Food Addiction Support Group

An individual suffering from a food addiction disorder frequently experiences episodes of uncontrolled eating, or binging, during which they may feel frenzied or out of control. They will eat much more quickly than is normal, and continue to eat even past the point of being uncomfortably full. Binging in this way is generally followed by a period of intense guilt feelings...

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/ Food Addiction Support Group

addictive food or behavior

deleted_user
deleted_user
Why can't healthy foods be addicting like the junk foods are? Is it truly because of addictive preservatives? I notice that if I have a bad day I am way more likely to have many bad days in a row. Normally I don't drink soda, that is unless I have it just once. Which is what happened at a friends house when that was all she had. Today I wanted it...and could just drink a bunch of it right now. I find the same thing happening with chips or chocolate. If I have chocolate today I will want it tomorrow. Someone had recently posted about McDonald's addiction and I agree with that too. If I have it once in the week, I will surely have it again....I will just crave that crap!

Is this junk food truly addicting or is it the behavior of eating bad foods that is addictive?
deleted_user
deleted_user
Yes there is a reason that junk is addictive. If we are depressed we have low levels of serotonin to begin with. Sugar and carbs will increase it and make us temporarily happy, but once we are finished we crash again and crave for more. So this is what I can think of. Meds do the same thing but most meds put on weight and that is why I am afraid to go on them. Welbutrin was the only one that doesnt but I had suffered from worse insomnia from that and besides I didn't feel it did anything. Its hard because when you are always down, your levels are down... but there must be better alternatives to keep your levels up instead of binging on crap.
Marah
Marah
Yeah, but why does it have to taste so darn good! Why can't it taste like crap!
deleted_user
deleted_user
See a lot of times for me the junk food makes me feel horrible after, I get a really upset stomach. But that is the risk that I take. I don't want to take meds either...in my case I know I can control things without them.

I also think that exercising can be addictive. I have just started to go to the gym and I love it. I feel pretty low when I don't go. The problem is, that its way easier to eat fast/junk food than it is to get in the car and drive to the gym. In my case also to find a sitter for the kids.
deleted_user
deleted_user
the reason it tastes so good - is the reason it is so bad for you. fat tastes good to us. sugar tastes good to us. salt and m.s.g. makes things taste good.

plus there is the immediate gratification - the food is handed to you, hot and ready to eat - no effort and cheap.

as for the 'if i have it one day, i will crave it the next', i don't eat junk food - but - i know if i overeat one day it is alot harder the next to 'deny' myself. and a one day binge can become 2 or 3. it is the ALL OR NOTHING trap. we don't do 'moderation' well. if we did - we wouldn't have a food addiction
deleted_user
deleted_user
All or nothing.. yeah, well thats my thinking too and its a bad one. But after my binge this weekend which wasn't even a bad one, just something pissed me off (oh yeah I am doing really well handling my issues still).. but I was able to get back onto it so no harm was done. Junk is poison!! Its a trap.
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