Drink, Drugs & Food.
Three substances which are spoken about daily in the media and society. Drink & Drugs are so often coupled together as substances which people become addicted to, yet Food ........ well, Food is food isn't it ? Something we simply eat when we are hungry or feel like it - surely food couldn't possible be categorised along with drink & drugs as an additive substance ?
Or could it.
It my opinion, one of the main challenges facing society today is the lack of acknowledge that the obesity epidemic affecting countries such as the USA, and more closer to home and on the rise, in both the UK & Ireland, is actually being caused by an addiction to food.
Getting to a stage whereby you are classified as obese or above, isn't something that simply happens over night because you decided to have one or two extra slices of toast during the day - no, instead I firmly believe that for life long sufferers of obesity that rather than treat them as people who simply eat too much and therefore must diet - we first and foremost need to accept the fact that the key underlining issue isn't the physical act of eating another slice of bread or two etc, but that there is a very deeply rooted emotional and mental connection ( addiction ) to food.
Whilst personal trainers, bootcamps, gyms etc all may work to help get people fit and help educate them on healthy food choices - how many time have you ever heard of someone being admitted to rehabilitation for food addiction ? Now that may sound a bit extreme, but why so ? Why if we are treating two other main addictions society faces with a structure form of rehab, why not apply this to one of the fastest growing challenges facing families, health systems & individuals on a day to day basis.
If you are a personal trainer or fitness professional reading this I would love to hear your experiences of how you support your clients with their emotional connection to food - as I know there is some brilliant work being done out there by people like yourselves, yet when I think about the medical profession - the ones who constantly supply facts and figures about obesity - and when I think about the years I spent going back and forward looking for a solution to my weight problem - not once EVER was I offered anything other than a reduced gym membership or more often ... pills. Pills pills pills - this ladies and gentlemen was what I was prescribed 95% of the time - not once did anyone ever suggest * Well Paddy I think it may be worth meeting a behavioural change professional* or something along those lines.
Anyway, I could rant on - but I guess the point I am getting across is that if you are someone who is overweight - please don't think that by simply joining a weight loss group, or taking a pill or doing a new diet that this will serve as a long term solution to your challenging relationship with food, or if you are a health care or fitness professional I would love for you to start to incorporate considering if support for behavioural change is something which might benefit your clients.
The more I think about it, the more I firmly believe that food - like drinks and drugs, is a highly addictive substance - so let have a similar level of support and understanding available for people struggling to change their lives to a more positive healthier path.
Paddy
www.ptpaddy.com
info@ptpaddy.com
I think people can get into a cycle of associating food as a comfort when going through a stressful time, then it becomes a habit, I really agree that there is no point in joining club after club or gym unless you are ready in your head also, if that makes sense!
ReplyDeleteThis is a great blog and I'd like to comment.
ReplyDeleteAlcohol doesn't contain any really addictive substances, although the effect it has on your brain makes it addictive. Endorphins are released into your brain which gives the ''feel good sensation'', call it a comfort blanket if you will.
I would say that food has the same addictive qualities. I'm no scientific researcher but I'm sure most would agree that we all get a great deal of pleasure out of eating foods with virtually 0% nutritional value, especially when we feel particularly low.
I agree with you whole heartedly Paddy when you talk about people being admitted to rehab for addictions other than excessive food intake. Statistics show that obesity is as big a killer as alcoholism and drug abuse, in fact they all frequently come hand in hand.
Hiring a personal trainer is a worthwhile expense, they can advise you on nutrition and the best ways to burn fat using cardio and HIIT work. On the other hand a personal trainer that happens to have a degree in psychology would be an even better bet. Good luck searching through the yellow pages for one of those!
Most people that have weight issues could tell you themselves where they're going wrong. ''The guilt that follows the feast is unreal'' but those endorphines that were realeased at the time made them feel great. In the same way that a drug or alcohol fix would of course.
From my own experience and in my work weight is a symptom. It's a painful problem as I know. The root cause is a chemical imbalance which can be down to food or emotions/mind.
ReplyDeleteEither way our biochemistry gets out of balance. With food, an addiction cycle is set up and this can be so strong that it's got nothing to do with willpower and not having enough of it if you can't lose weight. Of course food is to be enjoyed, life is to be enjoyed and for me it's knowing how to eat in a way that you can have those treats and still keep your biochemistry in balance.
With emotions/mind when we feel anything, this is due to chemical messengers inside our bodies, these feelings are real and our biochemistry again can be affected by our emotions and mindset. When our biochemistry is out of balance this messes up our metabolism and fat storage. So if people have 'stuff' going on in their lives, once this is dealt with people find the weight problem just sorts itself out!
So I use a mind body approach as this is what I have found personally and with clients. Paddy, great what you are doing here. Get in touch with me drsuzannefergus@bebodyfabulous.com