is there ever an end to the psychological tie to numbers and weight loss?
calories taken in, calories put out, sizes, minutes of activity....i hate how obsessed with numbers i've become....i consider myself in maintainance mode, but i still feel pressure to be encompassed by numbers or i'll lose it all [even though i'm losing my mind obsessing over numbers].
even though i'm at the correct weight according to my doctor i feel like a failure because my jeans don't fit properly...and i don't shut up about it mentally or verbally.....how annoying....
i've only been maintaining for about 6 months, but i just find myself wondering if the strife ever goes away.....i should be enjoying and revelling in my new weight/healthy lifestyle, but i'm struck down...
i know there are some long term maintainers out there [but anyone who is maintaing please help!] so i'm wondering:
will there ever be a happy medium where the numbers are friends and not evil angels? any tips on how to slowly ween myself off of the number obsession?
BlueParade, I hear you. I have been obsessing for so long that I worry once I achieve my ideal, my ideal will become something different - resulting in endless strife toward this idea of "perfection". Part of the reason I chose to participate in this forum was to channel those energies (talking about it) somewhere outside of family or friends.
Goals are goals. Maybe this is the need we are trying to fill: to work toward something quantifiable. Problem is, once we are there, we are still riding ourselves rather than celebrating and congratulating ourselves on a job well done.
This is definitely one of those deep-seated issues that I would bet MANY people on this forum deal with. I wish I could offer some sage advice to you. Thanks for bringing up this great topic - I am looking forward to the response.
I too, am a numbers chick. Especially the reading on the scale. It could easily put me in a super mood or a very dark mood. I would love to be in a mindset that I can just live and not think about every aspect of weight loss. It's very consuming and somewhat draining. Calories in...calories out....how long did you exercise....how much do you weigh....what size clothes do you wear.
Yes, even at over a year at maintainence I am still a numbers freak.
I tried to live without constantly counting calories, pounds, etc. but I managed to gain back 5-10lbs that way and realized that for me, this numbers game is for life. But, really, it becomes/has become such a part of one's daily existence that it becomes simply a natural part of life. It sucks that we have to count, but that's the way it is and I try not to complain about it because there is no use feeling miserable about something I can't change.
But, Blueparade, you should try and ease up a complete obsession and just enjoy where you are at and maintain whatever it is that you are doing in order to keep your healthy lifestyle going. And with more time at maintainence under your belt you will likely feel: a). more at home in your body and b.) more confident that you can maintain and so therefore less panicked about the numbers all the time.
thanks for sharing your stories....i'm trying to be positive and i definitely have better days than others. i find that i've been avoiding clothes that used to make me feel good because they make me feel horrible now....i couldn't even tell you if they appear to fit differently [i think they look the same] but in my mind they feel and make me feel differently. i'm pissed i bought sizes too small because i wanted to say i owned that size and i'm angry that i feel or felt that made me more of a success somehow.....
i built it all up on numbers and now when they don't fit i feel complete failure....it's very upsetting, but it's going to be a daily struggle i guess....
i'd hate to picture me obsessed with numbers for the next month let alone the rest of my life....
I have a terrible fear I'll be the same. Is there anybody who has successfully maintained without obsessing over numbers? (In need of some hope)
I don't know if I'd call it obsessing over the numbers, but I am certainly AWARE of them - always.
I surely wish I didn't have to be. But when I wasn't thinking of them often, well, that's when my numbers ROSE sky high. To 287 lbs.
Given the alternative (not remaining a healthy weight and going back to sheer misery), I'll go on being obsessed, ummm, I mean aware of my calories, poundage and if my dress size is going up.
All kidding aside, I don't find it obsessive. I find my *dedication* necessary to remain trim, healthy, productive and being at my optimal. I've come to accept that this is how it must be.
I am much more casual now - I estimate my calories to the nearest 100 (for an example, an apple is always a 100 calories whether it's HUGE or tiny) and I get on the scale every week or so. As long as my clothes fit, I pretty much just keep sailing on. If anything gets snug, I am extra careful for a week or so.
I am still very careful with my eating - I still measure pasta and rice and so on. I eat onplan almost everyday! I've just been eating the same foods so long, I don't really have to COUNT them
Glory that's what I mean. Theres no problem being aware in order to prevent yourself from returning to your highest weight, but the diea of counting out every little thing to exact numbers just seems very tedious in the long run. I suppose we're all different though.
Hey Spoz to be honest, I don't have to count everything to the exact calorie every day anymore because I've been maintaining so long. For some reason, it doesn't bore me and I eat a lot of the same foods every day and I know the calorie count of practically everything I eat (to the 100). Since I plan my meals/snacks in advance on Sunday, I already know that everything I plan to eat that day falls within my "zone" 1500-1800 calories.
I do keep a running daily estimate in my head, but for me it's incredibly simple and second nature at this point. Like today, I am having my 300 calorie breakfast, 100 calorie snack, 400 calorie lunch, 300 calories of snacks in the afternoon and a 500 calorie dinner - 1600 calories. It's a little on the low side, but I figure I might have a couple of York peppermint patties that my coworker has had on her desk for THREE WEEKS (lord people, eat faster) and a cup of hot tea with a big dollop of honey after dinner.
I did use Fitday when I was losing weight, but I just couldn't keep up the minutia of Fitday for the long term (although I do think it can be an incredibly helpful tool!). If I ever had a tough time dropping a few lbs, I might go back to Fitday temporarily for some extra accountability.
i find i get obsessive wheni REALLY wanna loose and i havent for a while. otherwise, numbers of calories i just know. after two years of loosing u get to know whats going in and out. But i do HATE, how obsessive i can become, and how numbers dont always add up correctly. When i do get obsessive, i think its time to step back and look at what i have achievedtry and not get on the scale, and try and just focuss on something else, like improving my running ability, not how many calories i can burn. Its really really really hard. Im still not there, but one day.
I think thats all we can try and do , is realise the importance of watching to loose, but then realise the positives of success and try to let that calm us down a bit i guess.
i totaly understand where you're comming from. I tried a few days not counting and lost way too much weight because I simply wasn't hungry. food has become such a chore its almost like a disorder. In the long run I dont think dieting using calories is worth it.
I'm trying the whole _eat when youre hungry and stop when youre not- thing again, but much more of that and I'll start slipping into the underweight zone.
whatever happened to my 220lbs self!
I've only been maintaining for a couple months, so I probably don't know what I am talking about. But my answer is -
Kinda - I don't think I will ever get away from paying attention to SOME numbers, but I am much less obsessive about them now. I no longer keep my log in Fitday.
I am similar to Glory in that I count everything in my head, and I round - a lot. I also spot check myself on different foods by eyeballing AND THEN weighing or measuring one or two things each day. Example: I might weigh my oatmeal tomorrow, and my cheese on Tues. and my pasta on Wed. etc. This way, my eyes don't get too far away from reality when it comes to portions. If I find that I was over-estimating a portion size on any given food - I go back to weighing that food - religiously.
I also weigh myself daily, to make sure that my estimations are - well - valid. If the scale starts to creep up, I will be back in full numbers and accountability mode - immediately.
Last edited by CountingDown; 09-21-2008 at 05:14 PM.
Yes, I am obsessed with numbers too. I often ask my self was it better being over weight where I could "live" life but a shorter life or if its better to have a longer life but not being able to "live" and be constantly worried about the numbers.
I’m glad that I am not the only one who feels they are obsessed with the numbers. Talking about these things is really starting to help me.
caught up in numbers
And with more time at maintainence under your belt you will likely feel: a). more at home in your body and b.) more confident that you can maintain and so therefore less panicked about the numbers all the time.
