Some thoughts and discussions from me.

Good morning, my friends!

Since Tuesday, I’ve been living it up! Life is good, because my two best friends from home are here Open-mouthed smile

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The flood may have put a damper on any hiking plans around Boulder, but we could all sit on the couch for 5 days with each other and have a blast!

But on to today’s topic! So today I want to just talk to you all. Just have a dialogue. I’ll say what I think, and then you tell me what you think, and so on.

Yesterday I was talking back and forth with a client, and she mentioned tracking her food on MyFitnessPal made her feel a little too obsessive with eating healthy. Obviously, I don’t want any of my clients to feel this way, so we came up with another plan, but it got me thinking…

When does healthy living become obsessive?

I see what I think is obsessive every day. Whether it’s at a restaurant, on a blog, or a picture on instagram, unfortunately, people can become too obsessed with eating healthy and exercising.

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Does it become obsessive when…

…someone orders a salad with chicken, no dressing or cheese at a restaurant?

…takes their own meals with them to restaurants instead of eating with everyone else?

…hates going out to eat because they won’t be able to prepare their own food?

…eats weird, low calorie food “creations” instead of actual meals?

…has every meal and/or snack planned out?

….restricts certain foods or food groups, like bread, grains, or full-fat items?

And what about fitness? When does that become an obsession?

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When…

…someone cancels plans in order to get their workout in?

…rearranges their schedule around their workouts?

…spends more than an hour at the gym each workout?

…is always thinking about their next workout?

Here’s my answer, which isn’t necessarily the right answer, and may not be the same as your answer:

I think healthy living becomes obsessive when the person who’s doing it feels any sort of mental or emotional distress because of their actions. For example, pick any of the examples I listed above, and let’s say Sally is our obsessed person. If it stresses Sally out to order a salad without dressing or cheese when out with friends, then healthy eating has become obsessive for her. If she has to cancel her plans in order to get in her run, she will likely feel a little emotional distress from that, and that’s obsession with working out.

Note that I’m not talking about being disordered. I think being obsessed and being disordered can overlap, but they don’t have to. And in my opinion, if I did any of the examples above, I’d feel a bit obsessive, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you would.

I’d love to know your thoughts on this topic!

What do you think? When does healthy living become obsessive?

PS – make sure to check out the Mix My Own cereal giveaway that’s going on this week!