[thirti4thirty]

May be nothing new but a good reminder all the same. For the past month I myself have been gradually locking myself in an overeating routine again, after losing 23 lbs. I needed to read something like this to give me a little push. Enjoy if you're in the same situation. Best luck!

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/7704...d-how-to-stop/

[Palestrina]

Hmm, yes and no. It's a very simplistic message and some of the points are not well thought out, rouse more questions than they answer and doesn't give any good information on how to fix things that go wrong. First, I think food addiction is bogus. If this was true then all people would be running around rabid and stealing eachothers foods. On the same token I really don't believe that eating good food will make you crave "bad" foods any less. If this is true then people who lose a lot of weight would never gain weight again. It's pretty obvious that maintaining weightloss is extremely difficult, just look around see how many people come back here after losing and gaining. I guess all that clean eating didnt quite do the trick and they deserted the broccoli and almonds and went back to the French fries and candies.

"When it comes to dealing with negative emotions effectively, facing them head on and uncovering their lessons works. It really helps to find someone experienced to guide you with this. Someone who can help you release these negative emotions for good, rather than simply analyze them for many lengthy and expensive sessions."

This is true but poorly explained. If you're an emotional eater then goodness help you if you think that eating carrot sticks will fix that. Deprive yourself of your most effective coping mechanism (eating) and watch the backlash. First, a person needs to understand how exactly emotional eating happens. I always knew I was an emotional eater but I never really understood HOW that took place. In my mind I was just always hungry and always eating. Once I read about and learned the exact process of emotional eating then I could learn how to stop it. Putting yourself on a diet when your problem is emotional eating is like putting a bandaid on your elbow to treat a broken foot. It's nonsensical.

I did therapy for a few years and I agree that getting to the bottom of my past experiences and finding the root cause behind my emotional eating did nothing to help me. Nothing at all. Ugh the torture of analyzing my past and crying over the things I can't change did nothing to curb my dysfunctional eating. It wasn't until I found a nutritional therapist that I was able to tackle my emotional eating. Now I'm learning how to identify my emotional triggers (guess what, sugar isn't a trigger) and how to cope with it appropriately and effectively. It doesn't Ben cross my mind to turn to food anymore. Oh, I feel anger coming on? Here's what I gotta do to deal with it. It doesn't fester and turn to hunger anymore.

Point blank, if you are using food to cope with emotions just know that it is a very effective coping mechanism. Your body is not stupid enough to let go of what works just because you're "eating clean." When te stress is high enough it will revert back to what works best. That is NOT addiction, it's genius.

[Mrs Snark]

Decent article.

I definitely believe in food addictions but I understand some people needing to think of them as bogus in order to embrace a different eating philosophy -- we all have to find what works for us as individuals.

Of course finding a set of beliefs that works for each of us individually does not negate another person's experience (or non-experience) of food addictions.

For me, high-sugar foods are very addictive (particularly if combined with high fat -- which is probably why I do ok with fruit but not with ice cream) and every time I choose to eat them I have a problem on some level.

I still eat them, but I recognize There Will Be Blood when I do. There is often a high price to be paid.

[lucindaarrowspark]

Food manufacturers have manipulated our diets by introducing us to new combinations of fat-sugar-salt in everything! The food companies have created addicts! Why do you think so many many many of us with normal happy childhoods struggle with obesity? IMO I know that I am an addict.

[giselley]

I feel that what is being called "addiction" is really over indulgence. The choice to eat an entire block of ice cream in one sitting is a real choice. People wh manage their weights do so because they eat human appropriate serving sizes. Sugar and fat portions need to be much smaller. A person gets a bag of some food in which 3 pieces are an appropriate serving, but because the food is available and paid for, they eat 24 pieces. That's not addiction. That is gluttony. What that person might have done was good old fashioned rationing.

The proof is that you only see overweight population where there is affordable, excess food.

So why we over eat is because we can.

I guess I do not believe in food addiction either.

[LePetitPapillon]

I believe in food addiction definitely. I'm among those who think that cravings are the body trying to tell you that you need a certain nutrient. And I think the ultra sugary and ultra processed foods make the process go haywire. It's too much stimulus and can feel addictive. If you can't make it through the day without one sweet thing or a chemically processed food, I think that is the definition of addiction.

[lucindaarrowspark]

You don't have to believe in food addiction.
You can carve out your own niche of self loathing by believing you are over indulging by choice.
But for me, that belief, that feeling that I was an over eater who freely chose to stuff my self sick with high calorie low nutrient foods led me down the path of depression and paranoia.
Once I realized that I am an addict with a disease it was as if a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I did not freely chose to kill myself with fat and sugar.
I am an addict. MY body hyper responds to sugar by releasing too much insulin causing me to seek out more sugar.
So I now understand my disease, and I now have the information needed to control my addiction.
Which I do. I control my addiction.

[Palestrina]

Why does one need to self loathe at all? Why can't change come out of self live and acceptance?

[luckymommy]

Honestly, I'm sick of people saying there's no such thing as food addiction. If you don't have it, consider yourself lucky, but don't assume you know everything. I'm doing a 12-step program to help me with my food addiction and I'm finding that it's saving my life. I know we're all entitled to our own opinion, but if you're going to say that food addiction is bogus, then you should also say that alcohol addiction is bogus. We have people in our meetings who have been through AA and they are working OA too. Sorry, I know this must sound harsh and it's not my intention. It just really frustrates me when anyone undermines what I"m going through just because they haven't experienced the same thing.

[lucindaarrowspark]

I am right with you luckymommy.
Wannabeskinny, I no longer am crippled by self loathing due to my inability to portion control the foods I am addicted to.
Liberation has come from bravely walking away from those foods FOREVER. I will be free from killing myself with the foods I am addicted to, And for that I am ever thankful.

[Palestrina]

Saying that it's bogus is harsh, I admit. I also don't mean it in a personal way, it's not a personal attack on anyone. We will find out more and more about food addiction as research continues. I'm not against food addiction, but based on what my nutritional therapist tells me the evidence is inconclusive on food addiction so there is no reason for me to lock myself into such a debilitating and restrictive mindset for no reason. I don't want to discredit your experience and fully support your method of treatment. But I have my opinion and there are many things that I am sick of as well. For example, there are daily posts from new members who are obviously in a deep state of sadness and despair over their inability to stop binging, along with suspicions of depression and anxiety issues. It is so frustrating to see that the majority of the advice they are bombarded with is how to lose weight by cutting carbs. It's kind of insane actually to think that by omitting certain foods a person can cure their eating disorder. And of course that was the advice I was bombarded with as well which only caused the binging to get worse and the weight to pile on. I consider myself one of the very minute few who stumbled upon the right kind of treatment for my eating disorder. All too often the low carb mentality is touted as the cure all for every ailment under the sun from excess weight to diabetes to cancer. It's not a fair assessment and for someone with an eating disorder it can be devastating. It cannot be the answer to every problem.

[luckymommy]

Wannabeskinny, I really appreciate this post from you and I really hope I didn't offend you with mine.

I can understand your frustration as well. I would like to say that what you've accomplished is definitely ideal, as far as I'm concerned. To be able to achieve a healthy relationship with food is what most people here would probably want most of all. It's wonderful that you post your experience so that others can see it as an option/possibility. Just keep in mind, though, that we all have different lives, with different issues and not everyone can get to where you're at. For some people, low carb may be the best solution. For me, it's not the issue, but it does seem that it is for some people, so who am I to judge?

As far as eliminating certain foods, well I've absolutely had to. I've eliminated sugar and flour (but I do have quinoa, rice, potatoes and other carbs) and I hope to keep those out of my life forever. Will I be able to? Maybe not, but it has helped me feel so much better physically and mentally so my goal is to make it without those things for today. By the way, as far as carbs, I've read somewhere that some people have an insulin response to carbs that is more dramatic than others, which leads to extreme feelings of hunger. My parents can eat a cookie and feel fine and normal but if my husband has one, he is soon ravenous. I also had a friend do a blood test that checked this response in her body and it was completely abnormal compared to the general population....don't recall the exact details, but it makes sense to me anyway.

There might be studies in the future that prove or discredit food addiction, carbohydrate sensitivity, or any number of diet related components....but as we've seen with research, it seems that information is constantly changing and over time, people have just become increasingly confused as to what works and what doesn't. That's why I think it's so important for everyone to share what works for them and let everyone decide what works for their bodies/minds.

[Palestrina]

Yes totally totally. And I can definitely feel the physical ramifications of sugar and when I eat too many carbs. Not for one second do I advocate or indulge in a style of eating that encourages massive amounts of sugar and carbs. Sometimes I even have to force myself to have a little piece of bread here and there in order to feel ensure that I won't get too hungry later. I stick to potatoes and rice mostly if I want to carb up. Maybe it's just personal preference that I'm not in love with bread or something but I often look back and see that I've eaten no bread in days. For breakfast today I made a strip of bacon, one sautéed portabello mushroom, and a cucumber avocado salad. I thought boy this kind of looks like a paleo meal lol.

But I can't make any claims of accomplishing anything yet. Not in terms of substantial weight loss. I've actually stopped weighing myself for the pas 2 wks so I don't know what's happening now to my body although my clothes are loosening. I just feel a little more peaceful and a lot less anxious around food and a lot more confident in my own skin. Which is nice.

[luckymommy]

Wannabeskinny, I do think what you've accomplished is a whole lot because having a healthy relationship with food will give you a lifetime of freedom from food obsession, which will greatly increase your chances of maintaining weight loss. You definitely have a lot to offer by sharing your insights because this is not just about weight loss for today, it's about our health throughout our lifetime.

[Palestrina]

Thank you for your kind words.