Do any of you feel like me and think that sometimes you become too obsessive about the food you eat (or don't eat)? I don't just mean looking at every food label and planning meals, but really scutinising everything, even stuff you know is good for you?

At the moment, I'm cutting, and I am eating under what would be a good amount to maintain muscle mass (don't get me wrong, I'm not starving myself). I know I should lose the fat more slowly, but I am such an impatient person and want it done that little bit quicker.

I think I am eating no more than about 1500 clean calories a day, and I'm 6 foot and weight 175lb. I think that's too low really and I'm losing some muscle (although the scales aren't dropping so not yet).

The thing is though, I feel like I'll never be able to indulge in a really unhelathy meal again. Sometimes I desperately just want a big McDonalds meal, or a Domino's pizza but I just can't do it. I look at the calories and think that I'd be unravelling days of hard work.

I miss the days of being carefree about food (even though it made me overweight and probably unhappy if I was to be honest) - and just eating and drinking anything I wanted.

I suppose it'll all be worth it in the end, but I just think I'm becoming obsessive compulsive at the moment! :spaz:

Well, like most people will tell you, there's no endpoint, so if you're losing weight each week, then you're making good progress. Being obsessive about your food to the point where you are scared of it is, I believe, one of the quickest ways to burn out on the whole thing. Plan a cheat meal for the week. If you've done a whole week of eating good, then a cheat meal, will not hurt your progress. On top of that, it will give you something to look forward to when the diet starts to look bland. I really like Bluestreak's plan of having one cheat meal and one cheat snack per week, no holds barred. If you stick to your plan and incorporate these, you should still see great progress and keep your sanity.

Do any of you feel like me and think that sometimes you become too obsessive about the food you eat (or don't eat)? I don't just mean looking at every food label and planning meals, but really scutinising everything, even stuff you know is good for you?

At the moment, I'm cutting, and I am eating under what would be a good amount to maintain muscle mass (don't get me wrong, I'm not starving myself). I know I should lose the fat more slowly, but I am such an impatient person and want it done that little bit quicker.

I think I am eating no more than about 1500 clean calories a day, and I'm 6 foot and weight 175lb. I think that's too low really and I'm losing some muscle (although the scales aren't dropping so not yet).

The thing is though, I feel like I'll never be able to indulge in a really unhelathy meal again. Sometimes I desperately just want a big McDonalds meal, or a Domino's pizza but I just can't do it. I look at the calories and think that I'd be unravelling days of hard work.

I miss the days of being carefree about food (even though it made me overweight and probably unhappy if I was to be honest) - and just eating and drinking anything I wanted.

I suppose it'll all be worth it in the end, but I just think I'm becoming obsessive compulsive at the moment! :spaz:

Lifestyle, lifestyle, lifestyle!!! Remember that you should be developing a lifestyle of healthy eating and excersize. This should not be just a temporary thing. So in developing a lifestyle, it should be something that you can live with and something that you can enjoy.

Personally I find it silly that people will freak out because they feel that they just "can't" eat certain things ever again. They then torture themselves until they finally break down, eat that thing that they have been craving, and then feel like crap about it afterwords. I also think it is rediculous when I hear about people worrying about going to a family outing, or family dinner and not wanting to eat the food that is there because it is not "clean." This is a lifestyle! A single meal will not destroy your body (assuming the average person who does not want to be a professional body builder/model).

If you cannot live with your new lifestyle, then you need to take a serious look at it and decide where you can make changes so that you can live with it. Remember, eating "clean" means eating healthy for most of your meals. You can still have pizza, ice-cream, hamburgers, french fries, turkey dinners, etc. You just know that you cannot eat them all the time. You also know that a big ingredient in any healthy lifestyle is excersize. So if you are excersizing and eating healthy for most of your time, then having that occasional "non-clean" meal will not be harmful, and in fact may be beneficial.

Ok, I will stop ranting now, but that is my view on this.

I'm so used to it now that it's second nature. I don't scrutinize on cheat days, but other days I'm pretty a.retentive.

So when you talk about cheat days - what would that entail exactly (food-wize)?

I don't know whether you guys cheat, or really really cheat if you know what I mean.

So when you talk about cheat days - what would that entail exactly (food-wize)?

I don't know whether you guys cheat, or really really cheat if you know what I mean.
For instance... last Saturday, I ate regularly during the day, then for dinner I had a big swiss and mushroom burger with onion rings. It was really, really a cheat and I savored every bite of it! :D

For instance... last Saturday, I ate regularly during the day, then for dinner I had a big swiss and mushroom burger with onion rings. It was really, really a cheat and I savored every bite of it! :D

Ah right, thanks for the example. Not too bad that though really.

Ah right, thanks for the example. Not too bad that though really.

The time those words "lifestyle, lifestyle, lifestyle!" really sunk in for me was the day I stopped trying to track what I consumed on a cheat day during my cutting. For months, I would still track what I ate (I would not plan it ahead of time - only record what I actually ate). I still wanted to learn what the breakdown of calories and macros looked like. On average while cutting I was getting 1600 Cal/day; a cheat day would have anywhere from 2000 - 3000. All the while I was looking up food values for things I'd never eat except on a cheat meal (like oreos), I would become nervous and depressed (Even though I had already decided it would be a cheat day!!)

Finally I stopped recording what I ate at all, knowing it wouldn't be that big of a disaster; it would likely still fall into the 2000-3000 calorie range. It was such a relief to let go, and no there haven't been any negatives.

Of course a cheat day is not a "binge" day - for a rule of thumb guide I still use "eat whatever you would have eaten on a normal day in the past, before entering into your new lifestyle"

Consistency is more important than perfection.

So when you talk about cheat days - what would that entail exactly (food-wize)?

I don't know whether you guys cheat, or really really cheat if you know what I mean.

When I talk about a cheat meal (I don't really do a whole day), I'm talking about going to Burger King and getting a Double Whopper with Cheese, and king size fries, and drink a diet cream soda at home (I actually like the taste better than regular soft drinks). Another cheat meal I have is going to my favorite mexican restaurant and having chips and salsa, and a big enchilada with cheese special, with rice and beens. Papa John's pizza is also a cheat meal for me. Basically things that I enjoy eating. Thanksgiving, Christmas, 4th of July, Labor day, and other holiday meals are cheat meals for me.

I ate a Jack in the Box Pinnada(sp?) meal last night... You just gotta do it once in awhile.. It's like giving yourself a pat on the back for a job well done.. and then when you feel bloated and fat afterwards ..it will motivate not to do it again(which is only good for a day or two) but it helps you stay on track.. for the rest of the week :)

Your 'cheats' have to be in line with you goals and where you are. If you are not loosing weight at 12%+ BF and are eating 1 BigMac/week then you need to look at other things. If you are 6% BF I guess you have to decide what is more important.

It does become a lifestyle. Some people here cheat with a burger. Personally I couldn't eat a Whopper or BigMac, however, I also don't always plan my ‘cheats’. I prefer to have maybe 2-3 small ones/week (like 2 Oreos after dinner at a friends house or 200kcal of french fries instead of 100kcal of sweet potatoes a couple of beers with friends etc..). That is my lifestyle and also consistent with my goals and where I am.

i no longer want to cheat, well i sorta do, but if i do it will be a jar of peanut butter :D
the thought of eating a big mac disgusts me, i dont know why anyone would eat that junk, even if they are overweight, the food quality is very poor

my idea of a good cheat meal, is not a burger and fries, but a home cooked meal, sure it may be a little unhealthy, but at least it tastes great!

i guess i just like to taste things, only problem is i like to keep on tasting it :D
i have had days where i just went all out on crap, i've had cheats where i've gone all out on 1 meal(very good food however :D), and i've had a cheat where i had a nice sit down dinner with family, with quality food, and by far its the most enjoyable time where you can sit down, eat a good meal, talk to your family without having to worry about every macronutrient and gram of fat and processed carb (although we dont really have that must "crap" in my families get togethers, since we are italian, the food is kinda healthy)

so i say save a cheat for a nice outing, have a good time! and dont instead on concentrating on gorging yourself, have a good time and just dont think about your diet

thats what people should also do, instead of having a "cheat day" have a "free day" where you dont count calories, but just eat like a regular healthy person (key word being healthy! it can still taste good :D)

I've found that the longer you go without something the more you lose the craving. I haven't had a candy bar in twenty years, or a donut in 12 years. I never think about eating them. I haven't had any pop (soda) in three months, now I crave water.

I find that when I eat something crappy, my body reacts negatively. If you mind embrace a healthy diet, so will your body.

I've found that the longer you go without something the more you lose the craving. I haven't had a candy bar in twenty years, or a donut in 12 years. I never think about eating them. I haven't had any pop (soda) in three months, now I crave water.

I find that when I eat something crappy, my body reacts negatively. If you mind embrace a healthy diet, so will your body.

You're so right on this. My friends literally squirm when I say I havn't had soda in almost a year, and I have no desire to drink it. I've had a candybar I got for free 8 months ago sitting on my shelf, and it'll probably be there until I throw it out one day.

I've been this obsessed before, and it was hard coming out of that rut. I actually ended up overtrained and stopped working out for over a month. Totally burnt out.

Remember: One meal won't make you fit, and one meal won't make you fat!

You're so right on this. My friends literally squirm when I say I havn't had soda in almost a year, and I have no desire to drink it. I've had a candybar I got for free 8 months ago sitting on my shelf, and it'll probably be there until I throw it out one day.

HAHAHA! Seriously there's a bag of chips in my pantry sitting behind a bunch of tuna cans that has been there for about a year! Girlfriend bought them a while ago. Maybe she still wants them, better not throw them out.