Sign of Food addiction? Obese Mom eating head after head of raw cabbage

[melodicintention]

Is eating massive amounts of cabbage a sign of a food addiction?

 

I've suspected for a long time my mom has a food addiction. She's obese and does absolutely nothing to help herself. Granted she only became obese after getting COPD and then just give up on herself. She used to be skinny as a rail until she had to quit smoking. Lately though she brings home 4 heads of cabbage every other day and eats wedge after wedge in front of the TV, ho-humming and doing nothing as usual. Yes I know she has depression, but I've done everything I can to encourage her to get therapy and tried to help her exercise but she flat refuses the help. I even tried setting a good example, I lost 7 lbs and have abs showing but I think my success only made it harder on her so I'm further at a loss as to what can be done to help her. Anyways, I digress.

 

Has anyone heard of eating massive amounts of cabbage? Im thinking she's doing to stop her cravings, hoping it's not going to make her more obese.

 

I don't want to ask her because I'm overcoming my own co-dependency problems and only tend to exacerbate her depression when I do anything to help, so I'm backing off and letting her problems be her problems and not mine (hard to do!). I just want to know what's she's doing and why in case I need to tell her Doctor or her mortician , whichever comes first.

[GorillaTheater]

Could be worse, I guess. Cabbage is at least far healthier than a lot of things she could be gorging on. Although it does sound pretty strange, and I imagine it must be tough being in the same room at times ...

[melodicintention]

Probably so. I'm planning to move out, and as I pull away she is eating even more. Damned if I do, damned if I don't. I can't win. I'm pretty sure this is her trying to put a bandaid on her symptoms.

[Hope Shimmers]

What else does she eat besides cabbage?

 

No one gets obese by eating cabbage (even that much of it). Did she overeat other kinds of foods before this? Do you think she is eating the cabbage to keep her full so she won't eat other foods?

[Anela]

Maybe her body is craving it for a reason. I've read before, that if you're really craving something, then that means you should cut it out of your diet for a while (sugar, dairy, you get the idea), but I thought at the time that I occasionally crave salads, smoothies, juice, water - it isn't always a bad thing. Cabbage is supposed to be good for the stomach (cabbage juice is recommended for ulcers).

[Eggplant]

She's probably on a diet that tells her she can eat as much cabbage as she wants as long as she only eats cabbage and maybe some other similar foods.

 

Just ask.

[ManyDissapoint]

I would definitely take advice from an Eggplant on this one.

[thefooloftheyear]

Im surprised that the pilot from the heater doesnt blow the house to pieces...

 

Eh...I saw a show not long ago where a woman ate several rolls of toilet tissue a day..She just wrapped a few feet around her hand and choked it down...

 

Effin crazy...

 

TFY