Mind Obsession

Looking to lose 130lbs is a huge task. I have resided my self to  1.5 - 2 lbs / wk . At worst it could take up to two years. I've made changes in my eating: nutritionally and proportionally.

I've been exercising and have continued to add to and change it. Currently I have lost  27 lbs. (1lb/wk) What is REALLY bothering me is having my mind CONSTANTLY  obsessing with losing weight. Every time I look at food, every time I exercise, every spare moment my mind is on: " How much have a lost, What will I lose this week, What will I eat, When can I exercise again........ I've been doing this for the last five months. Why can't I just make losing weight a part of my every day living and quit OBSESSING.

I've done this 10 years ago when I lost 85 lbs. My whole being becomes about weight loss. Even when I wasn't focused on it, someone would usually come up to me and say "Hey how's the  weight loss going? And the mind starts up. I can't live this way for another 2 yrs. ANY suggestions/help  THANKS for Listening.

Why do we obsess? Because this is the hardest simplest thing we will ever do someone on another post said. We know it is simple yet doing it is so damn hard we can't afford not to obsess for fear we will forget what we are doing and why. It is on my mind CONSTANTLY but I like it there because without it, I give up and quit trying. I know it gets annoying when we feel like everyone else out there has nothing to worry and obsess about but it is not they that are in OUR shoes or bodies.  The only way I know to quit obsessing is to plan your days out ahead of time and follow the plan without thought or caring knowing you are doing it right for that day and let tomorrow worry about itself.  Best of luck and keep up the awesome work! Beth

But you will....live like this for the rest of your life.  You won' t always obsess in the same way but it will always be in the forefront of your mind.  Why shouldn't it?  Shoudn't the most important thing you are doing for yourself be the thing on your mind all the time???? But don't look at it as losing weight.  Look at it as continuing to get healthy and learning how to treat yourself the best.  Adjust the obsession so it doesn't feel so painful.   Between July of 2005 and July of 2006 I lost 137 pounds.  YES initially the number was staggering but it came off.  I have maintained with a 20 pound rebound that I am constantly, yes, obsessing about!!!! LOL   I will continue to obsess about exercising and eating right and always learning as much as I can about nutrition and being healthy. So refocus the obsession so it's a good thing.  We control our minds in the end, right??? Donna

I don’t have any words of wisdom, but I sure wish I did! I deal with this very same issue. Journaling my food keeps me on track everyday, but I also think it aids in the obsessive thinking I have. When I’m hungry the obsession multiplies by 100! I really like the last poster, think in more positive terms.  

 

Well it's kind of hard to NOT obsess when we need to eat every day, several times a day! All i can say is try to develop a more clinical relationship with food - think about balance more than pleasure.  Make sure you work in veggies with most snacks and meals and a couple pieces of fruit, a couple servings of low fat dairy, few servigns of lean meat, few servings of whole grains...there is not time to obsess on lesser foods like sugary desserts and fast foods!  Trust me, you will not miss *that* kind of food after a while of choosing best grades of food! Hard to realize, but it is true! Every time I backslide and eat a few meals of not so great foods, I now pause and *really feel* how it makes me feel - i hate it!!!! It feels heavy, cloggy, boggy.  Eating right makes me feel light, energetic, focused! lastly, it is overwhelming early on in the journey to think about doing all this "The Rest of Your Life (life...life...life...echoes down the hall)...so break it up, and think TODAY i will eat in balance, or even THIS MEAL...try to keep the task at hand in the forefront...not all 365x3 meals a day for the nexyt 60 years!  omg, we'd all crack down the middle if we let our brains go that far into the future.  TODAY is enough!  Hang around!

Thank you all for sharing you experiences and words of wisdom. Losing weight is one of the most difficult things. Unlike quitting smoking or drug addiction, food is something we have to have. Also, having a weight issue is something for everyone to see. It can not be hid like a drug addiction or *****graphy addiction. I guess I need to look at it as just a PART of my life and not my WHOLE life that needs extra attention. I need to see it as just not losing #'s on a scale but, feeling more healthy. Being able to do things I couldn't before. Once again, thanks to all who have  replied. This was my first post and I have been looking for support and encouragement.

My experience--I found that before I went low carb I obsessed, because I was focused on calories and well, lack of satiety and feelings of hunger ; /.  Low carb erased that for me.  I still track my food most days, but know I don't have to, and since I know wi thout a doubt how I need to eat, I pretty much manage with ease now.