Do you ever feel overwhelmed with a compulsion to just eat? A feeling that is so strong that you have to act on it? A drive so strong that you just need your ‘fix’ of food before you can calm and settle? This is what many clients describe as food addiction; a compulsion and drive to eat, where they simply become unable to control their eating.

Is food addiction really an addiction like drugs and alcohol? Latest research is showing that brain activity in some binge eaters is similar to that of other addicts. High fat and high sugar foods activate the hedonic system in the brain, our pleasure centre, and we get a release of a feel-good chemical dopamine. The more we stimulate this area of the brain, the more we need to eat to get a similar fix to feel good. It really is a vicious cycle, that has a strong chemical component.

Our experience of working with food addiction tells us that it is more than just a biological condition. It is a complex interplay of biology, emotions, psychology and behaviour. Here are some common symptoms:

• When you start eating a food you were craving, you often find yourself eating them again soon after
• You often get cravings for certain foods, despite feeling full and having just finished a nutritious meal
• You often get cravings for certain foods, despite feeling full and having just finished a nutritious meal
• You feel unable to control eating unhealthy foods, despite knowing that they are detrimental to your health

Our role at WeightMatters is to help you balance your physiology and body chemistry so that you no longer have huge cravings to eat. We will teach you new strategies to manage your emotions, without using food. Together we will get to the root causes of your food addiction, and help you work through any beliefs or attitudes that are keeping you locked in your eating behaviour.