Refined or processed carbohydrates, fats, sugars and salts are hyper-palatable and can cause addictions.
Addicts can’t handle moderation, and attempting to can actually exacerbate the addiction. There are certain products that just won’t work for you to try to eat in moderation.
When people give up addictive substances, their lives are much better. However, it may be difficult to picture a life without those substances.
Before consuming something, ask yourself these two questions:
- If I consume this will I experience loss of control?
- If I consume this will I experience shame, blame and guilt?
If you’re stuck on not giving something up, that may be a reason to give it up. Maybe it’s time to pass on that chocolate you "can’t live without." Letting go may solve a long-term problem.
To be successful, it's important to find some delicious and healthy replacements for the foods that plague you.
Emotional and environmental issues can contribute to your addiction. Feeling stressed and depressed, coming from an abusive environment, or living with people who maintain terrible eating habits all increase your chances of food addiction. If food is your only comfort, you WILL go back to food.
What can be done when you don’t want to do what you know you should do? Do you find yourself reaching for a cupcake when it’s too hard to measure out a few ounces of turkey? Refocus and understand you can’t be perfect. Get yourself back on track if you make mistakes, and make healthier mistakes. You don’t have to binge on ice cream and potato chips if you slipped and had a piece of cake. Learn from the experience and do better in the future.
It’s important to wake up in the morning and go for the gold. It may not be a perfect day, but you can strive for your best. Chronic diet failure has demoralized people, so they just expect to fail. Focus on milestones. You have to keep showing up and working on it.
In the end, know that you CAN do it.
Listen in as Molly Carmel shares how you can gain power over your food addiction.
Molly Carmel, LCSW, is among the leading behaviorists in the field of obesity. She specializes in the treatment of weight management, eating disorders and addictions.