Food addiction is a rather strange and unfamiliar phrase for many people. If signs of addiction to cigarettes, alcohol or drugs can still be identified, then in the case of addiction to food, things are much more complicated.
What is food addiction
If sometimes a person pampers himself with something tasty or systematically often uses the same product - this is not addiction. But if a person periodically overeats, this can already indicate that he has problems.
Food addiction has much in common with other types of addiction. A person has poor control over himself or is not at all able to stop, does not know a sense of proportion in food.
Signs of the disease
It is difficult to understand how to get rid of food addiction without knowing thoroughly what it is. As a rule, constant overeating is accompanied by a whole range of related problems. Based on this, we list the main signs of food addiction:
- As mentioned earlier - constant overeating. The inability to stop yourself in eating, even when a person is already full and realizes that he is not able to eat more.
- Feeling guilty after bouts of overeating.
- Often there are cases that a person specifically seeks to eat a lot: provokes conflicts, finds stressful situations, inflates problems from scratch. In these cases, with a clear conscience, he can "seize up" stress, justifying that it is just a nervous strain and he needs to calm down.
- A food addict is ashamed in front of loved ones for his illness. He begins to eat secretly, hide food. Often refuses to general holidays and trips to events, because he is afraid to lose control at the sight of a large number of dishes and products on the tables.
The Dangers of Food Addiction
Nutritional addiction creates a number of psychological and physiological problems.
In addition to psychological discomfort due to a constant sense of guilt, a physical addict is also characterized by physical health problems. At least - overweight, which may result in low self-esteem or self-doubt.
Obesity, diabetes, varicose veins, joint problems are just a small list of diseases that are caused by systematic overeating.
It is especially dangerous to become a victim of bulimia - a disease that goes hand in hand with food addiction. Bulimics cannot stop themselves from eating food, but after that they artificially induce vomiting to clear their stomach. This is usually done in order to lose weight, but in practice this leads to exhaustion. The flip side of bulimia is anorexia, a disease in which a person brings himself to exhaustion by refusing to eat.
Bulimics need a lot of time and energy to recover, since the body literally falls out of the normal rhythm, it has to actually re-learn to eat food in normal quantities and process it properly.
Where does the desire to eat a lot come from?
Since you need to deal with food dependence by similar methods, as in the case of any other drug addiction, you first need to determine the origins of the problem.
Many products really cause attachment to them due to certain substances in their composition. However, the main and primary reason for food dependence is psychological. Nutritional addiction can take its roots both in childhood and in adulthood.
For example, children who are constantly under stress often try to calm their nerves by eating. This is one of the natural instincts of a person: he feels safe when he eats. Over time, the habit of seizing stress becomes the norm.
Another common reason is the desire to earn praise. Oddly enough, many overeat just because they subconsciously await approval. The source of this problem lies in childhood, when the child is too praised for having eaten everything to the end or just ate it. It’s not about the fact that you can’t praise the child, but about the fact that unsure of children can have an associative series “I ate - I was praised - I'm good - they love me.”
An adult usually becomes a food addict after a stressful situation. He tries to calm himself with food, but then he gets used to this method and gradually increases the amount of food consumed.
What to do if a food addict appears in the environment
Such people are very hard. They sometimes do not realize that they really have problems. This is not surprising: you need to have great willpower in order to recognize yourself as a drug addict, albeit a food one. In the end, any kind of addiction is equally dangerous.
No need to put pressure on the addict and try to forcefully guide him on the true path: most likely, you will only frighten him, and he will shut himself in. If you have a trusting relationship and the food addict really listens to your opinion, try talking to him gently. The method that psychologists use is suitable:
- Do not dump your opinion on a person’s disease.
- Using leading questions, try to ensure that the person sees his problem himself.
- Questions should be asked correctly and tactfully.
- Do not be afraid to sympathize. Support the person morally.
If the addict understood and admitted that he was sick, then this is the first step on the road to recovery.
There is a flip side to the coin - many food addicts do not notice at point blank point and do not want to notice the fact of dependence on themselves. In this case, persuasion and sympathy may no longer help, and it is better to point out the problem to them in a harsh manner.
However, keep in mind that you need to look for an individual approach to each person, and there are no common methods for helping absolutely every food addict.
Reviews of victims
Most of those who were able to get rid of food addiction say that it was difficult for them to see the presence of a problem in themselves. 99% of addicts denied it to the last.
Many say that you need to be able to take the first step on the road to recovery: consult a doctor, draw up a nutrition plan for a week or throw out all excess food from the refrigerator.
Only a huge effort of will can overcome food dependence. Reviews of the victims of the disease confirm that this type of addiction is almost no different from alcoholism or drug addiction.
Disease treatment
The treatment of food addiction, as mentioned earlier, begins with understanding and accepting the fact that the patient has become a victim of addiction.
If a person really wants to get rid of his problem, he will move in this direction, especially if loved ones support him. Support is really very important, but it is support and help, not indulging the weaknesses of the addict.
- First of all, it is recommended to take tests and undergo a full examination to identify health problems, including those caused by frequent overeating.
- You need to contact a psychologist. Ideally, if he is not a general specialist, but specializes in the treatment of addictions. It is necessary to identify the individual psychological cause of the disease and to eradicate it.
- The next step is to visit a nutritionist. He also needs the result of the analysis of a food addict for a diet.
- To enhance the effect, it would be better to take up some hobby in order to distract from thoughts about food.
Tips for seeking medical help
It is much easier to get rid of food addiction under the supervision of experienced professionals. For a complete cure, an integrated approach and strong will are needed.
Below are tips on how to overcome food dependence if the addict went to the doctors.
- Understand that the doctor is your ally, not your enemy. The restrictions that he prescribes to you are really necessary if you want to get rid of addiction.
- Try to be honest with doctors, in particular with a psychologist. His task is to pull out your inner feelings and the causes of the disease. But this is a mutual process, and if there is no response from you, then the consultation will be useless. No one knows you better than yourself.
- Follow all the recommendations of doctors. If you are not sure if you can handle it, then ask someone to monitor you or put you in a hospital in a hospital to be monitored by doctors.
Tips for self-healing
It’s best, of course, to see a doctor. A nutritionist will create a diet that is right for you, and a psychologist will help to solve the problem comprehensively.
However, if there is absolutely no way to turn to doctors, this is not a reason to abandon the idea of healing.
- Getting rid of food dependence begins with the first action. The decision to eradicate the habit of overeating is undoubtedly correct, but if it is accompanied by a constant “start from Monday” (and Monday does not come already a month, or even a year), then it seems that the motivation is not strong enough.
- Do not try to push yourself. Treatment for addiction is a complex process, but the result is worth it. At the same time, give yourself the word to act consistently and not to break under the cover of any excuses.
- Ideally, if there is someone nearby who can help you in the fight against addiction. Ask to stop you in time if the person sees that you are clearly going to break your regime.
- If the state of health allows, go in for sports. It is unlikely that you will want to stuff a beautiful, toned body with extra calories and get fat again.
- Be sure to consult at least a therapist and undergo a full examination. Constant overeating may very well cause any diseases that you don’t notice.
Summary
Food addiction is a real addiction that is fraught with terrible consequences. To get rid of it, you need to find the motivation for treatment and take the first step towards this. Ideally, you should seek the help of qualified doctors and not be left alone with your problems.