‘Freaky Eaters’ addicted to cornstarch, potatoes

>>> they say you are what you eat. it's a phrase that takes on a new meaning on the tlc show " freaky eaters ."

>> corn starch is normally used for baking, thickening. for me when i buy it, it's for eating it. my mouth always waters for it. it's the best. corn starch is soft, very fine. it's so good. i cannot stop eating it.

>> her love for corn starch started during her preg sichlt it was when her youngest son died four years ago from complications related to a seizure that her craving became an addiction.

>> eating corn starch is an escape for me.

>> she kept it from her husband.

>> i hide it from charles . i keep my corn starch in sealed plastic bags throughout the house. i keep it in my car under the spare tire , in my purse. charles would be so unhappy if he knew how much corn starch b i eat now.

>> i think she's eating three to four boxes a week.

>> in reality she was eating more like 13 or 14.

>> nicky eating corn starch has caused friction. i told her, get help or i'm out the door.

>> reporter: nicky and charles aren't the only couple struggling with food addiction .

>> me and kelly have been married seven years.

>> you're cooking meat. i'm out of here.

>> reporter: kelly wouldn't be in the kitchen unless it involved her favorite food, potatoes and cheese.

>> three orders of french fries . can i have cheese on those?

>> i won't eat at work. i go through the drive-through at lunch time . i don't eat in front of people. i don't want people to know how much i'm consuming.

>> reporter: kelly loved how the food made her feel.

>> it's like crack.

>> reporter: her husband encouraged healthier options.

>> i want you to try this. it's a green vegetable . [ gags ]

>> i can't. i can't.

>> i'm afraid i'm going to come down and find out she's had a heart attack. if she doesn't get help she's not going to last much longer.

>> two specialists help people overcome their eating habits on the show. mike and j.j., good morning to you both.

>> good morning.

>> you can see how desperate they are in struggling with these addictions. without giving too much away, how are they doing now?

>> they're doing great. you know, since the show, kelly has lost 30 pounds. she's now eating a salad every day for lunch.

>> this is big. she didn't touch a vegetable for her whole life since her experience at age 4. so a salad every day is monumental.

>> i'm thinking of nicky eating the corn starch . the fist thing i thought was what provokes someone to take a box of corn starch the first time. what would trigger that?

>> she started eating dirt when she was young. she has pika which is a zinc and iron deficiency . it was triggered by her pregnancy.

>> that's when we usually see it. as you saw with the death of her child it spiralled out of control. it turned into a true food addiction .

>> it started as something biological and there was an emotional component.

>> right.

>> when you're dealing with these folks you have to take on both issues.

>> that's why we work together. we have to tackle all of it. it's emotional, biological. to have j.j. and myself tackling the families, relationships, all of it together, that's why we create change.

>> yes.

>> how long does it take to take someone from that kind of addiction to being clean from it?

>> this is going to be shocking but we do it over the course of a week.

>> just one week, somebody with a whole life experience?

>> it comes down to we start with shock therapy to show them the extent of the problem. if they don't get that they don't really get they have a problem, they're not going to change.

>> then we tag team. when you have experts working with you 12 hours a day over the course of the week and we can use tv to show them what their addiction is doing to them. couples therapy , family therapy , nutrition, all of that stuff is better and comprehensive treatment.

>> a recovering alcoholic will s say, i'm an alcoholic whether i have the drink or not.

>> some people, we recommend life long attendance in overeaters anonymous . for other people when it was based on a specific incident.

>> not so much addiction but something that became their way to comfort themselves, their safe place. when we shift them and they start changing their life, nicky now does maybe two spoonfuls of corn starch a day, but sometimes none. that's not where she's goinger for comfort anymore.

>> right.

>> there are people who look at the show and say, you stage this stuff. nobody's eating 13, 14 boxes.

>> when you see the tears, some of the reactions of the families, there aren't actors good enough out there, i don't think.

>> they couldn't be that consistent. what's amazing is you go, wow, that's crazy. that's freaky. but you start to watch the show and you go, i have a little of that a in me.

>> i'm thinking of people watching saying, you know, i need to have my diet soda ten times a day or i'm not going to have the meal without ten cups of coffee a day.

>> that's a habit. when does it cross the line of being a healthy habit or ritual to addiction. are the consequences tearing up my job, my relationship? and for the people on the show, it was.

>> you deal with eight different people suffering from addictions. success rate?

>> 100%. eight success stories.

>> that's a good statistic right there. mike and j.j., thank you.

>> thank you.

>> catch the season premiere of " freaky eaters " sunday night on