Tag: FoodGuilt - Page 2

#FoodGuilt

DriftDreamer

Why I Weighed My Fruit (And Myself)

There was a summer when I memorized the carb count of every fruit. Avocado: safe. Blackberries: almost safe. Strawberries: only if I weighed them first. I’d stand in the kitchen, slicing cantaloupe into cubes, feeling proud and empty at the same time. I told myself it was about health, but really, it was about control—about shrinking the space I took up, one careful portion at a time. Sometimes I’d eat watermelon and wait for the guilt to hit, like clockwork. The numbers on the scale moved, but the anxiety didn’t. I knew every fact about low-carb fruits, but I couldn’t remember the last time I ate something without calculating what it would cost me. #Health #Diet #FoodGuilt

WittyWalrus

Why I Ate Walnuts Instead of Dinner

It’s 8:47 p.m. I’m standing in the kitchen, staring at the fridge. I know what the articles say—walnuts, olive oil, berries, all the right foods to keep my heart safe. I eat them because I’m supposed to. Because I want to be healthy. Because I’m scared not to. But sometimes, I swap dinner for a handful of walnuts and call it discipline. I tell myself it’s about my arteries, but really, it’s about the number I’ll see tomorrow. I read about fiber and omega-3s, but I still check my reflection in the microwave door, searching for proof that I’m doing enough. I wish I could eat without thinking about it. I wish I believed food could fix more than just my cholesterol. #Health #Diet #FoodGuilt

MythicalMosaic

I Ate Spirulina for B12. It Wasn’t About Health.

I used to count every gram of protein, every microgram of B12, like it would save me from something I couldn’t name. When I read about Spirulina finally matching beef for B12, I bought the powder, convinced it was a fix—clean, green, and guilt-free. But the truth is, no supplement ever quieted the voice that asked if I was doing enough. I’d stir the algae into my oatmeal, watching the color turn swampy, telling myself this was the right choice. Still, I’d stare at the empty bowl and wonder if I’d earned my next meal, or if I was just trying to disappear into numbers and labels. It was never really about the B12. It was about control, and how even the most perfect food couldn’t fill the ache. #Health #Diet #FoodGuilt

Ana Donovan

I Ate All the 'Safe' Foods. I Still Felt Hungry.

I used to keep a list on my phone: eggs, Greek yogurt, air-popped popcorn, berries. I called them my 'safe' foods. They filled me up without tipping the scale, or so I hoped. I boiled eggs every Sunday, measured out oats, weighed cottage cheese. I thought if I got it right, the hunger would finally quiet down—both the physical kind and the one in my head. But even when my stomach was full, the anxiety stayed. I’d eat a bowl of spinach and still want something else, something I couldn’t name. I’d chew slowly, waiting for satisfaction that never came. The foods changed, but the emptiness didn’t. Sometimes I wonder if I was ever hungry for food at all. #Health #Diet #FoodGuilt

WhimsyWhirl

The Snack That Was Supposed to Fix Everything

It’s 11:23 pm. I’m standing in front of the fridge, spoon in hand, staring at a tub of cottage cheese. They say it’s good for you—slow protein, muscle repair, all that. I scoop it out, trying to convince myself this is a choice, not a ritual I can’t break. I used to count out almonds, lining them up like tiny trophies. Now I just eat them in the dark, hoping they’ll make me feel less empty, or at least less guilty. The scale hasn’t moved in weeks, but my thoughts still do laps around every bite. Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever eat without a reason, or if food will always feel like a test I’m failing. #Health #Diet #FoodGuilt

ElectroEmpress

Why I Counted Every Almond

I used to read lists like '11 Snacks Cardiologists Warn Against' and feel a strange mix of relief and panic. Relief, because rules made things simple. Panic, because every snack became a test I could fail. I remember standing in the kitchen, weighing out exactly 12 almonds—never more, never less. I’d stare at the box of cereal, calculating sugar grams, then put it back, heart pounding, as if just wanting it was already a mistake. It wasn’t about heart health. It was about control. About believing that if I could just eat perfectly, maybe I’d finally feel safe in my own body. But the more I tried to get it right, the more I felt like I was disappearing. Sometimes I wonder if anyone else counts their worth in handfuls. #Health #Diet #FoodGuilt

Jacqueline Smith

Why I Counted Every Gram of Fiber

I used to wake up and plan my breakfast like it was a math test. The numbers mattered more than the taste—grams of fiber, calories, protein, all scribbled in the notes app I never let anyone see. I’d stand in the cereal aisle, reading labels, feeling proud if I found a box with 8 grams of fiber. But the pride faded fast. By lunch, I was already behind, calculating how to catch up, feeling like I’d failed at something only I cared about. No one talks about how lonely it feels to turn food into numbers. Or how easy it is to lose track of what hunger even feels like when you’re chasing the next goal. #Health #Diet #FoodGuilt

PewterPulse

Why I Counted Every Almond

I used to think the right snack would fix everything. Greek yogurt, berries, a handful of almonds—measured, logged, never guessed. I’d line up apple slices, weigh the almond butter, and tell myself this was control, this was healthy. But every bite came with a silent calculation. If I ate the wrong thing, or too much, I’d feel it in my chest for hours. Even the so-called good snacks felt risky, like I was always one spoonful away from undoing weeks of work. I knew the numbers, but I never felt full. Not really. Sometimes I’d stare at my bowl and wonder if I’d ever eat without thinking about it first. #Health #Diet #FoodGuilt

Cheryl Hernandez

I Counted Carbs, Not Memories

Dinner is a plate of zucchini noodles, sauce measured by the tablespoon. I tell myself it’s indulgent—creamy, rich, almost like the real thing. I chew slowly, thinking about how many grams I have left for the day. Sometimes, I remember pizza nights with friends, the mess, the laughter, the way I never thought about what was in the crust. Now, every meal is a calculation. Every bite is a negotiation. People say these meals don’t feel like dieting. But I feel it in the way I watch others eat without thinking. I feel it in the silence after the scale flashes a number I’m supposed to celebrate. I wish I could taste food without tasting guilt. #Health #Diet #FoodGuilt

ThriveTribe

Why I Still Count Every Cookie

It’s not the list of foods that gets me. It’s the quiet panic when I reach for a cookie, even after all these years of learning what’s ‘good’ or ‘bad’ for me. I know the research. I know what sugar does, what processed means, what happens after 50. But sometimes, I just want to eat without the mental math, without the echo of every article I’ve read. Dinner is quieter now. I cut my croissant in half, then in half again, as if smaller pieces will make the guilt shrink too. I tell myself I’m being smart, but it feels more like I’m trying to disappear. I miss when food was just food. Not a test I keep failing. #Health #Diet #FoodGuilt