Letting this consume my life....

Bump... I feel obsessed, too. All I think about is school, food, working out.

For MOST people it does get better. I felt the same way for the first 8 weeks or 3 months or so. It was SUCH a change in my life that I had to think about it all the time because I had to plan out EVERYTHING I ate, and EVERYTHING I did (for working out). So it was consuming.

But what I found happened as I went a long was that I didn't feel as hungry (because I had been over eating so much it took awhile to feel full with NORMAL portions) and I didn't have to obsess over everything because I knew what I should and should not be eating and what my work outs were normally.

So just over 1 year later I still think about food and working out every day but not every second of every day.

It can be incredibly overwhelming. This is how I look at it, and always will. I work out first thing, as soon as I get out of bed, then it's done for the day. You don't have to kill yourself working out either, start out slow. After, have a healthy breakfast to replenish your body. Then go about your day When you have some free time, write down some meal ideas for the coming day, week, etc. Stand by them, makes it much easier. Prepare foods for that day can be great, too. I chop up veggies, prepare a nice salad, cook up some chicken breasts for quick added protein for my salad. Being prepared is a key component in weight loss. If one waits til they are hungry, it's easy to grab something that may not be the best choice. Hope some of these ideas help you. Remember, you have all the power to change, you can do it!!!

I'm really in to it right now too, so you're definitely not alone but try not to obsess. You've done fantastic so far, so maybe you need to take a few days off. Just relax, get a massage, workout only if you feel like it, and try to eat healthy. Maybe take a weekend to do this? It's hard work losing weight and you're doing great. Also try and remember that this is for life. you can make a mistake, that's part of life. You need a life change to have a healthy lifestyle, that means you can't burn out after you lost the weight. You need to be doing things you can keep doing when you reach your goal weight.

This is the same for me when I started, and sometimes will happen again. I think with all the changes its easy to get wrapped up in it all. But over time it does get easier. I found I had to force myself to a schedule (because of work. I am self employed with deadlines, so I can't afford to be slipping up!).

Take it all one day at a time!

i am the same - i let it consume my life too but reading what the others have kindly mentioned once things settle down and you see the weight coming off - it will automatically settle into you eating the right foods without really realising it and exercising fits in naturally too

I had a similar experience when I first began counting calories. I was using a journal and logging everything I ate - it was just too overwhelming. I even tried MFP in the past and found it all-consuming to the point where I just gave up. This time when I re-joined, I gave myself a week to focus on getting into a routine of logging food, eating sensibly and exercising regularly. I still did my work (I'm writing my dissertation currently, so I am able to make my own hours), but I wasn't as focused as usual. I basically saw it as I was taking a week off work to focus on myself. I don't think one should need to do that, but I was determined to make it work this time and it was necessary for me to do at the time. After that week I then added my regular writing routine back into my new exercise routine while following my meal plans. Classes started again last week, so I've also added my teaching schedule and so far I've been able to stick to it (and better than I ever thought I would!).

For me, what helped was using the food log to actually plan out my meals. I basically "log" a week in advance (I also find it helpful for making my grocery shopping list). I eat the same thing for breakfast or lunch every day (although sometimes I switch it up - but basically I "choose" between two or three options). My snacks are always the same - either a piece of fruit and some peanut butter or a piece of cheese, carrots and hummus, or a granola bar. Dinner is usually a protein with a ton of steamed veggies. If I go out for dinner, eating similar breakfast and lunch meals every day also helps since then I know how many calories I have to work with for dinner. I also now wake up an hour early every day to go to the gym. That way I get it over with and it does not conflict with my work. I work best with routines, so for me it was all about having a set routine in place. Once that happened, I was able to push it to the back of my mind. Eventually, it should just flow with your regular work routine.