Friday, August 1, 2014

Really good article on food addiction

How To Break Your Food Addiction For Fast Weight Loss
posted 4 hours ago

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It is possible to have an addiction to food in the same way people would to alcohol or drugs. People who are addicted to food find themselves constantly thinking about food and this will inevitably lead to overeating. Even if you know that you need to lose weight, being able to do something about it when you are addicted to food is very difficult. There are steps that can be taken to help you deal with this addiction and to be able to start to eat healthier but you first need to understand why you may have this addiction.
Food Addiction Is A Behavior Issue
Food addiction does not necessarily mean that that you are addicted to one particular food. If you find yourself constantly wanting to eat even when you are not hungry then this may be a behavioural issue as you are likely to be eating in order to distract yourself when you are bored or to help you deal with a stressful situation. As time goes on you will find that you need more food in order to relieve your boredom or to feel less stressed. The more calories that you consume the more weight you will put on which can lead to a number of health problems.
What Are The Signs Of Food Addiction?
There are a number of signs that you may have an addiction to food. If you are already thinking about what you will be later even if you are eating at the moment then this could be a sign of addiction. Other signs include eating the food that you are craving as soon as possible, for example eating the food that you have just purchased as soon as you leave the store, or being unable to resist the item you have bought for dessert and eating it before you have even eaten your main meal. You may also find that you are unable to leave food that is leftover in the kitchen and will just keep eating it until it has all gone. You should try some effective ways to control your cravings.
What Are The Dangers Of Food Addiction?
The biggest danger of food addiction is that you will gain a lot of weight in a short space of time. You will also continue to gain weight as the amount you eat is likely to increase over time. Being overweight can lead to a number of serious health conditions including respiratory problems, heart disease and even certain types of cancer. Having a food addiction can also affect your mental health. Thinking about food all the time can make it hard to concentrate on anything else and you may also experience feelings of guilt whenever you have eaten something that you know you shouldn't have. All of these feelings may start to get on top of you after a while. It can also cause you financial problems if you are constantly spending money on food that you do not really need and this may impact further on your mental health.
How Can You Break The Cycle?
The longer that you have had this addiction, the more difficult it is likely to be to learn to break from the pattern of behavior that leads you to overeat. However, there are techniques that you can learn to help you deal with certain situations and over time you will find it easier to handle these situations by using these techniques. Keeping a food journal can help you assess what you are eating and when which can be useful in recognizing which foods you ate even though you weren't hungry. By knowing that you will have to write it down, it may help you to question whether you actually need to eat at that time or whether you are just doing it out of habit.
Conclusion
Having a food addiction makes it very likely that you will be overeating on a daily basis which will inevitably lead to weight gain. The addiction can have long term effects on both your mental and physical health and if you suspect you may be suffering from a food addiction then you should seek help as soon as possible.
There are steps that you can take to help you overcome this addiction, thereby lead you to healthy and faster weight loss. But it is something that you are likely to find difficult and it will require a lot of hard work on your part.

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