Thoughts Consumed

Hi
I thought i would answer you as I am also 27, happily married and obsessed with my weight/food.
Although from your picture you seem like you are a normal weight and I am definately overweight!
I think as long as you are not taking it to the point where you are not eating and losing weight beyond the normal ie becoming underweight then i don't see that you need a therapist. I know loads of people who are obessed with healthy eating and exercise!
I think hj is right, just keep coming here and checking that you are eating healthy and checking in with us, there is lots of good advice here!
I also think that if it was becoming a problem of becoming underweight your husband would point this out and then it is DEFINATELY one for a therapist!
Hope this helps!

Hi!
I don't have much to say to help. All I know is that this site is really supportive. So we're here for you! :flowerforyou:

Red

Again, I am not a doctor, But this is why you asked all of us.
From what you said, I do think you might have an eating disorder.
Not a full blown one mind you, but an eating disorder none the less.
Of course. I would venture a guess, most everyone on this site has an eating disorder in one form or another.
BECAUSE what you discribed DOES sound like an eating disorder, see if your city has a group for eating disorders. They are often free, and very helpful with talking things out and making friends that help you through those tough times. Might find a phone number in the yellow pages.
I also agree that you have found a very good site to be on for the very same reasons. You will find a lot of people in the same situation as you are, and there is always comfort in knowing that you are not alone. And dear...YOU ARE NOT ALONE!!!
:flowerforyou:
--Diann...

The real question that needs to be answered Bishoph (and maybe this needs to be answered by a therapist, but maybe not) is whether this is something that is controllable by force of will?
In other words, can you prevent doing this by self-control or removing the triggers or changing your focus (taking your mind off it by doing something else)? If the answer to this question is yes, then I don't think you need therapy, if the answer is no, then a combination of therapy and medication might be necessary .

I really hope you find your answers, I wish I could give them to you, but we will be here for you when you do find them out.

Good luck!

Wow! I have been thinking about writing a post like that! You basically took the words right out of my mouth! I don't know if you should see a therapist. I am not a doctor. A therapist might be able to get to the bottom of just exactly WHY you are obsessed with food, though, and it might give you some relief.
For me, food is a daily, constant struggle. I have noticed that I constantly obsess about food ALL DAY LONG! I am either:
**Overeating or obsessing about just eating too much
**Thinking about eating ALL the food I just bought (even thought I am not hungry)
**Buying two meals because they both sound good and I can't decide which one I want and then eating them BOTH (even when I am not hungry)
**Not being able to walk by the potato chip rack at the store without buying some or obsessing over it
**Taking way too big portions and then having to finish the WHOLE thing
**Making more food while I am eating, and then being too full to eat it, but I eat it anyway
**Buying 4 of everything at the grocery store
**Eating because of feelings (I am lonely, angry, tired, bored, etc.)
These are just a few of the things I mull over EVERY DAY. I don't know if anything or anyone could ever change the obsession I have with food. I have actually never tried. It sounds like you obsess like me. What do you think? Are we soul sisters?
Jenn

Another thought came to me and thought I would add it. When I was younger I did think about food constantly. I am 35 now and though that is certainly not old I don't think of it all the time now. I am not sure if it is an age thing but it is a thought. Personally when I was thinking constantly about food it was a stress reliever, a get away in my own mind regardless of where I was. For whatever reason it was just my way of dealing with difficult things or even just everyday things. I have learned over the years that I don't have to think about food all the time. I am and have been for quite awhile been working at trying to refocus my eating habbits and remember that it is fuel for my body rather than a get away.

Hope this makes sense.
Eve
:ohwell:

So, I have been to my doctor and she thinks I need to see a therapist. I am wanting some other opinions from those who do not know me. I am a 27 year old girl who is very active, happy, and healthy. EXCEPT, I have these haunting thoughts that last all day about my weight and food. I worry about eating too much food (because I binge sometimes), not working out enough, gaining weight, etc. it is on my mind constantly. I have been prescribed to Celexa to try to get rid of these obsessive thoughts. It may have helped in the beginning (2 years ago) but it also could have all been in my head. So now that I am still having these thoughts, I would like to be off of the medicine. Therapists are not covered by insurance and $100 a time may really add up. Am I someone alone in this or do other people think the same way? My husband thinks that is just my make-up and that is how I am. I am looking for some ideas to help me rid these thoughts. I know all of the usual stuff: take a walk, find a hobby, read a book, etc. and those do work sometimes, but there are weeks when I am just a mess about it. PLEASE HELP!!!

For Bishoph,

((For the other forum readers - this doesn't talk much about weight loss, but rather my journey to treatment for obsessive-compulsive behaviors and thoughts)) :yawn:

I have been clinically diagnosed with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), which has as one of its criteria/ diagnostic parameters OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.)

Obsessive thoughts used to plague me. I couldn't "let things go." I went to several therapists, but they suggested exercise, no caffeine, no alcohol, eating a balanced diet. All of which is good advice. The things that pushed me to the counseling were usually acute situations - like divorce, death, miscarriage, loss of job etc. So I didn't stay with counseling after the "crisis" passed, and I had the tools to cope with the issue - usually time would have cured them, and I needed to work through a certain amount of time and talking.

I did get a year's worth of psychological "talk therapy" (from a psychologist) which was helpful and took me back to the childhood issues that were still bothering me in my mid-thirties. She helped me resolve the "Family-of-Origin" problems.
But there were still these obssesive thoughts and behaviors. I didn't wash my hands 400 times a day, or turn on and off the lights a ba-jillion times, or eat an entire chocolate cake and then two chickens and nine cheeseburgers- but even to this day, I won't bring home a large bag/box/container of ANYTHING sweet, or chips, because I will eat them all in a day.

~Do you have "circular thinking"? That was my term for my thought processes. I would grab onto an issue or problem and think about it constantly trying to resolve it - not be able to resolve it - and then start all over thinking about it.
~Are you a perfectionist? Often people with OCD will have to do everything perfectly. Even unimportant things like wrapping a birthday gift, or cleaning the tiles in the shower can take hours.
~Do you find it difficult to sit still: do you fidget frequently - or are you always in motion?
~Do you often procrastinate? Not just sometimes, but OFTEN.
~Do you frequently run out of time when working on something?
~Do you get frustrated easily - or more often than other people in your life?
~Do you "snap" at people when they interrupt your work on a project?
~Do you have trouble staying focused on a task, or do you get distracted easily?
~Do you ever "panic"?
~Do you ever get overwhelmed to the point of having to stop what you are doing in order to "gather your thoughts"?
~Do outside influences, like noise or tv, or other people talking make it difficult for you to concentrate on your task at hand?
~Is it more difficult for you (than it is for others) to learn a task like typing or other repetitive concentration tasks?

If you answered yes to a few of these - read the book "Healing ADD" by Dr. Daniel Amen. Or his book "Change Your Brain, Change Your Life". He is the pre-eminent expert and developer of the brain scans used to diagnose ADD. They both talk about ADD. The "Healing ADD" book has many case studies and photographs of the brain scans done on normal and ADD brains. It is physiological - NOT - psychological. And you don't need to have a brain scan for diagnosis. A doctor will give you a written questionnaire and ask you a few questions. Medication is daily, and works immediately.

It has changed my life to be diagnosed and treated for ADD. I fought against my doctor because I thought that the meds would make me worse. It seems counter-intuitive to give someone who is fidgety and unable to "slow down" a stimulant drug. I am 53 - but I can tell you that I wish someone had diagnosed me at 6 or 7, which is when I started to have trouble in school. I couldn't be quiet, and couldn't sit still, and I was BORED beyond words! Back then - in the early sixties - there wasn't a clinical diagnosis for my behavior. My life is now much better and I enjoy life now - kind of feel cheated out of decades of my life, but grateful to have found relief.

Yikes, I wrote a book here.

Just read everything you can that seems to pertain to your obsessive thoughts. BTW - a therapist can't prescribe meds, you would still need a doctor to prescribe if it is found you need meds. I tried all the anti-anxiety, anti OCD drugs like Xanax, Buspar, Paxil. Didn't help. - Plus I have a variance in my DNA that makes it impossible for me to take certain types of drugs without them building up in my body and becoming toxic: my body doesn't process some drugs due to the lack of a particular CytochromeP450
through which certain drugs are metabolized.

Good luck. Keep seeking answers until you feel better.

~Cheryl

For Cheryl...
I had a hunch you would be a great person to help on this one. Thank you for coming around, reading and offering your experiences and help...
Just goes to show what a good place this is...and what a good person you truly are.

Cheryl: I don't think I'd have much luck ever getting her to a doctor. She has an "I can handle it, mom" attitude. But I know she'd be interested in reading about it and deciding for herself - then it would be her decision and not mom's idea. Thanks again, and I'm going to find the book, Healing ADD.

For Cheryl...
I had a hunch you would be a great person to help on this one. Thank you for coming around, reading and offering your experiences and help...
Just goes to show what a good place this is...and what a good person you truly are.

Hey - I'm not done! Tdrose: I'm having a late snack (because I talk too much....) I made your yogurt/pumpkin thingy, and is it YUMMY! Thanks!

Thanks for the thanks,,,,,,(at what point do we stop......:laugh: )

~cm

Hello and welcome to MFP. You will love this site if you don't already. I love this site, it is so motivational, supportive, helpful, and everyone is so nice, and friendly. I just wanted to tell you good luck on your weight loss journey. You can do this.