Food addiction is one of the most hidden addictions in American today.  Even most morbidly obese individuals will not admit that they are food addicts, and for those who are willing to admit it, they are usually not willing to admit that it is a serious problem.

But it is a serious problem.  Food addiction leads to obesity which opens the door to a whole host of health problems.  The Center for Disease Control has determined that approximately 60 percent of Americans are overweight or obese.  That is a national tragedy.  The Center for Disease Control has even found that approximately 17 percent of America's children are overweight, and that number continues to climb.

Obesity is no laughing matter.  In fact, those who are obese are at a much greater risk of developing the following.....

-Diabetes
-Cancer
-Hypertension
-Heart disease
-Joint pain
-High cholesterol

The IHRSA/ASD obesity/weight control report has revealed that obesity is absolutely exploding in the United States.  3.8 million people are over 300 pounds, over 400,000 people now weigh over 400 pounds.  The average adult female in the U.S. now weighs an unprecedented 163 pounds.

According to the U.S. Surgeon General report, obesity is responsible for 300,000 deaths every year.  These are all deaths that are preventable through treatment, recovery and proper diet.

So how do you know if you are addicted to food? The following are some of the common symptoms of food addiction:

-The feeling that you can’t get through the day without large amounts of food.

-You are not able to control your eating. In other words, one chip is never enough.  In fact, one bag of chips may not be enough.

-You find yourself constantly thinking about food.

-You experience repeated failure when you try to go on a diet.

-You hide your eating from your family and friends.

-When you are deprived of food, you may experience increased outbursts of irritability and anger, and you may find yourself resorting to violence much more easily.

-You use food as a way to deal with your problems.

-You sleep way too much and you feel sluggish most of the time.

-You may have many unexplained absences from work and have difficulty sleeping.

-If you still have doubts about whether you are a food addict, just look at your waist. If you are overweight there is a really good chance that you are a food addict.

So how can you overcome food addiction?

There are basically four key steps that you need to take.

#1) Admit You Have A Problem

Most addicts refuse to admit that they are addicts. They ignore the problem and so they never get any treatment for it. If you are going to beat this, then at some point the first step is to admit to yourself and others that you do indeed have a problem.

#2) Decide That You Want To Change

Many addicts are perfectly content to stay in their addicted state. It is comfortable for many of them. But in order to change you have to decide that is what you want, and you aren’t going to accept the pain and suffering that your addiction is causing you any longer.

#3) Reach Out For Help

Talk to someone that you trust and ask for help. This involves swallowing your pride. Often a good first step is to reach out to a trusted family member. After that, reaching out to a professional who works in the field of your addiction or reaching out to a spiritual advisor can be extremely helpful. You are likely to need help in overcoming your addiction, and family, friends and licensed professionals are there to be that help.

#4) Turn To God

Ultimately this is the most important step. Many have found that they did not have the power in themselves to beat an addiction, but that when they turned to God they found all the power that they ever needed. The truth is that we all need God whether we are addicts or not. We are all messed up in some way and we have all sinned. But the good news is that Jesus Christ came to this earth to die for our sins on the cross. We urge you to invite Jesus Christ into your life today, because He will not only help you overcome your addiction - He will forgive your sins and give you eternal life, and nothing is more important than that.

To learn more about how you can become a Christian, we would encourage you to read this…..

http://www.chick.com/reading/tracts/1049/1049_01.asp