should you treat obesity as an addiction?

[CookiesRYum]

i am obese and have been overweight for most of my life. I have made attempts to loose weight and get healthy both for myself and others but never had success. I have been reading a book about a herion addict and relate to so many things she talks about. Spins me out! And has got me thinking am i addicted to eating? Why? And how should i deal with it? i have never considered it an addiction but maybe it is?

[MummaBear03]

Overeating is due to addiction. Obesity isn't an addiction, as such, but can be caused by an addiction to eating too much food, and food of the wrong variety.

[CookiesRYum]

yeh i mean the behaviour of over eating itself and for me eating take away. I realise it's not hunger etc it's definately emotional but i guess i thought i had some control over it. But the similarities between my behaviour and the herion addict where uncanny. Obviously my addiction is legal and cheap so it is far less devastating and i don't assume my problems are the same as hers. But it's am interesting thought to approach it as an addiction. Has anyone who has overcome weight problems approached it as am addiction?

[Pinkzy]

:wave: I definitely believe overeating is an addiction and is as serious addiction as the next, whether it's legal or not. It's still a dangerous addiction and it can lead to serious health conditions, such as obesity and other health problems.

The reasons why you're addicted to overeating would be personal and only you could really know what they are, usually any addiction is about filling a void though so if you know what that is, and why you eat to perhaps fill that void, you'd definitely be a step closer to knowing what causes you to overeat iykwim?

Speaking to a GP about this (and/or a counsellor) would definitely be a good idea if you're very concerned.

In the past - I have been an over-eater myself and I've also overcome an eating disorder, which was also referred to as an addiction by my then treating psych. I did overcome all my issues with food however it was only due to therapy...personally I wouldn't of overcome it or recovered from it without the help.

[MimiGrace]

Like Mummabear03 said, obesity in itself isn't an addiction (since it can be caused by so many things), but over-eating/comforting eating certainly can be.
They also have over-eaters annonymous meetings you can go to.
One of my family friends attends them regularly, and also has an online support group (which shouldn't be too hard to find if you google it).

Don't they always say that admittance is the first step to recovery? :hugs:Goodluck :)

[CookiesRYum]

hey thanks. I was thinking about seeing someone. I never realised how unhappy it was making me by not really having control of my life and behaviours. There has to be a better way. Oh yeh you name it i have a long long list of experiences and situations that could have created this addiction and have spoken to shrinks in the past but always on my terms and never made the weight connection. I'm glad things worked out for you. We humans are complex things aren't we!

[Pinkzy]

:hugs: Wishing you the best :)

[Opinionated]

hmm, not sure. Most other addictions you can quit. Eating is something that you have to do, every day of your life.

I don't think it is the eating part that is most peoples' problem. They are fine with eating to sustain themselves, it is the eating they do for other reasons (fun, boredom, to fill some emotional gap, reward etc) that is a problem.

I think obese people would be better served learning coping skills to deal with their eating behaviours that are not related to sustenance rather than treating it as an addiction. You can't quit eating.

[CookiesRYum]

yeh i do agree to an extent but when all those skills just don't seem to work because you have some underlying "thing" that seems to just take over then what? I really am starting to think that seeing it as an addiction in so much as it controls you gives you a whole new way of approaching it. I always say to my husband i wish it was as easy as quitting eating full stop rather than having to eat three times a day. It'r like sending an alchoholic to the pub three times a day but telling them to drink only enough beer to sustain them.

[Countrydeb]

I too have been obese for years,tried lots of diets,lose a bit of weight,feel better,start living it up and boom there i am heavier than i was before....i know i eat too big a portions,a lot of the wrong stuff and most of all when i am not hungry.......I use food as comfort a lot as it is cheap[well cheaper than booze and drugs] ,legal,and as said before here we have to eat....it is also a big social thing for me,i love getting together with my friends for a nice special[ie not jenny craig] feast.....I really hate how i feel tho and it is affecting my health big time.......so i know it is time to do something and i am not looking forward to it...blah i hate food

[~Bec~]

Well obesity is the result of overeating and not enough exercise and I definitely think eating can be addictive for some (eg, me :( ). The problem with eating is that we have to do it, unlike drinking or taking drugs, we have to eat every day. Try saying to an alcoholic as part of their recovery that they have to have 3 or 4 drinks every day but that's all. We have to have a little bit of our 'poison' every day :(

Fortunately these days I have discovered the joy of working out which keeps things under control a bit but still battle with too much 'input'. :(

[SassyMummy]

I think it's like an addiction (over-eating that is), but it can be pretty hard to control because it's something you can never completely give up.

I'm just in the obese category, and I'm really trying to lose weight. It's so HARD though, especially right now as I cannot exercise (due to recent surgery).

I have all the TOOLS to lose weight, I know exactly how to do it... it's just finding it within myself to actually be able to that's the problem.

[kirra]

I'm the same I've had the tools to lose weight for a long time, but I just can't do it. It seems so hard and I rebel I just don't want to be told what to do and how to do it. I know I need to as my 3 year son saw me in the bathroom after I had a shower yesterday and said your a little bit fat. Whether he knew what he was saying or not It hurt. I don't want my eating issues to become theirs. I don't want the fact that their mum is obese to become a reason for the to be teased.

I have worked out with my psychologist that I use eating bad things shopping and drinking as a way to fill a hole or something. We have only realised I have had long term depression and then PND mixed in too. It's amazing how you learn to cope with day to day things but yet be in denial on how you are treating yourself. I have been overweight for 11 years. It took to late last year to actually see myself as others do. I need to start changing my lifestyle but I have hidden behind the weight for so long its scary to even complete the first step and to get through the first week let alone the first year.


When I worked out I wasn't happy I went to dr and spoke to him. We wrote out a mental health plan and the MHN recommended a fantastic psychologist. With the mental health plan I can claim up to 12 visits a year through medicare. So I pay $140 a session and get back $117. There is help out there. Also started on anti depressants which has helped with my way of thinking and has pulled me back to the real world instead of thinking non stop all these thoughts in my head were taking over :)

But I can't make my problems my children's problems anymore. I can't teach them my bad coping mechanisms. :) Goodluck.

Maybe we can all be a support network for each other.

[Blueberry Crumble]

I am battling this myself. For me, eating= comfort and fun. I will over eat when I am happy!! I dont have any void in my life, I think I have just developed some VERY bad habits over the past few years and habits are really hard to break!

I am exercising a lot though, which helps. I am doing Aqua aerobics 3 times a week and walking for nearly an hour every other day. I find that it makes me more accountable to what I put in my mouth if I exercise.

But my main problem is eating at night. I am soooo used to going to bed on a full tummy (been doing it for years!) I find it really hard to go to bed hungry I cant sleep!

[nugglyboysmum]

yep it is similar to an addiction. I have been obese for about 2 years now and I hate it. I just love my food so much. I eat cause im hungry, but i eat to the point that my stomach hurts. I eat because Im happy, sad, depressed, excited, lonely, bored. I just love to eat! I am trying hard to make better choices everyday and walk everyday, though there are many days where I can find an excuse not to walk. We have just moved 1 street away from the CBD, so I have no excuse to not walk, i should be wakling everywhere.

I have just started making little changes like, porridge for breakfast instead of coco pops or nutri grain. tuna on vita wheats instead of a pie for lunch. Home cooked tea instead of take away. Water instead of softdrink or milk shake or juice. fruit, yogurt and nuts for snacks rather than chocolate and cake.

I will stop putting on weight and hopefully I will start losing some soon, its just a matter of time, i am trying not rush myself, just slowly change my way of life.

[Chunkydunks]

I have all the TOOLS to lose weight, I know exactly how to do it... it's just finding it within myself to actually be able to that's the problem.

I can relate to this perfectly. My GP keeps wanting to send me to a dietician but I don't need to go. Telling me what to eat, especially when I already know these things, isn't going to make me eat the right things. I had to slowly changes these things myself.

The food intake is getting better and now I just have to get the exercise under control. I just can't get myself out there enough. I was going tot he gym with my sister but we stopped at one stage and haven't started again. There is always some excuse.

I'm actually going through theropy now for numerous issues and one of the things that keeps popping up is that the weight is my protection hence the hesitation to get rid of it. I want so much to lose it all, be fit, be healthy, better my chances of falling pregnant and just being able to buy normal sized clothes would be good. But there is something unconscious preventing me from giving it a real go.

One thing that helped for a while was to make sure I wasn't focusing on food. I used to go through all the diet books and recipe books for hours on end. It had to stop so I started getting into other things like knitting and scrapbooking just to keep me busy. It stopped the boredom eating because my mind was occupied and so were my hands.

Good luck with it all.