Living with an obsession

[Willa]

First of all, I just want to say I'm sorry for the misspelling.
I didnt really know if I should post it on Health and Wellness forum or here, because its somewhat a problem, and Im shy to write about it.

I just realized (or just opened my mind to the fact I was running from) that I have a terrible obsession. I constantly think about food.

I live for it, I always think about whats next on the menu, what I could eat if I go there or there. I eat when I'm sad, when I'm happy, when I'm borred, name it and I eat it... Back home when I was younger, food was a pleasure, but my parents didnt teach me how to eat well because themselves they also have a problem with it.

Since I moved out (3 years ago, I'm 26) I realized how bad my food habits were. Eating vegetables and fruits for me was oranges sometimes in winter when it was the season but like, 1 or 2 oranges a month. Same thing for the veggies, I only ate carots when they were served with dip. Kraft diner, sandwichs, pastas and shepperds pie, these were on the menu, often reapeated durring the month.

Now, I just don't know what to do.
I know I have this problem, I read books to help me understand who I am, and how to reach my goals but it seems like the bad side is always winning. I'm just obsessed with it, I always need to eat, even if I ate way over the portions, I need to serve another one just because I'm bored. I don't binge to death, no bulimia symptoms, but...

I need motivation. Somebody to push me trought (??) it. I can't find any help around me because I don't really have close friends and my mother have the same problem, her sisters too. One of my aunt weight 350 pounds and right now I would say that I'm 100 pounds overweight. I'm 5'7''.

Do you live with an obsession?
What are you doing to change it?
Is there anybody like me somewhere???

 

[Beauty Mark]

Firstly, it's great you're acknowledging that you have a problem. Secondly, if there's no psychological illness with you, I'd recommend Weight Watchers. My parents did that, and they lost weight. The meetings are like a support group, so I imagine you could meet people with similar issues as yourself. If you're not that comfortable with it, I'd talk to a nutritionist about how lose weight and what you should be eating.

There are many people in the world who eat the way you do. It's not abnormal but if you are that overweight, please look into taking care of yourself.

 

[kymmilee]

honestly, i used to be the same way.
i've found that it's easiest to partner up with someone and do the same dieting and exercises together.
like, for example, my best friend and i aren't eating any animal products whatsoever, drinking tons [and i mean TONS] of water, and reading every label of everything we eat. also, no high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, soda, etc. i haven't weighed myself, but i've had to punch 2 new holes in my belt in the last two weeks, i can't go without a belt anymore unless i want people to see my booty, and i used to wear a size 1x in my shirts, and now i'm an XL, sometimes a large.

the most important thing to do is ALWAYS think about eating, but in a better way. for example, instead of mindlessly eating, think, "i should check the nutrition facts and ingredients before eating this." if it's not okay, find something else. it's not easy at all, but it is so worth it when people ask you if you've been losing weight.

one more thing and then i swear i'll shut up

i've decided that instead of setting a goal weight, i'm going to set a goal size. believe me, this makes a lot of the pressures of weighing yourself disappear. i'm a size 20/22 in the pants, and i want to be an 11/12. i'm an xl in shirts, i want to be a medium/large. if you hate weighing yourself as much as i do, this is definitely the way to go.

i hope all of my rambling helps

 

[Willa]

Thank you very much!
Reading the labels... yeah its a good idea.
Sometimes I do, but since I'm not informed about every meaning of it, I just pass it. But, the new canadian food guide just got out. I could ''follow'' it, and find a book about what my body really needs...

Weight watchers was an option considered but its expensive.
BUT I can give it a try.

 

[Beauty Mark]

If you don't know what something means, look it up! The internet is a great source of information, as well as classic books. When I became vegetarian, I had to learn what everything was in my food so I could be sure to follow the diet properly and get enough of my vitamins and minerals.

If you like cooking, there are a lot of great cookbooks out there for losing weight. Not like trend diets, but honestly healthy food. You can get them from your library even. They also should contain breakdowns of what different items are and give you ideas on what's healthy.

 

[GalleyGirl]

I would say I have a shopping obsession, its the thing I think about all the time. I now try to only spend what I sell on ebay, and throw something old out the second I get something new, but its still hard. I've tried to identify the triggers, I know that the main ones are boredom and feeling down.

 

[Willa]

Boredom...
Its something I know

If my mind is occupied with something I like, I'm ok, but at the moment it stops... DHO!

 

[Iridescence]

hey hun,

I'd like to help you out a bit if I can.

You can eat as much food as you want as long as it's the right kind of food. I'm talking about fruits and veggies. I know it may not sound so appealing always but give it a shot. If you work, make an effort to pack that lunch the night before so you don't have a choice of junk food when your stuck on what to eat on your break. And because you are hungry and that is the only thing you have to eat, you will aprreciate it. For instance my lunches consist of: some carrots, broccoli, peppers, pickles, olives, 2 thin slices of cheese, and cauliflower. You can obviously mix it up a bit. If you want dip, then get the reduced fat or no fat dip and have a moderate portion

. Stir frys are wicked awesome for dinner. Add some steak or chicken in there with your veggies and some healthy stir fry sauces and voila a gorgeous and colorful healthy dinner. And they are so easy to make! For breakfast its really good to have cottage cheese usually 1% with an egg or two and one or two pieces of toast!

Even cut up some tomatoes with it. You can even have french toast, but make sure you have a low fat milk and only use one egg with whole wheat bread! It's all moderation.

You can have your passion but just take time to be healthy about it

. If there is a sport you like or want to try, girl go for it! Give it a shot! It'll keep you busy and it keeps you active. If you aren't the sports type, ride a bike, rollerblade, walk even!

Drinking water makes you feel full when your hungry sometimes..I don't mean to say replace your meals with water but if its the afternoon and you feel that your thinking about food, drink some water and I'm sure it will help you.

but this is totally my area, I' love eating healthy. So PM me, if you have any questions and I'll help you out.

cheers,
good luck

 

[iamlelilien]

I know an interesting trick. If you start eating and you know you're not hungry but you don't want to stop anyway, eat a red apple. I think the reason it works is because they get rid of the aftertaste of what you were eating before and they don't have an aftertaste themselves.

 

[user79]

I don't think you even need to read labels. Get some kind of a book on teaching yourself what healthy food is, and what is not. I don't look at labels, really. I know what is healthy food (vegetables especially green ones, fruits, lean cuts of meat, fish, legumes, and a moderate amount of dairy and wholegrains) and just try to stock my fridge with that. I try to not even buy the bad stuff at the grocery store, that way I'm not tempted at home. Sure, I eat junk sometimes too, but I try to limit myself to 1 "bad" thing a day (could be a chocolate bar, 1 scoop of ice cream, cake, etc.)


By the way, pastas, breads, and sandwiches are fat makers because they are filled with a ton of carbohydrates, which - if not burned off by exercise - end up turning into fat.

An easy tip, when you're at the grocery store, try to get about 80-90% of all your purchases in the fresh produce and the meat/fish aisle, the rest in the dairy and wholegrain breads/cereals aisle. This is an easy rule of thumb to follow and it will ensure that you are buying more healthy things than bad things. Just avoid all the aisles that stock sweets, chips, snacks, sodas, etc.

 

[Willa]

Thank you again!

I usually never buy sweets and chips/sodas.
I also drink 1L of water, maybe 500ml more each day.
What kills me are servings,I eat too much.

Sometimes I tell myself that I don't realize how much I have a great life, I've been spoiled (the good day) with everything I needed, I feel good about my ''face'', I don't think I'm ugly at all, its just my body that I hate.

I just think I would really need some motivation, something to keep me motivated to keep on doing the right thing. I'm afraid of diets, my mom and her sisters have been on them all their life and they keep gaining weight. Eating better is the right thing, I just keep running from it

BUT last week with a coworker, we walked home together.
Its about 30 minutes from here. I was out of breath... wow.
But after my shower, it felt soooo good.

Is it true that after exersizing, you feel very good?
I mean, somebody told me that you sleep better and its easier to get up in the morning? Because right now at 26, I feel like i'm 67...

 

[coachkitten]

Thank you for posting this. I feel similar to you a lot of the times.

You are not alone!

 

[Simply Elegant]

Yes you will definitely feel better about yourself after eating healthy foods and exercising. It takes a bit of effort but the results and the feeling good about yourself is definitely worth it.

 

[Beauty Mark]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Willa Is it true that after exersizing, you feel very good? I mean, somebody told me that you sleep better and its easier to get up in the morning? Because right now at 26, I feel like i'm 67...

To paraphrase Legally Blonde, exercise releases endorphins and endorphins make you happy!

You will have more energy if you exercise and you will sleep better.

Exercising is great, as long as you don't overdo it. I would start walking for exercise if you aren't doing anything now.

 

[blueyedlady87]

You could possibly see a doctor about Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Unless it's very extreme they won't give you meds but what you can do is Cognative Behavior Therapy. It is supposed to help you get in more control of your thoughts and change behavior patterns/way of thinking. I've been doing alot of research on it lately.

I have the obsessive in OCD. Meaning- I am very obsessive about certain things, but I don't like touch every fourth corner or what some people do. If I don't have an obsession, I feel purposeless and empty. Sometimes it gets really hard. For instance, take Marilyn Monroe- I have 30+ books, all the movies, everything her. And I'm scared for the day I get bored. MAC also can be an obsession, I can't just buy 1-2 things, I have to get more and more.

I'm always making lists, I'm a clean freak, I have to set absolutely everything out for the next day, I have to do things in a certain order.

You are not alone, believe me! But do be careful about excersizing because you can get obsessed with that as well (cuz of the endorphins). Seeing a doctor can really help, but just stress that it's NOT and eating disorder, it's an obsession. Because I garentee some doctors would write it off as that. Anyhow, hope you feel a little less alone. It's hard, I feel for ya.

 

[ElectroCute]

Yes, I live with an obsession. I hate my looks - I think about constantly, I compare myself to others and hate myself for not being as pretty as them, I look in mirrors all the time and then pick out all the things I don't like about what I see. (And that's only the beginning.) I don't really know what to do to change it, I'm working on it i suppose.

 

[Willa]

2 years ago, some random doctor told me I had attention deficit disorder.
He gave me some pills, concerta if I can remember, to help.
I took it for 3 weeks and it was the worst 3 weeks of my life, I was constantly crying, sad... I stopped the medication.

I guess having a ADD doesnt help me to keep motivated but because of it, I can rely on to understand why sometimes its hard to keep on eating well and such.

I'm not a big fan of medication. I think this doctor was there to make money, he didnt even call after he prescribed to make a check up...

blueyedlady87 : thank you for the confession!
I dont really know people with problems like mine, around me, in the past and now, so its good to see that you're not alone. Even if they keep telling about it on the web, in the news... just to talk to someone real feels good.