Quitting my food addiction.

I need to start doing things now to help increase my chances of being accepted for surgery here in Canada. I am trying so hard to eat "right", but it is becoming a losing battle for me. Sometimes it seems as though I am always hungry. Some days I eat all the bloody time. Losing weight is not as easy as 'just cutting back'. What can I do. It seems as of late, the only thing in my life making me "happy" is food. Something has to drastically change. Can anyone help? Carrie

Hi Carrie, Boy do I relate to your helpless feelings about food. You are right - It is an addiction. And, the addiction doesn't just disappear with the surgery either. Surgery buys time, but eventually we all have to make decisions about whether or not we are going to jump into our old eating habits, which seem to fascilitate food adiction or visa versa. I was able to become sugar free for awhile before my surgery. That may have helped, but I was already approved. My experience though, is that you have to become willing, as only the dying can be I guess. I found that cutting out all refined sugars was a key ingredient to being able to eat better. If I just tried to "cut down" on sweets, or just eat better, I just didn't get better with food. When, by God's grace, I was able to cut the rerfined sugar, sweets and desserts out, then I had something to work with as far as food was concerned. I also found that having a food plan really helped too. If I wrote a plan down for the day, thereby giving myself a limit, rather than trying to rely just on myself to "try" to eat better but with no real plan, I did better too. Journaling my food helps. Bottom line for me: the key ingredients are: Reliance on God, and Willingness. You have to search within yourself and ask yourself if you are truly willing to give up your addictive foods. If you aren't willing, pretending won't help a bit. It's so tough, and I feel for you much. It's a viscious cycle - which I'm sure most of us can relate to. I wish I had more wisdom, or could somehow give you the miracle that you are looking for - but you'll have to look to God for that one. Sorry if you are an atheist or non-spiritual, this is just my experience. So... God - Willingness - And a Food Plan. That's all the wisdom I have to offer. But hey, if it makes you feel better, even those of us who have had the surgery might find that this is the way to stay healthy too. The surgery is not a magic pill. Eventually, you are left with yourself and your choices again - and hopefully those choices will be the healthy ones for all of us! God Bless, and good luck!

Its super hard and surgery doesnt get rid of it... well maybe for 9 months (in my case) now I am seriously fighting the addiction once again and its really really hard! Elizabeth M

Hi everyone, I feel that fighting food addiction is a constant battle. Reminding ourselves everyday to plan what we will eat, disregard the head hunger and emotional food huner is a tough battle! I know I can't just eat one potato chip or one cookie, have to eat them all. So I avoid them all together. Its not easy, living with a bunch of thin kids! So I stay out of the kitchen as much as possible and thats easy cause I am a lousy cook! I think we have to use every available tool. I keep track of everything I eat on fitday.com. Plan my meals and weigh myself everyday. If I do gain a few pounds I know I have to go back and start over, work my program! I have not had WLS and probably won't. But, I do use these boards because they help me feel so not alone in losing weight. I also, get great tips on food, nutrition etc.. If you don't believe in a higher power then believe in yourself! Believe you deserve to be healthy and active, live life the way it was meant to be lived! love, linda

If food is the only thing that makes you happy, then there is likely something in your life that you are not satisfied with, some sort of anxiety that only eating food will allieviate. (That is, if you're like me) If your insurance will cover it, PLEASE seek counseling...there are bigger issues at work here. Normally I would suggest Overeaters Anonymous, but you sound like you could use professional help... If you were in MN, I would recommend The Emily Program in St Paul, a outpatient eating disorder program that I am currently in. But since you are up north, you could still contact them to see if they have Canadian resources. www.emilyprogram.com/index.cfm Hope this helps...good luck in your journey Wendy R, aka Purpl