Addicted to Food?

[mim100]

Hi GWhiz.....that's great news....thanks for sharing :)

[kalamari]

12 years of sobriety is wonderful. There's a reason why the "one day at a time" concept works, even for food.

 

Was thinking again about the "want versus need" thing. You can think of it this way: a "want" doesn't have a rational explanation a "need" does. Sorry folks, there is still no evidence that says someone "needs" 12 cookies. If you are confusing wants and needs, it's still being impulsive and your not taking enough time to stop and consider the consequences. It's all in how you rationalize it. So what's your rationale why you need 12 cookies?? :)

 

And yes, I'm this blunt and brutal with my patients at the hospital :)

 

Menina G.

 

Wow! This is an intresting site. It is the first time I have read this board. I feel compelled to share with you. I am an addict. It is in my being. I am a recovering alcoholic with with almost 12 yrs of sobriety, nor have I used any form of mind altering substances. I have not smoked for 9 yrs. Food has always been an issue. As previously posted, you cannot just not have it. I know when i eat that or those cookies I don't need them, but there is something self destructive, that I do it anyway.

I want to thank you all for this board as I know I need help to live with myself. It just took reading some of these threads to get me in the right direction.

Thank you for listening to me.

[Sea Fan]

Hi All, Just stumbled on you guys and it was like a lightnening bolt. I am on the computer tonight trying to keep busy and away from the kitchen. I had a totally satisfiying salad for dinner. I know I'm not hungry, well let's just say I don't need more nourishment! Kalamari you really have me thinking, why do I want to go eat more food? I don't have that comforting feeling, you know the satisfaction of eating a bunch of Hershey's Kisses! No I don't need it....And tonight I won't eat it. Okay I have to go and reread the food addict article.

 

Thanks, Dianne

[mim100]

Hi there Dianne...how goes the long weekend? I've also been thinking a lot about those wants/needs....and took Menina's challenge this weekend to wait ten minutes before I ate something ( ie a snack ) ....it really does get the brain thinking about it...seems that the waiting time does interrupt that grab-a-snack-inhale-it urge...sometimes after the ten minutes I've eaten it but about half the time, I didn't...that's a 50% decrease !!

 

Memina, I hadn't considering the " one day at a time" concept for food....we could probably tailor that a bit for food and change it to " one hour at a time" :)

[sharonella]

Hey all !

 

I had a lovely, restful weekend. Came back to busy at work & obviously a busy thread while I was away!

 

I ate a lot better over the weekend - probably mostly because I was away from junk foods. It just goes to show me, that if I don't keep the "wrong" foods around, that's half the battle for me! (I mean - who binges on apples & bananas?)

 

Lots more food for thought here! Thanks!

 

Sha

[sweetpea-2]

Here's an interesting article from MSNBC regarding food addiction. I know that I've been addicted to food in the past and had to overcome it.

 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12934360/

 

;) interesting....food as I always felt was an addiction just like drugs, alcohol & smoking...hard to kick the habit but it can be done !

[WeirdEyes]

Wow! This is an intresting site. It is the first time I have read this board. I feel compelled to share with you. I am an addict. It is in my being. I am a recovering alcoholic with with almost 12 yrs of sobriety, nor have I used any form of mind altering substances. I have not smoked for 9 yrs. Food has always been an issue. As previously posted, you cannot just not have it. I know when i eat that or those cookies I don't need them, but there is something self destructive, that I do it anyway.

I want to thank you all for this board as I know I need help to live with myself. It just took reading some of these threads to get me in the right direction.

Thank you for listening to me.

Wow! Congratulations!!!! Thanks for sharing.

[kalamari]

Most disagree with me, but food is not the issue...it's our compulsion, and why we think we "have" to have more of something. I work at a large metropolitan hospital, and the other day I noticed how many patients and others were just sorta hanging around in different areas, eating..maybe some of them were truly hungry, but my guess is most of them weren't. I have one patient who has multiple health problems, weighs 300 lbs and "has" to have fried chicken and other stuff that is going to kill him if he doesn't watch out. I told him that he was going to kill himself by eating all that crap with his diabetes, he already lost one foot and he was going to lose the other one. Of course, he got mad, but I told him I was paid to tell him what he needed to hear and not what he wanted to hear. I also told him that I hope he appreciated the fried chicken enough to lose his life over it.

 

Of course our stomachs are going to complain if we deny it food..I still think if most of us (including me) asked ourselves WHY we need 10 cookies, or WAITED 10 minutes, then we would either not eat the cookies or eat less of them.

 

Food is not the enemy, I really believe we set ourselves up for our own failure by how we "think" about food. We are our own enemy. Maybe we all need to become "friends" with food instead of fearing it.

 

Just my opinion that I'm sure everyone will flame! :O Menina

[WeirdEyes]

No flames from me! I totally agree! Now, I just need to work at only eating when I need to; not when I want to. I still love food though. :o

[kalamari]

Most research on treating anxiety discusses how learning how to cope or face the anxiety is key to treatment..and when we avoid it, we only "reinforce'" the anxiety because it still exists and we haven't "reworked " the meaning of the anxiety to make it work for us, rather than against us.

 

So another way to apply this to food, is when you are feeling anxious about whether to eat the 10 cookies or not, you do things like wait, deep breathing, or an alternative behavoir..but it goes back to the main question..."do I need this or want this".

 

Trust me, I stuggle with this like everyone else!

[sharonella]

Most disagree with me, but food is not the issue...it's our compulsion, and why we think we "have" to have more of something. I work at a large metropolitan hospital, and the other day I noticed how many patients and others were just sorta hanging around in different areas, eating..maybe some of them were truly hungry, but my guess is most of them weren't. I have one patient who has multiple health problems, weighs 300 lbs and "has" to have fried chicken and other stuff that is going to kill him if he doesn't watch out. I told him that he was going to kill himself by eating all that crap with his diabetes, he already lost one foot and he was going to lose the other one. Of course, he got mad, but I told him I was paid to tell him what he needed to hear and not what he wanted to hear. I also told him that I hope he appreciated the fried chicken enough to lose his life over it.

 

Of course our stomachs are going to complain if we deny it food..I still think if most of us (including me) asked ourselves WHY we need 10 cookies, or WAITED 10 minutes, then we would either not eat the cookies or eat less of them.

 

Food is not the enemy, I really believe we set ourselves up for our own failure by how we "think" about food. We are our own enemy. Maybe we all need to become "friends" with food instead of fearing it.

 

Just my opinion that I'm sure everyone will flame! :O Menina

 

I totally agree with you. If FOOD itself was the issue, we'd be be binging on bananas, apples & rice cakes, too. But we don't (at least not usually!) - we binge on overly sweetened foods, salty foods, high fat foods. I have at least controlled my eating (yet again) to the point where I've lost 60 lbs & dropped my cholesterol to healthier levels, but I'm struggling again. And it's not because I'm hungry or starving myself - it's some sort of compulsion that I HAVE to HAVE the food I want.:(

 

Sha

[kalamari]

You can have the food you want, the question is, what pleasure are you getting from having a whole box of cookies? If you can find more positive reasons why than why not, then pig out. 60 lbs is remarkable. Aside from food, compulsions ususally have to due with anxiety, some of it we are aware of, some of it we are unaware of. Alcoholics who relapse give into the anxiety of "oh my god, I can't have another drink the rest of my life" or other similar thoughts. With food, you need to think, "Well, I can have more cookies tomorrow, or saturday, etc. so I'm going to put it off". Maybe it's better to have 1 cookie a day for a week, instead of 7 cookies in one setting. At least your facing the anxiety that way.

 

I am not an expert in anyway on this, I just logically apply what I know about psychology, human behavior, and medicine, and see if the connection can carry over with food. Like, instead of scarfing the cookies, why not have 1 cookie and 4 glasses of water, instead of 5 cookies? Why not substitute? Or instead of eating 5 cookies, why not have 1 and then go brush your teeth? Or why not drink 5 glasses of water instead of 5 cookies? Or why not take a 5 minute walk or jog instead of eating 5 cookies??

 

 

 

 

60 lbs is wonderful..that tells me you know how to not be impuslive..as the key to losing is not giving into impulses...great job! Menina

[sharonella]

Thanks menina, for the encouragement!

 

I've done it before & I can do it again!

 

Sha

[kalamari]

Sha: you ARE doing it!!! :)

 

Embarrassed to admit this as I only need to lose 11 lbs, but I like reading these boards, I am always inspired by people who lose lots of weight..I always admire the women in the gym that I see really sweating it out and working hard, for the health reasons, more so than the "look good " reasons..Menina

[sharonella]

Thanks - I know I'm still "doing it" - I'm still pretty pleased that I've come this far - what I meant was that since I've been in this "plateau" of up & down the same 5lb since January, I'll hopefully soon be able to finally get off the plateau & back to being a full time "loser" again! :rolleyes:

 

11 lbs to goal is tough. The closer you are, the harder it is to lose. And I don't know your height, weight, fitness level, etc, but maybe you are is where you should be - weightwise - & you just need to build a little more muscle & lose a couple inches.

 

This time around, I've really tried to wrap my mind around becoming healthy (as opposed to just getting thinner) by eating better & working out regularly - even if I stay at this weight for the rest of my life, as long as I don't go back to the old eating & non-workout habits, I've done a great thing for myself by lowering my risks of heart disease, etc.

 

And so have the rest of us - even losing as little as 10% of your body fat can increase you health levels significantly, if you maintain it! I've lost about 27% of my original weight - sounds really great when I say it that way! I think I'm encouraging myself now! :D

 

Sha

[kalamari]

Um, embarrassed again..I only NEED to lose 11 lbs..it's not my last 11 lbs..I always worked out, but slacked off..I work with a trainer now, and have for 9 weeks...for 4 one hour sessions per week (weights) plus 4-5 hours cardio ..to be upped to 2 hours, according to the trainer. The guy I use is thru a military connection, and is a navy seals trainer. I am the only woman I know who is 5ft8 and can weigh 170 lbs and can wear a size 8. Go figure. My problem is I tend to hang onto a lot of water weight, I eat less than 1000 mg sodium per day, on most days, but I have to drink tons of water. He figured that I am holding onto about 14% excess water..I have no idea how he figured that out.

 

But I like reading these boards and I get my own form of suppport from them.

 

Menina

 

Thanks - I know I'm still "doing it" - I'm still pretty pleased that I've come this far - what I meant was that since I've been in this "plateau" of up & down the same 5lb since January, I'll hopefully soon be able to finally get off the plateau & back to being a full time "loser" again! :rolleyes:

 

11 lbs to goal is tough. The closer you are, the harder it is to lose. And I don't know your height, weight, fitness level, etc, but maybe you are is where you should be - weightwise - & you just need to build a little more muscle & lose a couple inches.

 

This time around, I've really tried to wrap my mind around becoming healthy (as opposed to just getting thinner) by eating better & working out regularly - even if I stay at this weight for the rest of my life, as long as I don't go back to the old eating & non-workout habits, I've done a great thing for myself by lowering my risks of heart disease, etc.

 

And so have the rest of us - even losing as little as 10% of your body fat can increase you health levels significantly, if you maintain it! I've lost about 27% of my original weight - sounds really great when I say it that way! I think I'm encouraging myself now! :D

 

Sha

[sharonella]

Um, embarrassed again..I only NEED to lose 11 lbs..it's not my last 11 lbs..I always worked out, but slacked off..I work with a trainer now, and have for 9 weeks...for 4 one hour sessions per week (weights) plus 4-5 hours cardio ..to be upped to 2 hours, according to the trainer. The guy I use is thru a military connection, and is a navy seals trainer. I am the only woman I know who is 5ft8 and can weigh 170 lbs and can wear a size 8. Go figure. My problem is I tend to hang onto a lot of water weight, I eat less than 1000 mg sodium per day, on most days, but I have to drink tons of water. He figured that I am holding onto about 14% excess water..I have no idea how he figured that out.

 

But I like reading these boards and I get my own form of suppport from them.

 

Menina

 

Don't be embarrassed! :o 11 lbs to goal is still 11 lbs to goal - whether you've already lost 100, 10, or none. It's still very difficult to lose when you're that close!

 

But I'll say it again - if you're fit & your body fat % is in a good place - don't go crazy about 11 lbs! Since you're already working out that much with a trainer & you wear a size 8, I'd say you must have a great BF%, & most of the "weight" that you're worried about (besides the water) is muscle. The number on the scale is not as meaningful as BF%, inches, cholesterol count, blood pressure, etc. If you really have that much excess water weight (not sure how your trainer came up with that figure, either), I don't know how trying to lose more fat is going to do anything about the water.

 

I know when I started losing weight, I was also retaining a lot of water (my puffy ankles were a dead giveaway!). Once I started working out, eating better & drinking more water, most of the excess water weight went away (within the 1st month, I scould see my ankle bones again!) How you can be working out, drinking lots of water & watching your sodium & still have that much EXCESS water weight is beyond me. (Don't forget your body IS supposed to be mostly water - that's just a fact of life.)

 

There's nothing terrible about being a size 8, especially if you're healthy (and that tall!). :D (I can't remember ever being a size 8 as an adult!) I'm in mostly 12's right now at 5'2" 165lbs

 

The number on the scale is just that - one number out of many that give the total picture of your health.

 

Just my opinion!

 

Sha

[WeirdEyes]

But I'll say it again - if you're fit & your body fat % is in a good place - don't go crazy about 11 lbs! Since you're already working out that much with a trainer & you wear a size 8, I'd say you must have a great BF%, & most of the "weight" that you're worried about (besides the water) is muscle. The number on the scale is not as meaningful as BF%, inches, cholesterol count, blood pressure, etc. If you really have that much excess water weight (not sure how your trainer came up with that figure, either), I don't know how trying to lose more fat is going to do anything about the water.

 

The number on the scale is just that - one number out of many that give the total picture of your health.

 

Just my opinion!

 

Sha

Sha ~ Fabulous post!!! You said it all, girl!

[kalamari]

You said it all! :)

 

There's a lot of reserach out on lack of sleep, certain hormones, and water/weight retention..which I think is part of my problem...I have a tendency to work 12-14 hour days and get up at 5 am sometimes..unfortunately I have no choice in the work schedule until January then it'll be better..and then if I dont plan my meals I'm toast..so I have to "organize" my meals, so I can grab things and go. I buy my meat from Whole Foods, but I always have them wrap each one up individually into single servings..so I can grab it and cook it..like 5 chicken breasts, all wrapped in it' own package. That helps a lot.

 

 

Don't be embarrassed! :o 11 lbs to goal is still 11 lbs to goal - whether you've already lost 100, 10, or none. It's still very difficult to lose when you're that close!

 

But I'll say it again - if you're fit & your body fat % is in a good place - don't go crazy about 11 lbs! Since you're already working out that much with a trainer & you wear a size 8, I'd say you must have a great BF%, & most of the "weight" that you're worried about (besides the water) is muscle. The number on the scale is not as meaningful as BF%, inches, cholesterol count, blood pressure, etc. If you really have that much excess water weight (not sure how your trainer came up with that figure, either), I don't know how trying to lose more fat is going to do anything about the water.

 

I know when I started losing weight, I was also retaining a lot of water (my puffy ankles were a dead giveaway!). Once I started working out, eating better & drinking more water, most of the excess water weight went away (within the 1st month, I scould see my ankle bones again!) How you can be working out, drinking lots of water & watching your sodium & still have that much EXCESS water weight is beyond me. (Don't forget your body IS supposed to be mostly water - that's just a fact of life.)

 

There's nothing terrible about being a size 8, especially if you're healthy (and that tall!). :D (I can't remember ever being a size 8 as an adult!) I'm in mostly 12's right now at 5'2" 165lbs

 

The number on the scale is just that - one number out of many that give the total picture of your health.

 

Just my opinion!

 

Sha

[sharonella]

I don't get enough sleep, either. Most of it is basic "stupidity" - just because it's 11pm & I don't "feel" sleepy, I leave the TV on - next thing I know, it's after 1pm & I'm only going to get 6hrs (or less) sleep again.

 

There's a lot of research out there showing that getting enough sleep can improve your health in general, by allowing your body to rest & "repair" itself while you sleep. There's also some specific research on weight loss that suggests not getting enough sleep can "mess up" weight loss by not allowing your body the downtime it needs to "repair" itself properly from exercise & just the rigors of daily living, as well as interfering with hormone & other chemical "cycles" that your body needs to function efficiently. (I know, very vague & non-scientific sounding. :rolleyes: ) Also, some of the research suggests that not getting enough sleep can also CAUSE weight gain, for the above reasons, even when a person is only eating what should, at the very least, maintain their current weight. :eek:

 

You'd think this info alone would make me get to bed early every night!

 

Sha

[WeirdEyes]

I started taking Melatonin every night and it really helps me sleep better. I'm getting about 7-7.5 hours now and that's a lot for me. I buy the sublingual kind at GNC and I take two.