Addiction
Understand What Food Addiction Is And How To Overcome
It!
You may overindulge on potato chips or tortilla chips once
in a while, but do you think you are a food addict? The answer
is important, because it helps to determine what type of action
you should take to lose weight. A number of medical experts
say that food addiction could be as serious as nicotine or
cocaine addiction, and the results are just as deadly.
When you suffer from food addiction, one of the symptoms
is having extra overwhelming desire for a particular food.
The desire is so strong that when you fail to consume the
particular food, you suffer from withdrawal symptoms such
as headaches, nausea, and depression. Food addicts crave the
comfort that a particular food gives them. Sometimes, they
also engage in binge eating. Their cravings for food could
be both physical and psychological.
It also worths mentioning that there are different kinds
of food addiction. For example, it could be compulsive overeating,
where an individual goes on eating binges that can last several
days. The addict may sometimes lose weight, but the weight
comes back very fast. Symptoms include eating quickly, compulsively
eating alone, and eating when no hunger is present.
Bulimia is also one of the addictions, which an individual
overeats, then purges either by vomiting or by taking laxatives.
The signs of bulimia include isolating oneself when eating,
trying to consume huge portions of food rapidly, and being
preoccupied with one’s weight.
Food addiction can also come in the form of anorexia, where
the person tries to starve oneself in order to achieve an
unrealistic weight. Anorexics tend to be 15 percent below
normal body weight and have a great phobia about being fat.
Usually, they have difficulty eating with other people and
appear to be obsessed with weight. They may also engage in
ritualistic behavior involving food as well as suffering from
depression.
Fortunately, food addiction can be successfully treated.
This treatment can come in different ways. A food addict may
want to work with a psychotherapist to design new ways to
deal with food and his or her emotions. The therapist might
be able to identify the source of the individual’s fear
or anger, which could be the reason behind the individual’s
addiction.
In most of the cases, the psychologist will help the individual
to set up a treatment plan which clearly lists out expectations
and goals, both for the short-term and the long-term. While
in the most serious cases, an individual may have to undergo
in-patient treatment at a psychological facility. Basically,
the treatment will focus on how to ge the individual to return
to healthy eating methods, and handling their underlying emotional
causes of addiction, and learning how to cope their emotions
effectively.
Generally, the food addicts will have to follow the tenets
of the same kind of 12-step program used by alcoholics. The
program involves admitting their powerlessness over food,
their belief that they could be restored to sanity, and an
admission of their faults and failings. Through out the process
of treating their addiction, food addicts often receive support
groups made up of people who face similar difficulties dealing
with food. The fact of knowing there are people who face the
same challenge can be comforting.
The reason behind food-addiction is still unknown. However,
the clear reason is always the eating behavior. There is evidence
of eating patterns being passed down from one generation to
the next could be one of the factors. As a matter of fact
, many food addicts may only seek help after they have determined
that their illness could negatively affect their children.
Although food addiction can never be cured, it can be treated
though. And the recovery period for the addiction can last
a lifetime. However, you should never give up upon beating
food addiction. All it takes is determination, perseverance,
lifestyle modification and proper exercise to shed off pounds.
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