I thought this story was very interesting, and am DYING to know if MO people have the same kind of brain function reaction to the foods we eat as drug addicts. I have always said that food was my drug of choice, and for me it is definitely a sedative-type of reaction.

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/03/health/03addi.html?pagewanted=1&th

It would be swell if these drug addiction scientists could spare some time to look at the MO population and do some studies on us as well, in this kind of context. I also wonder if some of their drug addiction solutions are inspired by drugs like Meridia.

I like the idea of blocking the pleasure pathways that eliminate the "high" feeling - I wonder what other senses of pleasure get affected, though...

Anyway, an interesting article, I thought...

I can't seem to download it. It is telling me I need to subscribe to the New York Times online.

Sorry - you may have to subscribe, but it's free, and you don't have to get any emails from them.

Well, I haven't yet read the article (I intend to), but I know that for me food is like a drug, too, and has a sedating effect. Of course that's only true of simple carbs - not protein or other healthy types of food in my case.

Nancy

That was a really interesting article. And it made me wonder whether drugs that increase GABA might also work for compulsive overeaters. Really fascinating. I remember hearing an NPR story about two drug addicts that had to drive about six hours a day every day to get to the nearest methadone clinic. It sounds like now they might have some hope of having a normal life.

Nancy

My baby sister is a heroin addict. It's devestating. She was our cheerleader, valedictorian, golden girl. The past 2 yrs she has been clean, thank God, but the 15 years before was a living nightmare.

I haven't read the article, but most all of my schooling is in Drug and Alcohol counseling. I love the studies that have been done on the human brain and addictive personalities.

I don't know if I mentioned before but I have put a lot of stock by the book "Potatoes, not Prozac" by Kathy De Maison - she talks about being MO and addicted to sugar - she originally found out while working with recovering alcoholics, if they stayed away from sugar they could keep up their resistance to alcohol much more efficiently. She then applied this thinking to herself, she was overweight, depressed, having a Jekyll/Hyde personality etc, and realised that she was sugar sensitive.

When I read the book I was positive I was too sugar sensitive but did nothing for close to two years as I couldn't bear the thought of not having my sugar every day - when I was out at gatherings/parties/pubs people used to tease me about being tipsy/merry/slightly drunk and I wouldn't have had any alcohol at all - I definitely got a high from my sugar addiction - I was almost manic at times - I had a close friend at the time who is bi-polar, and he used to tell me my "symptoms" were almost exactly like his - swooping manic highs one minute, devastating depressed lows the next.

When I was preparing for my surgery for banding, I decided to apply the principles of this book to my future W.O.E. (tm Donali!) and I cannot tell you enough about the difference it has made on my life - forget the weight loss, I feel so great, so in control - I can sleep, I don't feel depressed, I have more confidence, less mood swings etc - Food is definitely an addiction. It is never cured, just managed day by day. I strongly believe I will be managing this addiction forever, with the help of my band.

I still need to get that book!

For those of you who missed it, W.O.E. = "Way of Eating". I have to substitute that for the word "diet", as "diet" sends me into an emotiona tailspin, because I can never hear it without thinking of suffering, deprivation, low-self esteem, etc.

So Bright, are you totally off sugar, or can you maintain your good feelings on just less sugar?

I definitely go through cycles of little to none, and then WAAAAY too much...

I pretty much avoid sugar when i can - it really causes mood swings and wrecks my life (I am a fully paid up member of Drama Queens of Ireland) so if I am really needing a sugar fix, I have it before bed so I become Bitch of the World when I'm asleep. Eg: on holidays I had some chocolate before bed or some icecream but still woke up with a kind of sugar hangover - headache and feeling sort of grumpy/blue. Also the sugar hit is minimised if you have it with a "good" food - ie I have blueberry jam on a linseed/wholemeal cracker or breadroll.... Sorry for being boring about this - I feel so evangelical about it! Really has changed my life, I now feel so guilty for all the mood swings my family has had to endure when the "answer" was so simple....

Hi Bright, hi all

It's been ages since I posted to this site - I've really been too ashamed because I've not been losing, in fact the reverse, and my surgeon told me it was all in my mind,......feeling quite depressed actually, even if he's probably right, it doesn't help me to get back on track (have currently regained about 10-12 lbs of my initial loss of 42lbs)!

Still, at Bright's recommendation, I read the 'Potatoes not Prozac' book (having given up Zolofs as I was still depressed) and am convinced by the argument. However, the book doesn't give the step by step, day by day support I feel I need right now, but, I've just found out the author's written such a guide. In fact, she has a website (http://www.radiantrecovery.com/) where this is mentioned and there is also a subscription service to direct support via the website.

Anyway, I'm still struggling but I thought this info might be useful to someone!

Thanks Bright!

Sarah

Hmm. . .I'm going to have to read this book, too. I struggle with periodic depression. What I've noticed is that when I feel depressed, I crave sugar and carbs. I must not be the only one either, because there is a rating scale for depression that includes questions about food cravings. I've also noticed that once I eat something sweet, I want more, but if I stay away from sweets, I don't crave them. There must be some sort of mood/food relationship in there somewhere.

Nancy

Yep. This all sounds pretty familiar to me too. I've been treated for depression pretty much all of my adult life.

Makes you wonder, which came first -- depression or being overweight.

I think it was depression for me. I self medicated, partying too much before the weight. Once I slowed down on that, the weight piled on almost overnight, in my case. Therapists could definitely have a heyday trying to figure it all out, but there were external things, internal things - things coming from all directions when I gained all my excess weight.

Once it's there, it's sure not as easy to get rid of. :-(

Thank goodness there is now a tool!

Hi folks

I'm fairly sure it was the weight that made me depressed (and still does).

When I was a kid, my family was rather unstable. My parents divorced when I was 5 and remarried (each other) when I was 8......could it have had anything to do with my father inheriting a large amount of money......? Still, the marriage was doomed and my mum has spent the last 35 years trying to re-divorce him!

So, I think my comfort, the only thing I could get hold of easily, was food. Unfortunately these habits have persisted into adulthood and I still react to stress by eating and that makes me depressed because I loathe myself so much for being so weak.

I have noticed that I don't actually eat loads (can't now anyway, because of the band), but it doesn't take a lot to pile more on to an already heavy body! It's just Murphy's law that the things that are easy to eat (sweets, chocolate, ice-cream, cereals in milk, etc.) are all bad for gaining weight! I struggle with real meals including meat and even bread is tough.......but sometimes I manage to eat a fair amount of these (particularly in the evening rather than earlier in the day) - which flies in the face of my surgeon's mantra of 4 oz or a yoghourt pot's volume of food 3 times a day!

Anyway,.......

S.

Yay Sarah, so glad to see you here! When we "spoke" (through the magic of MSN Messenger!) recently, my heart went out to you, you seem to be suffering so much, in a circle of self-loathing and comfort eating - You HAVE to look at the weight you have lost with joy and respect. If you didn't have your band put in, you would more than likely weigh 50lbs more than your top weight.

I am so glad you got the book - she specifically doesn't lay out exact diet plans but lists food's glycemic (sp?) index, ie how much of a sugar "hit" you are likely to get from certain foods - she has fructose syrup at one end of the scale, and wood at the other end!

For people who haven't heard of/read the book, here is a quote:

"While we think of sugar as a food, it is actually a drug - an external substance acting throughout the brain and body on cellular receptors designed for an internal chemical called glucose. Since glucose is usually the only fuel the brain can ever use, and is critical to mental clarity, mood states and the controlled release of energy in the body, it is astounding how cavelierly we sprinkle sugar, its inferior substitute, into everything from children's breakfast to ketchup. If sugar were to be put on the market for the first time today, it would probably be difficult to get it past the FDA...."

I don't want to advertise this book - when I read it, the whole concept of the glycemic index of food was totally novel to me - but I now often see articles/books/tv programs about it - so if you are interested in this concept, or feel you may be sugar sensitive, you could check out any source really.

What attracted me was, the title - I had just weaned myself off prozac - I had all the symptoms of depression, and was prescribed the drug, but it made me crazy - so I felt there was something else wrong - and kept researching until I fould the link between sugar addiction + MO + depression. She even mentions in the book how you are more likely to suffer from sugar sensitivity if you have a lot of alcoholics in your family, which I do, so this convinced me that I was on the right track.

I am SHOCKED at the difference this theory has made on my life - that's all I can say. And Sarah, I really hope it helps you too - mostly tho, you should try to visit the support boards, and try not to get too isolated - you are doing brilliantly, considering the year you have just been through - I am thrilled for you and so proud of you.