Meet My Hunger Drive: A Fact of My Life, Not a Self-Made Stigma
Since I first shared my story a few weeks ago, I have received a lot of comments about the stigma around food addiction and disordered eating patterns.
This stigma runs deep, and I am learning how people of all sizes, shapes, and genetics feel that stigma in different ways.
Even though I have lost half my weight, I spent most of my life experiencing this stigma silently in an isolated state of obesity or morbid obesity.
I never envisioned breaking my silence to speak about my food addiction – especially as publicly as I am doing now. But, life is full of surprises, and here I am.
I am speaking out because my self-understanding has profoundly shifted.
Let me take a moment to introduce myself.
My eyes are blue and nearsighted, so I wear glasses or contact lenses.
My skin is white and sunburns easily, so I wear sunscreen.
My legs are longer, so I wear pants with a longer inseam.
My hunger drive is dysregulated by processed foods, so I eat unprocessed, high fiber foods.
There is no shame in talking about the prescription that I need for my eyes to see clearly.
There is no shame in talking about what I need to do to take care of my skin.
There is no shame in talking about the length of the inseam that I need in my pants.
And, there should be no shame in talking about what causes the disruption of my hunger drive and that eating a high volume of nutrient-dense, high-fiber plant foods regulates it.
Yet, stigma surrounds talking about food addiction.
To my surprise, the topic of food addiction is striking a chord with people of all sizes, and this inspires me to continue speaking.
There are many of us who recognize that addictive foods prevent us from acting in our own best interests around our health and wellness.
Some parts of food addiction are socially acceptable for conversation. Take, for example, sugar withdrawal.
People frequently talk about removing sugar from their diet and the unpleasant withdrawal process.
People also talk about going through a “detox” or “cleanse” process where they experience unpleasant withdrawal symptoms from the removal of unhealthy foods and the addition of healthy foods.
The social acceptability of conversations about removing sugar and going through “detoxes” or “cleanses” acknowledge the addictive nature of foods in our society.
Still, talking about food addiction remains largely stigmatized.
This stigma may exist, in part, because food addiction processes are falsely equated with personal shortcomings, including willpower.
Food addiction and willpower are not the same concept. Both have their places in my own journey.
For most of my life, I thought that willpower was the most important part of living a healthy life. It turns out that willpower is less important than I thought.
The way I live now is to turn off the mechanisms of food addiction in myself – as much as possible, as often as possible, and as effectively as possible.
When I do this, my hunger drive and my body become regulated. The more I get away from unprocessed plants, the more I need my willpower.
Turning off food addiction mechanisms minimizes my ongoing need for willpower. Then, when I need it, I have a deeper reservoir from which to draw.
Understanding my hunger drive makes it possible to act in my own best interests around my health and wellness.
My hunger drive is part of my physical being that I can understand objectively about myself. What I eat changes how I experience hunger.
I have two choices for myself. And, while I would like a middle ground of moderation, I do not have that in my genetics.
I can experience an addictive hunger that is never satiated by processed foods, or I can experience an actual hunger that is satiated by unprocessed plants.
Now that I know this about myself, I always have a personal action plan for success:
remove processed foods, and
eat foods high in fiber and water.
When I eat this way, my hunger drive works exactly as it should. Calmness and peace replace agitation and hunger disruptions that come from addictive foods.
A plant-based life has given me this calmness and peace. I currently eat all plants, but I ate some animal products for a while and found similar freedoms.
There is no shame in talking about my hunger drive and its physical processes. There are many things that require bravery in life, but talking about my hunger drive should not be one of them.
Understanding my hunger drive has been central to transforming my shadows. And, I hope the same is true for you.
