Food addiction

[BandedMi 13]

Has anyone gone through a program for food addiction? If you've overcome food addiction, eating for comfort, etc. please share some strategies. I'm getting scared....!!

[BandedMi 13]

I start my preop diet friday. I stopped smoking years ago, but recently realized how comforting I feel from food. My marriage is not good, I have no one to tell about my surgery, by choice in some ways, as I don't want to. I've isolated myself drastically since this last weight gain. I avoid going home for years...bc I don't want anyone to judge me! I will not smoke or drink after surgery...I want to but it's something I have up. It's hard not having any crutch. What's going to happen when I lose food? I'm scared and emotional over this, although READY....just struggling. I don't know what to do when I get emotional or angry about not being able to eat. How do I handle this right???

[Jack 855]

For me it's not a 'food addiction'.

It's an "eating addiction".

An "overeating" addiction.

"Sport eating" if you will.

Whatever the beast is that inhabits your imagination, there is no reason to fear it once you understand a few basics.

Your own issue may well be 'food addiction" and my comments don't particularly apply in your case.

I manage my weight far better when using the tools of behavioral modification.

Soon I will be going for a slight fill, as the Band is the most effective tool I've found for my own issue.

Cheers on your journey.

[gowalking 10,790]

This is the emotional part of the journey. Speak to your doctor or surgeon and discuss seeing a therapist or psychologist to help you deal with this. Good luck.

[BandedMi 13]

But what will a therapist say? Find something else that brings you comfort? Or keep busy cleaning or playing? I saw a therapist, but it was useless because they felt it was fine to be me and I can do what I want. So...i stopped going.

[lisacaron 5,075]

@ it is fine to be you, of course it is who else would you be?

The trouble with food "addiction" and using food to mask or sooth our selves emotionally is that it does not actually help us heal from what it is that is making us feel badly. In the end eating only makes us feel badly for failing ourselves yet again.

So one of the issues you mentioned is that your marriage is not good, and from reading the rest of your post I take it that self esteem and self worth are not very good either. You feel judged by your family and friends and worst of all by the reflection in the mirror. You, yourself.

A good therapist might be able to guide you along through some of these areas but the first steps always start with ourselves. Only we can make the changes, in our behavior in our outlook and in the way we cope with and respond to things around us, both positive and negative.

So the first step is that you are going for this surgery. You are doing it for YOU and you alone. Your doing it...why? Can you take some time to write a bit of journal? Why are you having surgery? What do you hope to get from this surgery? What is your plan of action to stay the course? Will you follow doctor's orders?

Take some time during your pre-op and write down your plan, how you feel about it and what you hope to gain from it and what challenges you might face as you start walking down this path to a new and healthy you, and what your coping strategy might be as you encounter these challenges? What will you do? How will you respond? Why? How can you respond differently?

When I am emotional about something and I would normally turn to food, I now try to not jump to that comfort "food" but to find something that makes me feel good. I might take a drive with all the window's down and the music up, or I might put on a pair of headphones and find a quiet corner and tune out the rest of the world. If I am able I might get a massage or a pedicure or I might just take a nap. In extreme cases I will take myself to the beach at night and just stand on the sand looking out at the ocean and in all it's vastness I am but a tiny grain of sand and my problems are even smaller than that...this always makes me feel better.

Most of the time doing something else that I love that's just for me in that moment helps to fill the emotional void and release my stress and I feel better, so try to fall into that rather than the ice cream box. If I still feel that I need to have that ice cream though...well I just have it and I don't beat myself up about it after.

We need to treat ourselves with TLC all the time especially when we are upset or emotional.

Good luck on your journey I suspect you are going to do just fine!

Edited June 18, 2014 by lisacaron

[gowalking 10,790]

Couldn't have said it better myself Lisa.

[Lady Lap Band 71]

Banded for 5 yrs and I still struggle with food addiction. I think you have to realize that you'll never be cured of it but the band is like your support group and can help you deal with it.

[Jack 855]

I've been musing about this post for a while.

Recently my 'third Stomach' has been observing while I eat various meals.

I've embraced the notion of the value of 'hard protein' although at times still wander from compliance.

After a long hard day in the garden-frenzy/yard work phase, I was tired & chose one of those 250 cal frozen mac&cheese concoctions.

While it tasted fine, and it went down fine, I encountered 2 conflicting emotions:

1) the satisfaction of 'the food itself' was virtually non-existent;

2) the satisfaction of 'the act of eating' was immense.

My 'satiety' from having eaten was absent.

My 'satisfaction' from having tasted/chewed/swallowed something pleasurable was considerable.

It was in effect, an example of "sport eating" as while it followed some of the rules of nutrition, it was sadly lacking in that my Primary Purpose in eating---to satisfy hunger and to achieve satiety. As far as nutritional value it may as well have been a chocolate chip cookie.

[B-52 7,113]

Banded for 5 yrs and I still struggle with food addiction. I think you have to realize that you'll never be cured of it but the band is like your support group and can help you deal with it.

Same here....addictions, urges, desires are one thing...but the band manages my eating, so slowly my behaviors towards those urges subside.....

But I still get them from time to time....

A few weeks ago, I had an urge for a McDonalds Cheeseburger...Mind you, I have not eaten a cheeseburgers since hitting the Green Zone over 3 years ago.

But the urge was strong....so I succumbed and bought one...took one bite and swallow and immediately was reminded why I don't eat cheeseburgers anymore...I don't think I will be desiring cheeseburgers for another few years....Behavior Modification thanks to the band.