Are you a Food Addict? Take This Test on Compulsive Overeating
by Sonja Rose on Mar. 15, 2011, under Health
Compulsive Overeating can be expensive!
Have you tried many diets, only to have them fail? Or, have you lost weight, only to gain it all back?
Could you be a food addict? Take this test and see if you could be a compulsive overeater, which could be sabotaging your dieting efforts.
1) Do you eat even if you are not physically hungry?
2) Do you eat alone, and sometimes look forward to times when you can eat alone?
3) Do you go on eating binges, or sometimes eat uncontrollably?
4) Do you have feelings of guilt and remorse after overeating?
5) Do you have a history of weight fluctuations?
6) Have you withdrawn from activities, due to embarrassment about your weight?
7) Is your weight affecting the way you live your life?
8) Does your eating behavior with food make you or others unhappy?
9) Do you eat very little in public, but still maintain a high body weight?
10) Do you suffer from a low self esteem, and maybe depression, about your weight?
11) Are you aware that your eating habits are abnormal?
12) Do you have a history of unsuccessful diets?
13) Do you get irritated when others tell you to “just use a little willpower” to stop overeating?
There are similar questions from Overeaters Anonymous, the 12-Step Program that helps people overcome compulsive overeating. If you answer “yes” to three or more of these questions, it is probable that you may have, or are well on your way, to having a compulsive overeating problem.
Sonja enjoying Waikiki, Hawaii
The good news? Approximately 80% of people who seek help from food addiction recover completely or experience significant reduction in their symptoms. I attended many OA meetings in the past, and have integrated much of their plan into living my thin lifestyle of today. It is one of the reasons I have been able to maintain a 50-pound weight loss since 2001 (and why I have also saved a lot of money since I’m not always signing up for the latest diet plan!).
There are also other programs that help people with food addiction: Food Addicts Anonymous, and Food Addicts in Recovery, both good places to seek help with compulsive overeating.
Also read “Trigger Foods Beware (7 Ways to Combat Cravings)” to learn ways to avoid foods in your life that trigger cravings and potential binge eating, and “Yo-Yo Dieting; Stop the Insanity!” to see how you can get off that particular diet treadmill.
