Is my food "obsession" normal?

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  • gle8442
    gle8442 Posts: 126 Member
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    A little of this is normal (we all love to eat, that's how we got into this mess) but when it starts to take on obsessive proportions, try upping your calories a little and see if it gets better.

    Back when I was in college I ate at 1200 calories/day for an entire year, while doing over an hour of intense cardio a day. Eventually I would leave Food Network on 24/7 (no other channel) and spend hours a day reading recipes online. NOT GOOD!
  • MissBabyJane
    MissBabyJane Posts: 538 Member
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    I'm the same... Constantly counting calories in my mind...
  • kindrabbit
    kindrabbit Posts: 837 Member
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    Being the way you are has lost you 75 lbs so I would say that as long as you are happy dint knock it!

    For the record I am the same but I have found that if I ever want to succeed in anything you have to give it your all. I have to totally submerge myself in the way of life or the weight will just go back on. I don't mind it, it gives me a focus. If I wasn't obsessed with calorie counting it would be sometimes else. At least its a healthy obsession.
  • melimomTARDIS
    melimomTARDIS Posts: 1,941 Member
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    Reinventi0n wrote: »
    I have lost over 75 pounds this past year and while my relationship with food has improved, I still find myself to be somewhat obsessed with it. While I am able to control myself around it better, I often spend a lot of my time thinking about it.

    For example, I am constantly planning and thinking ahead about what I get to eat next, how many calories it is, how much of it I can eat, how can I work a treat into my day, ect. When I go out I am constantly flipping over products or looking at menus to see calorie counts. I spend large amount of time thinking about food. I am starting to wonder if I am borderline obsessed with it. I am a foodie and food brings me a great deal a pleasure,(I won't deny that) but I am wondering if my love of food is too extreme.

    Can anyone relate to this?

    Is this normal or could I have an unhealthy obsession with food?

    losing 75 lbs isnt normal, and who says normal is good anyway? I lost 60 lbs, and I do think about food a lot, mentally count calories, what have you. Its not normal, but its not harmful.
  • ashypashy7
    ashypashy7 Posts: 50 Member
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    I've lost 118 lbs and I think about food 24/7. I'm always planning what I'll eat next, what would be best to eat, what to make the family. I know the calories in almost everything in my house. Before I started on my health journey, I didn't think about food much, just put it in my mouth, thus gaining all that weight. There is a balance, when I get closer to my goal weight, I tend to level off a bit more. I don't think it's not normal, your aware of what your putting into your body.
  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
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    The way I see it, a little obsession is good for people who have had real problems with overeating like myself.

    It might not be "normal" to be so concerned with your caloric intake, or to plan meals out so carefully, but not doing that is what got me to where I was, and I never... ever want to go back there.

    I lost the privilege of normal eating by stuffing myself up to 300+ lbs.
  • SaraBeth041805
    SaraBeth041805 Posts: 5 Member
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    Wow I am so glad I am not alone. I do the same thing; thinking about what calories are in what foods, how much can be burned by certain exercises, planning meals with the sole purpose of maximum nutrition and a low cal meal. Great to know you all can identify :)
  • WickedPineapple
    WickedPineapple Posts: 698 Member
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    ncfitbit wrote: »
    Here's my .02: Does your "obsessing" interfere with your life in any significant way you don't like? Has it hurt your ability to do your work or enjoy other aspects of your life or does it interfere somehow with your relationship with others? If not, and it has helped you lose 75 lbs (amazing!) then I would say it's probably not a problem for you.

    ^This. If this way of thinking is causing you anxiety then you might have a problem. If not, then you're probably not overly 'obsessed'.
  • jazzine1
    jazzine1 Posts: 280 Member
    edited March 2015
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    OP you are not alone!! I am the same way. I think about food 24/7, I log my food for the next day the night before. I am constantly googling to find out the calories of certain foods and trying to figure out what to eat that taste great and has the least calories so I still have more of them. I also record weekly episodes of Chopped, Hell Kitchen, Dust til Dawn and every other cooking and food shows on the food networks. Other than that I live a normal life and my obsession doesn't interfere with my daily life. So I guess that means I'm ok :)
  • beachlandia
    beachlandia Posts: 45 Member
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    I do the same exact thing, I think the problem for me might be that I'm eating too little so I'm planning on upping my calories. When I was eating 1800 calories a day I only thought about food when I was hungry or about to eat, now I'm at 1200 and for the past few months I can hardly think about anything but my next meal.

    Someone told me about a "starvation study" someone did once where they took men who were eating 3000 calories a day (not overweight, they were active) and dropped them to 1500 and they became preoccupied with food, reading cookbooks all day (this was before TV I think, now the equivalent would probably be watching the Food Network a lot), chewing gum and drinking large amounts of coffee. This is what made me consider that maybe my food obsession would lessen if I ate a bit more. If you think your obsession is a real problem then I would consider eating more and making sure you are not underweight.
  • jazzine1
    jazzine1 Posts: 280 Member
    edited March 2015
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    @beachlandia Yes the The Minnesota Starvation Experiment.

    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minnesota_Starvation_Experiment
  • kissa714
    kissa714 Posts: 65 Member
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    welcome to calorie counting and weightloss.
  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    That was normal for me. I was obsessed with food and a good portion of my day revolved around planning out my meals, snacks and watching the clock for when I could eat next. There was no way that way of eating would have been sustainable for me long term; after only six months it was already wearing on me and getting harder and harder to maintain.

    So I made the changes necessary for me to be able to maintain my weight without so much time and effort. Which just boils down to eating LCHF so my appetite is normal and I can trust my hunger signals, larger meals so I don't need or even want to snack throughout the day and no after dinner eating.

    It probably sounds weird with the eat-all-the-time, anytime-is-a-good-time-to-eat food culture we have now but I remember growing up with these same restrictions so it feels right and good to return to eating this way.
  • bogden78
    bogden78 Posts: 172 Member
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    This is a question I ask myself. So glad to know I'm not alone. I think it's perfectly normal, since what got me overweight was eating whatever the hell I wanted. So now that I am doing something about it, I really have to watch and plan. You're not alone!! Add me to the loony bin if it isn't normal, lol

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