Tag Archive | Food Addiction

How Much Food Does a Food Addict Need?

Nov16

Not only is it important to eat on time, but it is also important to consider the amount of each food in your meal. There is more to a meal than a hamburger and fries.

So how do you know how much food should go into a meal? And how is it all supposed to fit together? What do you eat that makes you feel like actually doing something afterward instead of just sitting in front of the TV or computer like a blob?

For instance, how much salad do you eat with how much chicken? And how much rice or potato should you eat with a meal? When do you eat fruit? Do you combine the same foods for a meal as you do for a snack?

There is a way to combine foods so they will work for you in terms of energy and fat-burning potential. When you get it right, you won’t need pills and you won’t have to cut calories or go on diets, or binge and purge, or skip meals. And no more food addiction feelings and cravings.

Finding that formula can be challenging but it is worth it. For me, I think that Michael Thurmond’s program is the best program for real life eating, or should I say, real living.

It is customized for men and women, definitely not a one-size-fits-all-doomed-to-fail diet. In my case, a meal might be 2 ounces of turkey breast, 1-2 cups of a vegetable and half a baked potato. A snack might consist of 2 ounces of  chicken and a piece of fruit.

If I am really hungry at a meal, I might want an extra ounce of protein. In that case,  I have to add enough extra starch and vegetables to keep the formula intact so it will still be effective.

This is where it’s really easy to mess up. If you change the proportions, you won’t get the result you want. Your body will know something is missing and the cravings and anxiety will set in. So, when you eat, remember that foods have to work together to make a meal.

It’s up to you to figure out the rest. If you’re really serious about getting fit, I recommend that you check out Michael Thurmond’s program. It will take you by surprise–in the best way.

Forget Fat! Get Healthy!

May20

I wasn’t sure if I would continue this blog or write another. I’m opting for the latter. One thing I’m absolutely sure about is that I will keep at the gym thing and make it work for me. I like exercising out of the house, even if it is inside a gym.

Being healthy is what I care about now. You can only say so much about fat and food addictions and then it’s time to take action. This is my time to take action.

What Scripps Research proved in March I have known since the first time I had a blackout from hypoglycemia brought on by eating too much candy. Now it’s time to live a new life.

You can’t fix an addiction, even if it is only a food addiction. You have to choose a new life and live it to the best of your ability.

I will check in from time to time until the new blog is ready. I’m ready to lose the weight so it’s time I put all the knowledge and information aside and do what I know to do.

Forget about fat and get healthy. Have a kickass healthy life. Healthy is better than anything. It makes everything else possible.

If you have a story you would like to share, step up and comment so you can inspire others as they have (hopefully) inspired you.

Later……………….

Food Addiction and Exercise

Apr8

Today I joined a gym. I’m tired of being overweight so I signed up for a 16-week program at a gym that is only a couple of miles from my home. Then I went home and binged, but only slightly.

My life has been particularly stressful the last two years and the binge eating isn’t helping anymore. At first there is some feeling of relief, and that may last for some people, but it isn’t working for me anymore.

Being overweight makes part of you fade away. Even though you take up more space, you feel invisible. It’s a very emotional experience that gets more stressful as you gain more weight.

Some people can go on an emotional eating binge now and then, put on a few pounds and then take them off. But for a person with a food addiction, those emotional upsets always seem out of proportion as do the binges that follow.

I walked on my treadmill almost every day for the past three or four years. Recently I was injured and missed almost six months, then it was the flu for two weeks, and now the tread has started slipping.

There are diets, exercises, weight loss programs, and pills that promise a flat tummy or toned backside in some short period of time. Then you see the women in bikinis, sleeveless dresses, all  smiles.

If they can do it, why can’t you, you ask yourself. And so you give it a half-hearted try and lose a few pounds.

Then something unpleasant happens and the food addict will likely give in to a binge because that’s what we do when the stress of imagining oneself in good shape, happy, enjoying ourselves in a social situation is too intimidating, too overwhelming.

So let’s see how the gym experience goes. Perhaps the exercise will prove a good substitute for overeating in times of stress.

We shall see.

Addicted to Processed Foods?

Apr6

Many of the foods we reach for when we get stressed out are packed with sugars, fats, preservatives,  salt, and myriad other substances, some of which we cannot even pronounce.

Food addicts rarely crave celery, carrots, or broccoli when the triggers click. We are more likely to go for chips, candy, cookies, ice cream, or other snacks that are high in sugar,  fats, and sodium.

Unfortunately, these foods are highly processed and full of additives that may cause a food addict to crave them even after the emotional stress has eased.

Processed foods are readily available. You can grab a package of lunchables, a bag of chips, a package of wings and a soft drink,  a slice of pizza, or a pint of Ben & Jerry’s at a drugstore, gas station, or supermarket at any time of the day or night.

This presents a few problems. For one, you don’t have a lot of time to consider your decision. Fast food, a fast decision. Then there are the aftereffects like gas, bloating, upset stomach, lack of energy.

Food is supposed to give you energy, not take it away, something to consider when making a food choice. All those additives may contribute to your food addiction by affecting hormones in the body.

Overeating prepared foods with lots of fillers, salt, corn syrup, dyes, and MSG (which has many names and can be found in numerous processed food items) can cause bloating and weight gains of as much as 10 pounds overnight.

The best way to avoid overeating junk foods is to prepare your own food, but since many people have gotten spoiled by convenience foods that you just pop in the microwave for a few minutes, another suggestion might be to just cut back.

If you eat packaged foods every day, cut back to twice a week. Cook a meal three times a week and use the leftovers in creative ways for lunches and healthy snacks.

When you buy chips, buy a small package instead of the economy size so when you eat the whole bag, it will be only one or two servings.

Wean yourself off sodas which are usually very in sodium that can cause you to retain fluid and try flavored water or iced tea, or watered down juice.

If you’ve been eating deli foods and other prepared foods for any length of time, it may be hard to go back to regular foods.

Carrots and broccoli don’t have to be smothered in a fatty ranch dressing to give them flavor. They already taste good–well, the jury’s still out on broccoli.

If you think you’re addicted to processed foods, you may be right. Make a pot roast and take a roast beef sandwich to work for lunch. Add a few strawberries or an apple with some cheese.

Treat yourself to a nutrient rich meal that tastes good. You could get used to it. After all, everyone deserves a healthy body.