Addictions and beating them

**Stav** · 27-01-2006, 12:42 PM

Well several days on and I was back in hospital for heart complications..I am fine now...but yes another near death experience on my doorstep..

I have been thinking about my addiction to junk food and how to beat it.This led me to think that the same rules for stopping junk food addiction applies to any addiction.I have seen people with many types of addictions in my life to date.
I have come to the conclusion in my junk food addiction that the best way to stop it is just stop .Sure you can...but then someone slips you a chip..or orders pizza at a friends place ...what do you do?At that point if you give in to these friends you may well be back on the path back to your addiction.Simply be strong inside because the consequences are really worse.You lose self respect,your physical and mental health may be at risk.

We get lost in the enjoyment of the oportos ,or macdonalds ,or drugs,or smoking,or casual sex..etc. At the time we dont think of the possible consequences in our lives or loved ones.

For me having beeen through this angioplasty and trips to hospital has been a reality check+++

Anyone has any comments to add or experiences ..go for it.

27-01-2006, 12:54 PM

You'll need to cut it down a lot. This will also save you money. I know being on the road as your job its too easy just to hit up the maccas driveway, so you need to bring your own food everywhere. Even if your heading around to a mates place fill up before hand and bring your own snacks. Perhaps a slice of Pizza or a burger once a week is fine. Also learn about saturated fats and what foods contain them. You need a lot of commitment and disipline to stick to a diet.

For a diet to work, you need to have your family and friends support you. If you know tthere will be certain types of food you may have to ask them to keep it away from you. It'll be wierd for the first month or so but you'll get used to being around foods that you loved and being able to cope not having them.

How you exercising? I've just started mountain bike riding on some fire trails in the national park where I can both get my adrenalin fix and get healthy. I can push really hard and get an intense workout or take a light uphill trail slowly for an ongoing workout. I also think its better than walking because theres less impact in your knees. I also plan to ride the cycleway aloing the M7 one day.

Good luck with it

**Stav** · 27-01-2006, 01:03 PM

Yep..for me its not only the exercise.I wont be eating any crap.But my main focus is on the addiction.Its stopped in a hurry now.Im eating the kids rabbitt food

it:

**ebxr8240** · 27-01-2006, 01:05 PM

The trouble is mate.They tell you what NOT to eat but but bugger all on what too eat...Fast food is o/k but no chips or anything cooked in oil / fat...Mind you I wouldn't eat a big mack or Hawian pack for every meal..
I'd just keep away from these places then..I guess its like giving up smoking??...Just stop....Cerials for breakfast, yogart for lunch...Hmmm ??? don't ya just want to go and kill a letuce to munch on... Lol...

klawsterfobik · 27-01-2006, 01:08 PM

substitution... Subway isntead of Pizza and junk food, Fruit instead of a packet of chips (bananas and apples are great for this), if i want lots of snacks, ill take a container of mixed nuts to work, water etc instead of coke... If you just keep a big bottle of water with you at work or wherever, you'll be surprised how much you drink.

Exercise is also a good idea

I dont move a lot where i work (mechanical street sweeper), so i have to eat healthy, or ill end up like the rest of the street sweepers at work.

27-01-2006, 01:09 PM

Take up Smoking ,when you want to eat just have a smoke ,It worked for me when giving up smoking

Des · 27-01-2006, 01:10 PM

It really comes down to mental strength mate. I'm not saying I have more than others. What I mean is, you need to know what your goal actually is and be realistic with your approach to get there. That doesn't mean to be weak, be strong and be selfish, do it for you, not someone else. That doesn't mean that other people won't benefit from your dedication. For example:
1. I wanted to start a family. My wife stated that it wasn't fair on her or our future children if I was still smoking (there's a history of cancer in my family). So out come the patches to help with the cravings and to help control my quick temper, then mentally break "the cycle" of habit. 4 years later and I still get cravings, but I'm mentally strong enough to resist.
2. My wife grew up with alcoholics (Poland in the Communist years had plenty of Vodka and Cigarettes, but no food). She frets badly every time I would go out for more than a couple of drinks. So from Christmas 2005, no grog for Gibbo, full stop. Now as the average Aussie bloke knows, mow the lawn = beer, BBQ = beer, wash car = beer or really ИИИИty day at work = beer. Only a couple of lights in my case, but God knows how much of a habit that became and how much I miss the taste!
You do that when you love someone, want something or need something that much. Everytime I look at my son I'm glad I gave up the cigs and every smile/hug/kiss from the missus hardens my resolve to be the husband/ father my family needs, now and in the future.
I hope my ramblings help mate. Be strong.

Feathers · 27-01-2006, 01:10 PM

Make your lunches ahead of time and take them with you.
Have breakfast. This will stop you snacking.
If you are going to a party or something at a friends house, and know there will be pizza, chips, etc, then eat dinner before you leave home.

Since my Dad's heart scare, in order to encourage and support him (and change my mum's cooking habits) I've cut out sugar and starchy carbs like potato, white bread and pasta.
(He's diabetic, and I have a condition that may lead to it later in life, as well as a family history of it)

In doing this, I've also lost 8kg in about 2 months.

I didn't eat much junk to begin with, but I haven't found it hard at all.

**Stav** · 27-01-2006, 01:12 PM

I have a good idea on what to eat ..just got to become like a bean counter.As I see it the best diet is like a bodybuilder but minimal animal protein

**Stav** · 27-01-2006, 01:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Feathers

Make your lunches ahead of time and take them with you.
Have breakfast. This will stop you snacking.
If you are going to a party or something at a friends house, and know there will be pizza, chips, etc, then eat dinner before you leave home.

Since my Dad's heart scare, in order to encourage and support him (and change my mum's cooking habits) I've cut out sugar and starchy carbs like potato, white bread and pasta.
(He's diabetic, and I have a condition that may lead to it later in life, as well as a family history of it)

In doing this, I've also lost 8kg in about 2 months.

I didn't eat much junk to begin with, but I haven't found it hard at all.

I have a family history..so getting my arteries clogs was really easy.The best is getting mum to change cooking habits.I am retraining my wife..it s pretty important

**Stav** · 27-01-2006, 01:21 PM

What I am finding amazing is the amount of people who mayhave been saved as a result of my experience.
I know of several forum members who have quit smoking as a result of my problem. Its a good reaction..

tex · 27-01-2006, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Des

It really comes down to mental strength mate. I'm not saying I have more than others. What I mean is, you need to know what your goal actually is and be realistic with your approach to get there. That doesn't mean to be weak, be strong and be selfish, do it for you, not someone else. That doesn't mean that other people won't benefit from your dedication. For example:
1. I wanted to start a family. My wife stated that it wasn't fair on her or our future children if I was still smoking (there's a history of cancer in my family). So out come the patches to help with the cravings and to help control my quick temper, then mentally break "the cycle" of habit. 4 years later and I still get cravings, but I'm mentally strong enough to resist.
2. My wife grew up with alcoholics (Poland in the Communist years had plenty of Vodka and Cigarettes, but no food). She frets badly every time I would go out for more than a couple of drinks. So from Christmas 2005, no grog for Gibbo, full stop. Now as the average Aussie bloke knows, mow the lawn = beer, BBQ = beer, wash car = beer or really ИИИИty day at work = beer. Only a couple of lights in my case, but God knows how much of a habit that became and how much I miss the taste!
You do that when you love someone, want something or need something that much. Everytime I look at my son I'm glad I gave up the cigs and every smile/hug/kiss from the missus hardens my resolve to be the husband/ father my family needs, now and in the future.
I hope my ramblings help mate. Be strong.

Nearly brought a tear to my eye.....

A real pitty that every father, wasn't as family focused as you, Auctralia would be a lot nicer place.

I believe there is two types of addiction, physiological and psychological.
Some "substance" (whether it be food, drugs, gambling, or even sport !)addictions will result in both responses in our bodies and can therefore be harder to kick.
Addiction to junk food will require a real life style change by not just you, but by your partner and family. Could your like of it (junk food) also stem from a degree of laziness. (And I scincerely mean no offence in saying that) Afterall, it;s a real pain to prepare food all the time, much easier to just stop off somewhere and buy it. But breakfast, packed lunches, cooked meals and a diverse diet will have you feeling better in no time. Even without a real exercise routine, if you walk once or twice a week, you'll probably find that combined with the new diet you'll want to do more physical activity. And look forward to the challenge. Sex will be great, your moods will improve, and you WILL have bucket loads more enthusiasm /. energy in life generally.

Set goals, and judge the results routinely to see the benefit. (weigh yourself and watch the weight fall off, and record how your physical fitness improves by timing walks, or the number of push ups you can do or whatever.)

And really important, reward yourself. Allocate some / all of the money you're not spending on junk tucka and spend it on something else you love.... your car, kids, what ever.

Give it a red hot go. Ask others for their support and tell them what you want to achieve and why.

And if you're determined and maintain the consistancy, you will enjoy the rewards. And the satisfaction that comes from others remarking positively about your weight loss, attitude, energy and enthusiasm is absolutely uplifting.

**Stav** · 27-01-2006, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Des

It really comes down to mental strength mate. I'm not saying I have more than others. What I mean is, you need to know what your goal actually is and be realistic with your approach to get there. That doesn't mean to be weak, be strong and be selfish, do it for you, not someone else. That doesn't mean that other people won't benefit from your dedication. For example:
1. I wanted to start a family. My wife stated that it wasn't fair on her or our future children if I was still smoking (there's a history of cancer in my family). So out come the patches to help with the cravings and to help control my quick temper, then mentally break "the cycle" of habit. 4 years later and I still get cravings, but I'm mentally strong enough to resist.
2. My wife grew up with alcoholics (Poland in the Communist years had plenty of Vodka and Cigarettes, but no food). She frets badly every time I would go out for more than a couple of drinks. So from Christmas 2005, no grog for Gibbo, full stop. Now as the average Aussie bloke knows, mow the lawn = beer, BBQ = beer, wash car = beer or really ИИИИty day at work = beer. Only a couple of lights in my case, but God knows how much of a habit that became and how much I miss the taste!
You do that when you love someone, want something or need something that much. Everytime I look at my son I'm glad I gave up the cigs and every smile/hug/kiss from the missus hardens my resolve to be the husband/ father my family needs, now and in the future.
I hope my ramblings help mate. Be strong.

Des,that is such a nice post man.I appreciate that response.You have echoed the mental attitude which we all need to get through these problems. It does take strength to make changes in our lives that make us better people.As a father and husband coming home yesterday from hospital I could not take my eyes off my wife or kids as they moved about my home.Yesterday morning I awoke to see the hot air ballons floating just across from westmead hospital from my bed.I was in awe of them.It was like I was 3 years again and had rediscovered just how lovely simple things can be.
Just this thought in my mind has given me the strength to stay on my goal of hopefully getting to normal levels and hopefully to bove average fitness levels. My other motivation is the reality of not seeing anything ever again ,especisally the beautiful things in life which had become oblivious to me in the rutt of working just to keep up withmu\y government obligations of tax and an ndless myriad of paperwork which was beating down on me before.

I am going to simplify my life.My hard work and worry has ended up with punishment and pressure from the current govenrment system. The harder I worked the more they take.My investment properties have become another source of beurecratic confetti of paper work as punshment again.I am trying to save this system from the burden of my future pension and they slam me harder.Its ok ...I have to take it easy now and lets those blokes pick up the tab.. A heart attack knocks anyone out for a while and the properties are looking at going for sale..

gozza · 27-01-2006, 02:09 PM

man i battle with weed
i smoke ciggas too but weed gets to me
like any addiction to you know its bad...somtimes i get all upset n ИИИИ cos i can't stop...but then when im straight i go back to thinking its all right
you would think after seeing alot of my friends fade away id wake up to myself
im happy to say tho im happy most of the time and stable

you just gotta take it a day at a time
get your family and friends to support you and know that its for the best

MotherNatureVer2 · 27-01-2006, 02:10 PM

Firstly useless it is so good to hear your health is on the improve.

As for the diet, be kind to yourself. We should all look at our diets and what we are feeding ourselves as well our kids. I for one know now that I was filling my kids full of what the box/carton/wrapper said was good .... I now know I was basically feeding my kids a diet of sugar and salt ........

Thankfully I had to reassess that when my youngest was diganossed with ADHD ..... our diet basically reverted back to a nautral diet .... no not a hippy one but one full of good fresh veges and cereals and meats. Home cooked sweets are a lot better than bought ones & can be adapted for sugar content as well ........ there is the snacks covered if you dont feel like fruit or such.

Useless ...... do you have enough room in the backyard for a vege garden ???????? trust me ..... there is nothing better than growing your own veges ...... picking them, puting them in the pot & cooking them ..... couldnt find any fresher and more healthy than that ;) You also get exercise weeding and tending the garden ...... kills two birds with one stone so to speak :P

Sorry to prattle on so much but we aas a family have changed our lifestyles a hell of a lot since the diagnosis and were all a lot healthier for it ............ has taken me a bit to convince the new family of this but I am winning :P

EBII Fairmont · 27-01-2006, 02:25 PM

How are you useless,

I know where your coming from exactly. 2 years ago, my family renovated our house. It was hard to have a proper home cooked meal. being at school five times a week and working on the weekeneds made it hard, and I kept resorting to junk food. In the about 10 months until it was done and I moved back home, was the first time I had a home cooked meal and had gained an extra 12 kilos. I was already overweight by 6 kilos for my height and age.

I tried excersising to lose the weight ever since I returned home. But making it such a busy schedule was very hard. Since about mid last year I got into gear. Watching people and their success stories drilled it into me to actually doing something. Watching biggest loser and one of my uncle's passing away in recent time forced me to do something. I have lost seven kilos in that time with being seven days without breaks. I have now taken three weeks off from work and my aim is to loose five to six kilos and become even fitter. I am heading upto Mallacouta making the perfrect environment of water and clean air.

But till now I have been eatin mainly a soup. It is packed with a whole load of vegies. I start off the morning with three weet bix and a tea. Soup for lunch. Then some soup for dinner with a serving of meat chicken fish or whatever I am craving. But its never anything oily. Another one of my favourites is a tuna salad which is quick and easy to whip up.

It is a long process, but you have to start somwhere and it may as well be tonight. Go out for a walk and eat a healthy dinner. focus on passing a day. Not a week or you wont last. Make one night a week where you can veg out. Mine is saturday night. Fish and chips go down nicely. But go from day to day.

Good luck, but you will be fine. Just find a rythim which suits you. Just because this works for me it doesn't mean it will work for you.

Sorry for being so long

Bill

**Stav** · 27-01-2006, 02:27 PM

Ive got a big back yard .Veges may well be on the cards in a corner.A few lettuce beans potatoes etc...It will be a change.

Also I was shocked to hear that blockages of the heart start as young as 5 years old.As a guide kids should not be having full cream dairy milk above the age of 5 years old!!
They say that smoking doubles your chance of heart attack.
As for being active..doing the kung fu on weekends may have saved me from major heart damage.

DOC · 27-01-2006, 02:34 PM

Champ is it time i sent in the nurse for you, she guaranteed to fix any addiction.

:

**Stav** · 27-01-2006, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by EBII Fairmont

How are you useless,

I know where your coming from exactly. 2 years ago, my family renovated our house. It was hard to have a proper home cooked meal. being at school five times a week and working on the weekeneds made it hard, and I kept resorting to junk food. In the about 10 months until it was done and I moved back home, was the first time I had a home cooked meal and had gained an extra 12 kilos. I was already overweight by 6 kilos for my height and age.

I tried excersising to lose the weight ever since I returned home. But making it such a busy schedule was very hard. Since about mid last year I got into gear. Watching people and their success stories drilled it into me to actually doing something. Watching biggest loser and one of my uncle's passing away in recent time forced me to do something. I have lost seven kilos in that time with being seven days without breaks. I have now taken three weeks off from work and my aim is to loose five to six kilos and become even fitter. I am heading upto Mallacouta making the perfrect environment of water and clean air.

But till now I have been eatin mainly a soup. It is packed with a whole load of vegies. I start off the morning with three weet bix and a tea. Soup for lunch. Then some soup for dinner with a serving of meat chicken fish or whatever I am craving. But its never anything oily. Another one of my favourites is a tuna salad which is quick and easy to whip up.

It is a long process, but you have to start somwhere and it may as well be tonight. Go out for a walk and eat a healthy dinner. focus on passing a day. Not a week or you wont last. Make one night a week where you can veg out. Mine is saturday night. Fish and chips go down nicely. But go from day to day.

Good luck, but you will be fine. Just find a rythim which suits you. Just because this works for me it doesn't mean it will work for you.

Sorry for being so long

Bill

Bill your post is cool mate..not too long..

The fact that I was awake for the angioplasty while they stented me was an experience to make me cut all junk food period.Sure I liked the stuff but I did have it in moderation.But still there was no discipline to stop..

While in the procedure I felt a metalic scratching in my heart as they implanted the stents.You cant imagine the amount of faith you need in the doctor ...This had given me a good motivation but keeping the sabotaging factors out can help many.

For those who do smoke , you double your risks.Kick the habit so you know that you have the strength to do it. Being a dead dad would have been no help to my kids or wife..

chief · 27-01-2006, 05:17 PM

I used to smoke. Early December, was having a ciggi with a mate, and half way through said "I don't really want the rest of this". Since then have not had another smoke or even a drag. I will concede that I had a cigar on New Year's Eve. I think it is a mental thing to quit an addiction. Sure your body is telling you that you need it, but in your head you have a choice. You may think that you don't, but you do. The first step is to identify that you have an addiction and williningly decide to act on it.

Have a balanced diet, excersise and just enjoy being alive and healthy. Eat in moderation, eat the good stuff like fruit and veges. Excersise but dont go out and join a gym or try to run a marathon. Take it easy. Have two weeks where you go for a walk in the morning 4 or 5 times a week, then in the third week do it only twice. Ease your self into it, but as long as you do something is better than nothing.

I think a vegee garden is good becaus eit may seem like a pain, but it occupies your time and mind, you can tell yourself that by doing this now, will make you feel better tomorrow.

Plus who is going to install my alarm?

Hope you get on top of this and feel better,
Chief

-jjM- · 27-01-2006, 06:14 PM

i have a huge habbit of being friend lazy, iv been on work cover since march 2005, but since then iv gotten alot better and fit, i think its so much that theres nothing to do, no money, and the enviornment i live in (refering to my house) im not sayin its a sty or nothing, just not much to do here, usually wheneva im bored, its computer and play games or surf on here, or its out the back makin some small mods for the car, but iv modded it so far that until i get some serious money then i get do some real mods

dont think of my as some big fat guy sittin on the couch, im accully prity thin but being on workcover fo that long just dose stuff to you

XLS99 Ute man · 27-01-2006, 06:42 PM

im on the same boat, i need a hobby that takes me outdoors,
i took up golf the other day but got banned for drag racing the buggies, so now i try and get out as much as possible to walk my dog, its acually really good, but there is a feeling in me that always feels like i need something to eat, its so annoying, i want to beat it, but its just set in my brain that i must have something
anyway will keep you updated, im going to use this series of "the biggest loser" for alot of encourgement too, cause the american version was alot of encourgment so yeah
hope you get better
ed

K_Man · 27-01-2006, 07:36 PM

I agree with others in this thread that have said addiction is all in your mind. I went on a diet around the start of November, and I've dropped about 16kg since then, just from cutting out a lot of stuff like Maccas and snacking between meals, and trying to be a bit more active.

I first started eating low fat yoghurt when i felt hungry between meals, which was then substituted for water. If i had to eat some sorta fast food when i was out, would usually be Subway, and i invested in a new bike which really got me motivated to start riding to work and to mates places instead of driving, which has also saved me a lot of money on petrol (At one stage i didn't put petrol in the car for 3 weeks!).

You dont have to cut out junk food completely, i still indulge in Maccas if i'm out on the turps or as a late night snack. Just dont do it too often and try not to eat stuff just before bed. Oh, and i also cut out most soft drinks, if i do drink soft drink now it's either Waterfords juice soft drink or similar (that fruity stuff from the supermarket) or coke zero.

My diet is still far from perfect, but i feel so much more healthier, managed to get rid of my high blood pressure, and i have a lot more energy than i used to have. Moderation is the key

jabba · 27-01-2006, 08:41 PM

I use to smoke (a lot) and the way I beat the habit was by accident.

I started training in martial arts and it was very physical to the point that I would through up.... I became obsessed in getting healthy, fit and strong, an I became very conscious on what I ate, I also quit smoking and exercised a lot

16wantsI6 · 27-01-2006, 10:06 PM

i used to be pretty tubby lol :P back when i was like 11-14 i was not a great sight, then i started doing kickboxing which was really good because i did alot of exercise and also got to learn to defend my self

. i never actualy lost weight, but that is only because i am still growing and i developed more muscle which weighs more than fat. i found though that i would wake up at 6:00 am, after a fairly late night (11:00pm) and be fully refreshed and almost couldnt wait to get out of bed! , i used to struggle to wake up at 7:00!!. i am now very motorvated with weights and exercise and are alot fitter and healthy, and enjoy life alot more.
I look at photos of my self from even 2003 and can hardly recognise my self, i am actually quite disgusted that i had the chance to be healthy at a younger age but just didnt care, or notice what i looked like. but as i became a teenager i became more worried of how i looked and changed, people who havnt seen me for over a year are completely suprised of how i have become! i still eat junk food but coz i dont live in the city i dont need to worry about it as i only have it every now and then. and you just feel 100% better after exercise and because you've just spent all that time exercising you really dont feel like eating crappy food. :P

**Stav** · 27-01-2006, 11:41 PM

The focus is on the real benefit as opposed to the short term feeling of benefit.Will this big mac kill me?This big mac will kill me.Will this cigarette kill me ..yes it will.Who am I letting down by giving in? Myself my family and friends.What will happen if I dont have that ciggie? I will be stronger...I will be fitter.

What do our children have to blame if we die young because we give in?

EFFalcon · 27-01-2006, 11:57 PM

drinks HEAPS of water.

EFIwindsor · 28-01-2006, 12:31 AM

it is about choices...you can order a pizza from domino's or you can make a pizza at home. low fat ham, low fat mottzarella, mushrooms, capsicum, tomato. etc it is not bad for you... go to macca's and get a lean beaf burger... if you gunna eat some nuts don't buy salted ones...buy low fat youghurt other wise it is still bad for you...

useless when you were in hospital.. did they get a dietition to come see you?? all hospitals...(in QLD at least) have access to a dietition.... they will teach you how/what to eat and assist you. I know that is available in QLD as i am a registered nurse. all we have to do is fill out a requst form and they come visit you.

fiery · 28-01-2006, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by useless

The focus is on the real benefit as opposed to the short term feeling of benefit.Will this cigarette kill me ..yes it will.Who am I letting down by giving in? Myself my family and friends.What will happen if I dont have that ciggie? I will be stronger...I will be fitter.

What do our children have to blame if we die young because we give in?

Your words are actually far more powerful than you can imagine.....
I'm struggling with giving up but I will remember that each time I decide to be weak.......
Thanks

rodderz · 28-01-2006, 09:04 AM

The fit part is only half of it. Your body can be in good shape but if your diets up the creek so will your arteries and heart later on. I've heard of guys also in their 30's that have been visually in good shape but have had heart attacks due to eating too much rubbish. It's a very early time to go if that is the case and you dont get to the hospital on time