Food Addiction

This was taken from Losing A Hundredweight.


If you answer yes to any of these, you might be addicted to food. My answers are in bold.


1 Have you ever wanted to stop eating and found you just couldn't? Yes, I talked about this only a few days ago.

2 Do you think about food or your weight constantly? Pretty much.

3 Do you find yourself attempting one diet or food plan after another, with no lasting success? Yes, I've been dieting since I was 11.

4 Do you binge and then "get rid of the binge" through vomiting, exercise, laxatives, or other forms of purging? I have before, but this habit is fairly uncommon.

5 Do you eat differently in private than you do in front of other people? Of course I do.

6 Has a doctor or family member ever approached you with concern about your eating habits or weight? No. That may be because I haven't gone to a doctor in 5 years.

7 Do you eat large quantities of food at one time (binge)? Maybe? Define 'large quantities'. I think the answe is yes, on occasion.

8 Is your weight problem due to your "nibbling" all day long? No.

9 Do you eat to escape from your feelings? Yes.

10 Do you eat when you're not hungry? Yes.

11 Have you ever discarded food, only to retrieve and eat it later? No.

12 Do you eat in secret? Yes.

13 Do you fast or severely restrict your food intake? I have before.

14 Have you ever stolen other people's food? No.

15 Have you ever hidden food to make sure you have "enough?" No.

16 Do you feel driven to exercise excessively to control your weight? No.

17 Do you obsessively calculate the calories you've burned against the calories you've eaten? I have before.

18 Do you frequently feel guilty or ashamed about what you've eaten? All the time.

19 Are you waiting for your life to begin "when you lose the weight?" Sadly, yes.

20 Do you feel hopeless about your relationship with food? A lot of the time.




Now, if you were counting, you'd see that I answered Yes or maybe to 14 of the questions. That can't be healthy.