Diabetes
Please click on this link to read the article. |
| Addiction and Compulsive Eating(you can take the test at the bottom of the article)
Have you ever wondered why some people don't seem to be able to stop eating? If they don't like being fat, they should just eat less and exercise more right? It's a simple enough concept we see promoted on tv, magazines and various other media. It's not always that simple for some people.
In our society it's OK to be out in public and eat. You can hold down a job, people don't mention it, because it's not polite, food is legal, and we've all got to eat. A lot of what we do revolves around eating. You can't lay on a park bench and drink, or go to work drunk, but you can eat everywhere you go pretty much.
A food addiction involves the same things as any other addiction but perhaps without the same stigma or social consequnces, although being morbidly obese does have some social consequences and people in that situation experience prejudice.
All addictions are a response to pain, and we use the addiction of choice to dull our pain. Some people choose alcohol, others marijuana and other narcotics, while others choose food. You can probably relate to the nice feeling you get when you eat chocolate or cheese or some other favourite food. Food does cause a chemical reaction in our brain as well as affect our waistline.
Like all addicts we can tell ourselves we can stop any time, or just one more won't kill me. We don't face up to the fact that we can't stop. Keeping secret how much we eat and what we eat becomes a pre-occupation for some people, so the deception goes on. Nobody can even mention what you're eating, because everyone knows it's a touchy subject, don't go there. The secrecy increases the shame and guilt, so then we eat more, to make ourselves feel better, then we feel ashamed and guilty, so we eat more. On and on the cycle goes.
Here's a few questions that might help you or someone you love. We're here to help you succeed, so if you need counselling support in making changes, don't hesitate to be in touch.
Self-assessment questionnaire
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Check any of the following seven questions that apply to you (be honest): | |
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Do you often stuff yourself with a lot of food in a short period of time? | |
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Do you often crave and consume large amounts of high-calorie or junk foods? | |
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Do you hide food, or hide from others while you are eating? | |
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Do you eat until someone interrupts you, you feel abdominal pain, you fall asleep, or you start vomiting? | |
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Have you ever tried to lose weight by chronic fasting, severely restricted diets, induced vomiting, laxatives or diuretics? | |
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Are you afraid of not being able to stop eating voluntarily, or have you not been able to stop eating voluntarily? | |
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Do you frequently experience depression, guilt or harsh thoughts, about yourself after an eating binge? | |
If you answered Yes to any of the questions, you have a food addiction and need help.
N. B. Litchfield |
Self-assessment questionnaire
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Check any of the following questions that apply to you (be honest): | |
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Do you eat when you are angry? | |
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Do you eat to comfort yourself in times of stress and tension? | |
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Do you eat to stave off boredom? | |
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Do you lie to yourself and to others about how much you have eaten and when you ate? | |
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Do you hide food away from yourself? | |
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Are you embarrassed about your physical appearance? | |
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Are you 20 per cent or more over your medically recommended weight? | |
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Have significant people in your life expressed concern about your eating patterns? | |
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Has your weight fluctuated by more than 4.5 kilograms (10 pounds) in the past six months? | |
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Do you fear your eating is out of control? | |
If you answered Yes to three or more of these questions you are a compulsive overeater.
N. B. Litchfield |
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