Weight for Success

I’ve never been to overeaters annonymous before but I assume that it runs kind of like an alcoholics meeting (but I’ve never been to one of those either). I’ve been reading about food addictions lately and I’m finding, uncomfortably, that I might be a food addict.

One sign of addiction is an inability to be around foods without wanting to consume them even when you are not hungry. This describes me perfectly and until now, I’ve never really thought about this. If there are potato chips in the house the food addict will eat every single one of them regardless of a satisfaction level. I am definitely that person. I have the same issue with certain flavors of ice cream and most sweets. I will pick at a pizza all night long — even after I’ve wrapped it up and put it in the refridgerator — until it is gone.

I’ve told my doctor and my family that I know for sure that my weight problem is a calorie in / calorie out problem. I know that I don’t eat because I’m hungry. What I didn’t realize is that my binges may not just be about emotional conflict, they might be a true addiction.

It’s really hard to write that I think I’m a food junkie, but I believe that the addiction and the emotional issues of obesity are interdependent. I am aware that I eat when I’m upset or when conflicts rise in my life. But could it be also true that there is an addiction — a physical desire to eat? Does this “dependency” on sweet and fat actually exist that drives the desire to eat and eat and eat? I’ve been fighting for years to discover the “lack” in my life (a la Oprah) that drives me to overeat. Do I feel unloved, unfulfilled, unappreciated? While all of those things might be true, they may not be the only cause of my binges. It may be that I am addicted.

An addiction to food is categorized as a behavioral addiction. When the person is addicted, they experience urges or cravings to engage in the behavior, which intensify until the person carries out the behavior again, usually feeling relief and elation. I don’t know that I ever feel “elation”. Given that you experience cravings to engage in the behavior, doesn’t everyone crave food when they are hungry? So what makes a skinny person who eats at lunch time different than one who is food addicted? I don’t have the answer yet, but I’ll keep searching.

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I feel a bit like the White Rabbit from Alice in Wonderland — “I’m late, I’m late”. I just get into a groove posting to the blog and then slam, life gets me. Which brings me to this question. Does a crazy, busy lifestyle derail you from a diet? Is it possible to eat healthy and have an insane schedule?

Obviously the answer to both questions is yes, and the answer is proper planning and priorities but how do you do that? My doctor tells me the key to success in weight loss is making yourself a priority, and I realize that I’m not a priority for anyone else so if I don’t make myself and my health a #1 concern no one else will do that for me.

The Resistance Factor
First identify the inside and outside resistance forces. Often time dealing with outside forces — the needs of friends and family — can seem like the overriding factor, but after analyzing the situation personal resistance can be just as big a factor. I’ve been derailed at least a dozen times in the last year and I’ve come to realize that planning and being prepared with menu plans and a clear path to success are the only things that keep me going in the right direction.

Be Persistent
I admit that I am humiliated to admit, as I did above, that I’ve been pulled off track over 12 times in the last year. My diet efforts have still resulted in a net loss albeit not as large as I’d like, but persistence is still one of the factors that I hope will eventually bring me to a successful end.

Get Serious with Rewards and a Plan
Here’s my down fall. I thought I was serious about this, but if i was truly committed to the effort I wouldn’t waiver in my efforts to stay on track. I get comfortable with the rhythm and I think “surely this won’t hurt” and before you know it there are five things that won’t hurt and as they add up eventually they break my focus and cause me to come off track.

If you’re dieting and looking to me for inspiration I would say this one thing in my defense. I’m 55 pounds lighter and I’m still here working on it. Like the tortoise and the hare, eventually I’ll get to the finish line. I’d just rather be a bit more rabbit this year!

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