Does anyone else find this exhausting?

I know skinny people who write out a meal plan for the whole week on Sunday! Every meal and snack is laid out and they go to the grocery store with that list. I know for me I was eating randomly for dinner even though I could plan breakfast, lunch and snacks. So a few weeks ago I went out and stocked up on frozen meals, haven't done that in years, but it just made my life so much easier and healthier. I found low cal sugary snacks like vitatops and weight watchers ice cream bars.

I understand where you're coming from and at times I've felt that way as well. But, you would feel just as frustrated and exhausted if you weren't doing anything to work on your weight. And whining every now and then can help off load the frustration, but stay focused and know that in the end you will be healthier and appreciate the work!

I like the idea of planning as much as you can for the week too - takes a little extra time on the weekends but then you dont have to think too much about it the rest of the week. Also, once I got a routine of certain meals/recipes that I know will fit nicely into my calories, I just kept rotating those every week or two. And if you get bored, go to skinngirl.com or myrecipes.com and you can find something new pretty easily.

Something I noticed a year or so ago is that the skinnier/healthier people I know don't eat clean 100% of the time. They do as well as they can most of the time then they don't have to worry when they go out to eat or go to happy hour (as long as it's not a daily occurrance). It was such an aha! moment for me! I used to think they were so lucky because when I saw them at functions they'd be trying a bit of everything and drinking and not worrying about a thing, meanwhile I'm wondering how many calories are in this mini eclair and how much will it make my hips expand?! LOL!

Just knowing it wasn't impossible took a lot of pressure off for me. I knew as long as I did well with eating and exercising 80-90% of the time, it might take longer but I'd get there and it wouldn't be so hard. And it hasn't been. I still eat the foods I love, just in slightly healthier versions and in healthy portions - or I work my *kitten* off in the gym so I can "afford" the extra calories. Sure I go over once in a while (like today) but I'm still losing so why stress about it?

Gosh I would never want to be normal..

But seriously..the people that never pay attention to what they eat and just blindly shove gthe nearest food into their mouths are either fat, skinny fat or will be one of those two in the furture..and a lot of people feel guilt about how they eat and feel but don't have the will to change and they secretly look at people like you with a lot of respect cause you're doing something they couldn't do..

I mean you could always just stop and let the chips fall where they may.. least then you'd be normal right?

I'll take tired, frustrated, and thin over fat, diabetic, and dead.

When my friends see me, they assume I am a normal person eating what ever I like.

What they don't know is that I constantly track my food everyday and exercise vigorously 2 - 3 times a week. It's a lifetime commitment.

Children become a lifetime commitment as well. Your health is no different.

I am exhausted. Still have that 200+lb thinking about food.

Also, are you drinking enough water? Sometimes the cravings will go away if you drink a glass or two. It helps to make you feel full.

Remember this: Success always looks so easy once it's achieved. When you look at anyone who has achieved any dream no matter what it is, it looks so natural and like it was meant to be. But, it wasn't. It was forced, took lots of hard difficult sacrifice, and it continues to be that way to stay there. Success is never easy, simple, or unplanned, I mean, there are a few trust fund babies, or people who win the lottery. But, geez, that so few in the world that you really can't worry about it. Most people had to earn it. And, it is very difficult for all of them. Even if you look at the big trainers, think Jillian Michaels, she struggles everyday, but she tackles it and addresses it, and works through it. It's not easy for anyone. Just remember that. It looks like it, but it's not.

I have struggled with my weight all my life, and now for about 3 years now I have been trying to watch what I eat and make healthier choices, and even in the last year and a half struggling with binge eating. I just feel like constantly thinking about food (planning healthy options, cravings for sugary foods, grocery lists etc. I'm tired and frustrated with it. I just want to be like normal people who don't have to think about food all the time ugh. OK I'm done whining.

Actually, I don't consider this to be "whining" at all. Its a very legitimate concern and one that most people deal with and one of the reasons that people 'fall off the wagon'.

How we eat is very much about habits and routines and one of the goals of your journey should be to not only log foods and lose weight, but to develop sustainable strategies for dealing with food. Otherwise, your left with a bunch of short term tactics.

I have 'rules of thumb' for myself, that I could do easily if I never logged into MFP again still lose weight, but I do log on here everyday mostly to try to ingrain the habits.

Things like making sure that I eat at least 3 fruits a day, no limit on veggies, 10 glasses of water, no sugar without fiber it comes with. I generally can only eat so much fat and protein before I'm too full, so I don't worry about the quantities of those.

You also need to find your weak areas and learn out to mitigate them.

I know skinny people who write out a meal plan for the whole week on Sunday! Every meal and snack is laid out and they go to the grocery store with that list. I know for me I was eating randomly for dinner even though I could plan breakfast, lunch and snacks. So a few weeks ago I went out and stocked up on frozen meals, haven't done that in years, but it just made my life so much easier and healthier. I found low cal sugary snacks like vitatops and weight watchers ice cream bars.

I pretty much do this - except once a week I make 10-15 portions of a meal I like and freeze them - I like to know EXACTLY what's in my food and to be honest frozen meals are not my thing well done though, bit of planning goes a long way!

I understand where you're coming from and at times I've felt that way as well. But, you would feel just as frustrated and exhausted if you weren't doing anything to work on your weight. And whining every now and then can help off load the frustration, but stay focused and know that in the end you will be healthier and appreciate the work!

^^^^ This.

Relax, this too shall pass. And when you push through this momentary weakness, you'll feel ten times stronger because you KNOW you are doing what is best for your health. It's okay to release frustration, just as long as you don't give in to it.

Angelica- I am still at the "This is a LOT of WORK" stage, too. Just hoping it will become 2nd nature one day... soon.

Kudos for being here and sticking to it!

You don't think EVERYONE "stresses" over food? Let Me tell you, the healthiest and slimmest stress the most! The thing is, they refuse to give in to all the temptations, and when they do, they get right back on the wagon. Everyday they are making the same decisions around food as you, again, for whatever reason their Choices are different>>>and I suspect those Choices have less to do with negative feelings and suppressing stuff. For Me, wt loss and maintenance has always been Spiritual and Emotional. As My EQ has grown, so has My ability to lose wt, maintain wt loss and, get and stay healthy and fit. In other words Emotional shifts had to take place. The food was just a conduit!