Overcoming Food Addiction

Once upon a time, the photo on the left would have been the way I would have handled a stressful day.  Ice cream eaten right out of the carton (because I was going to finish it anyway!), a couple of cookies, and/or a bag of candy. 

I had lunch with a friend yesterday who lamented that she had tried every diet and could not lose weight.  But she then confessed to me that she could not resist ordering french fries when she took her children to fast food places.  She just loves french fries!  And my heart went out to her.  I used to be in the exact same boat - dipping my super-sized McDonald's fries into a large vanilla shake whenever I ordered my boys' Happy Meals.
 
I think that what it took for me to realize that these types of foods had absolutely no place in my diet was the trickle-down affect associated with consuming them.   Exercising no control over what I ate led me to lack control in other areas in my life, as well.   Suffice it to say that, if you went down the list of the 10 commandments, there were about 4 of them that I struggled with badly, including "you should have no other gods before me."  When it came down to it, I worshipped food.    And the more unhealthy it was, the more I wanted it! 

We talk about addiction to cigarettes, alcohol, or drugs.  And there are rehab centers and programs to help people conquer them.  But for the biggest addiction we face in our society, we offer processed meals in little boxes, pills that promise to burn off fat, and lopsided diets that eliminate entire food groups.  What ultimately worked for me was a self-imposed, divinely-inspired version of the highly successful 12-Step Program originated by Alcoholics Anonymous.   And I didn't even know it at the time!  If you know anything about the Program, and you've been reading my Blog posts, you can probably see why I would say that. 

The first step is to admit that you have an addiction and you can not control it.  Step 2 is recognizing that there is a higher power that can give you strength to conquer your addiction.  Maybe there are 12 step programs out there for food addicts.  But if there are, I have not heard of them.  Tomorrow, I will share with you how God pretty much led me through an inspired version of the "12 Steps"  as a way to kick my addiction to sugar, salt, and fatty foods. 

Until then, happy and healthy eating!