Just to Stop?

[picklypopcorn]

I was put on a diet when I was 6 years old by my parents because they were told I was an overweight child... without any education on self esteem or child obesity at that time, my mum put me on slim fast shakes... yeah.

Anyway, so began an absolutely god awful relationship with food for me, whereby I've been on a diet ever since, so 19 years.

I've reliably gained weight ever since and now see food as anything but fuel to keep me alive.. I crash and binge, I eat healthily enough but will then have takeaway after takeaway because food is to be scarfed as fast as possible in between Mondays when diets start

I'm soooooo done.

I just want to experience food without feeling guilty, is that too much to ask?? If I stop structuring my intake around a "diet" like weightwatchers of slimming world (I've done them all), am I likely just to binge and binge? Part of me thinks if I just start seeing food as food I'll eat a lot less...

AIBU to think dieting has pretty much ruined my life and I should just stop?

BAH!

www.amazon.co.uk/Have-Your-Cake-Skinny-Jeans-ebook/dp/B00B9JKNBC

This book explains very well how diets do nothing but make you fat!!

Sounds like you need some psychological help too. In the nicest possible way!!

You have a lifelong issue with food and maybe CBT will be an option to help you undo the learnt behaviour you have around food.

If be seeing the GP and asking for all the help they can give you.

I agree with Crunchy, you need some professional help. You have deeply ingrained thoughts and behaviours around food and they're going to take some work to overcome.

Stop. Just stop. Diets don't work. Do what you need to do to be reasonably healthy. Get exercise, try to generally eat healthy foods. But don't deprive yourself, don't calorie count, don't stuff yourself till you feel sick because you think you're "being bad so I might as well do it anyway."

You're fine just the way you are.

Haha crunchy

I'm currently having CBT for anxiety so you're bob on!

The other issue I have is that I have absolutely no clue what "normal people" eat! What's a typical day?

My problem is comfort eating of junk, but when I am not stressed, this is pretty typical:

Breakfast: tea, one slice buttered toast, boiled egg
Midmorning: piece of fruit or veg sticks, water
Lunch: soup and roll or equivalent, water
Mid afternoon: yoghurt, tea
Dinner: variable, main thing is to use a lunch size plate so you don't have to think about portion size, very often have a green salad on the side, dessert is only with Sunday roast

I don't eat after dinner due to reflux issues.

The other issue I have is that I have absolutely no clue what "normal people" eat! What's a typical day?

It depends really. When I was dieting I always made sure that I had 3 solid meals and little healthy snacks.

Since I've stopped and have just been going off my hunger:

Breakfast: 2 eggs, strawberries in coconut milk and some spinach, coffee (with full cream) and grapefruit juice.
Lunch: (never usually very hungry) some chicken (a thigh or drumstick) and a lot of spinach with deep fried onions.

Dinner: Whatever I want. Last night was a veggie & paneer curry. The night before was pasta with jarred tomato sauce, the night before that was stirfry with shrimp. I usually have a couple of beers as well.

I don't bother with portion sizes, but I stop eating when I feel full and put it away. I would say I'm eating about half what I used to when I was "dieting."

I'm a crisp fiend, so I usually have a few little packets of crisps during the week (just those little grab bag ones).

Every morning whilst the kettle is boiling for the first coffee, I make a quick fresh fruit salad and bung it in the fridge. This is my 'pick at' food for the day. I've lost 5 stone since June last year. I can't physically eat what I used to eat and I only eat when I'm hungry. I've learnt that if I don't fancy picking at fruit salad, then I'm not actually hungry, I don't substitute crisps/biscuits/cake for the fruit salad, it's that or nothing. I allow myself crisps and snacks on Saturdays and pudding on a sunday. It's worked for me. I haven't been on a diet though, just made myself more aware of the difference between what I want and what I need.

dawn that's a fabulous point about the fruit! It's true, if you dont fancy fruit you're not hungry!