An Unhealthy Obsession?

ChristinaLConway
ChristinaLConway Posts: 115 Member
edited October 3 in Health and Weight Loss
A friend of mine has been on this site for about a week now and though we are both trying to lose weight I was trying to avoid it. Why would I avoid a site that helps with my goal? Well, because I know myself. Things like this quickly turn into an obsession and I start to lose focus on everything else in my world. The only thing I can think about is what goes in my mouth.

Take yesterday for example, my first day. I spent the whole day looking at food ideas on here and then refusing to eat anything. This program spits out that I should be eating 1200cal/day so I immediately decide that it is important to stay at least 200cal/day under the limit. I did manage to eat some but I stared more at the mobile app then I did my work all day. I even got out of bed to look at it one more time and make sure I was still under the calorie limit (though I hadn't put anything in my mouth since the last time I looked at it). Though I went to bed hungry I went to bed 441cal under my limit.

I know all about putting your body into starvation mode and storing fat but its so hard not to do it. I do want to lose weight (a total of about 30lbs) but I do not want the focus of all my time to be thinking about food and either eating it or not eating it.

Am I the only one who feels like this?

Replies

  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    I catch myself doing the same thing. Even before baby came and I was supposed to be gaining weight, I didn't want to get within 300 calories of my limit >:(

    Best suggestion I can give - manually increase your calorie limit. Set it at about 1600 calories, that way when you're 400 under you're at the 1200 calorie goal. Add in exercise - that will let you eat more and stay in the green. And maybe plan out your food in advance (for the day) and focus on getting at least 5 servings of veggies, 2-3 of fruit, 2-3 of lowfat dairy, and 2 of protein. Also aim for whole grains instead of white starches. When you change your focus to meeting a certain amount of HEALTHY food each day, maybe it will be easier to get the right amount of calories.

    good luck!!
  • mazzmoo
    mazzmoo Posts: 70 Member
    Yes
    When I first started I was at 1200cals and for a couple of weeks I didn't really ever go over 1000, however once I got into the swing of things I relaxed a little and made an effort to get as close to my goal as possible.
    I have now upped my calories to 1300 and almost meet it every single day and don't really get hungry.

    Its hard but in the long run you need to be ating over 1200cals a day :)
  • Arabian♥Breeze
    Arabian♥Breeze Posts: 323
    I know exactly how you feel. and just to let you know if you feel this isn't right for you then you can still do this on your own. I lost 40 pounds before i joined. by just lowering my salt,sat fats,calories by sticking to serving sizes and i just new if i was over eating or eating something bad. and i worked out everyday for 30 to 60 min but i had to build up to 30 min. i went from 10min for week then 15 for a week to 30 and so on.

    I'm trying it out with MFP but thinking about food all day is kind of annoying idk how long i will last. but im giving it a try.

    good luck

    Mahalo xxoxox
  • HMonsterX
    HMonsterX Posts: 3,000 Member
    Obsessing, or just being focused, informed, aware?

    It also depends on how important losing the weight is. If it's the most important thing in your life, nothing wrong with obsessing a little bit until you find the balance.
  • karo224
    karo224 Posts: 292
    when i first started...i also obsessed on eveything that went into my mouth but it will calm down once you get a routine down. it is very important to make sure to at least hit 1200 everyday! the site is designed to give you the exact number calories to lose weight....you should not eat less than that....best of luck on your journey!
  • drvvork
    drvvork Posts: 1,162
    As time goes on it becomes 2nd nature to 'know' what is what. It will balance out and you should do well. I was the same at first as I was amazed how much I was eating and how my nutrients were out of wack and it took that bit of obsession to learn. I am now no longer getting on my app except to log what I've eaten. I know what foods I can eat and how much to stay where I need to be. Just hang in there! :-) You are in the learning process.
  • sandyberres
    sandyberres Posts: 4
    If the mobile ap is a problem with focus at work or other important times, I would suggest deleting the mobile ap. You can do everything you need to from a regular computer and it's easier to set limits for yourself.
  • GambleGurl
    GambleGurl Posts: 39
    I do the same thing and i watch calories taken in and then try and get high calories out with my workouts. But even though sometime i go over i dont fret about it and i dont leave anything off my food diary because that would be lying to myself. So i put in everything i do and even if im over that is just telling me to do better the next day. This site will def put things into perspective for you as far as what your eating. I could only imagine how many calories i was taking in before i started this. I am pretty much a starbucks addict and i was taking in about 1000 cals a day just from that. So imagine adding lunch and dinner to that. WOW! So im sure itll calm down and itll all work out for you,
  • Jessicaruby
    Jessicaruby Posts: 881 Member
    i have this same problem. while i do eat alot more (i am pretty active) i obsess about everything i eat, what i can not eat, this site, the number on the scale. i have OCD so it thrives on this kind of stuff and it drives everyone around me mad. i just try to eat a healthy balanced diet and i find alot of support on these forums. I would aim to eat alot of your calories though. you want to lose a healthy way not by starving yourself which is something you can not maintain. i find it helpful to me to remind myself this is not a diet but a lifestyle change and is not just about losing weight but about being happy and healthy on the inside. good luck
  • collinsellyson
    collinsellyson Posts: 18
    HMonsterX is right. I'm the same way, but I look at it as being so much more aware of what I'm eating. Measuring has become second nature to me and that took a month. I think that you doing your obsession thing isn't necessarily a bad thing in the begining because you're trying to figure things out. It's all new to you and your body. Now, if this continues after a few months, then I'd say yeah, maybe this site isn't best for you. Much luck and hugs girl!
  • collinsellyson
    collinsellyson Posts: 18
    HMonsterX is right. I'm the same way, but I look at it as being so much more aware of what I'm eating. Measuring has become second nature to me and that took a month. I think that you doing your obsession thing isn't necessarily a bad thing in the begining because you're trying to figure things out. It's all new to you and your body. Now, if this continues after a few months, then I'd say yeah, maybe this site isn't best for you. Much luck and hugs girl!
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
    If your MFP is set up to include your deficit already (ie if it says 1350 calories will cause you to lose weight) then I would absolutely suggest you get as close as possible to that number.

    Continual over-aggressive dieting habits often end in either eating disorders, or massive binges, and most certainly failed diets.

    This is a marathon, not a sprint. Set yourself up for success now.
  • MelissaGraham7
    MelissaGraham7 Posts: 406 Member
    MFP doesn't make you obsess about food. You make you obsess about food. MFP is simply a means of being accountable (logging) for what you eat and making you aware (again my logging) of your activities. We usually eat more than we think and are active less than we think. Hence, we get fat, not fit. MFP simply is a means of being accountable. It certainly doesn't make you obsess or think overly about food. And, if we are overweight we NEED to be aware and accountable of what we are eating and doing.
  • shelly650
    shelly650 Posts: 319
    I was the very same as you when I first started!! Back in march I began this journey and I was so looking forward to losing this weight once and for all!! So I decided I wanted to lose as much weight in the shortest period of time! I chose "lose 2lbs a week" like most people on here would do!! So MFP allocated me 1200 calories to eat daily, but I only ever ate around 1000! I lost 5lbs in the first week and thought this was so easy, that the weight would be gone in a matter of weeks!! O how I was wrong!! All of a sudden my losing streak disappeared and I had no Idea what to do. I began to obsess about food. I cut my carbs down to 100g or less and refused to eat anything above that. It was a really unhealthy attitude to have. I was starving during the day! During the day I would always be coming up with different foods to have, even though I should have been worrying about my school work and the weekends were just disastrous!!

    Over the past couple of months I have come to realise that my attitude towards food stank! You have to realise that going over your calories allowance is not going to make you gain a 100 pounds! Anyway I looked at your profile and the fact that you are 28 and only wanting to lose under 30lbs, I would recommend upping your calories! I wasn't eating enough food! Im 17 and less than 1200 calories wasn't going to fuel my body. I still need food to grow! I upped my calores to 1400-1500 calories and I eat some of my exercise calories back! I have began losing weight again!!

    Dont give up!!
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