Dealing with “eating guilt”

lvose5119 · December 2018

It’s difficult to put into words, but has anyone got tips on dealing with an almost guilt after eating? Even after half a pack of grapes and seeing how many calories are in it I felt a type of shame o think? I had a takeout pizza this evening for the first time in months and feel bad for it and know I’ll be feeling like this for a bit. But day to day I look at calorie content and get uncomfortable once one food reaches triple digits.

Has anyone else experienced this when starting their journey? I’ve only started using the app since the beginning of October and have lost a stone and half thus far. And so still have about another stone and a half/two stone to go but was hoping this anxiety would lessen a bit once I got the hang of it.

leanjogreen18 · December 2018

Guilt was lifted when I realized as long as I was in a deficit and my overall diet is nutritious I can eat whatever I want. I just don’t eat it in large quantities or often. It was very freeing not viewing food as bad for me.

callsitlikeiseeit · December 2018

grapes have never made me feel guilt

no food has ever made me feel guilt.

its just math. all my meals are in the tripe digits. shoot, my coffee creamer is in the triple digits.

manderson27 · December 2018

Never feel guilty about eating. Your body needs food to work. Just try to make sensible choices. If you slip up and overeat a bit just put it behind you and move on.

This is a process that takes time and patience we all have days where we don't do so well but if you keep as consistent as possible with meeting your calorie goal you will lose the weight. Feeling guilty achieves nothing except to stress you out. Relax, food is not the enemy.

Keep going and good luck.

paperpudding · December 2018

Lots of foods are triple digits - as in, more than 99 calories.

No, I don't feel guilty, especially not over things like grapes.

Perhaps if I ate something like a giant tub of ice cream in one sitting, I would - but have never been a binge type eater.

lynn_glenmont · December 2018

Most of my food diary entries are in the triple digits -- it's just things like coffee, a small amount of yogurt as a topping on some other food, some fruit servings, and some veggie servings that typically come in under 100 calories. Even when I eat something that puts me over my goal for the day, I don't feel guilty. It's not hurting anybody, unless you think of it as my eating more than my fair share of the global food supply.

cwolfman13 · December 2018

Well, I don't feel guilty because my body needs fuel to function...that's what food is. Hell, I need around 1800 calories just to exist, and I do way more than that.

Duck_Puddle · December 2018

Do you know what you feel guilty about? What do you feel ashamed of? Basically-what specifically is the thing you feel bad about?

Do you think you’ve done something wrong? Or do you think something bad is going to happen? Or...?

If you can identify what you feel guilty about (not eating the food-but what is the bag feeling), then you can work on fixing it.

Maybe think on that for a bit. Figure out what it is that makes you feel like you’ve done something you need to be ashamed of or guilty about.

Then counter those with a non-biased reality.

It’s not easy. But it’s doable.

Orphia · December 2018

Hugs! I'll shamelessly quote myself from an older thread.

Orphia wrote: »

http://www.melissatoler.com/blog/food-guilt-is-running-your-life

Some excerpts:

"Women feel the need to confess and atone because we've been taught that eating certain foods or eating too much is sinful. You're a naughty girl if you eat from the list of forbidden foods. The belief that you should strive for dietary perfection is so ingrained that it feels natural to label the Oreos you just had AND yourself as BAD if you have one too many."

"When it comes to food, women are not supposed to have what we want. And if we do have it, we should only enjoy it in limited, society-approved quantities.

"We go back and forth between using food as reward or punishment...and there are some days when you can't even tell the difference between the two.

"And the cycle goes on and on.

"The constant trips to and from the confessional become exhausting, boring, and stop you from fully living your life. The belief that you have to do penance suggests that what you're doing is somehow WRONG.

"How does it feel to know that engaging in the simple, natural act of eating is WRONG? Pretty *kitten*, right?

"So, what's a girl to do when you feel like you need to atone for your indulging in the forbidden fruit?

1. Understand that food is neither good nor bad; it has no inherent moral value.

2. Change the conversation. When you find yourself around people who start confessing their chocolate chip cookie sins from the night before, listen (because people want to be heard), then respectfully decline to take another trip down this rabbit hole.

3. Write down at least 10 things that are good about you or that you love about yourself. This is a great practice for reminding yourself that what you eat is not a reflection of who you are as a person. Your self worth is not dictated by what's on your plate. Ever.

"There is no such thing as dietary perfection. This is why you haven't been able to achieve it."

==

Hope this helps someone.

I'll add this pic I also found today which I think sums up a good attitude to food.

xoxo

Carmen_TX · December 2018

This is very common in our society, but it’s not healthy. Try to understand why you feel guilty and become more compassionate to yourself. You may find Brene Brown’s TED Talk on guilt and shame helpful in reframing this
https://upliftconnect.com/brene-brown-listening-to-shame/

lvose5119 · December 2018

Duck_Puddle wrote: »

Do you know what you feel guilty about? What do you feel ashamed of? Basically-what specifically is the thing you feel bad about?

Do you think you’ve done something wrong? Or do you think something bad is going to happen? Or...?

If you can identify what you feel guilty about (not eating the food-but what is the bag feeling), then you can work on fixing it.

Maybe think on that for a bit. Figure out what it is that makes you feel like you’ve done something you need to be ashamed of or guilty about.

Then counter those with a non-biased reality.

It’s not easy. But it’s doable.

I think what it is, is that I know I need to lose another two stone, in my head it feels like I shouldn’t indulge as much (for example a 400 calorie breakfast would seem indulgent and I’d feel my weight loss would be hindered if I ate lunch as well.

I always feel embarrassed about eating food in front of people I don’t know very well or making comments about food in fear of being “the fat girl and food”. I understand that it’s not the ideal mindset but I’m trying to get out of it.

Someone mentioned a TED talk I may look into as well when it’s not my Christmas..: (I was working on Christmas Day so having a delayed one...merry Christmas everyone!)

Dealing with “eating guilt”

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