[Scilla]

Until you have a weight problem OR it has a problem with you. Think about it, the average person goes to the store, spends xxx amount on whatever && never gives it a second thought really as to what the # spent is..

Now, have a weight problem && no matter how big or little your loss is on your journey so far, you see that scale weigh a few ounces more, even a couple pounds more (ohh forbid) really && ohhh man.... the worlds gonna end! Cant eat this or drink that, did I get off my lazy behind enough to compensate for this gain?

Am I just psycho or are there others that relate to this? I downloaded an app for my android phone to log my weight gain && loss. Im getting ocd about this again..... the weight will fall off before it has time to set up residency. Im keeping log of my exercise too. As if I didt already have mindset problems, Ill guilt trip myself into even more. Niiiiiice.....

Hahhhaaa

[kaplods]

I don't remember a time when the numbers were unimportant, because I've had a weight problem nearly all of my life (I was very thin until age 5, but I don't really remember those years).

I was put on my first diet when I was 5. I was a Weight Watcher's member for the first time at age 8 of 9 (the youngest age you could join - if you were with a parent and you had a doctor's permission slip).

I spent a lot of time in the mindset problems and the OCD, but this time I vowed to be different, and vowed to let go of the stress. Stress hormones actually make weight loss more difficult, so managing stress is actually part of my plan this time. I've learned to get rid of the stress and guilt.

I don't let the numbers put me into a tailspin. For many years, I followed the advice to only weight weekly or even monthly to avoid the inevitable stress and panic of the scale. Now I weigh daily, and I learned that scale ups and downs don't inevitably result in stress and panic. I don't stress the fluctuations. I don't stress whether my calorie counts are uber-precise. I use an exchange plan, so serving sizes and calorie counts are estimates (each off by as much as 20 calories).

I do keep a health journal, and in it I log my daily weight, food, my exercise, health symptoms, even the weather (because weather plays a role in my fibromyalgia and arthritis). I write it all down, I even give myself "stickers" for each pound loss, and each exercise session (20 minutes or longer).

But no guilt trips. Every time I go down that path, I remind myself of my promise to myself - no stress, no guilt trips.

When I started I had to remind myself alot, but now it's the rare occasion that I get upset or guilty or obsessed. Weight loss is a priority in my life, but not the only priority. Not even the top priority, and that is ok. I get to decide how much effort, stress, and guilt I put into this.

Ironically (or maybe not, maybe it's entirely rational), but I've never succeeded longer, and have never lost as much weight as I have since declaring weight loss a guilt/obsession/stress-free zone.

[Shmead]

I don't think there are as many "normal" people as you think. According to the CDC, 68% of adults over 20 are overweight or obese, and 34% are obese. So while people may not being thinking about the calories in what they eat, they likely should be.

Furthermore, I know of few "normal" people over 30 and virtually NO "normal" people over 40 who do not take some kind of steps to regulate their weight---they exercise regularly, try to eat healthy, avoid overeating, something. They don't always talk about it, but they are careful in their choices.

I think the myth of the "normal" people really makes it harder to lose weight because we feel like we've been cheated somehow. But the only way we've been "cheated" is by living in the historical moment when food is cheaper, tastier, easier, and more abundant than it ever has been in the history of the world.