Food Addiction, Food Cravings - Food Addiction Conference

Written by HealthyPlace.com Staff Writer

David: One of the things that strikes me, Debbie, and I think you mentioned that you experienced this earlier, is that people are afraid to try because they've experienced so many failures in the past. How do you deal the fear of failing?

Debbie Danowski: Yes, that's true. I was afraid, too. I wondered why I should even bother. I, too, had a variety of clothes sizes in my closet. I had lost 100 pounds once and put it back on quickly. It broke my heart to see those clothes. I deal with the fear of failing by focusing on what could happen if I did succeed. As soon as those substances were out of my body, I knew that this was very different than anything else I had ever tried so that made it much easier for me to deal with all of the fears I had. For once, I was thinking clearly and that made all of the difference in the world.

David: How long did it take you to get a grasp on your binge eating, compulsive overeating?

Debbie Danowski: Right from the beginning, this was different. I didn't crave food, so it didn't take as long. It was almost instant that I stopped physically craving some foods. For others, it took a few weeks. There were still emotional cravings but they were much easier to deal with. However, I always need to remember that I am never cured. I will have to continue doing what I'm doing if I want to keep getting what I'm getting. The big difference here is that it was not the struggle that it had once been. Without the cravings, I had a chance.

David: And maybe that's something we should address. What is the difference between food cravings and food addiction? Is it just a matter of degree?

Debbie Danowski: Yes, food cravings in a food addict are so overwhelming that as soon as the thought comes up, the food addict has no choice but to get the food. It's important to mention that not everyone has to hit bottom. What are smaller cravings now may turn into overwhelming cravings later.

lalee: If you are morbidly obese, does it mean you have an eating disorder?

Debbie Danowski: My guess would be yes.

David: Do you have any children?

Debbie Danowski: No, not yet. I have a niece who I am very close to and she sometimes asks me why I weigh and measure my food or why I can't have birthday cake. I simply tell her that cake makes me sick and that I need to eat certain amounts to be healthy. It really is not the big deal that I can make it out to be. That's a big part of addiction - making things out to be more than they really are.

David: Are you concerned that you might genetically pass along your food addiction?

Debbie Danowski: Yes, I am. It has been a concern of mine but I have read that children are most influenced by the eating habits of their parents. If that's the case, ours will eat very healthy!

Troubled1: Can't genetics play a part in one's size and build? i.e. the rate of metabolism?

Debbie Danowski: Yes, it can, but I used it as an excuse to keep eating. My thinking went something like this - since I come from a family genetically predisposed to being overweight, I may as well eat whatever I want. I know that I will never be a size 2. That's not in my genes, but being a size 52 doesn't have to be my reality, either.

David: That's a good point, Debbie.

Debbie Danowski: Thanks.

David: How do you come to the realization that you will never be "Barbie-like?" and what's it like for you, self-esteem wise, when that finally sinks in?

Debbie Danowski: Considering that I used to weigh over 300 pounds, what I have now is amazing. Sure there are times when I wish I could be Barbie-like, but I know from being a media studies professor that the images we see on television and in magazines are not as realistic as they are made out to be. I also know that these things come with a price. Many times, the Barbie-like people are throwing up or using laxatives to maintain an unrealistic weight (take the eating attitudes test). I am making a choice not to do that today and the reward is sanity and a peace of mind that I've never known. These are the things that truly matter.

David: So are you saying you haven't experienced much pain from that realization. It wasn't something that was really hurtful or disappointing to you?

Debbie Danowski: I guess I would have to say that most times it doesn't disappoint me but there are times, usually in the summer, when I will feel it and then what I have to do is talk about it and get it out.

David: Here's an audience comment, then a question:

kessab: My children got eating disorders because I did it for 13 yrs of their life. I am living proof that eating disorders can pass down based on a mother's behavior.