Maybe i am not meant to be thin. Love food too much

defiance85
defiance85 Posts: 9
in Motivation and Support
I cannot see myself as ever being thin and reaching a healthy BMI simply because i love food. I have been fat since i was 13 and reached 324 pounds by 18. I remember people making fun and the heavy weight on me it was painful to walk a short distance.

I have now lost 120 pounds and feel great, but i am still fat and need to lose the last pounds i have been trying to lose it for about 2 years now, but fail everytime because i don't stick with it anymore because i love food.

I have been eating crap for the last month now and my clothes are getting tighter each week and i am really scared of going back to 324 pounds again.

Replies

  • samammay
    samammay Posts: 468
    I love food too. The good news is that you get to love food no matter what weight you are. Thin people love food too. The healthier you are, the more you get to eat, as backwards as that sounds. When I look at what I am going to be eating to maintain my best weight its inconceivable to me that I will be able to eat that much in a day!

    If you think that food is the real problem, maybe a visit with a mental health professional might be in order? They will help you learn to have a better relationship with food.
  • KBear68
    KBear68 Posts: 16
    Yup! If food tasted like cardboard, I'd be a stick. Unfortunately, it doesn't, and I am not.

    BUT...

    it's only 8:15am here, I've done a 10km walk, I have 16,000+ steps, and MFP says I have 1849 calories to eat today, so far. All of those numbers will increase through the day.

    My daughter's birthday party is today, and I will be able to eat a cupcake without guilt, because I know I've done the work to allow for it.

    I may never be thin, but I'll be THINNER and much healthier, too, and I'll eat what I enjoy. Everything in moderation. Those are attainable goals for me. :)
  • rosaceous
    rosaceous Posts: 3
    Everything in moderation, sweetie. Don't worry so much about the calories, but about the health of it. There is such thing as food addiction, and I struggle with it daily. I binged twice this week, but the important thing is that you keep that fire in you burning to succeed and to keep getting stronger. We believe in you! If you want it, fight for it! You will not get any where if you don't believe in yourself!
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    you can love food and lose weight, be fit, and healthy ..the two are not mutually exclusive.

    I freaking love good food and love to eat out; however, at the same time I realize that I need to eat healthy during the week and stay within my calorie/macro goals, which will then allow me to go out on the weekends and enjoy some of the things I like.

    Also, eating in a deficit does not mean that you have to torture yourself. If your calorie goal is 2000 a day you can still fit in some ice cream, bacon, pizza, etc... < eats all of that stuff and is about 12-13% body fat...
  • TwelveSticks
    TwelveSticks Posts: 288 Member
    Yep - I really love food too. And I used to weigh over 300 lb and couldn't imagine myself ever being thin too. And I dieted and lost weight, then couldn't take the restrictions anymore and fell off the wagon and put weight back on too.

    Now... I am 2 lbs off my goal weight, and I eat LOADS. I've never eaten out in restaurants as much as I have in the last few months, and we have a take-away at least once a week.

    The key, for me, is exercise. Pure and simple. I burn 500-800 calories most days and I eat back 2/3rds of those. That allows me to eat pretty much what I want - although I admit that I don't have a sweet tooth and don't generally drink alcohol, so that makes it easier.

    I saw a t-shirt once that said something like "I run because I want to eat" - that sums it up for me.

    (To be fair, I also do 5:2 dieting, so I fast 2 days a week - i.e. only eat 650 calories - but I don't eat more than I burn on the other days either, and I promise you, I eat plenty).
  • Sassyallday
    Sassyallday Posts: 136 Member
    This posting resonates with me because, this week, after months of successful tracking and healthy eating, I found myself falling off track: Eating without noting it. Pairing healthy choices (spinach) topped off with not so healthy ones (creamy cheese sauce).

    I felt the same way you did about giving it up again. I love creamy, cheesy, salty food in large quantities. But I don’t like the trade off. After eating this week, I felt stuffed and numb and lacking in energy and motivation and like a failure at the goals I’ve set for myself. I did not like any of that. Or seeing the scale start inching up.

    So, today, I am back. I am going to get back to having delicious food in moderate amounts. That way, I don’t trade my success and self-esteem for food. It’s just not worth it.
  • Chante_Loves_Life
    Chante_Loves_Life Posts: 40 Member
    I love food as well and we can still love food and lose weight. It's about choosing the right foods to love. If its sweets and sacks that you love them maybe consider removing them from your diet. Go to your cupboards and throw all of the bad food away and then replace it with good clean food choices. That's what I did and even though I am just starting out and have 92 more lbs to lose I know that I can still eat (a lot) of food and still lose weight. I suggest just taking a look and re evaluating your current food choices. You have come so far and your progress is AMAZING!! I wish you well :smile: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    I love food, too. Like loooooove. It's all I think about! Food is so delicious and fun! I'm also in great shape. It's not impossible. And quite honestly, I feel like food tastes better when I'm not overeating and binge eating so badly.

    Just eat what you love within your calories, and work out so you can eat even more. If you have emotional issues with food, you may want to see a therapist. If it's a lack of self control and you just want to eat everything ever, then get some self control. No one is meant to be overweight. People choose to be overweight by eating more calories than they need.
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
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    This b!tch looooooooooves food! You can love food and lose weight, too! The easiest way to eat foods you love and still stay under your calorie goal is to plan your days out in advance--right down to the last pat of butter and splash of milk.

    Dying for a burger and fries? Ok, have an apple and a protein shake for breakfast, a grilled chicken breast and steamed broccoli for lunch, and have that burger and small fries for dinner. Just log it all beforehand, and fiddle with the calories until it all fits. (Sometimes you'll still have to make concessions, like no soda with the meal, or only half of a certain entree, or a small fry instead of a large.) What I do is usually long the high calorie meal first, then add in whatever food I have calories for later. Completely guilt-free "splurge" meal? Yes, thank you!
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    I love food as well and we can still love food and lose weight. It's about choosing the right foods to love. If its sweets and sacks that you love them maybe consider removing them from your diet. Go to your cupboards and throw all of the bad food away and then replace it with good clean food choices. That's what I did and even though I am just starting out and have 92 more lbs to lose I know that I can still eat (a lot) of food and still lose weight. I suggest just taking a look and re evaluating your current food choices. You have come so far and your progress is AMAZING!! I wish you well :smile: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

    This method wouldn't work for a lot of people. People who love food want to eat the foods they love! Removing all of their favorite junk foods from their diet is just going to make food not fun anymore and possibly lead to binge eating since they never get what they really want. I eat a mix of healthier foods and junk foods. It hasn't ever made me fat and it won't, as long as I eat the correct amount of food for my body.
  • TheFitHooker
    TheFitHooker Posts: 3,357 Member
    I believe everyone loves food, hell, I love food, you just have to moderate it. You don't have to deprive yourself, during my weight loss, I didn't deprive myself just gained a healthier mindset with it, learned I can eat chocolate and chips, but had to learn to count my portions, measure my food, do it by serving, not just cave into it all.

    Food is not the enemy, though now my look on food is to fuel not for pleasure. It's all about baby steps, you weren't born fat, you weren't meant to be fat. You did that to yourself because you didn't train your brain to not rely on food for stress, being bored, emotional and what not. I was there too. It's all mental, once you stop telling yourself that you can't and tell yourself you can, you'll do it. But you believe you can't so you won't, until you switch the can't off in your head.
  • amandatapar
    amandatapar Posts: 246 Member
    You can do this. I just don't eat the junk food, sweets, etc anymore. Yes it is around, I have 4 kids and a husband that are not trying to lose weight. But I am much more satisfied with increased protein and fresh veggies and fruits mainly. I am one who as long as I don't taste it then it doesn't bother me to not eat it. Also I do eat out I just choose a protein and a veggie as a side like baby carrots, broccoli or a baked sweet potato with nothing on it. So you can still enjoy food but you have to make a life style change somehow. One that you can maintain later. If you see it as a diet and you only have to eat that way til you hit your goal you will gain your weight back. Only you can make the decision. I am doing this for my health and now that I am so close to my goal it only makes me more motivated to get there. That and I like buying new smaller clothes. So really you just have to make your mind up to do it and stick with it.
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    Loving food doesn't mean you can't lose weight. I love food. I eat food constantly. I have even binged now and then but I still am losing weight. Granted I have never been as heavy as you or others, but that doen't mean that I love food any less. You just have to find a way to enjoy the food you love but still keep it healthy and maybe lower calorie since you like it so much.

    I just brought in lower calorie things so that I could have more of it. lol
  • FixIngMe13
    FixIngMe13 Posts: 405 Member
    I still eat the things I love! AND I'm still losing inches more so than weight right now... but I STILL eat the foods I love... in moderation. And... I move a LOT more than I used to. :flowerforyou: You can do it by eating the foods you love.
  • supplemama
    supplemama Posts: 1,956 Member
    It's not that you love food. Everyone loves food. It's that you love overeating.

    Stop overeating.

    Stop looking at food as good food/bad food, healthy food/unhealthy food.

    Start looking at your food intake as under or at calorie goal/over calorie goal.

    If you go over you will gain weight.

    If you stay under or at you will lose weight.

    Drink plenty of water and throw in some exercise bare minimum 3X a week.

    Everyone loves food, just like everyone loves breathing. We have to eat to live.

    I eat what I want, I just no longer OVEREAT.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    I cannot see myself as ever being thin and reaching a healthy BMI simply because i love food.

    Sorry, I don't accept that as a valid reason. I love food so much I moved to acreage so I could grow my own free range pigs (bacon! chops! roast!) and chickens, and that has nothing to do with whether I am fit/trim or not.

    If you don't want to get fit/trim, that's entirely ok, and your decision to make. But it sure ain't because you "love food too much"....
  • SJackson50
    SJackson50 Posts: 282 Member
    It's not that you love food. Everyone loves food. It's that you love overeating.

    Stop overeating.

    Stop looking at food as good food/bad food, healthy food/unhealthy food.

    Start looking at your food intake as under or at calorie goal/over calorie goal.

    If you go over you will gain weight.

    If you stay under or at you will lose weight.

    Drink plenty of water and throw in some exercise bare minimum 3X a week.

    Everyone loves food, just like everyone loves breathing. We have to eat to live.

    I eat what I want, I just no longer OVEREAT.

    ^^^This!!! Moderation is the key!
  • cafeaulait7
    cafeaulait7 Posts: 2,459 Member
    I don't know how restrictive your calories were to lose so much weight, but if they are too restrictive, bump them up. As long as you are eating less than what it takes to maintain your current weight, you'll be in the right direction. It takes longer, but that's usually no real problem.

    Certainly instead of giving up, go on and try a smaller deficit. If you figure out your goal weight (a very realistic one is nice) and activity, you can see how many calories that is a day, too. If it's higher than what your diet is set to now, then know that you can eat that much. Really :) Don't get impatient with the rate of loss, though.

    Or take it in chunks and eat like a 180-lb woman (by TDEE) until you are near 180 lbs and then bump it down again. But don't give up if you haven't yet tried the less restrictive ways like that.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    I believe everyone loves food. You just have to change how much you eat of it.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • BrendaLee
    BrendaLee Posts: 4,463 Member
    We all love food. You can still have all the foods you love. You can even have a lot of those foods some days. You just gotta be good most days. Eating whatever you want whenever you want is great, but it's not worth giving up everything else in life for.
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    I think almost everyone loves food.
  • mylars
    mylars Posts: 12
    Before you take the first bite of your food, Ask yourself what's more important to you.

    If your answer is "I just want to satisfy myself right now with this large amount of food, and I'll just regret it later"

    Then, you are not alone. That's like 80% of people who's overweight does.

    Always ask yourself that question before you dive in and eat. One day, when you have enough self embarrassment and can't take it anymore, Your answer will change to "It's not worth it anymore, I'm tired of this!"

    Each day will feel like a year, but here's the formula: POWER = STRENGTH OVER TIME.

    Good Luck!

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