I have been a member of this site since December.. everyone on here is amazing. Very supportive and understanding. I have read posts similar to mine and know there are people here that are going through the same things as me.

I have always had problems with weight and food. Its like eating is what I do no matter what my mood.. if I am happy, sad, frustrated... doesn't matter. I read someone's post about being food obsessed and it sounded like me! I think about it all day long. Before I decided to change my eating habits I would start thinking about what I was going to get for lunch HOURS before lunch time. Same with dinner.

When I started eating better I was get mad about what I had to eat. I would get upset that I was going to eat cucumber and grilled chicken. I would do good for about a week or two and actually lose weight, but then have one "splurge" meal and it was done.. had to fight to get back going again.. which is where I am right now.

Sometimes at the end of the work day I would think about supper and the healthy stuff I would have to eat and then talk myself out of it. Saying "you have had a long day, get something good" so then I was excited the rest of the day! How sad is that??

But when I do start to eat better I get OPPOSITE obsessed. I start stressing over sodium levels and sugar levels.. and so then I get extremely overwhelmed. I bought the Hungry Girl 200 book and was reading the sodium levels and got upset and now I want to return it.

I am not sure what I am doing wrong? How can I KNOW I need to do better, but still keep hurting myself?

Just tired of getting so OVERWHELMED!

My suggestion is finding healthy foods to cook that are also very YUMMY! This is important. I have lost nearly 30, and my bf 10, just because I found ways to make all of our favorites into more healthy versions. Linguini w/ White Clam sauce? Less fat, and serve it over spaghetti squash! Chili? Use 92/8 meat and voila! Spaghetti? Once again, spaghetti squash, and a Vegetarian sauce! Don't change what you eat, just change what is in it.

Also, I know it takes time but learn to cook, or take the time to do it, if you are already accomplished. You don't have to cook every day, just cook big batches a couple of times a week, and freeze it into lunches and quick frozen dinners for yourself. That was how I lost the weight before, and my latest 30 proves to me that it is DEF the answer.

(Edit: In a little over a month it has gotten to the point where bf and I don't even like fast-food anymore, BECAUSE of the sodium content. It just tastes like fat and salt now!)

As a fellow extremist, I feel your pain. No black or white with us. When I finally try to diet, I go from stuffing everything in my mouth that can fit, to obsessing about every bad ingredient. Then I give up because I run myself crazy. I am determined to stop this cycle.

If you are getting that overwhelmed feeling, maybe you are trying to change too many things too drastically over just a short period of time, and your life seems so different than what it used to be. Maybe try easing back a little, and dealing with one thing at a time until it starts to become part of your comfort zone. For example, like eratosthanes said, try lightening up your favorite foods instead of cutting them out completely. Instead of cutting out all desserts, either eat smaller portions of your favorite treats, or eat lighter versions of them. Over time, you may discover that you can do without the most unhealthy of your favorites without feeling too deprived.

Also, your anger over eating healthy sounds to me as if you view this lifestyle change as a bad thing, like a "punishment" for being overweight. If you can train yourself to view healthy eating as self-care, it might be easier to stick with it. Good luck. I am new to this and am trying to find a plan and method that I can stick with myself. It's difficult.

If I ate a plain old chicken breast and a cucumber for dinner I would get depressed too! I would dread dinner...and continually dream of something delicious to eat. Heck, we have tastes buds so that we can taste...ya know? You gotta learn to cook...(Healthy can be DELICIOUS!).

There are a ton of good recipes here at 3FC, and all over the Internet. Take that cucumber and drizzle it with a mixture of balsamic vinegar and touch of stevia, dill and pepper...YUM Take your chicken breast and bake it with some fresh sliced peppers, onions, garlic and mushrooms, top with a teaspoon of parmesan cheese. Roast some cauliflower or squash in the oven with garlic and olive oil...Make enough for a couple meals. Seasonings and cooking techniques such as pan stir-frying and oven roasting brings out so much flavor in lean meats and veggies. Spice up your life and you will soon forget about the grease of a fast food heart-attack in a cardboard box.

Yep, I totally relate! I consider myself a good cook, as do others (never been a fast food junkie), but the food I make is pretty good. I just like to eat too much of it. Why have 1 order of tomato caprese when you can have 3?

I just LOVE food...and yes, I think about what I am going to make the next day BEFORE I go to bed :-). Haha!!!

So for me, it is portion control. I agree TOTALLY that you can make lame cucumbers taste good :-). A bit of lemon and salt...(yeah, I know sodium levels - but a LITTLE bit won't be so bad) and pepper. I also would recommend growing some fresh herbs....nothing better than fresh cilantro, basil, sage, parsley, etc....

Actually, adding all those harmless herbs to virtually ANYTHING will make your food taste sooo good!

I am soo much the same way....It's like I need something to focus on! It's everything, though! I can see why you would focus on all the evils of food when on a diet....it is totally normal...make the stuff that tastes yummy out to be evil and you may avoid it....but this is a negative thing....And in the back of your mind, you are still making the tasty food like the forbidden apple and you are Eve. Haha.

Maybe, instead, you need to try working on developing a love affair with food.....and what I mean by that, is HOW we were meant to eat it. Look at making that food taste GREAT and be good for you. Like I said, the fresh herbs, a bit of fresh tomato and some garlic and a smidge of olive oil....TASTY. Oh, and fresh cracked pepper....soooo GOOD!

Like I said, portion control is a toughie for me. But you season stuff just rights sans tons of butter or oil and you have something good.

Balsamic vinegar is also another one to try your hands on. It is also sooo good for you and tastes soooo yummy as another thing to use for seasoning!


I wish you well :-).

MG

Me and food have a very intimate relationship. It occupies my mind and time a LOT of the time. When I don't feel it's delicious, I'm not SATISFIED, and I tend to eat and eat...no good!

So how do I maintain this weight? Healthy, great-tasting, super-fresh food. I have become passionate about eating in season, local, fresh, amazing produce. This morning I went to the Farmer's market, as I do every Sunday (I am lucky enough to live somewhere temperate enough to have year-round markets available...not everyone does, but you can find produce almost anywhere, even if it's frozen or imported)...the first asparagus of the season is out and I almost yelled out loud with happiness. In my mind, I almost started fantasizing...a little beef tenderloin, spring onion and asparagus risotto, and some fresh swiss chard. My mouth practically watered thinking of it. Other meals I have planned this week include baked spaghetti squash with meat sauce and mozzarella, turkey meatloaves with herb roasted potato wedges and roasted asparagus with lemon, garlic, and parsley, beef and broccoli over brown basmati rice, and beef and barley soup. Not a single meal will feel like deprivation, and none will be over 450 calories.

And the thing is, once you start eating that way, you lose your desire to eat the less-good-for-you stuff. Fast food sounds, well, nasty. Sugary junk sounds too sweet and unsatisfying. And if I'm going to eat a cupcake, it won't be from Hostess...it will be a gourmet, well-made, handcrafted confection from a bakery. Because the other stuff? Just isn't worth it.

So I advocate, in other words, becoming a food snob. If it's not delicious, fresh, and healthy, it's not worth the calories or your food dollars. There are a ton of recipes around here and a lot of recipe sites, so look around and experiment. This lifestyle change is so. much. easier if you love what you're eating.

Thank you guys for the comments and suggestions! Very helpful advice. I definitely need to learn how to cook! Healthy anyways.. I can cook, but its nothing I should be eating. I grew up in the south.. its hard to steer clear of the fried food.

I did LA weight loss in the past and was successful, but this time around I am feeling very restricted. Its not the way I want to eat for the rest of my life.

My DH told me today something similar to what you guys said. He told me to just pick something to focus on. I was so worried about calories AND sodium. He said start with the calories, then adjust from there. Such a sweet helper.


Thank you for the LOL.. I guess my choice of dinner was pretty lame. I am going to start looking up some recipes.

I think most of us have been there.

I need to get going in a moment, but I saw somebody mentioned spaghetti squash. I just discovered spaghetti squash last week, and I swear, it was a life changing moment, haha. You can use just about any pasta toppings you want to, and it is deeeeelish!

I made this last week, and it was just kind of a whatever-is-left-in-the-fridge creation. It's spaghetti squash, sundried tomato pesto, turkey sausage, onions, mushrooms, and garlic roasted diced tomatoes. This stuff was good! And, it's only 125 calories for a cup and a half. Same sensation as eating a pasta dish. It was so picture perfect, I had to take a picture, lol.



Anyways, if I had more time, I'd write something more philosophical. I just wanted to emphasize that I also thought dieting = plain boring unsatisfying food. I have found that it's quite the opposite. "Diet foods" can be gloriously yummy, lol.