"alcoholics have to slay the dragon, while food addicts have to learn to walk the dragon three times a day."
Food addiction is as powerful and dangerous as any other serious addiction. It causes life-threatening physical, mental and emotional illnesses. Unlike any other type of addiction though, food addicts can't just quit their "drug of choice." People can't live without food, no matter how much they weigh, so food addicts have to learn to live with their addiction and control it... we have to re-train our bodies and minds... we have to train the dragon to survive.
I've often said, motivation isn't enough, it takes fear and a deadline. That is funny, but to some people it may seem harsh or mean. Fear should be a real thing for people with a food addiction though. Fear of what could--WILL--happen if the addiction isn't overcome. I had a real glimpse of that possible outcome not too long ago at my heaviest.
I had just given up for a long time, and gotten myself to the point of serious issues. I was at a point where all I did all day was lay on the couch, not because I didn't want to move, but because it hurt too much to move. It hurt to the point where I'd be there and have to go to the bathroom, but I would stall and wait to the last minute because it would hurt so bad to get up and go there--15 feet away! It got so bad that just going from couch to bedroom--30 feet away--would make me gasp for air and hurt so bad I would almost collapse.
In just 4.5 short months those issues are in the past, even though I still have a long way to go. But I have to REMEMBER those times. It wouldn't take much to be right back there again, and likely worse because pounds don't just come back, they come back with friends... fear has to be a part of the motivation to overcome addiction, but the good news is, once you have trained the dragon, the joy and accomplishment is as powerful as any addiction.
It didn't happen overnight, even though it did happen amazingly fast: I couldn't do much as far as exercise went at the beginning, but I found ways to move that I could do. Chair aerobics lead to swimming and finally the ability to get on the floor and do some floor exercises. Walking is still my enemy a bit, but I'm working on improving that. However, now I incorporate all kinds of exercises into my weekly schedule, and am up to swimming laps 1.5 hours 4xs a week. I can never let myself forget though, and I have to remain constantly vigilant of the certain foods that are trigger-foods for me. Food addicts have a slightly different issue when it comes to dieting/healthy lifestyles.
Most people can eat "bad" (for want of a better word) foods in moderation, food addicts have some foods they may never be able to eat safely again. I know what mine are: cake, ice cream and pizza... okay, never again may be too far to go, and those weren't the only foods I ate in excess, but I have to always be aware of those foods, knowing they are the gateway to relapse. Those are the foods that fire up my dragon. They turn on my addiction, and cause me to lose sight of my goals, eating anything else in my path, especially high carb foods. If I choose to eat them even in moderation, I have to make sure they don't take control. For right now, for me, and for most addicts still in the process of getting to a goal, they aren't an option.
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