Anxiety about eating

CityOfButts
CityOfButts Posts: 7
edited October 2 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm getting too obsessed with counting calories and I'm begging to obtain some rather unhealthy anxieties towards foods. I can't eat anything that's not prepackaged diet foods without having a full-blown panic attack and I won't eat more than the serving size so I never meet my suggested daily requirements. I lost weight and now I have this irrational fear about eating anything more than a couple granola bars a day will make me gain it all back. I feel kinda pathetic that I went from shoveling everything in my mouth to feeling afraid to put anything in my mouth. Does anyone have any advice on what I can do to get rid of this anxiety?

Replies

  • bridetobe310711
    bridetobe310711 Posts: 183
    aww i feel for you... maybe you should contact your doc?x
  • xunsungxherox
    xunsungxherox Posts: 45
    you need to see a specialist maybe a referall by a doctor, sounds like you are on the verge of an eating disorder. You are doing great on your diet, looks like you have already lost a lot based on your sig. Take it easy or you will end up in a bad way.
  • wriglucy
    wriglucy Posts: 1,064 Member
    That almost sounds like you could be developing some unhealthy habits. I would try to do some self talk...like "this isn't going to hurt me, it's okay to eat it." If that doesn't work, you may need to see someone. I don't want to overstep my bounds here, but it almost sounds like you could be starting to develop an eating disorder. At least you're aware of your fears though, and hopefully you can get through this.

    Good luck! :)
  • Sabineslims
    Sabineslims Posts: 70
    Perhaps it would be healthy to write out your goals and why you want to get healthy. You can't look at this as a short term. It needs to be a lifestyle change. In order to lose weight and maintain it, you have to do this for life. Yes, you can lose weight by not eating but will it be forever? No, you'll die.
    Get a healthy relationship with food. Choose what is good for your body and take pride in the fact that you are choosing the healthy options. There is nothing sexier than a fit body that clearly says 'I respect my body'.
    You will only hurt yourself on the alternative route.
  • CityOfButts
    CityOfButts Posts: 7
    I'm thinking I might need to but I just need to find a way to power through this so I don't make myself sick. I got dizzy the other day and fell down the stairs outside of my house and since then I've been trying to just get through it but it's just not getting better as quickly as I'd like it to.
  • McKayMachina
    McKayMachina Posts: 2,670 Member
    Cognitive behavior therapy. Google it. Read as much as you can and start implementing it. Obsessive behavior can be conquered. Good luck.
  • Scoochie1
    Scoochie1 Posts: 121 Member
    I can see how the calorie counting can become obsessional, and the prepacked foods are so much handier. You can make up your own Recipies though which is great. Maybe have a 'day off' where you eat sensibly but don't count or log the food? But binging and starving is not the way to go. Hope it all works out ok!
  • philOHIO
    philOHIO Posts: 520 Member
    learn to prepare foods with lots of veggies added, pre-plan your meals. You'll learn what you should and shouldn't have, easing the anxiety.
  • CityOfButts
    CityOfButts Posts: 7
    I'm on the wiki page right now and that definitly seems like something I'm going to look into. Thank you.
  • KellysDiet78
    KellysDiet78 Posts: 80
    Hey there,
    I totally get where you are coming from... I am on a STRICT CALORIE controlled diet, and have set quite a low target each day (1000kcls a day max).
    When i first started it I would get so panicky about what I was eating and like you unless it had a label on with how many calories it had etc, then it would not go in my mouth... I would often just not eat as I would get so stressed with what calories were in things.. I would also get panic attacks.. i suffer from anxiety anyway and have been taking tablets for this for years, so to now add the whole eating thing on to my attacks too really stressed me about..
    About 2 months ago I decided to PREPLAN everything I eat, I have done a 14 days schedule seperating it in to 3 meals a day, 2 snacks and drinks - I worked out all the calories in advance to go with the food intake and have ensured that no one day every exceeds the 1000kcls limit I have set myself.. I have been doing this plan as I say for 2 months now and I have lost 28lbs and have also maintained my target weight for the last month !
    I agree with the others below saying that you might need some help, but I think you can help yourself by just PREPLANNING what you are going to eat ... obviously you might have the off bad day if your plans change whatever, but most days you can stick ot the plan.
    I know people might say my calorie intake is on the low side, but if I can eat 5 times a day, go to bed with a satisfied tummy and still stick to my new slim figure, then I am a very happy lady..
    I am happy to send you my food plan if you think it will help you..
    Either way, good luck and just remind yourself that starving will get you no where as your body will go into starvation mode and hang on to fat.. Its not good..
    :-)
  • CityOfButts
    CityOfButts Posts: 7
    Thank you, that would be absolutely wonderful if you could send me your food plan.
  • Frappuzzino
    Frappuzzino Posts: 342 Member
    It sounds like you are developing an eating disorder. At one point I thought I was becoming obsessed with counting calories, but it was not nearly as bad as yours sounds. If you cannot get it under control, I would suggest visiting a therapist. :) You want to lose weight while making sure your body is nourished and healthy!
  • Peep_chic
    Peep_chic Posts: 369 Member
    May I also suggest that you get a food scale. You know pre packaged food is easier and I have it quite often but your body can benefit from fresh fruits and veggies. There's plenty of fresh food on the food database by weight here on mfp which has proven to me to be very accurate (I added a few myself too). Plus unless you dont like them at all it might not be very realistic or good for ya to reject them forever. They bulk up in your plate, are low calories and can give you some vitamins you might lack from having just prepackaged food. Also I have the benefit that with the food scale I can have as much of a serving as I want. You know that next to the serving there is a weight of a serving (in grams or so) once the food is in the database by the weight you can have as much of a serving of a product as you want (not just that 1 perfect serving). Anyways I hope you feel better towards food and you can make healthier choices that feel normal and good in the long run.
  • Aviendha_RJ
    Aviendha_RJ Posts: 600 Member
    I'm getting too obsessed with counting calories and I'm begging to obtain some rather unhealthy anxieties towards foods. I can't eat anything that's not prepackaged diet foods without having a full-blown panic attack and I won't eat more than the serving size so I never meet my suggested daily requirements.

    Alright... eating disorders. Been there, done that. I used to go about a week on 2000 calories in college. Yeah. I said it... a WEEK. I lost and unhealthy 35lbs in 3 months... plummetting to 120lbs at 5'8". I had dizzy spells. I had spots dancing in my vision when I woke up in the morning. I would have to quit after only 10 minutes of physical activity. I was in ROUGH shape.

    You HAVE to start slow. I would suggest getting yourself a set of weigh scales. Start with fruits & vegetables because you KNOW those are good for you, & they are VERY low calorie. They won't throw your brain out of whack, I promise you. Get yourself some stuff to make a healthy salad. Some yogurt & berries, granola. Trust me... find one recipe that you like & become VERY monogomous.

    And yeah... see a psychologist. It helps. You may feel like you're losing your mind.... but you're becomming addicted to weight loss. That's not healthy.
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