Dieting and Food Addiction

I have talked before in this blog about my addiction to food. One of the problems with food addictions is you can't go cold turkey like an alcoholic or drug addict can. You are forced to eat something just by the nature of how your body works. For me this means a diet I can use and stick with for a long time. I'm sure you know how most diets go. You are all excited about losing weight and you are gung-ho to get started with the new diet you found. You start out the morning following it exactly and it doesn't seem too bad. You get to lunch and everything is still going well. Then the afternoon hits and the hunger pangs start. You use every bit of will power you have to stay away from the candy machine down the hall. OK. So far, so good. Then you get home, you are starved and can't wait to get something in your stomach. This is where I fall down as I think I'll just nibble a little bit on this and then I have a bite of that and before you know it I have consumed all the calories I am allowed for the whole week.
Dieting is not fun and so we actually need a lifestyle change to accomplish long term weight loss. I have been concentrating on no carb foods in my menus and that really seems to be helping. Like I said above you can't just quit eating like another kind of addict can stop their behavior. Cigarette smokers do not need cigarettes in order to survive. In fact cigarettes are a poison to your body and it functions better without them. So you can't go cold turkey. What then?
If you eat too much and you feel food has control over your life you can treat certain foods the way other addicted people treat their addictive substances. When an alcoholic decides to dry out he or she realizes they can never take another drink. Even one could lead them down the road to activating their addictive behavior. Sometimes they have to use every ounce of will power they have to stop from taking that first drink. You can use this method when you are on a particular diet and trying to lose weight.
For example, if you wanted to lose 10 pounds in a month you could make it your goal to never, ever eat desert during that time. That means no nibbling, no tasting, and no sneaking a small bite. Instead, you would approach it like an alcoholic who is fighting his or her addiction. Absolutely positively you do not let yourself get any where near desert. This way you don't stop eating everything you just completley stop eating the foods you chose.

I am Addicted To Food Like An Alcoholic

I have finally bought into the belief that I am a food addict. I view food just like an alcoholic views alcohol and a drug user views heroin. The thought of eating gets a hold of me and I lose all ability to stop eating. It is like someone else in in control of my body and is making it eat what ever the food is I crave.
This really happens a lot when I am stressed at work. We have a vending machine that calls me with the sweet siren sound of relief when I am stressed. I usually don't even taste the candy bar or chips but the instant I start putting them in my mouth I feel better. It has a calming affect on me like nothing else. I instantly start to feel calm and good.
It is only later that I feel regret and disgust at what I have done. I know logically that if I eat junk I will hate myself but this addiction has such a hold on me that I can not stop it. Thinking about what I am writing makes me realize I am speaking just like an alcohoic or drug addict would. It is the same words they use. This is the same disease I am fighting and I need help. I can not do this alone. I need a lifelong program that allows me ways to feel relaxed without eating. I need to find out what my triggers are and stop those triggers from sending me over the edger into food oblivion.

Food Addiction Help

We will only start making headway on our national food addiction problem when we are willing to admit that it is an addiction problem like alcoholism or drug addiction. Both of these addictions have both a psychological and a physical component. With food addictions it is the same thing. We have our emotions tied to food so we use food as a way to feel better or to celebrate. And, there is more and more research finding out that our bodies become physically addicted to certain carbohydrates.
One big aspect of the Adkins diet was the thought that High Fructose Corn Syrup can have a major impact on how our bodies deal with nutrition. High fructose corn syrup is corn syrup that has been revved up to be more powerful than the corn syrup found by natural means. It is like what has happened with illegal drugs the last 40 years. They are so potent now that you can literally use once and be hooked for your life. This chemically manipulated corn syrup acts in the same way. It is so powerful that your body doesn't know how to handle it and you become addicted to the feelings you get.
Until we look at obesity from the addiction standpoint we will no have much luck combating this menace. There is help for addiction and if you are obese this is an option you should look at. Like any other addiction you need to review all aspects of your life to see what and who is having an effect on how you treat food. You can overcome your food addiction with help.