As a kid, I was overweight. Not necessarily obese, but definitely overweight. I participated in sports, had friends, and was generally a happy kid. No matter how happy I was, I still thought of myself as "just an overweight kid". It really hurt my self-confidence. I am STILL trying to deal with those issues at the age of 21. I wasn't overweight because I was addicted to food, I was overweight because my parents weren't educated on what food could really due to your health. I am from the south and fried foods were abundant. Fast food was a main staple. Soda? By the gallons.
In High School, I played football for all 4 years. This got me in great shape, and I was a pretty strong, confident dude. I had different girlfriends throughout this time, and I had more confidence than ever in regard to talking to girls. Working out was fun for me and I did it every single day. I was still considered overweight by the BMI scale, but I thought I looked pretty good. College rolled around and I stopped working out. My excuse was that I was too busy and I still felt pretty fit. As time rolled on, I got heavier and more out of shape. By the end of my sophomore year, I was 30 pounds heavier than I was a year prior.
During the entirety of my sophomore year, I became addicted to Adderall. It started out as nothing, but eventually grew to a real issue. I won't dwell on that in this post, but if you want to, this is the link to a post I made on that subject: https://steemit.com/health/@searchfortruth/adderall-addiction-a-love-hate-relationship
This addiction would leave me feeling really depressed, and gave me a sort of binge eating disorder. This is because Adderall suppresses the appetite greatly during use. However, when off of it, the user binge eats because he is so hungry. This quickly became a regular practice. I realized a few days ago that during this time I was not only physically addicted to food, but mentally as well. I was using food as a way of coping with my problems.
A week ago today, I decided to change. I have been eating clean, running, and drinking a gallon of water a day. I feel soooo much better. I can think clearly, sleep better, and I don't feel bloated like I usually do. This change is going to be permanent. I am tired of feeling unhealthy and fat, tired, and all around crappy. I encourage you all to join me in bettering ourselves. I promise you that once you do it, you'll thank me.
Question for the followers: have any of you dealt with a food addiction? If so, are you still dealing with it?
Cheers to a better life!
Enjoy this? Check out my last post! https://steemit.com/weed/@searchfortruth/marijuana-is-actually-addictive
Thank you for sharing your story with us man. I have definitely struggled with food issues throughout my life although I was slightly anorexic and obsessed with losing weight. Food became a control issue- eating (or not) was my power. Congratulations for making the big change and I hope you continue to be healthier and make smarter food choices :)
Thanks for reading!
And yeah I've come to realize that my issue with food goes both ways. I love to over eat, but when I get on a diet kick I tend to almost starve myself. I'm making sure that this time I do it the right, healthy way.
cheers
Nice,we all have to fight to get better everyday,and only ourselves can do it.
Glad to see your overcoming,hope many more to come,everyone of us.
Completely agree! I think it helps people when they see others struggling with the same issues! (at least that helps me).
I used to eat a lot and by a lot you can't really imagine how much. I used to eat a minimum of 4.000 calories a day, my average was probably something around 5.. I was never obese, but always overweigh by 5-10 kilos. I guess I am very active and I probably have good genes.
The reason I ate so much was that I was always hungry. I have tried many diets to no avail. The only one that worked was for me a was low carbs diet. It's similar to the slow carb diet described in the 4-hour-body book. Now most of my fat is gone, but most importantly, my hunger is gone. I can easily go for 12+ hours without eating anything and not feel hungry :)
I suggest you to give that book a read.