Afraid to eat

AlicynH

Lately I've been afraid to eat. I've been on this weight loss journey for so long and I can see an end in sight. I have so much anxiety about it that when I do eat, my stomach hurts and I end up only eating a few bites of what I served. If I'm hungry, I drink water.

I had a goal that I wanted to reach my goal weight before my high school reunion this summer. I'm not going to make it. I was teased quite a bit in school for being over weight and I'm now at the weight I was as a freshman in school.

I've lost 167 lbs so far but when I look in the mirror all I see is the fat girl staring back at me. :frown:

TheVimFuego

You sound in a bad way, despite the weight lost so far (by the way, well done ).

The problem with restricting calorie intake is that the body will adjust to the new level and burn less energy, sure you could starve yourself down eventually with enough willpower but this is robbing your body of everything it needs (nutrients, vitamins, minerals, essential fats, etc).

I made progress when I started to concentrate on feeding my body what it needed. Essentially I make sure I have enough protein in my system to maintain my body, this in turn fills me up with slow-burning energy. This is compared to fast burning carbohydrates, which I restrict quite severly. My carb intake comes mainly from leafy veg. I do not eat grains, I don't think my body processes them well and I believe there are better ways of getting what they proportedly bring to the diet.

I also eat a relatively high proportion of fat since I discovered the rumours of it being bad for heart and whatnot to be unfounded and not backed by science. Same with cholesterol intake, eggs are perfect nutrition.

I can recommend The Smarter Science Of Slim as an introduction to why you should not be afraid of eating the right foods and what your body will do when nutrition is restricted.

My blog here also lists my ramblings on the benefits of generally cutting the carbs back and cheerfully ignoring the food pyramid/my plate guidelines.

Good luck, food shouldn't be feared, it should be enjoyed, it's just a case of picking what the body needs

Get the metabolism right and everything will follow ...

EvilMomma

Congrats on all the hard, HARD work and dedication. Fabulous!!

As a psychotherapist, I'm very concerned by your concern. Please, talk to your doctor or a psychotherapist about the possibility of an eating disorder and body image. Take your fears seriously, I am.

On a personal level; this is the first time I've ever used a therapist while I'm doing the weight loss thing. I, too, struggle with body image and having someone outside of myself help me is helping so much.