Archive | November 2009

Food Addiction and Pain

Nov29

Emotional pain isn’t the only kind of pain that can send you on a food binge. You also have to watch out for the physical variety because it has a way of sneaking up on a food addict.

Back pain is one of the worst because it can be very subtle. You start to feel uncomfortable and you don’t even know why. Then you start snacking.

The mild discomfort is the beginning of it. There isn’t the high anxiety of a food addiction trigger, or the blatant feelings from an obvious emotional upset. You aren’t focused on eating and there is no real hunger involved.

It’s just a slight discomfort that gnaws at you and turns into anxiety. You go to the refrigerator and stand in front of it, opening and closing the door, waiting for some magic wand to coax you into a decision.

After you eat a little of this and a little of that, just enough to throw your blood sugar off, you default to whatever you dislike the least and start nibbling.

Eventually, you recognize that it’s pain you’re feeling. By then you’ve done a lot of nibbling  . So if you do have a food addiction, the real anxiety is starting to set in, and there you go, back on the treadmill.

Best remedy for that is to recognize when you are feeling uncomfortable,. Take a moment to identify the feeling.  Discomfort can be caused by many things. Give it a name. Naming it takes the fear away, or in this case, the anxiety.

No one likes to feel uncomfortable but nowadays it is a common feeling so it’s harder to recognize than it used to be. All the more reason to get tuned in to your body and in touch your feelings.

Food addiction and pain can be terrible adversaries when they join forces. Recognizing that physical pain is the cause for your discomfort can head off a food binge.

Know thyself. It works every time.

Anatomy of a Food Addiction

Nov27

Tonight I want to tell you about a terrific book by Anne Katherine, written about food addiction and compulsive eating. The book is titled Anatomy of a Food Addiction: The Brain Chemistry of Overeating. You can get it online in paperback for around $10.00.

When she first wrote it in 1991, I had been working at a psychiatric facility. I saw some things there that made me realize that I wanted to uncover and get to know the real me. One troubling aspect of my life was my relationship with food.

The stress at the facility was immense and the administrator was a control freak, a very cruel and destructive one at that. I recognized what a valuable resource a good therapist could be so I availed myself of the contacts I’d made since I took the job. Soon afterward, I left  the facility.

Anne Katherine’s book did not reach me in my younger years because my food addiction was not a major concern. I was usually never more than 20-30 pounds overweight and no one seemed to notice, except me .

I played down the addictive behaviors. When I attempted confide in someone, they laughed at me and called me a drama queen. But I knew it was serious business.

When I finally found someone to take me seriously, it was a very special clinical psychologist whom I saw for several years off and on. Between the two of us, we were able to uncover the emotional trauma that had been buried for decades under my food addiction.

Finding Anne Katherine’s book again was a blessing. There are exercises included in the text. They  help you find your own answers, as all food addicts must  if we are to overcome our fear of food and the emotions that send us on an eating spree that doesn’t stop until the pain goes away.

There are all kinds of programs for compulsive eaters but the best ones start with education. When you read this book, you will be able to relate to it, if not identify with it.

Everyone needs a starting place, and this may be your chance to find it. You’ll probably get the best deal if you go to amazon.com, but the library will work just as well.

Happy reading!

No Food Addiction Triggers on Thanksgiving Day

Nov25

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, so I thought I’d serve up a little food for thought today in preparation for tomorrow’s feast.

Hopefully all feelings will be joyful and kind whether you’re enjoying the day with friends and family, or curled up with a good book or movie.

So no thoughts about food addiction for one whole day. Enjoy everything the day brings and every morsel of food you put in your mouth.  Remember, we always have something to be thankful for.

I wish I knew who wrote this list of thankful things, but the e-mail I received it in didn’t mention the author. If you know who penned it, perhaps you could let me know so I can credit the author.

I Am Thankful!

For the wife
who says it’s hot dogs tonight,
because she is home with me,
and not out with someone else.

For the husband
who is on the sofa
being a couch potato,
because he is home with me
and not out at the bars.

For the teenager
who is complaining about doing dishes
because it means she is at home, not on the streets.

For the taxes I pay
because it means I am employed.

For the mess to clean after a party
because it means I have been surrounded by friends.

For the clothes that fit a little too snug
because it means I have enough to eat.

For my shadow that watches me work
because it means I am out in the sunshine

For a lawn that needs mowing,
windows that need cleaning,
and gutters that need fixing
because it means I have a home.

For all the complaining
I hear about the government
because it means we have freedom of speech.

For the parking spot
I find at the far end of the parking lot
because it means I am capable of walking
and I have been blessed with transportation.

For my huge heating bill
because it means I am warm.

For the lady behind me in church
who sings off key because it means
I can hear.

For the pile of laundry and ironing
because it means I have clothes to wear.

For weariness and aching muscles at the end of the day
because it means I have been capable of working hard.

For the alarm that goes off
in the early morning hours
because it means I am alive.

And finally, for too much e-mail
because it means I have friends who are thinking of me.

Live well, laugh often, & love with all of your heart!

Happy Thanksgiving Day!