Struggling with addiction

[P Michael]

I've been dealing with food addiction for a few years now and i still haven't solved it. 

I can go a few months eating 100% clean but I want to be able to do it forever and I'm not able to. After a while I go off track for whatever reason. 

Any help would be appreciated. 

[Raze]

Try learning meditation. For a free online meditation training try unified mindfulness or the brightmind app.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_dawQLA-mA

Meditation has been shown to strengthen the part of the brain associated with willpower and quiet the part associated with impulsive urges over time.

It can also be used to directly handle urges.

https://www.shinzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/art_urges.pdf

[P Michael]

13 hours ago, Judy2 said:

- Investigate the underlying emotional side to the issue.

How? 

13 hours ago, Judy2 said:

- Generally, when it comes to problems in one's eating behaviour, it is recommended to make sure that your diet is sufficiently balanced rather than overly restrictive. So, in the few months of "eating 100% clean", did you get all the macros and micros you needed?

Yea I took a quality multivitamin to make sure. 

13 hours ago, Judy2 said:

Did you enjoy the food you ate?

Yea but after a while it gets stale and recently I found out that when that happens i should put more healthy foods in like a banana instead of just eating berries for fruit. Instead of suffering until i break and start to eat shit. 

13 hours ago, Judy2 said:

In many cases, it's more realistic and sustainable to aim for 80% "clean" and stick with it rather than needing to be perfect at all costs and "failing"over and over again.

For me it's easier to go 100%.

Some people are abstainers and some are moderators. 

11 hours ago, Raze said:

Try learning meditation. For a free online meditation training try unified mindfulness or the brightmind app.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X_dawQLA-mA

Meditation has been shown to strengthen the part of the brain associated with willpower and quiet the part associated with impulsive urges over time.

It can also be used to directly handle urges.

https://www.shinzen.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/art_urges.pdf

I just did 10 minutes of Leo's mindfulness. 

I will try that out later. 

"Meditation has been shown to strengthen the part of the brain associated with willpower and quiet the part associated with impulsive urges over time." 

Damn. 

Thank you for the support. 

[Mormegil]

On 3.7.2022 at 5:18 AM, P Michael said:

I can go a few months eating 100% clean but I want to be able to do it forever and I'm not able to.

100% clean eating is extremely hard! If you can do this for several months, that is huge! To me this has never been a goal that would be very desirable, since it's quite extreme.

I think a long term goal should be to be healthy overall, not focused on eating. Healthy eating is of course part of that, but not the only thing. You can eat 100 % clean for a year, but if you don't have a good habit of working out for example, that will also be bad for your body. So maybe try overall physical and mental health as a goal. With this in mind you might end up eating mostly clean, get some excersize, etc.

Don't underestimate having having some sort of fun or pleasure from time to time (that can also include having a bit of ice cream or chocolate). If it is within reason, there is no problem at all, in fact giving yourself some sort of treat, can actually be good for your mental state. The trick is to do these sorts of unhealthy snacks conciously and to really enjoy them in that moment and then to know when enough is enough.

So maybe don't be too harsh on yourself if you still give in to some urge sometimes. If you still want to get completely rid of it, watch yourself in the moment of "cheating". Observe your behavior and try to figure out what the underlying reason is why you need it in that moment. If you do this often enough, you can find, that there will be a "weak" moment where you, when watching yourself, you can let go of that urge and be okay without giving in.

Edited July 4, 2022 by Mormegil

[Mu_]

On 7/2/2022 at 11:18 PM, P Michael said:

I've been dealing with food addiction for a few years now and i still haven't solved it. 

I can go a few months eating 100% clean but I want to be able to do it forever and I'm not able to. After a while I go off track for whatever reason. 

Any help would be appreciated. 

Were you diagnosed with some sort of addiction or is this self diagnosed?  Whats the problem with having some icecream and cake a couple times a week?

[Leo Gura]

On 7/2/2022 at 8:18 PM, P Michael said:

I can go a few months eating 100% clean but I want to be able to do it forever and I'm not able to.

It sounds like you're repressing the craving part of you, trying to smother it down, but it just becomes your shadow and rises back up to fight you.

Consider taking a more loving approach where you integrate this shadow rather than trying to disown it.

Your current strategy reminds me of guys who do nofap but secretly crave sex. That's not going to work. You have to be honest with your cravings until the point where you genuinely outgrow them, which you haven't done yet.

To eat very healthy you'd have to actually end the craving for unhealthy food. Which is not the same thing as repressing your cravings.

[UnbornTao]

Be willing to go through the withdrawal symptoms. Confront the cravings without acting them out. Try contemplating why they exist. Become deeply aware of the underlying motivation. Once you've grasped it, drop it.

Hopefully, in theory, this is going to free you from that unwanted behavior. But you have to do it, not just think about it.

Edited July 5, 2022 by UnbornTao

[Razard86]

15 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

It sounds like you're repressing the craving part of you, trying to smother it down, but it just becomes your shadow and rises back up to fight you.

Consider taking a more loving approach where you integrate this shadow rather than trying to disown it.

Your current strategy reminds me of guys who do nofap but secretly crave sex. That's not going to work. You have to be honest with your cravings until the point where you genuinely outgrow them, which you haven't done yet.

To eat very healthy you'd have to actually end the craving for unhealthy food. Which is not the same thing as repressing your cravings.

Totally agree with this, its called burning through your Karma. Nothing wrong with experiencing life. You will eventually outgrow all addictions anyway. Its inevitable if you do them long enough

[P Michael]

On 7/5/2022 at 4:50 AM, Mu_ said:

Were you diagnosed with some sort of addiction or is this self diagnosed? 

Nah, it's self diagnosed. 

On 7/5/2022 at 4:50 AM, Mu_ said:

Whats the problem with having some icecream and cake a couple times a week?

It's hard for me to have just a little. 

Do you ever eat a chip or a peace of chocolate and suddenly you are 10 times hungrier than before? 

21 hours ago, Leo Gura said:

It sounds like you're repressing the craving part of you, trying to smother it down, but it just becomes your shadow and rises back up to fight you.

Consider taking a more loving approach where you integrate this shadow rather than trying to disown it.

Your current strategy reminds me of guys who do nofap but secretly crave sex. That's not going to work. You have to be honest with your cravings until the point where you genuinely outgrow them, which you haven't done yet.

To eat very healthy you'd have to actually end the craving for unhealthy food. Which is not the same thing as repressing your cravings.

I have tried your approach of mindfully going through with the craving and It made a huge difference. 

The only thing is that I have done that before and I stopped looking at unhealthy foods with cravings. But after a while It's like I forget it and i just start looking at it like my dog. 

Do I just keep eating mindfully until it sets in completely? 

16 hours ago, UnbornTao said:

Be willing to go through the withdrawal symptoms. Confront the cravings without acting them out. Try contemplating why they exist. Become deeply aware of the underlying motivation. Once you've grasped it, drop it.

Hopefully, in theory, this is going to free you from that unwanted behavior. But you have to do it, not just think about it.

Ok. 

Thanks everyone. 

[Leo Gura]

11 hours ago, P Michael said:

Do I just keep eating mindfully until it sets in completely?

Mindfulness is not enough, you need to have a larger purpose to your goals. Why are you trying to eat healthy? You aren't really connected with your motivation to be healthy. It's just something you're doing like a monkey imitating a human.