*Hugs* I certainly understand about food being such a difficult addiction to manage cause like you said, one can't stop eating food and still live. I went to a weight management program done in a group format and it really helped me, not with emotional issues related to food, but to get more informed about well-balanced eating which can help to prevent food bingeing. The program was offered thru the local hospital and some insurances paid for it or partially for it. I had to pay out-of-pocket, but it was well worth it.
The dietician talked about eating snacks in between meals by consuming "mixed fuels." By that she meant as an example, eating a carbohydrate along with a protein such as an apple with a dollop of peanut butter as the protein, and that's supposed to keep us fuller longer by letting the glucose (sugar) release into the bloodstream slower. A baked potato with a little amount of shredded (low-fat) cheddar cheese is another example. And of course one would one to check with their dr or dietician especially, but we did get invaluable info about eating more healthy.
Also transfatty acids/transfats were talked about and how dangerous they are. Transfats are the partially hydrogenated oils that are said to be even worse than saturated fats! A lot of snack goods and even "low-fat" foods have the transfats so she said that we should always read the nutrition label. And starting in 2006, I believe that she said that the FDA (food & drug administration) will be requiring that food companies add how much of their item has transfats just like it lists saturated fats and some list the "good" fats such as monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated fats. The monounsaturated fats are found in olive oil for example and should be consumed in moderation as well, but in smaller amounts are said to be good.
**Also, I've noticed that one has to be very careful even with label reading and check that the portion size doesn't mean a 1/4 portion and you thought that it meant that the whole muffin was 'x' amount of calories. That includes looking at the transfats for the companies that already list them; some still have transfats in the ingredients list but if it's below a certain amount, I believe that they can legitimately say that it contains 'no transfats'.
Perhaps you can try an AA (alcoholics anonymous) meeting -- an "open" one for anyone to attend. It's a 12-step meeting just like OA (overeaters anonymous) but one doesn't have to talk about the topic of food even though for a lot, OA has really helped get in recovery from food addiction/compulsive overeating. I don't have the moolah for outpatient treatment but that might be another option for you. Wishing you wellness. Bless you and please take good care :-)
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