By Julie Brealy,

Food addiction is an action wherein you can’t stop yourself from eating too much food and you do it repeatedly not realizing the harmful effects it will cause your health. Everyone is craving for food. But for the food addicts, when they aren’t able to eat, they start craving for food. They become physically and emotionally distressed as the cravings go on, until eating is the most distinguished thing for them to do. They are craving for something to eat with no real reason, but to just eat. It may be due to boredom, or they seem something suggestive of food.

Food addiction is detrimental instead of enhancing the life of an individual. It threatens the health of the person, causing malnutrition, obesity and other problems. At the same time, it is persistent. Since food addicts eat too much food, they often eat wrong kinds of food most of the times. A normal person overeats on occasion but a food addict overeats every day. It becomes a part of their daily routine.

The mere reasons why a person has this kind of addiction is: hurt depression, despair, anxiety, fear, hate, and shame. Since food addiction provides an escape to painful feelings, it is an individual’s principle way of coping with the painful feelings that they have.

To determine food addiction, an individual needs to ask themselves these following questions:

• Do you always look for food and eat even if you’re not hungry?
• Do you eat when you feel depressed?
• Do you eat too much even those foods that are harmful to your health?
• Do you eat too much and vomit after taking your meal?
• Do you feel guilty after eating?

If an individual’s answer to these questions is “YES”, then, that person is most likely a food addict.
But, the big question here is how can a food addict break his food addiction?

Here are the following steps on getting rid of food addiction:

Voluntary Maturity
A person needs emotional growth. Start the change from yourself. Other people will not be able to help you if you are not willing to help yourself.

Spiritual Growth
Try attending seminars and retreat. It will help you focus on other things rather than wasting your time from too much eating. It will also help take away the painful feeling that you have which is causing your food addiction.

Going back to the “PAST”
Go back to your past and deal with your unresolved issues. Talk to the person who is very dear to you and who will listen to the grudges you have in your heart. It will not get rid of your addiction but it will help. Keep in mind that when another human being listens to you, doesn’t judge you and loves you, you felt better.

This is your “NOW”
Everything is not just about you past. So, deal with your present. This is your “NOW”. Think positive, there’s a better life waiting for you. Through this you will change.

Practical Approach
Do some physical exercises and the thing is that will make you physically fit and healthy. Focus on the things that you love to do. Every baby step you take, you will feel good about yourself. It will result to self respect.

Walk towards you “FREEDOM” now
For a very long time, you were imprisoned by food addiction. You have been locked. You’re desperate and been deceived by your addiction. But the thing is you’re not really a prisoner. It is all in your mind. You have been unconscious and become used of it. But, there is something in yourself that urged you to change and helped you overcome food addiction. You made it. Continue to value yourself more because you deserve to be free.

About the Author

Julie Brealy is the health manager at FitFarms, No. 1 UK Weight Loss Camp and Fitness Boot Camp. She has been working for over 10 years in the weight loss industry advising companies in the US and the UK. Julie is also an experienced deep tissue massage therapist.

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