Main Entry: en·abler

Pronunciation: \i-ˈnā-blər, -bəl-ər\

Function: noun Date: 1615:

one that enables another to achieve an end ; especially : one who enables another to persist in self-destructive behavior (as substance abuse) by providing excuses or by making it possible to avoid the consequences of such behavior

food ADDICTION

Food addiction manifests itself in the uncontrollable craving for excess food that follows the ingestion of refined carbohydrates, primarily sugar and flour substances that are quickly metabolized and turned into sugar in the bloodstream.

Due to those uncontrollable cravings, a food addict's quality of life deteriorates when he or she eats sugar, flour or wheat. It can deteriorate physically, emotionally, socially and/or spiritually.

If any of the following symptoms are familiar to you, you may be a food addict:

Physical Symptoms of Food Addiction

• Do you think you cannot control your intake of food, especially junk food or high sugar foods?

• Have you tried different diets or weight loss programs, but none has worked permanently?

• Have you found yourself vomiting, using laxatives, diuretics, or exercising a lot to avoid a weight gain after you have eaten a lot?

Many food addicts are obese and have tried numerous methods for weight control (diets, drugs, surgery, etc.) yet nothing has created a permanent solution. Other food addicts have never been obese. Their physical weight has been controlled by extreme measures such as excessive exercise, purging through vomiting or laxatives (bulimia), or the severe and unhealthy limiting of food substances(anorexia). No matter which version of food addiction fits you, all of these symptoms become more severe with time and eventually lead to physical problems that can create an early and sometimes painful death.

Emotional Symptoms of Food Addiction

• Do you find yourself feeling depressed, hopeless, sad or ashamed about your eating or your weight?

• Do you find yourself eating when you are upset or reward yourself with food when you do something good?

• Have you ever noticed after eating sugar, flour, or wheat that you become more irritable?

Food addicts notice that their emotions become more severe, intense, or unreasonable when eating the addictive substances. For many food addicts, emotional life may deteriorate into despair, depression, or thoughts of suicide.

Social Symptoms of Food Addiction

• Do you eat in private so no one will see you?

• Do you avoid social interactions because you feel you do not look good enough or do not have the proper fitting clothes to wear?

• Do you steal other people’s food?

• Are you more interested in what food is served at social gatherings than looking forward to the warmth of being with the people attending?

A food addict’s social life is affected by intense obsessive thinking about food. Making eye contact with people and taking an interest in developing friendships or intimate relationships become secondary to locating and eating addictive foods. Food addicts often hide or steal foods and eat in secret.

Yep, seems pointless to me. Someone posts some status, which you can't even see in its totality, so how can you respond? Plus, how (and why) do you create a "status"?

I'm not sure how to do it from the mobile app, but from a browser, if you click on your name, a little box shows up. At the top, there is a text entry control where you can put in text, then hit Update. You have just updated your status and voila! You show up on the side panel. Click on any user will also show their status as you are viewing there profile. It is not something for debate ... it is what it is. You can always send them a PM if you would like to communicate with them.

Misty, OMG you are an amazing, strong woman! May God Bless YOU! Thank you for sharing your story, makes some of the issues I deal with seem so trivial. I was never a fat kid - was actually called "Olive Oil" from Popeye…that is until my parents went through a divorce…My dad pretty much abandoned us and it was food that I turned to, since then, it's been a struggle but now I FINALLY feel like I have a handle/chance to correct my bad habits.

This is the only place I can post off the subject and get immediate help.. But I don't get how to read the status updates in the right side column. To me there are some very disturbing posts and I'd like to read them but it takes me to their profile. I want to read the entire status update.. Where am I going wrong?

Same thing here and I'm on a desktop...not mobile. It seems as if the content is too long you get the ... but even when you click on "add/show comments" it still doesn't give you the end of the story.

Think they should have worked out the kinks BEFORE they launched the new site. This is just about the only thread I participate in now. Too hard to see what's going on! And the "Trending topics" don't seem to change for days and days...

Think they should have worked out the kinks BEFORE they launched the new site. This is just about the only thread I participate in now. Too hard to see what's going on! And the "Trending topics" don't seem to change for days and days...

Try clicking on NEW CONTENTS..... might help some.

However I do agree!

Nevermind.. As I read more I know they're not going to want to read what I opine on the subject.

Don't use the word opine either. They'll "opine" on you using opine by throwing "" on opine.

Think they should have worked out the kinks BEFORE they launched the new site. This is just about the only thread I participate in now. Too hard to see what's going on! And the "Trending topics" don't seem to change for days and days...

You mean like "obamacare" website?

I don't know, I think they did a pretty good job for combining several very large sites with large numbers of members into one. There were more issues off the bat than I anticipated and I couldn't log in at first, but other than that I have had no problems with using the site from my web browser. The app, however, is a hot mess and I refuse to use it. It's screwed up all the time!

~Cheri

Try clicking on NEW CONTENTS..... might help some.

However I do agree!

Aha! Isn't it easy when you know how :-)!!! Thanks

Most welcome. I read it some where and thought DUH!!! lol happy it helped

I'm a newbie with a big mouth, but I feel like this site is divided between really intelligent people whose stories I want to follow, and people who just want to be told that their crazy ideas are valid.

I should just put this in my signature, but talk to me again in 6 months and see if I feel the same way.

I'm a newbie with a big mouth, but I feel like this site is divided between really intelligent people whose stories I want to follow, and people who just want to be told that their crazy ideas are valid.

I should just put this in my signature, but talk to me again in 6 months and see if I feel the same way.

You'll still feel the same way....you just won't be sure which group you're in.

People gravitate towards the ones that agree with them. We want validation of our own thoughts, opinions and ideas so we congregate and choose to associate with people that will give us a pat on the back.

The people you agree with today might not be the ones you agree with in six months. And as Butter has said in the past, you'll find that you know less about this journey the farther out you get.

Things I had strong (and naturally, correct) opinions on a year ago are things I'd take the other side on now. I'm still right, because I'm always right. I'm just growing and changing. No, I didn't make any of the crazy or borderline suicidal posts that some people make here. But I accept that even when I disagree with them, most people are genuinely trying to work through their own crap, get feedback about their choices and find ways to improve here.

I remember getting into it even with Laura back when she was newer, because she couldn't understand my feelings or opinions on things. Fast forward and I see my opinions and feelings are now better understood!

In any case, the crazy people usually don't stick around for more than a few months. I just wish the self-righteous, gotta do this my way or you're wrong folks would do the same and boogie onward once they hit the point where all of their posts become tedious.

~Cheri

Misty, your post...so much like my eating habits. My reasons were not from abuse per say, but abandonment issues. I was adopted, then parents got a divorce when I was 3. I still saw my dad, but once I hit puberty...he pretty much started focusing his attention on my brothers. I also had a very hard time with teasing as a child. I was the fat girl target by about 6 boys in school, and I was teased and harassed by them daily. It really did a number on my emotionally, and I still have trust issues with men. In my mind they are always setting me up to hurt me. How I ended up getting married is beyond me. As for the food hiding...I want to cry every time I get in my car now. I am 10 weeks post op, and have yet to clean my car out from all the food wrappers/containers. I know it is going to be emotional when I see all that I ate and hid in there. I was the person that would go to McDonalds and get a value meal large sized and chicken nuggets, then go to Burger King and get 2 slices of Hershey's pie. Or I would go grocery shopping and on my 15 minute drive home I'd stuff away 2-3 doughnuts, a .99 bag of chips, smoke a cigarette and then eat dinner with the family 1/2 hour later without even blinking. It breaks my heart to look back at my coping skills and for how long they carried on. I know soon Im going to be faced with having to clean out my car, and I know it's going to be hard. I just hope Im fully ready emotionally. Thanks Misty for your post..It really helped me today. Maybe Im closer to cleaning up my old habits than I think.

Thank you for the courage it took you to share that. Facing your reality is such a big step.

Misty, OMG you are an amazing, strong woman! May God Bless YOU! Thank you for sharing your story, makes some of the issues I deal with seem so trivial. I was never a fat kid - was actually called "Olive Oil" from Popeye…that is until my parents went through a divorce…My dad pretty much abandoned us and it was food that I turned to, since then, it's been a struggle but now I FINALLY feel like I have a handle/chance to correct my bad habits.

I "liked" your post because you are overcoming things. Let me tell you, you don't have bad habits and you aren't bad. You have coping strategies that are out of date for your current life. You are finding new, more appropriate ones.