Did you know that skinny people are also suffering from food addiction? Check yourself – answer the 15 questions below to determine whether you are addicted to food.
When we hear the phrase “food addiction”, our head instantly flashes an involuntary picture with a very fat man. We used to apply this term to people who have brought themselves to extremes in consuming something harmful (drugs, alcohol). Therefore it is easy to assume that anyone who has suffered from food addiction must be overweight because he does not control his eating habits. But a fat person is just a certain case of food addiction.
Skinny-fat People
There are many people in the world, who look slim and fit when dressed, but there is a flabby body under the clothing. Their weight may be normal, but the diet consists mainly of unhealthy products. These people can limit their calorie intake to avoid weight gain. Skinny-fat is the name attributed to such people. This is another kind of food addiction.
In fact, many of us also suffer from food addiction without even realizing it.
What Is Food Addiction?
Though food addiction is a serious and real problem, there is still no official definition of what exactly it is.
Food addiction, like any other, takes many forms. It’s everything from calorie counting obsession and ending with an uncontrollable craving for a certain type of food, which leads to overeating.
“Overeating” does not necessarily mean the consumption of too many calories. Everything can be reduced to eating harmful products in large quantities. A mandatory cup of coffee in the morning or a dessert before bedtime is a sign of food addiction. After all, if a person gives up this ritual all of a sudden, he/she may feel depressed and irritated.
How to determine if you have food addiction? The questions from the Food Addicts website will help you:
- Have you had situations when you wanted to stop eating, but you could not do this?
- Do you have constant thoughts of food or body weight in your head?
- Do you jump from one diet to another without any noticeable success?
- Do you cleanse your body from what you have eaten through vomiting or laxatives?
- Do you eat differently depending on whether you are in a company or alone?
- Is it common for you to eat a lot of food during one meal instead of having small snacks throughout the day?
- Do you open the refrigerator when you are bored and not hungry?
- Does it happen to you that you eat secretly, without telling others?
- Do you belong to the category of people who eat a lot, but never feel like they have eaten enough?
- Are you obsessed with how many calories you burn and eat during the day?
- Do you feel guilty or ashamed of what you have eaten?
- Are you hiding food to be sure that you have enough of it?
- Have you had any incidents recently when you stole someone else’s food?
- Do you think that your life will begin only when you lose weight?
- Do you think that to lose weight is an unattainable mission for you?
A positive answer to any of the questions is a sign that you may have food addiction. And, as you can see from the questions, it is a much more common phenomenon than you might imagine.
What should you do if you have a clear food addiction?
Here are some ways to cope with this problem.
1. Do not just count calories – study the ingredients
If you want to lead a healthy lifestyle, do not just stop counting calories, check the ingredients as well. Look if the product contains additives that cause food addiction. If you can, give up this product here and now and never come back to it.
2. Avoid the products with a “zero-calorie” label
You have to understand that almost all products labeled “zero-calorie” or “sugar-free” (drinks, snacks, salad dressing) contain artificial sweeteners that make them taste good. These supplements cause more harm than a few extra calories. Such products should be excluded from your diet to break the chain of food addiction.
3. Do not start the day with coffee
Many will hate us for this advice, but it makes sense. Stop drinking coffee with cream and flavors in the morning. Replace it with green tea.
The sugar contained in these supplements, only enhances the cravings throughout the day and increases the likelihood of snacking junk food, like donuts or sweet pastries.
4. Avoid sugar whenever possible
Do not think that your food does not contain sugar. Here’s the list of foods with a high content of this ingredient. Decide about the consumption of some foods that you need to minimize at all costs. Believe it or not, some items on the list will surprise you.
5. Seek professional help
To cope with food addiction is no easier than to quit smoking. If you cannot fight your food addiction, we recommend asking a dietitian for help. There is nothing to be ashamed of because the sooner you get help, the sooner you will have a healthy and happy life.
Now you understand that food addiction could happen to anyone of us. Therefore, be extremely careful and check what products you consume.
