Is junk food really a reward?

[nevertoolate]

Anyone else notice they have very LOW SELF-ESTEEM and use food to make them feel LOVED??? If you feel slighted, left out, not good enough, there's nothing like a half dozen goodies to fix that, right? Disappointment, jealousy, rejection, nothing a pound of chocolate-covered somethings can't cure, true? what's pitifull is, it does exactly the opposite... if we're heavy, it just makes us gain more weight....and the sugar thrill doesn't even last that long.....by the time the food hits our stomach, we hate ourselves for eating it. so where's the REWARD and why do we call it a treat?? Doesn't make sense, does it?
Marilyn in Ohio

[step3]

by the time the food hits our stomach, we hate ourselves for eating it. so where's the REWARD and why do we call it a treat?? Doesn't make sense, does it?

No, it doesn't! It's definitely not a treat, but that's what we call it when we're "out there, in the food". It is SO, SO good to see, for myself, that these foods are toxic to me and in my system, and that I cannot safely eat them. When I do, they cause physical cravings for More, More!!! Abstinence from all forms of sugar/flour/and wheat by following the suggested FAA food plan has helped me to recover from the insanity of the disease. Thank you FAA!

[gettingitright]

Yes, both of you are so right. Since finding FAA i have starting questioning how I "reward" my family as well.

For instance while I was out at the store this morning buying some of my abstinent food I picked up a sugar and fat laden dessert for my husband to show him I was thinking about him. It wasn't until I got home that I questioned this action.

My husband had already started using trips to amusement parks and gift cards instead of sweet treats for my daughter. But last night I "rewarded" her with ice cream!

So I would definitely like to break my cycle of using POISON to show love.
Thanks FAA family,
Ebony in NC

[nevertoolate]

Dessert comes after dinner for a reason, it's a reward for eating your whole dinner, at least that's what we learn in childhood...."if you don't eat your food, you can't have dessert."

So we form a pattern of rewarding ourselves for working, for doing chores, for doing things we don't want to do or that are difficult, with sugary and floury stuff. No wonder it's so hard to break this habit..... when we don't have our "reward" anymore, we may feel cheated and deprived. This is the emotional part of the addiction, just part of it.
So we have to find other ways to reward ourselves....what ways have you found to reward yourself that doesn't involve food?
marilyn in ohio

[gettingitright]

Dessert comes after dinner for a reason, it's a reward for eating your whole dinner, at least that's what we learn in childhood...."if you don't eat your food, you can't have dessert."

So we form a pattern of rewarding ourselves for working, for doing chores, for doing things we don't want to do or that are difficult, with sugary and floury stuff. No wonder it's so hard to break this habit..... when we don't have our "reward" anymore, we may feel cheated and deprived. This is the emotional part of the addiction, just part of it.
So we have to find other ways to reward ourselves....what ways have you found to reward yourself that doesn't involve food?
marilyn in ohio

Marilyn, that is what I am working on right now. I way to reward myself without using food ( well myself and my family). I want to use healthy rewards like that won't cause me to feel guilty afterward, so I'm going through a new list of my likes.
Ebony