Does anyone feel LESS happy during his/her weight loss

I dunno, I'm not an expert and I don't have any studies, but it looks like you have at least recognised how you got where you were. Now to find something that makes you as happy as food did. I love to cook and eat (think Masterchef here...) and I'm very happy in the kitchen. But I think I enjoy feeding other people as much as I do eating it myself. I don't enjoy the gym (treadmills and cross trainers leave me cold) but I love walking outdoors and I love dancing. Find your happy.

Let us know how you get on.

^^^ that. I used to turn to food for comfort. Much like a drug addict would comfort themselves with a fix. I no now that it was a "quick fix" to a "happy" or feeling Comforted. Because at the end of the day, the things that made me feel sad and depressed and anxious were still there. I still have anxiety and suffer depression but am trying to deal with those things without a "food-fix" and I feel so much more confident, positive and happy 14.5kg into my weight loss. I play piano again, I dance with my kids in my lounge almost every night, I play football too. My happy places. Good luck, keep us posted, there are many supportive people here who always have an ear to lend

I'm curious what you mean by binge and also being less happy.

I am an emotional/stress eater, so giving up that (I sometimes slip) meant giving up a way I had of making myself temporarily happy if I felt things were bad. Fear of losing that kept me from getting my eating under control for a while. Doing that did not actually make me happy, though -- I felt bad afterwards, and although I did not binge from what I hear from many who did/do, they also felt bad afterwards (and often even during -- feeling out of control can be a bad and terrifying feeling).

Probably as a result of this, I actually felt much happier almost immediately after I got started on a more controlled eating pattern and felt good overall about how I was eating. I also found that it had benefits in terms of more consistent energy, a lack of the highs and lows associated with food. However, I still had that panicky "oh goodness, what to do about bad feelings" and a natural tendency to depression that I had to find other ways of dealing with (for me meditation, journaling, sitting with the feelings, music, exercise, especially running).

Do I sometimes miss being able to just eat whatever I felt like and as much as my heart desired, without thinking about it? Sure, but that to me does not make me less happy.

bapity88 wrote: »

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

bapity88 wrote: »

The first 30-40 lbs gone I was feeling healthier and happier. Ten months total now and 55 lbs down, I feel like it's a never ending journey and I'll be dieting forever. I only have 15 lbs left to lose, but it's seeming farther and farther away for some reason. I think I'm just absolutely sick of weight loss, dieting, watching everything I eat, logging it all, and having it go so slowly these days. It gets exhausting and depressing sometimes. BUT I don't want to cry every time I look in the mirror anymore, so that's a plus. lol

If you want to maintain the loss after you get to goal, it is a never ending journey. Ceasing to pay attention to diet once weigh loss goals are reached are why most people regain the weight. It really is a lifelong thing.

Yeah, but I feel like I'll be much happier having maintenance calories of around 1700 versus my current weight loss calories of only 1200.

Yes, I imagine so.

Their is a certain euphoria that comes from satiating foods such as fat and sugar. I for one, have found that I top out in the happy department after a few months of watching my weight. Then I can sit in front of Netflix at 11pm and eat candy and chips and feel SO happy... Then as I pack on the weight and the unhappiness settles in when I realize my clothing doesn't fit. I realized long ago that I cant have my cake and eat it too ... eating what I want makes me heavy. Realizing that I weigh 18 pounds more than I should, and having my pants roll down, ultimately made me so unhappy that it trumped eating what I want . Its a vicious cycle!

Remember to treat yourself a cheat meal every week. Experiment with cooking different foods, trying different foods and always try and improve. Let yourself have that glass of wine in the middle of week but only have one. Start doing fun things that are active. Rearrange your home. Reward yourself by buying something new for your living space... We have to replace our old habits and find something that will give us the same feeling Sometimes that includes buying ourselves flowers to brighten our space!

Is it possible that your binging covered an issue that you're now dealing with, and that's the cause of your sadness? When I was heavier I felt really upset with myself and anyone who treated me badly because of my weight. I binged to cover those feelings, and felt temporarily better. Now I deal with my feelings, so in a sense I feel sadness, anger, and disappointment more often. Another source of unhappiness is not reaching goals yet or not achieving certain expectations.

delgrand wrote: »

Thanks everybody for sharing information, tips and experiences

I am not currently depressed. I don't think I qualify for being depressed. But I used to laugh more and enjoy silly things and activities( for example playing paper scissors rock with my nephew !). But maybe I feel sad. I don't feel tired or deprived from certain food type.

I was not sad before I decided to lose weight. I am not trying to lose weight to feel happy. I was a very happy person. Did I use binging to cover other stuff? I don't know the answer to this but I did not have any major stresses.
There is something that satisfies me when I eat 8 slices of my favorite Pizza at a time or 5 pieces of a delicious cake that I like. It is not that I don't eat those anymore, but eating 8 slices of what I find extremely delicious is more satisfying than eating just one or two. I also used to binge after a hard day at work and it gave me instant relief. Eating too much food made me happy.

Overeating triggers the release of endorphins.