What Does the Addictive Desire to Eat Feel Like?

[Lou M]

Hi Gillian and All
I’m enjoying the webinar and especially the pace at which it progresses .
I have had time to notice my addictive desire and how I have been dealing with it.
My default has usually been distraction …”Get out of the Kitchen Lou”!. It works short term… not longterm.

Anyway, last night , after a zoom call with friends ,I was aware of a strong desire to stuff myself with food.
Interestingly enough, I was feeling a lack of freedom of choice after the conversation…this was about proposed future holidays, not food.

I focussed on how I felt Physically.. I felt empty, like there was a big void in my stomach that needed filling up.
The only way ,I figured , to fill this void was to eat enough so that I would feel ‘anesthetised’ and full up.

I’m just saying , this is one of the things I’m becoming aware of and one of the triggers. Does anyone else experience this?
Thanks Gillian

[Judith K]

Hey Lou,

That is exactly how I experience an addictive desire to eat most of the time. It’s an emptiness in my stomach with an incessant background vocal from my mind saying…oh, this is SO uncomfortable. I just can’t stand this feeling. Chocolate, sugar, a treat would take of this feeling and make me feel SO much better.

So far, I have chosen to address the dessert/treat/sweet after meals (especially supper, which is the evening meal to Southerners since I was born in the South). Just noticing the feeling and thought and attending to it has helped tremendously so far. I’m making a concerted effort to remind myself I have a choice to eat the sweet if I want to and then remember the whole picture. The urge is fading somewhat although I know it will come on ever so strongly again at some point (with perhaps some stress, anger, frustration, whatever).

Loving the cognitive restructuring, though. First time I’ve even had a glimpse of hope that I can heal my relationship with food. Thanks, Gillian and everyone who’s writing about their experience.

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