Food addiction

[MissBenthos]

Hi all, I recently listened to a Hack episode on triple j about food addiction. It really resonated with me. It seems addiction is associated with drugs, alcohol and gambling and no one talks about the possibilities of being addicted to other things so it never occurred to me that I could have a food addiction. I knew I had a problem with food but I never seemed to meet the criteria for an eating disorder. I remember explaining food concerns to my psych and thinking back on it she was asking questions to see if I might have an eating disorder but not an addiction. And another time she asked about my coping strategies, one of them I explained was food, she told me this was good. Was it really?

I have been fairly well lately and not relying so much on food these days but still overeat on bad days.

[romantic_thi3f]

Hi MissBenthos,

Thanks for your post.

It's true, unfortunately people don't talk about food addiction and instead the focus is only on more common eating disorders like anorexia and bulimia. This is a shame because it can get swept under the carpet instead of bringing it to the surface and taking it seriously.

I'm assuming that maybe your psychologist said it was good because on the surface stress-eating looks better than going towards alcohol, drugs or self-harm. It makes me sad though that she didn't encourage you to talk about this more.

If you do feel like you want to talk to someone, find a psychologist that can take you seriously and really listen to your concerns. I think even being conscious that this is a problem for you is such a big step in itself.

[Starwolf]

Hi MissBenthos,

Kudos to you for acknowledging that food addiction is a problem. I agree with Romantic_thi3f...food addiction definitely has a negative impact on general health. But because there are no instant dramatic consequences, its importance is sometimes overlooked. It may take years for illness to develop but by the time it becomes obvious, much damage -often irreversible- has been done.

Addiction should be seriously looked into, no matter what form it takes.

I feel concerned that your therapist took the problem and your concerns so lightly. It would make me question her ability to care. Perhaps it is time to look elsewhere for someone you can work with on this issue. You deserve to be heard.

Meanwhile, making sure you burn the excess calories would help too. Perhaps by walking, dancing, exercising, playing sports etc...Not a real solution...but damage control has temporary benefits.

Kindest thoughts.

[Dr_Kim]

Hi Miss Benthos,

Thinking about this .. I am making the distinction between Eating Disorders and Eating Addiction this way…Both of them have a disordered relationship with food , but people with Anorexia Nervosa for example have  a complex mental illness that results in the belief that eating food is not pleasurable and indeed makes them feel anxious/distressed - often making them extremely physically unwell.

However those with food addiction do derive pleasure from food but often use it to sooth themselves from anxiety or pain. 

I guess my take on this is that many of us have soothing and coping strategies that in small amounts would be seen as ok .. like shopping (“retail therapy “is almost enshrined in our culture) , having a glass of wine after work, buying a “Scratchy” at the newsagent, or having a food treat. In extremes all of these things can be destructive and so it is not a good idea to rely on any one of them too heavily.

Brene Brown in her most popular and amazing TEDx talk would say that many of these behaviours are due to us as a generation not living wholeheartedly, not opening ourselves to vulnerability . Be scared to fail , Being scared to not be perfect . 

Check out her 20 minute talk  at https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_on_vulnerability

So I guess your relationship to food should be taken seriously , but the last line of your post was very encouraging to me

"I have been fairly well lately and not relying so much on food these days but still overeat on bad days.”

I think this may mean that you have inadvertently been developing skills that have allowed you not to resort to the old pleasure havens of food so readily and be more in touch with your strengths and be more respectful of your health. It sounds like you are on the right path.  

[MissBenthos]

Thanks guys!

In regards to damage control, I'm extremely lucky to be a sporty kind of person with a fast metabolism so I only put on a small amount of weight, although in saying that; it was still pretty distressing to not fit into the same clothes I'd been wearing for the past 10 years, especially since I hate shopping. The other thing that was horrible was when people offered food and made comments like "go on, you could use some more food!". I'm sure alcoholics get similar comments in relation to drinking.

I'm pretty happy with my weight now, I think that comes with being in a better head space.

I never thought my psych didn't care, I think it's more to do with the fact that food and addiction didn't click with either of us. It's good to be aware that addiction can come in many forms.

[MissBenthos]

Kim, that talk was great, thank you for sharing. I'm going to try what she suggests because for a long time after I was hurt by a friend I really shut people out, slowly opened myself up again but never completely. There's nothing to guarantee I won't be hurt again but if I don't at least try then there's 100% chance that I'm missing out on making meaningful connections.