Worried I'm going to be on a diet forever.

I feel extremely guilty for everything I eat and though I have days that I go over I tend to make up for them with many days way under. I know its unhealthy but I havent been able to find my medium. I have the fear that I am not enjoying my nights or my food anymore because I am afraid I am going to gain everything back. I feel like I will be doing this for the rest of my life and that I will eventually stay under calories and not have the fun I am used to.

I am exactly the same way Wish I could eat more but I feel guilty

Diet=way of life

Food=fuel

Guilty?
Really?
Dont buy crap and eat it!
It's simple!

if you are to the point of measuring weight loss in grams, its time to take a break. Just focus on eating whole grains, lean protein and veggies. I hope that most of your weight loss came from healthy exercise and not just dieting. If you can't shake the feeling of obsession, try finding a local nutritionist to help you out.

With my regular workout routine I know I can maintain if I generally eat the usual stuff during the week/workdays and then eat a bit differently/relax without being stupid on the weekends or if I'm socialising. My weight might bump up a bit for first thing Monday morning but it's usually pretty much under control again with normal eating and the gym by Wednesday.

if you are to the point of measuring weight loss in grams, its time to take a break.

600 grams is well over a pound.

I don't get why you would feel guilty about eating? That's not healthy at all. Even if you go over your goal or gain weight, guilt shouldn't play into it. You might want to take a step back and think about why you are doing this in the first place.

Don't look at is as a "diet." A diet indicates that it will end. Look at your accomplishments as the beginning of a life-style change. Don't let yourself feel guilty about eating, because - as was said before- that could be bordering on an eating disorder. Allow yourself treats now and then, but otherwise try to make healthy decisions and you won't need to feel guilty. Lots of water, green leafy things and fruits can help.

I understand your concern and you should be concerned. I used to feel the same way. I have had to change my mind set and focus on having a change of life style and NOT consider it a DIET. We stumble and fall sometimes, it's a part of life in everything we do but you have to get back up, dust yourself off and keep in mind that it is a life style change. A change for the better to be a healthier person. I treat myself to the "not so good foods" occassionally, I have rest days but I know what I am doing now is going to last a lifetime not 6 months. If this persists after you reach your goal, you may want to talk to someone. Good luck :flowerforyou:

I'm too lazy to read what everyone else has said. I used to have this same problem. I was obsessed with the #'s in game and would spend all day logging every bit of food I ate. I've since moved onto eating and living the Primal Blueprint lifestyle, which is basically a paleo type diet. While on that diet I no longer have to count calories and honestly I can eat whatever (within the diet list of foods, which is huge and includes things like bacon, butter, cream, lots of colorful veggies, etc.) I want and still lose weight. I've had days where I've eaten over 1600 calories and still lost 1-2 pounds a week. So far I've been on the diet for about 7 weeks and have lost 20 pounds with no calorie counting (except a few days in the beginning to look at my macronutrient breakdown). My energy levels are amazing and my skin, hair, and nails have improved.

Anyway, once you realize that food and diet consists more than just the number of calories you're eating it will make a huge difference. I was so obsessive about it that it was starting to take over my life, but now I don't even think about it. It will take some time to reverse that thinking, but it can happen. For me, switching to a diet where calories aren't important helped me make the switch because I no longer felt the need to think about it. I was seeing results regardless of the # of calories I took in. I suggest finding a good book like The Primal Bluepring by Mark Sisson ($3.99 on Amazon kindle if you have the free kindle app) or Good Calories, Bad Calories.

1200 calories is not a sustainable diet, it's really the bare minimum of what you should be eating. If you've chronically been eating less than 1200 caloriest for a long time, perhaps it has slowed your metabolism or your body has gone into starvation mode. Since you are so close to your goal, you could try reading some books on nutrition and start to gradually up your calories. You can calculate your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) to find out how many calories your body will burn in a day and eat less than that to continue to lose weight. There are a few different ways to do this, but if you have an average build (not a lot of muscle, not a lot of fat), you could get a ballpark figure at this webite (http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html).

If you continue to obsess over calories, I would recommend seeing a nutritionist. Eating below 1200 calories for an extended period of time is not good and obsessing over your food is not healthy. Yes, continue to pay attention to what you're eating, but don't stress so much. Think of what you have accomplished so far!

I agree with asugar. You sounds close to an eating disorder. I would suggest focusing on getting healthier and not so much on weight loss. It's about life style changes not temporary changes. Maybe even try to stop loosing weight for a week and just maintain to prove to yourself you won't immediate gain it all back.

Good Idea Beany. If you are constantly thinking about calories, food, what you are going to eat, what you can't eat, or where you can't go because of the food, or what you will eat if you go out etc. then you may have a problem.

Try making it a game ... make some different choices; almonds or really any nut. Fresh fruits/vegetables. Have you tried to supplement in a protein shake? You're really doing yourself a disservice by eating so little. It's time to start teaching yourself that making good choices, life long, isn't going to cause you to put all the weight on. You're body needs food/fuel to replish itself through out the day.

Since you seem to present it as a mental block, that is the first step. As you're eating think about how great it tastes, or smells. It seems silly but it works. Take the time to enjoy your food and telling yourself that you're fueling your body and you want to have energy to do the daily things, like playing with your children

Also, make sure you're taking a good multi-vitamin every day.

Helloitsdan is the smartest comment. He has it right and to the point. Reread it several times.