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More people in the U.S. are addicted to food than any other substance including drugs or alcohol. So, let’s talk about some of the signs that you might have an addiction to food or are a food addict.
Almost every day I am asked, "how can I lose this weight," or "how do you keep the weight off?" My response is, "I had to change my lifestyle." Sounds easy, right? It's not.
In the last post, we mentioned the appeal of the “quick fix,” especially when you are at your wit’s end with weight loss. For a number of years now, pyramid marketing, or as it’s commonly referred to now as multi-level marketing (MLM), has been used with many weight loss products. Companies marketing these products tend to coerce, intimidate and pray upon those who are looking for the “quick fix” to lose weight. To make it even more appealing, some companies offer incentives to sell the product as well.
We can't tell you how many times over the last 4-5 years we've been approached by “associates” of these different products. We refuse to use our influence to make money off of the same people we are trying to help live a healthy lifestyle. Recently, we have noticed one company in particular that has become very aggressive in their marketing and recruiting efforts and we feel it needs to be addressed. Know that you have resources. Know that there are people you can reach out to and places you can go to seek help. These resources include organizations like OA (Overeaters Anonymous), your doctor, a registered dietician, and perhaps a licensed therapist or behavioral specialist—someone to help you identify the root cause of your over eating and deal with the issues at hand.
Is there anything I can do to fight my addiction? Food addiction is an eating disorder. Other eating disorders we are familiar with include anorexia and bulimia. The psychological issues associated with eating disorders are similar to those that accompany addiction. The American Psychological Association estimates that about 5 million Americans suffer from a diagnosable eating disorder. And according to a 2007 analysis of government data, roughly one-third and one-quarter of people with bulimia and binge-eating disorder, respectively, will also have an alcohol or drug problem at some point in their lives. However, when attempting to overcome a food addiction, it is important to understand that it cannot be overcame the same as other addictions. As mentioned early, this is one addiction we truly cannot abstain from.
So what do we do? The key to overcoming a food addiction is uncovering the underlying issue. Here is an example. Image found at weheartit.com I always feel FAT!
Why is it that I always feel like the fat kid, even though I have lost weight and I am in great physical shape? There isn't a day that goes by that I don't feel like I'm overweight. When I look in the mirror, I don’t see the guy who has lost over a hundred pounds. I see a person who could lose another 30, 40, maybe 50 pounds. Once you've been in competition shape—having your body fat around 3%—and put yourself on stage, you will always want to be that person, especially if you have had body image issues in the past. Unfortunately, maintaining those goals is incredibly difficult. A very small percentage of people look like that year round. We tend to associate the body image issue with young woman who develop eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. Overeating is also an eating disorder. We've all been given blessings and gifts in our lives. For many of us it's our children, family and friends, great jobs and hopefully good health.
Here's something you all need to remember—you are never too far gone, never too good and never above asking for or needing help.
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