Learning to "eat to live not live to eat"

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krouse83
krouse83 Posts: 182 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Good Morning! My name is Karen and I'm new to the MFP. I have tried multiple diets and have failed multiple times. After reaching my highest weight yet, I am bound and determined to lose the weight this time. I dont have a specific number goal I want to reach, but I do have a goal. I really want to be able to go to a hotel and have the bathroom towel (you know those small bath towels they give?!) to be able to fully wrap around me. And if it means I have to go to hotels every few months to see my progress then so be it! :)

I enjoy exercising and cooking healthy meals, I however also love to eat. Eating is my coping mechanism for stress and any emotion I'm feeling. I need to retrain my brain into knowing that I need to eat to live, and not live to eat.

Any support and friends through MFP would be great. I am the kind of person that needs someone to hold me accountable for my actions, so if I eat poorly or don't exercise I need a scolding haha

I am looking forward to this journy on MFP. I know it won't be easy and is going to take a long time, but I'm vested and determined!

Replies

  • Npieces
    Npieces Posts: 24
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    Know how you feel. I go from a regular baloon to a freaking zepplin!! Diets suck so now I am trying to just be smart about it. I know EXACTLY what you mean about those darn towels! I was on here for a long time, lost weight, left....gained soo much. Now I am at my heaviest (except pregnancy). Time to kick *kitten* and shrink it! Wanna join me?
  • FunnyGirl613
    FunnyGirl613 Posts: 151 Member
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    Eating is my coping mechanism for stress and any emotion I'm feeling. I need to retrain my brain into knowing that I need to eat to live, and not live to eat.

    I don't usually make this suggestion - but if you're eating for every emotion, you might want to consider OA. One of the mottoes in OA is "I control the food instead of the food controlling me." There's no commitment and you can find meetings in person, online, over the phone.

    Just a suggestion...take it or leave it...
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    I love your towel goal. That's kind of awesome.
  • chanel1twenty
    chanel1twenty Posts: 161 Member
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    Hi, Karen! I definitely know how you feel! Accountabili-buddies are what I need and am searching for the most!!
    Feel free to message/friend me so we can help one another and not have to go on this journey alone! I have two children under two-years old, and a family that eats and cooks nothing but junk and isn't active, so I'm searching for support and friendship through MFP because heaven knows I can't get the help at home! They support my quest morally and verbally, but they certainly just test my willpower all the time with the food they keep around!
    Perhaps we can yell at one another, motivate one another, share tips and plans with one another, and hold each other accountable!
    Would love to hear from you,
    -Chanel
  • Inshape13
    Inshape13 Posts: 680 Member
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    This is coincidental because I just started a group "Eating Real While Living Fit." I LOVE to eat, but it took a while to swap out foods for healthier versions and work my way to a healthy lifestyle while still eating what I love. Check it out and would love for you to join. Welcome to MFP.
  • vkc1978
    vkc1978 Posts: 63 Member
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    I also LOVE food, Im not so much an emotional eater, but i just really love southern food. And since i cook the family meals, i often find my mind wandering to the bad stuff when figuring out that daily question of 'mom, whats for dinner'. I've found that i do alot better when i keep it simple and have a plan for the week, when i choose whats for dinner when im not hungry i make better choices than when i am. Good luck, its hard and it takes time, but you CAN retrain yourself and your tastebuds :)
  • krouse83
    krouse83 Posts: 182 Member
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    Thanks for the support!

    I haven't thought about OA. Eating is comfort, but I know that I can control it and find new coping mechanisms. The past 6 months I put on 17 lbs but then again I was the full time caretaker for my grandmother and then my grandfather who just passed away last week. Instead of focusing on myself, they were my primary focus. I need to learn to eat when hungry and to focus on myself and my own needs.

    It will take time but I know I can and will do it!
  • SuckItUpKupcake
    SuckItUpKupcake Posts: 10 Member
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    Hi Karen!

    You make me smile :) The towel goal is creative and inspiring! Come to think of it I wouldn't mind if some of my towels at home closed too! You sound like you're ready to start the journey and that is awesome! I know how easy it is to reach for the "comfort" food and the conviction it takes to "retrain" yourself. But if you're already aware of that then you've already started the change! Would love to help keep you motivated!

    ~Cristin
  • dnish53
    dnish53 Posts: 162 Member
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    I know how you feel about the towels in hotels. It is one of the things I want. Having been an emotional eater myself I can understand where you are coming from. From my own experience I have found that increasing your protien intake will help you not eat as much, plus get vegatables and fruits ready at the start of the day. If you already have an apple cut up or cucumbers already peeled and sliced it will be easier to walk away from other food.
  • AngelaPesta17
    AngelaPesta17 Posts: 20
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    The towel goal is great!!!! I was just at a hotel where I thought to myself "wow, these towels sure are getting smaller..." Lovely.

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