I JUST WANT TO BE NORMAL

msf74

I guess I am "normal" (well, only in eating terms perhaps...) I eat what I want, when I want, in whatever quantities I want. I don't track my intake, I am not preoccupied by food and if I do over eat one day (and I do) then I will quite naturally eat less the next day or the subsequent days without trying.

However, the weird thing is I had to work to get back to that place (this is how I spent all of my 20s and early 30s). Something happened in my early to mid 30s meaning I had to try a lot of different things, in a quite conscious and deliberate way, until the habits became unconscious as they had been before that time.

I big piece of the puzzle for me was intermittent fasting. It made me realise that hunger isn't scary (in fact it can be quite a nice experience) and that I will not automatically over eat or choose to over eat even if I get to that state (because natural hunger is like a wave - it gradually builds, peaks and then fades away. Cravings, which do not arise from natural hunger, are strong, intrusive and persistent on the other hand.)

After my IF experiment I have been using some intuitive / mindful eating techniques to solidify what I learned before but I don't think they are really necessary. It's just me being geeky. For the first time in almost a decade I feel truly free of any concern about food, weight or over eating. I give my body what it needs rather than my mind and I remain happy.

Eleonora91

I love to eat healthy, don't get me wrong. i enjoy the feeling of being healthy, and more importantly, I am much more confident in the way that I look now. But, I also feel SO ANGRY when I eat everything in plain sight simply because I am letting "loose" one day. My friends/family are SO supportive, but I hate not being able to just go out for dinner with them and have a good time because there is no way that I could fit the food that they eat without eating NOTHING but that the entire day! I guess my point is, I just want to go out, eat what I want and when I want, not feel like a monster when I let loose, and still feel satisfied.

It just sucks because id love to order pizza, bake cookies and brownies, and slop around the entire day once in a while.

Just needed to vent. Thanks for reading.

I feel exactly the same. I mean, I know I have to lose some kgs now, so, being on a diet it's normal that I have to eat less and so on. But I'm starting to understand that I could never have so many calories without gaining weight. Being on MFP showed me how much I really need to eat to maintain my weight, hence I can never go back to eat whatever I want (even if I'm not binging). I wonder how everyone else can eat without worrying I have lots of friends who are thin, normal weight or just a bit chubby, but they still can eat whatever they want. I mean, they can have pizza for dinner even if they didn't get ready for this meal for weeks. They can eat biscuits without counting how many they ate. They can eat a lot one day and just make up for it by eating a salad the next day. They can have a whole chocolate bar if they want, even if they don't necessarily have to do this everyday. I honestly think it's taking me too long to lose this weight, and even when I'm done I won't be "thin" enough to behave such way. I've tried eating whatever I wanted during Christmas time and I've gained 5 kgs in 3 weeks, that's why I've come to understand that eating what I want and need will definitely lead me to gain weight. I guess I'll have to keep on track forever, no matter if I've got to eat 2000 kcals to maintain.

GEMMA_2014

You and I have already been out to dinner and ate what we want. That is why we are fat. The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result. Normal is not over eating and being fat. If you and I want to be normal and average we need to act normal and average and control our intake of calories and exercise. You and I will not find weight loss in over eating. We will find what we have always found, being fat. Food is not our fiend, it is just something to eat.

You can still go out with your friends, but research the restaurant and and find dishes you can eat. If you keep feeling deprived and left out you will stop the plan because friendship and family is more powerful than a diet.

I go out to restaurants, but I have a rule that works for me when I go to restaurants. i have a part time job that requirea that I eat out 3 times a week. (Yes I get paid to eat at great restaurants). I have to plan so I can achieve the weight loss I want.

You have to set up some rules for yourself. Going to restaurant is not a license for you and I to eat as we always have done.
It now means self control and planning.