Do you believe that food addiction is real?

[Anonymous]

If I eat even a little bit of foods that are mostly sugar and/or flour, I have such bad cravings for more that I binge. OTOH, when I've told myself to "cut out all flour and sugar" then those things become the forbidden fruit, and I want them even more. But like I said, moderation feels impossible when it comes to processed foods once I have had the first bite. Am I addicted to processed foods? Or am I just a weak-willed loser? This is frustrating because it is 100% the reason I overeat and then can't lose weight.

What are your experiences with flour/sugar? Do you think processed food addiction is a real thing?

[Anonymous]

Yes, but we don't all have addictive personalities. Personally these cravings aren't as severe as addictions - I can wean myself off, and that heavily depends on where I am in my cycle.

[Anonymous]

Absolutely.

The more I cut it out, the less I crave it and even somewhat enjoy it. But always end up going back to it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I eat even a little bit of foods that are mostly sugar and/or flour, I have such bad cravings for more that I binge. OTOH, when I've told myself to "cut out all flour and sugar" then those things become the forbidden fruit, and I want them even more. But like I said, moderation feels impossible when it comes to processed foods once I have had the first bite. Am I addicted to processed foods? Or am I just a weak-willed loser? This is frustrating because it is 100% the reason I overeat and then can't lose weight.

What are your experiences with flour/sugar? Do you think processed food addiction is a real thing?

My experience is that if I cut out all flour and sugar, I overeat them when I have a chance.

Instead of cutting them out, I do things like only eat very high quality chocolate. Once you've tasted excellent chocolate, for example, most ordinary chocolate (like Halloween candy) tastes bad and I have no desire to eat it. That's what keeps me from binging.

[Anonymous]

When I was a teen in the 90s, I was obsessed with losing weight, and at that time was addicted to potato chips. I started imagining eating chips as eating globules of fat, and the image was so disgusting that to this day, I still can't eat potato chips.

[Anonymous]

Science bears this out. There’s a lot of research on it.

[Anonymous]

Yes, it’s a cortisol thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When I was a teen in the 90s, I was obsessed with losing weight, and at that time was addicted to potato chips. I started imagining eating chips as eating globules of fat, and the image was so disgusting that to this day, I still can't eat potato chips.

Thanks for the eating disorder tip, hoss

[Anonymous]

I was literally lifting a brownie to my mouth when I opened this. What I think happens is I mostly exercise self control, and make near-always good choices (let's say an organic, Mediterranean diet with lean meats, olive oil, lots of fruit and veggies, etc.), but then sometimes, my body just takes over and I want/crave and then it's later that I think "what the heck just happened?" and might even feel a bit repulsed that I just ate those chips, or that piece of leftover brownie, etc. and go weeks or months. I used to give in to that a lot more. It's a lot of work to stay in the zone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Science bears this out. There’s a lot of research on it.

If I don’t eat my body starts having physical withdrawal symptoms and all I can think about is finding food, and everyone I know is the same /s. Science can tell us the details, but it's still called hunger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Science bears this out. There’s a lot of research on it.

If I don’t eat my body starts having physical withdrawal symptoms and all I can think about is finding food, and everyone I know is the same /s. Science can tell us the details, but it's still called hunger.

I’m OP and yes, of course you are right. But food seeking due to hunger is different than what I’m talking about. With processed foods for me it’s more obsessive and urgent - like scarfing down two donuts when I meant to eat half of one, then an hour later digging in to ice cream before I even realize what I’m doing.

[Anonymous]

Sugar, yes; it binds to the same brain receptors as heroin, so if you have an addictive brain chemistry, it can be addictive.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2235907/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
Yes, but we don't all have addictive personalities. Personally these cravings aren't as severe as addictions - I can wean myself off, and that heavily depends on where I am in my cycle.

Addiciton is a "personality" thing; it is a body and brain chemistry fact.

[Anonymous]

Propensity for addiction varies, is what I think pp meant

[Anonymous]

If you wear a continuous glucose monitor it will show your responses to food. Basically, flour and sugar causes spikes then dips.