Life before weight loss/calorie obsession

onyxgirl17

snackcident! love that!

lozadee

AMAZING! I so didnt expect this much reassurance and advise...THANK YOU ALL!

SO...from this, My aim is to make my new manta/obsession... (using the word obsession loosely)

Prioritise......Commit.....Focus.....Relax!

I feel slightly better knowing its not "only me"....

helenta77

I love my new obsession, haha!

mogletdeluxe

I've been called obsessed more than once, although on every occasion it's been from haters. Not gonna lie. DON'T PROJECT YOUR ISSUES ONTO ME RAAAAR RAGE.

Anyway, I digress. I was obsessed before I lost weight - with being fat, with how unhappy that made me feel, with how people would have perceived me, with how men wouldn't give me a second look, how those around me were so much more attractive, with how much my thighs hurt from chubrub (which has been replaced by "snackcident" as my favourite slang, thanks OP!), how I was going to die early, how I wasn't prepared to do anything to stop it.

Am I obsessed now? Hmmm. I'm certainly hugely dedicated, and my fitness regime does occupy a lot of my thoughts. As others have said before me, it's a much better obsession to have. It's an investment in me.

But yes. I am hugely aware of what I eat, what exercise I do, my physical appearance - but on that latter point, it goes beyond "do I look attractive?" It's "do I look healthy?" A huge step for me.

I've been not-fat for a relatively short period of time. It took a long time for the FatGirl attitudes to build up - therefore it will take a long time to bring them down and mentally adapt to the physical changes.

I really hope we can all get there xxx

jtreadwell

I do not like to eat anything if I don't know how many calories are in it, if I can't measure it, or weigh it, lol. My boyfriend thinks I'm crazy sometimes, but I know in the long run it will all be worth it!

KitchenAbs

Three long years of obsessing, day in day out, losing sleep over calories and exercise.

Now I lift because I love it, run because it feels awesome and eat healthily because it makes me feel like a GOD. I don't want to put that sugary chemically doughnut in my mouth because it'll make me feel like crap

sugarlips1980

I know if I am too strict with dieting that I'm at risk of a big blow out. And I was doing this sensibly and lost 14 Ibs, didn't feel deprived because I had the odd treat, but then I went on a bit of a binge for about a week. Luckily I put on 2 Ibs and lost it within a couple of days of being back on here.

I wasn't denying myself so I wonder if it may be healthy to just spent the odd weekend perhaps not logging (though I like my log days to add up, you could literally just log in!). The point is not to use this as an excuse to have a blow out but try eating healthily without being so conscious of it (ie. what most slim and healthy people do!!) just to give your mind a break from thinking about this! But then right back on it on Monday!

amy1612

I think sometimes you can get into a really difficult situation with trying to lose weight. You need focus and dedication to eating well, and looking after your body, being aware of what you're eating, your activity levels, etc.
The problem is that as you lose the weight it starts to become all you think about. Even after I lost the weight I wanted to lose, I spent hours a day in the gym, read the calorie labels on everything, being 'healthy' was all I thought about, and it was not a healthy obsession.
On the other hand, when you have a lot of weight to lose, some focus on making sure you achieve your goals and not kidding yourself into old behaviours and thinking you've done enough to 'justify' slipping back into old habits is important.

Personally, I think the one thing which has changed my behaviour personally, is focussing on being the best me I can be. I treat my body well, eating good, nutritous food and Ive found a way of exercising which suits me (heavy lifting and aerial fitness) and my body.

I suppose my point is, if you have a lot of weight to lose, dont kid yourself that 'good enough' is good enough, work hard, smart and sensibly.
If youre already there, make sure you continue to treat your body with the respect it deserves and dont let the hard work you've done go to waste.
A bit of a waffley post, but whatevs.

tracymnx

I would say that when it starts to rule your life--you avoid social outings, family gatherings, or holiday--because you want to control your food intake or exercise then you have a REAL PROBLEM and should step away for a while. At the end of the day this is food, weight, and exercise we're talking about and that should come 2nd, 3rd, 4th to your actual LIFE (kids, s.o., work, family, etc).

Totallyagree with this, its all about a healthy balance and living life is more important than obsessing over how many cals are in a breadstick. Dont get me wrong, im a bit obsessed with logging, but I had a bad day yesterday and didnt log - whats the point, I knew I was over - and for me I dont ever want to go back to feeling guilty or ashamed about my eating habits, which I knew I would feel if I knew exactly how much I went over by yesterday. So I draw a line under bad days/meals and vow to make better choices the next day/meal. It works for me.

ChristineS_51

I confess I too am quite obsessed with food, my husband reckons I lost so much weight because I was on the computer logging and fiddling with my planning and didn't have time to eat!

It's a GOOD obsession, an awareness.

:laugh: Snackcident :laugh: I'm going to go and rename my "Naughty bits" on my diary right now!

I must admit I feel very evangelistic about MFP - I see fat people and I want to sneak up and whisper "My fitness pal" in their ear ... I don't of course, but I think how much happier & healthier they could be

stuffinmuffin

It's quite easy for it to feel like an obsession and a couple of times in the last year and half I did feel like it was getting me down a bit. Giving youself the odd day or meal off is quite good therapy so long as you get straight back on the wagon afterwards.

But either we forget everything MFP teaches us and go back to old habits and size or we continue to be mindful of what we're doing to control our diet and stay at a weight that we're more comfortable is.

I no longer log my food or exercise in a diary but am constantly mindful of what I put in my mouth.

msbunnie68

It was one of my close workmate's birthday... and I picked up a mudcake from a nice cake shop for her birthday the night before....

which I quickly took home, weighed, worked out how many portions I would cut it into, worked out the calories per portion then put it into the snacks section of my food diary...then worked out my daily meals for the next day around that portion...

nah...I'm not obsessed at alllllll...

Katt1320

I've been called obsessed more than once, although on every occasion it's been from haters. Not gonna lie. DON'T PROJECT YOUR ISSUES ONTO ME RAAAAR RAGE.

Anyway, I digress. I was obsessed before I lost weight - with being fat, with how unhappy that made me feel, with how people would have perceived me, with how men wouldn't give me a second look, how those around me were so much more attractive, with how much my thighs hurt from chubrub (which has been replaced by "snackcident" as my favourite slang, thanks OP!), how I was going to die early, how I wasn't prepared to do anything to stop it.

THAT! That right there. That's what every single day was like before I started this. Still living with it (haven't dropped enough to show up anywhere but the scale) but I know it's gonna be gone soon.

It's a bit consuming, but a better feeling than being consumed by how ugly you feel, how ugly other people make you feel, too.

martintanz

Two sides of the same coin.

Ellyabell

I always obsess about things I am interested in, so this is no new phenomena to me.

As long as I don't feel bad about food or my body, all is fine for me. I do have an eye on it though. I can have an occasional treat and not freak out, so that's fine. And yes, I try to find out how much calories it is and log it, but I don't mind that.

I am even more obsessed with my workouts. If I can't workout for two days in a row I get cranky. So far that has not been a problem either. My friends think I am a bit crazy and they make jokes sometimes, but all in all they accept it and support me, even if it means going to the gym with me on a Saturday morning. And I prefer to be obsessed with sports than anything else.

ebr250

Yeah. Um. My doctor sent me here to gain, but instead I became obsessed with calories and stuff and that hasn't been fun. But anyways. The best way to do it is to just create a healthy habit, and then stop logging. Just resolve not to log, but don't let yourself eat more than you already do. If you're obsessed now, then you doubtlessly know how many cals are in some of the staple foods you consume; you have a grasp of how much you're putting into your system when you grab that super creamy milkshake or other special desert. So know that but don't live by it. Just be cautious.

And what I've also found works really well is that you monitor the way you look. Not too closely. But I'd often just notice how much I had around my stomach. Make sure you never go up a size in your clothes. If you find yourself pushing a bit or notice a change, it's time to eat a bit less.

There's no reason to become completely dependant on MFP. It's just a tool. It's addicting and creates a rather miserable fear, but it's just a tool after all. The good thing is it creates awareness. Try to focus on that. Keep the good habits, never revert to the old!

But the most important thing in getting over calorie obsessions is actually wanting to. See, I don't really quite yet. I really *need* to, but it's hard for me. I'm an awful example, please don't be like me, it's miserable. Take your motivation and run!!

Goodness. I do sound a bit like an addict, don't I.
I need to stop. *facedesks*

I agree - great post and outlook!

Nina2503

If I don't think about calories and food then I fall off the wagon, although I prefer to think of it as ' plan to fail if I fail to plan' rather than obsessing

jnn0409

When i turn it off i turn into a food hog and i got a week non stop eating its awful.

That's me lol!