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Food Addiction & Obesity

Filling a Hole in Your Heart

Answered by Jim LaPierre, LCSW, CCS

Question

I am severely overweight. I am not sure how overweight because my scale does not go high enough but it is well over 400 pounds and I probably eat 5000 to 6000 calories per day. I am trying to get healthier and I know I need to start by losing a lot of weight but when I try to eat even 3000 calories per day I am so hungry all the time and I can't stand it. How do I get past this hunger? My body is so used to getting more food so now it demands it.

To feel satiated is to feel full - to be content or perhaps stuffed. For those of us who go to unhealthy extremes there is an emptiness we are trying to fill. Food is an easy filler. I wonder what else you hunger for (long for).

When we stuff our emotions...it takes a toll. Sooner or later we need to use a substance to help repress what we feel. Food does this readily.

Suggestions - meet with your primary care physician and discuss your goals. Start 2 journals - 1 for your food intake in order to be more aware of what you are eating and when. The second journal you could use to ask yourself, "What else do I want?" What is missing in your life? What are you wanting to feel? It seems food is instant gratification for you but it also seems it's a poor substitute for what you truly long for.

Drink lots of water. Walk. Allow yourself to discover what you truly want and have the guts to go get it.

About the Expert

Jim LaPierre

LCSW, CCS

Brewer, Maine

Specialties

Anger Management, Gay Lesbian Issues, Spirituality, Divorce, Compulsive Disorders, Trauma and PTSD, Life Coaching, Addiction or Substance Abuse, OCD, Mood Disorders, Parenting, Domestic Abuse or Domestic Violence, Anxiety or Fears, ADHD, Impulse Control Disorders, Relationship Issues, Women, Loss or Grief, Eating Disorders, Depression, Finding Your Purpose in Life

License

my_license #LC9830