Food Addiction--New for 2008

[bilsan]

I believe we can win some day . It will take alot of determination and even a goal out there . I still have the short term of 20 lbs . I did horribly yester day . I ate . End of story . I am not looking back , not beating myself up and going on from here . I will lose this 20 lbs . I think when I can not have something I notice things more . later ..... Sandy

[Pcola Girl]

Yes I know it takes alot of determination to lose the weight, I never expected to lose it fast anyway. I did that one time long ago and gained it all back. I went on a slim fast diet back when I was in my forties.
I know Atkins is best for me, I am eating healthy now but I admit I goof up sometimes to, don't know why but I do.
I am losing weight slowly but I have not gained any back. So as long as I am losing I am ok with it.
I am older now and have some medical problems to so exercising is hard for me now so I do what I can in that area like pool exercises and riding my exercise bike to. I need to keep the strength in my legs because I have alot of trouble walking without pain in them.
I will just stay on Atkins low carb and eat healthy that way and over time the weight will come off. I trry not to rush things anymore like I use to do.

[Sugar Free Franny]

I know where you are coming from Mary. It seems as though the more I can't have something the more I want it. I believe it's true with more then just food.

So, for the last couple of weeks I have been trying the South Beach way of eating. I don't know if it's working because as we know I have a scale phobia. My clothes are still fitting and I feel "ok". This morning I had oatmeal and I don't know if I like the whole "lowfat" thing. I can't see how this WOE is on a low carb site considering one bowl of oatmeal has 40 grams of carbs. I am really watching for triggers and we'll see how it goes. Eventually, I will get enough courage to step on the scale and see what my results are. I am also looking to lose about 20 lbs. (or more if I am gaining eating all of these complex carbs) I am glad that I am giving it a try, but I may find that Atkins is what really works for me. It's hard for me to keep track of the type of meat I eat and to eat 2 ounces of meat at a time. I don't have to do that with Atkins. I am conditioned to eat that way and not this way, but by the same token, I miss whole grains

I will continue with the posting on this site as no matter what WOE I decide to follow I know for sure I am a food addict and need the experience, strength and support this thread is offering.

Thanks to all.

[bilsan]

I am finally seeing how addicted I am to sugar . I HATE this . I want to be able to have sugar on special occasions . I am seeing that is not true . I ate on easter and I have just gone nuts this week . I am feeling sorry for me . I do not want to be an actual food addict . Ya know the type that has to give up certain things for good . I have been fighting this for years . I am seeing the sugar addiction more clearly than anytime I have seen it . I have been fighting since Christmas . Giving things up and splurging on certain times . Yiks what a deal . Sandy

[Pcola Girl]

I am also addictied to sugar. If I ever do eat sweets I am like that potato chip commerical, you can't eat just one.....I have to eat alot of it. Most times I try really hard to resist the sweets around me and sometimes it works and sometimes not.

Sometimes I just wished I had no appetite at all or never had to eat at all, maybe just take a pill to get all my nutrients for my body. Maybe only then I would not be so fat.

I get so tired of struggling with my weight all the time. I just want to be like normal people and eat normal thats all and get rid of all my fat.

[bilsan]

Yep I can relate . I am still having a hard time today . No sugar , only because I have nothing here . lol .

[Pcola Girl]

Do you know what my hubby brought home over the week-end...A box of dough-nuts of all things. He knows I am trying to stay away from sweets.
I have a hard enough time now as it is not to eat any sweets. Sweets are like a drug to me, if I take one bite I have to eat all and more, can't stop at one bite.
I sure wish I could find a way to stop all this eating like I do and lose this weight, its just so terribly hard for me thats all. People say just stop eating so much but its not that easy for me, anyway i have tried that and it just makes me want to eat more and more when I deprive myself of eating.
I guess thats why I have a addiction to food because I cannot control it.

[Pcola Girl]

Oh why is it so hard for me to stop eating......
I hate being this way, whats wrong with me! I seem to have no control over what goes into my mouth. How can I get back to not letting food control me?

Low carb was working so good for me when I first began many years ago and I lost alot to on it but now it seems like everything I had learned about eating has just flown out the window.
I am trying hard to find out why. I have been racking my brain out to why am I eating like this. I know its a emotional thing but why can't I contol it?
I feel like I am being controlled by some force or something.
Am I the only one who feels like this?

[idioglossic]

I am a food addict, a carb addict, a sugar addict, I am recovering...

The answer Mary is INDUCTION which will put you into ketosis which will KILL your appetite...

I killed my noodle tooth in 2004 and my sweet tooth as well...

In maintenance I began eating a bit of bread...ahhhhh well many lbs... I am back to
INDUCTION and Ketosis has driven my constant desperate hunger and lack of control about what I ate away.

Please try Induction.. get clean and you will be free from uncontrolled eating and desperate hunger... I know I am a food addict and have suffered my entire life..

Huggs

[Sugar Free Franny]

Here I am, still an addict. I can at least say I am a recovering addict. I actually belong to a 12 step group and have learned that once an addict always an addict. I can be in recovery from my addiction though and that's where I am right now.

I have been doing phase 2 of South Beach and it clearly is not working for me. My desire for carbs is greater then ever on this way of eating. I do not like the taste of fat free or reduced fat cheese and/or margarine. So, I will go back to Atkins where I had all of my success back in 05. Summer is coming and with that comes warmer weather and shorts, bathing suits, short sleeve shirts and I just want to wear what I want when I want.

I agree that it seems harder this time around. I was 37 when I did induction and lost my initial weight. Now that I have gained back at least half of it it seems like more of a struggle to do it again. I know that I have to set my mind to it and look to my Higher Power to do this. I now believe that I need to go back to induction and get rid of my cravings. However, after going through induction and on going weight loss I must follow the guidelines in lifetime maintenance because now I know that is where I lost myself again. I just started eating too many carbs (good and bad) and thought I deserved it. The truth is that I deserve more then that. I deserve to be healthy and happy and not let food ruin my life. The Atkins style of eating truly is fulfilling. I am not hungry or feel deprived when I am truly eating "by the book". I also have a household full that eats carbs (cookies, donuts, fried stuff) however, I don't really care once I do induction cause it doesn't smell as good or look as good as skinny feels. Does that make sense?


I truly appreciate this thread. Seems to be the most comforting area where I can vent my feelings and feel safe. Thank you.

Tomorrow I will reinduct myself so that I can feel satisfied once again. I look forward to those of you who join me.

Please those of you that are having trouble staying focused, remember that we can be satisfied eating low carb. We've all come here together for a reason. That reason is to get healthy eating low carb and supporting one another. I know that I really want to be healthy & fit.

God Bless you all.

[Pcola Girl]

Just wanted to check in with all of you today. I am in control of my eating today so thats good, but I just wished that I could stay in control of it.
There are days I just want to eat everything in sight and I would if I had it in the house, thats why I don't buy anything sweet, not even for my hubby. He will get him something sweet when we dine out.
I just wish I knew what was causing my addiction to food.

[Sugar Free Franny]

Just checking in. Today I am good. I am taking care of myself and staying away from bad carbs. So far this morning I had two hardboiled eggs and an oopsie roll. I defintely don't feel any cravings when I eat this way. I really need to remember this and follow my intuition on what my triggers are. Although it is a chemical imbalance, taking that first bite is mind over matter for me. I have gained about three pounds in this last month and know that could get completely out of control. My goal was to get on the scale today and I did. Next week's goal is to lose 5 lbs., walk 4 days out of the week, do yoga one day, drink plenty of water daily, and take care of myself.

[Pcola Girl]

Sugar free you are doing great. I would love to do some walking but I have arthritis in my knees bad and can't walk to good. I am looking at having some knee surgeries soon, not sure when though but am hoping afterwards i will be able to walk ok without so much pain.
Right now my exercise is limited to our poool. I do water aerobics and water exercises.

My eating is doing better also, had a sausage and two eggs for breakfast and lunch was just a small salad. Got a chicken baking for supper tonight.

[Star123]

Morning Ladies,

I know I'm a food addict and an emotional eater, because I eat when I'm not hungry and binge when I'm stressed about something. I've been doing this for several years and frankly I'm sick and tired of it. It's taking it's toll on my body and my life in general. Food controls me, but it's time to stop and take back what I've lost over the years!!! With God's help and this support group, we can do this together!!! It can be done.

You'll have a great day!!! <<<<<< HUGS >>>>>>

[Pcola Girl]

Star 123 i know what you are going through because I am in the same boat.
I just do not understand how I can allow food to have such a control over me. What set off that control in the first place? When I was young food did not control me, so why now?

[Sugar Free Franny]

I understand what you are saying about food controlling us. I have memories of my grandma giving me Ho Hos and Hostess cupcakes to "soothe" me cause my mom went back to work when I was 5. It did comfort me for a minute. I am slowly learning to not use my emotions (happy, sad, anxious, angry) as an exuse for eating. I am still eating three meals a day and two snacks, but staying away from the high carb foods or bad carbs is really helping. One day at a time.

[Pcola Girl]

I was around alot of food to and my mom was always baking cakes, pies and cookies for us. I don't think we ever had a meal with dessert with it.
We were also given sweets for rewards for cleaning our rooms and being good and helping mom with the house work.
I guess I contribute eating to doing something good, I don't know.....
I was a chubby child but went on a strick diet when I was in my teens to lose the fat, mostly drank diet soda and would not eat and I did get thin but gained it all back plus more after I got married and had my first child.
Now I have been fighting with food since.....

[Star123]

Originally Posted by Pcola Girl

Star 123 i know what you are going through because I am in the same boat.
I just do not understand how I can allow food to have such a control over me. What set off that control in the first place? When I was young food did not control me, so why now?

Mary, thanks for your support. I'm reading a book called, "Shrink Yourself" by Dr. Roger Gould, M.D.. Here's an excerpt from his book...

As you learned in the very beginning of this book, it's a universal experience that on some unconscious level, childhood fears of abandonment get reduced to one almost palpable image of an empty cavity that can be filled only by something outside, as if we're still infants with open mouths waiting for milk, screeching like baby birds being fed in nature films. That primal, early memory of being hungry--of being voracious and unattended to, desperately needing milk in order to survive and feel comforted and loved, in order to avoid discomfort--gets implanted in our psyches, and we recall it as a potential disaster state. We fear that maybe no one will be there to fill that void, and then it'll go on endlessly, while we helplessly wait in anguish.

The familiar empty feeling that any emotional eater can tell you about is only an inch away from abandonment terror. As long as you believe that such terror is too horrible to experience, the food trance will have a seductive power over you.
The cure for this is based on a cliche'. Remember, that was then, this now."

Dr. Gould says that you'll have to reinterpret the experience of emptiness to see exactly what it means to you and how you can take charge of your life to deal with it... you'll have to remember that you have two methods to void your powerless conclusion about emptiness: 1. Remember that emptiness can never be filled by food. 2. Stop addding to your feelings of emptiness by confusing your childhood fear of abandonment with the current siduation.

Hope that helps and makes some sense to why we eat when we're not hungry. I tend to eat when I'm stressed and I experience that 'empty feeling' and need to stuff myself with food to fill that whole. The difference between being truly hungry and non-hungry is one can wait for food and the other can't.

We can over come this together!!!

God BLess,

[tammay]

Hi there!
Joining in kind of late but I'm so glad I found a thread on food addiction because I really need some support!

I've done lowcarbing before a few years ago, loved it, lost 30 pounds, and broke the cycle of dieting/binge eating that I had been on for most of my life. But I had no firm maintenance plan in place, was thrown into a lot of life changes and stress, and decided to move to being a vegetarian (which I still am and love). So in a year and a half, I gained back 20 of those 30 pounds, but what was worse for me was that I got right back into the habit of binging every weekend.

In January, I tried to be a vegan (no meat, dairy or eggs) so wasn't doing lowcarb. Being a vegan led me to eating a lot of carbs (good ones like fruit and whole grains, but lots of them) and I did ok for a few months. Then I started to slide right back into the binge eating habit and realized two things: one, that I needed to add at least a little dairy back into my diet to give me more protein and more choices, and two, that I had a serious carb addiction and the only way I could control the binges was to cut the carbs considerably.

So two weeks ago I came back to lowcarbing. I'm not doing a specific plan, but keeping my carbs to 60 a day with lots of good veggies and good protein and not too much dairy. It seems to be working really well. I haven't had any carb cravings (which surprised me) and I feel like I did a few years ago, when binging didn't even tempt me.

My goal for 2008 and beyond - first of all, to lose the weight I gained, but I'm not in a big hurry to do that. The biggest goal I have is to turn lowcarbing into a way of life and not make the same mistake I made the last time, which means to look for a way to do maintenance NOW rather than when I reach goal.

I also feel ready to work on the emotional eating issues that I've always had, now that I feel like the cravings are under control. So I try to really check in with myself in terms of how much I'm eating, if I'm hungry (so I eat, even if it's not meal time ), if I'm full (so I stop), etc. Also, if I'm feeling stressed or angry or hurt, I try to look in other directions except food (journaling has helped, as well as doing yoga or going for a walk). So I'm trying to find other avenues to deal with emotional eating and stress.

Glad to have this thread for support!

Tam

[Off My Duff]

Originally Posted by Star123

Mary, thanks for your support. I'm reading a book called, "Shrink Yourself" by Dr. Roger Gould, M.D..

Star, I ordered this book too, and have just started getting into it. Seems very interesting so far.

I'm glad this thread is still here. This whole weekend has been a washout for me.

Though I do not feel that I am "addicted" to food, I do believe that I am very sensitive--probably even over sensitive--to sugar and white flour. I do not have out of control binges, but I do regularly eat for emotional reasons, which is not a healthy behavior at all.

I've been struggling more the last few weeks because one of my sisters is doing a very high carb/low fat eating plan, is losing a bunch of weight on it, and she is constantly urging me to do the same things she is. The only problem is, my body does not react the same, and it just makes my cravings much worse, then I throw in the towel and eat a big bunch of junk.

I was also trying to do Intuitive Eating/non-diet, but I'm realizing that my body is too messed up right now, and it will never DESIRE healthy foods. It will only want junky carbs, so I'm going to have to cold turkey it and get back on low carb tomorrow.

I hope I can do it...

[Star123]

Originally Posted by Off My Duff

Star, I ordered this book too, and have just started getting into it. Seems very interesting so far.

I'm glad this thread is still here. This whole weekend has been a washout for me.

Morning Becky, I'm glad you're reading the same book too. It's interesting and makes sense to me why I do what I do with food. You don't need to follow your sister's eating plan, especially if your body isn't reacting properly. You know what you need to eat healthy and treat your body right. So go with that.

My weekend was not perfect, I did the best I could and got through it okay. I know I'm addicted to food, but I believe that I can overcome this addiction with research and God's help. I'm going to claim each morning, that I can do this. I can beat this thing!!! I have to start taking control of my life and my eating, and no one will do it for me. That's why I need all the support I can get.

God bless,

[Off My Duff]

Originally Posted by Star123

Morning Becky, I'm glad you're reading the same book too. It's interesting and makes sense to me why I do what I do with food. You don't need to follow your sister's eating plan, especially if your body isn't reacting properly. You know what you need to eat healthy and treat your body right. So go with that.

My weekend was not perfect, I did the best I could and got through it okay. I know I'm addicted to food, but I believe that I can overcome this addiction with research and God's help. I'm going to claim each morning, that I can do this. I can beat this thing!!! I have to start taking control of my life and my eating, and no one will do it for me. That's why I need all the support I can get.

God bless,

Good morning, Tammy...First thing this morning, I threw out the rest of the Pop Tarts. If I leave them here, I'll know they're there, and I'll have to struggle to leave them alone. This way, they're gone. Now I just have to not buy any more.

I hope this thread comes alive again--there were some previous ones here that I read, and there were a lot more people active on them then. I wonder if everyone just gets sick of the battle, or falls into carbs and is ashamed to come in here, or what.

I made bacon and eggs for breakfast, and am going to do my best to stay away from sugar and flour today. One day at a time, right?

I hope you have a good, strong day!

[LoraJR72]

Marking my spot.

[bilsan]

Good morning all . I have taken a lets get fat break . Oh how this sucks . I am starting induction today , no sugar , this will be a long day lol . I know I eat out of stress . I have a hard time being around certain foods . We have as a family had non stop b days and easter . The last one is next wedn ending with hub . I get to feeling sorry for myself because everyone else is eating ect ect ect . You all know the drill . I have turned this over because I have no power here . I have no power over food , over stopping ect . Once I start I am gone . I am also in a 12 step group and I have no urges with those things NOW . I truely believe food is the worse , maybe easier withdrawl , the recovery from it is hectic . There is no staying away from whatever , there is no finding a trigger with drugs or alcohol , All is bad for me . I am going to get this . I hate things controlling me and my allowance to let it drive me crazy lol . Sandy