Is Food To Blame?

Food Addiction – Are You a Food Addict?
 
Food addiction is a contemporary term used to describe a pathological disorder; the compulsive, excessive craving for and consumption of food. This condition is not only manifested by the abnormal intake of food, but the intake and craving for foods that are, in themselves, harmful to the individual. While society and the medical profession have readily understood alcoholism and drug abuse, it is only in recent years that there is an equal acceptance of the fact that persons may be addicted to food in the same way. When any substance is taken into the body regardless of its potential for harm or in excess of need, that substance is said to be abused. Individuals who abuse substances in such a way are addicts; these persons become physiologically and mentally dependent upon certain substances, in this case food.

One need only ask themselves a few key questions to determine his or her addiction:

• Do you eat when you are not hungry or when you feel low or depressed? Yes
• Do you eat in secret or eat differently in front of others than when you’re alone?Yes
• Do you consume inordinate amounts of food and then purge later with vomiting or laxatives to get rid of the excess? Yes
• Are there foods that are harmful to you, but you eat them anyway? Yes
• Do you feel guilty after eating? Yes

If you can answer yes to any of these questions than you are likely addicted to food. 

I share this article with you and my answers because this is a subject that has just began to spark my interest. I was watching Dr. Oz yesterday... and let me just say that before I credit Dr. Oz I am not a huge fan of him. Anyways his show had on a bunch of overweight women who claimed that they were addicted to food. I first decided it was bullshit because people are fat because they want to fat right? I'm a fat person and I say that... I know I am fat because I didn't or don't work hard enough to be skinny.  

During the show these three women confessed to things that I have done... and sometimes still do. They would hide food, eat in private, hide wrappers, go out just to get food, think about food every minute, eat to much and then throw it up and of course feel guilty about their decisions after they used these behaviors. In a way I think we all do these things once in a while, I think the problem lies when we do this more then once or twice and it becomes part of our everyday lives. 

I wanna talk about my habits now because in the past I did absolutely eat in private, hide food and feel guilty. I was 317lbs and my body showed all my secrets. Yes my "eating" patterns stuck right out there on my huge body. Now though I shouldn't be still using these behaviors. Here is the truth... something I haven't shared with anyone post surgery. 

1. I eat all the time. I eat when I'm not hungry or when I'm sad or happy or friggen pissed off. I eat carbs because I can keep down a bag of chips and the idea of having a bag of chips in front of me is a joy.

2.  I absolutely eat by myself. I get up every single night and find something to eat. I often think about what I can eat when no one is around. I find that I cant go to the Wal-mart without stopping at McDonald's for something and not having to tell someone where I was. 

3. I over eat at least once a day. When I first had surgery, obviously I threw up a lot but now I only do when I overeat... the thing is I find myself throwing up way more then I should.  I have taught myself that I can overeat... make myself throw up... and if I wanted eat again. I have only done that once or twice but I do do it which is probably not productive of my diet plan. 

4. I eat whatever I want even when I know I will be sick. I can not eat ice cream yet last night I had a big bowl of ice cream.... I then am sick but yet I do this. I know others do this too but why would anyone put themselves though that. I should not be eating junk and yet I find that if I don't eat it I cant function.  

5. I feel guilty after every single bite I take. I never ever ever eat without feeling guilty. I could eat a cracker and feel guilty. My guilt about eating consumes me. 

I answer these questions in details because I am looking for answers. On the show yesterday a specialist came on and said that food addiction is just like any other addiction. When you eat junk food it triggers the pleasure center in your brain and fires off neurons called dopamine. This is the same process when people drink or take hits of drugs. Knowing a little bit about how the brain works I understand what she is saying and am intrigued to look deeper into it. I don't completely buy that there can be food addicts around us but I guess it is a possibility and if this problem does exist I would probably one of those unlucky ones who suffer from it. I guess if some people can drink a lot but still control their alcohol then some people can eat a lot and not be food addicts right?

I have never ever blamed anyone or anything for my weight except for me and I am not sure that I will ever blame this but I would like to look further into it because if I understand whats going on with me maybe I can take it from a different angle. Has anyone heard of this? What are your feelings of it? 

From what I just wrote you might have gathered my diet once again fell through the cracks. This is the hardest thing I have ever done and I fall off the train more then I can stay on. I want to stay on but I see something yummy and off I go. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. I feel awful about it but often times it feels out of my control. I make excuses all the damn time. oh I don't feel good, oh just one cookie, oh I can have a bad day today and them tomorrow it will be better. I HATE EXCUSES but yet I find myself in the midst of them constantly.  

Tomorrow is a new day and I think I'm going to try to set smaller goals such as "stay on the wagon for a whole week and see how you feel at the end of that week," Maybe if I can see results I will be motivated to keep going.  This is Awful...