Food Addiction??

you're preachin' to the choir, girlfriend.

It's not an addiction - it's an obsession. There's a difference.

The remedy: find a new obsession to replace it, or at least to drown it out in your mind. Hopefully, it will be something productive, perhaps conducive to weight loss (e.g. exercise), perhaps helpful in some other way.

One thing you might think about: being on MFP all the time probably doesn't help you to stop thinking about food. Just a thought.

sorry, but this is awful advice.

for people who suffer from ANY form of addiction, whether it be food, drugs, alcohol etc. the worst thing you can possibly to is transfer your addiction. one of the first things they teach on the way to recovery is to find a way to cope that is non- addictive and non- habit forming.

if you transfer your addiction to exercise, it can also have adverse effects and cause you tobe come bulimic, anorexic and/ or severely underweight.

the best solution (that i have found) is to seek out a safe, non-threatening way to cope with everyday stresses. if a walk is a good way for you, then fantastic, so long as it doesn't become a way for you to exercsie that element of self-destruction and control that comes with the food addiction.

it's hard for people who don't suffer from it to fully understand, but there are plenty of us that do.... i'm so glad you had the courage to ask. if coming onto MFP is a way for you to cope, reflect, vent, seek advice and generally commisserate with other who suffer the same thing, then i think it is fantastic that you are here.

yeah i completely agree with you. very well said.

It's not an addiction - it's an obsession. There's a difference.

The remedy: find a new obsession to replace it, or at least to drown it out in your mind. Hopefully, it will be something productive, perhaps conducive to weight loss (e.g. exercise), perhaps helpful in some other way.

One thing you might think about: being on MFP all the time probably doesn't help you to stop thinking about food. Just a thought.

sorry, but this is awful advice.

for people who suffer from ANY form of addiction, whether it be food, drugs, alcohol etc. the worst thing you can possibly to is transfer your addiction. one of the first things they teach on the way to recovery is to find a way to cope that is non- addictive and non- habit forming.

if you transfer your addiction to exercise, it can also have adverse effects and cause you tobe come bulimic, anorexic and/ or severely underweight.

the best solution (that i have found) is to seek out a safe, non-threatening way to cope with everyday stresses. if a walk is a good way for you, then fantastic, so long as it doesn't become a way for you to exercsie that element of self-destruction and control that comes with the food addiction.

it's hard for people who don't suffer from it to fully understand, but there are plenty of us that do.... i'm so glad you had the courage to ask. if coming onto MFP is a way for you to cope, reflect, vent, seek advice and generally commisserate with other who suffer the same thing, then i think it is fantastic that you are here.

Please note: a central assumption in my argument is that food IS NOT addictive. Food is too broad a category to be addictive. Perhaps certain molecules in certain foods are addictive. But not food itself. It can be a subject of obsessive thinking, and the action of overeating can be a destructive habit.

It's common for psychiatric patients with obsessions to go through a process of training themselves to think about or do something else when they are afflicted with obsessive thoughts, or when they catch themselves with a strong desire to engage in a destructive habit.

At the extreme, someone might have OCD about food. The term "OCD" is also grossly misused. It DOES NOT mean obsessive thinking AND compulsive behavior. The patient feels convinced that if they do not respond to the obsessive thoughts in a certain way, that something bad will happen. No one said they had OCD about food, and I suspect that few of us do. But just to consider the treatment and why "transferrence" is not bad even for this extreme case, some doctors would treat OCD by denying you the opportunity to react as you feel you must until you realize that no, nothing bad will happen. Again, the point is to train the mind that the body can respond differently to the mental stimuli, until you break the circuit that triggers the destructive response.

So I stand by my case that changing the way we react to an obsessive train of thought, call it what you will, is NOT bad. As for the alternative behaviors, if you decide to run or go to a fitness class instead of obsessing about food and/or overeating, it can only serve you well. Not everybody is so extreme in ALL of their behaviors that their substitute activity would become as overwhelming. And exercise is just one possibility. What's wrong with knitting? solving a sudoku or a crossword? reading short stories? All of these things can be habit forming. And not destructive unless they make you feel worse than the behavior you're trying to stop.

But deliberately obsessing about food probably won't help you to break the circuit between obsessive thoughts and destructive actions unless you can identify a constructive response to your obsession! For instance, go to culinary school! (Often the people who spend the most time preparing food are the least compulsive about eating it.) Otherwise, you may be better served by finding another hobby.

Two cents from a "recovered" addict....

I used to think about food all the time - think about dessert while having dinner - think about the popcorn at the movie theatre - think about ice cream as I would drive past Dairy Queen....

I used to wake up in the morning remembering what I ate right before bed... feel quilty over it... and then try and find some comfort food for breakfast...

It just doesn't happen anymore. I plan my meals, enjoy them, and get on with life. I never sit down in front of the tv anymore with food. I used to curl up on the couch with a movie and ice cream - I still do that, just without the ice cream.

So what changed?

I think what changed was my realizing that the food cannot truly comfort me, and never will (I mean how long does a chocoalte chip cookie last? 30 seconds?). I really had to make the connection that the food could never be comforting enough, because I could not eat enough to satisfy what I needed - I know it sounds cliched, but I talk things out with my friends, confide in my husband, journal, or take a bath to de-stress. I try and really face 'why' I was thinking that I needed to eat - what was I trying to accomplish? satisfy? comfort? mask?

Tonight I had dinner out with two good friends - and the dessert menus rolled around. I didn't even bother, because why would I order dessert? I was satisfied from my pecan crusted halibut. So why order dessert? I figured I wanted it to prolong the dinner; to prolong the time with my friends. So I recognized that, and we just chatted for another hour over tea. Sans dessert.

When I want to eat outside of meal time, or have a desire for "comfort food" I really try and ask myself why it is I am wanting this, and I can usually uncover something (my Mom was condescending, I am stressed at work, the kids were leaving my frazzled, etc). I know it sounds corny, but is has immensely improved my relationships as well, and my general level of happiness (although I'm always a pretty upbeat person). Why did I have this strange relationship with food? I've finally figured it out (or so I think - as a death in the family over Christmas brought back some stress eating - it's always a balancing act of awareness and action).

I hope this helps someone.... it's just my experience....
:flowerforyou:

Thank you for you post. I have been suffering from binge eating for almost 2 years now. I exercise regularly so have managed to only put on 10 pounds. (I'd hate to see what it would be if I didn't exercise!) Still, on a 5'3 frame, I hate what I see in the mirror. I have fat where I never had it before all due to bingeing on junk food. I do good for about a week and then binge for 1-3 days. I hate it! I hate how I feel after stuffing my face and the guilt I have when I go to bed. Then the resolve to do better the next morning. I still haven't quite figured out why I do it though, so it's really frustrating. I just want to eat normal again and quit worrying about food and weight 24/7. I know it's possible, I've seen others do it. But it is not easy. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one and that there is hope.

god iam the same, iam so glad other people feel like this, as all my friends dont under stand. They eat to survive. I eat because i really enjoy it. I love talking about it, buying it, cooking it and more so eating it. I evan be came a chef then restaurant manager because i love being around it. I can spend hours in asda just looking at all the different foods there is and thinking hiow good it would taste.
I feel i really do have a problem, my life revolves around food.
I really want things to change.
A month ago i saw a hypnotherapist to try and help me with my obsesion with food, i feel it really hepled me understand alot about my self and how i thought about food. Since then i have lost just over 7lb but i am not dieting i am changing my life, if i want to eat some thing i eat it, just in moderation. i feel great.
I have a long way to go but i have to it for my health. xxx

Thank you for you post. I have been suffering from binge eating for almost 2 years now. I exercise regularly so have managed to only put on 10 pounds. (I'd hate to see what it would be if I didn't exercise!) Still, on a 5'3 frame, I hate what I see in the mirror. I have fat where I never had it before all due to bingeing on junk food. I do good for about a week and then binge for 1-3 days. I hate it! I hate how I feel after stuffing my face and the guilt I have when I go to bed. Then the resolve to do better the next morning. I still haven't quite figured out why I do it though, so it's really frustrating. I just want to eat normal again and quit worrying about food and weight 24/7. I know it's possible, I've seen others do it. But it is not easy. I'm glad to know I'm not the only one and that there is hope.

I'm glad you can relate - don't feel alone - I was that way for 30 years (and maintained a healthy weight until I gained 50 lbs in pregnancy) so I can relate to you! For me, I really found that in the moment I needed to think of what was going on. It was hard to pin point at first, but then it got easier. I also found that stream of conciousness journally (I know it sounds corny - but without thinking, you just write any words that come to your mind) and things started to reveal themselves to me.

Good luck - I wrote "recovered" because after being in a good place for almost a year, my niece died over Christmas, and I was right back in the box of choclates to "feel better". With that said, I'm back with healthier behaviours again! Just because you are slim, doesn't mean you don't struggle - and I can appreciate that, and empathize.
:flowerforyou:

Thanks for all your insight. It truely does help to here others stories and know that there is a way out. Last night in fact, I had already eaten and my husband got home almost two hours later, so I was dishing up his food. I really wanted to eat again. The food had tasted so yummy! But then I remembered what you wrote and tried to think what was really going on. I was tired and wanted the comfort of food. But, I didn't. I got busy doing something else and then it was time for bed. If I can just stop and focus like that more often, I think it will really help. So thank you.

I 'm sorry about your niece. My mom, who was my best friend, died very suddenly April of 2002. Sometimes I wonder if that is one of the reasons I binge. Even though I didn't start until 5 years after she died. I don't miss her any less than I did then. Sometimes I wonder if it's even more, as my children are growing up and she's not here to talk to and share it with. Losing somone close sure stinks!

First, I'm so very, very sorry to hear of your mother's passing - what a heartbreaking loss. I would imagine it gets harder, especially as you say, with your children missing a grandmother as well.

I think missing your mom could be a MAJOR part of binging. Next time you feel like eating something that you know is not out of hunger, see if you can figure it out.

Second, AWESOME job on not having the second plate of dinner by realizing you wanted the comfort - do you find something else comforting to do? Hug your hubby? Sit with him and chat? Hot bath? I know this all might sound corny, but I really do find it works!
:flowerforyou:

My hubby noted that evenings after I talk to a certain "relative" of mine (with whom I have a strained relationship), I go get a snack. Then I noted that 9 times out of 10, after speaking with or seeing this person, I feel worse about my self. Making this realization has changed (1) how I speak with and to this person, and (2) made the relationship better because I try and make a real effort to change the negative patterns to positive (on my end), and oddly enough, it is making HER more positive as well, and (3) After speaking with her, I have a little therapy session with my hubby to talk it out instead of eating.
:ohwell: