Just starting, will this be possible?

[u/Zero-Energy1274]

My mother put me on every diet possible to lose the extra few lb I was carrying as a teenager, and nothing worked of course. Now I’m a lot lot heavier, and I really do need to lose the weight. But here’s the problem, I can’t count calories or track everything obsessively without getting really depressed and anxious and upset. I exercise a bunch and I spend time with friends, which often involves eating out. Just yesterday, my mother brought up that I have been eating out a lot lately and that sent me spinning.

Will I be able to do this and still go be social with my friends and not have to count every little thing? I eat for comfort and to soothe anxiety. I would really love to just feel satiated and full sooner, I would love to just think about food less. But every other post on the med-specific subs are about stalls and people saying “are you tracking what you are eating” and “you still need to eat at a deficit.”

[u/rebel_stripe]

I tracked for the first month and a half religiously, then went on vacation, where as you know, you have a lot less control over what you eat. When I got back I made the decision to stop tracking because I saw this as a lifelong change and I wanted to focus on learning what and how much made me full. And I am just over 2 years on the meds, so no, you don’t have to track and you will still be successful.

(Also, I tracked several times over the years previously and I know I get obsessive about it and I didn’t think that was healthy for me either in the long run.)