Scared but hopeful

NataliaUzcategui

Hi everyone! I'm new to the community and generally new to all things health. I really need to lose weight for health purposes (and boy would I eventually love a flatter belly) but I'm scared of becoming obsessed with calorie counting and developing an eating disorder. I'm a very anxious person and I know I'm prone to falling into that trap so I've postponed my weight loss journey. But I have hope that I've developed enough self consciousness to control my anxiety. Did anyone else have this fear before starting their weight loss journey? How did you manage it?

nossmf

Welcome, Natalia!

Hopefully somebody who actually lived with the type of anxiety you describe can comment, but living with my wife who has severe anxiety about other topics, my best advice to you would be a combination of tracking everything (often NOT knowing details make things worse for my wife, but with knowledge instead of assumptions she can calm down) and to work with averages over time so a single meal/day/week does not convince you that you have failed, since everybody will have individual meals/days/weeks which do not conform to the "ideal" but when they are the exception rather than the norm, you are still making progress.

Shrinking_Shellbelle

Hello Natalie!
I also have to manage what you speak of. And from experience, it's tough to do. I spent many years in my 20's with some very unhealthy habits.
What I've found helpful:
Plan what you are eating, and account for life. I went to see a movie on Tuesday eve, (Twisters - very good - def go!) I knew I would be "over" and instead of not eating all day (and likely the next out of guilt) to do the movie snacks, I reframed. It's literally one day and the other 6 days this week is how I stay consistent.
Swap and add instead of take away. Instead of two eggs I now have 1 egg and 1 cup of whites. Instead of bacon and cheese in it, it's broccoli and roasted peppers/garlic spice. Swapped my toast for tomatoes or strawberries. All my meals now have added veg to keep me full longer, salads, cucumbers etc. This seems to keep me from obsessing, and I naturally consume less calories.
Water - believe it or not I saw a counsellor once who asked me to try it because dehydration can trigger anxiety symptoms. I honestly thought she was messing with me, but I gave it a go. I'm much better at handling everything when I'm hydrated.

I hope some of this helps you. Feel free to friend me if you want to connect and chat more about it!

csplatt

not everyone will agree with with me, but I find the counting calories allows me to eat more than I think I can while still losing weight. If I tried to eyeball, I would undereat and be filled with guilt and uncertainty all the time.