Hey all:
Well like usual I cannot sleep so I'm up and about. I've been watching "Intervention" on the A & E channel and working on some DMACC materials. Hearing the show in the background and reading through some content from the addiction chapter in my DMACC textbook....it made me think about my eating habits. I've mentioned that I'm addicted to food but decided to look at the true symptoms of an addiction. All four symptoms have to be present for a behavior to be considered an addiction.
1)compulsion: excessive preoccupation with the behavior and/or an overwhelming need to perform it
I do have an overwhelming preoccupation with food. Especially when I'm stressed...I tend to think about a food I like or think about what food I can make when I get home. It stinks that I tend to think about the foods that make me feel good rather than the people I can talk to when stressed or other actions I can take to feel better.
2)loss of control: inability to reliably predict whether any isolated occurrence of the behavior will be healthy or damaging
I do have a hard time predicting if a bout of snacking will lead to overeating or not. Lately it seems that any evening or night eating will lead to a binge or severe overeating. If I trigger my hunger (or if my emotions make me think I'm hungry) it's hard to say if I will keep my eating under control.
3)negative consequences: physical damage, legal trouble, financial issues, academic failure, family problems, etc
The defintion is obviously geared more towards drug use. I haven't been arrested yet for ordering a #2 Extra Value meal at McDonalds yet. However, I do have other negative consequences. My weight and diet are affecting my health. My back would feel better if I weighed less. I'd sleep better if I weighed less. I'd have more energy if I weighed less. I can even tie our eating out frequency to financial inadequencies.
4)denial: cannot perceive the behavior is self-destructive
I'm obviously not in denial right now...I know I'm not leading a healthy lifestyle but for YEARS I would make excuses for myself. I'm overweight but I'm a "healthy" overweight. I'm built this way...I can't help being thicker built and heavier. I also kept telling myself I had plenty of time to fix it. I'm too close to 30 for comfort. My metabolism is slowing down due to aging. My bone density is naturally decreasing. Thanks to getting older, the path for change is becoming more uphill in nature. I wish I would have stuck with healthy habits in 2001 when I moved away from home. It was a slippery slope when I started living on my own.
Okay...that's all I have for now. (Two blog entries in 24 hours...holy smokes!)
2 comments:
Well, I'm not sure if I suffer from addiction or lack of discipline. Once I want something I typically give it to myself. Same with exercise, if my mind says "No." I say fine, and I sit on the couch. Sometimes, I think a lot about food. I definitely lack control. I can eat a whole bag of popcorn or chips. I definitely display physical damage - my stomach! I'm sure my finances are affected too. I don't think I'm in denial. I'm just lazy and ignorant. I know these things, but when will things change?
It's very interesting how addiction is so similar across the board. It doesn't matter if it's heroine, shopping or food it's all the same. I don't have much experience with breaking addiction/addictive habits but the limited amount I remember from health class and such is that coming to grips with the fact that you have an addiction is the first step. I then think you have to come up with a resonable goal to break the habit.
I think you've outlined your personal issue well and honestly which I imagine is hard to do, espcially in a public forum like a blog. Now it's time to make a game plan. I think WW is a great first step. Have you ever considered creating your own '12 step' type program. Sit down by yourslef, or with Jon (or LeAnn or myself) and come up with specific goals to reach, 1 at a time? I would be happy to help in any way I can. I know I'm far, far away but I'm always available for phone calls!
I know you're crazy busy all of the time but by making small changes you'll find ways to fit health and fitness into your life. We should definitely chat about this more!
That's really how I started last fall. I picked 1 thing to work on and when I had a grasp on that I added another.
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