Mentally Exhausted
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Unless the food contains something like cocaine or heroin, there's nothing addictive in it (despite what the woosters would have you believe). That addiction is more a mental thing, and food is really no more addictive than say petting puppies. Sometimes we put a lot more pressure on ourselves and complicate weight loss way more than it has to be. Cutting out things we love and then berating ourselves over not being able to have it or "giving in" when we do can be more detrimental than say learning how to make it work. It's as much a mental game (if not more) than a physical one. I do think the advice to take a step back is a good one, if only temporarily. Perhaps readjust the plan. Pick smaller steps and once you've mastered one, head on to the next. Big changes are built from small ones. Many of us had to re-think how we thought about food, and no it's not always easy. But it is worth the effort.10
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We need to eat food to live, but culturally, because we need food, we've turned it into a social thing. We now view eating/sharing food as a bonding exercise.
You can too. Just because you can't have as much food as before doesn't mean you can't enjoy what you have now.
Well, you don't have to get there right away. Give it time. Hate is a destructive feeling. Work on ambivalence: don't care about it one way or the other.
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elisa123gal wrote: »elisa123gal wrote: »I just wrote this in another post..but I'll repeat it here.. I think about what I CAN eat... not what I can't. Thinking in terms of a deficit and limiting food intake is too negative and draining for me. That makes me think about food in a negative way and food should be celebrated.
I just ate the wrong foods that didn't feed my body..how I enjoy assembling big salads with a variety of lettuces, dicing white and green onions, heirloom tomatoes, and red a yellow peppers with cucumbers. Maybe sear a few sea scallops to go with it and have a portion of basmati rice with chopped mint from my garden. That's my mindset.
I don't want to look at food as celebration but strictly for survival. I HATE food and what it does to people. Other things should be meant to be enjoyed! Life experiences, walks, nice views, family gatherings, etc... Why is food always there! The hold that food has on us as a society disgust me! Sorry to say...
If you hate food and can just eat for survival losing weight should be a cake walk for you. (pardon the pun). I love food, I see it as art and an expression of love and that it tells the stories of cultures and societies..
along with my love for food I travel and experience many things in life.. and I fit very well into my airplane seat as I do..
I don't think you quite understand when I say I HATE food. I HATE what it does to me physically amd mentally. I know I'm going through withdrawal right now because I've been eating like crap this year but that's just because of the way food is made now.
You gotta repair that relationship with food. I hated food while I was binge eating. Wasn't fun. I had to slow down and learn to like food again, even if that meant a little more gain, because trying to control food intake while you hate it doesn't work. Gets exhausting quickly. I learned how to cook (not well, but better, lol) and I learned how to present food and eat slowly and get cute plates and *kitten*. I just had to cultivate my relationship with food because it was important to me. The only other thing you can do is make food less important in your life, but for most people that's just not really a thing.7 -
Everyone else has already said it so wonderfully, but it truly does get better. I sort of link my hunger issues with my anxiety issues - I try to focus on my coping skills when either gets bad. Try to distract yourself, make sure to keep around things you enjoy. It also helps to make what is available food-wise healthier options. I have found the more I rely on those choices, the more I crave it over unhealthy things.
Stay strong, you've got this!3 -
Everyone else has already said it so wonderfully, but it truly does get better. I sort of link my hunger issues with my anxiety issues - I try to focus on my coping skills when either gets bad. Try to distract yourself, make sure to keep around things you enjoy. It also helps to make what is available food-wise healthier options. I have found the more I rely on those choices, the more I crave it over unhealthy things.
Stay strong, you've got this!
Thank you I will try and put all this advice into practice 1 -
I feel the same way. I finally lost some weight and now its a battle of i want to eat what i used to but i still have more wight to loose. Its a constant struggle but for me it helps having some support. Feel free to message me0
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The problem is that trying to eat different or less and tracking everything makes you think about food ALL the time so you can go a bit food crazy some times with it on your mind non stop.
After so long I see I have calories leftover in the diary and you just find yourself thinking you can eat more because there's calories left.
If you're genuinely hungry then eat, but just be careful what you're eating and drink a glass of water to make sure it's not thirst which also gives you the wrong messages of hunger instead of thirst.
Give yourself a evening cut off time where you must not eat anymore.
Mines 9pm.
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I'm so sorry you are having to come back after an accident. Gaining weight because of enforced immobility of some kind is so hard, may be because of background frustration from letting the situation get away from you in the first place, back when you needed to eat to ensure adequate proteins and essential elements in a good quantity to aid your recovery. Please do not be hard on yourself. May be, if going into maintenance to be able to take a breather and set up your past coping strategies is not what you want to do could you perhaps reduce your target each week, even setting and keeping to 1lb, even 1/2 a lb would still be progress but could give you the space to be kind to yourself. Primarily, take care of yourself properly, for you.1
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I'm so sorry you are having to come back after an accident. Gaining weight because of enforced immobility of some kind is so hard, may be because of background frustration from letting the situation get away from you in the first place, back when you needed to eat to ensure adequate proteins and essential elements in a good quantity to aid your recovery. Please do not be hard on yourself. May be, if going into maintenance to be able to take a breather and set up your past coping strategies is not what you want to do could you perhaps reduce your target each week, even setting and keeping to 1lb, even 1/2 a lb would still be progress but could give you the space to be kind to yourself. Primarily, take care of yourself properly, for you.
Well I had some beers over the weekend but back at it hard tomorrow. Thank you for your kind words and advice 0 -
I think the worst part about trying to lose weight is the constant battle inside your head. I feel like I have a split personality and it scares me. I will literally lay in bed at night and convince myself not to go to the fridge. All day I'm constantly fighting with myself it shouldn't be this exhausting. I want to so bad and I am so good when it comes to setting my mind to it. I can actually do it but in the beginning it is all mine games Within Myself. It is scary and frustrating and I feel so emotionally drained by the end of the day. Does anybody else feel this way? Any advice? Or if you just want to rant about what I just said or relate to what I just said. Rant over
Sounds like you may have an anxiety problem. Try some meditation, mindfulness exercises. Easier said than done but try to remember that thoughts don't equal reality.
If you're really struggling consider seeing your dr who might be able to help.2 -
Sorry I'm late to this discussion. I hope you are still here, OP.
Your comments really hit home for me because I know someone who says those same sorts of things. I have to confess that I don't completely understand. It seemed like she blamed the food for making her love it. Or blamed the producers of food for conspiring to addict her to it. Or blamed herself for... something, I don't really know what. Either way she gets obsessed with food day and night and is in despair that she can ever lose weight. It hurts my heart to see her so unhappy.
What I suggested was to not even try to cut back on anything, but to just log it in her food diary here for a week or so. Then when she was in a better frame of mind look at it and see if there was some little thing she could change. No, she could not because simply paying enough attention to her eating to be able to estimate it and log it makes her miserable.
So I then suggested she simply stop trying to lose weight for now or forever. It's not as if she is massively over weight. She thinks she needs to lose 50 lbs but she is by no means unhealthy or unattractive. No,my suggestion won't work because she hates the way she looks.
Now, I don't offer any comments on the subject even if she brings it up. I too have weight to lose and a tendency to binge on sweets and make stupid choices (ice cream for lunch) but I'm managing to slowly lose weight anyway. So slowly in fact that I don't think she has noticed.
I'm thinking she is someone who should find a method other than calorie counting. But perhaps I'm just fundamentally not getting what her struggle is really about.
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I think the worst part about trying to lose weight is the constant battle inside your head. I feel like I have a split personality and it scares me. I will literally lay in bed at night and convince myself not to go to the fridge. All day I'm constantly fighting with myself it shouldn't be this exhausting. I want to so bad and I am so good when it comes to setting my mind to it. I can actually do it but in the beginning it is all mine games Within Myself. It is scary and frustrating and I feel so emotionally drained by the end of the day. Does anybody else feel this way? Any advice? Or if you just want to rant about what I just said or relate to what I just said. Rant over
YES!!!! EVERY DAY IS INDEED A BATTLE...
Things that may hell a bit include...
Meditation
Walking meditation
Journaling-write out your anger and frustration...I CURSE..draw crazy pics...add pics of my ideal body, home...etc.
MOST IMPORTANTLY👉Plan tomorrow out today...and by that I mean figure out TONIGHT what you will do TOMORROW, hour by hour, so you are not spending the day trying to figure out what to do with your time OTHER than think about food...STAYING BUSY IS KEY!!
Hope this helps...rooting for ya!1 -
I feel ya. I know it is hard. Keep going. You can do this!
My suggestion is to eat. Really. When you want to eat, eat. But of course don't eat all the bad things. Eat something high in fiber so it fills your belly, even if it makes you go over a bit. It's more important to address this hunger so you can be successful in the long term than it is to be very strict about your calories.0 -
It really can feel overwhelming at times, I agree. What helped me is to make one small change at a time, so:
- Just simply track everything for the first week. Not putting pressure on myself to hit any calorie goal; just building the habit
- Start trying to hit the calorie goal, but without focusing on the nutrition of it.
- Then start tweaking the nutrition
- Add a bit of light, pleasurable exercsie 3 times a week for like 20 minutes.
- Gradually increase the intensity or duration.
During this time I would do a weekly reflection of what positive things I had done for my new lifestyle that week. Slowly, I found it reprogrammed my thinking to be way more positive and proud of my hard work rather than exhausting.2 -
I have some of that... especially on weekends. For me, distraction is key. If I can keep myself busy (i.e. keep my mind on something OTHER than the fridge/pantry/liquor cabinet), then the whole process becomes infinitely easier. Unfortunately, that's not always easy to do... but just having that awareness has helped.0
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I'm logging and see that alchool is entirely the reason why I'm not to my goal... Its disgusting actually but know where I need to work on now. Thanks everyone! Much appreciate this advice2
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Giving up alcohol was one of the best things I have ever done for myself. I used to drink quite a bit and feel like a new and MUCH better person. I will have a small drink on occasion, but still rare. Give it a shot!3
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Giving up alcohol was one of the best things I have ever done for myself. I used to drink quite a bit and feel like a new and MUCH better person. I will have a small drink on occasion, but still rare. Give it a shot!
How did you get out of that habit!? It's such a part of our society and culture.
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IDK, I kinda disagree. I think people THINK it is such a big part of our society. I know more and more people who have stopped and all my friends and family have supported me and many have now chosen to do the same. But I had no problem making the switch. If I go to a bar with a group, I have found other things I can drink. Or I avoid the scene altogether if I know it will be a problem... but again, that's rare.6
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