Food Guilt

knxjg6yvyr
knxjg6yvyr Posts: 15 Member
in Food and Nutrition

As someone who is extremely overweight and trying to make healthy changes, one thing I am struggling with is food guilt. I don’t overindulge, I actually have been under my calorie goals most days. The issue is I feel guilty EVERY time I eat whenever I am on a diet. It’s like every time I put food in my mouth I feel bad about it even if it’s healthy food like vegetables. Does anyone have advice to stop feeling guilty or shameful about food consumption? I know I need to eat but I just need to find a way to make myself not feel bad about it every time I do.

Replies

  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,836 Member

    I feel bad no one's answered you yet. It's unlike this community altho I think most are thinking the same thing…this is something you should probably discuss with a therapist (if you can afford one).

    But try to think of it this way. Are you stealing candy from babies to eat? Are you knocking off the local grocery store for that salad or chicken and broccoli or whatever healthy things you're eating? Are you grabbing the food you're putting in your mouth off other people's plates when you go out to eat shocking them because give them back that fry! :)

    Plus, if you don't eat, you die. (Tough love, bayyyyyyyyyyyyybe.)

    ←——obviously not a therapist

  • SafariGalNYC
    SafariGalNYC Posts: 2,116 Member

    when you are on a diet- maybe it’s helpful to think about food as “nourishment” - you can’t make your body better if you aren’t kind to it. Think of it as energy, fuel to lose weight and increase stamina.

    I feel guilty when I have too much coffee or too much wine.. I’m like damn who couldn’t I stay on track? Maybe identify why it’s making you feel guilty only when you are dieting.

  • Corina1143
    Corina1143 Posts: 4,765 Member

    I wish I could copy and paste pictures. I haven't figured out how.

    Search "Human body food". Remember your body is a temple. Take care of your temple. Fill it with the good stuff.

    Maybe figure out "why" you feel that way?

  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 36,487 Member

    It can be difficult to use logic to address what is more about emotion, and I'm far from expert in that. If this is a severe problem for you, I'd encourage you to consider consulting a counselor of some type who's expert in eating-related issues. There should be no stigma in that: We call a mechanic when the car is making alarming noises we can't figure out, and it should be no different to consult a counselor when we have thought-patterns issues we're struggling with. That's why professionals exist.

    If you're not able to do that for some reason, consider some of the self-help resources available. I haven't used it, but some people here have recommended the book "The Beck Diet Solution" as a sort of self-therapeutic guide (not an eating plan or "diet book" in the usual sense). Some of the mainstream disordered eating support nonprofits (like National Eating Disorders Association) have self-help resources, as do some respected major medical centers or universities. I'd suggest avoiding online for-pay sources, at least until you have some knowledge from reliable free sources or your medical team. There are too many scammy sources on the internet trying to make $$ more than help people.

    I don't know whether this applies to you, but it's quite common in our culture to food-shame people who are dieting or whom others perceive need to diet. That can affect our own thought patterns. Sometimes, also, we can internalize an idea that being overweight is a sin that we need to expiate by suffering. That's simply not true. Being overweight is more like a health risk that a reasonable eating routine - reasonable calories and nutrition - will improve.

    What I think is true is that each of us is a person of value and worth who deserves to be happy and healthy. Committing to being healthier is a wonderful sign of self-valuing, and if weight loss is part of that effort, you are to be congratulated for committing to work on it. Getting enough calories is the foundation of health. Eating too few is unhealthful, more self-punishing than self-valuing; and there's no way to get truly adequate nutrition on way too few calories. We need food to live, and to thrive.

    Eating healthfully is an investment in our health and well-being, and by being healthier we can be in a better position to help others, too.

    IMO, IME, the real goal here is finding a path we can individually sustain long enough to lose any excess weight at a sensibly moderate pace, then stay at that healthy weight long term. That's part of the definition of a healthy life, good overall life balance.

    It may take some perseverance and patience, but I think you can work your way through this.

    Best wishes for success!

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