Eating Disorder?

Congratulations on your weight loss and abstinence from alcohol.  I'm sure that you feel great!  It sounds like you are just really excited about your new body and health status.  Word of caution though...  becoming "obsessed" with weight, food, and exercise can turn into an eating disorder over time.  It is progressive.  Right now you feel great, but it can easily turn into a terrible cycle if you are not mindful about your habits.  If you spend most of your time and thoughts on any subject it can be unhealthy.  Getting exercise and eating healthy foods are really important for a healthy life style, but they should not take over your life.  Focus your energy on health rather than on appearance.  Try to limit the time you spend on appearance and balance your life by developing other areas of strength.  

My concern is that sometimes weight loss can become a goal driven activity that never actually is satisfied.  Make sure your goal weight attainable and is within the normal BMI range for your weight and size.  I have been witness to numerous women who will go to extreme measures to hit their “goal weight”, only to gain it back because it is not a realistic goal for their body.  This is how the cycle starts and more extreme measures/ punishments are taken to reach the unattainable goal. Once this war with the body develops numerous health risks can occur.  Be aware if you start to engage in any of these behaviors:  restricting your food over long periods of time, ignoring hunger signals, excessive exercise (regardless of fatigue, injury, or weather), bingeing, purging, using diet pills/ laxatives, obsessively checking the scale and body, avoiding social activities associated with food, and the development of food rules and rituals.  Please visit my website for more information on the signs and symptoms of eating disorders:  GoodTherapySanDiego.Com .  If you have any more questions you are welcome to schedule a phone session or visit.  Good luck!