Are You Addicted To Fast Food ???

Every morning, I would, drive almost an hour to get to work, sometimes stopping off for a snack to get me going. Then, by mid morning I was looking for another, then by two another. One day, I literally spent nearly $40.00 on food. I am serious. I spent $40.00 on junk food. I told myself right there, this has got to stop. I am eating my paycheck and probably killing myself at the same time.

The next day, I vowed to have a salad for lunch at a grocery store deli. Sure enough, I went and got me one of those big salads and dressing. I told myself to sit down and eat it, thinking this might be why I was always hungry. I would grab things and eat on the go. I ate my salad. Thirty minutes later, I was starving. I fought it off for a couple of hours, until I couldn't think about anything else but food. I went to Wendy's for a junior bacon cheeseburger and chili.

To make a long story short, my company sold the territory I worked. Instead of moving, I hired on with a new company. They kept me long enough to get the information they needed, then canned me! So, I went home. Devastated, I started looking for another job. Well, let me tell you, there's a recession going on, and jobs aren't easy to find. Problem is, I am not able to support my habit now.

For the first month or two, I told myself I was eating because I was upset,and part of that is true. I do tend to eat more when I am upset. The problem was that what I was eating wasn't doing anything for me. So, I would just keep eating anything. Everytime I went to go talk to somebody about a job, I would go to Sonic or Taco Bell or the deli at the convience store. Nothing put the fire out like a corn dog, an eggroll, AND a deep fried burrito. Yahh!! Then later, once the euphoria wore off, I was starving again.

I was so hungry one night, I ate everything I had made for dinner, then turned around and ate a whole can of sliced peaches with cottage cheese and then made a grilled cheese sandwich. One time, I bought a package of sliced pepperoni to make pizzas for my son. Needless to say, he only got one pizza. I ate all but about 8 pieces straight out of the package, grease and all. I just wanted to put the fire out. All I could think about was food.

My visits to the deli and fast food places became fewer and farther between. I went from a couple of times a day to a few times a week down to once a week, now maybe once a month. I didn't realize what was happening at the time, but I know now. This was nothing short of an addiction. Just like drugs or alcohol, I was a junkie. A food junkie.

I fought this battle without really realizing it. I just thought I was crazy. I thought there must be something wrong with me. I had lost my mind. I couldn't even concentrate, because all I could think about was eating. What could I eat? What was I going to eat next? I wished I had ______ to eat. A whole cupboard full of food and I couldn't find anything that satisified the hunger.

I don't blame the fast food industry for my weakness; I blame myself for letting it go so far. Yeah, I still want that jr bacon cheeseburger with aside order of chili, but I don't want it everyday. That's the difference. I don't think when fast food was invented they intended for us to eat it EVERYDAY. It was supposed to be a once in while thing. The convience is what gets us hooked, or I think so. We just keep going back for more.

Most people think only those people who are overweight have a food addiction. That's not true. I am slightly larger than I would like to be, but I am not obese. My job invovled enough physcical labor to keep that from happening. Some people are not so lucky.
They end up putting their health at greater risk, because they don't know what's wrong. Then that makes them upset, which in turn kicks off more cravings, which leads to eating, just to start the entire process over again.

Do I believe fast food addiction is al inl your head ? NO. There is no eivdence that fast food causes physical addiction. What I have to say to that is: there is no physical evidence that God exists, but that doesn't mean I don't believe in Him.

Some articles I have read have suggested Casien has an effect like opiates on the brain. Some people think it's MSG, others say it is the texture of the food. Still others say that it is fat, salt and sugar. High fructose corn syrup is also suspected to have an effect on the body. I don't know WHAT or WHY, but I do know I will not get myself into that situation again. If you're addicted to fast food, you may want to think about getting help. Whether it's a self help book or a diet plan or just on your own. The addiction will not go away by itself; you will have to make an effort to stop, and it does take effort.

You have probably heard that the first step to solving a problem is to admit you have a problem. In this case, it is realizing you have a problem. Since food is not illegal or listed as being addictive, it just seems like it is part of life,and we all have to eat. Eat yes; gorge yourself, no. I hope that if you have read this far, you will take back control of your life. I think you will be a happier, healthier person than you have been in a while.

Most of the articles I write have to do with my own experiences. I am not going to tell that you should go eat salad and fruit all day and everything will go away. I know it won't. Been there, done that! Got the T-shirt! If you can, you are a bigger person than I am. When you have a food addiction, it is a burning need to eat. You can't think about anything else. You try, but food just keeps getting in the way of your thoughts. Then you're grumpy and mean if you don't eat, maybe a little crazy.

Do you need to make changes? YES. If you are fully addicted like I was, then you will have to wean yourself off of it. Don't wait till you can't even think because the craving is so bad. You will just eat more. Get smaller portions at a time. Eat just enough of what you're craving to put out the fire, then eat some thing healthy. And, NO, those salads they sell aren't any different! Step away from the pre-processed salad! There is probably stuff in there, we don't even want to think about.