What Is a Food Addiction and What Can You Do?
September 26, 2016Did you know that 95% of non-surgical weight loss attempts fail? How is that possible?
There are countless diet options out there, from Paleo to Weight Watchers, to Jenny Craig, to Ideal Protein—just to name a few. There are millions of gyms in the United States where you can burn off calories, or you can order or stream countless exercise videos to do in the privacy of your own home. We know all about calories and fat grams, and how much protein/sugar/carbs we should eat on a daily basis. We can even track them in programs on our smartphones. So why—with all of those resources—are only 5% of efforts successful? Could it be due to food addiction? Actually, this leads to an important question as to what is a food addiction?
Diets Fail, Not Dieters
Before giving a likely answer to that question, I would first like to say that DIETS fail—not dietERS. We are led to believe in our culture that if none of the above options work for you then you have failed. You didn’t want to lose the weight enough, you didn’t try hard enough, you don’t have the drive or the willpower. This leads to such heartbreaking shame and disappointment that people simply give up. But I don’t believe at all that the failure of diets is about the dieter. I believe it’s about something that we are just now beginning to understand: food addiction.
Food? Addictive? What??? I have been doing preoperative bariatric surgery evaluations for 15 years and within the last few years, I have started asking every client if they feel that they are addicted to food. The answers are always one of two extremes: “of course not” and “yes—absolutely.” Some people seem to know in their hearts that food holds far too much value to them and others struggle with the concept of food as being addictive. I can understand why. Food doesn’t create the same intense high that drugs and alcohol do. And people don’t lose their jobs and their houses because they ate too much.
What Is A Food Addiction? The Definition of Addiction
According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, addiction is defined as “a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences.” Similarly, Psychology Today defines addiction as “a chronic, relapsing brain disease that is characterized by compulsive drug seeking and use, despite harmful consequences. Addiction is a condition that results when a person ingests a substance (e.g., alcohol, cocaine, nicotine) or engages in an activity (e.g., gambling, sex, shopping) that can be pleasurable but the continued use/act of which becomes compulsive and interferes with ordinary life responsibilities, such as work, relationships, or health. Users may not be aware that their behavior is out of control and causing problems for themselves and others.”
So essentially, addiction of any kind is using a substance or engaging in a behavior that is pleasurable but becomes difficult to stop. This behavior can then lead to problems with some aspects of life. Overeating easily fits these criteria. For some people, eating is extremely pleasurable and is quite difficult to control. Many clients over the years have told me that food is their best friend or that they have always had a love affair with food.
So, What Is A Food Addiction?
And for some people, it is extremely difficult to curb this behavior. Food addiction can take different forms, the most obvious being binge eating. Binge eating is characterized by consuming a large amount of food and feeling unable to stop. You do not have to be binge eating to be struggling with food addiction.
Food addiction can also be a consistent need for something sweet after your meal or having to avoid certain foods because you cannot stop eating once you start. Food addiction can also mean having cravings that are so strong that you cannot stop yourself from getting the food that you want.
Avoiding Feelings Instead of Addressing Them
What is oddly missing from the above definitions of addiction is the idea that the substance or behavior helps the person to avoid or numb uncomfortable feelings. Food is most certainly used for this purpose by many individuals. Most people readily admit that they eat when they are stressed, upset, sad, angry, etc. What they do not always consider is that they are using the food to avoid or numb those feelings, because they are too difficult to address. Ingesting other substances or engaging in other addictive behaviors serve this purpose as well.
Now again, people do not often lose their jobs or their homes because of food addiction, which can happen with other addictions. However, people often lose their health because of food. We are taking an enormous amount of medications to treat such diseases as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and reflux. Obviously, there is a need and a place for these medications, but we also know for a fact that a change in diet can significantly improve these conditions as well. But despite the threat of disease, many people find it difficult to make the dietary changes that could drastically improve their health.
Often times one’s family is impacted by food addiction as well, much like the families of other addictions. It may not be as severe, but many family members express significant concern over their loved one’s health, which is often the result of food addiction.
Food is as Addictive as Drugs or Alcohol
So, not only does food fit into the definition of addiction, we now have proof that food can be just as addictive to some people as drugs, alcohol, or addictive behaviors. All of these substances/behaviors impact the pleasure centers of the brain and create feelings of happiness and/or calmness. Scientists have used MRI scans to show that sugar can impact the same pleasure centers of the brain as drugs or alcohol. When we continually use the same substance or behavior to manage a certain feeling or situation, we create pleasure pathways in the brain. Once those are created, they are essentially an automatic coping skill that we consistently use every time that feeling or situation is triggered. Therefore, we just keep eating.
THIS is why 95% of weight loss attempts fail. Diet and exercise change behaviors, but they do not treat food addiction. Many people can maintain a diet or exercise plan for a few weeks or a few months but then revert back to old behaviors. This is because the addiction was not treated. People constantly tell me that they did well with a diet program until something stressful happened. Because of this stress, they returned to old eating habits. This is because their brains were still using food as their coping mechanism when life became more difficult.
How To Know if You are a Food Addict
So how do you know if you are a food addict? Here are a few questions to ask yourself.
1. Do you have difficulty limiting your intake of certain foods (such as junk food or sweets)?
2. Do you hide your eating habits from others because of shame and embarrassment?
3. Do you find yourself thinking about food frequently throughout the day?
4. Do your eating habits cause problems in your relationship?
5. Do you continue to eat unhealthy food despite its negative consequences on your health?
6. Do you find yourself saying “just one more”—and then eating more later?
If you answer "yes" to any of these questions, you may be struggling with a food addiction. The good news is, there is help!
Resources for Food Addiction
There are programs across the country that address food addiction specifically. Programs are either outpatient (i.e. meetings are held in the community) or inpatient (the program requires you to live at a facility). The most well-known is Overeaters Anonymous, or OA (www.oa.org). OA is a 12-step program, like Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), and focuses on abstinence from overeating through the use of step work and spirituality. A similar program is Food Addicts in Recovery (www.foodaddicts.org). There are meetings held for both programs throughout the country, and you can attend OA online or phone meetings as well. ACORN Food Dependency Recovery Services is a program that is compatible with these 12-step programs (www.foodaddiction.com). This program offers workshops in certain parts of the country.
Lifestyle Transformation is a leading national program specifically designed to treat food addiction (www.lifestylenational.com). The program is an 18-month group therapy program (members engage in individual therapy at least once per month as well). Lifestyle Transformation combines psychoeducation about the neuroscience of food addiction and binge-eating with group psychotherapy to help members understand their eating patterns and take the steps necessary to live a life free from addiction. The program utilizes the knowledge gained from addiction research to help members engage in behaviors that have been found to aid in recovery. Such behaviors include the development of a healthy relationship with food, purposeful activity, mindfulness, connection with self and others, movement, play, music and service to others.
There are also residential programs throughout the country that treat food addiction. These require a stay at their facility. These programs can be costly (although some do take insurance) and difficult to commit to, as you may be leaving your family or employment to attend. However, for some people, this level of treatment is necessary to recover from food addiction.
If you found yourself nodding in agreement to much of the above, you are not alone. Treating food addiction is often the missing piece in any weight loss attempt, including surgery. People can regain their lost weight after any type of attempt because the addiction is not being treated. Or, they can transfer the addiction to another substance or behavior. So if you feel that you are addicted to food, look into a program that’s right for you. It can help you to finally break free from food addiction and live the healthy life that you want and deserve!
 | ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Kimberly M. Daniels is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist who has been working with clients for over 14 years. Dr. Daniels earned her Doctor of Psychology degree from the University of Hartford Graduate Institute of Professional Psychology. She completed Counseling and Assessment Services and postdoctoral fellowship at the Middlesex Hospital Center for Behavioral Health, Outpatient in Middletown, CT.Read more articles from Dr. Daniels! |
