Lil Miss Sunshine
WE can do this :)
Do any of you think that food is actually an addiction ? its torture lately for me to say no to food? i don't know anymore
Food = Addiction ?
- Thread starter Lil Miss Sunshine
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Just Peachy
Slowly But Surely
I think it is an addiction just as much as one can be addicted to drugs, alcohol, work or anything, really. It's just not seen as it quite yet because everybody needs to eat. I think very soon people will realise that it is more problematic than they think. After the obesity epidemic in the US, people will realise that it's not just bad choices, it is a form of addiction, and people will be more conscious and aware of it.
I think it'd be pretty difficult to be physically addictive to fruit and vegetables but I think things like refined flour, sugar, fat and salt and probably addictive. It's mainly mental though, but the more used you are to having them, the more you need them. I used to have intense cravings for sugar and since the start of this diet 6 weeks ago, they are now only sporadic and I find sweet things much sweeter than I did before.
Just stick in there, it'll happen for you too.
I think it'd be pretty difficult to be physically addictive to fruit and vegetables but I think things like refined flour, sugar, fat and salt and probably addictive. It's mainly mental though, but the more used you are to having them, the more you need them. I used to have intense cravings for sugar and since the start of this diet 6 weeks ago, they are now only sporadic and I find sweet things much sweeter than I did before.
Just stick in there, it'll happen for you too.
I've been convinced for a long time that the MSG and various additives in a lot of processed food, not to mention the fat and sugar, are addictive. I think there's more research being focused in this area now because it's becoming more obvious with the 'obesity epidemic' that people find this way of eating enormously difficult to break away from.
As time goes on, I suspect the addictive nature of some of these foods will become widely recognised. People need to be better informed about what's going on in their bodies when these foods are consumed.
I think as a society we've essentially lost the memory of what good, real, healthy food is - our grandparents knew because there was no alternative, our parents were brought up that way but with the arrival of convenience and junk food began to get distracted, we just thought it was normal to eat lots of processed and fast food, and our children don't know where vegetables come from.
It'll all come back, we'll gradually learn to think of it as 'normal' to eat well again as the effects of the bad stuff on our health become more apparent. But yeah, I think anyone who's struggling with a weight problem could benefit from looking into the addictive nature of some of the foods they eat. Also the psychological aspect - there are an awful lot of people using food as a control mechanism to help them cope with life, from anorexics to chronic binge eaters. It's a spectrum of dependence, with the same root.
As time goes on, I suspect the addictive nature of some of these foods will become widely recognised. People need to be better informed about what's going on in their bodies when these foods are consumed.
I think as a society we've essentially lost the memory of what good, real, healthy food is - our grandparents knew because there was no alternative, our parents were brought up that way but with the arrival of convenience and junk food began to get distracted, we just thought it was normal to eat lots of processed and fast food, and our children don't know where vegetables come from.
It'll all come back, we'll gradually learn to think of it as 'normal' to eat well again as the effects of the bad stuff on our health become more apparent. But yeah, I think anyone who's struggling with a weight problem could benefit from looking into the addictive nature of some of the foods they eat. Also the psychological aspect - there are an awful lot of people using food as a control mechanism to help them cope with life, from anorexics to chronic binge eaters. It's a spectrum of dependence, with the same root.
There's no doubt that certain foods trigger a response similar to the likes of heroin but that doesn't mean it's addictive in a biological sense
I think it's more to do with leptin resistance which makes us search out high calorie foods, and ingrained habits which are hard (but not impossible) to change...including our habit of responding to the desire for food, rather than needing the food.
The whole thing is very complicated and there's so many things going on that makes us overeat. If food addiction does exist, then it's only one very small piece in a very big jigsaw.
I think it's more to do with leptin resistance which makes us search out high calorie foods, and ingrained habits which are hard (but not impossible) to change...including our habit of responding to the desire for food, rather than needing the food.
The whole thing is very complicated and there's so many things going on that makes us overeat. If food addiction does exist, then it's only one very small piece in a very big jigsaw.
chocolatecat
One day at a time :)
I like Channy, have tried cutting refined sugar, additives etc right down or out of my diet completely.
I have had the occasional binge but on the days that I eat mostly natural healthy foods and have things like fruit & natural peanut butter for my sugar cravings I not only feel more alert and better but I don't actually WANT any of the crap I used to eat.
I had a bag of choc buttons today and felt sick afterwards - I usually have a very sweet tooth so it was a bit of a shock!
I think it is like any other addiction and it takes willpower and powering through for some people to be able to break it.
I think everyone who has a problem with overeating and addiction to food needs to exercise saying "no" to extra food more often. I feel fantastic when I've turned down a biscuit now! It gives me a great sense of power and a fantastic feeling of control.
Lil miss sunshine, it's good to say no. The food wont go anywhere. If you still want it later, have some but you will find that in saying no 80% of the time you will feel good about yourself and probably not want it again later anyway. I couldn't have done it this time last year though, it takes time.
I have had the occasional binge but on the days that I eat mostly natural healthy foods and have things like fruit & natural peanut butter for my sugar cravings I not only feel more alert and better but I don't actually WANT any of the crap I used to eat.
I had a bag of choc buttons today and felt sick afterwards - I usually have a very sweet tooth so it was a bit of a shock!
I think it is like any other addiction and it takes willpower and powering through for some people to be able to break it.
I think everyone who has a problem with overeating and addiction to food needs to exercise saying "no" to extra food more often. I feel fantastic when I've turned down a biscuit now! It gives me a great sense of power and a fantastic feeling of control.
Lil miss sunshine, it's good to say no. The food wont go anywhere. If you still want it later, have some but you will find that in saying no 80% of the time you will feel good about yourself and probably not want it again later anyway. I couldn't have done it this time last year though, it takes time.
Lil Miss Sunshine
WE can do this :)
That's very true food will always be there. I'm doing good past 3 days. I am keeping within my points.
chocolatecat
One day at a time :)
well done Sunny! Wish I could say the same lol! I haven't gained any weight though but it's simply a case of keeping myself busy that will help break it
Lil Miss Sunshine
WE can do this :)
well thats very good you havent put any on so keep it up and be strong, it can be hard at times
so keep it up and be strong, it can be hard at timesFood is definitely an addiction for me... having been on the Lighterlife diet for a few months now I look back at some of my behaviours when I have been tempted to lapse... the toddler style tantrums, wanting to throw my food across the room, taking it out on my loved ones... and it feels very familiar to what I saw my boyfriend go through when he gave up smoking. The trouble is, unlike cigarettes, we need food to survive. We have to have a daily intake of food, including (the right types of) fat etc. This means you have to give up your addiction, but tempt yourself/remind yourself everyday of just what you have given up. It can be terribly hard. Most of the addiction though, I think, is psychological, once you get the first few weeks of abstinence and have gone into ketosis. That doesn't make it an easier habit to break... in fact psychological addiction is in some ways harder as it doesn't necessarily wean with every week off your habitual substance (in my case sugar, sugar, sugar). That's why it is important to get to the bottom of the emotional issues behind over eating or unhealthy eating.... why are we falling down where others find it easy?
That said, as it says in the advert slogan for some athletic clothing line... impossible is nothing. We can achieve our goals, andmore, and inspire ourselves beyond our wildest dreams. Here's to that thought! x
That said, as it says in the advert slogan for some athletic clothing line... impossible is nothing. We can achieve our goals, andmore, and inspire ourselves beyond our wildest dreams. Here's to that thought! x
