Tag Archive | Food Addiction

Diets and Weight Loss

Mar16

No matter the reason for those extra pounds, if you are an emotional eater or a food addict, the odds are that you are overweight.

No matter what the root cause of your emotional eating binges might be, you are probably more concerned with losing the weight than getting to the source of the problem.

We hear every day how “diets don’t work” but what does that really mean? Fad diets are just that–fads. They come and they go. We lose interest in the food or tire of the monotony, and just give up–until the next miracle diet comes along.

Changing your eating patterns radically for short periods of time can undermine your health, even when your intentions are good. And even if you drop a couple of pounds, if you don’t feel good, then what’s the point?

Most people who have found success with a weight loss program say the same thing: “I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been in my life”. That should tell you something.

At various times in my life, I have had success with weight loss products and programs, as well as energizing supplements and foods that helped me achieve my weight management goals.

Some of these products are listed in the column on the right and, yes, I receive a small commission when someone buys them from my website. This doesn’t bother me because I know they work.

You shouldn’t have to change your life for any diet. A weight management program, and that includes any diet, should fit into your life in a way that promotes your good health.

The real challenge isn’t losing the weight. It’s finding a weight loss and management program that works for you. It may take a few tries but if you don’t give up, you will be successful. You will lose the weight.

Make it a goal to find something that works for you in the long run. Our bodies change so an eating plan that worked in the past may not have the same results now.

Don’t be afraid to try something new, but make sure you do your research. After all, no one knows your body like you do.

Check out Diet Magic and other great weight loss products, and start on your new road to health today. When you get to the website, click on Products and scroll down to Weight Management.

You are awesome!

The Flu Can Have Positive Results for Food Addicts

Mar9

I am not an advocate of the flu and three weeks ago I was reminded why. Seemingly out of nowhere came vomiting fits followed closely by diarrhea. The assault was relentless and I was miserable.

Now that the stomach pains and nausea are gone for the most part, I can look at the bright side. I lost six pounds and the detox was very thorough, although I don’t recommend doing it that way.

Any chance for a person with a food addiction to change eating patterns should be embraced. It’s easy to fall back into a pattern of binge eating to ease stressful moments, and it only takes one of those moments to backslide.

Staying healthy and balanced helps to ward off  bouts of food addiction, but when nature calls, we’re at her mercy.

Detoxing is important to good health and that means cleaning out emotional garbage too.  Whether we do it on our own or get some health from Mother Nature, the outcome can be very positive.

It’s hard to look at it that way during the experience, but the results of my flu-induced detox are noticeable. I still eat mostly homemade vegetable soup with no real desire to binge.

Maybe that feeling will linger for three weeks as well.

Two Stressful Days in the Life of a Food Addict

Feb15

I’m not going to talk about the days, just the result of the stress . That’s how we size things up anyway, isn’t it? It’s the outcome that matters.

I don’t know what it is that makes a person feel so much rage against themselves that they engage in self-destructive behaviors. There’s a point when the incident that caused the stress begins to blend with the person who is feeling it.

I think it is at that point where the line gets blurred and we temporarily become what the situation has made us feel. Suddenly, the emotional tension becomes too much and we snap like a rubber band that is stretched beyond its limit.

Betrayal is a terrible feeling. The feeling of being victimized, especially by someone we trust, is so overwhelming that we bury it deep inside. We try to pretend that it never happened while our families and friends urge us to just get over it and move on.

But the truth is that most people don’t just get over it, because it isn’t something you just get over. Then one day the stress builds and the feeling reminds you of the incident that started it all. And you snap.

So what does all this mean to a food addict? Well, I can tell you what it means to me. I don’t drink and I am an ex-smoker. I never did drugs of any kind. My addiction is a food addiction.

I don’t know how a drug addict feels. I never will and I don’t want to. The battle with foods is hard enough to win. Sometimes I win and sometimes I don’t.

This week at the job I work, there was a constant, unrelenting low-level stress. I am a person who needs a break once in a while.

On the first of the two most stressful days last week, I took home a box of chocolates which I  consumed in less than two hours. No judgments, please. I’m sharing.

The second fall-off-the-wagon-at-top-speed incident was the following day. I took home a package of black Twizzlers. Two hours later they were gone.

Two days in a row of steady, constant low-level stress turned into unmanageable high-level stress and my food addiction took over. I wanted to sleep but I couldn’t. I wanted to exercise but my hours were too long and I was too exhausted.

I needed a break but there was none to be had, so the trigger clicked and I couldn’t get out of the way in time. Within 24 hours, I was back at the store but my shift was only four hours and I had gotten some rest and a sense of accomplishment from my non-store work.

My interest in food or should I say in eating compulsively was gone and I could breathe again. Mental and emotional anxiety were replaced with inner calm.

Unlike other addictions, a food addiction can come and go in a matter of hours with only the unpleasant side effects that usually occur as a result of overeating.

It takes a lot to put me in that unsafe place where food is my only suit of armor. I don’t offer excuses but I do know that I have to get back on track fast and break the cycle as quickly as possible.

I guess I have some work to do.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Feb14

Days that are meant to celebrate love can be a big source of stress. Stress is at the root of all food addictions so the Big Love day can be quite a challenge for anyone with a binge eating problem (and no date).

The heart creates certain kinds of emotions. The mind creates other kinds of emotions. Most people don’t go off the deep end with food when they are feeling good about things.

It’s when the heart energy gives way to the mind energy that we feel out of control. When a food addict  feels out of control, the response is compulsive eating, or binge eating.

Some tasks that are no big deal for one person can be hell for another. That goes for certain days or holidays, relationships, and experiences. Stress affects everyone in different ways.

While stress can’t be avoided altogether, it is unproductive to place ourselves in harm’s way by entering into stressful activities and relationships that doom us to failure.

Therefore, we must think carefully about how we want to live our lives if we are to be free of the pain and heartache food addiction can cause.

When we thoughtfully consider how best our lives can be lived and resolve to find a way to live in this way, stress will give way to a comfort that food can never equal.

When balance is restored and the heart is once again in control, food will not be an issue any longer. For a person with a food addiction, finding that balance is critical in overcoming the need to eat compulsively whenever we are stressed.