7 months ago my friend Andrew joined a 12 Step program for food addiction and has since lost 50kgs (and counting). In this episode he vulnerably shares his decades long experience with food addiction, how his food addiction impacted his life, what caused him to finally seek recovery, and most importantly: how it’s going so far! We share our experiences with food obsession and dieting, and how we ultimately needed different approaches to experience food freedom.

Episode breakdown:

• Andrew’s first memories revolve around food. His parents used food as a way to give love. As a result, he understood that “food = love” and developed a kind of “intimate” relationship with food, eating and bingeing in his bedroom.
• Andrew needed food to get through the day. He describes feeling such intense overwhelm and dread, that he needed food to self-medicate and survive. 
• He talks about the shame he felt around his food addiction. He ate in secret and would go out of his way to discreetly dispose of food wrappers and packaging.
• We talk about willpower and why despite being able to quit chain-smoking, drinking and drugging, Andrew was not able to control his food intake.
• Andrew shares how his food addiction and associated morbid obesity impacted his health, his life, his bank account and his interpersonal relationships.
• He sees no difference between himself and a drug addict, only that food addiction is more socially acceptable. 
• Andrew tried everything to lose weight. We talk about our experiences with dieting, calorie counting and intuitive eating. 
• Andrew shares what happened during his final attempt at calorie counting. After losing 20 kgs in 2 months, he realised he was just as sad, lonely and disgusted with himself as he had been before, and even more angry and irritable. He regained all the weight he lost and was finally able to see the insanity of his food addiction.
• Now in recovery for food addiction, Andrew’s life no longer revolves around food. He follows an “abstinent” meal plan and paradoxically experiences total food freedom.
• Once his obsession with food was removed, Andrew began to feel all the grief he had suppressed with food over the years. He shares how the program supports him to work through overwhelm, fears and everything else that comes up.
• Andrew shares how his quality of life has changed drastically in the last 7 months. I share the changes I have witnessed in Andrew.
• We discuss the lack of awareness around food addiction in our society, and why the commonly taken approaches such as diets, injections and surgeries won’t help suffering addicts. 

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If you resonate with this episode, want to know more about Andrew’s story or the recovery program he is in, or have any other comments or questions, we’d love to hear from you! Please send me an email at [email protected]

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Lots of love, 

Josephine

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