I think I have a food addiction

[RosiePosey33]

Just as the title says- I think I have a food addiction.

I have been overweight/obese for most of my life. I was a very overweight child due to binging and lack of exercise.

I slimmed down and was a size 6 during my teenage years and slowly starting putting on weight from around the age of 19-20. I have tried several diets such as slimming world, weight watchers, slim fast, keto, cambridge etc. I have attended the gym, boot camps and personal trainers but can never get back to a 'healthy' BMI or weight for my height.

I lost 3.5 stone in around 4 months to have IVF and kept some of it off after I had my son but I'm now back to my heaviest weight ever.

Luckily I don't have any related health issues (yet) but I know it's only a matter of time. My mum was obese and developed type 2 diabetes and ultimately died fairly young of a heart attack. My grandmother also had heart and blood pressure issues and was hugely
Obese.

I'm miserable and depressed with my size and image. I'm currently trying Cambridge diet again but can't stick to it and constantly think about food.

I'm around a stone down but I'm literally thinking about when I can stop to eat normally again which I know is totally wrong.

Does anyone have any advice? I know I need a total lifestyle change but I cannot get out of this rut.

read "why we eat too much" by Andrew Jenkinson

Have you considered using a weight loss drug such as wegovy?
The pros are it may well cut out the constant thinking about food and allow you to change your eating habits successfully and lose weight.
The cons are it's expensive and you might get side effects like nausea, constipation, tiredness.
What's your BMI? I think it has to be over 30 to qualify.

No real help only to say I completely relate - have been in a cycle all my life and currently feel unbelievably old which I know is due partly at least to carrying too much weight. I’d love to flick a switch on food and have never enjoyed exercise - though that might be an associated self esteem issue. Also tried the Cambridge but then decided it was a lot of money for food I could tot up outside of that. Even considering ozempic at the moment 😕

I can relate, OP.

Ozempic has been a game changer for me. The food noise and cravings have completely disappeared.

9 months in and 6 stone down and so glad o gave it a go.

@Crimblecrumble5 yes my BMI is over 30. Would i speak to GP or would I have to purchase? I can't afford to purchase if it's expensive.

I have been reading about natural alternatives- Berberine?

@Wingingit11 I know the Cambridge works but I don't feel like I have a goal this time round.

When I didn't previously I had IVF riding on it whereas now it's purely vanity.

I wish I had the willpower to stick to it but you're right, it's so much money to waste when I'm not sticking to it.

@BusinessSecretsOfThePharaoh where you prescribed this by a GP or self funding?

I think my current bmi is 36.

The highest healthy weight I can be is around 8 stone 7lbs and as low as 6 stone 10 and still be healthy (I find this ludicrous!!!)

I'm currently sitting just above 13 stone so massively overweight.

Desire for food is natural. Thinking about food all the time is also inevitable if your body is used to getting a hit. I read recently that it isn't really anything to do with willpower because it's the Reptilian Brain that kicks in rather than the rational brain.

So you have to use different weapons. Habits, alternative "hits", rules, recognising cravings as physiological needs that may need addressing.

Get your bloods done by the GP. You may be deficient in vitamin D or folate or B vitamins or iron. Think about sleep things you enjoy doing reading friends etc to distract from the inevitable need for that familiar hit, replace with a new pleasure, reward.

Hunger generally only lasts for four days if you can get past the sugar cravings, and then a balanced diet with no sugar or white carbs, but could include complex carbs, (like small amounts of brown rice or pasta or bread) WILL be delicious and nutritious.

And you can still think about food all the time but just eat what is right for you not too much.

But really the key is to ditch sugar in all forms even fruit sugar or juice at the beginning, and have a three meals a day rule.

It works and it's enjoyable even. No calorie counting necessary no expensive meals replacements.

But get your bloods checked (fellow IVF mum 25 years ago x 2) IVF is gruelling and takes its toll so be kind to yourself and compassionate. It's not you, IT IS the lizard brain!!

I read that it's only available on the NHS if you have other health conditions and only through their specialist weight loss clinics that are a last resort when other methods fail. If you do have weight related medical issues and went to your GP about weight loss they'd still have to try other approaches first. Plus the clinics are oversubscribed (of course!) so could be months of trying to lose weight under GP then potentially months on a waiting list.
You can purchase wegovy etc online through Asda, pharmacy2u, Boots, lots of other reputable sites. It's about £150 for 4 weeks of doses. More expensive for next lot because the dose increases.
I've not heard of berberine, off to Google it!

It's not vanity to want to be a healthy weight and be happy.
But I don't think the Cambridge diet is going to be a long-term strategy, changing the kind of meals you eat, normal meals, MIGHT be.

My mother was a food addict after 45 and it affected her self esteem; however she did enjoy swimming and gardening and tbh I think it wouldn't have taken much to stop her addiction, it was the destructive self talk that was the issue and not understanding the physiological role of sugar in relation to tiredness/deoression.

Also I remember when I was fat after having my first IVF baby I made the mistake of dressing very dowdily, I felt I didn't deserve to look beautiful and glamorous but tbh once I bought some nice clothes that fit fatter me I felt more confident, and was able to cope with losing the food hits. Weight continued to fall off running around after small children, walking instead of driving, walking to supermarket that sort of thing. And then there was less time to think about food in between meals.

I was a very overweight child due to binging and lack of exercise makes it sound like you're blaming yourself whereas the truth lies with My mum was obese ... My grandmother ... was hugely obese.

This isn't a diet issue, it's a subconscious overriding the conscious issue - which is very possible to change.

I feel your pain @RosiePosey33 I have been fighting with my weight all my life and now it is affecting my physical health as well as my mental health. I have tried sooooo many diets and weight loss programmes over the years and my GP has finally referred me to a weight loss clinic. I am waiting for my first appointment, not sure how long I will have to wait for it to come through mind you, but from what my GP has told me they could put me on anything from a liquid diet to having bariatric surgery. I have decided to give slim fast another go whilst I wait, I have had good results with it in the past, so we will see how that goes. My biggest problem is I emotionally binge eat so almost on a hiding to nothing as I am going through the menopause, my children are spreading their wings and leaving the nest, plus numerous other worries.

Problem I see is the all or nothing approach. You are restricting food far too much by doing the very low calorie diets and psychologically it doesn’t suit you as all it does is make you miserable and obsessed with food. There is a middle ground that doesn’t cost money or need an extreme approach, calorie counting.

I think you would benefit from CBT to try to learn to like and value yourself. That’s what I think you should focus on as you have a lot of deep rooted issues the Cambridge diet isn’t going to solve

If I was doing Cambridge I'd feel like I was addicted to and obsessed with food. It's such an unnatural way to feed yourself.
I hope you can go back to eating normal food soon. If you like volume then stuff like SW is quite good, but I guess you've tried it before?
As others have said, injections might help your cravings. But obviously only if a doctor says they're suitable.

Do you have a job OP? family? hobbies?