To those who have lost

literlover

Do you feel deprived? Do you feel like you obsess and are constantly thinking about your food, fitness, tracking? Or is it now "easy" and you're just living life?

janejellyroll

I love food. I watch food television, I read about food, I collect cookbooks. I thought about food a lot before I lost weight. I think about food a lot now. The difference is that I now feel like I have a control and predictability in my "relationship" with food that I never had before.

When I began tracking, I did feel like I was having to think about fitness and logging a lot. But now I'm pretty much on auto-pilot with tracking. So it does feel like I'm just living my life.

cwolfman13

When I was losing weight I maintained a modest deficit...I did not feel deprived. I've been maintaining for over 2.5 years without logging. I'm into nutrition and fitness so I find it all to be pretty easy. There's nothing difficult about good livin'

callsitlikeiseeit

lost 70 pounds over the past year.

i eat the same things i always have. just much less i eat out, i drink, i eat chocolate.... no depravity here....

makaryan11

I know exactly how you feel, I overcame that feeling of obsession by telling to myself "I am not hungry, I am not hungry , I am not hungry" 100 times a day. Also had to choose between food and the body I wanted. After a week I could cook for my family and not crave that food, P.S. I love food and I am an emotional eater.

Maxematics

Nope, not at all. I went from 139 to 115 since July. I exercise five to six days per week which I love to do and it became part of my daily routine. I make more mindful choices but enjoy myself. Just yesterday I ate an entire medium BBQ chicken pizza and a chocolate mint donut and enjoyed every bite without guilt.

ald783

janejellyroll wrote: »

I love food. I watch food television, I read about food, I collect cookbooks. I thought about food a lot before I lost weight. I think about food a lot now. The difference is that I now feel like I have a control and predictability in my "relationship" with food that I never had before.

When I began tracking, I did feel like I was having to think about fitness and logging a lot. But now I'm pretty much on auto-pilot with tracking. So it does feel like I'm just living my life.

I agree with this 100%. I'd consider food a passion for me because I enjoy it so much (cooking, reading food blogs and magazines, planning meals, etc.) but I think it's a positive, healthy passion rather than an unhealthy obsession.

I think early on weight loss and healthy eating will require more energy and thought as you get used to it and figure out what works for you but it gets easier. Tracking is really second nature for me at this point and something I don't mind doing or spend a lot of mental energy on. It gets easier.

Ninkyou

Nope, don't feel deprived. I eat all of my normal foods and the foods I love (including sweets, fast food, takeaway, etc on a weekly and for some, daily basis). It's all about moderation, not deprivation. Balance is key.

ARGriffy

literlover wrote: »

Do you feel deprived? Do you feel like you obsess and are constantly thinking about your food, fitness, tracking? Or is it now "easy" and you're just living life?

This 100% depends on your own mind. I find not logging makes me panic I will over eat and regain so can become a touch obsessive, but I knew I was ignoring it as I ballooned so that's why for me. everyone is different!

crb426

I didn't feel deprived. There were days that I had to internally argue with myself to not eat too much. When the weight starting pouring off it made it exciting and I really didn't have problems sticking to the plan.

One of the great distractions I'll do is online clothes shopping in the size I want to be. I don't actually buy anything, usually, but it's fun to fill up the cart and imagine what the clothes will look like.

SparklySarah412

I can't say I ever feel deprived at all. I have odd days where I go over on my calories and it's no big deal, the main thing is that it doesn't happen every day. Other days I might fancy a little treat, (like today I had a piece of Christmas cake) so I'll just fit it into my calorie goal or I'll go for a half hour run to make up for it. So I never feel like I'm missing out on anything.

I actually get a lot of enjoyment out of logging my food and exercise, my husband calls it my "hobby" lol I love logging my food and checking my macros are where I want them to be, I love analysing my runs on runkeeper and I log everything I do at the gym in a little book that I take everywhere with me. It's not like an obsession though, just that I'm a geek who likes looking at numbers and graphs!

spzjlb

Good question. You should post it also on the Maintenance board.
Like most other responses, I really don't feel deprived.

I usually take a bite or eat a small portion of anything, even if I don't eat the whole serving. I also have learned that feeling really stuffed full is extremely uncomfortable so it's motivating to stop eating earlier than I used to. (Don't let me fool you, though, as I still have a few big weaknesses.)

Plus, I used to feel embarrassed and self conscious about my appearance. That has disappeared! Given the choice, I'll stick with feeling slim versus wanting an extra treat or second helping. But it takes patience to reach that point. You can do it, too. I'm certainly nothing special.

Sued0nim

callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »

lost 70 pounds over the past year.

i eat the same things i always have. just much less i eat out, i drink, i eat chocolate.... no depravity here....

Snigger

At first I felt hungry at times
Now I don't because I can more naturally balance my food choices to hit my maintenance calories, oh and I get a lot more calories because I've raised my TDEE
I have never felt deprived though as I could always save calories for anything

I think that's the difference ...

manderson27

I have been on here for around 3 years and lost 32 pounds initially. I was a bit obsessive but that is how I role anyway. I maintained the loss for 18 months or so but recently gave up smoking and piled a lot back on. Now I am starting to lose it again so back to being a bit obsessive. This seems to work for me.

cnbbnc

literlover wrote: »

Do you feel deprived? Do you feel like you obsess and are constantly thinking about your food, fitness, tracking? Or is it now "easy" and you're just living life?

I didn't feel deprived, no. Choosing primarily good food foods that are filling both kept me satiated and reduced my sugar cravings. Constantly thinking? Yes. All of this was big changes for me from the way I shopped and what I cooked, to incorporating workouts into my schedule, to learning how to track my food here. Now after 5mos it's much easier though. I wouldn't say I'm just "living life" yet because I've just begun maintenance and have to remain diligent until I get that piece figured out. I think with time it will all become second nature for me.

ki4eld

literlover wrote: »

Do you feel deprived? Do you feel like you obsess and are constantly thinking about your food, fitness, tracking? Or is it now "easy" and you're just living life?

I don't feel deprived. I found a diet (keto with 17:7 IF) that fits how I enjoy eating and how I live.

*Not* obsessing got me to where I was. Obsessing is working very, very well.

I'm obsessing *and* it's easy and I'm just living life. I simply made food/exercise tracking part of life. They aren't mutually exclusive.

cafeaulait7

I don't feel obsessive or think about food all the time, but I do feel a little deprived when I eat my dessert some days. I'd like the world to allow me to have about 4 or 5 desserts a day, lol! The world just doesn't work like that, though

I really can't eat quite as much as I'd like. Every time I do, I slowly gain 30 lbs. That's why I had to lose weight in the first place So it's that kind of deprived, not a very big deal at all.

tracie_minus100

I think about food all the time. I'm constantly planning my next snack or meal. But I did that when I was obese too.
I don't feel deprived. I feel comfortable now...before I always felt like I was bursting at the seams because of how much I overate.

Dayofthebread

I do sometimes feel deprived, but then I am someone who could happily eat all day if I didn't keep it in check. Overall though I am used to it.

tomteboda

I've lost 70 lbs in the last year. Most of the time I'm perfectly happy : at a planned deficit of 1 lb/ week I can eat mostly what I want. Just not as much as I used to. I don't keep things like sweets in the house to tempt me anymore though.

KathyApplebaum

I don't feel deprived at all, nor do I obsess about food or tracking. I do obsess a bit about fitness, but I'm training for my first half marathon at the age of 52 -- I feel I need to obsess a bit to make it to the finish line in one piece. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Francl27

literlover wrote: »

Do you feel deprived? Do you feel like you obsess and are constantly thinking about your food, fitness, tracking? Or is it now "easy" and you're just living life?

I've always loved food and obsessed about food... Pretty much everything in my life has always been centered around food. So yeah, I'm always thinking about food.

Tracking? I don't care one bit. I just do it. It helps me. I could probably do without but then I'd still be counting calories in my head, so might as well log it (I still have to weigh, I'm better at estimating portions but I'm just not pushing my luck).

Easier... yeah in a way. I keep a deficit so it's not a huge deal if I go over maintenance some days, but at the same time, while I was losing, I never felt the need to go over. Now I do, a lot, because I'm just so much hungrier (I'm WAY more active than I used to be and I get wicked hunger with PMS too). So half my days are just fine with my deficit, and I don't feel deprived at all, some REALLY suck and I go over because I'm so hungry, and some are a bit tough but I manage.

So yeah, I still feel deprived quite a bit. I do eat what I want in moderation while doing my best to meet my protein and calorie goals, but there are some things that are just hard to fit so I don't have them as much as I'd want (hello 1200 calorie slice of cheesecake)... but at the same time I don't sweat it if I go over, I'm used to it by now, and I know that I'll make up for it on days when I'm less hungry. I also make sure to get the high calorie stuff I've been craving at lunch, so I'm full until dinner and sometimes even end up skipping dinner (I'm hungrier during the day than at dinner time so it's extremely hard for me to save calories for dinner).

That being said, my taste has changed. I don't crave fast food or fried food at all anymore. But good dessert is what does me in every single time.. although at least I don't eat the mediocre stuff anymore.

melonaulait

I might obsess a little and think about food a lot now, but I'm no longer afraid of food. I even crammed in 10 pieces of my favorite Christmas pastry around the holidays, and I knew I would be maintaining my weight or losing. That is so much more peaceful for me than my thoughts were when I wasn't so aware of calories before.

88meli88

When I first joined MFP 3 years ago, I learnt a lot about BMR, TDEE and what to eat not to feel deprived. I opted for slower losses to be able to stick w it in the long term, eat above my BMR, go easy on white carbs and try to include healthy oils and fiber full veggies. Still there are times when I feel hungry (eg when I work out longer and harder) and then I have a couple of "magic" foods that really sort it out - salmon w brown rice and broccoli is one and a large steak w salad is the other.

middlehaitch

It is easy now and I am just living life.

To lose I only had to tweak my diet a little, so after losing and counting for a while in maintenance I now, 6 years later, just live life. I do count for a few weeks each year. It reenforces my portion sizes and helps sort my TDEE when I change my exercise routine drastically.

Food wasn't my problem as much as activity level. Starting to purposefully exercise, to replace everyday activity that I was no longer doing, was my biggest hurdle. I started at 3 days a week, upped it to 6, and now try to have at 6 hr exercise a week. I now only dislike it; I used to hate it, and after 6 years it has become habit.

Cheers, h.

LivingtheLeanDream

I never felt I was being deprived since I started on MFP, the days I'm hungry its my own fault as I haven't hit my macros.
I do feel its 'easy' now, the way I eat now has become an ingrained habit.

Plus I am now very active, I wasn't always but I have also made that a lasting habit.

Been maintaining my weight loss goal for 2 1/2 yrs

joinn68

I absolutely do not feel deprived. I don't HAVE to lose 2lbs a week as long as I am going in the right direction. I have so much to lose that it'll take time. But I am obsessed and consistently thinking about my food and fitness. That's OK for now. It's only been 4 months so I'll get better. It'll become a habit. But I am among those people who feel like I'll need to always have a "healthy" degree of obsession in order not to regain

@callsitlikeiseeit did you mean that pun about "depravity"?

fitnforward

Still a little obsessed but getting easier with no second thought. I started Dec. 29. It's turning into a lifestyle, I feel a lot better. My little victories are still victories!!

clockworksailing

I've stopped looking for happiness and comfort in the kitchen. I pursue different areas of life for mental/physical satisfaction. This distinction saved my butt and helped me reach my goals.

ilovesweeties

I've been maintaining for about 6 months now, and yes, I am still as obsessed. I like the new me, it's worth the amount of thought that goes into it. I hope to be able to ease off weighing and logging, but I am ok with the idea that 15 years of bad habits will probably take more than a year to break for good. I've not quite been able to conquer the out-of-body experience which still leads me to eat mindlessly on occasion.

I spend a lot of time thinking about food, but like lots of others have said, I did that before too! The main difference is how much I think about exercise now. I know that if I get enough running under my belt in a given week, I will be able to eat what I want and I tend to lose the urge to binge. Conversely, if I don't run (because of the weather or my schedule), mindless eating can take over!

TL:DR I don't really mind spending time planning, weighing, logging and working out because being slimmer and fitter is worth it.

KateTii

I love calorie counting 99.99% of the time, I really do.

It's super easy, i've lost weight and it's gotten me into meal prepping which has literally saved me at least a thousand dollars in the past 11 or so months. It's just part of my day now - I make food, it goes on a scale first. Ten seconds is all it takes.

However, I am a huge believer in balance. It's what keeps me successful, I cannot handle the idea of never eating X again or always eating perfectly. I don't feel pressured to exercise every day.

I don't count/care on holidays/vacations, birthdays or special occasions so I very rarely feel deprived. I can handle not eating everything I want now, if I know there will be a day where I can do it. Coming off Christmas/New Years (2 weeks of "no logging & I don't care") I actually looked forward to eating to my calories again.

I find the semi-regular "logging breaks" keep me sane - with usually a gap of 4-7 months between "breaks" (Generally the gap between holidays/vacations) with a sprinkle of special occasion eating. I'm still several steps ahead and not looking back!