Content note: disordered eating Seeking advice I've gained some weight during the lockdown and it's causing me considerable distress. Food and weight are on my mind all the time and I've started obsessively counting calories and weighing myself. I know this is a really dangerous slope but don't really know how to deal with this theme. I'm really distressed about how out of control I am of my own body. Any advice on stopping this in its tracks would be greatly appreciated ?

I am also struggling with this. I have not started therapy yet but I do tomorrow and I hope I can share what helps! I know they say to imagine the worst case scenario (Perhaps that you gain a lot of weight and feel really uncomfortable or something) and then sit with that very strong distress until it dissipates. I do not think about my weight all the time anymore so there is hope!! I feel so much better. But I do struggle with compulsively counting calories.

I'm not an expert, but maybe everytime you get the thought to weigh yourself or excessively count calories, remind yourself that no one else will notice or care as much as you do. We are so quick to overly judge ourselves. We don't talk to other people so negatively as the way we talk to ourselves. I used to care a lot about my weight and image and then found someone who thinks extra weight is cute. It allowed me to reassess how much stock I put into my weight when it didn't really matter. Now, sometimes I think about the food I'm ordering or such and as soon as I do I try to think "who cares!?" If Im hungry and want it, so be it. You can try to have a set day for weighing yourself! And on the days you're not supposed to weigh yourself, you could walk away and refocus on something else. If you still have the urge to weigh yourself just be sure to give yourself positive feedback like, "okay, I let myself step on the scale today when I wasn't supposed to, but that doesn't mean I'm a failure! Next time I'll try harder to refocus and wait until I'm supposed to weigh in!" As for counting calories, maybe find alternate solutions first. Like, allow yourself to eat whatever, but make some healthier substitutions! Still eat what you want for dinner, but substitute the chips you want for a snack with carrots. Instead of focusing on calories - focus on what will bring you better nutriotnal value!

also, just remember, in working out and eating, sometimes results are slow! But that's better than any crash diet/dad! And muscle weighs more than fat! You could also throw out the scale and start using a tape measure. Inches mean more than lbs. But don't jump into measurements if you think you'll just start obsessing over the inches!

If you don't have advice but have also dealt with this then I'd be grateful to know that too. It would be relieving to feel less alone in this theme

It helped me to switch the motivation behind food choices from “How do I want to look?” to “How do I want to feel physically and mentally?” I find that eating a diet full of fruits, veggies, good meat, nuts, legumes, beans, and actually lots of fat lol helps a lot with my moodiness and inflamed joints.