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Originally posted by claire3
Also the comments comparing food rewards to drug addiction is way off the mark- I was a substance abuse counselor for 7 years. Addicts go thru painful withdrawal which is physical and emotional. Even for food "addicts" the process is not as severe. I admit this is a hot button issue for me - someone who falls of the wagon and eats some bread is unlikely to spend the next 3 months eating all the bread they can afford, stealing to get more bread etc. Terms from the treatment of addicts get applied to far too many things in life( thats right I don 't believe anyone is a shopping addict).
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Maybe true for you; not true for everyone, and certainly not true for me.
Bread is actually a pretty good example. When I start eating bread (regular wheat or white bread, not the soy low-carb bread) I eat at least one loaf at a time. I toast it, and put butter on it, and eat it. About half way through the loaf I sart thinking, "Hmmmm, this would taste better with something sweet on it," and I start sprinkling a little sugar on the toast. Yes, flour/bread is a gateway drug for me... leads right to sugar. After a few slices with nicely sprinkled sugar and maybe cinamon, I start putting a think layer of sugar on, and running the toast back under the broiler to crystallize it. Now I have toast encased (on one side anyway) in a thick, sugar crystal topping. I will continue this way until all the bread in the house is gone. Old stale hamburger buns, frozen biscuits, bread wih a little mold on it, I will eat every single piece. I don't steal money to get more bread, but I'm certainly not above eating the last of the bread that others in my house need for lunches the next day. I've been known to make midnight runs to the store for more bread. And get cookies, too, while I'm there. I even eat(steal) all the bread at other people's houses when I am visiting.
When I started atkins, I went through a physical withdrawal process from sugar. And yes, I know what drug and alcohol withdrawal feels like. When I gave up sugar and flour, I had headaches, nausea, tremors, sweats, and felt like my skin was crawling right off my body. It lasted for several days. I actually had to taper off a bit by having a teaspoon of honey in hot tea for the first 3 or 4 nights. So, while I respect your experience and your credentials, I don't agree with your statement. A nice piece of bread, or a soft roll, or a biscuit, or even plain crackers, would not be a good reward for me. It would be the beginning of the addiction cycle all over again.
Ann at Howcross Castle