Addiction - the real reason behind obesity?

[abckids 0]

I have known for some time that I am addicted to food. I love it. Always have. The flavors, textures, sweetness, sourness, etc. etc.

So I am brought to my current conclusion, dilemma. HOW THE HELL DO I OVERCOME IT?!?!

Alcohol or drug addictions are easier because it is simple to live without it - but food is a necessity for living! How can one overcome overeating? The lap band, as a tool, helps me slow down my eating and cuts down on the amount, but i still have the overwhelming urges and cravings and the mindless eating is trying so hard to overrule me - HELP!

There is Overeaters Anonymous - but not where i live, or anywhere close (hour drive ... aka 55 miles) from my location and with gas prices the way they are, i simply don't make enough money to afford the gas to go to a meeting weekly or whenever they have them.

I want so bad for this surgery to work for me (still stuck at 40lbs lost, +/- a pound or two). My latest fill is definitely my sweet spot fill, because i am satisfied upon eating my meal (which generally consists of one or maybe two bites of chicken, or other food). But the consistent cravings, thoughts of food is driving me crazy. I wish I could say that I don't always give in .. but I do sometimes. Yes, the band stops me from eating too much but i want to be able to not eat inbetween meals. I want the cravings gone. I want to not be a slave to food.

How can I overcome this?! Are there any other addicts of food/ slaves to taste out there?

Thanks for any advice.:blushing:

[Angel_P 0]

I am also addicted to food. One suggestion I might have is look up on Amazon for any Overeaters Anonymous books. I dont go to meetings but I know they have some books. Perhaps that would be a step in the right direction? Good luck, and as a good friend of mine says, I eat to live, not live to eat!

[giveyouthemoon 4]

Yes, I am a food addict as well. I hear you.

This is going to be hard to hear, but....seek the help of a really good therapist. You cannot do this alone. There are LOTS of deep issues around why food rules your world. All need to be explored.

But for the grace of a higher power and a really savvy therapist, I'm beginning to make progress.

Food is not a friend. Food is not an enemy. Food is nutrition. That's step one.

Big hugs......

[txaberry 0]

Hello - I too am a food addict. I have been going to a counselor for a few months now. I knew it was a problem for me and I didn't want to cheat my band. My counselor had me read a book "Fat is a Family Affair" and it has really helped me understand my triggers and other psychological issues with food. Are there any counseolrs in your area? My insurance pays for so many visits and I just have a copay each time. It has really helped me. Good luck.

[mstrina27 0]

I have known for some time that I am addicted to food. I love it. Always have. The flavors, textures, sweetness, sourness, etc. etc.

So I am brought to my current conclusion, dilemma. HOW THE HELL DO I OVERCOME IT?!?!

Alcohol or drug addictions are easier because it is simple to live without it - but food is a necessity for living! How can one overcome overeating? The lap band, as a tool, helps me slow down my eating and cuts down on the amount, but i still have the overwhelming urges and cravings and the mindless eating is trying so hard to overrule me - HELP!

There is Overeaters Anonymous - but not where i live, or anywhere close (hour drive ... aka 55 miles) from my location and with gas prices the way they are, i simply don't make enough money to afford the gas to go to a meeting weekly or whenever they have them.

I want so bad for this surgery to work for me (still stuck at 40lbs lost, +/- a pound or two). My latest fill is definitely my sweet spot fill, because i am satisfied upon eating my meal (which generally consists of one or maybe two bites of chicken, or other food). But the consistent cravings, thoughts of food is driving me crazy. I wish I could say that I don't always give in .. but I do sometimes. Yes, the band stops me from eating too much but i want to be able to not eat inbetween meals. I want the cravings gone. I want to not be a slave to food.

How can I overcome this?! Are there any other addicts of food/ slaves to taste out there?

Thanks for any advice.:mad:

I am so glad u posted this Thread!!!! I am going to get realll personal now... my brother was killed in 2001(nov) and he had an addiction that he was trying to take control of. I had realized at that time that I was getting serious with loosing weight because I was tired of being fat... so we had a heart to heart talk... I told him that i understand his addiction because at first i was like why dont u just stop!!! :smile2:.. U don't need that bull:cursing:... Are u kidding me.. Then it's like i had a ahhh haaa moment.. Having an addiction to drugs or alcohol is the same as food. It dosent matter if the drugs are prescription, or illegal.. So we made an agreement for me not to eat junk food and not to eat when i wasen't hungry and to excercise and for him to stay away from 'bad people, and situations..I had a really bad problem with oreo Cookies, doritos, snack cakes pb cups...If you become dependent upon something u r addicted.. and i did not have to lay on someone's couch to figure it out.. God revealed it to me... . I'm so serious... a little over 2mths later he was at the wrong place at the wrong time... and was stabbed in the chest & died 2-4minutes later because he drowned in his own blood.... I lashed out, i mean totally went to left field... because i was angry.. I was like how could he go we r sopouse to be here to support each other... then i was like he didn't give up on me so i shouldn't give up... and that's when i started working out like crazy at the gym. lost over 100+lbs then got prego and gained over 85lbs back..:tongue:.. So getting back to the topic it is the same thing... too much food can kill u just like drugs and alcohol can and it actually needs to be treated as the same... we need food to live but we dont need pb cups, snack cakes, fried chicken, mac&cheese, steak sand. and so forth..I would suggest u talk to someone to help u realize what triggers your over eating and bad food choices....

Edited April 30, 2008 by mstrina27

[KelinTx 1]

I also am a food addict and am in the process of looking into finding a therapist to find out why i have obsessive thoughts about food. I just want to be one of those normal folks who isnt constantly dreaming and thinking of food. I wonder is it possible? Can someone really make all those thoughts dissapear? While my band certainly is working for me i can honestly say im still the person who wants to eat the entire package of anything. Thank god my band keeps me from doing so.

[Wheetsin 714]

It really isn't as "we have it so much harder" when you compare to other addictions. Smokers can't just "avoid" triggers. Maybe by never seeing smoking friends again, avoiding access to cigarettes by never leaving the house or going to a store, gas station, etc. Never driving because someone next to you may be smoking and that could trigger something just as watching a food commercial or seeing bad items at the buffet. Never going somewhere with smokers so they'd never be tempted to ask for one... you get the idea.

Think of it as very similar situations. Both people have to face their addictions and cravings, have to find a way with it being part of daily life, and have to find in themselves the ability for behavioral change to be successful. Only smokers don't have readily available "SLS" surgeries to help them be able to say no to 8/10 cigarettes, or feel satisfied after smoking 1/10 of it. :smile2:

Did your pre-op psychologist work through any of these issues with you, or have you sought help post-op? A good therapist really can do a lot to help. (They're not all good, though, have to use much discretion.)

No one can make thoughts disappear, you will always have thoughts and there's always the possibility that one will just so happen to be about a food subject. But you can change behaviors, find out your root causes for overeating (they vary, e.g. most people are emotional eaters, but I am not, a concept emotional eaters have a hard time with and vice versa). When you know why, you can start working on fixing it. If you classify your need with food (or some sensation directly or indirectly linked to the food) as an "addiction" - and believe it's an addiction, then it's pretty obvious mental and physical balance has to come from somewhere, and if we could all take care of that ourselves, we wouldn't have any fat psychiatrists.

BTW, search for "addiction" and you'll find many others in your same boat, as well as info on the addiction vs. not addiction debate, what people have done to find success, current challenges, etc. It's a long-standing topic here.

[KelinTx 1]

Wow Jack that post certainly was insightful!

[BandedMomX6 1]

I have known for some time that I am addicted to food. I love it. Always have. The flavors, textures, sweetness, sourness, etc. etc.

So I am brought to my current conclusion, dilemma. HOW THE HELL DO I OVERCOME IT?!?!

Alcohol or drug addictions are easier because it is simple to live without it - but food is a necessity for living!

How can I overcome this?! Are there any other addicts of food/ slaves to taste out there?

Thanks for any advice.:smile2:

Thanks for your honesty. I think that it is the first step. How many times have I told myself that I was just hungry, or I was craving something because of PMS. Honesty is what will save us all from this disease.

I don't think drug addicts, etc, have it easier it is just another addiction. They might say to you, "it's just food it has no power." Addiction is addiction.

For me my head hunger and my belly hunger are not indistinguishable. But I'm working on it day by day. I know that I have an addiction to salty and sweet foods. At 3PM my kids come home from school and I start to crave these bad foods. When I realized yesterday that it was because I am overwhelmed with all the stuff left to do in the day, whether it be driving to sport practices, dinner, etc, you get the drill. And I would give myself license to eat something off program. But the problem with food addiction is that if you give an addict a treat she will want the whole bag. (I've got give a moose a muffin on the brain...)

I went out yesterday and bought some safe treats. I bought individual bags of baked chips, some sf chocolate pudding cups. They are helping.

My thoughts are with you. Try not to look at the big picture, but maybe make strategies to get through the tough moments.

One last thing, I have found a great deal of empowerment from discipline. Maybe find one thing a day you can master regarding food. Whether it be drinking a Protein drink over a snack or whatever you choose, do it with consistency even if it seems small, I have to say, I find it exhilarating to have power over the food. Take care.

Hope this was helpful.

[abckids 0]

Thank you all for your great comments and suggestions. I want to have control over this and I want to overcome it. I just don't know how. I noticed (after reading one of your posts) that when my kids get home in the afternoon, i really really want to just stuff my face then. That is a stress trigger for me. My kids are great, but they do fight with each other and drive me crazy in doing so. Thus I want food.

Then again, if there is something exciting on tv, I want food.

If I get sad, I want food.

Happy, Food... you get the picture. It is a great source of comfort for me and a way for me to "escape" for a minute or two.

At the same time, I just want to eat and eat. So I don't know. I did go to an OA meeting online last night, and plan on it again today as well. Hopefully that will help too.

I will keep yall posted.

Amy

[losingjusme 12]

abc

i am so glad you posted this thread.

please know that you are far from alone. even being banded, losing 150ish pounds (with lots more to go), i still have a severe food addiction. severe food addiction. right now i am struggling more than i have in a long time, not sure exactly what or why it is, but its happening in a huge way right now. i have been 'food sober' for 2 days now, actually not even that - i bought jellie bellies for my upcoming race yesterday and had a few handfulls - but i was within my WW points range so lets so it was an 'ok' day. not great, but certainly could have been a ton worse.

there are even days when i work against my band. the very tool that i had installed to help me - i defy. eating eating eating ... and not always the model bandster and going on liquids after i pb... i eat something until i have to pb, make some room and then eat some more. doesnt sound like a very 'successful bandster'... granted i think that's happened 1 maybe 2 times in 17 months, but its happened.

life as i knew it pretty much turned upside down earlier this year, not excusing it, cause it is what it is. but, that didnt help matters.

i was one of the lucky ones who was so fat that my surgeon didnt require anything. no sleep apnea testing, no nutritional counseling, no psychological counseling... all i had to do was have my ticker checked to make sure i wasnt goign to croak on the table and i think i had some blood drawn.

i like jack's perspective, but its not eating that im addicted to ... eating i dunno - insert something incredibly good for you - SOY - eating soy anything (bleck btw) is incredibly different from eating something really good tasting (to me)... it doesnt even have to be 'bad' for me, i dunno ... chicken thigh (breast too tough)... i just cant eat anything... im a relatively picky eater - always have been - too bad the band didnt help in that area....

PMS for me is a bitch. thankfully, i get so tight right before that i can do liquids only for a day or so... but a shake goes down just fine thank you very much

so yeah, do i have a point? i dunno ... just know that you are not alone out there... im literally taking it one meal at a time right now.

best of luck to you.

[MerryHearted 20]

One thing that has helped me tremendously is figuring out my triggers and avoiding them. For example, 100 calorie packs of something like oreos or cheese nips is just a bad idea for me. It might only be 100 calories but eating that stuff makes me wild for more of it.

It takes a couple weeks of consistently doing it, but once I'm in the habit of eating only healthy foods and not sugary or salty junk foods, I do SO much better with cravings. Getting in adequate Water helps too.

That may or may not apply to others. food, or eating, addictions take multiple forms.

[Hastings 3]

If you think back to your emotional eating, you might see (as I did years ago) that you have eaten (maybe a lot) and not even tasted it. I remember eating two grilled cheese sandwiches while reading a book and suddenly realizing all my food was gone :huh2:( ).

I'm not addicted to food, but I am addicted to giving myself whatever I want, when I want it. In other words, I'm treating myself like a willful 2 year old, sometimes. I've used the little phrase "I deserve it, dammit." so many times, I'm sure it's engraved on my tongue. Yes, I deserved to be taken care of, I was just doing it the wrong way.

One of the reasons is that I did sometimes feel like I was adrift, even though I have been successful generally in life and in my career.

The other day I was standing in front of the fridge wanting some food, but not being hungry and my partner walked by and asked if I needed help cause I looked lost. My reply was: "I'm just a stranger in a strange land."

I'm not sure that food addiction is a physical addiction. I DO know that it is much more comfortable to keep the habit, addiction, or whatever, than it is to get rid of it.

It is not an emergency to be hungry and you will survive the wanting. What you might not survive is feeding the habit.

[abckids 0]

I too have eaten and not even realized what any of the food tasted like nor that i even finished it all.

I think i may have come to realize why or what has started my problems way back when and now i need to move on with it and overcome it. But I have a great friend who is helping me... free.... and he is helping me reflect on what may have started all of it.

but the arc wasn't built in a day, and all my problems won't be resolved or discovered just as quickly... but i do know that i will keep pursuing the deep down truth.

[bluekygirl 0]

I too, have a food addiction. But, I can't figure out my triggers at all. Well, I do know ONE of them - boredom. I do eat when there's nothing else to do. Although, I've gotten much much better at it. But I've never noticed that I like to eat any more than usual when I'm happy, sad, nervous, etc. I just like to eat, damn it!! Why is that? And I have to agree with LosingJusMe - any ol' food just won't do. When I'm craving something, it's always bad for me. Fried foods, rich food, any type of cheese (love it), chocolate (love it even more), etc. And something else I have noticed for years, even if I get a satisfied feeling half way through my meal, I will continue eating until everything on my plate is gone and I'm stuffed. And, No, my parents never told me when I was little that I had to "clean my plate". So, go figure - I don't know why I do it. I got my first fill this past Monday and I don't feel a lot of restriction, but I do notice I am not eating everything on my plate now, so that's a big deal to me and makes me think, "hey, this thing may work after all". Maybe the band won't destroy my cravings, but hopefully it will keep them under control by lot letting me overeat when I have them.