Are You a Food Addict?

Are you a food addict? Is there such a thing? What do people mean when they say they're food addicts? Aren't we all food addicts? We need to eat to live so... It's like saying you are addicted to water or sunlight. "Hi, I'm Irene. I'm a water addict." " Hi Irene."

Generally, when people say they are food addicts, they mean they have trouble controlling the amounts they eat of certain foods. Most food addicts don't have a problem with broccoli but they may have a problem with chips, ice cream or cake (for example).

Studies indicate that the pleasure centers in some of our brains light up more than others in response to food. You might be someone who really gets a charge from certain foods. That charge can be habit forming. If that brownie really made you happy, you are likely to want to repeat the experience. It is very basic. You see the brownie and your brain lights up. The sight and/or idea of the brownie causes a certain amount of pleasurable activity in the brain. This creates an urge to eat the brownie. The strength of that urge can vary from weak to so strong it is impossible to resist. If you eat the brownie you get the pleasure of the taste and your brain is happy. Repeat.

If that describes you and your relationship with certain foods then there is an upside to it. You Love Food! You get great joy out of the taste, texture, aroma and experience of food. That is fantastic! Sometimes life offers us little in terms of pleasure and if you love food then you get pleasure every time you eat. I am pretty sure that my brain looks like the Las Vegas strip at night when it gets near See's candy. I actually cherish this aspect of myself as I work with so many people who get little or no pleasure from anything.

So can you have your brownie (or See's candy) and eat it too? The answer is yes and no. When you commit to writing down your food and keeping track of the calories it turns all food into numbers. Brownies average around 120 calories per ounce. One piece of See's candy averages 75 calories. Frosted cake averages 130 calories per ounce.

If I want to have See's candy, I go to the See's store and get 3 pieces. The sample they give you for free also has calories, so my See's candy experience costs me around 300 calories for 4 pieces. The fudge brownie bites at Starbucks have 300 calories. You can get one and leave the scene. If you have trouble with certain foods that you love, don't bring them into your environment in large quantities. Use environmental control to have your cake and eat it too. Just don't bring the entire cake home.

You can learn to manage a food addiction by either using environmental control or using complete abstinence. I work with someone who had to give up eating pizza. It was a trigger food for him and so, even though he could go and get one slice, it would set him off on an eating binge that could last for two days. He finds that he does much better, in general, if he just doesn't eat pizza. He gets a lot of pleasure from the other foods that he can eat in moderation so eating pizza just isn't worth it for him.

So to have your cake and eat it too, write it down and count the calories. Use environmental control with the foods you can't control. If a particular food is just too dangerous for you, don't eat it. There are so many other foods to choose from.

That's it for now. Good luck and let me know how you're doing.

If you'd like to participate in the research for Irene's new book about weight loss, please visit http://www.eatingdisordertherapist.com and take the survey.

Comments

[Skye]

I don't keep chocolate in the house. It's just easier not to eat it because once I start......

[AZAcct]

I agree with this...

I can't control my consumption of peanut butter...a high calorie food that I can eat spoonfuls of...I haven't bought a jar for years...and refuse to keep it in my house...when I have kids in the future I don't really know what I'll do...maybe by then I'll be able to control it?

[gymbunnybee]

'If you lose control around it, dont bring it into the house' - that such a generic, easy thing to say.

Most columnists who write about eating disorders and self-help tips fail to understand one thing - if you truly are an addict, it's not about -how you can avoid your trigger foods- it's about -why you cannot avoid your trigger foods-.

You don't seem to understand the real issue about food addiction. A real addict IS going to go out on a certain day and buy a dozen krispy kremes to finish that night. All sufferers know 'how' they could avoid bad behaviours but we need to acknowledge psychological/emotional reasons why they do not choose to do that.

[fleaba]

What about the actual physical issues...you know, the beta cells in the pancreas are not working so it indicates there is not enough sugar? Where does that come into the conversation.

Insulin resistance is the reason why many, many people crave carbs. No amount of writing in a food diary is going to change them. The amount of self-control required for weight loss can be incredible if not impossible, in that situation. In fact, there are many, many people who cannot lose weight even with a very strict diet, food diary and serious exercise. I know that moderation is key, but it isn't often just an issue of willpower and a food diary (which aren't bad ingredients, but they aren't the end all).

[Irene Rubaum-Keller - Huffpost Blogger]

Thank you for your good point fleaba. If you are a person who feels like you are doing all the right things, and are still overweight, you should head straight to your physician to rule out any medical causes. Thyroid problems and even, as you describe, a pre-diabetic condition can have a large effect on how your body processes the food you eat and even on what and how much you crave. Always check with your physician if you think something might be wrong!

[Irene Rubaum-Keller - Huffpost Blogger]

Thank you for your comment gymbunnybee. You'd be surprised to know that not all sufferers know how to handle their addiction. In fact, a large percentage don't. Understanding the "why" of it can be very important, I agree, however, it is not the ultimate answer, nor the cure. If I understand that I overeat because my mom trained me to, for example, I still need to deal with the behavior today. I need tools.

[gymbunnybee]

Thank you for taking the time to reply Irene. I simply can not believe that a tool as simple as 'don't buy it' is going to cure anyone of anything. The tools that are in truth needed, are psychological and social i.e. finding out exactly they will go against the essentially common-sense idea of not bringing a trigger food into the house.

I am sorry to say that this sort of generic advice is what churns out all the different diet/self-help books into the market - giving people a perception of 'if I find the right diet I will lose all my weight/cure my disorder' - whereas what is needed is a deep study into why the disorders develop and what the person can do to get over their blocks.

I'm afraid the type of advice you have given in this no doubt well-meaning post is for people who might find themselves a little out of control around certain foods - but certainly not actual food addicts.

[gfk]

Thanks for this Irene. I have been learning to have one treat a day by only having one in my house. I have to go get it daily, but it saves me lots of calories and I still get my treat.