Am I Really an Addict?

I consider myself a food addict. I'm not sure why or when this belief began, but yesterday, I made it my mission to find out if my self-diagnosis was accurate.

Enter...WebMD.

I did some research. What is a food addict? Is there a different between a food addict and a compulsive eater? What are the signs? The symptoms?

I evaluated myself on four different levels; behavior, withdrawal, life impact, and emotional aspects. These are my symptoms which matched those listed on WebMD.

Behaviors

*Do I eat more than what I planned?
>>>Yep, 1 Oreo can turn into 10.

*Do I keep eating even when not hungry?
>>If it tastes really good - I sure do!

Withdrawal

Nothing.

Life Impact

Nothing.

Emotions

*Do I experience emotions like guilt, anxiety, depression, or self-loathing when eating foods?
>>When I eat something I consider 'bad for me' or overeat something (i.e. Oreo example), I do feel guilty and ashamed.

According to WebMD, I don't have a lot of signs and symptoms. Which leads me to my next point:

Addictions are experienced on a spectrum.

An individual's perception is their reality.

Thing is, I'm not happy with how food comes in and out of my life. I'm not happy with my obesity.

I may not binge. I may not sneak food. I may not eat until I'm ill. But, I do have a lot of emotions surrounding food...I do lean on food for security and protection...I do tend to think about what I'm going to eat almost the same moment I awake...

My perception is that my behaviors lie somewhere on that spectrum of food addictions. I want to be mindful of my personal experience with food so that I can work on changing behavior (or cognitions) when my symptoms occur.

The Master Salad: lettuce, cheese, cucumber, tomatoes, beans, raisins, carrots, and croutons (that have been put in a plastic baggy and broken down into very small pieces)

Yesterday, I Ate

Breakfast: yogurt and honey (I eat this a lot - I happen to love it)

Lunch: 1/2 whole wheat pita with sliced turkey (ate up the last of the turkey luncheon meat)

Snack: Fiberful bar

Dinner: full plate of Master Salad

Snack: small piece of 72% dark chocolate

Exercise

Treadmill: .62 mile

Steps taken: 9429

Day 3 is underway and while I am still craving certain foods, I feel good.

One more note: yesterday, I almost absent-mindedly ate an oatmeal cookie. Made me wonder how often I eat out of habit.