when you get to your target...

[user1463172942]

How do you develop a healthy relationship with food?

After being overweight for some years I have lost 2.5 stone going from 12st to 9.5st ( I am 5'4"). I have calorie counted using MFP and taken up running and gym. However I have also had an awful year (marital breakdown, kids involved) and I think I have been a bit obsessive, running til I felt ill, feeling too nauseous to eat etc. I'm currently signed off with anxiety.

I'm glad I lost the weight . I had it to lose and feel much better but I'm finding it hard to now strike a happy balance.
I either hardly eat all day or overeat all day, which cancels each other out but doesn't seem very healthy.

I also find myself getting a bit obsessive, thinking I need to lose more. Looking at pictures of thin celebs etc.

I am now a size 10-12 which seems fine for my height. I desperately want to just generally eat healthily and stop when I'm full but can't seem to let go of the awful emotional eating. Anyone lost weight then kept it off without obsessing? Thanks x

I have been doing slimming world for nearly 13 years. Until I got to my original target I was super strict. Now I have a kind of balance...I am really good during the week, then more slack from Friday onwards. We don't have many takeaways but I enjoy wine, chocolate and eating in general. I also exercise every week day morning. I am now below my original slimming world target. Though after holidays and Christmas I do try to be more 'good' to get the weight off. I weighed myself obsessively for years, now I do it once or twice a week, unless I know I haven't been great, then I'll leave it until I know ive list a couple of pounds.

#lost

I was wondering about slimming world actually. I fix it years ago and it seems a pretty healthy way to eat.

Perhaps if you have done the whole weight gain /loss thing you just can't let go completely without piling it back on.

tried not fix 😖

I lost 4.5 stone, took target and put 3 back on in a year! I have really struggled but don't have time for group

I had a similar weight loss to you. Went up to twelve stone, felt really uncomfortable with it. Back down to 9'10, which would have been closer to my normal weight. Was always about 9 and a half. Stayed that way for six months, then I let cake & sweets creep in again. I'm about 10'10 now & shocked at how little takes to gain weight, over 40. I don't eat junk food, fizzy drinks, or meat.
My advice is to keep off everything that you gave up in order to lose weight. It's blood hard, but I noticed that my weight started to go down again at Christmas when I let myself get hungry / avoided sugar. Keeping active is huge part of it too. I've realised that a yo-yo of one stone is not the worst, but getting it off now is a lot harder than in my younger days...

Thanks Sugar. Hopefully the exercise will do something, I used to do hardly anything and now run 5k twice a week and do some other bits e.g. Swimming and yoga.

I've lost 5st by calorie counting and kept it off for 3 years. Like a pp I am strict during the week, not much different to when I was actively 'dieting' but am free and easy from Friday evening til Sunday.

I also weigh myself 3-4 days a week to keep a check on things so I get an early warning of weight creeping back on so I can take action swiftly, i.e. Be more aware of any extras that have crept back in to weekday eating and/or keep an eye on how free and easy the weekends are, before it becomes a lot to deal with again

I lost a similar amount to you. 12.5st to 9.5st (I'm 5'7") but it's maybe been a bit easier for me to keep it off because I didn't have the same binge/ starve thing going on. You're right that the key is to finding a healthy way of eating (almost) every day.

I'm much like a PP in that I eat well Monday to Friday with plans something like this photo. Saturday and Sunday I pretty much eat what I want. But I exercise (30-45mins cardio plus weights on 3 sessions) 6 days a week.

You'll find what works for you and you're already halfway there recognising that the relationship with food is of highest importance (in my opinion!).

I do think if you have had weight issues it probably never goes away, I know if i didn't stick to slimming world during the week I'd have piled on what I lost plus a ton more. Education is a massive part, just knowing the little things that make a difference is so important. However, when I started exercising regularly almost a year ago I have found I can have a much more 'normal' diet, ie eating what I want at weekends and having wine more often! I have never bn in to exercise but now do half an hour running on a trampette every week day morning and have seen significant changes in my body shape too. I'm hoping at some point in the distant future I'll stop caring so can have a relaxing and fat old age (joke)

Thanks for the replies. The healthy week vs relaxed weekend seems to be how a lot of people do this then. Will maybe try to work on that basis.