Staying vigilent to the addictive response

(AJ) #1

I have posted this on the fb page too.

Had a chat with DH yesterday (in the pub) about my LCHF/keto WOE. He has been wary about what I’m doing for a couple of reasons I think; (1) we’ve been together a long time and he has seen me on this diet, that diet, the other diet many, many times and he has experienced the aftermath when it all goes pear-shaped and I sink into a depression and fall back into bingeing again. The second reason is the accent on eating fat and my intake of salt has increased too; he has been brought up to believe that both should be limited. I get that because I too found it difficult to come to terms with at first.

I realised that all I could do was keep going and eventually he would see that this time was different, that I’m here (in this WOE) to stay, that for the first time it was never a struggle, thatI was able to eat wonderful-tasting real food when I was hungry (which is maybe once or twice a day now) and that I was NEVER tempted to binge on anything, ever.

He has learned to be very careful what he says when talking to me about this stuff because he knows just now sensitive I am so when he mentioned my particular ‘enjoyment’ of extra thick double cream, which I have a dollop of two or three times a week after tea (with cinnamon/nutmeg/100% dark choc grated) I was all set to be defensive about it and actually said “well I weigh up my fat intake and adjust accordningly, if I think I haven’t had enough, I’ll have some cream in a bowl”.

Then I got to thinking, hmmm maybe he has a point. I have this stuff after my tea when I am not actually hungry at all, so why am I eating it? Is it starting to stimulate my addictive response? Am I kidding myself that I need to increase my fat uptake? Well, actually I already knew the answer and it is “yes” to both questions. Sigh.

My advice to myself is this, if you are NOT HUNGRY and you want to eat [insert your own food here, cream in my case] it is time to honestly question your motives.

(Mark) #2

I totally agree,I’m in the middle of a fast right now and have been doing the fasting, for the health benefits as well as helping me to change my thoughts about eating,I didn’t like eating as much as I was,but now that I understand that alot of that, desire to eat when not hungry and cravings were driven by my out of control insulin,it’s made me feel so much better,I posted a video over on a post called accidental fasting, you can search for it on here,the video is by Butter Bob Briggs and he explains this concept of eating only when hungry very well,it sounds like a simple concept,but I know it can be challenging for a lot of people,good luck on your path to health

(Jacquie) #3

It’s interesting when our ‘aha’ moments happen. This was posted in another group and I found it very helpful. Jeanne Segal, a psychologist, explains the difference between physical and emotional hunger. She nailed it for me. :slight_smile:

(charlson.melissa) #4

Great article! Thanks for sharing!

#5

THIS ^^.

I’m am so addicted to sweetness. I can eat just a tiny bit of 90 or 100% chocolate, or cream, or anything really. But if I add a sweetener, then I just want MORE no matter how full I feel.

(Mark) #6

It is interesting how powerful the the reward center is in the brain,I found the talks by Julia Ross very interesting, on her work with alcoholics and addicts,and treating them with nutrition, and cutting out sugar ,she has a very good book called The Mood Cure, I strongly agree that cutting out sugar and carbs should be at the top of any addiction treatment protocol, stabilise the the blood sugar and make getting and staying sober much easier

(Meeping up the Science!) #7

Addiction has many components: behavioral and neurological are the two primary ones. We also have a social component to addiction. I can easily skip drinking or shooting heroin in public, well, hopefully! Food, however, is ubiquitous and cultural, especially carb-laden stuff. It is charged with emotion and tradition. Not so easy to step back from it, is it?

For some, eating can also serve the same purpose self-harm or cutting does. It helps with emotion regulation, consciously and unconsciously. It is more insidious because eating is, obviously, more acceptable socially than cutting, however it is no less dangerous for some of us.

It’s definitely a very complicated tangle to find our way out of.

(Tamara Beard) #8

Yes, very well explained. Thank you!

(Jacquie) #9

I read her book many years ago and still have it. :slight_smile: Sugar/sweet has always been my ‘issue’.