Food Addiction And Treatment
Enter Medications
I had no clue I had a food addiction when my journey began. I first began losing my excess weight when I was 23. I was sick and tired of feeling like a freak and feeling pretty depressed by my life. In 1970, there were few 5’5” people weighing over 325 pounds. I shopped at what today we would call the “Plus Size” men’s stores for clothes (there was only one store of this type in Houston at that time). I wore size 56 pants (today 36) and size 24 shirts (today 16). I had no relationships with women. Basically, I went to work (I was quite successful financially for a young businessman), went to the movies (where I had trouble fitting into the seats I was so overweight), lived alone in an apartment, and ate—that was my whole life. I had failed on many, many diets over the years, to say the least. I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. I certainly did not think of myself as a food addict at that time or thought I was going to try to control a food addiction.
Food Addiction Help From My Doctor
I went to my doctor—who, incidentally, carried over 500 pounds on his 6’2” frame so can you say food addiction with him! After I lost the weight he would say he should be coming to me for help and paying me. He was a nice guy really. He gave me prescriptions for amphetamines, plus thyroid medications during the day designed to increase my metabolism while reducing my hunger. He prescribed Valium at night to bring me down so I could sleep.
Of course, it wasn’t too many years later that prescribing amphetamines for weight-loss was stopped due to the dangers. They also discovered Valium was not a harmless, minor tranquilizer but a very, very addictive drug. These drugs—even though dangerous and addictive, with loads of side effects—did three things for me. They decreased my appetite, increased my metabolism, and increased my energy, all of which were useful in supporting my weight-loss. I was lucky not to have had any serious negative effects from the drugs. Doctors are still prescribing drugs for weight-loss today—some of which (like Fen-Phen was) can be even more dangerous than the ones I was on.
A brief aside about medications here: Although medications can be dangerous, not all of them are dangerous or useless in dealing with weight-loss issues. Often medications can be useful in treating some of the underlying causes of being overweight. I do suggest you use caution and educate yourself about these medications before making a decision about using them. Also there are many nutritional products on the market today. Many of these vitamins and herbs are of arguable value and some could be downright dangerous. You should always seek expert advice before taking any medications, vitamins or herbs.
In addition to the chemical boost from the drugs, I also learned about calories. I set myself up with low-calorie foods and stuck to them. I went from being a compulsive overeater to a compulsive under eater that worked well for losing the weight although it is not the best approach and not appropriate for building a psychological foundation for long term success with food addiction. I had no clue about the “binge/starve” syndrome – in a way I had entered a “starve” period. It took me about 18 months to lose over 150 pounds. That was the easy part—the hard part began afterwards. Like I say I did not have a clue on how to stop food addiction and that the hard part was coming after losing the weight at that time. More on that later in this series.
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