Are you sad about having to restrict what you eat?

[Anonymous]

I know there are some people who "eat what they want" but really are just much better at having less hunger in general and also naturally balance their day/week with the eating heavy/eating light.

But there are others of us (me, obviously) that do not maintain a healthy weight if left to my own devices, even though I don't eat out a lot; don't drink alcohol (one drink a month, not lying), and like and eat plenty of healthy foods like fruits and veg, eggs, beans, etc.

On the other thread where someone lost 8lbs by not eating out, I wrote that I was jealous.

I am on WW and have been on and off for years. When I'm on; I lose weight. Slowly; but I do. When I'm off, I gain--even though I'm not going crazy or radically changing my diet. When I'm on, I tend to eat the same foods that I know are filling, zero or low points, that I enjoy. I feel like I eat almost the same thing every single day and it makes me sad. I do have points for some indulgences, but not enough that I feel like I am truly enjoying the pleasure of eating. Does that make sense? I don't hate these foods, I just having the same 2-3 breakfasts, the same salad with 1-3 types of protein and 1-2 dressings I alternate. Sick of the same low points protein options.

I tried IF and it didn't work for me; I know I could have more options that way, but it just wasn't for me.

Anyway--does constant dieting make you sad about all the yummy foods you're missing?

[Anonymous]

Yes. To make matters worse until my mid 30s I was he of those annoying people who could eat a ton and still be very thin and I built muscle extremely easily. Then my body changed dramatically. Now I’m 48 and overweight. Weight watchers forever sounds depressing so I’m working on just focusing on being fit and letting go of ever being thin again.

[Anonymous]

100% I turned 45 and have to eat half of what I used to to maintain my weight. Very discouraging.

[Anonymous]

Not really, because the things I "restrict" (i.e. don't eat at all) is garbage food - candy, cookies, chips, cereal, etc.

[Anonymous]

Yes! i am in the same boat. I eat a fairly healthy diet and still struggle with my weight. If I am not actively dieting/restricting food I gain weight quickly. I know the advice is always to incorporate all the food you love in your diet even when trying to lose weight, but that just doesn't work for me. A few meals out puts me over my calories for the week and keeps me in maintenance.

[Anonymous]

Lift weights, do weight-bearing activities. Build muscle, then you can eat slightly more at least...still need to maintain mostly healthy choices but the quantity that you can eat increases since muscle requires more to maintain.

[Anonymous]

eating is a function not a form of enjoyment or pleasure , we need to change this or American will continue to be fat

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. To make matters worse until my mid 30s I was he of those annoying people who could eat a ton and still be very thin and I built muscle extremely easily. Then my body changed dramatically. Now I’m 48 and overweight. Weight watchers forever sounds depressing so I’m working on just focusing on being fit and letting go of ever being thin again.

this is me too

[Anonymous]

Yep.

Grazing and snacking is my coping mechanism (emotional eater here) , but I'm no longer the young carefree spring chicken I used to be so I really need to watch it.

[Anonymous]

Only occasionally. Like I walk through a grocery store and I see all this delicious junk food and sometimes I’m still a little sad I can’t eat it all. But… and it took a long time and a lot of mental work to get here and passed my binging tendencies, I know that eating fistfuls of cheesey crackers feels great in the moment, but it really doesn’t serve my life. If I want cheesey crackers, I will buy a box and eat them in moderation, over the course of a week.

I had to do a lot of thought work around why I binged salty carb-y things, or sweets. I had bad scarcity mentality, especially at night, and I also ate to relax.

Once I worked on that, this amazing thing happened. I can eat whatever I want, if I really want it, in moderation. Learning portion control and tactics to not eat when I’m not actually hungry have been life changing.

80/20 is a great way to live and eat.

WW is a good stepping stone on the health journey (I did it years ago and it taught me a lot) but I see it only rarely work as a permanent lifestyle.

[Anonymous]

Sometimes. But I've found other foods and snacks that I enjoy just fine that help me maintain my weight.

As they say, nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:eating is a function not a form of enjoyment or pleasure , we need to change this or American will continue to be fat

I'm pretty sure most of Europe would disagree with you and they aren't nearly as fat as Americans.

[Anonymous]

Yes. I really hate it. It makes me cranky watching others eat pizza and cupcakes. I just miss food when I’m restricting. I don’t even eat sometimes because I can’t stomach another plate of broccoli and chicken.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:eating is a function not a form of enjoyment or pleasure , we need to change this or American will continue to be fat

It's both. If you can't see eating as a form of enjoyment or pleasure, I think that's sad... not every meal should be focused on that, but to deny it completely is absurd. Some food is essentially art... we consume it for the experience and the pleasure/appreciation of it.

I think the main issues for most Americans are portion control, focusing (not obsessing) on healthy ingredients/preparation, minimizing snacking, and inadequate exercise / sedentary lifestyles.

[Anonymous]

No, not really. Self-control is part of being an adult. I don't eat everything I want to eat but that's okay. Life is more than food.