I can empathize. When I'm off plan, and eating ridiculous amounts of foods w/ no nutritional value, I find myself obsessing over the next snack. When I'm on plan, I obsess about timing meals and snacks just right so I don't get too hungry. Either way, food is always on my mind in some way. The only time it isn't is when I am so super busy that I can't think of anything but the task at hand. It drives me crazy too.
Sure, I always have. When I was feeding a young family (frugally, I might add) I had to think well in advance what I had, what they needed, what I could afford, when we needed it ...
It's sort of like being aware of the gas gauge in your car.
If weight watching is new to you right now, it's a new and forefront notion ... seems more prevalent.
I know just what you mean, 170starting. I get SO upset with myself because I'm the same way...I finish eating and start thinking about the next snack or meal. Like this morning I ate a 100 calorie English muffin with fat free cream cheese (mixed w/sweet 'n low and cinnamon) for breakfast, and as soon as it was gone I immediately started thinking about my before-lunch snack. At lunch I'll obsess about the next snack, and then dinner, and then after dinner I start on dinner the next day.
I know eating small meals throughout the day helped me reach my goal, but I get SO tired of eating ALL day long. It's almost like food has become something to fuel me, and not to enjoy. I want to go back to three good meals a day, but I'm afraid to STOP eating the snacks since I've done so well for so long.
Sure, I always have. When I was feeding a young family (frugally, I might add) I had to think well in advance what I had, what they needed, what I could afford, when we needed it ...
It's sort of like being aware of the gas gauge in your car.
Good point.
I'd like to think about it less at this point, and I think I can manage it, but it's a practical problem (planning, staying on plan, filling up my life with OTHER stuff ) not an emotional problem at this point.
I think about food a real LOT. But that's okay. I thoroughly enjoy food. And the foods that I eat keep me healthy, slender and fit. I need to carefully monitor my food intake. When I didn't give much thought to it, I would eat any old thing (and LOTS of it). Now I'm aware of it. Each and every bite. I plan ahead for it, shop for it, cook for it, pack it up and take it with me to work. I'm constantly searching for new food finds and recipes. LOTS of thought goes into it. It's almost like a little (not so little) hobby of mine.
And I basically stick to a food scheduele, so when I'm done with something, I often do think, okay what's next and when?
I am glad to know I am not the only one to think about food all day/night long...
But it isn’t normal. I know there is something wrong with me and I would like to look for help. But who could help us?
Is it a physiological problem?
Should I look for some kind of doctor?
The thing is I eat all day long... I don’t take a lunch break time because if I do, I’ll eat all my lunch at once and will be snacking all afternoon. So I started take my lunch with me, at my work station and I give little bites all afternoon, avoiding eating something else...
It is almost funny how this work for me... because seems like everything around is about food... whenever I hear someone messing with a plastic bag, I think: it is food!!! I obsessed watch what other people eat, especially skinny ones, and keep beating myself because I can’t eat what they eat and they still a lot skinnier than me. I observe what is in their grocery carts, they meal orders, what they are snacking at the park, etc...
Than I realize even though they eat chocolate and high calories food, they do not eat as often (not even close) than me. But I just can’t help... I can’t stop eating something until I see the end of it. For example, I need to eat the whole bag of nuts and can’t just stop and put it away... and I can never get a message from my brain that I am full, doesn’t matter how much I eat. The only way I can realize I am full is the physical way, when my stomach start hurting because I’ve been eating so much...
I know all this obsession with food isn’t healthy and I need help, but who should I see to help me with it?
I am glad to know I am not the only one to think about food all day/night long...
But it isn’t normal. I know there is something wrong with me and I would like to look for help. But who could help us?
Is it a physiological problem?
Should I look for some kind of doctor?
The thing is I eat all day long... I don’t take a lunch break time because if I do, I’ll eat all my lunch at once and will be snacking all afternoon. So I started take my lunch with me, at my work station and I give little bites all afternoon, avoiding eating something else...
It is almost funny how this work for me... because seems like everything around is about food... whenever I hear someone messing with a plastic bag, I think: it is food!!! I obsessed watch what other people eat, especially skinny ones, and keep beating myself because I can’t eat what they eat and they still a lot skinnier than me.
Than I realize even though they eat chocolate and high calories food, they do not eat as often (not even close) than me.
But all this obsession with food isn’t healthy and I need help, but who should I see to look for help?
I don't see my food thoughts as detrimental to my health and well being. I see it as beneficial to my health and well being. Again, when I didn't think about food is when *I* had a problem.
If you are finding it problematic for you, perhaps you should speak to a professional about it. One that specializes in food disorders. You can ask your regular physician to recommend someone.
Last edited by rockinrobin; 01-13-2009 at 11:11 AM.
I know what you mean. I am the same way. I think we can never look at food the same way again. Most people don't think about food the way we do because it's not an issue for the. Apparently, they know how to eat and stuff without gaining weight. But i do think it gets easier with time. Especially if everything for the day is already planned out in advance...it's just a matter of setting up your time line.
Totally hear ya! I obsess and all that, too. I watch food network and any cooking shows I can, I love movies that have lots of food in it and books that describe glorious foods.
My health teacher in 11th grade (back in the day lol) told us that eating disordered people oftentimes will treat food like celebrities. They'll cut out pictures, think about food all the time, worship food. I started being bulimic when I was in 6th grade and I knew that it was true for me. I loved pictures of cheeseburgers. I would draw them, save pictures from ads and coupon circulars, and in 7th grade my home ec project was a pillow shaped like a cheeseburger. Even when I was that young I would spend hours perfecting my very own cheeseburger recipe and testing them on family members.
Oh, I think about food ALL THE TIME. Mostly cheeseburgers. I think someone should change my name to Wimpy...(pssst from Popeye) But mostly I think of feeding people and making people love me via food.
I'm not sure that it's "abnormal" or wrong in any way to think about food all the time; to anticipate it, to be eager for it, to fantasize about it, to plan for it. I actually think it may be some kind of ancestral survival mechanism; after all, if we still lived as hunter/gatherers, or even as farmers, we'd need to be thinking about food a lot of the time, or we'd starve. It's only in the circumstance of the bizarre overabundance of food that we have in our current civilization that this interest in food becomes a negative.
OMG, I can relate. Before going on the diet I would think about food but not like now, I go to sleep thinking about what Im going to eat the next day and then it's the first thing I think about when I wake up.
You are not alone. Luckily I'm thinking about different healthy foods I can eat now and not junk food. my husband has been real helpful lately and makes very healthy(good) meals for dinner every night. So after lunch I can't wait to get home and see what he's come up with next.
I drive myself crazy...
does anyone else think about food ALL DAY LONG...
) not an emotional problem at this point.
