Fo0d addiction

[jazminex]

Hi

i was wondering if anyone here has developed issues with food - ie: food binging - after giving up alcohol, drugs or cigarettes.

I have been sober 22 years, but still feel the need to food binge at least once a week..

Jasmine.

[jazminex]

Lot of good advice given here, and new things for me to try.as well
Thanks for the help!!

[my_mayberry]

i binge with food. i don't really have problems eating throughout the day a lot....but when i would eat, it would be in unbelievable portions.

one time i had a 22oz steak plus salad, lobster dip/chips...fries...desert and 6 sodas....when i used to bbq i would eat 5 or 6 pieces of chicken plus 3 or 4 hotdogs plus a 16oz t-bone and potatoes and whatever else we had to go with it and i'd still have desert.

amazingly i was never terribly heavy, even though i WAS overweight. i think it was mainly because i ate very little between meals. in any event i have lost a LOT of weight but still have the same problems...i will go on a binge every once in a while and if you add the calories up of a single binge, they can go absolutely through the roof! i don't know why i do it. i DO know that by changing WHAT i eat, it has kept me fuller and so binges now are very rare for me but i don't doubt at all that i LOVE food. if i taste a good burger, i can have 3 or 4 of them in a row.

anyway, i never thought of it as an addiction until i tried to live healthier. i found out burgers ARE addicting to some people. at least, they are to me....i mean there were days i had them for lunch and dinner. i've gone 3+ months without one and lost 50 pounds, but let me tell you i get cravings for a nice juicy baconator (bacon burger) in the way that i get urges for drugs when i'm clean.

i seriously never thought of food as something that could be addicting until i started watching what i eat and ate healthy. then i realized just how truly addicting certain foods are FOR ME...but i also took a look around at my friends and family and noticed not everyone has that same problem. its not like a drug where you can give it to a population for an extended period of time and see some sort of dependence develop in them.....food doesn't work like a drug really. i mean during my diet, i did take a look at the diet of some of my overweight friends just out of curiousity and found that they rarely binge on the level that i did. it was hard for me to understand.

i don't know....food is like a drug for some people. for others it isn't. it's hard to understand. the only reason i changed my diet was because i found out my cholesterol was through the roof and i HAD to make a change. now i'm glad i did. at the time, i thought it was a death sentence. now i'm thinking it may just be a second chance! and let me tell you, i still have huge cravings for the foods i used to eat....but i've NEVER EVER felt physically better than i do since i lost 50 pounds and have maintained a very healthy diet full of fruits, veggies, and lean meats. i feel sooooo much better....thats the only reason i've been able to maintain it. same goes for when i quit smoking.....it was how much better i felt after quitting that really helped me maintain it.

the binges are tough though. its like a switch flips in your brain and you just can't stop eating! i'm still working on those. thats a tough one to fix...for me at least. depriving myself of snacks and sodas is one thing...thats easy....but once i START eating, its on! however, i've found certain foods that really help to fill you up if you eat them first. any fresh veggies......raddishes...fruits....bannana's.....these are all things that really help fill the void for me and i binge much less on the meats and starches (which i love).

[edw83]

As with anything our bodys finds pleasures in different activitys, whether it be eating, drinking, or drugs.  Your body is craving the endorphins that the brain creates and all the above stated will kick them in,  My best advice is find a way to occupy your mind and create endorphins through a healthy means aka working out, making love, anything that causes you pleasure, because when you feel pleasure your brain is creating the endorphins your body craves.

[10356]

Hi jazminex. the first time I came off Heroin I was sent to a rehab center. It was stocked with sweet cereals and the such for we crave sugars.. this last a few weeks. every time I got clean off any drug be it speed our opiates, alcohol.. I ate and ate some more for the first few weeks. as for binging on food that could be due to stress, boredom our your body is craving certain nutrients you are finding in what you are binging on. Eating a lot of veggies and raw fruits may help. if it is bothering you when the cravings hit take a walk our get involved in something to take your mind of it. Congrats on 22 years !! Now that is some serious clean time :) lesa