don't obsess over one thing

[brightstar]

I think the most important thing I’ve learned recently has to do with obsessing over things when you’re trying to lose weight. I’ve obsessed over fats, carbs, and calories. No matter what it is, I seem to be motivated about it for a while – some longer than others – and then I lose my motivation for it and i stop doing it. That really isn’t thinking long term. I don’t know why it took me so long to get this into my thick head. Instead, I’m focusing on being reasonable about fats, carbs, calories and everything else, but I’m not obsessing over them. I would no longer say I’m on a low fat diet or low carb diet. Instead, i”m just being reasonable. It’s working way better.

[M-Stark334]

I agree! I also get fixated on thing and I find it motivates me at first but eventually I just get fed up with it and very discouraged. I like your suggestions brigthstar! Thank you for sharing. I think I might give myself a break and try to be more reasonable, too

[BabyButtons]

I'm glad to hear that this is working better for you, brigthstar. I know how hard it can be to not obsess over these thing. Part of losing weight is altering the way you think and to pay attention about stuff you never cared about before. This can easily lead to getting obsessive over counting numbers and measuring fat. But, you're right, obsessing will do more harm than good.I find that when I aim within the general range of my calories and fats I'm far happier than when I try to get it perfect every time. Most of the time I hit my target but sometimes I'm over a little bit and I don't sweat it.

[enviroTodd]

I'm glad to hear that this is working better for you, brigthstar. I know how hard it can be to not obsess over these thing. Part of losing weight is altering the way you think and to pay attention about stuff you never cared about before. This can easily lead to getting obsessive over counting numbers and measuring fat. But, you're right, obsessing will do more harm than good.I find that when I aim within the general range of my calories and fats I'm far happier than when I try to get it perfect every time. Most of the time I hit my target but sometimes I'm over a little bit and I don't sweat it.

That's very good advice. Don't forget that the numbers you create are in your head. They're something you have come up with as a goal. Your body doesn't know if you've gone over or under by a small amount. You just have to be reasonable and keep going. If you think of your body as a kind of calculator then you'll also find that you will be regularly disappointed in the results you achieve. You can't treat your body like a machine. That's not what it is.

[TracyK]

That is good advice, but I find it is advice that is hard to follow, especially for me. I'm the type of person who obsesses over numbers and I like challenges, but I don't know when to quit. It's really hard for me not to keep track of calories and weight without going overboard. That's one of the reasons I don't own a fitness tracker, I'm afraid I'll get carried away with tracking results if I get one. Is this stupid or do you think I'm overreacting and should just get one? Does anyone else have number-obsessed issues? If so, what do you do to combat it?

[Bean]

We all obsess over things. We obsess over losing weight in a certain spot or about focusing on one thing in our diets that will save the day. It can't be helped.