I don't like thinking about food all of the time.

I see it as being more mindful about food. The reason many of us go to the size we were was because of mindless eating. We didn't think about what was going in our mouths nor did we think about the nutritional value of those foods.

Now you are training your mind to be aware which is why you are consciously thinking about food. I imagine it will continue to be this way until this new way of eating becomes a habit and then you won't have to put so much thought into what you buy, cook and eat.

Good luck and I wish you a successful journey.

I've been using MFP for 6 months now and I can relate to what you're expressing. I think what feels like "obsession" is just adjusting to this life change. It DOES get better. Logging is now the easiest part for me I do use all of the MFP tools - I've saved meals, favorites and recipes. I have found lots of healthy foods that I like and now it's easy to enter a day. I log most of my day in the morning with the exception of dinner. I'll keep aside dinner cals and wait to see what I feel like eating that day. I have lots of healthy choices in the fridge, so it's not a big deal. Bottom line - it got much easier for me. I don't feel obsessed but aware and in control of how I eat now.

Hope that helps. Good luck and feel free to add me as a friend.

i do low carb, and i never think of food. i often forget to eat. i'm simply not hungry.

after being such a binge eater for so long, its nice.

Some people have already said it's not a big deal for them, but I'm with you.

I'm addicted to it. I count calories for every baked chip I eat. Every apple. My wife thinks I'm insane.

The way I see it, it took me 10 years or so of not caring to get fat. I can do this for 3 months. Then when I'm @ target weight, I'd have trained myself to be more cognizant of what I eat, without obsessing over it.

I know what you are saying. I "obsessed" more about every single choice in the beginning than I do now. It's about learning what to eat and portion control. It gets better, and its worth all the thought you are putting into it right now. It will pay off.

I can see how you feel that way now, but as you get used to making healthy changes to your meal plan, and living a healthier lifestyle, it will all become second nature and will seem less like an obsession.

Another thought as well... if you are struggling to record every morsel of food, then perhaps you should ask yourself why you are eating those little morsels. Is it mindless snacking that you are talking about? Or is it that you are recording each tiny little ingredient for your meals? If it is mindless snacking, then this is EXACTLY the solution that you need. Putting it down and looking at the impact of it all will help you to stop. And, if you are getting tired of the meal planning aspect, don't forget that you can create your meals and then just click on the meal instead of clicking on each ingredient.

I don't obsess about food - but I have to get better about meal planning, myself. What I do is make better choices at the grocery store or the restaurant, bring more of my lunches, and--wait for it!--not obsess! I don't obsess over eating a snack; I eat a better snack instead (almonds instead of chips). If I eat something unhealthy, I actually THINK about it, understand why I feel crappy later (or during), I log it, and... I don't obsess.

Here's a story for you: I come from a large baking family who has a lot of get-togethers, and while I never ate a ton of baked goods to begin with, I was REALLY worried about how I was going to handle all those parties and mom's offerings of cookies on a regular basis. I also learned from her and tend to bake for friends and coworkers at random. I know it's contributed to my weight. But after logging here for a little while, I've gone from having to "taste" everything I make and having to have a piece of cake at every party to being able to simply offer baked goods to other people without wanting a bite, mostly because I understand how loading my body with sugar is going to feel later on. I used to LIVE in that feeling. I don't anymore, and that change came from understanding food... NOT obsessing about it. If I happen to have a small piece of cake at a birthday party, I log it. I find it pretty easy with the smartphone app, so I don't see it as being an obnoxious thing to do, and it helps me keep perspective.

I guess my point is that while I don't feel obsessive about either food or logging, I do log... but not in an OCD manner. It helps me get a better understanding of what's going in to my body, and I feel healthier for it. That said, I won't kick myself if I miss a day of entering calories. I know how I feel, and I know when I've eaten too little or too much... it took me a little over 3 months to get to that point, though, and I'll still come back and fill out my diary the next day if I remember. It's better to know how food affects you than to go crazy trying to plan for every calorie, I think.

@ anyone obsessing over cutting out "yummy snacks": If you're thinking about what you're missing out on, you haven't found enjoyable ways to replace those things yet or to allow yourself small treats in moderation. If you're constantly thinking about your cravings even AFTER you find enjoyable ways to replace what you're not eating, you may need some additional help - and that's not a bad thing, help is always good... but calorie counting does not break addictions, and unfortunately, MFP (while offering tons of support) doesn't offer real counseling services. I'm not suggesting that you do have an addiction; however, many overweight people do. I was borderline addicted to carbohydrates (not sugars, which was surprising - though carbs do of course break down into sugars) until I started working to add more protein. Now I find it hard to finish a sub because of all the bread and I have difficulty drinking more than a couple of beers though I once considered myself a connoisseur. lol.

cheers :drinker:

I definately hear what you're saying. Sometimes I wonder if I eat more tracking on here than I would on a normal-not-overly-hungry-type of day because I spend so much time thinking about food that it gets obsessive and then I eat more because I can't stop thinking about food! At the same time, I know I am making better choices eating waaay less calories on those hungry days when I didn't give a crap and ate nachos, chips, pop, chocolate, candy. It's a toss up for me as to whether the benefits of watching what I eat outweighs the risk of this turning into disordered eating. I figure I'm going to give it a month or two and then decide.