Will I ever be able to eat normally?

I am approaching my 1 year anniversary since I started my weight loss journey.  I am currently 212 lbs with a starting weight of 288 lbs.  It seems lately I am obsessed with calories more than usual.  How many I've eaten, how many I'm going to eat, how many I have left for the day.  I'm thinking about what I'm going to have for breakfast, lunch and dinner first thing in the morning!  I don't obsess over every little calorie but i seems whenever I look at food I am constantly estimating how many calories it is.  My question is-will I ever be able to eat normally?  Will I ever be able to consume food for a whole day and NOT think about how many calories are in everything?  How do normal people eat all day and NOT think about how many calories they are consuming?

I have the same exact question. I'm in the same boat. Sometimes I wish I could just not think of calories. Maybe it is normal?

Yes you will, it's a matter of breaking a habit. As long as you're getting the signs from your body when you're full and when you're actually hungry, and if you continue mostly eating well, eating a maintenance amount should eventually come naturally. At that point, if you start to mentally force yourself to not estimate the calories, you'll be able to break the habit. Because estimating is usually a two step process, isn't it? First you think "I wonder how many calories this thing has" and then you go to "I estimate it to be ____." So instead of actually doing the calculation, you just stop at "I wonder..." ;)

I find that after many months of calorie counting I just do it mechanically without thinking --  lately I often enter my calories at the end of the day rather than as I go, and it turns out that I had pretty much my daily allowance, plus or minus about 100 calories.

Since you've already been doing this for a long time, I would try to relax for a week and enter your calories at the end of the day and gauge how you are doing when you're not stressing as much about calories. Probably you already have all the right math and the willpower in you...

The thing is losing weight and keeping it off IS a lifestyle change... no you can't just go back to eating whatever again because you'll gain it all right back right? Thanks to this site we learn about how much calories are in what foods and get a better understanding of what our body needs and wants. It becomes second nature to apply it to a weight maintaining lifestyle... then if you do slip up and gain a bit just make sure to hit the gym or watch what you eat again. Only there is a lot less to lose this time around.

So the answer is YES, you will keep thinking about it which is necessary to maintain a healthy lifestyle but NO, you won't be obsessing over it. There are always the hard times when you want all that bad food but you just got to remember to keep everything in check. Thats life eh?

I do the same thing, and what's worse, I talk about it constantly. I hear myself going "blahblahblah calories blahblahblah diet" and think, god I must sound so boring! But I can't stop! I don't know whether or not we'll be this way forever,  but if its any consolation, you aren't alone.

i count without thinking too. i think thats going to be helpful when we are trying to maintain weight. if we ate mindlessly still we would just gain it all back.

It's better to be thinking about it than not be thinking about it. At least you are concious of what you are putting into your body and what exactly it might mean to you. I understand, sometimes I feel crazy wondering how many calories are in everything, but if at the end of the day, week, or month, you feel better for having known better, than that should be positive and is normal.

And I honestly don't think any 'normal' person does NOT not think about what they are eating. I'm pretty sure a majority are constantly scrutinizing their meals.

I suspect there are very few people who truly don't think about what they've been eating each day. For some, it's probably more like "well, I had chips and dessert at lunch, better skip it now" rather than ccing, but it's the same principle; they keep an eye on intake. Even my husband, who IS one of those naturally thin people and has never had weight issues, does this. And he does have that natural ability to leave food on his plate; he just stops eating when he's had enough. I'd give anything to have that ability!! It disappeared long ago and lord knows if it will ever come back.

I hope that our children, who are being helped to eat more healthfully and listen to their bodies, find it easier throughout their lives. I almost never, ever encourage them to take "just one more bite," b/c if they feel satisfied, they should STOP. That's what I hope to learn!

And yes, my children are total grazers, but they are extremely healthy eaters and weight has not been an issue, thank goodness.