Being Obsessive = Only Way to Truely Succeed

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  • tracieangeletti
    tracieangeletti Posts: 432 Member
    I definitely became obsessed. Probably, in the beginning, extremely obsessed. I was a woman with a mission. As time has gone by and I keep learning more the obsession has lessened and I see myself as extremely dedicated now and not so much obsessed anymore. I am learning balance and forgiveness for myself. :-)
  • pattycakes80
    pattycakes80 Posts: 118 Member
    i am obsessed. i have to be.

    i am obsessed because even if i was not thinking about food from a healthy standpoint, i would be still be thinking about food.

    i am an addict. food was always on a mind much like heroin clouds the mind of a junkie. food took control for years, gave me a place to escape, a place to hide and ultimately a place to destruct.

    so i think about it all the time, but now i think about food with laser focus in terms of intake, output, energy and nourishment.

    so until my mind has won all rights to my thought process, i will be remain obsessed, vigilant and acutely aware that while addiction lurks quiet inside of me, my will is much louder, incredibly stronger and currently dominating the *kitten* out of this battle.
  • grrrlface
    grrrlface Posts: 1,204 Member
    I think when you first start it is easy to obsess but it helps it become a habit that you become more accustomed to and eventually you will relax a little.

    I've really got to put my head down now and start obsessing a little more to lose these last few pounds of mine!!
  • mmorfino
    mmorfino Posts: 2 Member
    I am totally obsessed with food intake and record keeping. I hear ya.
  • SugarBaby71
    SugarBaby71 Posts: 3,630 Member
    I am obsessed but I prefer to call it 'focused'. What I have found, after doing this for years and years, the periods where I have tunnel vision are my most successful. When I let other matters start getting in the way, or if I ease up, I stop making gains with my fitness and start making gains in my weight.

    I have a hard time balancing, I'm really an all in or don't bother kind of girl. I choose to put a more positive spin on it. I don't obsess. I am focused. :flowerforyou:
  • FitCanuckChick
    FitCanuckChick Posts: 240 Member
    I am logging for myself and two others in my household, all on different calorie amounts with various goals to achieve. To get through the weekdays without feeling exhausted, immediately after supper, my hubby cleans up and I log everything but supper (and sometimes I log supper) for the next day for the three of us. I ask what they want for breakfast and lunch, confirm the amount of snack calories, and write it all down ensuring that there are a good amount of supper calories left for the next day. They track their own snack calories - I just tell them the amount of snack calories they have. This takes about 20 mins for 3 people (to make sure they are having variety, and are part of the process, and to educate them on making healthy choices). Then, I take a look at the log, make sure it is balanced and nutricious and then get everything ready that I can for the next day (veggies, fruit, lunchess, etc.). In the morning, I prepare any of the lunch items that we prefer made the day of rather than the day before (such as wraps). Oh - and I paper and pen log. It works so much better for me.

    My husband is just starting his journey to healthy and he is also overcoming major food aversions and breaking bad habits, so I will be doing this for him for the next month or so and then turning it over to him more. However I am the cook in the house, so will liklely always be involved. Honestly, being a busy mom doing it all at once is the only way I maintain my sanity. Also, I don't feel like I am obssessing - its just a once a day routine, no different from taking a shower or going to the gym. Hope this helps.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,474 Member
    i agree.. to a degree......
    obsessed is a very powerful word/.
  • Jleonra
    Jleonra Posts: 42
    I can relate, although sometimes I overdo it and get myself into uncomfortable situations, like refusing a slice of a colleague's birthday cake, I should be more flexible in those kind of situations.
  • FitCanuckChick
    FitCanuckChick Posts: 240 Member
    I can relate, although sometimes I overdo it and get myself into uncomfortable situations, like refusing a slice of a colleague's birthday cake, I should be more flexible in those kind of situations.

    Actually - in some workplaces that are food obsessed (and have a birthcake all the time), the work treats are what can get you off track. I am so lucky that I work in a crazy health nut environment (which is not the norm for the field of work I am in.

    I say no to cake - I don't need to eat a piece of supermarket slab cake to show I care for a person and am happy its there birthday. There are some cakes that I cannot resist though :)
  • jzs20
    jzs20 Posts: 58 Member
    I couldn't agree more. I constanty measured out servings,rounded up if i wasn't sure about tbe products calories... exhausting but paid off. skipped extra's (no mayo or cheese on sandwiches,no sugar in my tea... that sorta thing. excessive but it works... the list could go on and on. Nowadays its easier and i do a lot of estimating ...
  • battybecks
    battybecks Posts: 147 Member
    i am obsessed. i have to be.

    i am obsessed because even if i was not thinking about food from a healthy standpoint, i would be still be thinking about food.

    i am an addict. food was always on a mind much like heroin clouds the mind of a junkie. food took control for years, gave me a place to escape, a place to hide and ultimately a place to destruct.

    so i think about it all the time, but now i think about food with laser focus in terms of intake, output, energy and nourishment.

    so until my mind has won all rights to my thought process, i will be remain obsessed, vigilant and acutely aware that while addiction lurks quiet inside of me, my will is much louder, incredibly stronger and currently dominating the *kitten* out of this battle.

    Oh yes. This.

    I think probably everyone who is looking at the forum posts rather than merely logging food and going off and doing other things is a little obsessed! But obsession = focus = motivation. It depends what mood you're in when you describe it I guess!

    I find that if I get absorbed in something else, and my eating and exercising habits slip my mind for a bit then I pile the weight on. I've never got to the stage when this kind of lifestyle change becomes habit - I will this time. But I wonder how long that will take - everyone is different!

    So yes - obsess. Why not? And when you're describing it to others, call it 'focus' or 'motivation' so that they understand it's a good thing :)
  • dangerousdumpling
    dangerousdumpling Posts: 1,109 Member
    How it works for me. I obsess during the early stages until what I'm doing becomes natural.

    Same here. Logging and exercising are just a part of my life now. They're habits that I'm comfortable with. Lazing about and eating too much make me uncomfortable now and that's how I know I've made lasting changes. I don't have that obsessive high alert feeling anymore. This is the new normal.
  • simsburyjet
    simsburyjet Posts: 999 Member
    I have been called obsessed by larger people, Manarexic by larger people and have no life by the larger people..
    If you read my diary, I eat a lot of food daily but do think about it as I reach my calorie intake number for the day.
  • FindingAmy77
    FindingAmy77 Posts: 1,268 Member
    yes, its all I can think or talk about.
  • shan_0517
    shan_0517 Posts: 88 Member
    It feels like obsession, but is part of my everyday life now.. I've made some good progess this time around and whatever it is, I'm sticking with it.

    Whatever it takes to make progress.. Congrats on yours so far :drinker:
  • TX_Rhon
    TX_Rhon Posts: 1,549 Member
    i agree.. to a degree......
    obsessed is a very powerful word/.

    Glad its not just me. I know I am driving my coworkers (well, the ones I like) crazy with my meal planning! I do call it my new obsession but I do not like that word - it is too powerful. Yet "hobby" doesn't sound determined enough!
  • amoffatt
    amoffatt Posts: 674 Member
    My obsession when it comes to what I eat and even exercise is good but also can be bad. It is good because I am aware now of what I eat, whats good, whats not and to become more conscience about the whole food thing. Same with exercise, obsessive, but it makes me do it when I feel like not.

    The bad is.... I am developing a bad relationship with food in the opposite way (before, ate it all the time) now, scared to eat anything! (Had previous eating disorders in high school and fear reverting back to that). I spend all day obsessing about food and exercise to where it is the only thing on my mind and can disrupt my whole day.

    I am still learning, after 2 years of "New and improved Lifestyle change" and knowing there will always be ups and downs and not everyone is perfect with these habits. :happy:
  • CanGirl40
    CanGirl40 Posts: 379 Member
    I was obsessed more when I was eating too low cal, trying to resist EVERYTHING, and then bingeing on weekends, celebrations, etc.
    Since MFP I have gone from obsessed, to educated and vigilant, and then gradually to "aware" if that makes sense. I still often log my food but it doesn't "consume" me and I no longer "obsess" about every little morsel, social function, etc.

    It's a very freeing feeling to feel in control and balanced.
  • Deipneus
    Deipneus Posts: 1,854 Member
    I am off to a good start so far, but there is one thing I have noticed that has kept me successful so far.

    I am constantly "thinking" about what I am eating and what I am going to eat every second of every day. It has become my obsession. I guess you can say this is a good thing but this is till food. I am still obsessed by food but in a good way.
    I've been at this quite a while now. I've been on maintenance sinc May 2012. Obsessiveness nearly drove me mad. It was okay at first to keep me on track, but after a while it fatigued me mentally.
  • red869
    red869 Posts: 59
    For me, being obsessive always leads to failure - hence why I'm fat. I'm always obsessive when I try to lose weight. I can continue with it for months on end (4-10 months usually). I worry about everything I eat and avoiding anything that hasn't being weighed beforehand but then I snap, I go back to old eating habits and regain all the weight lost. I am trying my hardest to avoid the obsessiveness and to be more relaxed about what I can and can't eat and any exercise that I do. I'm still obsessive, but am learning to change.
  • Wantingslim
    Wantingslim Posts: 37
    Bump
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    For me, being obsessive always leads to failure - hence why I'm fat. I'm always obsessive when I try to lose weight. I can continue with it for months on end (4-10 months usually). I worry about everything I eat and avoiding anything that hasn't being weighed beforehand but then I snap, I go back to old eating habits and regain all the weight lost. I am trying my hardest to avoid the obsessiveness and to be more relaxed about what I can and can't eat and any exercise that I do. I'm still obsessive, but am learning to change.

    In my opinion, small sustainable changes that get you moving in the right direction are better than lifestyle changes that get you to "lose the weight"
  • red869
    red869 Posts: 59
    For me, being obsessive always leads to failure - hence why I'm fat. I'm always obsessive when I try to lose weight. I can continue with it for months on end (4-10 months usually). I worry about everything I eat and avoiding anything that hasn't being weighed beforehand but then I snap, I go back to old eating habits and regain all the weight lost. I am trying my hardest to avoid the obsessiveness and to be more relaxed about what I can and can't eat and any exercise that I do. I'm still obsessive, but am learning to change.

    In my opinion, small sustainable changes that get you moving in the right direction are better than lifestyle changes that get you to "lose the weight"

    I agree completely. However, it's just very difficult trying to convince myself to follow through with smaller changes. I know that's the best way to lose weight and keep it off, but somehow it is extremely difficult to do.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    So my question is, has anyone else noticed that with their success comes obsession, and better yet, can you sue your obsession with food (in a bad way, how I got fat) to channel it to a "good" obsession?
    Absolutely. I plan ahead by logging my meals through dinner for that day. I stay conscious of what I do and do not want to put in my body. it's all about taking care of myself and seeing food as something good, as fuel for my body, and eating what I like in moderation.
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    Unknown
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  • alisonlynn1976
    alisonlynn1976 Posts: 929 Member
    Completely disagree. I don't count calories or obsess about food and I'm succeeding anyway.

    Pretty much any statement that defines a "one true way" for something is going to be false. People vary.
  • bunbunzee44
    bunbunzee44 Posts: 592 Member
    obsessed is such a strong word. sure, I think about food a lot, and going to gym is something I want and feel like I should do, it makes me happy once I can get my butt there. I wouldn't call it obsessing though..
  • Kim55555
    Kim55555 Posts: 987 Member
    some people think im obssessed. i like to call it dedication :)
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