developing OCD towards food

kajaknowers

Hey guys,

I've always been aware of food from a very young age as when I was 10 I was sent to see a dietitian over my weight problem....its means that although things didn't work in the past I was always aware of what was good and bad etc.....I never ate bad food just vast quantities as my body weight suggested....In my teenage years I developed bulimia that in part was encouraged by ppl worrying about my size and I lost a lot of weight subsequently, but it came back on very quickly as it was not sustainable.....For the first time I am eating healthy and literally counting EVERY calorie that passes my lips and measure everything on scales....However, I am worried that I am developing a type of OCD towards my attitude towards food.....these days although I no longer think about food, I find myself worried that I feel too full at the end of the day even though I know my calorie counting is as damn accurate as it could be....I therefore see myself developing issues once again around food.....I also now have a fear of ever regaining weight....my worst nightmare would be to gain the weight back especially as I am remembering how fun it is to get smaller with the added confidence and attention.....I'm sure many of you may experience similar issues with dieting as part of the way to succeed in losing weight.....My worry though is in the long-run....will my OCD disappear the closer I get to my goal weight....or do any of you guys experience similar issues regarding your relationship between food and dieting?

x

firegirlred

I know how you feel. I'm weighing EVERYTHING if I can. I wonder what will happen when I reach my goal weight. But I don't worry too much-healthy habits will help us to maintain that weight, and measuring/counting calories should be a healthy habit to get into.

You're doing a great job. Reevaluate your situation when you get to your goal weight.

kdiamond

You know I think that is normal in a sense...I don't see it as OCD but you're genuinely trying to be proactive and take charge of your diet. Once you reach your goals, you move to a new goal which is maintenance. This takes on a whole new set of challenges. I would be lying if I said you eventually stop thinking about it, because I don't. I know what I should eat a day now but I still like to track it most days as my reminder. It keeps you accountable for your actions!

ivykivy

Food is necessary for life and you should enjoy what you, eat not fear it. You can't let food rule your life one way or the other (eating too much or too little). If this has been hard for you in the past maybe you should talk to someone about how you are feeling. Sometimes counting calories is not the thing for people if you get too tied up in the numbers. Sometimes follow a meal plan that is pre-calculated may work better. I hope that was not harsh.

jenken99

i had said something like this awhile ago back on how being this way is a good thing but it also can be a bad thing,, just try not to let it run your life and i believe we all will be fine....

cutmd

I have total OCD traits, and I became OCD about food during my exercise/fitness/gluten-free journey. The problem is, I am pretty much at goal, I do fluctuate between 118-120 so I have left it at 2 lbs. But now it's like if I don't see 118 on the scale everyday I'm upset, even though I don't know where I want to lose the pound or two from. I keep checking my measurements and body fat and looking for fat. I don't want to change my calories to maintain (compromised at 0.5lb goal) and I can't stop logging them.

I love having a goal to strive for, a number to achieve, and the closer I get to it, the more OCD i have become. Even if I lose another pound or two I am thinking this is going to be a struggle. I will have to find a happy medium between acting anorexic and regaining. So I would start working on my psyche now if I were you :flowerforyou:

tatiana_13

I think it is normal to be careful or "obsessive" when you are currently losing or trying to figure out how to maintain a newly achieved weight. And I think the research on people who have successfully lost and maintained a weight loss suggests the same: people who have struggled with weight gain throughout their lives *do* have to be a little more careful than others. But when does this caution become unhealthy?

Ultimately, I think only you can answer this question. I'd ask myself, is my "obsessiveness" getting in the way of my being happy? Am I unable to enjoy meals because I obsess? Do I avoid social situations because I spend the whole time counting and recounting the calories of the food I ate? If your thought process is making you unhappy, I think this is when you might need to worry, particularly given your personal history with bulimia.

Much luck to you!

DizzieLittleLifter

I don't have any advice, just wanted to let you know you are not alone :flowerforyou:

navstar

to the OP if you truly are worried about this speak to a professional where you can get some one on one time to go through your feelings about food and how they relate to the rest of your life. While we at MFP can do our best to help you, with your background you have deep seated issues and if they are affecting your happiness you should go to someone who can really help you.

kwaters7

Hey I hear ya! I wouldn't worry too much...

When I was losing I never relaxed for a second - even with logging i was still constantly keeping mental tallies and so forth. OCD- yup, most definitely...

When I hit goal weight about 2 or 3 months ago I switched to maintenance and still logged - but ended up losing about 1.5lbs a week - this wasn't part of the plan. I realised that all the exercise and the foods I was eating must have elevated the metabolism a bit I decided to stop weighing food and logging for a while and focus on fuelling for exercise - making sure I always had enough energy to train and recover quickly.

This was pretty scary but now I weigh myself only once or twice a month and go by the mirror instead, never log food or exercise neither. The results are great, I'm never hungry and dont mind the odd treat - and on the mental side, the OCD is gone for good. I've kept a BMI to about 21.5 even tho i eat a lot more - personally i think P90X and running regularly wouldn't be sustainable on the low cal intake I used to restrict myself to (weight loss yes, but tired & hungry for long enough - something's gotta give).

So don't worry too much. The logging is a great tool when you're losing and helps focus - but longer term, you know what works, know what a reasonable portion size looks like and you can still stay on MFP to support & get that support without having to spend all the time logging every morsel or bit of exercise you do..

Hope this helps a little...