Tag Archive | Stress

5 Ways to Tell if You Have a Problem With Food Addiction

Feb2

Food addictions are more than just emotional eating or overeating. There are very specific behaviours associated with a food addiction. Here are five ways to tell if your eating pattern signals a food addiction.

  1. Your mind goes to food at the first sign of stress.
  2. You have an uncontrollable urge to eat when you feel uncomfortable, regardless of the situation.
  3. You eat forbidden foods out of sight of others, i.e. the bathroom or the car.
  4. You feel ashamed when you buy a candy bar, chips, or ice cream, often making excuses to the cashier during the purchase.
  5. You continue to eat as if you are starving, even after you feel full and continuing to eat is making you feel uncomfortable.

When you are addicted to something, you feel as though you cannot live without it, as if you will cease to exist if you cannot get what you need immediately.

Food addictions are no different from other types of addictions. First you feel out of control (stress) and then you act out of control (stuffing down your feelings with food).

Regaining control is the only way to pull out of the situation. Sometimes that happens in a matter of minutes. At other times, it may take hours or even days. When my sister died, I ate for several days non-stop.

Everyone is different but two things remain constant. Emotional trauma is always at the root of a food addiction, and stress is always the trigger.

There are many warning signs when it comes to food addictions but if you have these five, chances are you’re in deep. It may be time to ask for help.

Food Addicts: Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Jan16

I recently made the decision to take a retail job close to home. It was a big change from the corporate and executive positions I have held in the past.

This was a huge decision but I made the choice because I wanted to continue working on establishing an online business. In the big picture of my new life, this entry level position accomplishes what a corporate position cannot even offer.

As a food addict, I didn’t want to think of the stress I was heading into. How could I survive? I could see myself binging and stressing as I dealt with new tasks that require manual dexterity. My life would be very different.

And then something miraculous happened to put things in perspective.  I found myself right in the moment, focusing on what was important at that time, including when I had to eat. I did my work in the moment. I ate when I was supposed to, on time.

Whatever I was doing at the moment had 100% of my attention without the double-edged sword of multi-tasking hanging over my head. And the world didn’t stop.

My managers don’t bully me. My co-workers smile and speak kindly. They help me learn and they respect me. At the end of the day, I have accomplished something by my own standards as well as those of others.

The first night I ate for four hours straight while listening to “poor you’s” from former networking buddies who offered to do whatever they could to help me get back to where I was.

But when I thought about it–no.  I passed that turnoff for a reason, and I’m moving on. I don’t want to go back to a place where I was always hungry, starving for something and substituting food for what I really wanted.

I believe it was Sir Winston Churchill who once said that it is not always enough to do your best, that sometimes one must do what is required. When you step up to the plate, you can also step away from the plate.

Food has a role in my survival but only to provide me with the energy I need to live a productive and healthy life. For the past several days since I started this job, I have only craved food when I went too long without eating.

I find myself adamantly refusing to eat junk food or snack food during that small, off-the-clock lunch window. Out loud I say, “I need real food; I want real food.”

With huge changes occuring in my life, my stress level is lower than it has been in decades. The food addictions bother me less than when I encountered what now seem to be the least little frustrations.

Does that mean I’ll never binge again, that I will banish my food addiction forever? I doubt it, but for the moment, who cares? Forget one day at a time. I’ll take one moment at a time. That I can handle.

Maybe overcoming the emotional eating urges and the food addictions is all about living and in the moment and doing what is required. Can it be possibly that simple?

I don’t know. Don’t sweat the small stuff and let’s find out.

Panic and Food Addiction Triggers

Dec18

One common food addiction trigger is panic. Panic causes one to stop breathing in regular breaths. Regular breathing, and especially deep breathing, is calming.

That’s why people say “Calm down, take a deep breath” when you get agitated and appear panicky. Of course, no one likes to hear that command even if it does work.

Someone with a food addiction and a breathing emergency has a real challenge on their hands. I was reminded of that today when I ran out of a formula I take to help me breathe deeply. Now I know to order an extra bottle of it and make sure I always have a spare on hand.

I was shopping for non-food items in a drugstore that carries food when I fell off the wagon. I had actually run out of my elixir yesterday but had expected the new order to arrive today. It didn’t, which added to the panic.

When your body needs energy, it takes whatever it can get. In the scrambled emotional state of panic, confusion is the only winner. You go after food, water, juice, or any other substitute for air and sleep.

When you are unable to take a deep breath, you can’t yawn, so you can’t sleep. Without rest, the body loses energy and food is an alternate energy source.

It really doesn’t matter what you eat because until you can get the rest your body really needs, every other attempt to satisfy the “hunger” fails.

Some triggers are harder to deal with than others, and some you just have to let pass. These are the ones you must avoid. There is really no other way to deal with them.

Stay out of situations that you know will make you uncomfortable. I’m not saying never take a risk. Food addiction is different. You have to stay ahead of the game.

Good health is a treasure and should be regarded as such. For those struggling with an eating disorder be it emotional eating, binging or a full-blown food addiction, avoiding lose-lose situations is imperative.

There is more than a positive or negative mental attitude involved here. At some point, we all have to take charge of our health and our lives and decide how we want to live. Only then will we have the life of our dreams.

Air is like so many things we can easily take for granted. I don’t have to worry about my having a food addiction like I used to because I like who I am and I have a plan. Today, part of my plan was missing and I felt like I was back at square one.

Thankfully, the rest of the plan is in place and I’ll be back on track in a couple of days. Wake-up calls are good.

5 Holiday Tips for Emotional Eaters

Dec17

Here are 5 tips to help make your holiday indulgences a little healthier.

1. Use Sea Salt instead of regular table salt to season your food. It is very well balanced with vitamins and trace minerals, which your body needs to maintain a healthy balance.

2. Drink 8-10 glasses of water per day to help keep you hydrated. It will wash away some of the fats from those delicious holiday goodies and can even be good for your blood pressure.

3. Eat 4 stalks of celery per day. Celery acts as a diuretic that promotes the flow of urine through the kidneys. It also relaxes the arteries to reduce blood flow resistance. Great for the blood pressure.

4. Eat half a cup of cranberry sauce a day. Cranberries prevent the oxidation of cholesterol, which as we know increases blood pressure.  The cranberry is a powerful antioxidant and great for your blood pressure.

5. Eat almonds, 25-30 a day. The best choice would be the organic variety. Get the whole ones since most foods begin to decompose once they are cut into. Almonds contain magnesium which relaxes the blood vessels and helps blood pressure return to normal.

Most people experience a lot of stress over the holidays. These are foods you’re going to have around anyway–nuts, cranberry sauce, celery for dips and dressing, and of course water.

Use them to help calm your blood pressure and make your holiday more enjoyable. Most emotional eaters don’t eat when they’re happy and calm. Like food addicts, they  eat when emotions are negative and stress reigns.

Add to your joy this holiday season by honoring yourself and your body. Affirm that you only eat foods that nourish your body. Repeat the affirmation with each bite. It will help you eat well without condemning yourself and your food.