Written by: Rev. Gillian V Harris, M.S.P.
Posted 4-15-2023
There is ONE leading answer to WHY the DIET INDUSTRY makes BILLIONS year after year! ONE!
Its because of a DISEASE called 'FOOD ADDICTION'.
Chances are, you (reader) have this disease!!
To the degree that you eat when you are not hungry is the degree to which you have food addiction. How bad is YOURS?!
Food addiction is more common than you think! The largest numbers that I can find from research are '70 million adults in the United States suffer from food addiction' but I humbly believe it is WAY more than that. The same source for these statistics ( The website for Harbor Mission Behavior Health ) also says that of the 70 million, 20% are considered to be at a healthy weight despite being food addicted! Ha! They LOOK normal but, they are addicted. Addicted but they are the lucky ones! For now... As they get older, their bodies may not stay slim if the addiction continues. Of the 70 million, 50% are some sort of obese. There are lots of levels of 'obese': Obese, Severe Obese, Morbidly Obese, Super Obese and 30% are simply 'overweight'. If you've ever been labeled 'obese' you know that being 'overweight' is a beautiful thing! That's a mere 25 - 29.9 BMI. Hell, that's in STYLE on some bodies! Some folks can wear that very, very well!
I'm a little off track! The point here is the 'struggle' food addiction IS. At whatever weight you are, if you suffer with this, it is a massive life challenge.
If you want to get a better understanding of food addiction and what it's like, think about drug or alcohol addiction. Like a drug addict, food addicts struggle to stop their compulsive eating habits no matter how many times they've tried. No matter how sick and tired they became of being sick and tired! Some have tried and failed for DECADES. The behavior can become so bad it can affect relationships and livelihoods. Ultimately it can be so bad that it can lead to isolation, immobility and even death. Add to the complexity of the problem the fact that the addicted, despite the weight gain and the growing list of health problems, will continue to eat just so they can feel BETTER about the whole thing! That's addiction.
One of the reasons for the low success rate on weight-loss and maintenance is that most don't deal with the pulse behind the behavior. It's difficult to totally heal food addiction until you deal with the thing that/stuff/situations/history that triggered the addiction in the first place. Curing food addiction IS absolutely possible but its not an EVENT. It's a process that involves going deep. Most people don't develop this particular disorder simply because they like to eat! No. Not that simple. There's usually an emotional payoff by way of eating the food. A person who has a true food addiction will compulsively eat unhealthy foods everyday in order to feel the positive effects of that behavior. #Comfort. Along with a new food and exercise plan, counseling is highly advised. Time to go inside and figure out why your relationship with food is as it is and then create a new way to be in that relationship with food. Doesn't mean you have to stop loving food...
Symptoms of a true food addict:
• Regular and intense cravings for unhealthy foods
• You're already full but you keep eating...
•Even after eating a huge meal, you just can't resist certain foods
•You binge on junk food and then you feel really, really really guilty
•You've suddenly gained a lot of weight! There's only one reason, calories consumed! (Period!)
•You find yourself hiding food or sneaking and eating in secret.
Don't let 'slender' fool you!!! Please know that people at a 'healthy weight' can also have an addiction to food! They are slender but still have a hint of food addiction. These folks should take advantage of the fact their conditions haven't intensified to the place where their bodies are growing horrendous BMI numbers! And take this time to look at why they use food to feel better before it starts to hurt their health and quality of life.
One day at a time...
Wisdom, Health & Beauty by Any Means Necessary!
The Conscious Cougar