Food Addiction

[WeirdEyes]

Last Sunday I was watching a show (as I was doing laundry) about morbid obesity. There is a hospital that has a special ward for the morbid obese. They actually live there while learning to change there WOE. It is actually a rehab for those addicted to food. They were going over what made you addicted to food, etc. This show really hit home with me because I know I'm addicted to food. I battle the addiction every day.

 

Food as always been my comfort and I just plain love the taste of good food. Us Southerners tend to plan every occasion around food. I've been working on it for the past 2.5 years to overcome the addiction. I still think about food, but I don't always think about what I'm going to eat next like I used to. Now, I eat when I'm hungry.

 

Here is how the way I think about food has changed.....

 

Old mentality: When going to a party, I would think about what food they would serve and if they'd have anything I would like. Even though I'm a food addict, I'm a picky eater. I would arrive at the party and head straight to the buffet. I would eat and talk to friends, etc. I would sneak "seconds" and "thirds" if there was something I really liked.

 

New mentality: When going to a party, I now think about what I'm going to wear instead of the food. Once I arrive at the party, I head straight for my friends. Visit with them and when time to eat, I will make myself a plate of food. However, it will have one spoonful of everything that I like just to try it. If it is something on my WOE, I eat more if it and not the other junk. I don't go back for seconds. I don't even think about it.

 

Anybody else think they are addicted to food? If so, how did you overcome it and are you still battling it?

[Step1]

Shelia~ You have this sooo right! I am addicted to food. I can relate to everything in life revolving around food. This is just how I was brought up. Living to eat - not eating to live. I believe I will fight this my entire life. Over the years I lost sight of portion control or just having a bite to taste it.

 

 

"Anybody else think they are addicted to food? If so, how did you overcome it and are you still battling it?"

 

 

I am battling it still. I would love to hear from others. Today I am working on portion control. Eat a little, eat really slow, and if I am still hungry have a tad more.That is what I tell myself- but with my first portion I am usually satisfied.

[BuilderMan]

I am addicted to food too. The way I deal with making good choices now is to ask myself if a particular food is "worth it" or "not worth it". In other words, will the food make it worth being extra strict with my WOE later or adding extra exercise time or is it not worth the extra effort. I'm surprised at how many foods that I used to eat without thinking have now become part of the "not worth it" list and I'm able to pass them up.

 

Before I started thinking this way I would eat anything I wanted. Then the pounds started creeping on and the clothes started getting tighter but I wouldn't stop eating the garbage for very long. One day I took a good look at myself and decided that I was going in the wrong direction and needed to make a permanent change. And I did!

 

Lynn

[Nliedel]

Honey you are talking my language. I have been a food addict my entire life. Even moving from 320lbs to about oh 180 or so. Something happened in the last 7 pounds. I don't know what happened in the last month or so something switched off. I still like food but I am not obsessed about it anymore. I used to be paranoid if I did not know when or where my next meal was coming from now I think about food when I am hungry.

 

I am fine if this is a lifetime change and I hope it is. Food is a hard addiction. It's not like drugs where you stop taking them. You cannot stop taking food.

 

One of the things that helped is there are no forbidden foods. I had part of a donut this morning, about 1/2 I think. I didn't want the rest. I had enough to satisfy my donut lust but not enough to affect the scale (I hope). This is such a hard dance to learn. There are no classes in how to eat right when you are a kid. I know I worry about my kids but so far we let them eat when they are hungry and stop when they are full and they are all skinny.

[Belle]

I think most of us are "Food Addicts"..thats why

we're here trying to control it.

As Nlidel said, this is one addiction you can't stop

cold turkey..you need food to survive. Which I

think..makes it the hardest one to get rid of.

But WE all are giving it a good fight..some doing better than

others but we all are trying. That's the main thing!

It's a life long..we can never give up.. even at at goal!

 

Least we're doing it ALL together..and with a Great Group of People!

[Nliedel]

Oh an never eat a Pop tart when you wake up from a nap! I just woke up (Bless Saturdays and my wonderful husband who takes over so I can nap for as long as I want to) and had a Brown Sugar Pop Tart. 210 calories, not bad, but there is so much more I could have blown it on that would have tasted better!

[WeirdEyes]

Nancy & Belle ~ You hit it spot on! It is harder for food addicts because we simply cannot stop cold turkey. A lot of the obese people on that show I watched said that over and over. One guy lost a ton of weight using Richard Simmon's Deal-a-Meal. One day, he wanted a hot dog as a treat for losing all of the weight. He couldn't just stop at one hot day....he ate 24! :eek: From then, he spiraled out of control and gained all of his weight back. It was so sad.

 

I fell off the wagaon last night. We went to dinner at our local seafood pub. I was hungry all day because I was doing physical activity non-stop. I ate good for breakfast and lunch...stayed right on my WOE. By the time we got to the restaurant, I was starving. So, I ordered way too much food. I ate 10 raw oysters (with crackers) and crab cakes with crawfish etoufee (sp?). I had eaten way to much before I even realized it. Anyway, I was sooo sick afterwards. I'm still sick from it this morning. I feel so guilty and wish I didn't, but it was "not so worth it." I'm going to make a big pot of homemade soup today that is very low in fat and that should help me. I know I won't go into a restaurant starving again. I need to make sure I have my healthy snacks during the day.

 

Stephanie ~ I was also brought up "living to eat" and not the other way around. Every time our whole family gets together, it's food, food, food!

 

Lynn ~ You are a wise woman. I've seen your pictures so I know you're shining example of what we all can do when we put our mind to it. :)

 

Nancy ~ You've definitely gotten in control of your addiction. You should be very proud of yourself.

[Nliedel]

Yes but as you know Sheila this addiction can come back if you are not vigilant (witness the hot dog guy).

 

OK here is your "LECTURE OF THE DAY" (said in the same voice as those "Sunday, SUnday, Sunday" ads). Stop beating yourself up for last night. We all slip. It's a night and guilt is a wasted emotion. Just eat better today and be glad you enjoyed your oysters (no offense but yuck :) ).

 

We all have bad nights. I am in terror that I will gain on the cruise. Normal. If I do tho no beating Nancy up! I will be good to myself.

 

Sometimes we get into this spiral where we eat too much and feel bad and comfort those bad feelings with.... what? You said it, food. And here's a secret. I hate exercise. I love it sometimes but I really hate running alone. Signing up for races is expensive so I feel guilty if I don't train. Find a trigger. Not that I have all the answers but I am starting to have some for Nancy.

[WeirdEyes]

Nancy, thanks for the lecture. :) I'm over my guilt and don't think I'll be over-eating again. I've been sick ever since. I don't drink alcohol much because it can make me sick so no more over-eating because I feel so bad. My stomach has been in turmoil ever since.

[Nliedel]

Good Sheila cause you are too nice a person to beat yourself up mentally when your food choices are doing it for you :)

 

I know I ate something the other day that had me sick for hours. Love that. not.

[BuilderMan]

I try not to let guilt take over when I have a bad meal. If I have been staying fairly strict with my WOE one meal won't permanently hurt me. BUT...this has been the result of over 1 1/2 years of changing my attitude towards food. In the old days I would overeat at a meal and then just keep on with it, much like the hot dog guy. Now I just get right back on track and undo the bad foods ASAP.

 

Lynn

[Nliedel]

There are so many things in life to be guilty about. How we dissapointed our parents, how we raise our children, how we dated morons because we did not want to be alone on a Saturday night (I would now kill for a Saturday night alone lol), how we don't keep the house clean etc. Being guilty about a meal means you don't have room to be guilty about one of those!

 

Ban guilt!

[WeirdEyes]

Guilt definitely needs to be banned.

[adoptmom]

Oh an never eat a Pop tart when you wake up from a nap! I just woke up (Bless Saturdays and my wonderful husband who takes over so I can nap for as long as I want to) and had a Brown Sugar Pop Tart. 210 calories, not bad, but there is so much more I could have blown it on that would have tasted better!

 

Not to mention that when I eat a poptart I'm hungry 20 minutes later.:D

 

I saw the show on super obesity too. I felt so bad for them because you just know it has to be miserably painful physically and mentally. They had so much hope though. I think I need to watch shows like that periodically even when I have to force myself to so that I remind myself what could happen if I'm not vigilent. There are too many things I want to do in life to let my weight take over. That's what we have to focus on when the going gets tough, ya'll. "If I eat this...(insert whatever here) what do I give up in my future?" is my new mantra.

 

BTW, what's a nap????:confused: I've heard of it but I didn't know they really existed outside of Area 51.:D

 

Tami

[WeirdEyes]

Tami ~ I have no clue what a nap is either! ;)

[happysinglemom]

Naps??? My sister is an expert - she must take 3 or 4 naps a week. I on the other hand, cannot remember the last time I had a nap. Must be nice though. :o

 

Food. Yep - I like it. These diet experts kill me when they talk about why people overeat - must be cuz they are depressed, or anxious, or some other psycho-babble. I never ate because I was depressed...or anything else like that. My problem with food has always been simply that I love the taste. Period. I've lost weight before, but it was not until this last time that I really got a grip on things. Now that I have lost pretty much down to where I wanted (well, 10 more and I'd be happy!) I know that I will always have to fight the battle. Exercise will always be a part of every day. Regular mealtimes are a thing of the past for me - no more eating by the clock. I eat only when I am hungry. And I can't stretch out the hunger trying to make it to a meal either - then I'll eat too much. I prepare separate meals for my son, and I try to eat with him as often as I can, but sometimes it just doesn't work out, and I've explained to him why. I will sit with him while he's eating, and we'll talk. But I will not eat when I don't need to.

 

It took a long time for my family and friends to accept the way I eat - but they have. It took 2 darn years to get my mom to stop with the guilt trips on eating dinner at her house. Finally she gets it. Now, if she is preparing one of her family dinners, she never prepares for me. Even if I eat, I eat so little that it makes no difference to her menu. I think the most surprising thing that I have learned in all of this is how little I require in the way of food, and how different people are in their requirements. Everyone's body functions differently, and mine has a very slow metabolic rate - even with all the exercise I do. So I have learned to adjust to that, and it works for me. I do make sure that I get the proper nutrion, and take vitamins too. It's hard - I pass on a lot of get-togethers that occur in restaurants because I don't want the temptation. Eating out for me is usually limited to conversation only, because I find it so frustrating to pay $15 for $1.50 woth of food. :cool:

[WeirdEyes]

Happysinglemom ~ Great post!! I'm with you....I don't eat when I'm depressed, nervous, etc., I just like food! :D

[BuilderMan]

I just like food too. But I've also noticed that I tend to graze when I'm tired or bored. If I'm really busy I don't even think about food. So I try to get enough rest (what is a nap anyway?) and stay busy.

 

Lynn

[adoptmom]

Yeah, DR. Phil is talking directly at me when he talks about emotional reasons for eating.:rolleyes: I love food too but that's not the reason I eat. I'm really bad about A) eating out of habit. "It's noon, time for lunch or 8pm time for snack." Or B) eating when I'm sad, tired, stressed, happy, .......

 

That's why diet pills never worked for me. I didn't eat because I was hungry, I ate because of one of the above reasons. I'm really working on waiting until I'm hungry to eat but it's hard to do that when you've got a family to feed. So, I'm making a concerted effort to eat smaller amounts at meals by using a smaller plate and making smaller quantities so that I will be hungry at the appropriate times.

 

Tami

[WeirdEyes]

Lynn ~ I like to graze when I'm tired and bored also. I'm learning to not do that. I find that I don't eat much when I'm real busy so I try to stay busy all of the time. I drive DH crazy because I'm like Tinkerbell flickering around everywhere. :D

 

Tami ~ When my DH worked shift work, I would eat of boredom. I love sweets so I was constantly making cakes, pies, cookies, etc to eat while he was at work. Needless to say, that is when I gained most of my weight. DH works regular hours now and it is so much easier to control my eating. I now keep "legal" snacks at home. I love to mix 2% cottage cheese with Cool Whip Lite and Jell-o and eat it for a snack. It really fills me up and it is low in fat/calories/carbs.

[adoptmom]

Sheila- That might be a tolerable way to eat jello. It still tastes like hospital food to me!:D I've been doing well with an 8:30 snack of 2 small scoops of sugarless ice cream. There are some really good ones out there, especially if I can get to Walmart and get Blue Bunny. Edy's is good too but BB is better. I even found sugarless "hot fudge" sauce by by smuckers I think. I can have a scoop of ice cream and a couple of tablespoons of that for that sundae craving I get once in a while. Another favorite is a scoop of sugarless ice cream in fago pop. I especially like the chocolate soda because I add a shot of amaretto or other SF coffee syrup to it and make a really fancy soda. BTW, I'm an ice cream girl. Can you tell?:D And really, I've found that a small amount makes me just as happy as a big bowl and I don't have to feel guilty about it, especially if I'm working out.

 

Tami

[BuilderMan]

Sheila - I'm going to try your Jello receipe! That would be a great snack at night while I'm watching TV and the munchies strike (after I workout of course!)

 

Lynn

[WeirdEyes]

Tami ~ I'm an ice cream girl also. Can't get enough of it. Now that I'm on WW, I eat it almost daily (after dinner). I like buying the WW kind because it comes in individual servings. I'm horrible at portion control with ice cream. How you only eat 1/2 cup? LOL I HATE regular Jell-o when it is actually "made." ;)

 

Lynn ~ Yep, the cottage cheese/cool whip/jell-o is great because it satisfies your sweet craving and it has protein to fill you up. I normally eat 1/2 cup and it is enough.

[adoptmom]

Sheila- Unless I'm making a soda I usually end up closer to a cup. I keep the portion control because I still have some bowls that I bought when the kids were babies. More than a cup of ice cream simply won't fit and my rule is that the ice cream can't be taller than the top of the bowl. I really have made progress with it since switching over to those bowls and 8 inch plates. The entire family uses them now.

 

Tami

[ronheg]

Hi, I'm Christie. I'm 53 and going on an ncl cruise 11/01/05. Food addiction is hard but this is what i do. i do aerobic work (run, or elliptical trainer) 45 minutes per day, 6 days a week. I've been doing that for 20 years and it's prevented me from putting on a lot of weight (I'm 5'3" and 138). but what has been helping alot is my 30 minutes on a big excerise ball. I use to do resistance training on machines where i used bigger and bigger weights. my husband complained that i was beginning to look like a weight lifter so i met with a personal trainer and she switched me to the ball and using only 3 pound weights in a daily routine. according to my husband, i no longer look too muscular . my body fat is 18% and the best thing about it is that i can eat 2400 calories a day without gaining weight. i also like to walk about 3 miles per day with my husband.

 

the key to overcoming your love of food is to have enough muscle mass that you don't have to starve yourself. other little tricks i use are to brush my teeth and floss right after dinner. i really don't want to repeat the teeth cleaning so i eat less. when i want to eat, i go for a walk first then i can eat. often times i loose my food craving on the walk.