Phil Werdell, M.A.

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The problem of the food-addicted mind is complicated by the development of further false thinking that rationalizes overeating. This is talked about by recovering food addicts this way: “If the problem was just one of abstaining from foods which activate a false starting response, it would be easy, but the food addicted mind begins to keep the food addict from remembering and acting on this important information.”

We don’t know exactly how this works, but it is as if the distorted hunger instinct is working unconsciously all the time in the instinctive part of the brain. It is trying to find a way through the conscious part of our thinking that would oppose the idea of taking that first bite if we could fully remember the negative consequences of binging. The results would be clear to an undistorted mind: unwanted fat, depression, lowered self-esteem, and much more. These are always the eventual result of taking the first bite, but the physical craving of a food addict becomes stronger than the unaided rational mind.

At one point the food addict is without defense and cannot say “No.” It is as if the biochemical stimulus of the craving is just as strong as a general anesthetic is for a patient on the operating table. Before the operation, the patient could simply say, “No, I do not want to be put under.” However, at one point on the operating table after a certain amount of the chemical has taken effect, the patient it powerless to stop the process.

The food addict does remain conscious when bingeing, at least partially. However, another part of the mind is creating rationalization for the eating “I’ve had a hard day, so I deserve it.” “This is a celebration. I can have a little.” “I’m experiencing too much pain. I need to eat.” “I’ll just have one.” “I’ll diet tomorrow.” In each case, the rationalizations are not true, at least not sufficient to offset the consequences of eating. The food addict develops a long history demonstrating that the proposition is not true, but still, over and over again, the food addict believes each rationalization. It is this reoccurring pattern of believing a thought is true despite substantial experience to the contrary that makes recovery from any addiction so difficult. Recovering food addicts often refer to this experience of believing false thought as “stinking thinking” to distinguish it from a reasonable mistake or an ordinary error in judgment.

Sometimes, as in alcoholism and drug addiction, there is no rationalization at all; just what recovering addicts refer to as a “strange mental blank spot.” The food addict will just have the thought that a food they had previously eliminated “might taste good.” There is no thought at all of previous commitments not to eat this food or of the severe physical, emotional and spiritual consequences in the past when it was eaten. While few food addicts have complete blacks outs as some alcoholics do, food addicts in whom the disease is more advanced do report times when they will have completely forgotten having eaten something that very day, even at their last meal. They will look down at their plate expecting a certain food to be there, and it will be gone. Much more common for the food addict is the experience trying to keep the food under control, being successful for a while, then suddenly being back in the food, as it is often said “binging my brains out,” and simply not having the slightest idea of how it happened.

Another form of false thinking common to food addicts is body image and food quantity distortion. It is very common for obese people to not think that they are as heavy as they really are, just the opposite problem of anorexics who are dangerously thin but think they are fat. Similarly, research shows that about 20% of overweight people who are rigorously trying to diet think they eat less food than they actually eat. Just as many underweight people really believe that they are eating more calories than they actually are consuming. This mental distortion is often so deep that those who have it will sometimes vehemently argue that their own thinking is not false, even against evidence everyone else sees as contradicting their belief. It is much like alcoholics who have had several DUIs, but still believe that they can control their drinking.

The most common form of false thinking denial for food addicts is euphoric recall.

Simply put, the positive aspects of a prior eating experience will be remembered in vivid, mouth-watering detail, but even drastic negative consequences will be forgotten or will be so faded as to have little or no effect on the decision-making process. Examples here are many: remembering how good a particular kind of donut tasted but not what it felt like the last time after eating a whole box of them; remembering a time when you were able to keep your eating under control but not that it was followed by a 25-pound weight gain; being sure that over-eating just this once will numb the pain but forgetting that this only lasts for a couple of minutes and then you have to do it again; having a sense of being in control and making a choice to eat this time and not even expecting to slide into the chasm of despair that so regularly follows addictive overeating. There are few food addicts who don’t have a whole bunch of these stories, yet this alone will seldom keep them from experiencing and acting out of euphoric recall in the future.