Food Fixation...Still!

While my present BMI is just under 20, I still have the same obsessive thoughts about food that I did when my BMI was 14. Is this normal? If so, how long until these unwanted thoughts finally disappear? I have so many other interests, and yet, so long as this particular one is present, the rest just seem to fade into the background. I am not undereating. Weighing in at 110 lbs at 5'3" tall, and with an active lifestyle, I am careful to consume at least 2200 calories a day. I have absolutely no qualms when it comes to eating. So, to reiterate, why does food still dominate my life?

It is VERY COMMON for people who reach a healthy weight and can basically eat without fear of weight gain to continue to think about food much more then normal people.

In fact, it should be expected that you will continue thinking a lot about food. You may be physically restored and you may be genuinely committed to attaining a healthy life and reaching healthy goals now, but that does not change what you went through.

You went through a lot, and you cannot simply forget everything; eating disorders are very traumatic, and sufferers are VERY pre occupied and fixated on food. This just does not suddenly “stop”.

You have been obsessed with food for a period of time, it does not make sense that you would suddenly be able to STOP this cycle. No habit simply stops, you cannot suddenly stop the way you have been thinking; habits take time and effort to break.

I really relate to what you have said. I have been a healthy weight for a long time and I also only have healthy goals, but I still cannot stop myself from thinking about food at times

Initially, food still dominated my life. I planned my life around when I would eat, and I based all my happy ness around when I would get to eat a tasty meal.

I had to accept that it is perfectly natural and normal to continue to fixate on food - after all, food had dominated my life for long enough for it to be ingrained, so this mental aspect will not just conveniently go away!

Food really did dominate my life long after my body physically recovered. It made life hell at first, but over time I have accepted these thoughts but they just don’t impact my day in a negative way any more; I accept these thoughts are part of having had an eating disorder, and are simply part of my memory, and I have learnt to accept and move on without letting the thoughts actually IMPACT my day.

I tried to be proactive in the way I handled my fixation on food. Whenever I thought about it in a way that I felt held me back, I would say to myself “ it is normal to think about food a lot after an eating disorder, but I am going to work hard to NOT let this particular thought impact on my day”

It just takes practice - day after day you have to simply keep on trying to not let food thoughts negatively impact your day. Having the thoughts themselves is normal, your job is to learn to not let any of these thoughts control of impact your life in any way that is negative.

I acknowledged I had a thought about food that could potentially impact my day, and I just tried my best to fight those thoughts

Good luck! And remember, most people on this site who have had eating disorders fixate on food a lot, so you are definitely not alone!

Thanks for the advice!