I really think I'm addicted...

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HeatherBurke
HeatherBurke Posts: 147
in Health and Weight Loss
I don't understand how this happens but I truly think I may be addicted to food... I can't seem to grasp the concept of eat to live not live to eat.... I sat down and really put two and two together the other day when I went to the grocery store for shredded cheese but of course walked down the cookie aisle... I knew I should have just kept walking thus getting to what I went there for to begin with... Needless to say the package of chocolate chip cookies ( the really good ones) made it into my hands and before I know it, within 2 MAYBE 3 days the whole thing was gone... thanks to nobody other than myself. If there's cookies in the house, they will be in my mouth... Ice cream is a whole other battle in itself, there was a quart of ice cream about 4 days ago that my boyfriend bought and has to just leave there for me to stare at and is now 3/4 of the way gone once again mostly due to myself:sad: :cry: ... I don't understand how I can just basically go into another world while I'm eating these things and before I know it they are gone!! I have put on alomost 20 pounds in about 8 months I think a lot due to my issues with sweets.. How do I stop this??!! I came to the conclusion not to have sweets in the house thus out of sight out of mind but then I go crazy and will go find it... I'm sooooo discouraged, unmotivated, fat, and feel horrible about myself that it's just a downward spiral. It's like I'm to the point where I feel so far gone that I don't care anymore.. I know what I need to do and how to do it I guess I kist don't do it... I only need to be about 20 pounds lighter to be in a good size on me but with being so short and all of my weight going to my belly and butt it seems like every pound is 3!! I need help...... I don't know what to do anymore... I'm going to get ym thyroid checked too because I can sleep 24 hours straight if someone would let me and I never seem to get enough sleep:yawn: ... UGH!! Sorry for ranting I just don't seem to have anywhere else to talk about it or feel like I'm not alone... any suggestions would be GREATLY appreciated... Thank you so much y'all are such an inspiration if I could just get off my butt!!:ohwell:
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Replies

  • chgudnitz
    chgudnitz Posts: 4,079
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    First off, good job asking for help and realizing you even might need it. It's tough to get off the food addiction. What I do is I don't restrict myself from eating anything, but if I eat anything bad I tell myself what's in it, remind myself what it will take to burn that back off, and if I still really want it, I eat it. From my experience, if you take the time to think it out, you will change your mind a lot of the time. The rest of the time, consider it a treat.

    Good luck.
  • beckyi88
    beckyi88 Posts: 604
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    I am reading the END of Overeating by David Kessler and it's opening my eyes in a while new way about WHY I do what I do in relation to food. I highly recommend it.
    Don't give up! Educate yourself and keep trying. It will be much easier to change now with 20 pounds to lose than in another year when it's 40 or more.
    Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • VballLeash
    VballLeash Posts: 2,456 Member
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    Sounds like you mainly have a portion control problem. If you deprive yourself completely than you will end up over eating so just watch how much you eat and if you don't want to keep it in the house than allow yourself to go out for icecream once and awhile but just a scoop :bigsmile: Frozen yogurt does the trick for me!... and DON'T give up, you can do it!

    ~Leash :heart:
  • JenniferMann24
    JenniferMann24 Posts: 293
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    I seem to have the same problem...mine is overeating when im stressed...I just don't know either. We know its bad but do it anyway.:ohwell:
  • HeatherBurke
    HeatherBurke Posts: 147
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    Another thing is that I live in the south now (southern Arkansas) where fried food, kool aid etc are the norm here... I didn't grow up eating these things living in the midwest and then Florida so the food and lifestyles are completely different here and it is throwing me for a total loop, being with a southern black man where this is how it is an everyday thing is killing me!!! AHHHH!!!
  • lizzys
    lizzys Posts: 841 Member
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    its simple any body that is a hundred pounds or more over weight has a food addiction it not from hunger it take over everything just having the cumputer helps your not putting anything in your mouth when your typing or housecleaning or doing washing we need to find something that more inportant then food:sad:
  • tubbytabbytales
    tubbytabbytales Posts: 5,883
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    I go Overeaters Annoymous groups. If you go to OA.org, they have them all over the world, even online groups.
  • CasperO
    CasperO Posts: 2,913 Member
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    .....I need help...... I don't know what to do anymore... I'm going to get ym thyroid checked too because I can sleep 24 hours straight if someone would let me and I never seem to get enough sleep:yawn: ... UGH!! ,,,,,,

    I'm a pretty healthy guy. I cannot sleep more than 9 hours. Maybe 10 if I have a really long hard day. If you can honestly sleep for 24 hours straight then you have a medical problem. Yes, please go see a doctor. :smile:

    Don't even start with the thyroid issue, just describe your symptoms and what you're going through and let the Doctor do the Doctoring - that's what they go to med school for. I'll bet your doc will order a sleep study. If you can sleep that long I'll bet you're not really sleeping at all.
  • havingitall
    havingitall Posts: 3,728 Member
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    its simple any body that is a hundred pounds or more over weight has a food addiction it not from hunger it take over everything just having the cumputer helps your not putting anything in your mouth when your typing or housecleaning or doing washing we need to find something that more inportant then food:sad:

    Not everybody who has that much weight to lose has a food addiction. Some of us were just lazy and didn't know how to eat correctly.:smile:
  • MissKim
    MissKim Posts: 2,853 Member
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    I'm addicted too.....let me know if you find a cure....my only advice is take it one day and one decision at a time!! it's a hard habit to break
  • Angie1215
    Angie1215 Posts: 125 Member
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    i always say that food is the worst addiction because it's not something that you can just live without!! :sad: :mad:
  • laurajoyk
    laurajoyk Posts: 305
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    Great job just coming here and asking for help. The people on here are very motivating, inspiring, and helpful.

    I have always had a problem overeating, I would eat till I was sick at least 4 times a week up until I decided to make a concious effort to not eat all day long. I did take all of the treats out of my house, but replaced them with the same things that were already in portion sized containers. Ice cream is one of my faves, so I got the skinny cow fudge bars in different flavors and allowed myself one a day after dinner. Also they have cheez-its and other things good and salty in 100 calorie packs, even milano cookies :smile: yum!

    Try that first if you can't just stop at having a couple or just one. It definitely helped me in the beginning.
  • zebras
    zebras Posts: 600
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    Can you take a buddy with you shopping? Someone who can make sure you don't turn down that cookie aisle? I too am pretty addicted to food. In our case, it helps that my husband likes to go shopping the minute we run low on something, so I don't have to go too often myself.
  • LittleSpy
    LittleSpy Posts: 6,754 Member
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    I'm also addicted to food. I never want to just "eat to live." I love tasting food. I want to taste food. Guess what -- it's possible to really enjoy food while still being healthy. What I recommend is for you to log every single thing you put in your mouth. Just really come face-to-face with what you're eating. I just started a week ago and I can already see which foods are delicious *and* nutritious and the foods that are delicious and are a total waste of calories.
    I have eaten 1200-1350 calories in a day in the last 7 days. And I'm fine. There's not a single thing I'm craving because I'm paying attention to what tastes good and is good for me. I can have a HUGE delicious omelet with tons of yummy veggies *and* full fat cheese, or I can have a can of soda. I can have like 4 totally yummy diet soda cupcakes and a glass of milk, or I can have 2 pre-packaged cookies. See where I'm going here?

    A pint of Ben and Jerry's is like 1200 calories. I'd eat that and then go to bed. I'd eat an *entire day's* worth of calories and then just go sleep on it. How gross is that?

    So, to tell you how I felt last Monday, September 4th. I was exhausted. I was in pain from being overweight, I ate probably 1/2 a pound of cheese on my pasta and then had a blood sugar crash and probably dozed on the couch for a while before heaving myself up to get ready for bed. Today, a week later, I'm almost 10 POUNDS lighter, I feel AWESOME. I noticed today that my knees and ankles aren't hurting like they were. I've been sleeping so much better. And I can't wait to go home from work and cook a nutritious and oh-so-tasty meal and then workout.

    Sorry this post is so long, but I really relate to you. I was so tired. I felt so hopeless. Then something just clicked. I started logging my food and seeing what made sense to eat. I've tried to lose weight before, but I've never been so satisfied with the food I'm eating and I've never felt so good about it.
  • vhardwick
    vhardwick Posts: 54
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    I have found that sugerless gum helps. It puts something in my mouth but isn't many calories.
    Hope that helps!
  • shinybonnie
    shinybonnie Posts: 357
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    I agree with all the advice here. I especially like the advice to take a buddy with you to the store. This may seem out in left field, but could you be pregnant? You describe how I felt in my first trimester (at least with the sleeping 24/7). As for cravings and not being able to stop once you get started, I have found that praying for strength to resist temptation has helped me a lot. Especially right at that moment when my inner 2-year old is throwing a temper tantrum, wanting that cookie. It is VERY hard to resist that strong strong desire. That is when I hit my knees and ask for strength.
  • kimberjones
    kimberjones Posts: 155
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    its simple any body that is a hundred pounds or more over weight has a food addiction it not from hunger it take over everything just having the cumputer helps your not putting anything in your mouth when your typing or housecleaning or doing washing we need to find something that more inportant then food:sad:

    Not everybody who has that much weight to lose has a food addiction. Some of us were just lazy and didn't know how to eat correctly.:smile:

    In my case it was replacing a lack of something with food - ie. a lack of activity (boredom), a lack of feeling love (I've learned to read my Bible instead or call a friend), a lack of optimism in losing weight.... I thought I was addicted to food but I have been blessed by realizing that I was using food to replace something that was missing.

    Hang in there. We all go through tough times. I'm in one right now :cry: and you just have to go moment by moment - one step at a time.

    Blessings! :flowerforyou:
  • angiered
    angiered Posts: 169 Member
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    I TOTALLY agree about having a shopping buddy. That's a great idea!

    Look at how you're eating too. If you're regular foods have a really high glicemic index, you may be causing your blood sugar to do really crazy things...and when it crashes, you head for the sweets because that's what your body NEEDS at that point.

    Having your sugars go crazy like that also makes you :yawn: very tired.

    I do agree, you need to see your doctor.
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
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    You're SO not alone. We have a thread/ challenge going called "Let's QUIT the sweets!?". It's a good place to vent about the devil- sugar!
  • CarmenSantiago
    CarmenSantiago Posts: 681 Member
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    I feel your pain. I think it would be a good idea to see your doctor and rule out physical ailments. Food addiction is the most insidious of addictions and many of us suffer from it. Like another poster said not everyone that is overweight is a food addict. Some didn't know how to eat healthy, some were lazy, some the weight came on with bad habits as they aged, etc.

    This site is great for losing weight. Tracking calories, gathering information and motivation. But as I've said ad nauseam the weight we addicts carry is only a symptom of a deeper issue. We can lose the weight, heck we've done it many, many, times. We have the willpower to lose weight. But we can't keep the weight off until we allow ourselves to get to the underlying issues.

    I hope that you will think about also seeking therapy for your emotional/mental health.

    Good Luck!

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