What's Been Your Biggest Issues With Eating?

COliver416
COliver416 Posts: 87 Member
in Food and Nutrition
As I've now dropped more than 140 pounds--which I like to joke with my best friend, whose weight is just a pound or two shy of 140, I've lost her--I've started wondering what took me so long, and why it was so difficult. It took 20 years of trial and error, of complete abysmal failure, and of minor successes, made into big disappointments.

My eating has been one of the main causes. I've never been a big eater, which was one of the reasons that I thought I was just destined to be fat. The weight just kept coming on no matter what I did. My biggest issue with food was figuring out what to eat and when and how much. One program would tell me to eat 1,600 calories, another 1,800, another 2,200 or 2,400. Each time, I just kept gaining weight eventually. I finally found a plan that worked for me and I'm happy to say that it continues to work for me and lets me eat like a normal person would.

What were your biggest issues with food?

Replies

  • NRSPAM
    NRSPAM Posts: 961 Member
    What was the plan? Just curious.
  • amyparrish9
    amyparrish9 Posts: 23
    bump
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    My biggest issue with food is that I love eating! I would eat mindlessly, all day, every day. I also used food as an emotional crutch. Stopping the mindless eating wasn't that hard...the other thing...not so much, but for the most part, I'm over it.
  • Forty6and2
    Forty6and2 Posts: 2,492 Member
    OP, honestly you should be losing on 1600-1800. Your issue is probably with inaccurate logging.

    Also, my biggest issue is eating higher calorie foods a lot, leaving little room for more food which sends me over my calories quite a bit.
  • doodlecakes_07
    doodlecakes_07 Posts: 69 Member
    What plan worked for you?

    My biggest issue with food mimics yours, only I have a distorted view of food. I research a ton, but can never figure out what the right amount of calories is for me. I also am overcoming my disordered eating habits. That's my biggest struggle.
  • seximami79
    seximami79 Posts: 156 Member
    my biggest issue with food is that I love sweets and want to eat them everyday. Plus, when I'm bored, I feel ravenous.
  • COliver416
    COliver416 Posts: 87 Member
    I eat properly logged now at about 2000 to 2700 calories a day, with high days of 3500, and I'm still dropping a pound a week, and what I love is that that pound is that ugly fat. My plan was using Maximum Deficit Reduction. The core principle of the idea is that your body fat percentage can take so much of a deficit, 31 calories a day for every pound of fat on your body. I found out my body fat percentage, I cut my calories and started working out in a way that would create that deficit. The weight fell off very fast and very predictably, as in, I could figure out exactly week by week, what I should see on the scale. Then, as the fat burned off, and I kept recalculating my body fat percentage, I was able to eat more and more food. I invested in a good heart rate monitor and started using that to measure my calorie burn and started eating up to that. So, on active days where I might go kayaking, hiking, running a race, I might burn upwards of 3700 to 4000 calories and I can eat 2,500 to 3,000 calories for the amount of fat i have on my body. I am 20 weeks into this process of dieting and exercise and I continue to lose steadily and predictably. This plan has been a game changer for me.
  • jessienomiko
    jessienomiko Posts: 3 Member
    My biggest problem is that I love food and I'm great in the kitchen! Pinterest hasn't been my friend with this issue - I've got boards and boards of yummy things that I've slowly been testing out on friends and family.
    Good luck on your journey - sounds like you've done an amazing job so far and are on the right track to continue to be amazing!
  • Carley
    Carley Posts: 88
    Because I am a recovered anorexic and recovering bulimic (2yrs purge free) I have the mentality all or nothing. So I am trying to overcome that.
  • dunnodunno
    dunnodunno Posts: 2,290 Member
    My biggest issue is not eating enough vegetables and going over on sodium.
  • Aussie_in_PA
    Aussie_in_PA Posts: 100 Member
    My biggest issue is not eating enough vegetables and going over on sodium.

    How far over on sodium? I'm curious why a lot of people are worried about higher levels of sodium. Any issues or something I am missing?

    For me in order of importance, calories (energy balance), Macro's, Fiber, Micro's and water, meal timing and frequency followed by supplementation and sodium.
  • agrafina
    agrafina Posts: 128 Member
    My biggest issue with eating was that I've always considered hunger and appetite interchangeably, so I've never really gotten good at identifying hunger. Add in eating for entertainment when I'm bored, and I ended up weighing 270 pounds at my high. Now I have to figure out how to learn and retain what hunger feels like and undo eating for appetite and entertainment.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    My main issue is my sweet tooth. Always been, always will be.
  • AddieOverhaul
    AddieOverhaul Posts: 734 Member
    Mostly my insatiable sweet tooth and inability to say no when sweets are offered to me. I also tend to give in to emotional eating (ie a whole box of Kraft Dinner when I'm upset).
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    My biggest issue was that I used to be very, very active and ate to support that...for all intents and purposes, I was consuming whatever I wanted without issue.

    That all changed when I took a desk job and suddenly found myself sitting for most of the day and allowing myself excuses like being too tired or it being a rough day or whatever to interfere with getting out there and getting some exercise. I quickly piled on the Lbs because I didn't change anything in RE to my consumption.
  • toronto_j
    toronto_j Posts: 206 Member
    My biggest issues were portion size, a sweet tooth (which has since faded away, yay!) and laziness...constantly eating take-out instead of cooking at home.
  • buzybev
    buzybev Posts: 199 Member
    My biggest issue currently is eating over my calorie goal by an insignificant amount (~100). And rather than stopping, I usually give up and continue to snack and eat sweets cus I've already blown it for the day
  • krawhitham
    krawhitham Posts: 831 Member
    My biggest issue is that I am a former athlete, so I have a lot of muscle mass and I have absolutely no idea what my body fat percentage is. I have been averaging 1600 cals a day for the past two months or so, and haven't lost one lb. I am weighing all of my food and logging 100% accurately. I also do not use MFP numbers for exercise cals since they tend to over estimate.

    My biggest issue isn't with eating at all, it's with a lack of information about my body. If I had my resting metabolic rate, my lean body mass % and fat mass %, I feel I could make a much better attempt at this whole weight loss thing!
  • marilynbauer
    marilynbauer Posts: 28 Member
    My biggest problem is seriously my sweet tooth, then my love for starches (bread, potatoes, pastas). I over eat on those foods and under eat on healthier choices. I am also not physically active. I lack self-discipline.in many areas food is one of them.
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
    OP, honestly you should be losing on 1600-1800. Your issue is probably with inaccurate logging.

    Also, my biggest issue is eating higher calorie foods a lot, leaving little room for more food which sends me over my calories quite a bit.
    OP has lost 140 pounds... I think he's figured it out. :flowerforyou:

    My biggest issue is when I plan for a workout that doesn't happen. That and getting a realistic handle on burn rate for my activities. I'm in maintenance, but I'm constantly adjusting as my weight trends up or down.

    Oh, and I really, really love certain foods and sometimes have a hard time stopping at the serving size I've designated. :embarassed:
  • alexuh
    alexuh Posts: 108 Member
    The 'all or nothing' mentality. :noway: Pretty much cracked it now. :drinker:
  • JeffInJax
    JeffInJax Posts: 232 Member
    My biggest problem during my weight loss journey has been portion control. I grew up with mom and grandma telling me you're a bigger guy you need to eat more, and by more, instead of an extra scoop it was an extra plate. Went from 380 to 258 i think im at right now and plan to get down to 225. My second biggest issue was when i went out to eat, it always seemed "wrong" for me to spend 15 bucks on a salad and water while i really wanted something else. Planning ahead has been my number 1 cause for success.

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