Do you get anxious over the thought of eating high calorie food?

[Trainedandresigned]

I've been in the process of losing some weight. I've only lost about 10 pounds so far, not a huge amount. I'm now the very top end of the healthy weight range and want to lose another 15/20 pounds.

I've found that recently, when faced with the idea of going to a restaurant or ordering a takeaway with friends etc., I feel really quite anxious. This is only the case when I think about the prospect of eating pizza or another high calorie food.

I've still been making attempts to have this food, just in small amounts, because I want this weight loss to be long-term and don't want to cut out any foods altogether. But this anxious feeling is weird.

Do you get it too? I'm wondering if maybe this is just something that all those who have to work to stay slim/ a healthy weight feel. Maybe this is the body's way of regulating weight and ensuring we don't over-eat?

Just me?

No, not just you. I have a looong history of binge eating disorder and yes my reaction to high calorie food is a sort of panic and urge to starve myself

I do because I know one taste and it's a downhill spiral out of control!

But I have some extreme food issues 😩

God no. I'm overweight and trying to lose weight. I allow myself one "cheat" meal a week and always look forward to it.

Yes, but even more so if the calories weren't worth it?! So make sure they are!

The trick is to not over-eat, savour it, enjoy it and the next couple of days whilst still dieting, just adjust calorie intake and up your activity. This will help you develop a sensible approach to food in that no food is forbidden.

I'm not surprised you feel like that as you are focusing on it so carefully right now. Just be careful it doesnt spiral into a real problem that either damages your mental health and/or takes all the pleasure out of your food.

Yes. It makes a lot of situations quite awkward or difficult tbh

Never. I generally teeter around the top end of the healthy weight bracket but have been considerably overweight in the past and have spent years trying to lose a bit and sometimes succeeding. Even when I'm doing well at controlling my diet, I never feel anxious about eating anything.

I’ve lost just over a stone since June. I’ve not dieted, still eat choc, cake, pizza, etc but have been eating less of it and for example making my own pizza that is much tastier than a cardboard supermarket one. Then only 1 or 2 slices with salad instead of 4-5 slices.
I love high calorie food that is bad for you - bread, butter, pasta, cream, cheese, chocolate etc so I’m just trying to make it count when I do eat it eg high quality choc instead of rubbish stuff, fresh baked bread instead of plastic slices,

I believe in eating anything you want, just within your calories allowance. So if I know I'm having a high calorie meal, I'll eat less in the day, workout more, or reduce my calories over a few days to make it all balance out.

I'm not overweight and normally I eat most things without worrying.

But if I put on a few pounds, I consciously make an effort to lose those pounds before they turn in stones. This happens once or twice a year (think post Christmas, holidays etc.) and when I am consciously trying to lose weight, I do feel anxious when I am in a situation where eating high calorie food is expected.

But I do get back to normal, once I reach my desired weight so it need not be permanent. In the longer term, going to restaurants is fine. It's having takeaways etc. multiple times a week that isn't fine.

Not at all, if anything as the high calorie food tends to be the delicious stuff then quite the opposite! I’ve varied in weight throughout my life, been a slim personal trainer and piled on weight during & after pregnancies so I’m not dismissing the ‘dieting’ aspect (although don’t agree with ‘diets’ on the whole due to the psychology behind the concept).

I’d say that feeling anxious around food would be a red flag for me personally & certainly would have been if I had a client who mentioned that - I’d maybe see if you can talk to someone professional about it (whether that’s a nutritionist or a counselling) to see if you can change your approach & way of thinking as it could signal the beginnings of an eating disorder.

ME!
I was proud of myself as I lost 2 stone about 5-6 years ago...then I got together with my now DH. I've put all that weight back on! Change of job and lifestyle was a big impact.

Whenever DH mentions an unhealthy meal (he suggested sausage, egg and chips last night for example) I go into panic mode as I know its full of fat and I'll feel crap after eating it (more psychologically but also a bit physically too...salt and fat...argh!) However, I smile and agree as I can't think of anything else to be honest.

I definitely don't feel anxious as such about it, I love my food and eating out/takeaways are usually a pleasure rather than a negative. I do have to watch my weight and so I plan ahead where I know there's a delicious/calorific meal coming up by skipping breakfast and having a light lunch. I might occasionally feel a bit put out if junk food is 'sprung on me' without having had the chance to prepare but if it's something like a colleague's birthday cake that doesn't look worth it I just graciously decline or take some away to have later, or if DH wants a surprise takeaway I'll suggest I cook a healthy dinner instead (or occasionally there's no harm in saying fuck it and just treating yourself so long as it doesn't become a habit).

The only time I would say I feel genuinely negative about eating high calorie meals is where the food is disappointing/not worth the effort to have 'saved up' my calories to have it, in particular if I know in advance I'm not going to love it which makes skipping lunch hard (e.g. DH loves a local steak house place that doesn't really have any nice lighter options and I'm not a red meat lover, or one of my relatives is not a particularly good cook and uses a lot of oil/fat in her cooking ), but if it's essential to politeness/kindness to someone I love then I'll suck it up!

I try and spread my calories out over 3-4 days rather than just one day. It is easier to have a take out and enjoy it if I know the day afterwards I will make smarter choices. It also removes any feeling of guilt for going over daily calories as 6000 (4 days worth) is much easier to manipulate than 1500

I was diagnosed with binge eating disorder ten years ago, though my history of eating disorders goes well beyond that. My behaviour is also more in line with non-purging bulimia, wherein I binge eat and then either obsessively exercise or starve myself rather than purging.

I go through a cycle of losing a LOT of weight and then putting it back on every couple of years. In the binge phase I go balls to the wall with high calorie food and I just don't care. When I'm losing weight through calorie restriction, I become very anxious around food and try my hardest to avoid any social engagement that would see me either eat food or miss a workout.

It's incredibly unhealthy, distressing and it has totally taken over my life.

I understand op. For me it's not so much about high calorie foods (as I eat a whole foods/paleo only diet, so most foods are what we'd traditionally consider high calorie), but about being faced with no options that I can eat. And that's actually harder than you think when eating out if you don't eat dairy or grains or soy or sugar. It's easy to find things without one of those, but with none of them? Ridiculous. Even Wetherspoons chips contain gluten!

I understand the anxiety, your fear that when faced with it you'll 'crack' when you don't really want to. In this case I suppose it helps to remember why you're doing this. I have got very good and confident at saying 'no thanks' and I always carry something in my bag I can eat if I go out for a long time. Luckily it doesn't happen too much at the moment!

AmusedBush I could have written your post word for word. I have lost over 300kg in the course of my lifetime. That's over 660lb. I am exhausted and yet I cannot stop.
I was 64kg in March and 87kg at the beginning of October. Now I am back to starving myself, until the next time.

To answer your question, OP, high-calorie food makes me extremely anxious when I am in a starving phase (I even avoid social engagements because of it). When I am in a bingeing phase I eat an average of 8000kcal a day, so I could not care less.

I have anorexia I am at a healthy weight but it's always there. The devil on your shoulder.

Please try to be balanced and not get too over wrought about it. Just be more sensible with your calorie consumption over the next couple of days.

I get this. I’ve lost 3 stone since January, and just reached my goal weight, right in the middle of a healthy bmi. I’ve been trying to maintain my goal weight for a week and have lost another 1.5lb. I’m basically eating the same as I was when trying to lose weight, but trying to add in the odd treat. I’m struggling with the treats! I bought chocolate (ex-chocoholic here!) but can only bring myself to eat 2 squares. I can’t bring myself to eat bread or cheese yet either. No idea why as I don’t want to lose more weight- I think I’d be too skinny (size 8-10 now). I think I’m just so used to feeling “in control” of my weight/ diet and am struggling to let that go.

I get this but do have a clinical diagnosis of AN. It doesn’t matter what weight you are, I’m 3 stone underweight and the feeling only strengthens as my weight drops. But this shouldn’t be the norm. Food shouldn’t make you feel guilty.

Not anxious exactly but I have found that since I've cleaned up my diet I just don't fancy the junk anymore.

Food waste does make me anxious though so I sometimes feel uncomfortable when faced with the choice between eating something I don't want and seeing it "wasted".

Yes I always feel like this but I have disordered eating and food issues that I’m working on.

Yes I do this (long-recovered bulimic but the panic and fear of lack of control always remains). When I know I'll be eating out in the evening I'll skip breakfast and lunch then doggy-bag half my restaurant meal/takeaway. Probably not the sanest method but preferable to the dreaded 'stuffed' feeling and the temptation to put my fingers down my throat.