compulsive eating or addiction?

[aslanpar]

NOTICE from FAA Online Support Coordinator: This topic was originally found in the forum "Welcome to FAA Online Support" but after some posting the topic moved to address concerns for newcomers to FAA coming from outside the U.S. For that reason, this topic has been moved to the appropriate forum but a "shadow" has been left in the "Welcome to FAA Online Support" forum because the topic is of concern to all newcomers, whether from the U.S. or not.

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I am still not sure if I am a compulsive eater/food abuser or if it is addiction? How do I know for sure which one?

[Jackie]

That's a good question. And there is a list of questions on this website to help you answer that and a list of questions in the Newcomer Booklet. Food Addiction does have a compulsive part to it; but not all compulsive eaters are food addicts. My family can eat one cookie and stop and that was never how it happened for me. Once I began eating those foods with sugar, flour or wheat, I wanted "more". I would keep going back for another and another till they were all gone or the box or bag went empty. FAA believes that it is a bio-chemical reaction in the brain - that this is a disease; and once those foods with s/f/w are eaten, then the biochemical reaction just happens and we are powerless over it. By abstaining from s/f/w in all of their many forms and there is a list of the names of sugar and wheat along side of the food plan, then the cravings stop. And by working the Steps of the program with a sponsor, I can continue to heal not only physically; but also, mentally and spiritually. Having the support of a sponsor is wonderful to help avoid the pitfalls and potholes that await us on this path of recovery.

[rc71]

jackie when i read your post i nodded in agreement to everything you said, i am currently stuck in a negative cycle of eating sugar and wanting more, its like it has taken over me and i feel awful, i have no motivation and am tired all the time, its a vicious circle of guilt and shame then eating more to feel better when in fact all it is doing is making me feel worse, i am new to the site and would appreciate some support :(

[Jackie]

Welcome to FAA,

We're all glad that you are here and checking out this website. There is a phone meeting tonight at 8pm Eastern - it's a standard conference call, just the price of a long distance phone call....I spent soooo much more on those junk foods. Or you can use those free minutes on your cell phone and there are other ways to connect that don't cost much. The beginner's phone meeting is Sunday at 6pm Eastern (3pm Pacific). They have topics geared for newcomers and we have all been in your shoes. You aren't alone anymore. Please keep coming back and reaching out to us.

[rc71]

thanks jackie i am based in europe gmt i am not sure how the phone support works but it sounds great, thank you for your kind words and its nice to feel i am not alone :)

[TYGtoday]

Hi rc71,

We have members who come to FAA phone meetings from all over the world. If you go to the Home Page of the Food Addicts Anonymous website;

http://www.foodaddictsanonymous.org

and go to the section called "Meetings, Events, News", you will find a section for phone meetings. All meetings there are listed according to EST in the U.S. The following link is a world time clock converter so that you can find out what time a particular meeting is for you:

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html

I suggest, if you try phone meetings, getting phone numbers of recovering FAA members and making Outreach Calls to them. The Outreach Phone Calls I made when I was new were invaluable in answering the many questions I had before I had my sponsor. There is a time for phone number exchange at the end of the phone meetings.

TYG

P.S. You're very, very right, rc... you aren't alone anymore, and you never have to be alone again! And not only that, but you are among people who have been where you are right now... all of us have been brand new and know the feelings of that, and of active food addiction. Welcome!

[TYGtoday]

Hi aslanpar,

It's so good to see that you are here in FAA's Online Support asking questions; that's great.

There's a page on the Food Addict's Anonymous website that's very helpful. It's called "Are You a Food Addict?" Here's the direct link to it:

http://www.foodaddictsanonymous.org/are-you-food-addict

I have another suggestion for you to help decide if you're a food addict. I'd start going to FAA meetings, whether in person, on the phone, or online. Listen to what people are sharing, all the while listening to what you have in common with them, not what's different. You may find yourself thinking, "I felt like that!" or "I did that!" After some time, it may come to you that, "If they did those things and felt that way, and have identified themselves as food addicts... and I felt the same way and did the same things... well, maybe I too am a food addict."

Another thing that helped me was to look at my history with s/f/w. Times when I was dieting and there was no sugar, in particular, in the diet, I seemed to do fairly well. But as soon as any amount of sugar was added back into my diet, the struggle started. That struggle to control s/f/w was just awful. And the truth is that I will never be able to control those substances for any significant period of time because when I put them in my body, an addictive response is set up. I feel ravenous when I've just eating a full meal, or I start bingeing and can't stop until I'm so full there's just no more room. And there have been times where the tissue hunger was so upon me that even when there was no room left, I kept eating. Not pretty.

Anyway, I took the chance and started following the food plan. When I had passed through withdrawal/detox, the greatest thing happened... there were no more cravings! And sometimes I still can't get over it, but I just don't want those things anymore.

Keep coming, keep sharing, aslanpar.

TYG

[jana]

I'm new to this as well. I was going along pretty smoothly with the food plan, but I had all these "lean cuisines" and "smart ones" in the freezer. I just hated to waste them, though they all contain flour, wheat and sugar, not to mention numerous things with names too long to remember. I thought "oh what could it hurt - just use them up." I had a ravioli "smart one" for lunch with my salad, and found I was nonstop hungry for about 36 hours. I was really surprised. In fact it is my surpirse and acknowlegment of the connection between that lean cuisine and the desire to eat eat eat that allowed me to just accept the hunger and wait to see if it would stop. It did. Another experiment had me try a slice of gluten free bread (maybe I just have a gluten allergy, right?) being given out at Trader Joes. Same result. I marvel at my response to flour. Again, it was awarenes of this that kept me from "going out." SSo compulsive eater, allergy, food addict -- I don't know. The plan is working for me.

[step3]

For those who are interested in this question, there is a good chapter in the FAA Green Book (which is the basic text for Food Addicts Anonymous) called The Difference Between Addiction and Compulsion. It's written by Dr. Charles Stark who was an important influence on FAA in the early days.

For me, I'm eating compulsively when I'm eating over my emotions. I can do this over anger, for instance, trying to "stuff" it. I'm eating addictively when I put an addictive food substance (sugar, flour, or wheat) into my body and I find I can't stop eating because of the addictive response. Non-food addicts don't have this response to s/f/w. They don't have a PHYSICAL compulsion to keep eating like I, a food addict, do. In addition, I have a mental obsession with s/f/w when I've been ingesting them that is almost impossible to resist. So it seems like when I was in active addiction, I was either eating s/f/w, thinking about eating s/f/w, or going through the after-effects of eating them.

The food plan worked for me... when I ate according to the food plan, I no longer had the physical cravings. I've heard the saying, "If the cure works, maybe you have the illness". Something to think about! ;)

[Carol]

Hi there dear folks. I am very new here and I'm a 52 year old English lady, widow, living back in the UK after living in France for 12 years. I have had various eating disorders for 30 years now and still very much struggling. I have been anorexic/bulimic/obese/underweight/compulsive/addicted to food/binging/starving n at present restricting. My whole family is 'into' food in a big way but sadly it's killing me. I have no children due to damage caused by anorexia. I feel I may have found 'home' and folk who understand me, as I do them. I look forward to being an active member. Thankyou. I live in south east London with my father n the only love in my life, Waggie dog, my baby!! XXX