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Food Addiction: Abstainer vs Moderator

food addiction abstainer vs moderator

Food addiction….is and always will be a bitch. 

You must eat to live so you can’t just simply not eat in the same way an alcoholic or drug addict would avoid situations that include drugs or alcohol. My original post on that can be found HERE

Why Food Addiction Matters

So in abstaining vs moderating, I’m referring to specific foods that trigger binge eating. No one, in my experience, has an issue with binging on celery or chicken breast. The problem occurs in those processed foods, sugar, and high-carb foods. These foods are designed to ‘light up’ the same part of our brains that causes substance addiction, sex addiction, gambling, and other behaviors that consume us and disrupt our lives. When food is an addiction, it interferes with our health, causes chronic diseases, and contributes to mental decline. While it might not sound like a big deal to be addicted to sweets – it seems harmless to some – those foods are causing our quality of life to spiral out of control, keeping us sick and dependent on pharmaceutical symptom management. 

Abstainers vs Moderators

Something I heard this week really resonated with me. I wish I could give credit to the person who said it, but I’m drawing a blank. Maybe Amy Bellinger? Emily Penton? I feel like it was one of those two lovely ladies. Anyway… ‘Addicts must be abstainers’.

Addicts MUST be abstainers. I believe this to be true of any addict, no matter the substance or source of addiction. Getting to the point of abstinence, however, may look different from person to person. Some addicts, or some addictions, can take a quit-it-an-forget-it approach. Rip off that bandaid and carry on. That can cause more severe adaptation or withdrawal symptoms, but the goal is typically accomplished more quickly. Others may require a step-down approach. This may drag out the process, but adaptation or withdrawal may be less severe and therefore more easily managed. In either approach, the goal and hopefully the result is the same.

Abstaining is Key for Most Addicts

Choosing which method is best for the addict is very personal and requires a great deal of being honest with themselves. My own battle with food addiction is ongoing. It’s been years in the making. I can confidently say my sugar and carb addiction is in remission at this point. Yet I still use food for comfort and that is hindering my progress to some degree. Am I still healing inside? I have no idea. I think so.

So while I do still ‘stress eat’ from time to time, I do not consume sugar or carbs and I do not eat with obsessive, uncontrollable action. I simply eat when I’m not truly hungry. It’s a problem and I’m still working on that. I believe I know what caused it but I’ll leave that for another time. I’m angry with those who suggested a specific practice without knowing my personal issues and angry with myself for thinking I could expect a different result. This is why there should be no specific program for everyone to follow. It’s dangerous and irresponsible. Unethical, even. 

Anyway, my point is that any program should be highly individualized, especially where addiction is involved. 

What About Moderation?

What about the moderation aspect? I don’t think this is possible for an addict. Maybe you have heard of an alcoholic who can just have a drink on special occasions without going on a bender, but I haven’t. Perhaps you know of a drug addict who can partake now and then without spiraling, but I don’t. 

If there is a substance or activity, even if you feel it’s healthy, but it consumes you…I’m sorry to say but that is an addiction. So this applies to anything that has become a source of comfort or a coping mechanism, but it harms you either immediately or in the long run, it’s an addiction. 

Comfort or Self-Sabotage?

If it brings you comfort but it’s contributing to your illness or hindering your progress, is that really comfort? Or is it self-sabotage? Moderating, or attempting to be a moderator, is not helping your progress. So, no. I do not believe in moderation when it comes to addictive behaviors. It doesn’t matter if that behavior is binging on donuts, running, smoking, or any other addiction. 

I know in my heart and soul I cannot ever have cake and ice cream. It will open up an old wound that I have worked far too hard for far too long to heal. It will not serve me in a positive way and I only have room for good and positive in my life. I will not go backward for a few moments of perceived bliss that will potentially drag me back to the hell that was my miserable failing health. Dramatic? Nope. Not at all. Food addiction is real and it ruins lives. 

Help is Here!

If you need help, please feel free to reach out. I can point you in the right direction or I can coach you one-on-one.

In the meantime, I wish you all the good things!

XOXO

The Candid Carnivore

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Going Carnivore – What Is Your Why

What is your why for going carnivore? My why is a pretty big one. It’s deep. This question could be applied to any new habit we start or goal we put in place. What is your why for…exercising, quitting smoking, cutting out caffeine, or dieting? Most of the time there is a very simple answer. You want to get healthy, you want to lessen your cancer risk, you want to fit into a dress or look better for an occasion, or you want better sleep.

Dig Deep, Make It Stick

In order to make your new habit stick, you’re going to need to come up with something better than any of those. Dig a little deeper. Keep asking yourself why with each answer.

Let’s say you have decided to try a carnivore diet. You might say your ‘why’ is because you want to lose weight. Ok, why do you want to lose weight? Maybe you feel uncomfortable or you no longer fit into your clothes. Losing weight may make you feel better and you may fit into your clothes again. But what other benefits would you gain? Maybe your knees won’t hurt anymore. What would you be able to do? Maybe you would reverse your type 2 diabetes and your doctor would reduce your meds. Would your autoimmune issues resolve? Perhaps infertility would no longer be part of your story.

My Why Has Changed, and That’s a Good Thing

For me, my why initially was my weight. It became so much more than that. I noticed my cognitive function had improved, my energy improved, and my muscle and joint pain improved. All of that happened before the weight loss started. So if I really break it down, my why is living.

I want to live. Allow me to clarify – I want to LIVE. I don’t want to simply exist. Surviving isn’t good enough. I want to soak up every moment, drenched in joy and gratitude. Every day that my health improves makes this kind of living possible. I have a pain-free life. I’m not ruled by carb addiction and sugar addiction. Binge eating is part of my past. My thinking is clear. My energy is high and steady. My anxiety has decreased. I am at a healthy, sustainable weight. Hair no longer falls out by the handful. In fact, my hair is growing back! I feel hope and gratitude every day. My body and mind are truly healing.

That Feeling of Zen

The physical changes are many. The changes to my mind and my spirit, however, are what keep me in this space ready to help others achieve the same blissful existence. Those physical changes allowed me to focus on something bigger than myself and my small world. With that, came the beginning of mental and emotional healing. Have you heard of the term ‘carnivore zen’ or ‘low carb zen’? It’s that stress-less, love more, gratitude, and peace that comes with true healing. When you realize you are no longer suffering and want to share this new-found appreciation for life with anyone who will listen.

I actually used to think it was a little hokey when I heard people talk about how your why needs to be something really big. Like dropping 50 pounds isn’t big? To my surprise, it’s not. It’s not everything. It’s not even the most important thing. Weight loss is often a happy side-effect of the crazy health benefits of being meat-based, animal-based, carnivore, high-fat carnivore (Fativore!), or keto. It’s the disease reversal, the giddiness of symptom relief, the gratitude you are able to feel, and then the weight.

Are You Ready?

If you need help finding your ‘why’, drop me a line! I’m happy to do a free consultation to help you decide how to approach your healing. You can email me, message me on any of my social accounts, or jump right in and book a coaching session.

thecandidcarnivore@gmail.com
book a coaching session

XOXO

~ The Candid Carnivore

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Carnivore Cooking: Best Ribeye Cooking Method

Carnivore cooking, as I say, never has to be boring. But there is something to be said for the potential simplicity of it. Cooking a carnivore meal doesn’t need to be a complicated recipe with a dozen steps and ingredients. No need to figure out what to have as a side dish.

The same cut of meat cooked in a slightly different way is often all that is needed to add variety! 99% of the time, I air fry my steak – and every other meat, honestly. It’s just so fast, easy, and mess-free. This time, however, I added a little sizzle by searing my steak in bacon fat. The crisp outer layer, flavored with that delicious bacon added more depth to the flavor and more interest to the texture.

Check out more of my Instagram posts!

https://www.instagram.com/thecandidcarnivore/

XOXO

~ The Candid Carnivore