Do I just overeat or am I a food addict?
We get asked this question a lot, or more to the point “how do I know if I’m a food addict?” Unfortunately, there is not a simple blood test we can give that says, “Yup, you are an addict” or “Nope, you just need to eat less and exercise more.”
The questions below are a great place to start…ask yourself honestly if any of these seem like you.
- Am I thinking about food or my weight all the time?
- Do I eat large amounts of food in a short period of time?
- Do I eat differently in front of people than I do when I’m alone?
- Have I done serious work in psychotherapy only to find my “food problem” was unaffected?
- Do I eat when I’m not hungry or not eat when my body needs nourishment?
- Do I go on eating binges for no apparent reason, sometimes eating until I am stuffed or even feel sick?
- Do I have feelings of guilt, shame or embarrassment about my weight or the way I eat?
- Is my eating affecting my health or the way I live my life?
- When my emotions are intense – whether positive or negative – do I find myself reaching for food?
- Do my eating behaviors make me or others unhappy?
- Have I ever used laxatives, vomiting, diuretics, excessive exercise, diet pills, shots or other medical interventions (including surgery) to try to control my weight?
- Do I fast or severely restrict my food intake to control my weight?
- Do I fantasize about how much better life would be if I were a different size or weight?
- Are there certain foods I can’t stop eating after having the first bite?
- Have I lost weight with a diet or “period of control” only to be followed by bouts of uncontrolled eating and/or weight gain?
If you answered yes to any of these, your issue may be related to having a food addiction. For more clarity on this please reach out to me.
For me, the thing that really made me believe that I was an addict was when I realized I had tried everything suggested to me for a “NORMAL” eater struggling with weight issues (diets, exercise, weight loss surgery) and everything suggested to me for someone struggling with “EMOTIONAL” eating (therapy, intuitive eating, eating disorder groups, eating all foods in moderation). NONE of these worked for the long term.
If you are struggling and not sure if you are a food addict, give us a call or join us at one of our upcoming events. We still have space in our Primary Intensive in San Diego, CA – September 21 – 26 and in Bradenton, FL October 9 – 14. Click here to register!
Talk soon,
Amanda
Today “freedom” is exactly the word I would use to describe the feelings I’ve been experiencing this summer. I have the “freedom” to take my niece, Georgia, hiking up Grouse Mountain and know that when she gets tired and “can’t walk anymore,” as is almost a guarantee with any four-year-old, I have the ability to hoist her onto my shoulders and keep going. (I know Georgia doesn’t look too impressed in this picture, but I promise we had a super fun day–this was just after her dramatic experience of “being cold, wanting to go home, and not being able to take one more step,” which was followed two minutes later by her “having so much fun!”)
