Life consuming

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mhoe
mhoe Posts: 5
in Motivation and Support
Does anyone else out there feel that this recording food and exercise thing is life consuming? What's the best way not to feel this way - I feel like food is constantly on my mind these days. What I eat, how much I work out - can I justify this food and why am I always hungry?

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Replies

  • Shelty64
    Shelty64 Posts: 18
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    Yes, you're right is IS life comsuming. But, once you start losing weight, it becomes VERY REWARDING. I've lost 8 lbs and if this is how I have to do it....then I don't mind at all. I couldn't live this way for the rest of my life, but I find that it is super necessary to teach you what A REAL PORTION looks like. After I reach my weight goal, I will have learned so much about portions and I will just start eyeballing my food for portion and calories rather than logging it in. Food has never been an issue for me, I've always been thin...until menopause hit...lol...
  • ltowne
    ltowne Posts: 129 Member
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    OMG...that is me too! I woke up the other night and couldn't go back to sleep wondering what I was going to eat the next day and how many calories I was going to consume. I almost got up and weighed myself. Sometimes I wonder about myself...ha ha! It does become all consuming. Feel free to add me as a friend...maybe we can work through this together!
  • LazyMogg
    LazyMogg Posts: 162
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    Well, it can seem like that because you're becoming more aware of what you're eating. If you think about it, food consumption played a big part in yours (and mine) life anyway. It's just that we ate without taking much notice of what we were doing until the weight appeared. Now we're more aware of what we're eating because we have to record it in order to prevent further excess consumption.

    Do you use the phone app at all? I downloaded it and you can quickly enter your foods from a list of favourites that you build up. I think it's one of the better apps that I use. If you don't use the app I'm sure there must be a way to do a similar thing online and the experts here will be able to tell you for sure.

    Don't let this routine put you off because it's important to keep recording - it's a good habit that you need to develop long term.

    Good luck. xx
  • DianaPowerUp
    DianaPowerUp Posts: 518 Member
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    I felt that way until I upped my calories. I changed my weight loss to .5 lb/wk instead of 1 lb/wk. Also, I looked at how many cal. I would need if I were my goal weight (maintenance cal. for my goal weight). I discovered that I was trying to eat way less cal/day than even my maintainence cal would be at my goal weight. No wonder I was always hungry.

    Now, I have an extra 260 cal/day, before exercise. I've found that not only do I not get hungry like before, I must have lost some weight, b/c my pants are getting really loose now. Point being - if you feel hungry and all you can think about is food, and when your next meal is, you may not be eating enough.
  • jess1304
    jess1304 Posts: 47
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    I know what you mean, it's hard not to think about it ALL THE TIME....I like to think of it as being healthy rather than a diet, and also know that there are millions of other people feeling the same way. It's good to also keep a pair of "skinny jeans" in your closet and think of them when your tempted to fall off the wagon.
  • JennLifts
    JennLifts Posts: 1,913 Member
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    I generally do nothing but food. I plan, I eat, I workout. Sometimes I hate it, others, It's my passion.
  • js97206
    js97206 Posts: 15
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    It isn't time consuming or life consuming. It is life changing. What you have done in the past didn't work, or you wouldn't be here. At the start it is a bit of a hassle. But if you want to change your life you have to change the way you monitor you food intake. For me it is now just habit and it is like brushing my teeth. It is much better for me to do it, then not to do it.
  • CourtneyHiatt
    CourtneyHiatt Posts: 23
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    Yes! I feel that way all the time. I get so stressed out over what I have to eat and how hard I have to workout. I'm always on the internet looking at what I can eat and comparing calories and carbs and such. It sucks. BUT, just think of how happy you'll be when you reach your goal! That's what always keeps me going. What also motivates me is what I can start eating when I maintain my weight loss, you can bump up your calories a bit, so I look forward to to that! It's hard not to feel overwhelmed, I just keep my head up and push through it all, that's really all you can do. If you need any advice or anything, feel free to add me! :)
  • mhoe
    mhoe Posts: 5
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    That was very helpful. Thank you so much for the ideas!
  • DianaPowerUp
    DianaPowerUp Posts: 518 Member
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    I also wanted to add, that while I wouldn't call this "life consuming" for me, I do notice that I have a much keener awareness of what I am putting into my mouth than most people. So I do think about portion size, calories, fat, sugar, and how much exercise I've done before I stick something into my mouth. Most people just eat. And many many of them are unhealthy, overweight, out of shape, etc. Some of my friends roll their eyes and think I'm anal. Maybe I am. But I can guarantee you that my body is healthier, leaner, and stronger for it, and that's what is important to me. Once you get used to the process, it becomes more second nature, and won't feel like such a burden.
  • pwprice59
    pwprice59 Posts: 76 Member
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    Actually, I found being overweight as life consuming. Logging my meals and becoming aware of what I was eating has become my path to a more abundant and healthy life, I find it liberating, I did not realize just how unbalanced my diet was until I started tracking my meals and especially snacks, freeing me from a lot if junk so I can get healthy.

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