said or did the diet thing, I went to the weight watcher meetings only to walk out of there and go eat something I knew I shouldn't have. What I wasn't willing to admit then was I needed a life style change. Giving up something for a few days to lose a lb or two isn't going to get me to my goal weight and keep me there. I did all that before. I lost 80 lbs on Weight Watchers only to gain it all back when I quit. This time I know what I have to do. I have to be able to eat any food I want, but the difference is I now know how to control it. Portion size!!! That is my key. I have to learn to get it in check and keep it there. Oh, and getting off the couch. Any movement is better than no movement!

I feel the same way. I love the taste of food. Doesn't even have to be chocolate or sweets - sometimes I crave cheese, other times a juicy steak, or maybe some sushi or fresh-made guacamole, or whatever tickles my fancy at that moment. I LOVE FOOD. It's hard for me to eat in moderation. The best success I've ever had with weight loss is when I've been completely obsessive about counting calories (or carbs or points or whatever system I was using) and being strict with myself about not going over my daily allowance. Unfortunately, I've never been able to maintain that rigidity for longer than a year - with most of that year spent losing weight, not maintaining. But, it's about the only thing that works, so I guess I need to find a way to count calories for the rest of my life, lest I let my impulses get the better of me. It helps if I plan my meals out ahead of time, but that's not always possible - life happens, after all, and not everything goes to plan. I also can't maintain any weight loss that was achieved by eliminating a certain type of food, be it carbs or fat or sugar or whatever. So, like a previous poster said, I have to be able to eat WHATEVER I want, but learn to eat a smaller portion of that food. That's difficult!

Joining MFP and using their tools is my first step toward finding a way to do this for life. Having the calorie counter app on my phone is a big help because I can input my food choices while I'm sitting at a restaurant, if I haven't had a chance to look over the menu beforehand. Obviously cold turkey is not an option, so I need to re-teach myself what I'd forgotten from infancy - portion control. Eat when you're hungry, don't eat when you're not, and eat just enough to satisfy the hunger.

You guys are great!!!

It is good to know that I am not alone. Yesterday I had an amazing day, I ate perfect, went to the gym for an hour and a half, then came home and.... ATE FOUR SKINNY COW ICE CREAM BARS!!! Why!?!?! My husband always gets mad at me... I hide food even when I know that he will find out. He is no abusive jerk or anything, he honestly just wants some food left in the house!! LOL!!

I know this will be a life long battle but with a good support system, I know I can do this!

I don't think I've ever felt addicted to food in the traditional sense. I've had family memebers addicted to drugs and alcohol and it is different. Not to say one is easier than the other. They are both incredibly difficult. And, although, I don't think one can really by physically addicted to food, I do think there can be very strong psychological components to over eating along with the physiological aspect of sugar and fat's impact on the body. I also think bad foods make us crave more bad foods. What finally made it click for me was the first time I really over ate after starting in MFP in September. I remember feeling just miserable. Not upset about it (it was Thanksgiving and I had given myself permission to eat) it was that I felt physically ill for hours after. It was the first time in years that I realized why I used to feel bad so often. I just ate too much. I don't like that feeling and it stops me now (or at least keeps me from eating nearly as much at one time). Instead of eating more when I've had enough, I get up and do the dishes or play with the dog, clean, read a book, put in a load of laundry, anything to keep me busy. Sometimes even just going to bed a little early. Usually the urge to eat passes after a bit. I wish you the best in your efforts.