Is it Time to DITCH the DIETS?
September 18, 2023Is it Time to DITCH the DIETS? I am writing to the person who has tried every diet under the stars, to the person who has done the shakes, pills, fasts, this plan and that with limited success. You may have even tried bariatric surgery with the hope that it was the answer to your eating issues. Let me guess, with the start of each new diet, you promise yourself that this time will be different. You jump into the new plan with gusto and determination and even experience initial success. But the success is always short-lived.
You’re tired and want relief from your consuming food thoughts and the discomfort you feel living in an oversized body.
Here’s the confusing part: I’ll bet you are a highly successful person in many other aspects of your life. You hold down a career, have meaningful relationships, and pay your bills on time. It’s confounding how you can be successful in so many ways and yet, despite your intense motivation, your ability to control something as seemingly simple as what you put in your mouth continues to elude you.
Have you ever wondered: Maybe I’m not the problem? Maybe it’s the diets?
I can relate to this struggle firsthand. (Spoiler alert: I found a solution!) I can remember binging episodes from as early as kindergarten, and as a child, the only thing I ever wished for was to be able to stop eating and become an average-sized person. Well, my prayers were finally answered when I decided to DITCH THE DIETS and treated the underlying food addiction that was at the root of my disordered eating.
For people who classify as FOOD ADDICTS, only by addressing the brain’s addictive pathways can you finally find relief from the overwhelming cravings that compel you to act against your best interest. Food addiction treatment can be the missing link to long-term weight-loss surgery success.
But it is NOT a diet.
Here’s why:
Unlike a diet, food addiction acknowledges that our compulsive overeating stems from a physiological problem that requires a prescribed treatment plan to address the physiology. Part of this plan involves abstinence from the specific foods that trigger the addictive pathways. Just like when treating other physiological problems such as alcoholism or allergies, we must abstain from the noxious substances that harm us, so too with food addiction. Just like an alcoholic can’t continue to consume alcohol in moderation, so must an addict abstain from addictive foods. (These tend to be foods of the ultra-processed variety, but can vary from person to person.)
Food Addiction Treatment
Food addiction treatment is SO MUCH MORE than a food plan. To address our issues with overeating, we also need to address the mental/emotional/spiritual aspects of life that drive us to eat. We need to learn how to deal with life's ups and downs with coping mechanisms that don’t involve food. Part of this involves finding support and community from others in food addiction recovery. We can only do this together!
Food addiction treatment is not something you start and stop like a diet that you go on and then off once you lose the weight. It is a new way of living that acknowledges your eating disorder as an addiction that requires continued attention. In food addiction treatment, we acknowledge that healing isn’t always linear. There will be ups and downs, but our “off” days are opportunities for growth, not an excuse to quit. In food addiction treatment, we find the strength, support and understanding to stay the course even when we are not perfect.
Get Peace of Mind
While we may have dieted in the past to lose weight, the REAL goal of food addiction treatment is not weight loss, but peace of mind. We want to quiet the noise of food thoughts, to be able to get through all aspects of life without obsessions around food or our body size.
When we are able to achieve “food sobriety”, our bodies come to a comfortable size over time. (And who doesn’t like that!)
Lastly, food addiction recovery is a SHAME FREE ZONE. There is no berating oneself for failing yet again, no internalized shame over what we have eaten. Love and compassion for ourselves and for the reasons why we use food the way we do is the only path forward. We proceed with curiosity, self-compassion and understanding that our eating has been a powerful coping mechanism. We move forward and lovingly find new ways to care for ourselves.
Ditch the Diets!
If you are tired of the dieting carousel, it may be time to DITCH THE DIETS and try something that can finally work long-term.
If you are interested in more information on food addiction recovery, you can follow me on Instagram, join my facebook support group, or check out my website to learn how I help others find long-term peace with food.
Pamela Mekuz is a Food Addiction Counselor at Life Is Sweet Counseling
 | ABOUT THE AUTHOR Pamela Mekuz is a Food Addiction Counselor at Life Is Sweet Counseling that specializes in bariatric clients. She helps pre- and post-operative individuals treat the underlying addictive brain patterns that cause overeating. As a bariatric client and a food addict in recovery, Pamela understands first hand what it takes to finally eliminate cravings, stop binging and achieve sustainable weight loss. Read more articles by Pamela! |
