That scary word....Addiction.

Food Addiction. It has become more and more prevalent over the past few years. Much like addictive drugs, foods we enjoy more than others can trigger feel-good brain chemicals such as dopamine. Once you experience pleasure associated with increased dopamine transmission in the brain's reward pathway from eating these certain foods, you may feel the need to eat again even though you are no longer hungry or even if you're full. It's the reward signals from these foods that override other signals of fullness and satisfaction. Hence, you keep eating, because it feels and tastes good.

People who show signs of food addiction may also develop a tolerance to food. They eat more and more, only to find that food satisfies them less and less. Scientists believe that food addiction may play an important role in obesity. But normal-weight people may also struggle with food addiction. Their bodies may simply be genetically programmed to better handle the extra calories they take in. Or they may increase their physical activity to compensate for overeating. People who are addicted to food will continue to eat despite negative consequences, such as weight gain or damaged relationships. And like people who are addicted to drugs or gambling, people who are addicted to food will have trouble stopping their behavior, even if they want to or have tried many times to cut back.
Addiction. That's a word that a lot of people are scared of. Some people don't realize that they're an addict because most people associate that word with drugs or alcohol. But the word applies to so many who don't even realize it. I am a food addict. I've always been a food addict and I will always fight this addiction. As scary as it may seem, addiction is something you can break. It comes back to my post yesterday about discipline. I no longer obsess over the food I eat in the sense that I just want to eat, eat, eat. I now obsess over the quality and quantity of the food I consume. I obsess over food to keep myself from being addicted in the wrong way. I think about food constantly. I know, that's super unhealthy, but it's the truth. As soon as I'm done with one snack or meal, I immediately start counting down to the next time I get to eat. I have to spread everything out and control when I eat in order to not use up all of my calories too soon in the day. I wish I could go about my day without thinking about it all the time, but I know that I can't. Some days are better than others, but for the most part its an all-consuming thought for me.

I'm going to confess something here with you that I've never shared with anyone. I, from time to time, would commit what is known as "Chew and Spit". It's just like it sounds. Chew the food and then spit it out rather than swallow it to avoid consuming the calories. This is an old disorder, but has very recently come to light. And yes, it is listed among eating disorders. I hate that I've done that. I hate that it's a hard habit to break. I hate what it can do. It temporarily satisfies the urge to eat by giving you sensation through chewing the food. The act of eating. But, through research, it has been proven to actually cause your appetite to heighten. The sugars in the food are still consumed and released into your system and can cause your body to produce more insulin than it should, causing your appetite to increase. For a while, I was doing this at least once a day with some form of sweet food that I just couldn't bare to actually consume and risk the caloric intake of said food. But, once I did research on the disorder and realized that it is truly doing way more harm than originally thought, I stopped. It can cause mouth sores, stomach ulcers (been there, done that, no thanks), cracked teeth, bad breath, not to mention that it has proven to lead to other, more serious disorders...It was hard to stop, honestly, but I did and I fight the urge to do it often. Please, do not open yourself up to something like this. It is most definitely not safe, not healthy, and a waste of food/money.

I've literally never shared that with anyone (Not even my mom...hey mom.). I feel ashamed for committing such an act. I feel better getting it out in the open, but it doesn't change the fact that I feel like an idiot for doing it. Being a food addict is a real problem that a lot of people suffer from. My advice to you, if you're such a person, is to focus your obsession on your food the way I have. Focus on the quality of food your eating. Focus on how much of it you're eating, the amount of calories you're consuming. When you're eating healthy, you kind of have to make everything your favorite. What I mean is, you have to replace your old addictions with new ones. Instead of eating bowl after bowl of sugary cereal, try replacing that with oatmeal or smoothies. See what I mean? I love so many foods now that I never even remotely liked before because, when you cut out the bad stuff, you have to fill that void with something. I never liked a lot of vegetables, but after changing the way I eat, I enjoy so many of them now because I think about how low in calorie they are and how much more filling they are than say french fries. It's ok to obsess. Just obsess in the healthy way. Help yourself out of addiction and focus your efforts onto a new way to be addicted. Become addicted to eating good foods and better portion control. You can change yourself and you can succeed!