Bellona, I do totally understand the "making myself workout when I am sick". I did my HIIT workout a week ago Friday thinking I had a cold. No I had strep and have been just recovering now. I did the HIIT training again on Thursday and my quads are just starting to recover. I know I would rather be OCD about my lifestyle but what I stupidly did to myself is dangerous. I was actually very lucky that I didn't do some bad damage to myself.

Marie, I know exactly how that works! I have started doing HIIT as well. I hope you feel better soon. We need to learn to take care ourselves. I made myself worse by exercising hard with a sinus infection so I'm recovering too.

THANK YOU! I dont feel so alone in this. I do the shirt thing all the time, as if drinking that cup of coffee or that apple are going to automatically change my entire body.

My day is 100% consumed with calories, body and weight thoughts. Its actually very frustrating and Im hoping that I will soon find a way to enjoy life, and not only think about food.

Well, I'm another self-proclaimed shirt lifter! My problem is that I have stretch marks from being overweight, then having my daughter, and now the skin is saggy and wrinkly and totally unattractive to me. I know it may take some time to "go back," but I also realize that it may never be what we would call "normal."

I am completely obsessed with what I can eat, how much of it I should eat, how much will I need to work out to burn the meals of the day. I think it gets worse for me because I have extremely thin friends at work who can eat whatever they want without caring about calories, where I will examine a menu for 15 minutes trying to find the food that is least damaging to my diet. Then I worry about how much hidden sodium, and when I weigh myself, I have to figure out if the number increased from the sodium, TOM, or something else.

I know this is better than the alternative of walking around with those extra pounds, but it just seems that it will never end. When I maintain, will I begin to freak out if I gain 1 pound back?

Thanks for all the replies. It's nice to know I'm not alone in my obsessions.

Count me in as another shirt lifter-upper! I can be rather obsessed with looking at my stomach in the mirror.

I have friends who claim to become exhausted upon the mere thought of all the calorie counting I do. I have another friend who told me I have "food OCD." I tried to explain that if I didn't pay VERY close attention to my caloric intake/caloric deficit, I would get fat again. My body doesn't know when to tell me to stop eating. I have to do that myself. If I eat intuitively, I'll balloon right back up to where I was ...and possibly beyond.

bellona, I know all about giving up social engagements centered around food and booze, too. I have missed out on a lot of social events because I don't want to be tempted with the empty calories. I make up excuses for other people and leave it at that. If anyone knew how fixated I was on staying this size (and how difficult it can be to do it when I'm constantly fighting my primal urges), they'd either become concerned or take pity on me.

Still, we ALL agree this "obsession" (or just dedication ?) is better than being FAT!