From the moment I begin a diet, I can think of nothing but food. Food, food, food. Food, glorious food.
On low-carb diets, I begin craving bagels — something I rarely eat but once they’re a no-no, they become just about the only food I crave. On low-fat diets, I dream of melted cheese: nachos dripping with cheddar, chunks of bread dipped in a glorious cheese and crab fondue, stuffed jalapeño poppers exploding in my mouth.
Oh, baby, I’m making myself hungry again!
That’s precisely why scientists are now contemplating whether being overweight indicates food addiction. Brain imaging and animal studies both indicate that, in some people, eating triggers dopamine release — the exact reason, for instance, drug users continue to abuse their substance of choice. It produces pleasure, a feeling familiar to anyone who’s had a Krispy Kreme.
I’m not sure that I’m comfortable with lumping eating problems in with more serious forms of addiction. Yet, having tried and failed on so many diets despite having the best of intentions, I’ve got to admit I feel a bit better thinking that the problem may not be that I’m a weak-willed, lazy creature. Looking at it as an addiction — something to struggle with while acknowledging the temptation — seems more empowering than merely hanging my head in shame.