How to get rid of food addiction. Discipline: biology with the basics of ecology

Food addiction is a pathological condition characterized by the inability to control a person's food intake. In most cases, people with a similar disorder use products not to eliminate hunger, but to relieve their own psychological problems, or to get positive emotions.

Studies conducted by experts suggest that a person's dependence on food intake is comparable to that of alcohol, tobacco or drug products. And the consequences of such addictions are not long in coming - obesity, hypertension, diabetes. There are many diseases. However, getting rid of food addiction is quite possible - both on your own and with the help of a psychotherapist.

What are the reasons

Any addiction is, first of all, a failure in certain nervous processes. This can be attributed to the almost uncontrollable desire of a person to eat something. After all, when eating food, the body produces a specific hormone - serotonin. With an increase in its concentration, a feeling of satisfaction comes, a surge of strength and energy. Therefore, people often replace the way of maintaining life with the desire to receive psychological comfort.

At the same time, one should not confuse the addiction to a certain type of product, for example, cucumbers or cheese, with the desire for a plentiful feast, when it does not matter what is served, as long as the portions are large. The first is eating habits. While the second, of course, is a pathological condition.

The main causes of food addiction:

experienced long or short-term, but strong, stress - a kind of "jamming";
nervous disorders - eating food helps such patients calm down, get rid of negative emotions;
excessive worries about their own appearance - the constant pursuit of perfection brings people to extremes and perversions in the diet, for example, the manic desire to minimize calories becomes the norm of their life;
getting rid of other addictions - according to the principle of "knocking out a wedge with a wedge."

Representatives of the beautiful half of humanity have long literally elevated the amount of food they eat to the rank of merit - in direct proportion to the dominant fashion. Some liked "bird" portions, while others strove for "Rubens" body shapes.

In children, addiction to food is formed from the desire to please parents, to receive their praise, or not to offend their grandmother. Such a stereotype can remain for life.

The main types of food addiction

Whatever the reasons for the appearance of a food addiction in a person, it manifests itself in one of the following forms of the disease:

hyperphagia or plain language, banal gluttony. A person consumes huge portions not because he feels hungry, but to cheer himself up or out of boredom. Bright taste sensations contribute to the production of endorphins, which improves mood, psychological calm sets in. However, after already swallowed meals, a person may experience remorse and a sincere desire to stop gluttony, until the next bout of eating.
A form of food addiction, when the craving for food is so painful that the patient, fearing to gain excess weight, is forced to empty his stomach after each snack -. Outwardly, such people may look absolutely healthy and have a normal body weight. However, in the advanced stages of the disease, they are given out by dry skin, increased fragility of hair, as well as destroyed tooth enamel. In addition, pathologies of the esophagus and other organs of the gastrointestinal tract are often diagnosed in bulimics.
A psychological disorder, expressed in a significant suppression of the craving for food - anorexia. The main goal pursued by such people is to achieve ideal, in their opinion, forms - to lose weight as much as possible. At the same time, patients do not experience any aversion to the products. It's just that their over-concern with their own weight prevents them from eating normally. In severe cases, such torture over oneself brings a person to death.
Taste addiction - for example, “carbohydrate craving”, when a person strives to make a menu only from sweet foods, or, conversely, overly rigid diets, counting literally every calorie, the so-called separate meals- only proteins.

Each of the above forms of food addiction is, first of all, a failure of psychological activity. Therefore, in most cases, you can not do without the help of a specialist.

Symptoms

The number of people suffering from various food addictions is increasing every year at a catastrophic rate. The problem is given great importance among medical workers around the world.

To recognize the disease in the early stages of its appearance, it is enough to carefully look at the behavior of your relatives and friends. Among the first signs of disorder eating behavior you can specify:

reduced criticality to their own weight - patients do not recognize their excessive thinness or obesity;
food cravings are truly uncontrollable - they can get up to eat, even at night;
, anxiety, if the house does not have a certain supply of food or favorite products;
refusal to visit public places where food is served - restaurants, cafes, canteens;
absorption of dishes occurs quickly, and if food is served slowly, they can flare up;
suffering from feelings of guilt after gluttony;
extremely low self-esteem;
presence in the body various pathologies, one way or another, interconnected with indigestion;
long hours of sports - exhaustion own body to make it perfect;
the search for more and more justifications for his behavior, for example, a person claims that he has, which makes him seek solace in food.

In some cases, a person brings himself to various diets, uncontrolled medication, for example, laxatives and diuretics, so much so that he needs emergency hospitalization. How to overcome food addiction in this case, the doctors will decide.

What are the consequences of the disease

People increasingly addicted to overeating are prone to anxiety-depressive reactions - they can happen literally every few minutes. Increasing self-doubt, one's own strengths, there are passive forms of behavior, depression.

Food addiction can lead a person to many different diseases. Some of them themselves have severe complications and consequences:

diabetes is a frequent companion of obesity, accompanied by visual impairment, brain activity, circulatory disorders in the limbs;
hypercholesterolemia - increased concentration cholesterol in the bloodstream is threatened by deposition cholesterol plaques, which is fraught with vascular catastrophes, such as strokes and heart attacks;
hypertension - studies show that every 3-5 "extra" kilograms increase the parameters blood pressure by 5–7 mm Hg;
disorders of the activity of digestive structures - frequent exacerbations of cholecystitis, pancreatitis;
complications from the musculoskeletal system - various osteoarthritis and osteoarthrosis threaten both "dumplings" and "thin people";
sleep apnea - a syndrome of sudden respiratory arrest for a fraction of a second significantly impairs the oxygen supply to all organs, especially the brain, which also leads to various neurological diseases.

And it's far from complete list what can happen to a person who has a particular food addiction. Therefore, it is necessary to deal with such disorders in a comprehensive and timely manner.

What can be done on your own

The main task of the patient, who has realized that he has a problem, and decides how to get rid of food addiction on his own, is to feed the brain, not the stomach. This is understood as a systematic switching of one's own interests from eating to other goals - to enjoy not from the abundant absorption of food, but from other joys of life.

So, you can sign up for a fitness center or swimming pool. Sufficient rather than excessive exercise also contributes to the production of endorphins, hormones of joy. Of course, it will take great effort to suppress the centers of hunger and the desire to saturate the stomach. Few manage to get rid of such cravings on their own forever, but successful cases serve as an example for the rest.

What can be done:

to form a really strong motivation - to set goals and objectives correctly, and the support of relatives and friends will help to overcome not only eating disorders, but even cancer;
draw up a specific nutritional plan - it is better to work with a specialist, and stick to it at all costs, for example, buy only the “right” products and in the required quantity;
pick up a really exciting hobby for yourself, which you will have to pay maximum attention to, and achieving success will please you with positive emotions - enroll in a group of drawing, singing, dancing or cutting and sewing;
working on self-esteem is a colossal work, you will have to literally “uproot” all the complexes that have formed and settled deep inside you, learn to see yourself as you are, and then also fall in love.

Each person is the creator of his own personality. Parents can only lay the foundation, and people are already building everything else. Understanding and accepting your problem is already half the battle on the long road to recovery.

Treatment by a specialist

Treatment of food addiction by psychotherapists is based on cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy. To achieve high results, it is necessary to find the root cause of the disorder, and then gradually push it out of consciousness, switch the brain to something else, more interesting. Working in groups is effective, where people share their experiences, methods of dealing with the desire to fill the stomach with food.

Everyone can cope with food addiction if they receive the necessary support - from relatives, friends, a psychotherapist. Only the first steps are hard, then a person, seeing positive result- improving health and well-being, already striving for success yourself.

1. You keep eating even when you are full.

In itself, the desire to continue eating after you have already dealt with a full meal does not speak of frustration. For example, it is normal to sometimes want ice cream after with potatoes and vegetables. However, if this happens systematically and you cannot control yourself, then it is probably an addiction. Binge Eating Disorder and Food Addiction.

The brain requires new portions of food not to restore energy reserves, but to get the reward hormone dopamine.

In severe cases, you just can't stop until the food runs out or you start to experience terrible discomfort. The stomach is stuffed to capacity and seems to explode if you eat another piece.

2. You eat more than you planned.

You must have come across people who easily refuse a second portion of something delicious. Moreover, they may not eat the first portion if they did not plan it in advance.

For some, this approach to food looks like a feat. And if you take a piece of cake and then find yourself in front of an empty box from under it, this is definitely an addiction. The same mechanism is at work here. Current considerations regarding food addiction, as with drug addiction: the concept of "moderation" simply does not exist. And accordingly, talking about food to eat a little less is almost the same as asking an alcoholic to drink less.

3. You Feel Guilty but Continue to Overeat

You not only eat too much, but also realize that it is wrong and harmful. But remorse does not make the situation any easier.

You find yourself in a vicious circle in which you feel good and joyful only when you have a plate of goodies in front of you. And the rest of the time you suffer. Isn't this a signal to go and eat again to feel happy?

4. You make up excuses to eat.

You have decided to take the path of moderation, but sooner or later the craving for food will make itself felt. And in your head the auction will begin, during which you will come up with a million arguments why you can break your promises.

For example, today is a holiday, you had a bad day that needs to be “sweetened”, or, conversely, a successful one, and this should be noted ... In a word, you have a million reasons to eat the forbidden, and they all sound so logical, so rational that there are no reasons resist.

5. You hide food from others.

When your relationship with food is not going well, you realize that it would be better to hide it from others. You can sneak to the refrigerator at night, hastily eat a chocolate bar on the way from the store to the house, carry a supply harmful products in car.

This point directly echoes the previous one, the only difference is that the strength of guilt increases many times over.

6. You are looking for excuses to snap.

Sometimes people who quit smoking deliberately create a stressful event so that they can go back to cigarettes. For example, they initiate a scandal with a wife who insists on giving up a bad habit in order to go to the balcony with a clear conscience, and then say that it was her fault that she brought it up.

With food, such situations are also possible, and if you simulate situations to overeat with a clear conscience, and then shift the blame for it to someone else, then this speaks of addiction.

7. You overeat despite health problems

Sooner or later, indiscipline in eating will lead to health problems. In the short term, it can be overweight, acne, fatigue, in the long term - diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, problems with the cardiovascular system.

And in this case, too, it would be appropriate to compare with drug addiction: you know that your addiction is slowly killing you, but you cannot escape from its networks.

8. You turn down meetings and parties because of the food.

You can no longer turn a blind eye to the problem, and you begin to avoid meetings and holidays where there may be food. For example, you do not go to celebrate the birthday of your beloved grandmother, because you know that you will not resist her fatty meatballs and delicious cake. And this will lead to another round of overeating and guilt.

How to deal with food addiction

Get tested

Get a comprehensive examination. It is possible that your food addiction is due to disorders in the body, for example, in endocrine system. In this case, the doctor will prescribe a course of hormonal drugs.

Contact a psychologist

You can tell a person as much as you like to show will, but any addiction - serious problem, and you need to solve it with specialists. It will help you find out what you are saving yourself from with food, what unspoken difficulties you are trying to solve.

Find like-minded people

For any addiction, there are "Clubs of Anonymous ...", where you will meet people with the same problem at different stages of its solution. Such organizations may be referred to as the "overeating club" or "gluttons anonymous club".

It is important that the members of the group focus on health - physical and psychological. But gatherings of people who are concerned about losing weight and cubes on their stomachs are best avoided, no matter what they are called. Because your problem is in your head.

Make a meal plan

Obviously, you have already tried to eat a hundred times, made plans and immediately violated them. Therefore, the hundred and first time must be approached responsibly. First, do not cut your diet too much. If the body does not have enough nutrients, dependence on food will only be spurred on by physical hunger.

Secondly, choose a comfortable diet, but such that you always feel full. Thirdly, prepare food in advance and arrange in portions so that there is no temptation to eat more than you measured on the scales.

All this does not guarantee that there will be no breakdowns, but it will be a little easier for you.

Eliminate irritants

Choose a few non-food ways to deal with. It is better that these are not emergency measures, but preventive ones, with a long-term effect. The less nervous you are, the easier it will be to follow the feeling of hunger and internal sensations.

It would seem, what is dangerous in food? But for many it becomes a drug. For such people, food turns into a source of pleasure and problems at the same time. They can think about the next meal all day, constantly eat only certain foods, or, conversely, limit themselves in everything. Improper nutrition sooner or later leads to problems with physical health, and cravings for food can completely destroy the personal life of such a person.

Types of food addiction

We all know what addiction to cigarettes, alcohol or drugs is like. But food is a little different. Food bondage can look different, so it is necessary to know its types and distinguish between them:

Overeating is the most common type of addiction. The patient may not even be aware of his problem, he will claim that he just loves to eat deliciously. But at the same time, the amount of food consumed will exceed all permissible norms, and the weight of a person will begin to increase rapidly.
Bulimia is a type of food addiction that is quite common in young girls and women. A person affected by this disorder has an almost indefatigable appetite and can eat in one sitting great amount food. At the same time, he perfectly understands that he overeats, but he cannot stop on his own. Very often the absorption is too a large number food leads to hyperdistension of the stomach and its self-emptying through the esophagus. But more often, the patient himself induces vomiting or takes a laxative to get rid of the feeling of heaviness in the abdomen or in order not to gain excess weight.
Anorexia is a type of food addiction, which consists in the complete refusal of food. At first, a person may limit certain foods, afraid of gaining weight, but gradually the list of prohibitions expands and leads to complete starvation. For such people, food can cause fear and disgust, they avoid any places where they can offer refreshments, but they, like all addicts, prefer to hide their problem.
Overeating often leads to health problems

How to recognize food addiction?

Most people who are prone to this problem hide it, bringing themselves to a state where it is no longer possible to do without qualified medical intervention. Therefore, it is important to know the signs of food addiction in order to recognize it in time. loved one and be able to help him.

Almost all food addicts:

Thinness is considered a synonym for beauty;
Do not recognize the presence of deficiency or excess body weight;
Have uncontrollable cravings for food or certain foods
Experience anxiety associated with eating;
If there is attachment to certain products, they can become furious if they are not in the house;
Refusing to eat or even visit places where they can offer snacks;
Absorb food quickly and act impatient if it is served too slowly;
Experiencing uncontrollable anxiety if you have to skip another snack;
Suffer from feelings of guilt after eating;
Have low self-esteem;
Suffer from depression and frequent headaches;
They have problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

Uncontrollable love for sweets is also a food addiction

The appearance of these or other symptoms suggests that a person is already developing dependence on food and it is necessary to immediately take measures to save him.

Reasons for the development of the disease

A lot of people love to eat delicious food, but not everyone develops an addiction. Why is this happening? Because the feeling of “emptiness” inside a person, which he tries to fill with food, leads to falling into bondage. The body can confuse the sensations that arise from emotional experiences with hunger signals, which leads to haphazard eating.

The likelihood of developing dependence on food is in no way related to social status, income level and place of residence of a person and is found in people different ages and races living in different parts of the world.

The main reasons for the development of food addiction:

Lack of meaning and purpose in life;
Situations involving disappointment and loss, such as divorce;
Situations when achieving what you want leads to relaxation and loss of incentive to work on yourself - for example, after marriage;
The state of crisis: for example, in transitional age, with the threat of losing a job or in other similar situations;
Eating food to achieve other goals: for example, a child may systematically overeat in order to receive praise from parents or to avoid offending a grandmother who tried and prepared a complex dish. This stereotype of behavior can persist for life.

Eating disorders often develop in childhood

Regardless of what reasons led to the emergence of addiction, in the future it begins to determine human behavior. Gradually, food becomes a kind of lifeline, it brings a sense of calm and peace, replaces communication with people and any other entertainment.

It is believed that athletes eat right and therefore they are not in danger of food addiction, but this is not so: according to statistics, approximately 13-14% of athletes suffer from such disorders, and among girls involved in aesthetic views sports, this figure reaches 42%.

Eating disorders often develop in early childhood.. If a child is forbidden to show his emotions, he may begin to seek solace in treats. Force-feeding also leads to problems in the future, as well as encouragement delicious food. Any reward or punishment through food leads to a perversion of the understanding of the very process of eating. The child begins to perceive food not as a source of energy, but as a reward and pleasure.

Consequences of food bondage

Dependence on food leads to the gradual destruction of the whole organism, because the process of obtaining energy by the body is disrupted. With systematic malnutrition or bulimia, a person loses weight, blood flow slows down and all organs begin to suffer. The leading cause of death in anorexics is heart disease. Also, bones, endocrine and nervous system, digestion suffers, brain function worsens.

Low self-esteem is one of the causes of eating disorders

It used to be thought that eating disorders were only women's problem, but today the rapid growth of men with such diagnoses is noticeable.

Overeating brings no less problems, as it causes obesity, which leads to:

type 2 diabetes,
increase in blood cholesterol levels,
hypertension,
diseases of the heart and gallbladder,
pain in muscles and joints,
osteoarthritis,
diseases of the gastrointestinal tract,
apnea.

Steps to Self-Relief from Food Addiction (Video)

food addiction - serious disorder, therefore, it is often impossible to get rid of it on your own, but if the situation is not yet too running, you can try. To do this, you will need to go through four steps:

Step 1 - Motivation. A person must realize and admit that he has a problem and needs to be solved. Often food addicts deny everything and do not even admit to themselves that they are suffering. Therefore, it is important that relatives help them understand that there is a disease and get rid of it first of all for yourself in order to get healthy body and a normal interesting life.
Step 2 - compiling proper diet . After a person finds a goal for himself, for which it is worth living and improving, the time comes for a choice. new system nutrition. This is not very easy, you will have to study the relevant literature and make a list of the most useful products that need to be eaten daily, as well as those that can be consumed less frequently. You should not sharply limit your favorite foods, but if they are very harmful, you can pamper yourself, for example, once a month.
Step 3 - Self-realization. Food addiction usually occurs when a person has no other positive emotions, so you should definitely find something that will allow you to fulfill yourself and bring satisfaction. You need to remember what you wanted to do before or come up with something that interests you now, in addition to food. You need to learn to enjoy life. You can start playing sports - exercise leads to the production of hormones that affect the centers in the brain responsible for appetite and pleasure.
Step 4 - work on self-esteem. Most food addicts suffer from low self-esteem. They do not love their body and try to make it thin, or they do not love themselves and their lives and seek solace in food. They need to learn how to perceive themselves correctly and adequately relate to criticism from other people.

It is not easy to go through all the steps without the help of psychologists and nutritionists, but you need to believe in yourself and not give up. Many people managed to overcome even addiction to hard drugs on their own, you need to remember this and not give up.

- This is a violation of the mental state in which a person eats food not in order to satisfy the feeling of hunger, but in order to cheer up and get pleasant emotions. For people with food addiction, food helps to cope with excitement, anxiety, it helps to relieve stress.

There are two types of food addiction - bulimia (overeating) and anorexia (complete refusal of food).

With the help of food, a person seems to solve his problems - troubles at work, in the family, in communicating with people. Here are some examples of how this happens.

For example, a girl was going on a date, but for some reason the young man canceled it. She, upset, buys the most delicious cake and compensates for her failed evening.

Or another example - Are you tired and stressed at work?. What, no matter how a box of chocolates or cakes, can cheer you up?

A quarrel with a loved one can turn into a real feast, after which comes misunderstanding and bewilderment of why this was all done. Food gives a person a feeling of satisfaction, after which he calms down.

A person, "jamming" his problems, focuses on taste sensations and his mood really improves, and negative emotions disappear.

While eating food, a person calms down and forgets about troubles. Thus, food acts as the most available antidepressant. But if food helps to distract from problems for a while, they will not go anywhere and sooner or later they will have to be solved.

It happens that the opposite happens - dependence on food arises not from the presence of problems, but from their absence. At some point, it may seem that life is boring, or sometimes people say that “longing attacks”, or maybe people do not have enough vivid impressions, or he simply suffers from idleness. In all these cases, the refrigerator will “wait” for him.

This whole process leads to big problems that affect a person and his self-esteem: obesity, lack of self-control, metabolic disorders, depression.

Signs of food addiction

Like other types of addictions, food addiction has a number of characteristics:

1.Permanent and intrusive thoughts about food - what to eat, what to buy in the store, what to cook tasty;

2. The impossibility of self-control in food. For example, a person who has a full box of chocolates in front of him finds it difficult to limit himself to one or two candies. The desire to eat the whole box will last until it is empty, and after that it will already be bad to breathe;

3. Momentalnoe sharp desire for any food. For example, despite the fact that a person has recently had lunch, if he sees cakes on the store counter, he breaks down - he buys a few pieces and eats them "binge";

4. If a person has experienced any stress, he has a desire to eat something as compensation for the trouble that has happened;

5. The frequent promises of a person to reward himself with "something tasty" after he makes some unpleasant necessity. For example, “I will clean the house, and then I will buy myself a chocolate bar, because I deserve it”;

6. Lack of desired food leads a person to unpleasant physical sensations (similar to "withdrawal" in a drug addict).

How to define food addiction?

You find it hard to stop until you finish your favorite food (for example, a box of chocolates, a whole cake, and so on).

You often overeat because you do not feel the proportion.

You like to eat alone.

You know and accept that you need to eat less and agree that you need to change your lifestyle. In this case, you are not trying to change anything. Food rules you.

You feel guilty after eating.

Does it annoy you when someone criticizes your eating habits?

You may fill up at night or even eat at night.

Non-therapeutic methods of dealing with food addiction

If your food addiction has not yet developed to the extreme serious condition, and willpower is still at least a little present, then you can try to get rid of it yourself.

First you need to think about your life, understand your desires and needs. In many situations, food acts as a way to replace other emotions. What is happening to you? Are you just bored?

Or are you lonely? Or maybe just sad?

Do you want new sensations? Not enough adrenaline in life?

You need to understand what exactly you lack in life. If you understand yourself, it will be easier for you to solve these problems without resorting to mindless food consumption.

Causes of food addiction (addiction)

To date, at least a dozen forms of dependencies have been identified. All of them are divided into two large groups:

1. Chemical - when a person depends on a substance that ceases to be produced by his body - these are alcohol and drug addictions.

2. Emotional circle of addictions - when, with the help of a certain behavior, type of activity, occupation, a person makes up for emotional deficiencies.

Food addiction belongs to the emotional circle and differs from any other in only one thing - we can live our whole lives without tobacco-drugs-alcohol-gambling. Even without a close relationship, you can try - to avoid love addiction. But without food - hardly ... Maximum - we will last forty days. And here is the main difficulty. How and when is the normal absorption of proteins, fats, carbohydrates necessary for life and the pleasure that accompanies this process transformed into cravings, dependence, slavery?

It all starts in very early childhood. If the child is in close bodily and emotional contact with the mother, in addition to those moments when she feeds him - i.e. they cradle him, pick him up, coo with him, and in a series of these strokes they also feed him according to his needs - food remains one of the elements of contact with a loving, protective world, the center of which (at least until the age of two years) is the mother.

If the mother has postpartum depression, other circumstances that alienate her from the baby, he may have an unconscious connection: you can get emotional attention and love only through food - after all, any mother feeds her child, and feeding becomes the central figure in their communication. There is a feeling that only eating guarantees bodily and emotional intimacy with a loved object.

At the very beginning of life, “from the point of view of the child, there is nothing in the world but himself, and therefore, at the beginning, the mother is also part of the child. Mother's primary support is an important factor mental development and relationship building in early childhood. She supports the space surrounding the baby, making sure that the world does not "fall" on him too soon or too hard.

Insecure, anxious, or depressed mothers are unable to provide such support, and the child may carry his or her early sense of "shakyness" of the world and relationships with loved ones through the rest of her life.

Enough good mother in the process of caring for and communicating with an infant, creates a potential space for the development of his relationship with the world. She introduces the baby to new objects (food, toys, living beings), in accordance with his desires and capabilities.

By the age of two, the child begins to form the feeling that he is separate from his mother. He is still dependent on her for everything, but for normal development it is important for him to try his independence. To separate from the mother, to safely live the moments when she is not around, something appears in the reality of the child that “the baby appreciates and loves, because with the help of this - toys, pacifiers, bottles of milk - he copes with situations when the mother leaves and leaves him alone.

If the mother is not good enough and in the first year a bond has been formed that food alone guarantees bodily and emotional intimacy with the beloved object, food can be the main comfort here too, but now in a situation of separation from the mother. There are many prerequisites for this - food is always associated with pleasure, and getting this pleasure - unlike many others - as you grow older is more and more possible in an autonomous format, independent of others.

Thus, food addiction gets another reinforcement. If significant Others can refuse to fulfill the desires of the child, then as he grows up, he increasingly has access to self-satisfaction through food.

The ability to put up with the imperfection of the world, which either accepts or rejects our desires and needs, is achieved through the formation of the so-called “object permanence”. “This is the inner feeling of the child that the mother - even angry and angry - still loves and accepts him with all his imperfections. In the absence of a beloved object - the mother - her permanent image formed inside serves as consolation and support. This internal object, combining desire and imagination, provides a stable attitude towards people who are sometimes kind and loving, sometimes aggressive and angry.

If the mother is unpredictable and often avoids contact with the child, he remains defenseless against attacks. negative emotions and fears - both his own and those around him. And food comes to the rescue. After all, it is accessible and definitely has the quality of constancy in this world, which is changeable for a child.

Thus, in early childhood, the main roots of food addiction are tied:

Replenishment of food deficits of love, recognition, attention to yourself.

Replenishment with food of one's resistance to attacks of negative emotions and fears.

Acquisition of stress resistance through food.

Receiving comfort and support through food.

Rooting the belief that food is the main and safest source of pleasure.

There can be many reasons why a magnet is drawn to the refrigerator. "Eat" and powerful emotions, and boredom, and the desire to be distracted, to change occupation. Everyone has their own motives. The results are the same - heaviness in the stomach, lack of energy, discontent and an ardent desire to take care of oneself.

Treatment of food addiction

The method for correcting food addiction includes complex therapy. An internationally recognized method of treating eating disorders is applied: a combination of psychotherapy, body-oriented therapy and nutrition.

It should also be borne in mind that much depends on the format of the disease and the willingness of the client seeking help to realize that excessive physicality is the tip of the iceberg. Often, it is necessary to analyze parent-child relationships, the scenario of which - especially if they are pathological - is reproduced again and again by the client in his adult life.

Usually, the treatment of people with food addiction is carried out simultaneously by two specialists: a nutritionist and a psychotherapist. Frequent meetings with a doctor, and even better with a group of the same people, will constantly support and motivate you to follow a diet. As a rule, at such sessions they are taught to reconsider their attitude to food. Special programs are aimed at realizing that food is not a reward or a cure for troubles, but just a way to get the substances necessary for a fulfilling life.

It all starts with the client-therapist relationship, in which, when the client's sense of basic security is violated, it takes time to build a safe and trusting contact. The therapist performs a "holding" type of maternal care and support, sensitively responds to the needs of the client, understands and accepts his desires and fears. In the holding relationship, the client's sense of self is completed and modified, a sense of basic security is restored, and self-esteem is strengthened.

It should be noted that when trying to limit food intake, such people become irritable, aggressive or depressed. After all, food for people with food addiction is both medicine, consolation, and doping. That is why such people continue to eat, although such an amount of food contributes to the appearance of all more diseases: obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, etc.

The main thing in the process of recovery from food addiction is the awareness of the existence of the problem, the understanding of what is the true need: food or the joyful emotions that a person receives from it.

After that, you need to learn to enjoy and enjoy life in other ways. Hormones of joy are produced not only from food, but also from many things that are present in our lives: playing sports, an interesting hobby, chatting with friends, dancing, etc.

If the “pischeman” decides to deal with the problem himself, then this means that he has realized its existence and is ready to change his life. Here it is imperative to analyze what is the cause of food addiction, a kind of "irritant" that pushes for the absorption of food in large quantities. Maybe it's dissatisfaction with yourself, trouble at work or failure in your personal life. Having found the cause, it is easier to counteract the next bouts of unmotivated hunger.

The next thing to learn is the ability to be distracted. If there is an irresistible desire to "seize" any situation, then you should not run to the refrigerator, but take a book, turn on a movie, do your favorite pastime, go for a walk on fresh air. Thus, a person gets rid of the psychological attitude "bad - you need to eat."

An important part therapeutic treatment is family therapy.

eating disorders may arise as a protest.

For example, a husband does not pay the necessary attention to his wife, and perhaps (even worse), he cheats on her. As a result, she is constantly in nervous tension and tries to “seize” her family problem.

Another example, the wife “nags” her husband for various reasons, especially financial ones - she reproaches him that he does not have enough money and needs to earn more. The husband, experiencing constant stress in the family, begins to remove it with the help of fast food and beer, and maybe even something stronger.

A family therapist can also help spouses to get out of a difficult situation, talk out and find a common way to solve problems.

Of course, at first, breakdowns are inevitable, but you need to be prepared for this and not quit. new life after the first failure.

Conclusion

Food addiction is generally curable, but it requires hard work and great desire, for this you need to have an "iron" character.

It is very difficult to catch the moment when a person crosses the line between simple pleasure and food addiction. This is difficult to do due to the fact that most people do not admit that they have certain problems. Even if a person realizes that he is eating too much, he thinks that he can stop at any time and lose weight in as soon as possible. But this is just an illusion.

It is very difficult to take the very first step on the path to healing. But you need to understand that food is not the only source of pleasure. How many additional positive emotions does a person who is addicted to food deprive himself of. He cannot fully communicate with friends and relatives, while experiencing the full range of feelings, see the beauty of the world around him, enjoy delicious music, an interesting book, etc. You don't have to be afraid to ask for help. It is much harder for one to cope with trouble than with anyone else.

Eating disorders and food addiction

Delimitations with Eating Disorders

First of all, it is necessary to distinguish between two concepts: “food addiction (addiction)” and “eating disorders”. The latter include anorexia nervosa and bulimia, which have a different etiology from food addiction. For these are other psychopathological phenomena than addictions to food.

At the heart of anorexia nervosa

most often lie dysmorphophobic experiences, which are characterized by dissatisfaction with their own figure and appearance in general, and overweight in particular. According to the person suffering anorexia nervosa, his outward imperfection is so obvious that it “cuts the eye” of those around him, who try to unequivocally point out to him ugliness and disgust. Therefore, from excess weight it is necessary to get rid of and most often by the method of voluntary starvation.

In one case, the ultimate goal of fasting is to lose weight on your own in any way, including the most bizarre options. One of the dominant psychological motives in this case is the desire to physical changes. An indomitable desire to look as good as possible, so that everyone gasps with delight and envy at the same time. Moreover, the definition of this very “better”, the standard to which one must strive, lives exclusively in the head of the person himself.

In another version, the defining and most significant trigger is the desire to independently set the most difficult task and experience a sense of deep satisfaction and pride from its realization. In the process of such fasting, gradually, the signs of physical exhaustion begin to appear more and more noticeably, and it becomes more and more difficult to control what is happening. Any attempts by relatives and friends to influence the situation are doomed to failure. People suffering from anorexia live in their own, only they understand reality. The aversion to food becomes so strong that even chewing gum or toothpaste, which got into the mouth, is perceived by them as completely enough food.

bulimia nervosa

- Another extremely dangerous eating disorder for health. The main feature of bulimia is systematically recurring bouts of uncontrolled consumption of excessively large amounts of food in a short period of time (about two hours), followed by cleansing of the body. different ways, against the background of a hard-to-experience feeling of shame and remorse for the deed.

Most often, the body is cleansed with the help of self-induced vomiting, or by taking a large number of laxatives and diuretics, using enemas. Another option for burning calories is over-intense physical activity, often leading to injury, or debilitating diets. This behavior overlaps with the behavior of individuals suffering from anorexia, often both disorders coexist.

Causes

Before today The causes that can cause bulimia have not been unequivocally established, but research shows that there are certain factors that contribute to its development. They include certain personality traits (proneness to depression and low self-esteem). As well as an unfavorable family history, (bulimics often come from dysfunctional families where rules are chaotic or non-existent, cases of alcohol or substance abuse are common, and appearance given too much attention).

Many bulimic patients say they were deprived of parental affection as children. And one of psychological reasons binge eating attacks may be physical attempts to satisfy emotional hunger. Get rid of feelings of loneliness and feelings of inferiority. Often the inability to control eating behavior is a manifestation of a lack of control in other areas of life. Which is expressed in the abuse of alcohol, spending money or compulsive theft.

Mortality rates from eating disorders, including anorexia, can be as high as 20 percent, including deaths from heart and intestinal damage and suicide.

The consequences of bulimia are extremely severe. In addition to a general decrease in vitality, these are diseases of the esophagus and damage to tooth enamel (from vomiting). Violation of the water and electrolyte balance due to the use of potent diuretics leads to diseases of the heart and kidneys. In rare cases, a rupture of the stomach or esophagus can occur as a result of a bout of overeating. Which in turn can cause internal bleeding. Abuse of laxatives can cause problems in digestive system and in the intestines.

In addition, bulimia can manifest itself as a psychopathological symptom with various mental disorders. organic diseases brain, mental retardation, schizophrenia, etc.

Psearch addiction, definition:

The key difference between food addiction and eating disorders is that it, as well as the formation of any addiction in general, is based on the principle of positive emotional reinforcement (conditioning), when, as a result of one’s activity (in this case, overeating or starvation), a person experiences physical pleasure and a surge of positive emotions.

An addict suffering from food addiction cannot stop systematically overeating on his own, even despite the obvious to him and those around him. Negative consequences this behaviour.

One can argue for a long time whether food addictions are true addictions or not, however, the mechanism of formation and symptoms in both cases are almost the same, and it is difficult to deny it. A number of studies have shown that foods high in sugar, salt, fat, refined carbohydrates, and sweeteners can be addictive in the same way that alcohol is—by stimulating the pleasure centers in the brain and provoking the release of “happy hormones” (dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, etc.), causing a strong feeling of pleasure and satisfaction.

Food addicts tend to eat fast and feverishly, gorging themselves to the point of physical discomfort. In some cases, instead of one-time overeating, there is a systematic “snacking” throughout the day, but the total amount of food consumed also significantly exceeds the daily norm necessary for the normal functioning of the body. Food addiction can lead to obesity, but not everyone who has overweight or are obese, at the same time suffer from food addiction.

Just like any other addiction, food addiction can lead to cravings, tolerance, and withdrawal. For example, studies using high-tech methods brain scans that compared reactions healthy person and a food addict to a milkshake they saw showed that the reaction of the addict was exactly the same as the reaction of an alcoholic who was shown a glass of vodka that was steamed.

Who can become addicted to food

People systematically overeat and suffer from obesity for many reasons. Those who sometimes drink alcohol because they like its taste and effect are not yet alcoholics, just as people who occasionally smoke marijuana are not yet drug addicts. Recent studies have attempted to determine what separates a food addict from someone who overeats. These differences are important because they are directly related to approaches to treating food addiction.

For example, when addiction is the main cause of obesity, traditional treatment, consisting of a diet where willpower and personal responsibility of a person are of great importance, will be completely ineffective. Since food stimulates the pleasure center in the brain, many experts quite rightly believe that the same approaches and methods should be applied in this case as in the treatment of any other addiction. A simple change in lifestyle and diet, or even a gastric bypass, will have minimal effect, because food addiction is the cause of obesity.

Food addiction: signs and symptoms

First of all, these are the symptoms that are characteristic of any type of addiction, and it is their presence that distinguishes true food addiction from episodic overeating, the usual intemperance in nutrition. Most food addicts answer with a resounding "yes" to all of the following.

Tolerance. A person needs to constantly increase the amount of food consumed to achieve the desired psychological effect or feelings.
Cancel. When the required food or its quantity is not available, physiological and / or psychological symptoms withdrawal symptoms (stress, anger, depression). A person tries in any way to get what they want, regardless of the consequences, in order to relieve or alleviate withdrawal symptoms.
Unplanned, spontaneous abuse. A person consumes more food, or takes it for a longer period of time than originally intended.
Persistent attempts to solve the problem on their own fail, despite understanding the gravity of the situation.
Obsession with food. A lot of time is spent on cooking, on the rituals associated with its use.
Reducing or completely eliminating social, professional or recreational activities, and devoting the freed time to activities that are somehow related to food.
Food abuse continues despite constant or recurrent physical and/or psychological problems connected with it and constantly aggravated.
After cases of overeating, a feeling of guilt or remorse for the deed arises, promises are made to oneself and loved ones not to repeat this in the future.
Eating even when total absence hunger, or using it to elevate mood, eliminate symptoms of depression, irritability, depression.

Most food addicts don't realize it, and doctors general profile sometimes they do not have enough special knowledge to recognize this problem in a patient. As a result, a person can long years unsuccessfully fight obesity under the guidance of nutritionists, trying to get rid of the symptoms, instead of eliminating their cause - food addiction. In the course of such treatment, many continue to overeat to avoid the psychological discomfort caused by various diets that lead to withdrawal. Often a person tries to eat “just a little of what you can’t”, but the problem is that even a small amount can provoke uncontrolled overeating.

Causes of food addiction

Like any addiction, food addiction has many causes, and it is impossible to single out any one, the main one.

Emotions and stress

People who become addicted to food may eat to increase positive and reduce negative emotions. For example, you can eat pizza to “reward yourself” for accomplishments. But you can also eat pizza because something bad happened to you and you suffered mentally, which means you need to feel sorry for yourself. This is classic scheme addiction formation.

brain chemistry

Foods rich in fat and sugar can have a stimulating effect on the pleasure centers of the brain in much the same way as drugs and alcohol. Experiments performed on rats showed that animals trained to self-administer heroin and cocaine injections through appropriate leverage stopped using it when offered natural sugar. Thus, it was found that rats prefer the pleasure of consuming “natural” sugar to the high of drugs. This study shows that sugar can actually influence the brain's reward system even more than these drugs.

Genetics

Another reason for the development of food addiction in a person can be genetic predisposition to that. A study conducted in 2002 showed that women who grew up in families where one of the adults abused alcohol were 49% more likely to be obese than others. Although not all obese people also suffer from food addiction. Nevertheless, this fact suggests that there may be a positive correlation between alcohol dependence of parents or relatives in childhood and the formation of food dependence in adulthood.

Psychological trauma

Studies have shown that among women with the largest number post-traumatic symptoms stress disorder(PTSD) prevalence of food addiction is more than twice the average. Than in more early age suffered an injury, more likely addiction development. This suggests that women who experienced a severe traumatic situation as a child are much more likely to develop food addiction than others.

Consequences of food addiction

Over time, food addiction can cause serious physical and psychological problems. People suffering from food addiction for a long time gradually learn to hide their problem from loved ones. They begin to hide food, eat at night, while suffering from depression and low self-esteem. This is exacerbated by the fact that most don't even understand that they are dependent on food, but simply consider themselves weak-willed and undisciplined.

Among the most rapidly manifesting negative physical consequences food addiction are: indigestion, heartburn, severe nausea, vomiting. All this is familiar to those who at least once in their lives seriously overeat. But there are also psychological consequences that many food addicts note. People refer to these feelings as a strong emotional shock, using words like “ashamed,” “guilty,” and “disgusted.” Trying to get rid of these negative experiences can cause people to eat even more.

The most important and severe long-term consequence of food addiction is obesity. With constant overeating and eating foods rich in sugar, weight gain is inevitable. For many people (especially women, who are most prone to food addiction for a variety of reasons), the realization of their own unattractiveness and physical imperfection becomes a real tragedy and mental suffering.

Depression and food addiction

Research shows that there is a strong link between food addiction and negative emotional state including depression and anxiety. Adults with food addiction have a higher prevalence of major depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders and drug addiction than those without food addiction. More high performance Obese people also have depression. But the most worrisome factor is the link between suicidal thoughts and binge eating. More than half of food addicts and binge eaters have thought about suicide at least once. This suggests that episodes of uncontrolled eating lead to severe emotional distress.

Except psychological consequences very frequent companions of obesity and food addiction are type 2 diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, depression, arthrosis, reproductive problems, stones in gallbladder, stroke. If food addiction is not treated, then over time it will inevitably progress.

Treatment of food addiction

Unfortunately, there is no easy solution to addiction recovery. Does not exist healing remedy, magic spells and magic wand. If for some it is enough just to learn to control the consumption of certain foods, then for others it will be necessary to completely abandon them, forever, for life. It won't work otherwise. If you think you have a food addiction, then the best solution would be

There is an opinion that getting rid of food addiction is even more difficult than, for example, alcohol addiction. After all, an alcoholic can exclude alcoholic beverages from the diet. Thus, they protect themselves from a possible relapse, and a food addict is not able to completely abstain from eating. This means that they will always be at risk of relapse.

Comprehensive treatment for food addiction typically combines behavioral therapy, nutritional advice from a dietitian, changing eating habits, and social support. If food addiction is the result emotional disorder, such as anxiety or depression, then in this case you must first get rid of the causes where psychological help can at least alleviate negative food cravings.

If you suffer from food addiction and want to break vicious circle compulsive overeating, then I will gladly help you!