all or nothing

weightloser122

Hi . I'm a very all or nothing type thinker and while I am improving in some ways (not going on 5000 calorie food binges anymore) i still have this way of thinking in my "health habits". For example, I got really into trying to make sure all my calories came from healthy foods like fruit, veggies, lean meat etc and cooking at home a lot. I was doing so well at drinking my water and taking my vitamins and avoiding diet soda/artificial sweeteners. I think I was a little too obsessive about it. Well last week I got back into my diet soda habit and I haven't stopped drinking it since (lots of it! not just one a day). Because of that I tell myself my body isn't gona absorb any nutrients from my vitamins and all the fruit/veggies I was eating so whats the point in eating them? So I stopped eating my fruit and veggies and even stopped taking my vitamins. Ive barely drank any water anymore either. The only good thing I'm doing is staying within my calorie goal. Why do I think this way and how can I stop being so extreme? I used to do this all the time in terms of calories (if i went over my limit by just a little it would set me off on a 6000 calorie food binge). I have the food binging under control but now im being very all or nothing in terms of my health habits. any tips for me? thank you

CristinaL1983

I have never read a scientific article that said that diet soda prevents you from absorbing nutrients.

As far as the all or nothing thing, realizing that every good thing you do is a good thing is a first step.

It is good to be realistic but it pays sometimes to be an optimist. If you start feeling down on yourself, look at all the good things you have done and realize that by overreacting to the bad things you are undoing some of that good.

dangerousdumpling

I have a bit of a problem with all or nothing thinking, too. It's important to learn how to retrain and redirect your thinking. You need to ask yourself if what you're thinking is true. Answer honestly! Then ask yourself if it's beneficial to you to think about it. If the answers are no then you need to redirect your thinking. If you catch yourself thinking on these subjects you have to actually tell yourself "I'm not going to think about that" and deliberately think about something else. It takes a lot of effort but you can do it. And why wouldn't you want to? Thinking this way is leading to unbalanced and unhealthy behavior.

My all or nothing thinking is about dieting and exercise. I've always felt that I had to do both and do them hard. I wouldn't do one without the other. If I couldn't do both I'd start eating whatever the heck I wanted. I'm eating more now than I have on any other diet before. I can't work out right now because I'm recovering from surgery and need some more time to heal internally. I've been forced to focus on my diet and I'm seeing results. I'll work out when I can but right now I'm doing well only eating healthfully.

geekyjock76

No offense, but I think you perhaps adopted this "all or nothing" approach when you lost your weight (a lot of it from lean body mass, judging by your photos) or even before. Somehow, you need to realize extreme measures are not sustainable for maintenance, thus any intervention based on such protocol will end up with low compliance. You have to find balance between nutrition and exercise by asking yourself this important question: "How do I wish to eat and exercise for the rest of my life?" Of course, your answer should not include anything related to rigidity or extreme methods. A good start would be to adopt a perspective that no one macro is going to lead to fat gain nor should you avoid certain food groups for illogical reasons.

AlabasterVerve

Are you eating enough? Hunger -- even if you don't feel hungry because you're drinking diet sodas and blunting your hunger -- can really mess with your thinking. I would consider taking a break from dieting and eat at maintenance for a month or two.

goodenough13

Would it help you cut back on the diet sodas if you knew that the aspartame in it kills brain cells and causes false hunger? I was a Diet Coke addict. Haven't had any in over 2 weeks. Haven't even had a craving for it. You could buy the sugar free water flavor powders to add to water if that will help. I also haven't heard anything about diet sodas preventing absorption of nutrients. It's really all about training yourself to eat healthy and learning to love food that is good for you. Something that you can make into a lifestyle. Good luck.