Food Addictions

Hi Everyone,

All addictions have one thing in common- they numb you out to what is happening in the moment. They offer instead, an intense sensory experience which either absorbs all of your attention or distorts reality. You may think you’re having a real moment, but you are not, because your addictive activity, such as food, drinking, or drugs, is actually disconnecting you from your true emotions and, therefore, making it difficult for you to connect with others around you.

My food addictions always came along when I am happy or miserable and sometimes bored to death. Then when we get to the time in our lives and we feel like we can never lose the weight because we are so fat, we think what the heck let’s just eat anything and any amount we want, Most of us know honestly that is NOT the answer.

“People who are hungry for more real moments often us addiction to get a temporary hit of happiness"

But because the feeling of happiness that that some ofn us get from our food addiction is only temporary and then it becomes a vicious circle of always eating the wrong things and overeating. So the happiness is only temporary, you can’t feel good without the bad behavior of abusing food. This is how you get hooked into you addictive behavior of using food for comfort.

Addictions are so socially acceptable in America that, often people don’t even realize that they have one, especially when it comes to eating food. Food is NOT something that we can simply say I am never going to eat again. If it is an alcohol addiction then you can say—I am never going to drink alcohol again. Food is something that we are going to have to deal with for the rest of our lives. I also learned that not everyone has an addiction to food.  Some people have gain the weight through medication or being injured and they can't exercise and do the things that had always been able to do.

For me I had to make a lifestyle change. It is like going back to school. I had to start reading labels, planning my meal and using a journal and keep track of everything I put in my body. If I didn’t have “bad" foods in my home that would tempt me to eat them—then they would not be a problem. I learned to make healthy choice including snack and what I craved. If it was something sweet like a desert I learned how to make some healthy ones. It take a lot of effort and a immense amount of time, to plan my meals, shop for my food, and read labels and keep track of what I was eating. I know it takes a lot of time to keep a journal, but it will really be helpful to you. I use this site: http://www.livestrong.com/myplate/ .  I know there are other sites that people use. Do what works for you when it comes to keeping track of your food. You also need to exercise.

Having a food addiction is NOT an easy thing to deal with. Start asking yourself when you want something to eat—do I just WANT this food or do I NEED to eat this food. Most of the time it is you just “want" to eat the food. Find something else to do—like posting on this board and talking with other about their addiction.

I wish you nothing but success, but I want you to know that this is something that some of us struggle with. I am here to help in any way I can.  

Hugs,
Suzanne  

I wish you nothing but success, but I want you to know that this is something that we all will struggle with.


with all due respect suzanne, not everyone who has had WLS has a food addiction.   so the "we all" shouldn't be used like it is so commonly on this site.

i never had a weight problem - till i turned 35 & was put on meds after many female surgeries.   was a college athlete - competed in trials for the olympics.....addiction to food wasn't my issue.

i appreciate your post, but had to comment with regards to your "we all".   it's a peeve of mine lately.

great post for those it applies to.

Hi,

Thanks so much an I really appreciate your comments.  I can see how it might make you feel.  I am going to go back in and revise it.

Thanks for taking the time to write and tell me.

Suzanne

that is very much appreciative suzanne.

there are many on this site that only show up on food addiction posts or want to play dr phil & i just wanted to present a different scenario.

all the best.

Hi,

Your welcome.  I was only thinking about it from my side and what so many people express about food addictions.  It is always GREAT to hear other people's opinion. I really do appreciate what you said.  It is always good to learn new things and hear what others have to say.

Suzanne

I too was a competitive athlete way back when AND also a raving food addict .. jes saying . I enjoy threads on the topic because I can learn new techiques to deal with it and also model myself on successful people .

I guess i understand the feeling of frustration being big and having everyone ASSUME you overeat ...

in my case I wasn't that big yet I overate as entertainment and distraction for YEARS .

I do think many of us have issues along these lines .Like"just " popping a cookie between meals ..or when we get tired or stressed ...

Hi,

Very well said.  I have also enjoyed all these different points of views and how we got where we were before we had WLS.  No we have the future to look forward to as some of us learn to overcome our battles with food.  Or the misuse of food, and why we actually ate or sometimes ate all the wrong kinds of food.

For me I learned I loved carbs and that was my down fall.  I really do love the healthy foods I love what I eat now and enjoy cooking a whole lot more now.

Congrats to you for learning these things about yourself. 

Hugs,
Suzanne

Really nice post Suzanne. 

Hi Chris,

Thanks so much.  I am happy that you enjoyed it.  You are looking really good.  Take care.

Suzanne

It's really funny how seldom food addiction is seriously discussed on OH.  There may be quite a bit of denial out there.