I don't like thinking about food all of the time.

cbevan1229

Today is my 21st day of logging in, and staying on plan, and things are going well. I've lost weight so far, but not too much or too fast. I've been doing the 30 day shred and I genuinely feel like my clothes are fitting better and my body feels better. So this is all good.

My one concern is, I feel like all my attention and focus is on food and calories. I spend so much time during my day planning, shopping for, preparing, and logging meals and snacks. And even when I'm not actively doing this, I find myself wondering whether I should eat now or later, or whether to use the extra 100 calories that seem to hang around at the end of my day, or logging in here and talking about food. It's starting to feel like an obsession.

Before I began to focus on weight loss, I didn't really think too much about food - certainly not food obsessed. I ate plenty of healthy food, but then plenty of junk and extra calories on top - I have particular weaknesses for chocolate bars and baked goods. I would also graze without thinking, and eat over-large portions.

I really, really want to get to a place where I'm eating to live, not living to eat, and making good decisions at the same time. I feel frustrated when I think that long term, the only two options might be obsessively counting every morsel of food I ever eat, or accepting being overweight.

For those of you who have been working your plan for longer periods of time - did you experience this? Does it get better? Have you been able to maintain your plan without it taking over your life?

ElizabethRoad

I never felt like it was an obsession. Obviously a lot of time goes into meal planning, shopping, and preparation. That's a part of life... how was it not part of your life before? Didn't you shop and cook?

If you don't like counting calories, go back to what you were doing before but stop eating junk food. See how that works for you.

Phaedra2014

I see it as being more mindful about food. The reason many of us go to the size we were was because of mindless eating. We didn't think about what was going in our mouths nor did we think about the nutritional value of those foods.

Now you are training your mind to be aware which is why you are consciously thinking about food. I imagine it will continue to be this way until this new way of eating becomes a habit and then you won't have to put so much thought into what you buy, cook and eat.

Good luck and I wish you a successful journey.

PixelTreason

I don't feel like it has taken over my life but I do watch what I eat. I think you just get used to it after doing it for so long. It becomes routine and not an "obsession" anymore. Once you've got it down, planning and logging go much faster so it isn't so bad.

Don't psych yourself into giving up because "the only two options might be obsessively counting every morsel of food I ever eat, or accepting being overweight. "
That definitely sounds like a "I don't wanna obsess my whole life! Screw it, I'll just be fat!" and then you get to be "fat" and place the blame not on you but on the fact that only obsessive people can keep up the lifestyle.

joanneonline

I've been using MFP for 6 months now and I can relate to what you're expressing. I think what feels like "obsession" is just adjusting to this life change. It DOES get better. Logging is now the easiest part for me I do use all of the MFP tools - I've saved meals, favorites and recipes. I have found lots of healthy foods that I like and now it's easy to enter a day. I log most of my day in the morning with the exception of dinner. I'll keep aside dinner cals and wait to see what I feel like eating that day. I have lots of healthy choices in the fridge, so it's not a big deal. Bottom line - it got much easier for me. I don't feel obsessed but aware and in control of how I eat now.

Hope that helps. Good luck and feel free to add me as a friend.

carld256

It takes more effort to eat healthy no matter what. Eating unhealthy is easy, just order a pizza, grab something in a bag or box, done. There's no tracking, no counting, no weighing, but that's how we got here in the first place.

I find that I don't eat a huge variety of food, so logging got easier over time.

caraiselite

i do low carb, and i never think of food. i often forget to eat. i'm simply not hungry.

after being such a binge eater for so long, its nice.

ZugTheMegasaurus

It does fade away. At first, it's all new, you're not quite sure what you're doing, and thinking about it is necessary. But over time, you learn what works and can stick with that without thinking about it constantly.

Think of it like playing the piano. At first, you have to really focus on where to put your fingers, remember what keys correspond to what note, and it can feel really overwhelming. But with practice and persistence, eventually it becomes something you don't even have to think about. So right now, you're still working on learning those important foundational basics and you do have to work for every step. But if you keep at it, you'll get to a point where it's just second nature and won't require so much time and effort.

namdle

Some people have already said it's not a big deal for them, but I'm with you.

I'm addicted to it. I count calories for every baked chip I eat. Every apple. My wife thinks I'm insane.

The way I see it, it took me 10 years or so of not caring to get fat. I can do this for 3 months. Then when I'm @ target weight, I'd have trained myself to be more cognizant of what I eat, without obsessing over it.

amolina0810

I am the same way! It doesn't really consume my day, but at night I sit there and torture myself thinking about all of the yummy snacks I could be eating! Sucks!!

DianeG213

I know what you are saying. I "obsessed" more about every single choice in the beginning than I do now. It's about learning what to eat and portion control. It gets better, and its worth all the thought you are putting into it right now. It will pay off.

dianep225

It's actually great that you're thinking about it all the time. You're making it a priority. When you weren't thinking about it is when you weren't eating right. I've been doing this for about a year and a half. It took me about a year to lost 48 pounds but most of it came off in 7 months once I started doing Myfitnesspal and I've kept it off for 9 months!!!! My point is that after thinking about my food all the time I began to really see how my everyday small choice make a difference. It's second nature to me now to make a decision about a particular food. But when I started out it was a real process. I still enter my foods almost daily but now it's to stay at my weight and not go back to old habits. I think this is a great new habit! So hang in there.

cranberrycat

I can see how you feel that way now, but as you get used to making healthy changes to your meal plan, and living a healthier lifestyle, it will all become second nature and will seem less like an obsession.

Another thought as well... if you are struggling to record every morsel of food, then perhaps you should ask yourself why you are eating those little morsels. Is it mindless snacking that you are talking about? Or is it that you are recording each tiny little ingredient for your meals? If it is mindless snacking, then this is EXACTLY the solution that you need. Putting it down and looking at the impact of it all will help you to stop. And, if you are getting tired of the meal planning aspect, don't forget that you can create your meals and then just click on the meal instead of clicking on each ingredient.

DBiddle69

Keep in mind it's a lifestyle change. A change takes 90 days to become a habit. Mine has always been there even before I started this...wake up in the morning and while drinking coffee wondering about what I will have for lunch or dinner...watching TV and wondering what snack I will eat and when.

Yours on the other hand sounds more like planning instead of mine which seems to be mindless wondering. So give it a few more months and see what it feels like then...maybe it will just be a habit at that point...a good habit!

jedibunny

I don't obsess about food - but I have to get better about meal planning, myself. What I do is make better choices at the grocery store or the restaurant, bring more of my lunches, and--wait for it!--not obsess! I don't obsess over eating a snack; I eat a better snack instead (almonds instead of chips). If I eat something unhealthy, I actually THINK about it, understand why I feel crappy later (or during), I log it, and... I don't obsess.

Here's a story for you: I come from a large baking family who has a lot of get-togethers, and while I never ate a ton of baked goods to begin with, I was REALLY worried about how I was going to handle all those parties and mom's offerings of cookies on a regular basis. I also learned from her and tend to bake for friends and coworkers at random. I know it's contributed to my weight. But after logging here for a little while, I've gone from having to "taste" everything I make and having to have a piece of cake at every party to being able to simply offer baked goods to other people without wanting a bite, mostly because I understand how loading my body with sugar is going to feel later on. I used to LIVE in that feeling. I don't anymore, and that change came from understanding food... NOT obsessing about it. If I happen to have a small piece of cake at a birthday party, I log it. I find it pretty easy with the smartphone app, so I don't see it as being an obnoxious thing to do, and it helps me keep perspective.

I guess my point is that while I don't feel obsessive about either food or logging, I do log... but not in an OCD manner. It helps me get a better understanding of what's going in to my body, and I feel healthier for it. That said, I won't kick myself if I miss a day of entering calories. I know how I feel, and I know when I've eaten too little or too much... it took me a little over 3 months to get to that point, though, and I'll still come back and fill out my diary the next day if I remember. It's better to know how food affects you than to go crazy trying to plan for every calorie, I think.

@ anyone obsessing over cutting out "yummy snacks": If you're thinking about what you're missing out on, you haven't found enjoyable ways to replace those things yet or to allow yourself small treats in moderation. If you're constantly thinking about your cravings even AFTER you find enjoyable ways to replace what you're not eating, you may need some additional help - and that's not a bad thing, help is always good... but calorie counting does not break addictions, and unfortunately, MFP (while offering tons of support) doesn't offer real counseling services. I'm not suggesting that you do have an addiction; however, many overweight people do. I was borderline addicted to carbohydrates (not sugars, which was surprising - though carbs do of course break down into sugars) until I started working to add more protein. Now I find it hard to finish a sub because of all the bread and I have difficulty drinking more than a couple of beers though I once considered myself a connoisseur. lol.

cheers :drinker:

janiedoe14

You are definitely over thinking. I've been there. Keep things simple. Plan short term to reach your long term goals. Take two days out of your week for "planning." I prefer Sunday and Wednesday. I do most of my planning and preparing on Sunday when I have the most free time. I grocery shop, separate my meats and snacks into individual portions, and cut up veggies. I'll cook a batch of chicken to take for lunch Mon-Fri. I may not always have an exact outline for every meal, but by having all of my food divided into individual portions, it makes it easy to cook spontaneously. I read a lot so when I get ready to eat I am already fairly familiar with how many calories I am about to consume. If you take one week to "obsess" over food, nutrition, portions, planning, preparing- you'll begin to become familiar with it too. It takes time, patience, and lots of practice. Just be consistent and remember to have fun! That's the one thing I could never remember. Cooking and eating is supposed to be fun! Good luck.

HC82

I definately hear what you're saying. Sometimes I wonder if I eat more tracking on here than I would on a normal-not-overly-hungry-type of day because I spend so much time thinking about food that it gets obsessive and then I eat more because I can't stop thinking about food! At the same time, I know I am making better choices eating waaay less calories on those hungry days when I didn't give a crap and ate nachos, chips, pop, chocolate, candy. It's a toss up for me as to whether the benefits of watching what I eat outweighs the risk of this turning into disordered eating. I figure I'm going to give it a month or two and then decide.

nxd10

I do relate to what you're saying, but, as most others have said, it gets a lot easier and more routine. It was less of a lifestyle change for me - I eat pretty healthy and always have.

I had to learn what my bad habits were and stop them. They weren't huge, but if you gain a pound a year for 30 years, you're 30 pounds heavier. Here I am.

Obsessive logging the first month taught me where my calories went from just fine to 500 calories over. After that I knew not to do that.

I don't play, I just keep healthy stuff in my refrigerator.

My big obsession for the last few days was trying to figure out whether I could/should eat when I was STARVING. I've been doing a big construction project (1200 cals/day worth). I want to eat when I'm hungry to make up for it, but I don't want to earn 1200 and eat 2000. So I've been thinking a lot about that. Of course, painting and construction don't give you a lot ELSE to think about.

I wound up eating lots of healthy snacks (pistachios, cherries, jicama) to stave off being hungry. Had a really nice dinner that left me feeling very, very full (493 calories). I'm only 693 net for the day, but I am stuffed. If I'm hungry later, I'll have a snack.

Anyway - it stopped being an obsession and went to identifying bad habits to break. Then it became a tool to make some good decisions.

I need to do all the logging all the time though or I can easily add too many calories without noticing.