[purple orchid]

I'm embarrassed to say that I am addicted to chocolate.
I suffer with depression and over the years, many years, that I've developed a very unhealthy habit of turning to chocolate or sweets to make myself feel better. I've slowly put on a great deal of weight and am now very overweight and is affecting my health and making my depression worse it's a vicious circle.
I've been having therapy for almost a year to try to overcome this habit. My has T has been patient and come up with numerous ideas to try to break my habit but I have made little progress and am getting really angry with myself.
At my last session my T told me that I'm addicted to chocolate. He said he has worked with drug addicts and I do all the same things.
I don't really know why he told me this ?? To shock me into making more effort or ? to show how exasperated he is with me.
I really need to lose this weight and change my habit.
I'm looking for friends and support on here.
Anybody in a similar position?

[liveforfish]

Food addiction is like drug addiction so maybe that's what he meant.

People are addicted to food.

[unaluna]

Yeah count me in. I posted elsewhere, i have mocha cafe every day, one or two, for my chocolate fix. Also for my exercise program, seems like every time i start something, i hurt myself or its too hard. So now ive just started with stretching for 30-60 minutes every day. Today will be day 4. When the stretching gets easier, i'll move on to something harder.

[purple orchid]

Thanks Hankster,
I'm so impatient with myself. I set myself up to fail everyday and it just fuels the depression.
If you have been able to stick to streching for 30 minutes a day that is definately a step in the right direction. Well done.. keep up the good work

[H3rmit]

Hey, purpleorchid, I've been that way with potato chips. I totally relate to the idea it's like an addiction. I guess it works the same way in the brain, more or less.

I've read a book by Paul McKenna about "getting thin" - not an appealing title, I feel, but I like the guy's way of thinking. He's a hypnotist and knows a lot about psychology. I think his understanding of these things is spot on. He has some useful NLP-based and other specific techniques you can read about in his book to try and make changes. I think it's worth a read, a very short book. He's pretty popular in the UK, and you can probably find his books in public libraries as I did. I am going to try it to kill off those bothersome cravings and learn to deal with emotions directly instead. Care to join me?

[unaluna]

There's no book that comes with us! I think our mothers were supposed to figure out what made us happy. What made us poop regular! I had to figure that out at this old age - it makes a difference. A HUGE difference. But i think normal people and olympic athletes probably poop regular and easy as soon as they get up - ghey dont worry about it, they can go ahead and exercise without thinking oh no wait i havent pooped yet, or theyre not tired all day cuz they havent pooped. Honestly i think my mother liked having a chronically constipated kid cuz it meant all i did was sit on the couch - which was probably another reason i didnt poop! Sorry to get all poopy on you! But it took me maybe two years to make this a dependable (ha ha sorry!) habit. Im sure this is another situation where my t is thinking, is THIS why i studied all those years??

Have you read Geneen Roth's books? She says to try to stabilize your weight first. Stop gaining, then move on from that. I say, start pooping, then learn to start feeding yourself. Wanting sweets usually means i havent had enough protein. The last couple of months ive gotten bags of frozen meatballs from trader joes, but before that it was cans of chicken or tuna fish. With bread and guacamole. Im not losing, but im stable. And im starting to eat more veg and less sweets. T says consistency.

[doggiedo]

I know what you mean. I'm an average weigh- have been below with an eating disorder in the past. I would consider myself being addicted to chocolate. Some days I can eat a bag or two of chocolate. I mean that's all I will eat. I'll eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner. Not because I'm gorging myself but bc I love the way chocolate tastes. It's pure heaven for me. Maybe u can try hypnosis???

I have been better lately bc I can't eat it due to my digestive issues. It makes me really sick. So that has helped me curve my cravings.

[purple orchid]

Originally Posted by doggiedo

I know what you mean. I'm an average weigh- have been below with an eating disorder in the past. I would consider myself being addicted to chocolate. Some days I can eat a bag or two of chocolate. I mean that's all I will eat. I'll eat it for breakfast lunch and dinner. Not because I'm gorging myself but bc I love the way chocolate tastes. It's pure heaven for me. Maybe u can try hypnosis???

I have been better lately bc I can't eat it due to my digestive issues. It makes me really sick. So that has helped me curve my cravings.

Thanks for your reply.
I've tried hypnosis as my T is also trained in it but it didn't help.
I've now started Prozac for the depression and I am feeling better and have found that my cravings have decreased.