Top 6 Warning Signs that You May be a Food Addict -Health Centre

Source: Author: Cheryl Williams Published date: 2008-07-30  

Most people love to eat good food. This can be seen at church socials, backyard cookouts, parties, or at your local all-you-can-eat buffet. Food is associated with good times and good friends. But that association can turn dark, and it is important to recognize the signs that you may be slipping into a food addiction.

One of the signs of food addiction is frequent binging. Most people eat too much on occasion. But if you find yourself doing it on a consistent, frequent basis, then that is a definite warning sign. Do you eat one cookie or the entire bag? Does one serving of ice cream satisfy you, or do you just take the entire carton and polish it off?

Another warning sign of possible food addiction is hiding food. Becoming possessive about your food shows that you are developing an unhealthy attachment to it. Most food addicts have a special hiding place for their food. It could be a dresser drawer. It could be a grocery bag filled with goodies that you have hidden in your closet. Sandy, a recovering food addict, used to hide food in her pocketbook. Her main binge food was Pringles potato chips, because they were easier to sneak since they are in a can and don't make the noise of a crackly sounding bag. In cleaning out her closet one day, Sandy found several old pocketbooks and in each one was an empty Pringle can. This opened Sandy's eyes to her problem and she sought help.

Sneaking food is another sign of food addiction. A food addict will often sneak food as a means of eating normally in front of other people. She may turn down a jelly doughnut at her friend's house, but when nobody is looking she will grab one and go into the restroom to eat it.

Another sign is a desire to be alone with your food. Part of this comes from not wanting to share it. Part of it comes from feeling deprived due to doing without the foods you love during the day. Lori, a self proclaimed food addict told of how she used to wait in anticipation of her husband going to sleep so she could raid the refrigerator. It was almost as if she was waiting to meet a lover.

When your thoughts are totally consumed with food, this is another sign of food addiction. If you find yourself salivating over what's for dinner before breakfast is even over, this is a sign. When these thoughts consume you, they affect all that you do. How you plan your day, your work, your recreation, and who you spend time with will all revolve around the next meal or binge.

Using food as a means of feeling better is another sign of food addiction. Food addicts eat when they are stressed out, anxious, or sad. They avoid feeling at any cost, and food is their drug of choice. It has a numbing effect.

In looking over this list of signs, you will see definite similarities between food addiction and other addictions. The biggest difference in food addiction and other addictions is that while you can just stop doing drugs or gambling, you cannot just stop eating. You must eat to stay alive. Food is fuel for your body, and that is all it is meant to be.

There are several good books that deal with this topic:

Love to Eat, Hate to Eat: Breaking the Bondage of Destructive Eating Habits by Elyse Fitzpatrick.

Thin Within: A Grace-Oriented Approach to Lasting Weight Loss by Judy Halliday, R.N. and Arthur Halliday, M.D.

The Ultimate Weight Loss Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom by Dr. Phil McGraw

All 3 of these books explore unhealthy relationship with food, and give ways to explore those feelings that drive you to self-medicate with food.

Another resource is Overeaters Anonymous, a 12-step support group for food addicts.

Recognizing the signs of food addiction in yourself is the 1st step to recovery. Upon this realization you can then seek the resources and help available so that you can live your life free of the addiction to food.