i feel like dieting is taking over my life.

Options
silverkitten13
silverkitten13 Posts: 62
in Motivation and Support
i feel like this whole thing is taking over my life. i literally spend ALL DAY every day planning out what and when i can eat. and then when i do start eating there are days where i cant stop, and i will eat and eat and eat and then just feel absolutely discusting and fat. ive lost over 90 pounds with less than 10 to go and i feel like i am completely obsessed with loosing weight and that im not able to just be a normal person, since all i ever think about is eating and what i look like. i have managed not to gain weight back but thats because i will go 3 or so days eating "good" and then spend an entire day eating complete junk, even if im not hungry i spend every waking minute eating whatever i can get my hands on. its completely rediculous. i lose a couple pounds and then gain it right back.. some times i dont want to leave home because i dont know when i will be back to be able to eat more.. and then after i eat i just want to go for a long walk to attempt to burn it off... AHHH! i feel like im going crazy from it! why does an object have so much control over people???

does anyone else feel like i do?? i would love to have someone to talk to who actually understands.
«1

Replies

  • monicalosesweight
    monicalosesweight Posts: 1,173 Member
    Options
    I'm trying to cycle through certain dishes so that I don't make myself crazy. You can create a meal when you input your food items. Just click the button next to the one which you normally hit to look for stuff for your diary. You'll be able to create a meal. I'm planning on printing them out so that I have some cheat cheats to look at for breakfasts or dinner to make it easier. It's easier to copy a meal if I leave certain items in it then dealing with all the adding in of food.
  • Anyaaaa11
    Anyaaaa11 Posts: 242 Member
    Options
    Okay, I've been the same way. It has to do with personality, behavior, and mentality. Let's face it, we have obsessive behavior..& more than likely your a perfectionist as well (not that that is a bad thing!!). Anyway I get like this from time to time. I've actually only lost around 10lbs because of my ups and downs with binging..like you, I Eat good for a while then eat complete crap.

    I've also associated my happiness with my weight as you've mentioned. It's not a good feeling, terrible actually. What has helped me is to stop focusing so much on losing weight, and obsessing about what people think about me and just say screw it. SO what if you have a day of eating PURE junk! Everyone, (& I mean EVERYONE) has those days. I think what you need is a "diet break". The key here is exercise as much as possible and enjoy the foods you want.

    Come back with a clear mind and goals that are not associated with weight(: the scale is a liar. Try building muscle.
  • myfitnessval
    myfitnessval Posts: 687 Member
    Options
    YUP. i'm kind of an all in or nothing person so this has been priority number 1 lately and i'm kind of scared that i'm going to lose momentum when school starts. so i definitely feel you.
  • Stephanie_Autry
    Stephanie_Autry Posts: 228 Member
    Options
    I'm obsessive as well- it's an all or nothing attitude. The positive thing is you look great! :flowerforyou:
  • silverkitten13
    silverkitten13 Posts: 62
    Options
    thank you guys, i think that is part of the problem is i feel like i completely failed when my day isnt "perfect" calorie wise and so i get that mentality that since i went over 200 calories the day is shot anyways so i might as well eat everything i want and start again tomorrow.. ugh!!
  • horsehockey
    horsehockey Posts: 24 Member
    Options
    I just started with this site (19 days ago), but being obsessive about it seems to come with the territory, at least until what you do is 100% habit? I haven't changed *what* I eat really, but do feel constantly tied to this site recording frequency and portions, both of which are my biggest enemies.

    But given the weight you've lost already (per your sig), I'm probably not telling you anything new :) I don't really plan ahead for meals unless I know there's a situation where I'll be eating something unusual (going out to dinner, to a party, etc), but the tracking is always in the back of my mind.
  • hippietofugirl
    hippietofugirl Posts: 430
    Options
    Yes, dieting most certainly has taken over my life. I've lost 70 lbs but now that I've been plateauing for like 6 months, I've tried every trick in the book to break through it and nothing is working. Some days I feel like I shouldn't eat anything because the less the better. And other days I'm like eff it, nothing is working so I'll eat to my hearts content. Almost everything I do has to do with food. My husband actually said that dieting has taken over my life. And he doesn't have any idea of how much time I spend on here planning out my meals. I don't think I'm ever going to NOT be on a "diet" again. I'll pretty much be counting calories for the rest of my life at this point....:ohwell:
  • hippietofugirl
    hippietofugirl Posts: 430
    Options
    thank you guys, i think that is part of the problem is i feel like i completely failed when my day isnt "perfect" calorie wise and so i get that mentality that since i went over 200 calories the day is shot anyways so i might as well eat everything i want and start again tomorrow.. ugh!!

    OMG THATS EXACTLY HOW I AM!!! And no one understands it!!! It'll be the end of the day and I'll eat something extra that I didn't plan on eating, and thats when it hits. I'm like "well I might as well enjoy my calorie overage and eat whatever I want now..." Then here I am feeling sick 5,000 calories later............
  • cheddle
    cheddle Posts: 102 Member
    Options
    Problem??

    before the advent of cultivation im sure people spent most of their waking day collecting and hunting food
    after the advent of cultivation im sure people spent most of their waking day herding and farming food
    after the advent of money most people spent most of their waking day earning money to buy food.

    today thanks to technology we have more spare time on our hands...

    diet is actually a very large component of our existence and spending time thinking about this is actually one of the most relevant and "healthy" things to obses over...

    Try and use modern technology like the internet, ease of accessing food and computers to plan our your shopping and food and diet to save more time to do other things.

    Or better yet spend the cash you earn at work, to pay someone else to do your diet plan????
  • silverkitten13
    silverkitten13 Posts: 62
    Options
    thank you guys, i think that is part of the problem is i feel like i completely failed when my day isnt "perfect" calorie wise and so i get that mentality that since i went over 200 calories the day is shot anyways so i might as well eat everything i want and start again tomorrow.. ugh!!

    OMG THATS EXACTLY HOW I AM!!! And no one understands it!!! It'll be the end of the day and I'll eat something extra that I didn't plan on eating, and thats when it hits. I'm like "well I might as well enjoy my calorie overage and eat whatever I want now..." Then here I am feeling sick 5,000 calories later............

    Yep. Thats me to a T right there. Im really glad to hear im not the only one
  • netchik
    netchik Posts: 587 Member
    Options
    After a few months is becomes second nature, so it won't feel like the only thing you do then. Persistence is the key :)

    Good luck
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    Options
    Please be very careful and honest with yourself. I know a few people who found success with weight loss and became very disordered in their eating/habits afterward. A couple of women I know lost a bunch of weight and became bulimic and I, personally, lost about 60 lbs many years ago and became a compulsive over-exerciser. If I ate anything unhealthy (e.g. a muffin) I'd be sure to go and burn 600 calories to make sure I'd made up for my indiscretions each day.

    It was all-consuming.

    I never really found my way out of it except that I got pregnant... hence why I'm back to losing weight.

    That was over 6 years ago and I'm trying to be very careful to not let that happen again... to recognize that I didn't lose the weight overnight and I'm not going to gain it back overnight either... to see there is no "arrival" or end date - there's just continuing being as diligent in maintenance as in weight loss mode. Recognizing that life happens and so a dessert, BBQ or a few drinks isn't a make-or-break thing and you have to find a way to accommodate them... or else this was just a diet and you'll go back to old ways.

    ... just stay aware...
  • Crystal_Pistol
    Crystal_Pistol Posts: 750 Member
    Options
    For me, finding the humor in everything really helps. I am able to laugh at myself, and I post the things that I am thinking all the time. I really use the pal/social function of the site so it doesn't seem as "task-oriented."
  • econut2000
    econut2000 Posts: 395 Member
    Options
    I've always had that all or nothing attitude (not just toward dieting but everything in my life). If I'd go over my calories by 200 I'd do the same and eat whatever I could get my hands on because why bother, my day was shot already. But that's not true at all and I finally got to a place in my life where I realize I can't be perfect 100% of the time because that's how I'm supposed to be, dammit! Unfortunately, it has swung me a bit in the other direction - where 200 cals over becomes more the rule than the exception. I'm not sure how I'm quite going to fix this yet myself so I'm throwing out suggestions here that I've heard work from other people :laugh:

    How about a cheat day? Or if you've been doing this an extended period of time, how about eating at maintenance for a week every month or 2? I'm planning to try the second - I think a cheat day for me would be a disaster - I have no doubt that I can easily consume an entire day's worth of calories in a single meal!!! Whatever you do, learn to forgive yourself and just move on. Two hundred extra calories when you've lost over 90lbs is NOTHING at all!!!!! Good luck to you :drinker:
  • myfitnessval
    myfitnessval Posts: 687 Member
    Options
    thank you guys, i think that is part of the problem is i feel like i completely failed when my day isnt "perfect" calorie wise and so i get that mentality that since i went over 200 calories the day is shot anyways so i might as well eat everything i want and start again tomorrow.. ugh!!

    let me tell you right now, that i've had many imperfect days and i've still lost weight. lol in fact it seems i lost the most on the weeks i had in n out haha. so it will all even out even if you had those bad days. keep in mind that you can change your day meal by meal, so if one isnt so great, make the next one great and dont stress it or let yourself become discouraged. i've also found that pre logging a day in advance and planning out my meals the night before reduces the amount of time i spend here. i try to only hang out on mfp in the evening around workout time and after dinner, makes me feel less obsessed lol.
  • misscarissak
    misscarissak Posts: 24
    Options
    This is EXACTLY how I have been feeling too! I'm also an "all or nothing" person ... and I have no idea how I am going to be able to maintain what I'm doing for the rest of my life. How do you find the balance so you're eating / exercising in a way that is maintainable? I feel like I'm still thinking of my life in terms of "before I hit goal and after I hit goal", not "living day by day healthily".

    :ohwell:
  • silverkitten13
    silverkitten13 Posts: 62
    Options
    This is EXACTLY how I have been feeling too! I'm also an "all or nothing" person ... and I have no idea how I am going to be able to maintain what I'm doing for the rest of my life. How do you find the balance so you're eating / exercising in a way that is maintainable? I feel like I'm still thinking of my life in terms of "before I hit goal and after I hit goal", not "living day by day healthily".

    :ohwell:

    I have been doing this for 8.5months now and I am still at that before/after my goal thought process. I wish I knew how to change it!! :-(
  • Ahluvly
    Ahluvly Posts: 389 Member
    Options
    Hello,

    A good thing for you to do would be to make a list of all the foods you associate with pleasure, and then another list for those which you relate to pain. The confusion starts when we link two emotions to one food. E.g. I love cheesecake, it's my favourite dessert. After you eat it, the guilt sets in when you've ate 400 cals more that day and you fear you won't get a loss that week.

    My advice to you is, really be honest with yourself. Say if you love crisps or chocolate cake but you can't stop at a handful or a slice then you need to ask yourself, "Do I really want this food that is going to ultimately stop me from losing weight and keep me fat/overweight?"

    As for meal planning....I'd go with the following to take the pressure off yourself:
    1/4 complex carbs
    1/4 lean protein
    1/2 vegetables

    Weight management is 80% diet and only 20% exercise. It's taken you years to develop your habits and behaviours, it will take time to improve them so give yourself a break.

    I hope that's helped!

    Sarah :)
  • AndreaEscobar100
    AndreaEscobar100 Posts: 13
    Options
    i feel like this whole thing is taking over my life. i literally spend ALL DAY every day planning out what and when i can eat. and then when i do start eating there are days where i cant stop, and i will eat and eat and eat and then just feel absolutely discusting and fat. ive lost over 90 pounds with less than 10 to go and i feel like i am completely obsessed with loosing weight and that im not able to just be a normal person, since all i ever think about is eating and what i look like. i have managed not to gain weight back but thats because i will go 3 or so days eating "good" and then spend an entire day eating complete junk, even if im not hungry i spend every waking minute eating whatever i can get my hands on. its completely rediculous. i lose a couple pounds and then gain it right back.. some times i dont want to leave home because i dont know when i will be back to be able to eat more.. and then after i eat i just want to go for a long walk to attempt to burn it off... AHHH! i feel like im going crazy from it! why does an object have so much control over people???

    does anyone else feel like i do?? i would love to have someone to talk to who actually understands.


    I feel like this all the time. It sucks,
  • Nan_
    Nan_ Posts: 83 Member
    Options
    Once I ate something I shouldn't have or went over my calories I would tell myself that I'd "ruined" the day so that gave me permission to eat whatever I wanted. I said that I would start fresh "tomorrow." But tomorrow never seemed to come because every day I was "ruining" my diet.

    I finally got to the point where I stopped making excuses and accepted that yes, I'd gone over my calories, but that I could start right that moment to make everything better by making better choices the rest of the day.

    So, if I had a couple of cookies as a snack, I no longer abandoned the diet and ate whatever I wanted. Instead, I accepted that I ate the cookies and made sure I logged them in, and then stayed within my calorie limit for the rest of the day. When I got to the end of my calories that was it, I was done eating, even if I hadn't had the chance to have the extra cup of unbuttered popcorn that I was hoping for.

    Today I had 1/2 cup of ice cream. In the past I would have given up on my diet and eaten more ice cream and probably even some m&m's. Today I just logged it and moved on.

Categories