Good morning!
Today is a very exciting day…
- 24’s new season starts tonight and it is 2 hours
- The Golden Globes are on (I love the fashion pre-shows mostly!)
So fun. :) Is anyone watching?
~~~
5 Things That Helped Me Beat My Obsession With Weight
Yesterday was one of those days that I really appreciated how far I have come with my Road to Health. It occurred to me that I haven’t weighed myself for about a year and a half now. I haven’t counted calories, and I generally haven’t obsessed about food for a very long time. Sure, I have my moments now and then like anyone, but for the most part I have been able to leave my eating disorder in the dust!
1) I Ditched The Scale
I have written about this countless times over the past year and for a good reason. Ditching the same, for me, was one of the most important steps in my Road To Health. I struggled for years in figuring out how to stop obsessing about my weight and what I ate. I finally figured out that for as long as I weighed myself everyday, I would never get past my focus on these issues. I don’t think weighing in is a bad thing for everyone, but for my personality it surely was. Once I stopped weighing myself, I was able to focus on other aspects of my health and take my mind off the numbers.
2) I Stopped Counting Calories
I counted calories from the age of 12 until about 25. That is a very hard habit to break! I always get emails from readers asking me how I did it and the truth is, it is not easy. While I do see the value in counting calories for some, for me it was not a good thing in my life. It took me a few years to finally stop counting calories all together. Many failed attempts. I started with not counting one meal a day, and then worked my way up to a full day, very slowly. I was quite ridden with anxiety at first, but I got over it. Much like ditching the scale, stopping calorie counting allowed me to take my focus off the numbers and onto bigger things, like my overall health.
3) I Learned About Nutrition
Before I learned about nutrition, I used to think that living off apples and ice burg lettuce was ‘healthy’. In university, I took a few advanced nutrition courses and they really changed the way I viewed food. I learned about the components of food, digestion, physiology, etc. and it really made a light bulb go off inside my head. I no longer viewed food as simply how many calories it had. I appreciated how complex nutritious foods are and what they could do for my body. These courses were instrumental in my love for nutrition.
4) I Set Goals
Goals are so important to me. As you may know, I have goals in all areas of my life for 2010. They keep me motivated, inspired, and challenged. Prior to beating the disordered eating, I never set any health related goals. Last year I set goals of running my first races- a 10k, 10 miler, and 2 half marathons (recaps here). I realized that having health and fitness goals showed me that fitness could be FUN, inspiring, and exciting. Finding something that I enjoyed made it seem less like ‘work’ and more like ‘play’. Even when I am sweating it out on the treadmill on cold winter days, I think about my spring time goal of running another race, and that instantly inspires me to train consistently.
5) I Stopped Comparing
I used to be horrible for comparing myself to other women. She has skinnier thighs, a tiny waist…she is prettier…taller…more fit. It is a vicious cycle that will never end unless you put a stop to it. There will always be someone out there who you will perceive to be ‘better’ than you in some way. I had to commit to accepting myself for who I was at this very moment in time- not 10 pounds from now. It took me a very long time to accept a few things about myself that were never going to change. Learning to love myself was one of the hardest things that I have ever done, especially after years of being my own worst enemy. Seeing a counselor while in university helped me plant the seeds and start a new journey.
It is a long road, but one that us surely worth traveling.
Have you ever made any changes in your life that helped you stop obsessing about food or your weight?
Updates:
- I changed around a few blog colours yesterday- I think it is a bit easier on the eyes now.
- Women’s Post selected me as Women of the Week- check out my interview here.
I have a full day of baking orders today…but first, a workout is in store!
Make it a good one! :D
Insist on yourself. Never imitate.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
I’ve made so many changes, it’s hard to say where to start.
It’s been three years since I began to work towards ending my food addiction and disordered eating. I no longer binge, in fact, I no longer feel the need to binge. It’s amazing to really think about. It’s difficult some days, but for the most part, I’m comming to accept myself as I am, not as I will be.
wow that is truly beautiful…thank you for sharing :)
great post! i started counting calories earlier this year…at first i thought it was really helpful showing me that “just a little bit of this and a little bit of that” isn’t really so “little” and that all those little nibbles added up…but then it started stressing me out trying to find calories in foods and trying to stay under my target and feeling guilty when i went over. now i’m just trying to eat healthier :) much less stressful.
i was wondering though, i went and re-read your road to health series, and i know you mentioned the weight loss was gradual, but i was wondering how soon you noticed changes in the way you felt and saw the weight coming off, etc? like, hey! this is really working!
As a total pop culture geek, I am entirely excited about the Golden Globes tonight! Congrats on the interview–fantastic! :)
I used to be obsessed w/ weight and super restrictive. The single most helpful thing I did was start focusing on what my body could DO. By focusing on running, I shifted from obsessing about being skinny to thinking about actual accomplishments. Plus, I needed to be well-fueled in order to be successful!
Congrats on being Woman of the Week!!
What wonderful information to share with everyone- I can only imagine how helpful and reassuring hearing this is for many readers.
HECK YEAH I’m watching 24! SO EXCITED!!!! EEK!
This is a great post. I also recently (within the past 6 months) ditched calorie counting. Now my problem is working out and trying not to be too obsessive with it! I think both are almost equally addicting. Who knew it would be so difficult to maintain a healthy lifestyle!!
Your post inspired me to blog about my own struggle and how I overcame it as well :) thanks!!
Funny thing – ever since I started my blog, I have stopped thinking about food as much (even though I blog everything I eat), and have stopped obsessing over my body and what I eat. It is weird how the blog has changed me – in a good way!
I love 24! It’s my absolutely favorite show…cannot wait to see Jack tonight :)
…and by my absolutely favorite show…I meant absolutely my favorite show :)
You are such a wonderful role model..yes ROLE MODEL for woman of all ages. You’re real, you tell the truth even if its not puppies and rainbows, it’s true. People can relate to your experiences which might help them slay their own demons.
Thank you for keeping it real and allowing your readers to see where you have been and where you are now. Trust me, it gives us hope and inspiration.
You rock!
Barb
Hi Angela!
I stumbled across your blog not too long ago and I’ve been hooked. I’m tuning in everyday and have even made some of your recipes you’ve posted (thanks!).
It seems like you’ve written this post for me, it just really hit the core of where my battles lie. I’ve made the decision to get my health in order i.e. stop obsessing about how much I weigh and focus on healthy eating and exercise. I haven’t weighed myself in 2 weeks (mostly because I’m afraid what the scale will say). I don’t like the way the scale has the power to make my day or break my day – that’s no way to live life!! I’m definitely going to take a leaf out of your book! Its a number it doesn’t define who I am or what I represent in life.
Anyway I wanted to tell you your blog Rocks!
From an avid reader in Australia :)
I hate the hold the scale has on me. If I gain, I beat myself up and my day is totally ruined. If I lose weight, I can have a good day. That number on the scale controls me too much.
Love the idea of all these things! I am actually trying to put on weight, so I need to keep the scale to make sure it isn’t going down, but the not counting calories thing is something that I am still struggling with. My type a personality loves numbers! I just try to use the numbers in a positive way. If they start to bring me down or change my mood, I give up the scale for a while. It always comes back to balance, doesn’t it?
Angela
Thank you so much for posting this. It helps to know that I’m not the only one out there who has struggled/is struggling/continues to struggle with weight/scale/calories obsession! I just wrote a post the other day and am still trying to figure out if I should count calories or just focus on eating healthfully. (both of which involve effort!)
Anne
I’m watching the Golden Globes right now! I love your take on fashion, I hope you include a little bit in tomorrow’s post :)
Thanks for sharing these AMAZING and healthy things you did to beat your obsession. I couldn’t agree more with them. And also, I finally realize that using a scale works for some people but it’s MY personality that makes it not what I need. I think finally letting go and putting my health first when it came to gaining weight was a big step in beginning my recovery from anxorexia. I still have anxiety issues, but much more controllable now that I know what healthy is.
Congrats on the Women’s Post interview- how exciting! Excellent post today, Ange.
Thank you for this post, Angela. I have been been on a diet for as long as I can remember. Looking back, I wasn’t even at ALL overweight in high school, yet I always felt too big compared to my friends — some body types are just naturally more curvy than others, that doesn’t mean fat! I only took 1 year off of being obsessed with my weight, and that was when I lived in St. Martin Netherlands Antilles. There, if you were skinny, people tried to fatten you up. Popular girls were all curvy and sexy, and I didn’t step on the scale once. I was a HOT MAMACITA. Then I came home, and whoosh — out the door. I was obsessed again. Now I am a bit overweight, and trying to get down to an ideal weight for my frame. But I’m really making an effort to do this through healthy eating and a respect for myself and my body, not some insane sig-zag of self deprivation and bad feelings. I’m so glad that you’ve come so far, and indeed, you do glow because of it :) I truly look forward to getting there myself.
I was kind of the crazy opposite. I was naturally thin as a teenager, and my mom obsessed over my weight and whether I was thin because of an eating disorder. I never battled with that, thankfully, but it put a lot of unnecessary stress and focus on food for me, even if it wasn’t my own obsession.
I loved my nutrition courses in college as well. If they had a full degree program in it, that very well could have been the direction I took for my career.
I think comparisons are the hardest thing for any women. No matter how happy you are with your body, you’ll always have something that you unconsciously compare against others.
Congratulations on the huge leaps and bounds changes that you’ve made to heal yourself. You’re an inspiration to others :)
I also ditched the scale and calorie counting. The counting got to be so distracting that it was the only thing I was thinking about all day long! Over the years I realized there were more exciting and fun things in life that I wanted to be a part of, and my obsession with food and exercise wasn’t allowing me to explore these other things.
I’m so much happier not worrying about what I eat and I believe it makes it easier to eat healthfully when not obsessing over every bite! :)
Oddly enough, keeping a food diary helped me feel less obsessed over what I ate. Before, I felt like my eating was all over the place but, once I started tracking, I saw that I was actually eating better than I thought I was, and that having a couple of crackers here and there were no reason to feel guilty because it all balanced out, in the end.
Awesome tips! It is so easy to get caught up in the numbers. I’m in the process of learning about nutrition and it’s definitely changing the way I look at different foods. I find that when I’m focused on the right things I feel so much better about myself…no matter what the number on the scale says.
Thanks so much Angela, it makes me happy to read about how you are empowering so many other women about their relationships with food.
3 years ago I counted every calorie but I told myself it was just until I lost a little excess (I’m only 5′ 2″, not a lot of weight there to lose)
Eventually it spiraled out of control until I was alotting myself only 900 calories a day – 300 calories per meal. So warped.
It turned into a monster of its own. I felt sick, tired, depressed, and anything but confident and radiant. I had always considered myself a strong, no-nonsense person, so I dealt with a lot of denial about something actually having control over ME. People that count calories should be honest with themselves about why it is actually important.
Healthy does NOT equal skinny, I am so happy with myself now that I have learned that with my deepest intuition.
Awesome post! I feel like I am somewhere in the middle of where you are. A little over two weeks ago I gave up counting calories, which I’ve done off and on for years. I also made a commitment to eat only healthy, clean foods (including healthy, clean treats:). While I am trying to lost about 15 pounds, I am also focusing a lot of energy on just getting healthier. I’m excited about my change in lifestyle, and I’ve never felt better. I have still been weighing once a week, but every time I get on the scale I first remind myself that the number is still just a number, and that even if it goes up, my overall goal of getting healthy is still intact. Thanks for this post, and I also want to say thanks for all the fun recipes. My green monster has become my livelihood on my morning commute!
Thanks for this post, Angela! I’ve been trying to lose those last 10 pounds since Christmas and it’s been slow. I figure if I count calories, weigh myself diligently, and exercise lots that that’ll work, but now I’m thinking the opposite. I’ve never wanted to kill myself with exercise, but rather try to work in enough that I could keep up for the rest of my life. As for calories, I’ve been counting them lately but I think I’m going to try and stop. I get obsessed with that total number for the day and am always whipping out my calculator to see where I’m at.
My goal is to focus on being healthy. Looking through my cupboards I can see that I’ve come so far with this since I initially started losing weight over 2 years ago. We eat healthy now and I have to focus on that and my portion sizes. Keep moderation in my head and follow my hunger signals.
I’m training for a 10K, so I’m running a lot more lately and I’m trying to be diligent with strength training, but I’m not going to beat myself up if I miss a day of exercise.
Life is way too short to be focused constantly on this stuff – I want to enjoy it!
Thanks again!
K
I am like you and have finally been able to ditch the scale! I’m still working on not calorie counting anymore and taking it one meal at a time, but like you said, it’s hard. after doing it for so many years its hard to forget what everything has in it.
but i’m glad you have those goals for 2010 and that the goals you had in 2009 went so well! things like that are inspiring!!!
I’m just a lurker here, but wanted to thank you for this truley inspiring post. The progress you have made is incredible and really motivating. I was diagnosed with Anorexia at the age of 13, nearly losing my life. Although I’ve regained to a healthy weight since then, I still have to get weighed weekly by my parents to ensure I’m maintainin within my set-point range. It’s really frustrating and I wish that I didn’t have to get weighed… there was a period last year where I went three months weigh-in free (due to our scale breaking haha) and I felt so powerful… just well free from the number. But I ended up losing weight, unitentionally, so we had to go back to weekly weights (I’m really athletic so my calorie needs are sky high…).
I hope that some day I can reach the point that you’ve gotten to. The skinny vs. healthy and fit mentality is a great starting place. This year, I want to continuing on with my running as I enter college and be the best athlete possible. I hope to compete in marathons when I’m done with collegiate athletics, and even enter figure competitions some day! lol
Sorry for all the rambling… it’s just that I have days when I don’t think it’s ever going to get better, that the residual effects of my Eating Disorder will forever be impeding upon my life. But hearing wonderful people like yourself talk about the hope that does exist, well, it really helps. So thank you for sharing this, so, SO much! And once again, congratulations on the LEAPS AND BOUNDS YOU HAVE MADE!!!
In health,
Julia
Love your list! I think that all of those are valuable things that we need to be reminded of now and then…
Thanks!
These tips COULD NOT BE MORE TRUE! Especially STOP weighing yourself and STOP counting calories!!! Those numbers DO NOT define who you are as a person, EVER!!
You are one of the people who inspired me to write – thank you for inspiring my continued recovery: talesofarecoveringrecoverer.wordpress.com/
I would be interested to know about your thoughts on my recovery, given your experiences…
Great article! Although this is from a few years ago, I think it will always be a good and educational read. I too suffered from an eating disorder. I would count my calories and make sure that I was taking as low a number as I possibly could while still living basically! If I ever did have a treat or went above my max number of calories (which was still ridiculously low) I would excercise enough to burn it off. I was obsessed with calories, my weight and food and it was all I thought about. It took over my life, ended relationships and I was miserable. I always thought, if i just loose a bit more i’ll be happy but that never happened. There was always a new # I wanted to see on that scale. My family and friends gave me the courage and support to speak to a counselor which helped and slowly but surely, I gained some much needed weight and improved my relationship with food. It’s been about 5 years now. I have educated myself on nutrition, fitness and overall health and although I have come a long way, I still struggle. Sometimes I can feel my old habits creeping back in and I do my best to push them aside and read positive articles (such as these) which helps. I have never tried a vegan diet and I’m giving it a lot of thought. I also deal with very high sensitivities to Dairy, Eggs, Fish and Soy so I think becoming Vegan wouldn’t be too hard. I struggle with anxiety and control which I think stems from my past eating disorder. Wow, sorry for blabbing on here, long story short I wanted to thank you for posting such motivational articles and recipes. It’s great to read these and feel that I’m not alone and that i’m not a failure. I strive to live a healthy and happy life everyday and this blog is sure to help. I also just received your new Cookbook as a birthday gift and i’m very excited to try some recipes! I would love to hear your thoughts on how you deal with old feelings/habits coming back into your mind and life.
Thanks!
Wow! Read this at the perfect time in my life. I’m in college right now; I have been clean eating for about 1.5 years, and recently decreased my animal product intake). Lately I’ve been struggling with body image, binge eating, and restriction. I am trying to remember how to just eat when I am hungry, stop when I’m full, and be happy with myself. This post speaks volumes to me! Thanks!
My cookbook is coming in the mail tomorrow- can’t wait :)
I really want to get to this point,
I have recently acknowledged that I have a problem with weight and weight loss. I count all my calories, I am constantly on a strict diet and I do not allow myself any treats because I cant stand the guilt afterwards.
I weigh myself everyday and this dictates my daily mood and how I feel in my clothes. I feel it is getting out of hand and is causing a lot of arguments in my relationship.
It does not help that my friends all talk about being skinny and losing weight – its just everywhere. I used to be a size 14 and now I am a size 8-10 but I am still not happy and I view myself as that fat girl still.
Its just horrible. I am just scared I will put the weight back on.