Has it ever happened to you that after eating you are completely full, your stomach is full, but you still want to eat something just to enjoy it? Does it ever happen to you that you have already eaten at home, but suddenly find yourself visiting or visiting places catering, where you are offered something to drink or eat, and you are overcome by the fear that if you do this, you will definitely gain extra pounds? Does it ever happen that you don’t notice how you eat a kilogram of candy in one sitting and don’t even feel like you’ve overeaten? If you answered yes to at least one of the questions, then most likely you have a food addiction.

Types of food addiction

Don’t be too scared and run to the doctor or register yourself as disabled. Perhaps what is eating behavior It’s not typical for you all the time, but it happens very rarely and you can count such situations on your fingers. But if this happens quite often, and you realize that you cannot control yourself and control it, then you should think seriously about your health.

We all know that there is alcohol or nicotine addiction, drug addiction and gambling addiction, the so-called gambling addiction, but few people realize about food addiction. In fact, it is difficult to imagine dependence on what all humanity is dependent on. Food is what every living creature needs to sustain life. The difference is that we eat to live, and people with food addiction live to eat. No matter how loud it may sound, it is true. I speak about this with complete confidence, because I myself experienced it and still experience it, although much less often.
So, let's figure out what types of food addiction there are and what separates them.

The most common type of food addiction is the usual Overeating or Gluttony. In religious literature this is called gluttony and is equated to a great sin, like murder or theft. Many people nowadays suffer from this disease without even noticing it. A person consumes much more food than he needs, devoting himself completely to eating, making a whole event out of it, devoting a lot of time and attention to eating. Moreover, very often a person is not aware that he is overeating and that his weight is rapidly growing, and even if he notices, he does not concentrate his attention on it, because the absorption of food in large quantities- this is very pleasant, and the rest is not important.

Another type of food addiction is (translated from Greek as bullish appetite). The person has a voracious appetite and consumes large amounts of food in one sitting or throughout the day. Moreover, the understanding that he is overeating clearly and clearly appears before him, but he is not able to stop on his own. Very often a person eats to such an extent that the stomach cannot stand it and empties on its own. But basically, the patient himself empties his stomach so that all the food eaten does not have time to be absorbed by the body. Unlike the first type of food addiction, a person suffering from bulimia is very afraid of gaining excess weight and strives in every possible way to get rid of excess calories. This is usually achieved by artificial cleansing of the stomach or intestines, using.

The last type of food addiction is (translated from Greek - not the urge to eat). A person suffering from anorexia completely or partially refuses to eat for fear of gaining excess weight. At the beginning of the disease, a person refuses some foods completely, avoids them and is even afraid. Later, he reduces the amount of all food consumed, and, in the end, may completely refuse to eat. Food in principle causes hatred and fear in them. They avoid visiting public places where they might be offered food.

Signs of food addiction

All types of food addiction that I described above are presented in the very last stage of their development, that is, an already existing disease. Like any disease, food addiction has its own symptoms and if you notice any of them in yourself or your loved ones, you should pay attention to this close attention and determine the extent of the disease.

So, how food addicts behave and how they feel:

• They think that thin and beautiful are the same thing
• They don’t take care of their appearance and don’t want to notice their excess weight
• Uncontrollable cravings for food in general, or for certain foods
• Constantly feeling anxious about eating
• Attachment to certain products and feelings of dissatisfaction and rage due to the lack of this product in the house
• Eating frequently throughout the day (every hour or more often)
• Intentionally refusing to eat or visit places that offer food
• Impatience when eating, eating food quickly
• Uncontrollable anxiety about skipping meals
• Feelings of guilt caused by food consumption
• Self-blame and low self-esteem
• Depression
• Frequent headaches
• Gastrointestinal problems

These are just a few of the symptoms that indicate an incipient or progressive disease. Each patient has his own symptoms that are not inherent in the other. Only you yourself can feel that your life and all your thoughts depend on food. If you live from breakfast to lunch, from lunch to dinner and nothing else occupies you, then this is the first signal that you are gradually starting to get sick. Food addiction is not born in one day or even in one year. This is a very long process that usually begins in childhood.

Causes of food addiction

All signs of food addiction are already consequences of the disease, its extreme forms, so to speak. But the reasons for food addiction are purely psychological. Unlike drug addiction, which is caused by a physical effect on the nerve centers of the brain, food addiction is more psychological in nature. Although, of course, food also affects our brain and causes it to produce substances that cause a feeling of euphoria and satisfaction.

Despite this, the reasons for this dependence are psychological factors. However, I cannot say clearly that food addiction is caused by any specific feeling. Each person has completely different reasons. For some it is a child’s resentment towards their parents, for others it is a resentment towards their husband or wife, etc. One thing I can say for sure is that a feeling of dissatisfaction with oneself, one’s appearance and low self-esteem are inherent in everyone suffering from food addiction. Some people know exactly what triggered the problem; some find it difficult to figure out the reasons for the addiction themselves. To do this, it is best to contact a professional psychologist or psychotherapist. In the treatment of food addiction, it is very important to understand what exactly caused such consequences. Fighting the disease with purely physical methods (hiding food, replacing harmful foods with healthy ones) is not effective. It is more important to understand the psychological reasons and motivate a person to get rid of this addiction.

Why is food addiction dangerous?

If you suffer from food addiction, then you understand that this is the real disease and it brings just as much suffering as, say, toothache. Imagine that this toothache constantly accompanies you, before bed, in the morning, at work, at home, wherever you are. Not only do thoughts about food prevent you from working and existing normally, they also have purely physical consequences.

Food addiction in the form gluttony and overeating dangerous for obesity, heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and many other diseases that obese people are susceptible to.

It is dangerous because uncontrolled eating of large amounts of food always leads to problems with the functioning of the stomach and intestines; there have been cases of ruptures of the stomach walls. Constant emptying of the stomach leads to problems with the esophagus, destruction of tooth enamel, diseases oral cavity. Frequent use of laxatives disrupts intestinal function and leads to dehydration.

Anorexia most often leads to eating disorders, hormonal imbalance, termination menstrual cycle and infertility, deterioration in the quality of skin, hair and nails. The extreme consequences of anorexia are dehydration and death.

As you can see, the consequences of any food addiction are very terrible and sometimes irreversible, and ultimately leading to death.

How to get rid of food addiction on your own

Of course, food addiction is not a runny nose and it is very difficult to get rid of it forever on your own. This requires a lot of effort and long work not only on oneself, but also the work of specialists in the field of nutrition, psychology and physical culture. However, we know many examples where people even got rid of drug addiction on their own. Because main problem Any addiction is, first of all, in the head. And this is where you should start if you want to get rid of addiction on your own.

Step 1

So, the first direction you need to choose is motivation. Motivation is very important in overcoming yourself and your own fears. A person can sometimes motivate himself so strongly that he turns out to be capable of actions that are unusual for him, while showing courage and bravery, strength and pressure, courage and fearlessness of which he is not aware.

The main and first step on the path to recovery is to motivate yourself. You can be motivated by your loved ones, your loved one. But sometimes the people around you are not aware of your problem and cannot motivate you. We have to take everything into our own hands. First, understand that food addiction is not just a habit, it is a bad habit and sooner or later it will lead you to severe health problems, sometimes incompatible with life. Set yourself the goal of getting well for the sake of someone or something, and first of all for yourself, for the sake of life itself, healthy and happy.

Step 2

Once you have found a purpose to live for and strive to overcome your food addiction, you need to create a power system, which will allow you to eat right. Start by writing a list of foods that you can eat every day. Read the literature, scour the Internet and you will find a bunch. After that, make a list of foods that you can eat 1-2 times a week. These are foods that are also healthy, but in small quantities, which do not make you full, but contain useful substances. It could even be various sweets. Then make a list of foods, perhaps your favorites, that you can treat yourself to once a month. It is very important that you do not set any strict limits for yourself. You shouldn’t give up on your favorite chocolate and decide for yourself that you will never be able to taste it again in your life. This is wrong. Even if fast food will be present, but in such quantities that it cannot harm either your body or your figure.

Step 3

The next important stage of rehabilitation is hobby. Food addiction is an addiction not so much to the food itself, but to the emotions that eating it gives you. It is unlikely that any of you will eat raw cabbage all day long and worry about it. Most likely, these will be foods that you enjoy eating, tasting, and enjoying. By and large, food addiction becomes a problem when there is a lack of positive emotions from the outside replaced positive emotions from eating. Therefore, during the recovery period, it is very important to get positive emotions from something other than food. You just need to keep yourself busy with something interesting. This will help you not think about food constantly and get positive emotions. Do something that interests you. Enroll in a drawing, sewing group, or a sports section. Sport, by the way, is another way to get rid of food addiction. During heavy exercise physical exercise The body produces hormones that affect the centers of the brain responsible for pleasure and appetite suppression. This is true, I tested it myself.

Step 4

And the last stage, the most difficult and longest, is working on your self-esteem. People suffering from any form of addiction are people who are unsure of their uniqueness, of their personal integrity, suffering from low self-esteem, and subject to constant self-flagellation. The main thing is to understand that it is not your body and your organism that makes you who you are, but your consciousness that forms the wrong idea about food and your essence. Stop berating yourself, stop hating your body. It's beautiful and unique. If you suffer from excess weight or are afraid of gaining it, then do not eat your grief, do not force your body with hunger. It's a vicious circle. Loving yourself is very difficult and requires a lot of effort and time. But the work is worth it. Reward yourself for any victory, even the smallest one. And don't punish yourself for any mistake. Just forgive yourself for everything and move on towards your goal. You have no one closer and dearer than yourself. No one will ever take care of you if not you yourself. This is your life and you have only one. And there are a lot of interesting and pleasant things in it, besides food.

I suggest you watch the video of Dr. Gavrilov’s “Nothing Extra” project on how to deal with food addiction.

Food addiction – pathological condition characterized by the inability of a person to control food consumption. In most cases, people with this disorder use foods not to eliminate feelings of hunger, but to relieve their own psychological problems, or receiving positive emotions.

Research conducted by experts suggests that a person’s dependence on food is comparable to that on alcohol, tobacco or narcotic products. And the consequences of such addictions are not long in coming - obesity, hypertension, diabetes. A lot of diseases appear. However, getting rid of food addiction is quite possible - both independently and with the help of a psychotherapist.

What are the reasons

Any addiction is, first of all, a failure in certain nervous processes. This can also be attributed to a person’s almost uncontrollable desire to eat something. After all, when you eat food, your body produces a specific hormone – serotonin. As its concentration increases, a feeling of satisfaction, a surge of strength and energy comes. Therefore, people often replace the way they maintain their vital functions with the desire to receive psychological comfort.

At the same time, one should not confuse a passion for a certain type of food, for example, cucumbers or cheese, with a desire for a rich feast, when it does not matter what is served, as long as the portions are large. The first is eating behavior. While the second is certainly a pathological condition.

The main causes of food addiction:

• experienced long-term or short-term, but strong, stress is a kind of “eating”;
• nervous disorders - eating food helps such patients calm down and get rid of negative emotions;
• excessive worries about one’s own appearance - the constant desire for perfection leads people to extremes and perversions in the diet, for example, a manic desire to minimize calories becomes the norm of their life;
• getting rid of other addictions - according to the principle of “knocks out a wedge with a wedge.”

Representatives of the fair half of humanity have long literally elevated the amount of food they absorb to the level of merit - in direct dependence on the prevailing fashion. Some liked “bird” portions, while others strove for “Rubensian” body shapes.

In children, addiction to food is formed from the desire to please their parents, to receive their praise, or so as not to offend their grandmother. Such a stereotype can remain for life.

Main types of food addiction

Whatever the reasons for the appearance of food addiction in a particular person, it manifests itself in one of the following forms of the disease:

1. Hyperphagia – or in simple terms, banal gluttony. A person consumes huge portions not because he feels hungry, but to cheer himself up or out of boredom. Bright taste sensations promote the production of endorphins, which improves mood and psychological calm occurs. However, after having already swallowed food, a person may experience remorse and a sincere desire to stop gluttony, until the next bout of food absorption.
2. A form of food addiction when the craving for food is so painful that the patient, for fear of gaining excess weight, is forced to empty his stomach after each snack. Outwardly, such people may look absolutely healthy and have normal body weight. However, in advanced stages of the disease they are revealed by dry skin, increased fragility hair, as well as damaged tooth enamel. In addition, bulimics are often diagnosed with pathologies of the esophagus and other gastrointestinal organs.
3. A psychological disorder expressed in significant suppression of the desire for food - anorexia. The main goal pursued by such people is to achieve, in their opinion, ideal forms - to lose as much weight as possible. At the same time, patients do not experience any aversion to the products. Simply, excessive concern about their own weight prevents them from eating normally. In severe cases, such self-torture leads a person to death.
4. Taste addiction - for example, “carbohydrate thirst”, when a person strives to create a menu only from sweet foods, or, conversely, excessively strict diets, counting literally every calorie, the so-called separate meals - only proteins.

Each of the above forms of food addiction is, first of all, a failure psychological activity. Therefore, in most cases it is impossible to do without the help of a specialist.

Symptoms

The number of people suffering from various food addictions is increasing every year at a catastrophic rate. The problem is given great importance among medical professionals around the world.

To recognize the disease in the first stages of its appearance, it is enough to take a close look at the behavior of your family and friends. Some of the first signs of eating disorders include:

• decreased criticality of one’s own weight – patients do not recognize their excessive thinness or obesity;
• food cravings are truly uncontrollable - they can get up to have a snack, even at night;
• , anxiety if there is no certain supply of food or favorite products in the house;
• refusal to visit public places where food is served - restaurants, cafes, canteens;
• absorption of dishes occurs quickly, and if food is served slowly, they may flare up;
• suffering from feelings of guilt after overeating;
• extremely low self-esteem;
• presence in the body various pathologies, one way or another, interrelated with digestive disorders;
• long hours of sports - exhausting your own body to give it perfection;
• searching for more and more excuses for his behavior, for example, a person claims that he has a fever, which forces him to seek solace in food.

In some cases, a person exhausts himself with various diets and uncontrolled use of medications, for example, laxatives and diuretics, so much so that he requires emergency hospitalization. In this case, doctors will decide how to overcome food addiction.

What are the consequences of the disease

People who are increasingly dependent on overeating are prone to anxiety and depressive reactions - they can happen literally every few minutes. Self-doubt and self-confidence grows, passive forms of behavior and depression appear.

Food addiction can lead a person to many different diseases. A number of them themselves have severe complications and consequences:

• diabetes is a frequent companion to obesity, accompanied by deterioration of vision, brain activity, and circulatory disorders in the extremities;
• hypercholesterolemia – increased concentration of cholesterol in the bloodstream threatens the deposition cholesterol plaques, which is fraught with vascular disasters such as strokes and heart attacks;
• hypertension - studies prove that every 3-5 “extra” kilograms increase parameters blood pressure by 5–7 mmHg;
• disorders of the digestive structures - frequent exacerbations cholecystitis, pancreatitis;
• complications from the musculoskeletal system - various osteoarthritis and osteoarthritis threaten both “chubby” and “skinny” people;
• apnea - a syndrome of sudden cessation of breathing for a split second significantly impairs the oxygen supply to all organs, especially the brain, which also leads to various neurological diseases.

And this is far from full list what can happen to a person with one or another food addiction. Therefore, it is necessary to combat such disorders in a comprehensive and timely manner.

What you can do on your own

The main task of a patient who realizes that he has a problem and decides how to get rid of food addiction on his own is to feed the brain, not the stomach. This means a systematic switching of one’s own interests from eating to other goals - to derive pleasure not from the abundant absorption of food, but from other joys of life.

So, you can sign up for a fitness center or a swimming pool. Sufficient, not excessive physical activity also contribute to the production of endorphins, hormones of joy. Of course, it will take enormous effort to suppress the centers of hunger and the desire to satiate the stomach. Few people manage to get rid of such cravings on their own forever, but successful cases serve as an example for others.

What you can do:

• to form really strong motivation - to set goals and objectives correctly, and the support of loved ones and friends will help to overcome not only eating disorders, but even cancer;
• draw up a specific nutrition plan - it is better together with a specialist, and stick to it at all costs, for example, buy only the “right” products and in the required quantity;
• choose a really exciting hobby to which you will have to pay maximum attention, and achieving success will delight you with positive emotions - enroll in a drawing, singing, dancing or cutting and sewing group;
• working on self-esteem is a colossal amount of work; you will have to literally “uproot” from yourself all the complexes that have formed and lodged deep inside, learn to see yourself as you are, and then also fall in love.

Each person is the creator of his own personality. Parents can only lay the foundation, and people build everything else themselves. Understanding and accepting your problem is already half the success on the long road to recovery.

Treatment by a specialist

Treatment of food addiction by psychotherapists is based on cognitive behavioral psychotherapy. To achieve high results, it is necessary to find the root cause of the disorder, and then gradually displace it from consciousness, switching the work of the brain to something else, more interesting. Working in groups where people share their experiences and methods of combating the desire to fill their stomach with food is effective.

Anyone can cope with food addiction if they are shown necessary support– from family, friends, psychotherapist. Only the first steps are difficult, then a person, seeing a positive result - improved health and well-being, begins to strive for success.

It would seem that what is dangerous in food? But for many it becomes a drug. For such people, food turns into a source of pleasure and problems at the same time. They may think about the next meal all day, constantly eat only certain foods, or, conversely, limit themselves in everything. Poor nutrition sooner or later leads to physical health problems, and cravings for food can completely destroy the personal life of such a person.

Types of food addiction

We all know what addiction to cigarettes, alcohol or drugs is like. But with food the situation is a little different. Food bondage can look different, so it is imperative to know its types and distinguish between them:

• Overeating is the most common type of addiction. The patient may not even be aware of his problem; he will claim that he simply loves to eat delicious food. But the amount of food consumed will exceed everything acceptable standards, and the person’s weight will begin to increase rapidly.
• Bulimia is a type of food addiction that is quite common in young girls and women. A person susceptible to this disorder has an almost insatiable appetite and can eat huge amounts of food in one sitting. At the same time, he understands perfectly well that he is overeating, but he cannot stop on his own. Very often, eating too much food leads to overdistension of the stomach and its spontaneous emptying through the esophagus. But more often, the patient himself induces vomiting or takes a laxative to get rid of the feeling of heaviness in the stomach or to avoid gaining excess weight.
• Anorexia is a type of food addiction that involves complete refusal to eat. At first, a person may limit some foods for fear of gaining weight, but gradually the list of prohibitions expands and leads to complete starvation. For such people, food can cause fear and disgust; they avoid any place where they can offer a treat, but they, like all addicts, prefer to hide their problem.

  Overeating often leads to health problems

How to recognize food addiction?

Most people susceptible to this problem hide it, bringing themselves to the point where they can do without a qualified medical intervention is no longer possible. Therefore, it is important to know the signs of food addiction in order to recognize it in time in a loved one and have time to help him.

Almost all food addicts:

• They consider thinness to be synonymous with beauty;
• They do not recognize the presence of deficiency or excess body weight;
• Have uncontrollable cravings for food or certain products;
• Experience anxiety associated with eating;
• If they have an attachment to certain products, they may become furious if they are not in the house;
• They refuse to eat and even go to places that offer snacks;
• Eat food quickly and become impatient if it is served too slowly;
• Experience uncontrollable anxiety if you have to skip another snack;
• Suffer from feelings of guilt after eating;
• Have low self-esteem;
• Suffer from depression and frequent headaches;
• Have problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

Uncontrollable love for sweets is also a food addiction

The appearance of these or other symptoms indicates that a person is already developing a food addiction and it is necessary to immediately take measures to save him.

Reasons for the development of the disease

Many people love to eat delicious food, but not everyone develops an addiction. Why is this happening? Because what leads to falling into bondage is a feeling of “emptiness” inside a person, which he tries to fill with food. The body can confuse the sensations that arise during emotional experiences with hunger signals, which leads to unsystematic eating.

The likelihood of developing a food addiction is in no way related to a person’s social status, income level, or place of residence and occurs among people different ages and races living in different corners peace.

The main reasons for the development of food addiction:

• Lack of meaning and purpose in life;
• Situations involving disappointment and loss - such as divorce;
• Situations when achieving what you want leads to relaxation and loss of incentive to work on yourself - for example, after marriage;
• State of crisis: for example, in adolescence, in case of threat of job loss or in other similar situations;
• Eating food to achieve other goals: for example, a child may systematically overeat in order to receive praise from his parents or so as not to offend his grandmother, who tried and prepared a complex dish. This pattern of behavior can last a lifetime.

Eating disorders often develop in childhood

Regardless of what reasons led to the emergence of addiction, in the future it begins to determine human behavior. Gradually, food becomes a kind of lifeline; it brings a feeling of calm and tranquility, replacing communication with people and any other entertainment.

It is believed that athletes eat properly and therefore are not at risk of food addiction, but this is not true: according to statistics, approximately 13-14% of athletes suffer from such disorders, and among girls involved in aesthetic sports, this figure reaches 42%.

Eating disorders often develop in early childhood . If a child is not allowed to express his emotions, he may begin to seek solace in treats. Force feeding, as well as rewarding with tasty food, also leads to problems in the future. Any rewards or punishments with food lead to a distortion of the understanding of the nutrition process itself. The child begins to perceive food not as a source of energy, but as a reward and pleasure.

Consequences of food bondage

Dependence on food leads to the gradual destruction of the entire body, because the process of obtaining energy by the body is disrupted. With systematic malnutrition or bulimia, a person loses weight, blood flow slows down and all organs begin to suffer. The main cause of death for people with anorexia is heart disease. Bones, endocrine and nervous systems are also destroyed, digestion suffers, and brain function deteriorates.

Low self-esteem is one of the causes of eating disorders

It used to be that eating disorders were only women's problem, but today there is a rapid increase in men with such diagnoses.

Not less problems overeating also brings, as it causes obesity, which leads to:

• diabetes type 2,
• increased blood cholesterol levels,
• hypertension,
• heart and gallbladder diseases,
• pain in muscles and joints,
• osteoarthritis,
• gastrointestinal diseases,
• apnea.

Steps to getting rid of food addiction on your own (Video)

Food addiction – serious disorder, so it is often impossible to get rid of it on your own, but if the situation is not too advanced yet, you can try. To do this you will need to go through four steps:

• Step 1 – motivation. A person must realize and admit that he has a problem and it needs to be solved. Often food addicts deny everything and don’t even admit to themselves that they are suffering. Therefore, it is important that loved ones help them understand that there is a disease and they need to get rid of it first of all for themselves, in order to get a healthy body and a normal, interesting life.
• Step 2 - compilation proper diet . After a person finds a goal for himself, for which it is worth living and improving, it’s time to choose new system nutrition. This is not very simple, you will have to study the relevant literature and make for yourself a list of the healthiest foods that you need to eat daily, as well as those that you can eat less often. You shouldn’t sharply limit your favorite foods, but if they are very harmful, you can treat yourself, for example, once a month.
• Step 3 – self-realization. Food addiction usually occurs when a person has no other positive emotions, so you definitely need to find something that will allow you to realize yourself and bring satisfaction. You need to remember what you wanted to do before or come up with something that interests you now, besides food. You need to learn to enjoy life. You can start playing sports - exercise leads to the production of hormones that affect the centers in the brain responsible for appetite and pleasure.
• Step 4 – work on self-esteem. Most food addicts suffer from low self-esteem. They don't love their body and try to make it thin, or they don't love themselves and their life and seek solace in food. They need to learn to perceive themselves correctly and adequately deal with criticism from other people.

Going through all the steps without the help of psychologists and nutritionists is not easy, but you need to believe in yourself and not give up. Many people managed to overcome their addiction to hard drugs on their own; you need to remember this and not give up.

Eating disorders and food addiction

Differences with eating disorders

First of all, it is necessary to distinguish between two concepts: “food dependence (addiction)” and “eating disorders.” The latter include anorexia nervosa and bulimia, which have a different etiology from food addiction. For these are other psychopathological phenomena than food addiction.

The basis of anorexia nervosa

most often lie dysmorphophobic experiences, which are characterized by dissatisfaction with one’s own figure and appearance in general, and overweight in particular. According to a person suffering from anorexia nervosa, his external imperfection is so obvious that it “cuts the gaze” of those around him, who try to clearly point out his ugliness and disgust. Therefore, it is necessary to get rid of excess weight, most often through voluntary fasting.

In one case, the ultimate goal of fasting is to lose weight on your own in any way, including the most bizarre options. One of the dominant psychological motives in this case is the desire for physical changes. An indomitable desire to look your best, so that everyone gasps with delight and envy at the same time. Moreover, the definition of this very “better”, the standard to which one must strive, lives exclusively in the head of the person himself.

In another version, the defining and most significant trigger is the desire to independently set oneself a daunting task and experience a feeling of deep satisfaction and pride from its implementation. In the process of such fasting, gradually, signs of physical exhaustion begin to appear more and more noticeably, and it becomes more and more difficult to control what is happening. Any attempts on the part of relatives and friends to influence the situation are doomed to failure. People suffering from anorexia live in their own reality, understandable only to them. Food aversions become so strong that even chewing gum or toothpaste, which gets into the mouth, is perceived by them as a completely sufficient amount of food.

Bulimia nervosa

– another extremely dangerous eating disorder. The main feature of bulimia is systematically repeated attacks of uncontrolled consumption of excessive amounts of food in a short period of time (about two hours), followed by cleansing of the body in various ways, against the backdrop of a difficult feeling of shame and remorse for what he had done.

Most often, cleansing the body is done through self-induced vomiting, or taking large amounts of laxatives and diuretics, or using enemas. Another option for burning calories is extremely intense physical activity, often leading to injury, or exhausting diets. This behavior overlaps with the behavior of individuals suffering from anorexia, and often both disorders coexist.

Reasons

To this day, the reasons that can cause bulimia have not been clearly established, but research shows that there are certain factors that contribute to its development. They include certain personality traits (proneness to depression and low self-esteem). As well as an unfavorable family history (bulimic sufferers often come from dysfunctional families in which rules are chaotic or non-existent, a history of alcohol abuse or psychoactive substances are common, and appearance too much attention is paid).

Many bulimic patients say that they were deprived of parental affection as children. And one of the psychological causes of bouts of gluttony may be physical attempts to satisfy emotional hunger. Get rid of feelings of loneliness and feelings of inferiority. Often the inability to control eating behavior is a manifestation of a lack of control in other areas of life. Which is expressed in alcohol abuse, spending money or compulsive theft.

The mortality rate for eating disorders, including anorexia, can be as high as 20 percent, including deaths from heart and intestinal injuries and suicide.

The consequences of bulimia are extremely severe. In addition to a general decrease in vitality, these are diseases of the esophagus and damage to tooth enamel (from vomiting). Violation of water and electrolyte balance due to the use of potent diuretics leads to heart and kidney diseases. IN in rare cases As a result of an attack of overeating, a rupture of the stomach or esophagus can occur. Which in turn can provoke internal bleeding. Overuse of laxatives can cause problems in the digestive system and intestines.

In addition, bulimia can manifest itself as a psychopathological symptom in various mental disorders. Organic diseases of the brain, mental retardation, schizophrenia, etc.

Pseeking addiction, definition:

The key difference between food addiction and eating disorders is that it, as well as the formation of any addiction in general, is based on the principle of positive emotional reinforcement (conditioning), when as a result of one’s activity (in this case, overeating or starvation), a person experiences physical pleasure and a surge of positive emotions.

An addict suffering from food addiction cannot independently stop systematically overeating, even despite the obvious to him and those around him. negative consequences this behavior.

One can argue for a long time whether food addictions are true addictions or not, but the mechanism of formation and symptoms in both cases are practically the same, and it is difficult to deny this. A number of studies have shown that products with high content sugar, salt, fat, refined carbohydrates and sweeteners can be addictive, in the same way as alcohol - by stimulating the pleasure centers of the brain and triggering the release of “happy hormones” (dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, etc.) , causing a strong feeling of pleasure and satisfaction.

Food addicts tend to eat quickly and feverishly, overeating to the point of physical discomfort. In some cases, instead of one-time overeating, systematic “snacks” take place throughout the day, but the total amount of food consumed also significantly exceeds what is necessary for normal functioning body's daily norm. Food addiction can lead to obesity, but not everyone who is overweight or obese also suffers from food addiction.

Just like any other addiction, food addiction can trigger cravings, build tolerance, and cause withdrawal symptoms. For example, studies using high-tech brain scanning techniques that compared the reactions of a healthy person and a food addict to seeing a milkshake showed that the addict's reaction was exactly the same as the reaction of an alcoholic who was shown a steamy glass of vodka.

Who can become addicted to food

People systematically overeat and become obese for many reasons. Those who occasionally drink alcohol because they like its taste and effects are not yet alcoholics, just as people who occasionally smoke marijuana are not yet drug addicts. Recent studies have attempted to determine what distinguishes a food addict from someone who overeats. These differences are important because they directly relate to approaches to treating food addiction.

For example, when addiction is the main cause of obesity, traditional treatment consisting of a diet where great value has the willpower and personal responsibility of a person, will be completely ineffective. Since food stimulates the pleasure center of the brain, many experts rightly believe that the same approaches and methods should be applied in this case as in the treatment of any other addiction. A simple change in lifestyle and diet, or even gastric bypass, will have minimal effect, since the cause of obesity is food addiction.

Food addiction: signs and symptoms

First of all, these are symptoms characteristic of any type of addiction, and it is their presence that distinguishes true food addiction from episodic overeating and ordinary intemperance in nutrition. Most food addicts answer with a resounding “yes” to all of the points below.

1. Tolerance. A person needs to constantly increase the amount of food consumed to achieve the desired psychological effect or sensation.
2. Cancel. When the required food or its quantity is not available, physiological and/or psychological withdrawal symptoms (stress, anger, depression) occur. A person tries to get what he wants in any way, regardless of the consequences, in order to relieve withdrawal symptoms or alleviate them.
3. Unplanned, spontaneous abuse. A person consumes more food, or takes it over a longer period of time long period time than originally expected.
4. Persistent attempts to solve the problem on their own fail, despite understanding the gravity of the situation.
5. Obsession with food. A lot of time is spent on preparing food and on rituals associated with its consumption.
6. Reducing or completely eliminating social, professional or recreational activities, and devoting the freed time to activities related to food in one way or another.
7. Food abuse continues despite persistent or recurrent physical and/or psychological problems associated with it and constantly getting worse.
8. After incidents of overeating, a feeling of guilt or remorse for what they have done arises; promises are made to oneself and loved ones not to repeat this in the future.
9. Eating food even in the complete absence of hunger, or using it to lift your mood, eliminate symptoms of depression, irritability, and depression.

Most people suffering from food addiction do not realize this, and general practitioners sometimes do not have sufficient special knowledge to recognize this problem in a patient. As a result, a person can for many years unsuccessfully fight obesity under the guidance of nutritionists, trying to get rid of the symptoms, instead of eliminating their cause - food addiction. During this treatment, many continue to overeat to avoid the psychological discomfort caused by various diets that lead to withdrawal symptoms. Often a person tries to eat “just a little bit of what he shouldn’t,” but the problem is that even a small amount can trigger uncontrollable overeating.

Causes of food addiction

Like any addiction, food addiction has many causes, and it is impossible to single out just one, the main one.

Emotions and stress

People who become addicted to food may eat to increase positive and decrease negative emotions. For example, you might eat pizza to “reward yourself” for an accomplishment. But you can also eat pizza because something bad happened to you and you suffered mentally, which means you need to feel sorry for yourself. This is a classic dependence formation scheme.

Brain Chemistry

Foods high in fat and sugar can have a stimulating effect on the reward centers of the brain in much the same way as drugs and alcohol. Experiments conducted on rats showed that animals trained to self-inject heroin and cocaine using the appropriate lever stopped using it if they were offered natural sugar. Thus, it was found that rats prefer the pleasure of consuming “natural” sugar to the high of drugs. This study shows that sugar may indeed affect the brain's reward system even more than these drugs.

Genetics

Another reason for a person to develop food addiction may be a genetic predisposition to it. A 2002 study found that women who grew up in households where an adult drank alcohol heavily were 49% more likely to be obese compared to others. Although not everyone who is obese also suffers from food addiction. However, this fact suggests that there may be a positive correlation between alcohol addiction parents or relatives in childhood and the formation of food addiction in adulthood.

Psychological trauma

Research has shown that among women with the most symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the prevalence of food addiction is more than twice the average. The more early age the trauma suffered, the greater the likelihood of developing an addiction. This suggests that women who experienced a serious traumatic situation in childhood are much more likely to develop food addiction compared to others.

Consequences of food addiction

Over time, food addiction can cause serious physical and psychological problems. People who suffer from food addiction for a long time gradually learn to hide their problem from loved ones. They begin to hide food and eat at night, while simultaneously suffering from depression and decreased self-esteem. This is made worse by the fact that most they don't even understand that they are addicted to food, but simply consider themselves weak-willed and undisciplined.

Among the most quickly manifested negative physical consequences of food addiction are: upset stomach, heartburn, severe nausea, vomit. All this is familiar to those who have seriously overeated at least once in their lives. But there are also psychological consequences that are noted by many food addicts. People describe these feelings as intense emotional distress, using words such as “ashamed,” “guilty,” and “disgusted.” Trying to get rid of these negative experiences can cause people to eat even more.

The most important and severe long-term consequence of food addiction is obesity. With constant overeating and eating foods rich in sugar, weight gain is inevitable. For many people (especially women, who are most susceptible to food addiction for a variety of reasons), awareness of their own unattractiveness and physical imperfection becomes a real tragedy and mental suffering.

Depression and food addiction

Research shows that there is a strong link between food addiction and negative emotional states, including depression and anxiety. There is a higher prevalence of major depression among adults with food addictions. bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders and drug addiction than in individuals without food addiction. More high performance Obese people also have depression. But the most alarming factor is the link between suicidal ideation and binge eating. More than half of patients with food addiction and those suffering from bouts of gluttony have thought about suicide at least once. This suggests that episodes of uncontrolled overeating lead to severe emotional distress.

In addition to the psychological consequences, type 2 diabetes mellitus is a very common accompaniment of obesity and food addiction. high level cholesterol, ischemic disease hearts, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, depression, arthrosis, reproductive problems, stones gallbladder, stroke. If food addiction is not treated, it will inevitably progress over time.

Treatment of food addiction

Unfortunately, there is no cure for addiction simple solution. There is no cure magic spells And magic wand. If for some it is enough to simply learn to control the consumption of certain foods, then for others it will be necessary to completely abandon them, forever, for the rest of their lives. It won't work any other way. If you suspect you have a food addiction, then the best solution will

There is an opinion that getting rid of food addiction is even more difficult than, for example, alcohol addiction. After all, an alcoholic can eliminate alcoholic beverages from his diet. Thus, you protect yourself from a possible relapse, and a food addict is not able to completely abstain from eating. This means that they will always be at risk of relapse.

Comprehensive treatment for food addiction usually combines behavioral therapy, nutritional counseling with a nutritionist, changing eating habits and social support. If food addiction is the result of an emotional disorder such as anxiety or depression, then it is necessary to first get rid of the causes, where psychological help can at least mitigate the negative cravings for food.

If you suffer from food addiction and want to break the vicious cycle of compulsive overeating, then I would be happy to help you!

Psychological dependence on food is, in fact, a manifestation of a feeling of dissatisfaction in one or another area of ​​life: work, personal relationships, study, etc. At the same time, “eating” does not solve the problem, but only aggravates it, causing additional stress.

You can have fun in other, safer and even healthier ways, such as sports, walking, swimming, hobbies, massage, communicating with nice people, reading interesting book, listening to your favorite music, but we choose food - the easiest and fastest way.

Signs of food addiction

1. The desire to eat something tasty regularly arises between main meals when the stomach is full.
2. The presence of food addictions - products that are almost impossible to resist: coffee, chocolate, ice cream, smoked fish and anything else.
3. The feeling of guilt that arises after eating “forbidden” foods, which, in turn, causes stressful conditions that are compensated by a new meal.
4. Food is perceived as a means of rewarding oneself for something or achieving a sense of security, a certain psychological comfort (temporary, which then develops into discomfort caused by feelings of guilt).
5. Hunger causes not only unpleasant physical sensations, but also serious psychological discomfort. And following a diet can lead to deep depression.
6. The inability to really assess the severity of diseases caused or aggravated by overeating: obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases.
7. Tendency to absorb volumes of food significantly exceeding the threshold required for physiological saturation.

Psychological addiction to food: how to get rid of it

Losing weight or getting rid of cellulite with food addiction is almost impossible. Therefore, work on the body should begin with eliminating the psychological root cause, and not with diets, massages, sports, hardware techniques and other secondary techniques. To get rid of psychological dependence from food, you must, first of all, acknowledge its existence and realize the seriousness of the problem, and then:

1. Love yourself, start respecting yourself.
2. Let go of grievances against yourself and others, let go of the past and feel freedom from unimportant moments.
3. Understand that by eating an insult or pain, we make things worse not for the offender, but only for ourselves, and we do not compensate for the pain, but only worsen our condition.
4. Realize that in fact only we can help ourselves.
5. Keep a food diary in which to note breakdowns and the state preceding them (stress, loneliness, melancholy, resentment, boredom, fear, etc.).
6. Find other sources of pleasure that are beneficial or at least neutral.
7. Switch from thoughts about delicious food to other pleasant moments that become available as a result of giving up disordered eating: beautiful clothes, a feeling of lightness in the body, improved health, a slender body that attracts the attention of the opposite sex, saving money, in the end.
8. Create a clear meal schedule, adapted to your usual lifestyle. Stick to 2-2.5 hour breaks between meals.
9. Ensure adequate intake of nutrients and calories during main meals.
10. Do not buy foods that cause a particular craving for uncontrolled eating. First of all, you will have to give up sweets and starchy foods, which cause spikes in blood glucose.
11. Go to the store with a full stomach and a ready list of planned purchases.
12. Drink plenty of water to ensure normal metabolic processes in the body and partially satisfy the feeling of hunger.
13. Fight hunger pangs with warm chamomile, peppermint or other soothing tea.
14. Do not consider “breakdowns” as failures, treat them as temporary surmountable difficulties. Drive away the feeling of guilt for them and believe in yourself.
15. Do not hesitate to seek help from specialists: a psychologist and nutritionist who will help you choose a suitable personal diet and rehabilitation course.

At the first stage, food addiction is a way to compensate for stress and other unpleasant emotions. In such a situation, correction of a psychological problem, as a rule, is easy and successful.

The second stage is the transition of addiction to a pathological state, which is virtually impossible to compensate without the help of appropriate specialists.

Method of neurolinguistic self-programming

To briefly explain the essence of the technique, we suggest imagining a lemon. If you visualize a lemon conscientiously, in all its colors, then, most likely, involuntary salivation will begin. By analogy, you can “program” your brain to lose your appetite when you mention unwanted products. And here any methods are good: from imagining vile outlines of product names to fantasies about turning the product itself into some kind of nasty thing, including cellulite deposits.

In the same way, you need to present healthy products in the brightest colors and associate the most pleasant associations with them.

Do not persuade your child to “eat at least another spoonful”; do not praise him for eating lunch. This tactic can further form in the child a stereotype of the connection between food and approval, receiving warmth and affection.

Do not give your child candy when he has fallen or been hit. Don't bribe with sweets. These adult-friendly ways to manage a child’s emotions can make him unhappy in the future.

When the baby’s diet is composed correctly and there are no problems with digestion and metabolism, refusing parental persuasion during meals cannot harm him. If you place a taboo on all kinds of crackers, chips, candies, tasty but unhealthy foods such as sausage, then the child will happily eat his own breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Feedback from readers of the article “You May Have a Psychological Addiction to Food!”

Leave the first review - the author tried

Add a comment Cancel reply

New publications

Popular in 24 hours

Illegal use of materials is punishable by law. Law of the Russian Federation “On Copyright and Related Rights”.

Each of us knows: appetite is the main enemy beautiful figure. It is appetite, and not hunger, that pushes us to go to the refrigerator at night. It is he who insists on eating something delicious when we are already full. And many of us give up, confident that it is impossible to take complete control of our own appetite.

But if you are concerned about the question of how to overcome food addiction, you are already on the right track. You can cope with your appetite - not immediately, gradually, but if you set a goal, everything will work out. And we will show you the right direction - we will tell you how to get rid of psychological dependence on food. All you have to do is apply the acquired knowledge in practice!

How does food addiction occur?

You need to know the enemy by sight! Therefore, before we figure out how to distract ourselves from food, let’s talk about why and where food addiction comes from.

Agree that there are practically no people who do not like to eat delicious food. However, not every person suffers from food addiction. Where do the legs of this problem come from?

Without noticing it ourselves, we eat up stress, anxiety and excitement with tasty treats. Or we fight boredom in this way. Or we don’t find other ways to have fun. In any case, the essence is the same.

Do you suffer from food addiction? You can diagnose this yourself. The main signs indicating a problem:

• You constantly think about food: what foods are in the refrigerator, what delicious snack to have right now, what to cook for dinner, and so on.
• When you pass by a bowl of candy or cookies, you are sure to eat something, even if you didn’t plan to.
• You cannot control the amount of food you consume: for example, instead of the desired portion, you eat several times more.
• Console yourself with treats in any unpleasant situation.
• Even if you are not very hungry, you feel physical discomfort or irritation.
• You often spend time alone with food.
• After eating you feel guilty.
• You don’t like to share treats with anyone, even with your family and friends.

Do you recognize yourself? This means there is a problem. Still want to know how to stop being addicted to food? Now we'll tell you!

Food addiction: how to get rid of it without excruciating pain

Here are several dozen tips for you. You don’t have to listen to everyone: even if you implement half of this list, your life will change dramatically. Shall we try?

With the help of liquid you can deceive the stomach and dull the feeling of hunger. It is best to drink plain clean water, maybe with a slice of lemon. If you want variety, brew yourself some green tea or make a glass of tomato juice.

We do not give advice on how to give up food completely - you must eat, otherwise you will only harm your body. But replacing a couple of extra meals with tea and juices is not only possible, but also necessary.

How to overcome food addiction? First of all, listen to your own feelings. Eat only when you are hungry. Stop snacking “for company” - you can chat with your loved ones over a cup of tea.

Choosing running shoes:

And we declare a battle to the sweet:

Are you used to eating while watching TV or your favorite music? Don't do that! This way you are distracted from the process, which means that you will get a lot more food.

If you prefer showering, it's time to change your habits. It has been proven that hot bath– an excellent assistant in our difficult task. It promotes relaxation, dulls appetite, increases sweating and, accordingly, gets rid of excess fluid.

How to satisfy hunger without food? Everything ingenious is simple - you just need to do a little exercise! Not only will it help reduce your appetite a little, but it will also burn a few extra calories.

Have you ever thought about what colors surround you? But it has long been scientifically proven that one shade can whet the appetite, and another, on the contrary, reduce it. Avoid yellow, red and orange colors - they are guaranteed to push you to commit a “crime”. But blue is our color best friend, which helps us fight temptations.

Another answer to the question of how to get rid of hunger without food is to “feed” yourself with aromas. Everything in the world is used: perfume, aromatic candles, oil and even citrus peels. Floral or fruity scents are considered the most effective. Also among fruits and herbs, the smell of which discourages appetite, include apple, banana and mint.

Forget this word once and for all! How much you put on the plate is yours, everything else is extra. In addition, there is no need to add extra spices and seasonings - they whet the appetite. Yes, yes, this also applies to salt. Try it - and the swelling will go away, cellulite will become less pronounced, and the skin will be smoother. And this is not a complete list of what will happen if you give up salt.

How to give up junk food? That's right - hide it somewhere away! Remove baskets of sweets and cookies from the table. Better yet, replace it with a bowl of fruit that you can snack on if necessary.

How to distract yourself from food? That's right - take a walk! It is best to take it before meals. Thanks to a walk in the fresh air, hunger will be dulled, and during a meal you will eat much less. And to enhance the effect, try taking deep breaths and exhaling several times while walking and doing simple exercises.

Are you sure that sleep has nothing to do with overeating? You are wrong! A person who sleeps 5-6 hours a day is more prone to obesity than someone who rests 8 hours. How to stop being addicted to food? Start getting enough sleep, and the process of getting rid of addictions will go faster!

A great tip on how to stop yourself from eating is to press on a special point. It is located in the hollow between the nose and upper lip. Massage it for a few minutes and the feeling of hunger will dull.

Another great way deceive your body - eat voluminous, but low-calorie dishes. For example, green salads or milkshakes. It will seem to you that you have eaten a lot, but in reality this is not the case.

A bag of vanilla is a must-have for any sweet tooth who wants to lose weight. As soon as you want to eat another cake, smell the vanilla and you will feel better. If you don’t have natural spices, even cosmetics or aromatherapy candles will do.

Another way to stop being dependent on food is to drink a glass before meals. cold water. This way you can partially fill your stomach, which means you will eat less. In addition, the body will spend energy to “warm” the water you drink, which means it will waste extra calories.

As you can see, there are many ways to trick your appetite and overcome your food addiction. Use it and share the results!

Simple rules will help you get rid of food addiction forever

There are two categories of people who eat in order to live, and those who live in order to eat. However, there are also foods that contribute to the development of food addiction. How to effectively get rid of food addiction, that’s what we’ll talk about today.

The modern average person consumes more food than the body needs, and does it with pleasure. It often even happens that a person constantly chews something, without even noticing it to himself.

Today, going out for fun means going out to eat. What is it worth to reward yourself or your child with food? Wrong eating habits formed since childhood force us to fight the “windmills” built with our own hands, or rather, our taste preferences.

Products that contain preservatives and sugar-containing substances (especially soda, chocolate, buns, chips, etc.) can change eating habits, as well as change the functioning of our organs, in particular the brain. Food addiction can form in the brain under the influence of a huge amount of preservatives, flavoring additives and other things.

But what about the habit of eating on the go, at your desk or while driving, in front of the TV or computer monitor, in transport and in bed? Such eating habits can lead to hepatic colic, allergies, gastritis, ulcers, colitis and obesity. Because the body is not able to simultaneously focus on opposite actions.

Do you know how our ancestors used to eat? Dinner parties lasted for hours, tea parties were a ritual.

And now we are in constant stress: before we have time to wake up, we are already pouring coffee into ourselves and taking a drag on a cigarette (this is for breakfast), for lunch some kind of dubious quality pie or, in best case scenario sandwich with sausage, coffee during smoke breaks, then treated to cake - it was an employee’s anniversary, for dinner pizza, potatoes, meat, sausages, pasta, beer, cakes, in general, everything that was in the refrigerator - after all, we limited ourselves all day , when to live? And then we suffered half the night with heartburn and a “stone” in the stomach, with the alarm clock ringing we barely lifted our heads from the pillow, and to wake up we had coffee, a cigarette, and so on every day...

Of course, someone will say: “This is not about me, I’m not like that!” Of course you are not like that, only instead of morning coffee and a cigarette you have sandwiches, dumplings, potatoes or pasta with sausage, eggs and bacon, snacks - tea with cookies, for lunch not a dubious pie, but a Kiev cutlet from the neighboring canteen, something for dinner too... There are many variations, but the result is the same: problems with weight and digestion.

9 rules to help you get rid of food addiction

1. Go to healthy eating, which is very simple: we remove harmful foods that make us become food “addicts” and replace them with healthy foods.

1. Be sure to have a proper breakfast. Proper breakfast– this is a protein-vitamin breakfast!

1. We organize proper snacks for ourselves so that there is no temptation to quickly throw away something high in carbohydrates and extremely high in calories.

1. We drink a lot of plain water. We “drink” our dried out cells and fill them life-giving moisture, and they begin to cleanse themselves, removing all the toxins that have accumulated. After all, excess subcutaneous fat consists of 10% water, everything else is waste and toxins.

1. Of course, we eat 5-6 times during the day, I have spoken about this several times, I even compiled it for you sample menu for 7 days.

1. We chew food thoroughly, in small pieces, enjoying the aroma and appearance of what we eat (this is what we need to enjoy, and not from monosodium glutamate, dyes and flavors).

1. Chewing your food thoroughly and slowly will help you feel full faster than overeating.

1. After eating, you can lie down only 2 hours later if you ate vegetables, fermented milk products, fruits and after 4 hours if you ate eggs, fish, meat, mushrooms and legumes.

1. During times of stress, which are inevitable for every person, change the habit of “seizing on the problem” for something more useful. I described how to do this in the article: “Where does excess weight come from - a psychological factor”

By doing these simple rules, you can gradually get rid of food addiction and find real health and the figure you dream of!

35 comments: Simple rules will help you get rid of food addiction forever

It seems easy and understandable, but sometimes it can be so difficult to follow these rules.

Rules are always difficult to follow, especially when we don’t set them))

I re-read your articles several times, Olga, and always find something new for myself. Thank you very much!

Thank you too, Akmaral, for your responses to my articles!

It seems like very simple rules for getting rid of food addiction. I agree that we eat much more than we need.

And we eat quickly because we are always in a hurry to get somewhere. and we don’t have time to eat properly. And at work I take lunch with me; I can’t eat in the canteen. I always have heartburn after it.

I have developed a habit of having lunch at work at the computer. You need to somehow change your habits.

“We need to take care of business, then there will be no reason to throw everything into the stomach that doesn’t fit!” This is my rule - I set it for myself and try to stick to it. And before, I watched TV and read a book, always chewing something. "Ugliness!" - I once said to myself, seeing my noticeably improved face and body in the mirror.

You are right, Olga, the habit of chewing while watching TV always leads to the fact that you unnoticedly eat more than you need. And then you have to solve problems with weight and figure.

It's simple. It remains to adhere to these rules every day. What not everyone is ready for. This is where all the trouble comes from

The most difficult thing is to follow these simple rules every day!

Oh, how I really want to take a nap for at least 15 minutes right after lunch :). And according to the rules - only in two hours. And so the whole dream will pass

Simple and correct rules proper nutrition. If you eat slowly, satiety will come after consuming less food.

The rules seem simple, but following them is so difficult!

Thank you for the interesting article, I read it with pleasure :) I agree with every point and will add on my own that implementing them is, in fact, not particularly difficult. The main thing is to believe in yourself and take the first step :)

I follow all the rules, except points 5 and 6. Unfortunately, a catastrophic lack of time does not allow us to eat as often as we would like. But I strictly adhere to the principle of not eating after 6 pm. I noticed that after I introduced it into my life, 2 extra kg “flew away” in a month.

Dear Olga, you have an amazing site. I found a lot of interesting and useful things for myself in it, thank you for your work.

Thank you, Marina, for such kind words and support!

A day or two is possible with motivation. And then it blows your mind and you want cookies. At the Institute of Nutrition, a personal nutritionist developed a diet for me. I comply, but add sweets and flour. As a result, I’m not losing weight, but the control weigh-in is coming soon, six months have passed. It's a shame to go. I probably need a psychologist or someone to code it. How to convince yourself that sweets and starchy foods are harmful? And what can you do to curb your appetite? It never goes away, even when I'm sick. You always want something tasty.

Sveta, you indulge yourself too much. And you need to love yourself. “to be coded” is a manifestation of disrespect for oneself. If you want to get rid of excess weight and the same food addiction, you must clearly tell yourself why you need it. And so, external motivation really only works for 2-3 days, then internal motivation should come to the rescue, but you don’t have it. It’s probably great when a personal nutritionist develops a diet for you at the Institute of Nutrition, but don’t deceive yourself: if you add sweets or starchy foods to this diet, you will no longer follow the recommended diet. It’s better to drink Chrome Chelate, it helps get rid of cravings for sweets, saturating the body with chromium.

Olga, thanks a lot for the answer! Yes, I really do spoil myself. Having survived the hungry times, I am now “making up for lost time” with a well-fed life. I will try the drug you recommended. If there are no contraindications. I am a cancer patient. Thank you very much again.

Please, Svetlana! Get well and take care of yourself!

I was practically addicted to bread and sweets. I didn’t eat flour or sweets at all for a month (only honey) and lost 4-5 kg.

Personally, I got rid of food addiction and lost weight with the help of this training _http://vk.cc/40xIiD It’s good that there is a lot of free and useful information on the Internet

Modelform helped me get rid of my addiction. I don’t want sweets, I drink water, I don’t have night cravings, I don’t overeat. The first result appeared a week later, minus 500g, not much, but irrevocably. I lost 8 kg during the course. And all this without side effects or harm, because the product is natural, known in Europe and of German quality.

And there are those for whom Modelform causes the opposite effect: it greatly increases appetite and leads to weight gain.

Hello, good article and all the rules are known and correct, but in order to follow them you just need to get rid of food addiction. I am looking for an answer to the question of how to get rid of addiction, precisely so that I have the strength to follow these rules. A drug addict or alcoholic, even realizing the harmfulness of his actions, cannot get rid of them and consciousness is not his help. If it were possible to find out how to get rid of the imbalance in the body produced as a result of food addiction, perhaps the problem could be solved. But how to do this? In fact, at present everything depends on the will of man, but it is not enough and everything starts all over again.

Hello, Irina! You can just find out how to get rid of imbalances in the body:

1. cleanse the body of waste and toxins (so that nutrients are better absorbed);

2. restore the functioning of internal organs (digestive, endocrine, nervous systems);

3. nourish the cells with essential nutrients (vitamins, minerals, amino acids, enzymes and PUFAs).

But not everyone has the patience to follow these three steps; many need results “here and now.”

I can’t (((I just have to go and eat. Something doesn’t work out, you go and eat; something is missing, you go and eat; you had a fight with someone, you go and eat.

And eat eat eat eat eat. You even cry when you eat, but you eat anyway. I'm a weak-willed lazy ass and nothing more.

I sympathize with you, Tatyana! It turns out that your way to improve your mood is food. We need to rebuild. Better than water drink, it’s not as pleasant as eating, but it’s more useful. At the same time, the feeling of hunger will pass, the process of losing weight will begin, and then you will also be happy for yourself that you were able to resist the temptation. It will be difficult to overcome yourself the first three times, but then the process will begin to bring pleasure, more and more each time.

Nonsense and incompetence! They already know all these rules by heart. It would be better if they told you how to get rid of this maniacal desire to eat and thoughts about food.

Faith, knowing these rules and applying them are two big differences, as they say in Odessa. Those who are overweight and apply these rules, after some time do not have excess weight and get rid of food addiction. How many of these 9 rules do you personally apply every day?

Article title: “SIMPLE RULES WILL HELP GET RID OF FOOD ADDICTION FOREVER.” The rules in this article will help you LOSE WEIGHT, NOT GET RID OF FOOD ADDICTION FOREVER. And you know the logic. IT IS NOT A FACT THAT BY FOLLOWING THE RECOMMENDATIONS (KNOWN TO EVERYONE), PSYCHOLOGICAL DEPENDENCE, OR EVEN FOOD NEUROSIS, WILL GO AWAY. Are you, the author, a psychiatrist-psychologist? No? Then make the correct headings. “SIMPLE RULES WILL HELP YOU LOSE WEIGHT.” To be honest, this “forever” confused me. Either you are a seer, or you had something in mind. Very loud statements. Do you know what food addiction means? Or is this just a stupid whim of a lazy person for you?

This is a real temptation for people with food addiction who are desperate to lose weight. Such loud headlines, but so useless. The article outraged me. Food addiction is, first of all, ADDICTION, if this is not clear to the author. Psychological in nature. Of course, I don’t argue, everything you say in your recommendations is the absolute truth, and it will work for a person WITHOUT addiction, BUT the article is specifically for people with addiction. You say it so simply: remove all unnecessary harmful foods, eat 5 times a day, etc. As if this is so easy to do for a person who has been with his food addiction for months or years (!)! It takes me as far as irritation and anger. It's like saying to a smoking person: Yes, just drop it and that’s it! It's easy! You are just fooling people.

People with food addiction will NEVER get rid of it with the help of these tips. The problem here is of a psychological nature, everyone finds in food the satisfaction they need, what they lack in life. Of course, you need to try to tune in and follow these tips, but this should happen in conjunction with psychological work on yourself (or a psychologist, there are people who cannot do this on their own) plus sports. All this should be combined! Because no matter how much you limit yourself or control your food, if on a psychological (or subconscious) level you still don’t get those joyful emotions that you want to receive, and if you continue to think all sorts of garbage about yourself, humiliate, punish yourself, then that’s it. -nothing will come of it, limit how much you can. Sooner or later everything will return to normal. Until a person “repairs” himself from within

Hello, Elena! The article discusses ways to get rid of food addiction from the point of view of physiology, not psychology. Psychological reasons Everyone has their own food addictions, but there is only one solution: switch your thoughts from those that weigh on you and dominate you to positive and constructive ones. If a person is fixated on his psychological problem, no advice will help him (as you correctly noted about the smoker). Psychologically dependent person must understand the root of the problem and find a way to solve it. Psychologists, in most cases, are crutches; they cannot save a person from problems, just as crutches cannot teach him to walk. A person himself must train his muscles, as well as his thoughts.

Using my own example, I can tell you: I got rid of smoking cigarettes not with the help of lollipops and patches, but by realizing that at my age, 5 years of smoking experience is already too much! It was this thought that helped me get rid of the addiction that I had previously unsuccessfully struggled with. I think few people find my personal motivation “at my age, 5 years of smoking experience is too much!” will help. A person will need to find his motivation.

And a second personal example: several years ago there was great love in my life, I couldn’t imagine life without my loved one, when we separated, I was ready to climb the wall out of despair and mental pain, I constantly cried and suffered for several months. I got rid of this severe dependence, at some point imagining in detail my life with him, day by day, with his habits, hobbies, character, temperament, those features that I didn’t really like about him. I imagined that here he is, as he is, living with me for the rest of his life, and I thought: “Do I need this? - No! Thank you, no need!” It was no longer love, but addiction. That’s how I was able to let go of this person and remain good friends with him to this day. Will my experience help anyone? I don't know, it's good if it helps.

As for food addiction, switching from eating junk food to eating healthy food is not so easy. To do this, you need to clearly understand why you need this, start treating yourself differently - a person who constantly (and not from time to time) eats right cannot help but love and respect himself. As for sports and psychological work on oneself, I write about this in my articles: proper nutrition, physical activity and a positive attitude - three components healthy image life and maintaining the health of your body. You will find this in my other articles. Good health to you!

How to get rid of food addiction step by step technology

Food addiction is one of the forms of psychologically determined addictive behavior, expressed in a person’s inability to resist the need to eat. In this case, the need is not caused by a physiological feeling of hunger or thirst, but by a psycho-emotional state that entails an activity such as the absorption of food.

Food in modern society is becoming a drug, a legal permission to have fun, relieve stress, make an appointment or take a time out. The secondary benefits presented by the process of eating food are enormous - they will help a shy young man communicate with a girl, and a person overwhelmed with work will not be judged if he goes out for lunch, unlike a walk in the park, which takes the same amount of time. Food brings people together in certain companies, where easier and more pleasant communication begins - remember the cheerful laughter in the smoking room or near the coffee machine, and how it stops when people leave these places.

Signs of addiction are a change in the previous lifestyle and behavior, irritability and anxiety appear, relationships change, while the main part of a person’s thoughts revolves around food and there is an inability to refuse either thoughts on this topic or an extra piece of food. This dependence manifests itself mainly on sweet, spicy, fast food products, usually junk food containing fats and carcinogens.

Causes of food addiction

Hunger is not always a factor of addiction; you may feel the need not for food, but to treat yourself to something tasty by choosing a certain type of product - then there is a certain level of chemical dependence caused by certain products, where it is not a change in the biochemical functioning of the body that is involved, but the degree of impact to receptors. After eating sweet and carbonated foods, the natural tastes of vegetables and fruits do not irritate the tongue receptors to the proper extent, and a feeling of fullness does not occur. The same thing happens with smoked meats and products containing monosodium glutamate - after them, other food seems tasteless, so even after lunch, you crave such things. This effect is removed quite quickly, by forceful withdrawal within a few days (there will certainly be withdrawal symptoms) and taste buds recover, harder to break mental habits buying chips after every quarrel.

A predisposition arises and is reinforced this type behavior in childhood, and getting rid of it has the same stages as from any other psychological, since there is no chemical component here. The need to eat stress (as a way of self-comfort) can be shaped by the style of parenting (when the child was handed a bun instead of psychological care). The feeling of one’s own bodily and psychological needs may be disrupted when parents decide how the child should eat - then an attitude is formed that the more food is eaten, the better the attitude of the elders will be, or at least this way it will be possible to avoid punishment.

It is a mistake to believe that a person with a food addiction is overweight, because you can make efforts and be normal, but lose all control over your own behavior at the sight of chocolate cake. Also, food addiction has its manifestations in underweight, having as its manifestation not overeating, but rather refusal of food. Any deviations in eating behavior and its construction not on the basis of a feeling of hunger are addiction, and it can manifest itself either in excessive absorption or in refusal of food altogether. In the example of human relationships, this is called dependence and counter-dependence, in terms of behavioral psychology it is bulimia and anorexia.

To understand how to deal with food addiction, you need to examine the aspirations of the individual and understand what brings joy besides food, since the main substance obtained from the foods chosen by the addict is serotonin. And if there is nowhere to find joy in your own life, it comes from food, and life’s problems accumulate, so a circle closes, which must be broken taking into account psychological characteristics and mechanisms.

Getting rid of food addiction begins with identifying the symptoms, which include increasing food portions, frequent overeating, and the inability to refuse supplements. In addition, there is a craving for sweet, starchy and spicy foods, a feeling of guilt after eating, a desire to absorb food secretly, and inducing vomiting after eating. With such symptoms, you should begin to get rid of addiction, starting with the search for its occurrence.

The causes of food addiction may be hidden behind physical or heartache. In the first case, food serves as a comfort and gives some pain-relieving effect, saturating the body with serotonin; in the second, it helps to overcome feelings of sadness or even cope with loneliness. Stimulation of the oral area is unconsciously associated with breastfeeding and brings calm. The mechanism turns on for those stuck at the oral stage, and then they look for similar ways to overcome emotional difficulties in adulthood - alcohol, cigarettes, food, kissing, everything related to the oral apparatus and its stimulation. Food also helps to cope with low self-esteem, blocking negative experiences and delivering the much-needed feeling of happiness in the shortest, but not the most productive way, in many cases leading to an even greater drop in self-esteem and self-flagellation.

Eating disorders are often accompanying mental disorders, sometimes remaining the only area that is within a person’s control. Since mental activity no longer seems reliable to him, and manifestations of reality can be illusory; in order not to fall into the abyss of uncertainty, panic and anxiety, a person resorts to calming down with the help of food. Also, with disorders associated with self-perception and acceptance of one’s own body, weakly obsessive care for it, food addiction occurs, the purpose of which is to reduce the number of defects or bring one’s own physical manifestation to an ideal state.

From emotional experiences An invariable companion of any overeating is a feeling of inner emptiness and lack of fullness of one’s own emotional life. Since our mental and physical are inextricably linked, such mental hunger at a certain stage begins to give signals that are perceived as physical, and a person who does not pay attention to his soul begins to feed himself, in the hope that it will become easier. But the feeling of satiety with food will not come, and absorption will be like throwing food into a black hole, as in the movie “Route 60,” since the real emotional need remains unfed.

Situations of internal emptiness arise due to the absence or loss of significant goals, guidelines, meanings in life (for example, both divorce and wedding can lead to a similar state, plunging into a lack of understanding of how to live further). Age and life crises, transitional stages and traumatic situations are those events that pull the rug out from under your feet and destroy the old way of life, forcing you to look for new ways of existence, the meaning of your future aspirations and organization of space. And if a person is sufficiently stress-resistant and has experience in overcoming crisis moments, he will more easily find new ways of adaptation, while for those who have not encountered global changes or have lost something extremely valuable, finding a way out will be problematic and will require mental pain relief. In such cases, some go to psychotherapy, some to a bar, and some to a candy store.

The wrong attitude towards food can also provoke biological factors, (change hormonal levels or metabolism entail a change in eating habits), but unlike psychological issues, such disruptions may require medical intervention, acting solely as a symptom. In such cases, it makes no sense to go on a diet, monitor and control, including awareness, your behavior, since this only aggravates the underlying disease.

The tendency to food addiction begins when parents manipulate food. For example, a mother may try to manipulate the behavior of a baby through feeding; in adulthood, they decide for the child what kind of food, in what quantities, and at what time he will eat, ignoring the needs of the child himself. With such upbringing, a person’s sensitivity to the needs of the body is impaired, the feeling of hunger may be distorted, and food is perceived as a way to achieve approval (“well done, you ate everything”), a reward (“you will do your homework, you will get candy”), protest (not finishing eating or even do not eat during quarrels). Then food becomes a way of communication and loses its primary functions, and relationships with food reflect relationships with the world, increasing its significance in the personal assessment of the environment.

Types of food addictions

When talking about food addiction, many people imagine a girl who won’t miss a display of cakes, although in fact there are much more varieties of this disorder and the forms also take on more serious forms.

Taste addiction focuses on the need for a certain product and its taste. Foods with serotonin (chocolate, bananas) or those that have a noticeable effect on the body (coffee, seafood) are becoming widespread among taste-dependent people. Pleasant sensations from the taste of a product dilute negativity, boredom or fill a pause, like a cigarette smoker, and the use and taste addiction itself are similar to entertainment, although dysphoria cannot be ruled out in the long-term absence of a favorite delicacy.

A more serious problem is overeating, when a person is unable to control the required amount of food, as a result of which obesity begins. Usually caused by stress factors or decreased mood and self-esteem. It is completely solvable when we work through psychological problems and change our life strategy.

The next type is fasting, which has various shapes manifestations. This may be a refusal of certain foods (when trying to lose weight, foods that, in a person’s opinion, contribute to fat deposition are excluded) or a refusal of food altogether. The reason is often the desire to lose weight, and this leads to disturbances in the psycho-emotional sphere, anorexia nervosa, dystrophy and a number of both psychiatric and physiological problems. With anorexia, disturbances in the perception of one’s own body are revealed, which seems full even if underweight. At the initial stage, a person is quite capable of independently regaining a healthy attitude towards the process of eating or using the support of loved ones and a psychologist, but at the stage of more serious development it is necessary drug therapy for both physical recovery (restoration of metabolism and proper operation digestive organs), and psychological health (considered one of the diseases of a psychiatric clinic).

The opposite of anorexia is bulimia, which is characterized by outbreaks of hunger, absorption of food in huge quantities, while the choice of products, as in the first case of taste addiction, is not important, the quantity is important. Usually this is a rather painful condition for the body and the next stage of absorbing a huge amount of food is the artificial induction of vomiting or a laxative effect. The fear of becoming fat is caused by inducing vomiting, but there is no possibility of volitional control over eating; a person actually subjectively experiences a terrifying feeling of hunger, even to the point of pain and spasms of the esophagus, seeing the only way out in the immediate absorption of a huge amount of food. Just like anorexia, in its extreme manifestations it is treated in a hospital setting.

How to get rid of food addiction on your own?

Addiction, even if not drug addiction, but food addiction is not such a simple problem, so you should learn how to deal with food addiction yourself from specialists, and not rely on luck, making the situation worse. And first of all, it is necessary to exclude biological malfunctions in the functioning of organ systems, knowing in advance that the main problem is in the psyche, then it is worth identifying your own motivation for getting rid of it, without which there will be no progress in self-healing. It helps a lot to analyze this way of life and consider the prospects where it will lead in ten years.

The mechanical and quite simple stage is to draw up a proper nutrition plan, including acceptable foods (with a distinction in what quantities and how many times a day or week each of them can be consumed), portion sizes and frequency of meals. Ideal list You should always have it on hand, but you should not demand that you immediately and strictly adhere to such a diet. Old habits, reinforced by physical sensations, are quite strong and after holding on for a week, you can wake up near a fast food stall, finishing your sixth shawarma. Allow yourself sweets and unhealthy treats, but gradually reduce their volume.

When adjusting the nutrition aspect itself, do not forget that the cause of any addiction lies in the psyche and without paying due attention to the causes of addiction and changing your life situation all efforts to improve your diet will be pointless. Resolve old problems that undermine your mental resources, find something to fill the inner emptiness (look for emotions - new hobbies, interesting travels, people). Playing sports and filling yourself with positive emotions are allies in the fight against addiction.

This will be followed by deeper and more serious work on increasing your own self-esteem: find things that develop you and reward yourself for every achievement, no matter how small. Just not with food - give yourself new experiences by buying a movie ticket or riding a horse. If you won the Math Olympiad, treat yourself to a swimming pool subscription; if you defended your master's degree, update your haircut; successfully pass your project, go on a picnic. Try to keep your activities varied and develop your different sides. Your main task is to normalize your life, learn to cope with stress and resist external pressure instead of eating up problems.

Treatment of food addiction

Treatment of any eating behavior disorder includes joint work of a person with a psychologist or psychotherapist on intrapersonal problems that led to such a condition, and the duration and program are determined individually and depend on the severity of the manifestations and the specifics of the clinic. The main goal of such work is not the normalization of weight, but exclusively the normalization of eating behavior, violations of which led to the consequences of changes in body weight.

A comprehensive approach usually involves working to introduce and maintain the principles of mindful eating, which excludes forced dieting methods that lead to relapses. Mindful eating is aimed at increasing sensitivity to the needs of your own body and its responses to food (this includes both the type and amount of food).

Deep work is carried out with internal attitudes towards food and one’s own personality. Constant companions of eating disorders are decreased self-esteem, lack of self-esteem, the inability to build productive contact, living in past problems and other traumatic situations that force a person to eat constant anxiety.

Typically, rehabilitation takes about two months with regular sessions of individual and group psychotherapy, where the personal causes of addiction are identified and the most authentic ways to get out of this situation are developed, without the use of harsh measures that frustrate the psyche. Most often, treatment is carried out with periodic visits to a psychotherapist and support groups, but in some cases hospitalization (sometimes compulsory) is required in cases of violation physical health or the need for psycho-emotional correction. Compulsory hospital treatment for anorexia is especially important, since deaths are possible, as well as irreversible changes and disorders, and possibly organ failure due to exhaustion and starvation.

The most relevant in working with food addictions is cognitive behavioral therapy, aimed at eliminating inappropriate behavioral patterns and developing a new behavior pattern. Body-oriented and dynamic therapy is actively used for better contact, feeling and understanding of the body image, as well as its needs.

Group therapy has proven to be very positive in the treatment of all types of addictions, where it is possible to get support and come closer to accepting your own problem as existing, which is the starting point for rehabilitation. In addition, family therapy is actively involved, since eating behavior takes its roots in the family system and always borders closely on the sphere interpersonal relationships and is one of the markers of family dysfunction.

2 comments on the post “Food Addiction”

It's a pity because only God can help you.

It’s not easy now because I’ve been sick for too long and I’ve grown overgrown bad stories, I am crippled mentally and physically.

Recovery is not easy, it takes a long time and requires a lot of physical and spiritual strength.

It’s a pity that I didn’t read such articles in my time and was condescending towards psychotherapists.

I’m currently walking along a high cliff and it’s so easy and unnoticeable to stumble.

Plus, I clearly developed manic-depressive psychosis in the background.

I still don’t understand why I need treatment, I’m just trying.

Don’t write about God, please, I was convinced a long time ago that he doesn’t exist. And my life depends on me and the people around me (kind, loving, experienced, working, etc.)