How to overcome food addiction on your own. You may have a psychological addiction to food! How to get rid of food addiction by changing your diet

Food addiction ruins the lives of many people, how to get rid of it, how to overcome it?

Almost every overweight person has a food addiction.

And here we can say that it’s not entirely from food, but from the effect that a person gets after eating, and from the state of body and soul.

Naturally, every disease has certain symptoms. Is food addiction a disease?

Food addiction rarely arises from carrots or, for example, semolina :)

Most often, addiction rests on such “pillars” as sugar, salt and fat. It is these components that are always included in delicious and harmful products for our body.

These components have the greatest influence on our taste buds, and then on certain structures in our brain that respond to signals by releasing the hormone serotonin.

And serotonin is the hormone of pleasure and joy.

It is no secret that all people strive to enjoy life as much as possible, and this desire is literally inscribed in our subconscious.

That is why food rich in salt, sugar and fat causes a certain dependence in a person.

Why does a person react to such stimuli?

It all started quite a long time ago, when man was still prehistoric, and his diet included very monotonous and not very tasty food.

In addition, the body did not receive all the useful and necessary components on time, as studies show, the same fat that we now eat constantly was present in the diet, only 20% of the norm, the same applied to fast carbohydrates.

Well, there’s no need to talk about sugar, it was berries or, at best, honey.

What foods do people fall for most and become addicted to food:

• Chips
• Seeds and nuts
• Fried potatoes
• Candies
• Cookies, waffles
• Fast food - hamburgers
• Grilled meat
• Ice cream
• Chocolate
• Pastries and cakes
• Baking, various pies and buns

The signs of food addiction are quite simple:

• You think about delicious food constantly;
• You can eat this food regardless of how full you are;
• You experience negative emotions if you do not eat such food;
• Your emotional state depends on the presence of such food in your diet;
• You constantly fight temptation, and it is difficult for you to refuse if such food is in front of you

Unfortunately, our food industry often tries in every possible way to instill such dependence in its consumers.

If we reacted to everything consciously, if we passed all information through our filters, through consciousness, then such problems would not exist.

But the bulk of the information that comes to us from outside is processed automatically. At the same time, the most ancient brain and emotional structures are involved - as a result, we just want delicious food.

And coping with this “wanting”, oh, how not easy it is.

Let's take a little look at the mechanism itself of this dependence.

The mechanism of emotional dependence on food

Not only is the food tasty and gives a feeling of pleasure while eating, but the most important thing is that satiety, for how long, turns off the problems existing in a person’s life, and even the uncomfortable emotional state associated with these problems.

In principle, it turns out that a person is dependent on emotional disconnection from a problematic and uncomfortable state.

Naturally, the psyche builds a whole line of defense mechanisms against getting into emotional experiences, because at such moments negative emotions are experienced in full.

In my opinion, it is useless to fight only with the food itself.

Basically, everyone thinks that they need to remove temptations away from their eyes and then the addiction will go away.

But the problems are not being solved.

Let's imagine the ideal scenario for the development of events, probably the one that every person strives for, realizing that food comes first for him.

So how can this be...

When there is no dependence on food, and when food is just food………..

Food is just food, there are no constant thoughts in your head about whether to eat or not to eat.

A person is focused on what is happening in his life, on relationships with loved ones, his thoughts are occupied with pleasant little things, what he needs to do, how to do some things faster and better.

But the most important changes occur in the emotional sphere.

It is impossible to say that all emotional reactions are smooth and positive, because life actually presents us with surprises and surprises.

And these surprises are not always pleasant and expected, therefore, reactions are different.

But a very important point is that a person realizes what is happening to him, realizes what he feels and can choose this feeling of his emotional experiences.

There is no automaticity of reactions, and this absence gives a lot of advantages in relations with the world.

A person ceases to be a victim of circumstances, because he knows how to choose how to behave and how to react to some things that are unpleasant for him.

If there is awareness of the current moment, and a timely choice of one’s behavior in this case, there is absolutely no need to binge and no need to escape from any experiences.

You cannot eliminate negative reactions from life, you cannot be positive all the time, you just need to be realistic and understand what is happening now.

Such a life can be lived by a person who finally hears and feels himself, and then the body does not need protective mechanisms at all to protect from experiences.

How to deal with food addiction?

I think the question you have is how to come to this clear awareness of yourself, how to learn to cope with automatisms, how to get away from the usual model of solving emotional problems with food?

You should not start by restricting food, because in this case, your attention will not be focused on your reactions, but will be focused on what is forbidden.

You may now decide that if you stop controlling your food, you will soon spread to enormous sizes :)

Maybe you will gain a couple of kilograms, this is not excluded, but your task at first is to watch and observe your automatisms.

The habitual reaction to react to external events has arisen for quite a long time and it is natural that immediately changing these automatisms is not at all easy.

They must first be identified, understand how they manifest themselves and how they are triggered. That is, find triggers, trigger mechanisms.

Finding these triggers is facilitated by self-observation, I talk about this very often, but for some reason it is difficult for people to observe themselves, to observe current moments, and often our thoughts turn to the past or to the future.

In principle, this is already a habit, a habit of delving into oneself or daydreaming. Neither one nor the other contributes to self-observation.

A good way would be to write down your own thoughts during the day; for this you can and should keep a diary of emotions

Let me return to the main idea of ​​the article. « How to stop depending on food?”, start working not with food, but with what lies behind hidden feelings and sensations.

Maybe you have just read this article and thought, well, again, nothing concrete, no steps on how to do this.

I want to say that we are all completely different and we all have different ways of thinking, therefore, I don’t want to give general recommendations.

And also, those who are actually engaged in changing their own will draw certain conclusions and begin to work in this direction.

And those who are looking for ready-made solutions and some magic formulas suitable only for him, of course, have not seen anything useful.

Write your opinion about what you read, what do you think?

Do you have a habit of observing yourself?

Best regards, Natalia

P.S. In addition to emotional dependence, there is also a physiological dependence on food. I have a program to help reduce food addiction called “Detox”.

Anna Churylina

For what reasons they struggle with addiction to smoking, drinking alcohol and drugs is understandable. These substances, entering the body, destroy it, disrupt its normal functioning, and shorten its life.

What is food addiction- difficult to understand. There is no such thing as food independence. It is impossible to exist without food entering the body. There are a few that feed on the energy of sunlight, but even those sometimes bother eating.

Psychological dependence on food is when a person absorbs food not because he is hungry, but due to any factor that irritates his nervous system. After eating he feels happy and relaxes.

When calories enter the body, the level of glucose in the blood increases, and, therefore, serotonin - the hormone of happiness. Then the insulin produced by the pancreas “suppresses” the sugar, and the euphoria disappears. The mood falls, and they try to cheer it up in the usual way.

Comes from childhood

In many cases, parents themselves do not understand that they are instilling in their child a habit that will later be difficult for him to get rid of. First, the baby is given a breast or a bottle during the first attempts to make a voice - the child does not cry when he is full. Then, when the baby falls, they give him something sweet to calm him down.

The child has become older:

• relationships in the team do not work out;
• got a bad grade;
• is not popular with the opposite sex...

“Eat something sweet and it will feel better!”- advise caring parents. And indeed, it becomes easier, and already at the first troubles a person runs to the refrigerator or sweeps sweets from the shelves in stores.

And the result is reflected - at best - on appearance, at worst - on health. Due to obesity, the appearance becomes far from model-like - and this again leads to a nervous breakdown, accompanied by continuous absorption of food. Metabolic syndrome occurs, problems with the cardiovascular system and the musculoskeletal system - it is very difficult for the body to cope with the increased load.

Constant work on the “wear and tear” of the pancreas causes diabetes.

How to overcome addiction to food and break the vicious circle: anxiety - food intake - temporary calm - excitement, etc.?

Awareness of the problem

Until a person understands that he is sick, it is impossible to begin treatment for food addiction. In this case, he repeats like an alcoholic or drug addict: “I want it, but I won’t eat it”.

It doesn't last long.

It is not easy to overcome this condition on your own; in most cases, a psychoanalyst or psychotherapist helps restore psychological health.

Food addiction- This is in most cases a sign of dissatisfaction.

It is possible to go to an appointment with a nutritionist only when the root of the problem has been identified and there are already initial prerequisites for refusing to eat. "difficult situation".

If you want to become independent from your own stomach, but it is impossible to contact a specialist for some reason, then the following technique will help solve the problem of how to get rid of the dependence on constant eating.

help yourself

First you need to understand, is it really impossible to overcome difficulties without food, or are you just trying to disguise the real root of the problem?

Signs of food addiction:

• As soon as your soul becomes heavy, your mood deteriorates, you want to eat something tasty - to give yourself pleasure. At the same time, they prefer to eat their fill alone, the meal lasts quite a long time, the dishes are chosen with pleasure;
• During the day, thoughts constantly come to mind about what to eat, you want to quickly be near food counters or in a restaurant, you carefully plan the dishes that will be ordered;
• Self-control is completely absent. All food that is in sight is eaten, regardless of whether one is full or not. There is no feeling of satiety;
• Even in a well-fed state, passing by a stall or counter with food, you buy yourself a chocolate bar or banana, and eat it right away;
• After eating, you feel ashamed that you ate a lot, you curse yourself with the last words, you promise that this was the last time, and that from next Monday, for sure... Is it worth continuing that nothing will change from Monday?

If you observe at least one of the factors described above, it’s time to start treatment.

You can cope with food addiction on your own:

1. You need to count how much food you eat during the day. To do this, you should write down all your meals, all your snacks, etc. in a notebook. In the future, this will help you gradually get rid of excess food.
2. Gradually systematize your food intake. First, 3 main meals are prescribed and 2 snacks between them, then the number of snacks is reduced. At the first stage of treatment, you cannot force the body to suffer from hunger. He will begin to resist intensely, and his health will deteriorate sharply.
3. You need to reward yourself for abstinence. For example: you haven’t eaten for 3 hours, you can eat a piece of chocolate. And this chocolate bar will give you more pleasure than a whole bar that was eaten “out of habit.”

There should be no extreme behavior when treating food addiction! Exhausting diets, extreme physical and sports activities - all this will lead to a nervous breakdown, and recovery will be delayed for a long time.

Recommendations from a psychologist - help for someone recovering from food addiction

Know yourself - this sounds too lofty. But you still have to realize your problems. To change your eating habits, you need to determine whether these unsolvable life difficulties really exist, or, if you look into it, you can "unload yourself"?

Here's what you can do:

• You need to try to find something to do that will entertain you. It’s boring - you need to go not to the grocery store, but to the cinema, museum, or for a walk. Sometimes it is very useful to be in a crowd; it charges you with energy and makes you forget about your own problems. Mass celebrations, crowded concerts - all this makes you take your mind off thoughts about food;
• Change your attitude. You shouldn’t constantly criticize yourself and scold yourself for your weaknesses. Self-criticism ruins life, why drive yourself into depression? Analyze your strengths, note the positive qualities, you should concentrate on them;
• You shouldn’t sharply limit yourself or set a strict daily routine. Recovery should occur gradually. Yesterday I eat, today I don’t eat - a sure way to put the body into a stressful state;
• While eating, you should not be distracted by anything. You need to chew food thoroughly, enjoying the taste of each piece. Then you will be surprised to notice that much less has been eaten, and the desired satiety has arrived;
• During meals, portions should be limited and the number of dishes increased. If you want to try everything, then you can’t help but allow yourself to enjoy it. Those who eat an appetizer, soup, main course, compote and dessert for lunch eat less than those who pour themselves a huge plate of borscht. You may not believe it, but it is true;
• If you make the most of your free time, after work you strive not for the refrigerator, but for a group of like-minded people, then you can distract yourself from food.

Everyone knows that increased appetite is one of the main reasons for weight gain. The more a person eats, the fatter he becomes - this is a fact. Everyone knows this, but, nevertheless, many cannot overcome the desire to eat something tasty. And not because they are hungry, but because they have no control over their own appetite.

As a result, a person consumes much more food than the body needs, and excess calories are deposited on the waist and hips. Of course, no one likes this, but we again “eat up” negative emotions with some tasty treat. As a result, we get a persistent food addiction, which is not so easy to get rid of.

Our conversation today will be about why we eat more than necessary and how to overcome addiction to food on our own:

Causes of food addiction

There are many reasons for this phenomenon, including some diseases and pathological conditions. If we are talking about a physically healthy person, then the main reason for increased appetite is deep, strong dissatisfaction with oneself and one’s entire life. That is, the reason why food addiction occurs is usually purely psychological.

Many people who do not have a successful career or personal life, who have complexes, suffer from dissatisfaction with themselves, or experience stress and strong emotional experiences, often seek solace in food; as they say, they “eat up” their own problems.

Indeed, your favorite food acts as a highly effective sedative. The level of glucose in the blood increases, which promotes the production of serotonin, which has a relaxing, calming effect, and makes you want to rest and sleep. Thus, food consumption becomes a “tasty medicine” for any problems.

But, unfortunately, this does not make the problems disappear; on the contrary, they are even more aggravated by the appearance of extra pounds due to uncontrolled food consumption.

Women who experience additional stress experience weight gain especially hard. This makes the already unstable emotional state even more aggravated. So we get a vicious circle from which, as it seems, there is no way out.

However, this is not so, there is a way out and we will definitely talk about it. But first, let's get acquainted with the main signs of psychological addiction to food.

Signs of addiction

This is a serious problem, which is expressed in the fact that a person cannot overcome the desire to eat something or refuse a snack, even if he does not feel hungry. There are some signs that make it possible to determine the presence of psychological dependence on food.
Let's list them briefly:

With the help of favorite foods, for example, chocolate, a person tries to get rid of the consequences of stress, worries, resentment, sadness, as well as feelings of guilt, loneliness, etc. A dependent person sees the only way out of negative emotions: to eat something.

After eating delicious food, a person feels satisfied and his mood improves. You don’t always want to look for other ways to experience positive emotions. This one is the simplest. Therefore, many people choose a hearty, delicious dinner to gain pleasure and improve their emotional state.

An addicted person experiences real pleasure from the process of absorbing their favorite foods. Therefore, if you eat not because you are hungry, but in order to get at least such pleasure from life, you should think about it.

If the listed signs occur, it is necessary to get rid of the addiction, since it will not bring anything good, but will only complicate your life even more.

How to overcome food addiction on your own?

We need to approach this problem comprehensively. This means that you should not only establish a diet and strictly adhere to it, but also take measures to solve your psychological problems. Let's talk about everything in more detail:

Setting the correct power supply:

Check the refrigerator. Replace foods that contribute to weight gain with low-calorie foods: vegetables, fruits, herbs, etc.

Be sure to have a full breakfast. At lunch, reduce the amount of food, and for dinner, leave a portion of salad or a cup of kefir with bread. Stop snacking. If you can't bear it, eat a fresh fruit or vegetable (without salt).

Before lunch, drink a cup of cool water. It will fill part of your stomach, allowing you to eat less food.

Remember that large portions of low-calorie vegetable products also increase weight, as do high-calorie vegetables. Therefore, stick to a balanced diet, but reduce the portions by half. At first you will be hungry, but after a few days you will get used to it and feel that you have eaten a small amount of food.

Avoid bread completely. Or eat one piece per day. And, of course, don't eat before bed.

It is very important to learn to relax in a way other than using the refrigerator. In particular, yoga, meditation and physical exercise will help. If you really want to eat, go for a walk. If you really want to eat in the evening, the best way to cope with hunger is to go to bed.

If you habitually solve psychological problems with the help of food and cannot give it up, instead of chocolate, nibble on a carrot, cucumber, or eat an apple. And put bowls of candy and baskets of cookies out of sight.

Get more sleep. A person who suffers from insomnia or sleeps less than six hours has an increased appetite and is more prone to obesity.

An active lifestyle, having hobbies and hobbies will help you cope with emotional and psychological problems. If you have severe stress, dissatisfaction with yourself and your life, which you cannot cope with on your own, visiting a psychologist will help. Believe in yourself and everything will work out!

Welcome to the blog pages! The topic of our conversation today is quite delicate. We will try to figure out together whether each of us has not just problems with our diet, but a strong, painful craving for food.

Admitting that you have discovered the symptoms of “food addiction” is not easy. But without such sincerity, at least with yourself, the problem cannot be solved.

It is believed that at least a third of the world's population today is susceptible to addiction to food, which requires treatment for food addiction. We become overgrown with fat, clog blood vessels, and acquire a long list of diseases. And all because we eat not when we feel hungry, but out of habit or “out of idleness,” or, consciously or not, we extract pleasure hormones from foods.

Sometimes the sources of the problem are deeper than we see. And in order to overcome it, you need to understand in detail the physiological and psychological reasons for this attachment. Let's list the main ones:

• Genetic disorders that provoke a lack of dopamine, the good mood hormone;
• Hormonal imbalances, weak production of leptin, a hormone that reduces appetite;
• Food acts on taste buds, and they transmit signals to the brain, to the pleasure center. Repeated positive emotions create a need for them;
• Stress that we “eat up”;
• Distortions in nutrition towards fast food, sweets, confectionery, to which addiction quickly sets in and develops into illness;
• Strict diets, after which breakdowns often occur with obsessive thoughts about “half-eaten” goodies.

"Dead" food that is addictive

The worst thing is that the unnatural craving for the absorption of large volumes of food concerns, first of all, junk food. It would be nice if we compulsively chewed carrots or never parted with a bunch of green onions. Although, even here, too much is not good, but it is not as harmful as excessive consumption of hamburgers.

Nutritionists conventionally identify three types of food that cause the greatest harm to our body. She, alas, is also the most “attaching” one, and it is on her that dependence is most quickly formed.

The first group of products includes “pure” sweets: candy, ice cream, chocolate.

The second category is baked goods and cookies rich in fast carbohydrates. It is precisely because they are quickly absorbed into the blood that there is a surge in the feeling of satiety, but very soon it ends, and the body requires another batch of energy and emotional nourishment.

Dishes made from foods high in fat are classified in the third group.

There is also a fourth, which includes food “perversions” containing all the above-mentioned harmful things. These are cakes, eclairs, hamburgers and other “delicacies”, also richly flavored with flavor enhancers, firmly riveting them to “gourmets”.

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Likely threats

The consequences of uncontrolled appetite can be various disturbances in the functioning of internal organs and systems, including serious diseases, such as:

• Diabetes;
• Oncological pathologies;
• Disruptions in the gastrointestinal tract;
• Obesity;
• and a number of other complications.

Does this type of addiction occur in children?

While our children are growing, we sometimes try to feed them as much as possible. Without suspecting that we are creating the ground for a child to become addicted to food.

In one family I know, the parents insistently demanded that the girl eat everything with bread, including pasta, meat and other foods that were poorly combined with the main product. The obedient baby did just that, and at first she touched everyone with her pleasant curves. But then she grew up. At school, and then at work, communication problems arose, because, you can guess what the young girl of size 60 is called behind her back, and how others treat her. At best, with sympathy. Now she is far from young, but she is still very lonely. Moreover, loving parents are no longer around.

Repeating the saying: “A spoon for mom, a spoon for dad,” sometimes remember this really unhappy woman who is now desperately struggling with obesity, but her hand treacherously reaches out for another sandwich...

Often the causes of the problem are the busyness of parents, lack of time to communicate with children, or even a lack of emotional intimacy. Mom tries to compensate for this deficiency with goodies such as chips, lollipops, and all this is very harmful for a fragile body and instantly produces an addictive reaction.

We make a “diagnosis” ourselves

In fact, determining whether we have a painful attraction is not at all difficult. There is a list of specific questions and statements, descriptions of situations, which together make up a test for food addiction.

Answer them sincerely and draw a conclusion.

I hope you, my dear readers, have more negative answers. If the opposite is true, then this is a reason to think seriously, and at the same time read this small selection of my articles about the basics of a healthy diet.

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How to deal with the problem?

Let's say you honestly admit to yourself: yes, there are all or most of these signs of trouble. This is already half a step towards victory. Moving on, you need to decide how to get rid of this scourge.

The simplest thing is to conduct a detailed audit of your diet, highlighting its most harmful components. Think about what you can replace them with. To begin with, if you can’t completely give up donuts and cakes, at least cut back on your daily dose. And make it a rule to enjoy them only in the first half of the day, but not in the evening. In the article I discussed this issue in detail. Therefore, do not be lazy and follow the link to read and know these products “in person”.

Replace sausage, frankfurters, dumplings and other semi-finished products and surrogates with a regular piece of meat - it’s healthier, there are fewer calories, and it’s also tasty, finally.

What to do with your favorite sweets? Replace confectionery products with natural products rich in glucose: fruits (fresh and dried fruits), honey. High-quality chocolate will also work, in small doses.

Porridges, any dishes made from vegetables and herbs, nuts, and fermented milk products are very good. If you prepare and combine them correctly, they will be quite appetizing, and at the same time not too “intrusive”. Although, the habit of eating healthy food is also developed over time, but this is already a very useful skill.

There is another effective method of combating habits - this is displacing them, replacing them with others. Above I just said about acquiring a craving for another “drug” - healthy food. But you can also do something interesting, for example, learn to knit, embroider, weave baskets, write articles. Or at least read fascinating books. It’s really addictive and makes you forget about afternoon snacks and dinners for a while.

The ideal way to overcome a destructive passion is to constantly go to the gym. Here we get “three in one” - we tone the muscles, lose weight, and take a break from snacking. Plus bonuses - excellent health and mood.

Just what the doctor ordered

But even with heroic efforts, we are not always able to cope with the problem on our own. Don't despair. In this case, you simply need to use the help of specialists. Usually this is a nutritionist and psychologist, who need to talk in detail about the signs of food addiction that you have noted.

A nutritionist will likely give specific advice on balancing your diet. She will recommend including more fiber-rich foods in the menu, such as cereals, vegetables, fruits, herbs, and legumes. Drink more pure water, without sweeteners and dyes, without other additives and gas.

A psychologist will teach you to enjoy life without food “feeds”. Most often, sessions are held in groups, it is quite possible that you will find new friends there, and it will be easier to cope with the situation together.

In some cases, drug treatment is also added. But the main thing in the “re-education” algorithm is the support of loved ones. After all, it is best to completely remove provoking products from everyday life. This means that family members will also be drawn into the process of withdrawal. But it is not easy and quite lengthy, and may be accompanied by breakdowns, including nervous breakdowns.

Any dependence is lack of freedom. But it can be difficult to give up on it, especially if the problem is old, “chronic”.

I sincerely wish you all, dear friends, to free yourself from bad habits and learn to experience joyful emotions from communicating with friends, good books, from traveling and useful hobbies.

Smile, gentlemen! See you again!