Dedicated vs Obsessed ?

hellsbells3272

I think I am dedicated. Others might think I am obsessed.
Going to classes I enjoy at the gym, is my hobby. It has been my hobby for over 10 years, so it is part of my lifestyle!
I love to talk about it with anyone who will listen.
I also love to talk food with anyone who will listen.
After all my food change is a lifestyle change. I used to eat rubbish. Now I eat good stuff. This is not a fad or a diet, it is for life, so I need to get it right. It will take lots of practice and I am sure I will make mistakes, but need to get over them and move on.
Dedication!
:noway: :laugh:

nenshali

Dedicated is when you keep doing it even when life throws a curve ball.

Obsessed is when you stop enjoying life because it is all you concentrate on.

^
You can also turn from being dedicated to getting obsessed. Sometimes, it is a thin line.

paperpudding

I think anything (not just weight loss) has the potential to cross the line from dedication to obsession.

Being over zealous is not a good trait with anything.

It's not as simple as just saying any concerns about obsessiveness come from lazy couch potatoes; IMO refusing to listen to concerns about obsessiveness by spouting such platitudes can be a form of denial about obsessiveness.

smkean

Obsessed is what couch potatoes call fit people.

THIS! I could not have said it better.

Mostly agree with this.
I think you have to remember to have fun too sometimes, for starters it is better for you, it's motivating and it allows you to live a normal life.
Ignore the lazy people!

cwolfman13

In my experience, there is a fine line between being dedicated to a fitness and nutritionally driven lifestyle and being obsessive...pretty much to the point of being OCD about this stuff.

Honestly I would kind of put the having to scan the tin thing into the category of obsessive. I reached a point in my journey where it was more of an obsession than anything else...I was overly anxious when I couldn't log something exactly or I missed a workout, etc. I ultimately determined that this just wasn't healthy and rather than living a life where fitness and nutrition were an intrinsic part, I was allowing all of this stuff to be the entirety of my life.

I ultimately decided that my fitness and nutrition and health was about the decisions I was making overall...not whether I could log some specific thing in my diary or not...or whether **** came up and I missed my workout or whatever. I ultimately decided that in the grand scheme of things, these events were just not that important to the overall bigger picture. This really helped me relax and enjoy myself much more and made that swing back from being obsessed to being dedicated to an overall lifestyle that is fitness and nutritionally driven.

Dogwalkingirl

Being "obsessed' with fitness and a healthy lifestyle is better then being obsessed with many other things! Weed, booze, junk food!. I now get the odd comment from close friends telling me 'not to go all crazy on them' . I still go out for meals, drink a few pints, eat sour kids etc. I just now make sure I have a killer work out after and/or before I do these things.

My ex boyfriend was a runner and I find a lot of hard core distance runners (sorry to offend anyone) border on obsessive ha ha. He would have agreed with me. Nothing would take him away from his routine. He HAD to run every morning and HAD to eat the same breakfast no matter where we were in the world. He would run marathon distances in the Australian outback and do the same rain or shine anywhere. Sometimes I would get annoyed if we needed to be somewhere and he was miles away from home running around somewhere!! However, it was like a drug to him, it made him feel better for the rest of the day and he needed it. I learned he was a total grump without it and I was proud and amazed at what he was able to accomplish.

JNettie73

I think it is all just a matter of perspective from those who are judging. If it is not ruining your personal relationships, you are happy and are not hurting anyone with your methods then who cares about the label someone may or may not give to you. At least that is my perspective of my own journey. I am sure my husband thinks I am a bit obsessed when I take the time to create recipes when I am cooking dinner and log them before I eat. But it is what I need to do to stay dedicated and keep myself on the right path. This path as improved my health, self esteem and life in so many ways. It also has had positive effects on my marriage. So IMO it's a win win situation!

OP - Congrats on making positive changes in your life to become healthier! Best of luck to you in the future.

Fitnursejo

I get a bit of this too. One of my friends recently found out I was counting calories and freaked out on me, saying it was obsessive and was going to lead to bad places blah blah. Sorry girl but you're sitting in front of me eating a brownie and a plate of fries, and you literally just bought a tube of Pringles and a bag of chocolates for later, but no, I'm being unhealthy? You do your thing and I'll do my thing!

I do try to not log things etc when people are around because I do get weird looks.

I love logging my what I eat and have no shame in asking a waitress, "how many ounces is that fish?", with my phone out and app open, ready to punch in the numbers!!! Not saying I don't miss days or remember what I forgot the next day. But in today's world of excess, if you don't want to completely exclude some foods (which lets face it is not sustainable for the majority of us) logging is a good way to achieve balance.

Most days I don't eat sugar or wheat. I think they're are unhealthy. But at a party or restaurant, sometimes I want the bread or pasta or dessert! For me, those foods are treats!! I log so I can keep eating them under control!