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MyFitnessPal Community

Emotions

lisaw19855

How do you deal with the emotions of dieting? I've lost 10lbs in 4 weeks which is a nice achievement, but today I just feel depressed.

Other people have noticed I am losing weight but I look in the mirror and see fat, a year ago I was body confident but now I feel disgusted that I allowed this to happen, I look awful but I've only got myself to blame I allowed stress to cause me to starve myself then binge.

I'm enjoying learning about foods etc for example the healthier looking option isn't always the best when grabbing food on the go which has surprised me. Today a friend said I'm obsessed with losing weight and counting calories, but it's ok when they can eat what they like and not put a ounce of weight on.

Does anyone else find they have emotional days?

Replies

CoachPriscilla

Absolutely! Food is a powerful thing - what you put in your body can influence your mood significantly. Ceasing to eat other foods can make you feel like you are going through withdrawal with all kinds of negative emotions. Having a "great" day of clean eating can make you feel super amazing and powerful because you stuck with your plan. Then when you make a slip up (which everyone does), it can send your mood crashing. You are not alone in this. What I find really helps is daily exercise. Exercise can provide you a natural high because it releases endorphins. Have you been able to incorporate any exercising into your plan yet?

halo2o12

Those emotions .....yes they mess with my days! And those people who over eat without gaining a gram gggrrrrrrrrr i hate them ! Can u believe that the scale can make my day

lisaw19855

I do some form of exercise every day. I work part time in a very physical job, horse ride twice a week, use my stationary bike and strengthening exercises. Today I've been out for a brisk walk, a total of 6000 steps so I don't think it's lack of exercise x

MKEgal

All entirely normal, right down to the nonsupportive "friend". Your weight will have ups & downs, so will your moods.

Learn to look at the big picture. Your ticker says you've already lost 10 of the 30 lb you want to lose. That's an accomplishment! It's going to be slow since you have so little left to go.
I write my weight on the calendar every morning so it's easy to look back several weeks (or a couple months) & see how far I've come.

And it's OK to be upset with yourself for getting a bit overweight. Resolve to take better care of yourself from here on - be mindful of what you eat, try to make good choices most of the time, exercise, etc. You need to realize you're changing your life, for good (for the better as well as permanently).

Your friend needs to realize that you're learning something new, and for a while it's going to be something you need to think about, so she'll be aware that you're paying attention to calories & macros. Eventually you'll get comfortable with it & it won't be obvious.
When I first learned to drive a manual transmission, and again when I learned to ride a motorcycle, I had to think about shifting. Now it's smooth.
She needs to stop being snarky (at the least). Preferably, she could say nice things about your efforts to get healthier.

scottwheeler75

Stress, anxiety, depression, and a whole bunch of other things cause my emotions to go up and down. I am excited one day then discouraged the next. I know we need mirrors and scales to track our progress but often, for many of us, those devices consistently provide us a distorted view of reality. I wish we could just focus on living a healthy and fit life and not worry so much about weight.

You are more than a reflection in the mirror! Accept that we have bad days and resolve to move forward, keep trying, don't give up!

-Scott

lisaw19855

I went to Sainsburys and put 10lbs of butter in my basket, made me feel a bit more positive. I guess it's just a long slow process, just feels like I gained weight faster than I'm losing it and I have to consider everything I eat xx

tulips_and_tea

Emotional days are normal and you will still have them after you reach your goal weight. That is part of life. For now, when negative emotions creep up talk back to yourself as you would a friend or even a stranger. For some reason we are inclined to be much more "mean" to ourselves than we would be to anyone else.

Good for you for remembering what that extra 10 lbs. feel like! That is exactly how you learn to manage emotions. Celebrate every little success. You deserve it!

Kevalicious99

Totally normal. Myself .. I had more emotional issues after getting to my goal weight. The one thing .. no one talks about is preparing yourself for the fact that you will not be the same person you were before. The emotional part can be far harder than the actual losing of the weight, at least it was in my case.

unknown

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GothyFaery

I get those all the time and I've been doing this for over a year and a half now. Just push forward as best you can. Today is a down day, tomorrow might be an up day (emotionally speaking). I've had days I literally started crying because I realized I couldn't fit in a slice of cake. in my defense this was around TOM Those are the days you either call it a wash or you find a way to workout extra to earn more calories. Every day is going to be different with different challenges so you can really only take it one day at a time. Hope that helps...

Oh and remember you are making progress, no matter how slowly it seems!!

logicalinks

lisaw19855 wrote: »

Today a friend said I'm obsessed with losing weight and counting calories, but it's ok when they can eat what they like and not put a ounce of weight on.

I'm not sure why this line stuck out to me, but I want to address it. Yes, people CAN get obsessed with losing weight and counting calories, but I think, especially at the beginning of a plan or a new routine, it is extremely important to be mindful and focused. Others may perceive that as "obsessed." Let them. Your journey isn't about them. It's about you and what you need to do to make this a sustainable lifestyle.

And, yes, there are some people whose metabolism or youth allow them to eat more relative to you, and not seem to gain weight. Who knows? Maybe they're purging? Maybe they don't eat much when you're not around them? You don't know the totality of their eating habits (probably not anyway... unless it's a close family member). And that's why it's extremely important not to compare yourself to anyone else... not in effort, not in results, nor looks, nor struggles, nor victories, etc. The only person you should compare yourself to is the person you were yesterday. And if you're doing today, something better for yourself than you did yesterday, you will eventually reach your goal... even with the emotional ups and downs along the way.

Hang in there! You can do this!!

lisaw19855

Thank you for the support, my eating is good and I'm enjoying it so I'm not eating sad salads all day I'm still getting treats to fit in my calories. I guess today I just realised that if I had sorted my emotions out months ago and got into a similar routine I'd not be in this mess.

Glad it's not just me that struggles. I don't have periods due to my depo injection so could be my TOM without me realising it.

bainsworth1a

emotions are the hardest part of this. I have an old picture of myself when I first started to diet and thought I was fat. It is my goal weight picture now. I am finally having success because I changed my mind. I used to say to myself "i just can't lose weight" Now I tell myself "I can do this. I am doing this" and if a bad day comes I tell myself I am making better choices even if not perfect.

Good luck to you YOU can do this!!

AllTheNoms

I started keeping a journal lately which has helped a lot. I am sure that a lot of what I write looks like the rantings of a mad woman, but it's been a great way to vent my frustrations and talk myself off a ledge on the days when I am feeling down. I also like going back to read my entries from the days I was fired up ... gives me momentum to dig back in and keep pushing forward.