165 Calories + Food Addiction

So, just a quick update on my progress today: I burned 165 calories at the gym (not very much at all compared to my history, but something beats nothing all the time). Other than that, this day has not been too eventful.

On from that...today I wanted to share a quick story about food addiction. You see, being addicted to food is not like any other addiction in this world. If you've spent any time around anyone who was truly addicted (or even thought they were addicted, you've probably heard that before). The reason this is so is because food is a requirement to live. You can be a crackhead, alcoholic, etc. and while it may seem like it's impossible to live life without those things, you REALLY can. You have to eat, though. There's no getting around it. If you don't eat, you can die. You will not die for skipping the crackpipe or bottle.

So, imagine how difficult it is to deal with an addiction that you MUST face each and every day. Imagine the willpower required to kick your bad habits. I'm guilty of overeating on many occasions. I won't lie to you. I'm not one of those fat people who got fat just because. I got fat because I like to eat and I eat a lot. I'm also an emotional eater, and that struggle is no fun I tell you. When I'm stressed (this was usually the case at my last job), I eat, and eat, and eat. Literally, I could take down a 10 pack of granola bars in the course of an 8 hour day at work and still be longing for so much more. When I would eat, I would feel better control in my situation. At work, I was pretty powerless, but now that I'm no longer there, it has lifted the burden a bit. I'm not so stressed which makes it easier to eat more logical meals and portions. I think of this as food addiction. While I have not been officially "diagnosed" with this condition, I believe that I am. Anyone that knows me knows I used the phrase "the first step to solving a problem is admitting you have a problem". So, I'm halfway there without going to any FAA (food addicts anonymous) meetings or anything. Baby steps, right?