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Went from Addicted to Drugs to Addicted to Food

I

Iliketoswim

Bluelighter
Joined
Sep 29, 2014
Messages
56
Location
New Jersey
I quit the drug habit for good hopefully and I'm trying to focus on building my body. I got kinda fat after quitting, and I just can't get it off. I know all about losing weight and all the exercises, I used to wrestle my freshman/sophomore year in high school. Now I'm a senior, I've been to jail and went through all that fucked up shit drugs can do to you. Now I am a lot weaker and I just don't have the motivation. I'll go to sleep thinking "tomorrow is gonna be the day!" Then I wake up, have a healthy breakfast (egg whites, peppers, the whole 9) and go to school. Then I can go to school and TRY to select the healthiest option they have at school. Once I get home I just have this fucking urge to eat everything unhealthy. Yesterday, I had a perfect eating day until I went into my fridge and saw this bag of Reeses. As soon as I saw that shit it was over I must have ate like 15 of those, totally ruining my day. I can't really get rid of all of the unhealthy shit in my house cause 5 other people live with me. Any tips on how I can overcome this? It's like coke, if I see a gram the whole thing is gonna be up my nose in two hours, so say if I do see that bag how can i avoid snorting it (but with junk food this time lol)
 
This would be my suggestion:

Start off slow. Sounds to me like you're trying to go "cold turkey" from junk food, and that's not working for you. You've already achieved a lot, by getting clean. Don't try to do more than you're capable of. Sugar addiction is not easy to combat. Give yourself time. Allow treats in your daily diet, but keep track of calories. Like, rather than trying to have a perfect diet and relapsing into a Reeses binge, allow yourself a single chocolate (or whatever) per day. That way you can still eat what you want to, without feeling guilty about it.

Also, I think it's potentially dangerous to make a connection between the junk food and the drugs. Keep them separate. You don't want to "relapse" with food, and have that trigger a drug relapse. By treating the junk food like coke, you're applying the same "zero tolerance" attitude towards your recovery. I don't think that's necessary, or - by the sounds of it - particularly effective. Give yourself a break.

Set realistic goals. If you don't own a pair of scales, get one. Weigh yourself every couple of days and record your progress. You don't need to shed a lot of weight, overnight.

As for exercise, same thing, don't overdo it. Just try walking sometimes instead of using the car. (Like down to your local shops, or whatever.) The more you exercise, the more treats you can afford to have... Keep a vigilant eye on your progress and adjust your routine accordingly, if necessary.
 
the best solution is really just not keeping any junk food in your viscinity, but what i've found does help in situations where you have no control over that is to villify the bad foods. i mean like really villify them, think of any form of sugar as some sort of toxic sludge and conjure up imagery of the havoc it is wreaking when it comes in contact with your body. if you can really visualize sugar then you'll start to see things with disgust. like, see that bottle of nutella? it's about 50% sugar, so imagine a bottle that is 50% full of sugar granules mixed up with some shite-tasting cocoa concoction. these things taste fucking disgusting on their own but when mixed up together with some fat it's delicious. so yeah it helps to mentally separate them and imagine them in their pre-mixed, disgusting form.

also if you get used to eating healthy whole foods and using herbs and spices appropriately, it will just naturally disgust you to imagine eating any food that depends on oodles of sugar or salt to taste half decent. it's not hard to incorporate herbs, you can wash a batch at once then freeze the batch and then whenever you want to add some to a dish just gotta grab the batch from the freezer and chop off a piece. no fuss, no muss
 
I agree with thujone. If you have the junk food you'll eat it. You might even be half asleep when you do it! Back when I was sober and ripped and CRAVED food all night, I'd eat frozen grapes, peanut butter and bananas ...ya, thats all gonna make you fat at night if you don't work out but it sure beats going to sams club and buying a box of snickers and keeping it under the bed (dude im gross)...
and it damn sure beats a relapse on drugs.
 
the best solution is really just not keeping any junk food in your viscinity
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OP said he can't do that.

i mean like really villify them, think of any form of sugar as some sort of toxic sludge and conjure up imagery of the havoc it is wreaking when it comes in contact with your body. if you can really visualize sugar then you'll start to see things with disgust. like, see that bottle of nutella? it's about 50% sugar, so imagine a bottle that is 50% full of sugar granules mixed up with some shite-tasting cocoa concoction. these things taste fucking disgusting on their own but when mixed up together with some fat it's delicious. so yeah it helps to mentally separate them and imagine them in their pre-mixed, disgusting form.
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I disagree with what you said, somewhat. That doesn't sound (psychologically) healthy to me, especially considering how much the OP is struggling with a completely sugar-free diet. Ideally, junk food shouldn't be embraced as a staple food. But completely rejecting all sugary foods is unrealistic. Some people need time to adjust... The "all or nothing" attitude is dangerous. Also, treats don't need to be reviled. They aren't "disgusting". They should be consumed in moderation, of course. But they aren't the enemy.
 
i guess it depends on what sort of person you are. i'm an all-or-nothing person by nature so when i was living with roommates who would fill the fridge with candy i had to jump to the other extreme to succeed at resisting. also im not talking about hating all treats in general, i'm talking about being able to read a nutrition label and mentally visualizing what the ingredients separately would look like. if you're the sort of person who can't have just one, it helps to be able to visualize that shit in bulk and realize what kinds of hazardous, nutritionless garbage you could potentially put in your body. there are many, many sweet foods made with quality, wholesome ingredients and junk food like Reese's cups is not on that list.

i have a healthy enjoyment of sweets now, even though i don't keep bags of it in the house because i still can't control myself if i do. my basic rule of thumb is that if it tastes like shit with the [added/cane/beet] sugar removed, then it is just shit.

COCOA BUTTER; NONFAT MILK; MILK FAT; LACTOSE; SOY LECITHIN; PGPR, EMULSIFIER; PEANUTS; TBHQ (PRESERVATIVE)
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those are the ingredients of a Reese's cup, with the sugar and salt removed. i'm certain nobody in the world would find that mixture appetizing, but when sugar and salt is added the magic occurs and it's too delicious to resist.
 
i find that running for 30 minutes every day, reduces my craving for unhealthy foods. i think because it reduces my stress levels, i can resist urges to eat fast food easier.
 
For me, having the right portions of food help me on not craving for unhealthy stuff that and extreme workouts including an hour of cardio a day and additional exercises. Hot yoga has also helped me lessen my cravings for unhealthy food.
 
i don't know what to say

everytime i quit drugs I gain 30-40 lbs

which is always my excuse for getting back on them
 
^im not sure what drugs you are using, and how long you have been using, but it is likely that your body is in starvation mode and is storing fat in anticipation for another starvation period. Metabolism also, gets out of whack after prolonged drug use which may result to a slower metabolism. My suggestion is always starting up a healthy diet and exercise to achieve the equilibrium again.
 
Juicer FTW

(not talking about steroids)

eat more fruit,veggies,nuts,seeds, etc.
 
yeah that's a good idea too just fill yourself up on good foods packed with nutrition and it will kill the cravings for shite. a spoonful of honey on some chopped nuts with some apple slices and cinammon is sweet deliciousness and also great nutrition
 
Saying that you can't avoid junk food because you live with others is the lamest excuse ever. You walk past junk food in the grocery store so you should be able to walk past it when it is on the kitchen counter as well.

You need to form a habit of eating healthy. Even if you are throwing butter and salt on everything, at least eat unprocessed foods. You had the willpower to quit drugs. Quitting junk food will feel just as good.

Just stop making the mistake of blaming your own actions and reactions on others. You won't succeed if fucking up is always rationalized.
 
Maybe throw in a little resistance training and turn some of that junk shit into muscle. Fairly easy... don't do it on a full stomach.
4-6 reps...heavy lifting. Do some push ups ab work outs if you don't have access to weights. Lunges. It'll help.
 
Please explain. My post may have been harsh but in essence he/she was saying "I lack willpower." If that is really the true case here, we cannot help them with tips and tricks. Lifestyles are habits, it doesn't get any more simple than that.

OK, never mind, here is an actual tip. Craving junk food? Chug a liter or more of water, until you feel full up to your lower esophageal sphincter. No more room for things in there, and done.
 
Your post was harsh. That's all I'm saying, really. It's not the lamest excuse ever. I find it hard to quit drugs, when there's drugs around. When I go cold turkey, I don't hang out with people who are getting high. The OP explained this connection. In his case, between the temptation of coke and the temptation of junk food.

in essence he/she was saying "I lack willpower." If that is really the true case here, we cannot help them with tips and tricks. Lifestyles are habits, it doesn't get any more simple than that.
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He's trying to quit drugs, and stay off them, and quit junk food at the same time. A lot of people struggle with the drugs, alone. I don't read it as "he lacks willpower". I read it as "he has significant will power", and he's doing really well. Addiction is a tricky beast. Don't feed it.
 
Im the opposite- every time i think about snorting coke i lose my appetite
cuz i just wanna do coke so freaking bad that i cant get myself to eat because im so sad about it.
i have some problems...
 
And guys be nice- some people can't help craving junk food
i highly HIGHLY doubt that fat people "choose" to be fat
WHO THE FUCK WOULD CHOOSE TO BE FAT
it's gotta be genes...
 
Foreverafter, I think the op would probably have the truth than platitudes... My honest opinion is that he/she is rationalizing bad eating habits by using the presence of the food as an excuse, and that they are better off focusing energy on better habits. I already suggested non processed food that still tastes good and drinking large amounts of water. Anyway that's all the dietary wisdom I have!

Trying2Iso said:
And guys be nice- some people can't help craving junk food
i highly HIGHLY doubt that fat people "choose" to be fat
WHO THE FUCK WOULD CHOOSE TO BE FAT
it's gotta be genes...
Click to expand...

Yeaaahhhhh and I'm out.
 
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