Food Addiction, Food Cravings - Food Addiction Overview

Written by HealthyPlace.com Staff Writer

Joden: Once you started to lose the weight, were you tempted to over-restrict your intake?

Debbie Danowski: Yes, I was. It's funny how I can go to either extreme. That's why it was so important for me to have a food plan with outlined amounts so that I didn't begin skipping meals. For an addict, more is better but that's not usually the case. I thought that if I could lose a little weight, why not lose more? That's where the structure comes in.

David: Kessab, and others in the audience, I want you to know that it's not unusual to go from one extreme to the other, i.e., overeating to anorexia or bulimia. You can read some of the transcripts from previous conferences to find out more.

Debbie Danowski: Yes, that's true. I went into an anorexic period.

adawn1717: If I ate whatever I wanted, I'd be 800 lbs. I struggled not to throw up and take laxatives to try and get thin, but that didn't work for me. It just made me feel like crap and then I continued the process over-and-over-and-over until I finally broke down and told myself and others that I couldn't take being the way I was any longer, but everyday is a struggle!!!! I struggle everyday not to binge eat!! I hate it!! I just want to be able to eat until I'm full and stop! What's the key?

Debbie Danowski: Yes, I used to watch the world's fattest man on television (he weighed over 1,000 pounds) and think that I would be there soon. The key for me is to first let someone else know what I will be eating each day and to work out a food plan that supports a non-addictive way of eating. Once the addictive substances are out of the body, the physical cravings leave and the struggle isn't as bad as it once was. Outside support is necessary in this situation.

David: As you were continuing to gain weight, how did you rationalize it in your mind?

Debbie Danowski: I told myself that 328 wasn't that bad; that I really didn't look as if I weighed that much; and that I could lose the weight anytime I wanted to. I also told myself that I needed food to eat; that I couldn't live without the things I was eating. Today, I know this isn't true but then I truly believed it.

David: We have many excellent sites that dealing with all aspects of Eating Disorders, including overeating, anorexia and bulimia. One of the sites, Triumphant Journey, specifically deals with overeating.

Thank you, Debbie, for being our guest tonight and for sharing this information with us. And to those in the audience, thank you for coming and participating. I hope you found it helpful. We have a very large and active community here at HealthyPlace.com. You will always find people in the chatrooms and interacting with various sites.

If you found our site beneficial, I hope you'll pass our URL around to your friends, mail list buddies, and others. http://www.healthyplace.com

Debbie Danowski: Thank you everyone for stopping by.

David: Thank you, Debbie and good night everyone.

Disclaimer: We are not recommending or endorsing any of the suggestions of our guest. In fact, we strongly encourage you to talk over any therapies, remedies or suggestions with your doctor BEFORE you implement them or make any changes in your treatment.

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