License to eat

ldennett

I have been using MFP quite faithfully for over six months and it has been one of the best things that has happened to me. I have lost over 40lbs and gone from being just over the obese BMI to just under the normal BMI and I am thrilled. And even better, for the most part I feel that I have done it in a very sustainable way and have rarely felt deprived.

However, for the past month I have really noticed that I have become sort of out of touch with my sense of hunger. I don't eat to respond to hunger, I eat cause MFP says I can. I pretty much eat all my calories every day whether I need them or not, whether I am hungry or not. It concerns me that I have become so dependent on the app. Lately I have been exercising alot so that I can stuff my face with as much chocolate as possible, so it seems like I am not really dealing with my bad binge behaviours but just learning to accommodate them while losing weight. Is this a good thing or a bad thing? Anybody else felt like this? What did you decide to do?

reneeileen

This is something I have been actively working on lately. Part of what I'm noticing in myself is that feeling hungry makes me uncomfortable and panicky. One of things I have been doing to deal with that is meditating for a few seconds when I feel hunger. I remind myself, "You are ok. You are not starving. It will be time to eat in x minutes/hours. You can wait and it will be ok." I'm also finding that really feeling my hunger has been a good thing. I don't think I really felt true hunger in a very long time before I started losing weight.

When I'm feeling really disconnected from my hunger I stop everything I am doing when I eat. I know I should be focusing on eating exclusively when I'm eating but I don't always do it. I do give myself about 30 minutes to eat my meal though and that helps a lot too. Taking the time to tune in to the way my food is making my body feel has really helped me overcome the mind game I can play with myself when it comes to the math of the calorie counts. It has also helped me be ok with the days when I've eaten well and I want a dessert that fits into my calorie allowance.

You've seen my diary, it is by no means perfect but it's a work in progress

LilMissFoodie

I have been the same lately! Unfortunately for me, it does tend to slow/stop my weight loss. At the moment I am trying not to count calories - just to focus on healthy eating and exercise (although easier said than done as I've been a calorie counter long before I had an app!).

lizard053

First, congrats on your loss! What an achievement!

However, learning to listen to your body is the primary way you're going to be able to maintain it. Hunger is our body's signal to us that it needs fuel. So many of us are trained to only eat when we are told to, on the clock, versus when we are truly hungry. It's far healthier to eat when you are hungry, and ignore the clock. Our goal is to get healthy and fit, we need to be in touch with our bodies to do this and maintain the achievements we've made!

ldennett

This is something I have been actively working on lately. Part of what I'm noticing in myself is that feeling hungry makes me uncomfortable and panicky. One of things I have been doing to deal with that is meditating for a few seconds when I feel hunger. I remind myself, "You are ok. You are not starving. It will be time to eat in x minutes/hours. You can wait and it will be ok." I'm also finding that really feeling my hunger has been a good thing. I don't think I really felt true hunger in a very long time before I started losing weight.

When I'm feeling really disconnected from my hunger I stop everything I am doing when I eat. I know I should be focusing on eating exclusively when I'm eating but I don't always do it. I do give myself about 30 minutes to eat my meal though and that helps a lot too. Taking the time to tune in to the way my food is making my body feel has really helped me overcome the mind game I can play with myself when it comes to the math of the calorie counts. It has also helped me be ok with the days when I've eaten well and I want a dessert that fits into my calorie allowance.

You've seen my diary, it is by no means perfect but it's a work in progress

I think in my heart, I know this is what I have to do. Stop, breathe, pay attention. I have been successful doing this in the past but the dirty truth is that I found it a heck of a lot of work and a bit exhausting. I think it was easier to let MFP do all the thinking for me and then just continue to be mindless while I eat. But I guess I know that this is how to really deal with the issues at hand. I think (like just about everything in life) it is finding the balance that is key. Really living in the moment for every bite I take is probably never going to happen, but not paying any attention while I eat is going to lead to me regaining weight.

I guess I just wish it could be easier to deal with the mental part of losing weight :ohwell:
Thanks again for your thoughts!