Fudge v. Brocolli

I mentioned yesterday that I am beginning to think of food as an addiction, like an alcoholic has an addiction to alcohol, despite my one friend's comment that I'm just sabotaging myself by  going for the cookies or saying that I even *want* a cookie. I've tried diet after diet (including a diet of grapefruits and bacon- yeah, that desperate), I've read every nutritional report that has come out of every flipping university, hell I even have a digital scale that reports my weight to a chart somewhere in cyberspace, tracking my progress (or lack thereof). But the lure of a cookie or, in my case, a peanut butter cup, is a strong one to fight. It's not just a matter of wanting the peanut butter cup, it's the *need* to have it. I need the instant gratification, the creamy peanut butter hitting my tongue at the exact same time the chocolately goodness hits the front tastebuds. I can taste the awesomeness a lot faster than I can see my pants size drop.


Apparently, my food habits and need for nutty goodness may be hard wired in my DNA, like an actual addiction. MSNBC reported today that studies are showing that dopamine in a person's system "...conditions the brain to want that reward again and again — reinforcing the connection each time — especially when it gets the right cue from your environment." Some people are just hardwired to go for the fudge instead of the broccoli, although the person knows that the broccoli is the better choice. The study of dopamine's effects on habits used to centralize around drug and alcohol addiction, but now neurologists are seeing its effects on all bad habits, including unhealthy eating. While I can now blame my DNA and dopamine levels on my desires for chocolately, fatty treats all of the time, I *do* have some tools at my disposal that I need to better utilize, accoding to MSNBC.

* Exercise increases dopamine levels, and by consistently exercising, I will (eventually) train my brain to crave exercise instead of Reeses.

* I should begin to reward myself with something I "really deserve"  for small successes as well as the big ones. On a budget, that's a little difficult, but I should be able to come up with something...

*Practice stress relief that doesn't involve food. No kidding. Food is my crutch, my drug of choice. However, if I can learn to take a walk every time I am stressed... well... I'd be able to walk to San Francisco by March.

I've also learned, thanks to some informative websites, that I seem to have an "addictive personality"- and not in the "everyone wants to hang out with me!" kind of way. More in the manages-stress, needs-the-instant-gratification" kind of way.  This just makes it tougher for me to succeed in my weight loss, but does not, in any way, make it impossible.


Randomly, I also stumbled across an ad for "Diet Coke with Bacon" while researching "addictive personality"- I'm a little concerned how the two are connected... and I'm throughly disgusted at someone ruining my Diet Coke.