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.