BIG FAT PEOPLE!

[Ms.AntiBand 2,984]

Not many all substance a abusers or addicts steal, commit felonies either.. But most addicts do lie, if not to others .. Always to themselves

[Ms.AntiBand 2,984]

Whoa.. Sorry for the errors in my response. Need to proof read next time

[Fiddleman 4,376]

Not many all substance a abusers or addicts steal' date=' commit felonies either.. But most addicts do lie, if not to others .. Always to themselves[/quote']

I agree with you on that statement 100% and perhaps my response was not careful enough in semantics. So where does that place us? Are we just ( formerly or presently) obsessed with food or are we (formerly or presently) addicted to food? Does a delineation need to be made?

[Iniysa 157]

Should we stop using the word addiction then for our food issues?

I do not think any of us had the common traits of drug addiction as applied to food. That is, to lie, steal, commit felonies etc for food. No, I cannot really associate it in this way. The reason may be that we had a psychological or mental issue with food whereas drug addiction is more of a physical addiction. Now that I put it this way, I agree with bean that perhaps it is an obsession instead of an addiction.

Oh Dr Laura? Please straighten this out for us. Lol.

For me the word 'Addiction' does not have to come with stealing and cheating to get more of it. Drugs are against the law, so of course there is lieing and stealing etc. If they made food against the law, we would be doing the same thing. For me it's not being able to stop. I am full but I want more, I feel like I NEED more. My biggest example is me and Dr. Pepper. The first time I quit, I did it for six months. (Did not loose a single pound btw!) Then a vendor fixing my soda machine at work handed me a sample cup of the stuff and asked me to try it too see if it tasted right. Within the hour I had a 44 oz of it in my hand. I quit DP again a several weeks ago. Withdrawal is a B****! Headaches, I about bit anyone who looked at me wrong's head off for an entire week. I felt sick and the cravings, GOD the cravings. But it's gone now and I won't drink any soda or anything with caffeine now.

For me, certain bad foods are the same way. My next step is candy and most sugar. (Most bread is last.) My Co-workers are stressed enough still by my LAST withdrawal, so I am spacing this out a little.

Anyways, it's an addiction. (Shugs)

[Ms skinniness 3,003]

I like many others are addicted to foods that contain sugars , fats and salts. I love rich foods. I can not eat just 1 cookie. I can each a lot of them. My mine will remind me about the targeted food an. I will obsess until I eat it. I can not do moderation I struggle with saying no. That is the past and today I am working on abstinence. Yes I am addicted to food. I do miss it when eating out but I am adjusting. .

[Ms.AntiBand 2,984]

I agree with you on that statement 100% and perhaps my response was not careful enough in semantics. So where does that place us? Are we just ( formerly or presently) obsessed with food or are we (formerly or presently) addicted to food? Does a delineation need to be made?

LOL.. I'm too sleepy to get overly precise.. So either I can answer with, no or y'all can continue and I'll catch ya on the flip side (-.-) nigh'tal

[Nicolanz 1,484]

I'm addicted to caffeine. If I don't have it, I get headaches and feel nauseous. I don't commit felonies, lie, or steal. I just need my coffee! I guess we should determine the difference between obsession and addiction. Does the difference really matter? With food, it all leads to the same results. I LOVE doritos, I don't care about them if they aren't around but if they are, I will think about them until I have one. Maybe that's an obsession because I don't have any other physical affects from being deprived of doritos other than thinking about them and not being able to refrain from eating one. Funny, but true and somewhat embarrassing as well. Maybe instead of using the word addiction, we can just say we have a lack of control over food. I don't think one can get to be morbidly obese with or without medical conditions if they have complete control over food. Overweight definitely with medical conditions, but morbidly obese? I don't think so. I could be wrong though. Great post, Laura!

[No game 14,437]

Compulsive overeating, also sometimes called food ADDICTION is characterized by an obsessive/compulsive relationship to food.

An individual suffering from compulsive overeating disorder engages in frequent episodes of uncontrolled eating, or binge eating, during which they may feel frenzied or out of control, often consuming food past the point of being comfortably full. Bingeing in this way is generally followed by feelings of guilt and depression. Unlike individuals with bulimia, compulsive overeaters do not attempt to compensate for their bingeing with purging behaviors such as fasting, laxative use or vomiting. Compulsive overeaters will typically eat when they are not hungry.

Their obsession is demonstrated in that they spend excessive amounts of time and thought devoted to food, and secretly plan or fantasize about eating alone. Compulsive overeating usually leads to weight gain and obesity, but not everyone who is obese is also a compulsive overeater.

While compulsive overeaters tend to be overweight or obese, persons of normal or average weight can also be affected. In addition to binge eating, compulsive overeaters can also engage in grazing behavior, during which they return to pick at food throughout the day.

These things result in a large overall number of calories consumed even if the quantities eaten at any one time may be small. When a compulsive eater overeats primarily through bingeing, he or she can be said to have binge eating disorder.

Left untreated, compulsive overeating can lead to serious medical conditions including high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, sleep apnea, and major depression. Additional long-term side effects of the condition also include kidney disease, arthritis, bone deterioration and stroke. Other negative effects may include the amount of money that is wasted on food and the feelings of low self-esteem that comes as a result of bingeing.

Signs and symptoms Binge eating, or eating uncontrollably even when not physically hungry Eating much more rapidly than normal Eating alone due to shame and embarrassment Feelings of guilt due to overeating Preoccupation with body weight Depression or mood swings Awareness that eating patterns are abnormal Rapid weight gain or sudden onset of obesity Significantly decreased mobility due to weight gain History of weight fluctuations Withdrawal from activities because of embarrassment about weight History of many different unsuccessful diets Eating little in public, but maintaining a high body weight Very low self-esteem and feeling need to eat greater and greater amounts.

Addiction During binges, compulsive overeaters may consume from 5000 to 15,000 food calories daily, resulting in a temporary release from psychological stress through an addictive high not unlike that experienced through drug abuse. In bulimics, this high may be intensified by the act of purging.

Researchers have speculated there is an abnormality of endorphin metabolism in the brain of binge eaters that triggers the addictive process. This is in line with other theories of addiction that attribute it not to avoidance of withdrawal symptoms, but to a primary problem in the reward centers of the brain. For the Compulsive Overeater, the ingestion of trigger foods causes release of the neurotransmitter, serotonin. This could be another sign of neurobiological factors contributing to the addictive process.

Abstinence from addictive food and food eating processes causes withdrawal symptoms in those with eating disorders. There may be higher levels of depression and anxiety due to the decreased levels of serotonin in the individual.

There are complexities with the biology of compulsive eating that separate it from a pure substance abuse analogy.

Food is a complex mixture of chemicals that can affect the body in multiple ways, which is magnified by stomach-brain communication. In some ways, it may be much more difficult for compulsive overeaters to recover than drug addicts. There is an anecdotal saying among

Overeaters Anonymous members that "when you are addicted to drugs you put the tiger in the cage to recover; when you are addicted to food you put the tiger in the cage, but take it out three times a day for a walk.

The physical explanation of compulsive overeating may be attributed to an overeaters' increased tendency to secrete insulin at the sight and smell of food, though medical evidence supporting this is controversial.

Research has found a link between the sugar and fat content of foods and binging behaviors.

[No game 14,437]

On that note, I think all of us are right..

[Butterthebean 8,146]

Nicolanz beat me to it...but I was going to bring up caffiene and tobacco. Many people are addicted to one or both of those substances, but I doubt all of those addicts steal, cheat and lie to get their fix. Some may lie to their spouses about not smoking, but who lies about coffee? If you do, you've got bigger problems than just being addicted. But the point is, addiction can certainly exist without these behaviors. I know more than one functioning alcoholic. They don't think they have a problem because they've never missed a day of work, or had a DWI, or wrecked their car. But they can't leave the house without a beer or 2. Where ever they go, they are drinking. They may never admit to "needing" it, but you won't catch them without it. Is that an addiction? I think it is but I'm no doctor.

As for eating, here's what my life looked like for over 20 years. First of all, I never hid food or sneaked around eating food behind anyone's back. I never lied or cheated. But I ate all the wrong stuff. Basically, I ate fast food for every meal. I never cooked. If I bought groceries, it was Cereal, Cookies, chips, Peanut Butter and bread...not much else. The oven was for pizza box storage, not for cooking. I nearly set my apartment on fire once because I attempted to preheat the oven too cook a frozen dinner, but I forgot it was full of old pizza boxes.

When I bought my meals at whatever drive thru I went to, I bought way too much. It was extremely carb heavy. My blood sugar must have been through the roof, and after a few years, I was on my way to being insulin resistant. If I tried to restrict my calories, I had massive blood sugar drops every 3 hours like clockwork. Anyone who has ever bonked knows exactly how that feels. That negative reinforcement trained me to eat before that happened...and specifically to eat carbs (sugar) because that was the surest way to avoid that awful feeling.

I know now that eating those carbs caused the rise and fall of blood sugar, which caused my feelings of temporary satisfaction, followed by increased insulin production which lead to the inevitable crash...unless I ate again before it happened (which I trained myself to do). It was a self inforcing pattern that lead to massive weight gain and overall poor health. I made some poor decisions, in part because I didn't know any better...which is my fault, nobody else's. As the weight piled on, it became ever more difficult to give a crap about my health. After a while, you get to the point that you feel you're too far gone so why try?

Again...I don't know if this was an addiction. It certainly fits the description of damaging behavior that I couldn't stop. Even when I made up my mind to have VSG I was still in the dark about this stuff. I thought I could have surgery and it would only allow me to eat half a whataburger per day. That 6 months with the nutritionist really paid off for me, she opened my eyes and lit a fire in me to educate myself on food and the damage certain foods caused. Now....if I could only have one....the knowledge or the sleeve, I'd take the knowledge. But there is no denying that the sleeve gave me a push over that insurmountable hump that I couldn't see around before surgery...a push that I continue to ride into a better way of living.

[Nicolanz 1,484]

On that note' date=' I think all of us are right..[/quote']

True that.

[Fiddleman 4,376]

Addiction, obsession, food control issues, binge eating, over eating, etc are all pretty much the same when applied to food.

All I know is I had this problem before and do not have it now. I have made so many changes physically and mentally post op that it is really difficult to say what was the turning point for me to feel free from food bondage.

I will be the first to admit feeling out of control around food left me feeling depressed, powerless and out of balance in so many ways.

I do encourage you to take control of your relationship with food. Here are a few suggestions that worked well for me :

1. Eat food that will regulate the insulin response. Stop eating high carb or high fat food that messes with your mental balance.

2. Take an anti depressant if depression is causing you to eat. See a therapist to work on understanding a toxic relationship with food and the impact it is having on other areas in your life.

3. Reduce the PH levels of the body (e.g. reduce inflammation) with green drinks or other supplementation. Fiber will help here.

4. Exercise to release those good endorphins. Really push yourself so you can see and feel the results rapidly. HIIT and lifting harder and faster is a good way to get the post gym pump n glow.

5. Eat Protein all the time, at least every 3 hours. Eating protein does help abolish hunger.

6. Take on new activities. Try new things. Meet people. Stay busy to not get bored which may lead to eating. For example, I am just starting cross fit and yoga. Totally new to me, but fun because I am expanding my social sphere. Now that summer is around the corner, I am looking into going on hiking meet ups not just for physical activities, but to do a common activity with others. Still working on socializing, but think I am getting better at it by practicing and not letting fear of the unknown stop me.

There is nothing like having a positive outlook in life and of people to replace psychological issues with food.

[Nicolanz 1,484]

I'm so envious of my husband. Yea he can eat a lot and eat the wrong foods and still be down 3 pounds by morning. But he doesn't really care about food. He can go all day and forget to eat. It's not constantly on his mind. He eats when he's hungry. Maybe his childhood of not knowing when his next meal was going to be trained him for that. I would love to be at a point where I just didn't care about food.

My name is Nicole, and I am definitely a food addict!!

[Fiddleman 4,376]

I'm so envious of my husband. Yea he can eat a lot and eat the wrong foods and still be down 3 pounds by morning. But he doesn't really care about food. He can go all day and forget to eat. It's not constantly on his mind. He eats when he's hungry. Maybe his childhood of not knowing when his next meal was going to be trained him for that. I would love to be at a point where I just didn't care about food.

My name is Nicole' date=' and I am definitely a food addict!![/quote']

I think ability to eat anything without impact on body improves as you are converging towards a healthier lower weight, next to or at goal. Your body gets far more superior at processing food for nutrients and energy rather the storing it.

Retrospectively, I can see this has always been the case when losing a large amount of weight in the past. My lowest successful weight loss was still not close to BMI chart of healthy weight for my height (5'11"). It would be around 230 or so. Still a significant loss, but still a ways from my post op weight now if 180.

I would be able to eat anything at first and it did not result in negative impact on the scale. However , doing this over and over again did have an accumulative effect on the body, ultimately resulting in weight gain. 5 lb and then 10 lb and then 25 lb. For me, I would be like " 5 lb, I can get this off" and continued to eat whatever. By the time it went up 25 lb I would be depressed about it and hurt my inability to control my relationship with food.

Will not happen this time because of addressing both eating and fitness issues during weight loss period. This is huge. I feel like the 6 months after WLS was a bit of a metamorphosis period for me. Changing so many aspects of who I was ( an ugly lonely caterpillar) into who I am now as a person (a colorful butterfly who can fly). Time to be that person you have always wanted to be folks!

I will not be eating a huge serving of wheat thins, a bowl of cold stone ice cream, an apple fritter or a piece of cake with frosting now. Just do not have the desire to. I do not even feel like trying to.

By the way, love your new photo Nicole. I think you will get there where you "will not care about food" in terms of food that does not help you. Keep at it!

[No game 14,437]

I just want to say upon reading the new posts this morning. That i really appreciate everyone's thoughtful responses... I'm finding this thread to be very eye opening in many ways,

Not just because we have different views on why we personally over eat. but because it has really made me think more deeply this week about my own battle.. Today at this moment I feel a bit stronger than I have all week. I had now idea when I started this thread that it would impact me in this way... It was made out of curiosity about differences!

So addiction... It is a scary thing and for me it is an addiction. This passage from the post I made above, is me;

Their obsession is demonstrated in that they spend excessive amounts of time and thought devoted to food, and secretly plan or fantasize about eating alone.

Addiction runs in my family.. My mother has been an alcoholic my entire life, she was a single mom.

She was all we had.

My brother was an alcoholic and a functioning drug addict he held a high powered job and was a much respected person in his industry.

But he was a drug addict...

He was just as addicted to his AA program and exercise when he quit.. and that is what scared me it was the same all consuming obsession but put into something healthy. But I found it fanatical. When he fell of the wagon it was gradual with "well when I entertain clients I'm ok to have a social drink" "I can handle a little now"

Then he would fall...

The last time he went back to AA it was with a vengeance and it worked for him. Side note he was always very judgmental of me and others when he was working his program, I think it was because he was desperately holding on to his recovery (program) for dear life.

He fell of the wagon one last time five years ago,

And killed himself with an overdose, the day after spending the day with his best friend (sponsor) training for a road biking event.

I will never know if it was suicide or accidental.

But it impacts me on a daily basis, in to many ways to explain here.

He was my only sibling and I was his. we knew each others demons intimately...

My mother quit drinking 4 years ago, she called last week and she fell of the wagon for the first time two weeks ago. She's back in her program now though....

When I write on this forum that this surgery is my last hope, it is! I operate daily coming from a place of thankfulness (for this surgery, my husband and children) but I also operate from a place of fear..

My name is Laura. I am a flawed human being.