Reality Check

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jkimmett
jkimmett Posts: 46 Member
in Motivation and Support
Some morning musings brought on by some articles I have read about regain. I have been coming to terms with some things lately. One, is I am a foodoholic. I keep thinking that at some point I will be able to be "normal" and not be so focussed on food, calories, weight etc. How do skinny people do it? I have realized, I will never be "normal". For me, not to gain and keep control of myself, I need to still weigh daily, log my food, count my calories. I will never be able to just "be". Its like an alcoholic can never drink again, I need to realize I have to do this forever. To keep control of myself and my addiction this is what the trade off is. For a healthy and active me, this is the trade off. As long as I keep thinking its worth it, that I am worth it, I can do this. The thought of regain terrifies me, especially since I have seen how easy it is, that simple 5lbs can become 10 so fast. I thought this would be easier once I got to goal. Am I worth it? Yeppers!

Just for a bit of backgroud, I have lost 138lbs and been at goal for a year with no regain and I want to keep it that way.

Replies

  • joydetlor
    joydetlor Posts: 3
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    Congrats! Both on your loss and your ability to keep the weight off! I'm not sure that I would have had the willpower to lose That much, so please...don't beat yourself up over checking your calories and checking your weight. It was a big achievement and you should be proud of it so of course you want to keep the weight off and staying on top of it will help you feel confident that you are doing it. I don't see it as a negative.
  • tlcmillet
    tlcmillet Posts: 15 Member
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    Great job! Your are an amazing inspiration. I love food too and recently due to food allergies and intolerances, I have lots of them that I love. Thank you so much for sharing how you stay motivated and that you have not regained.
  • dangerousdumpling
    dangerousdumpling Posts: 1,109 Member
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    I had to take a second look at your ticker to process the fact that you've lost 136 lbs. Amazing. Really amazing. I understand how you feel about realizing that you'll never be able to just "be". If left to my own devices I will start to overeat again. Staying on top of losing weight has to be a daily thing for me. I mindful, repetitive, daily thing. Forever. However, I will say that now that it has become a routine I am much less on high alert all the time. I plan my meals but I don't think about them between meals. That's a major improvement for me.
  • amyk0202
    amyk0202 Posts: 667 Member
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    I am exactly the same way. I am addicted to food & will have to measure my food, watch my calories, & plan out all of my meals for the rest of my life. I am also afraid of regaining & I still have 20-30 lbs to lose, so I'm not even at goal. I sometimes catch myself thinking that once I'm skinny, I can eat this or that--just a hugely wrong mindset that I have to stop & rethink. I will never be a "normal" eater.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,015 Member
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    You've found your Happy Place and you know how to stay there.

    Good for you. Keep doing it. A lot of life is a struggle. We manage it the best we can.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
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    Good for you! I like your attitude! I think a lot of people here think they are going to lose all the weight and then stop tracking and it will magically stay gone because they've learned all these new healthy habits.

    I'm one of the "skinny" people who already had healthy habits and was always a healthy weight my whole life. The problem is that as I got older, those same healthy habits (exercise, avoiding processed food, eating my vegetables, etc.) weren't enough to stop that slow creep up in weight over time. I never did make it to the overweight category, but I could see myself approaching eventually. I joined MFP a couple of years ago to drop a few extra pounds and then to use it as a MAINTENANCE tool. MFP is so easy to use that I've maintained for years now and can see myself sticking around for the years to come. I see it more as a lifestyle improvement/maintenance tool than a dieting aid.

    I think it's sad how many people think of MFP as a "diet" and how they MIGHT stick around for maintenance. I fear that the people who don't continue tracking will see that slow (sometimes fast) creep up regardless of healthy habits. (I've seen it many times in the forums.) I guess that's ok as long as they come back to get themselves back on track again. But I'd rather STAY awesome than play catch up all the time...

    Congrats, OP! :drinker:

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