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Mental Eating Disorder
I don't know where to begin. I've been having eating problems since September. Anything I eat that isn't the best for you whether it's pizza or a hotdog or anything, I feel miserable. I eat what my friends/family eat, or try to, & I get in such a bad mood & feel disgusted with myself. I've been eating 1200-1500 calories daily. I just don't know what to do. I exercise 3-4 days a week [running on a tredmill] & try to do my best, but I mentally can't take it. I always feel guilty for just eating. Basically eating anything other than fruits & veggies. Is there anything I can do? I'm afraid of becoming fat. It's my phobia. Any ideas? Thanks
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Want to answer more questions in the Health & Fitness category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Mental health?
Instead of focusing on the food you put into your body, you need to focus on the thoughts you put into your head. Obsessing and beating yourself up over what you eat isn't the proper way to keep yourself healthy. You need to learn to love yourself, accept yourself, and ignore those negative thoughts that make you feel bad, guilty, stressed, or afraid.
By dwelling on these negative thoughts, you're feeding them and giving them much more power than they deserve. In return, you feel depressed, probably tired and/or sluggish, possibly anxious, and you're probably not sleeping as well as you could be. You need to refocus your attention elsewhere and re-prioritize.
Once you begin to treat yourself more kindly, you'll let go of this obsessive need to eat a specific way, and you'll feel a lot better about yourself. Instead of counting calories, begin keeping a journal and write down your negative thoughts (such as: I ate something I shouldn't have and now I'm going to gain weight. I'm such a loser) and track down how many negative thoughts you're having a day. I guarantee the results will astound you.
With all the untrue, unkind things we tell ourselves virtually every minute that make us feel awful and not good enough, it's no wonder why our society is obsessed with antidepressants which keep those negative thoughts from sinking in. Lucky for you, you're on the right path because exercise is a wonderful pick me up!
Unfortunately, exercise alone isn't enough. You need to begin to exercise your positive thinking and learn to comfort yourself and make yourself feel good. Reading only your question, I see numerous things that you should be proud of about yourself - you seem responsible, determined, ambitious, disciplined, etc.
Imagine using those qualities to make yourself feel good.
Going back to the journal, immediately after you've written down your negative thought, write down a positive replacement thought (such as: So what if I ate something I shouldn't have? I'm exercising and maintaining a healthy balance. I'm doing a good job.). It might be difficult at first, and you may not believe it, but give it time. It'll definitely sink in. Remember, practice makes perfect. You've been practicing how to make yourself feel bad for quite a while. Now it's time to practice making yourself feel good.
Please keep me updated and let me know how things work out for you. I wish you the best. :)
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You should talk to a nutritionsist or a counselor or someone. It might be just in your mind right now but if you keep letting these thoughts consume you, you may be driven to begin eating less and less or not eating at all.
Usually there's a reason for feeling guilty like you're describing, and I think the best way to figure out what it is would be talking to someone who knows more about it (i.e. counselor, psychiatrist, ect.).
If you need anything, you can always ask me personally, and I wish you the best of luck!
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