I started alli four weeks ago, I just joined myalli two weeks ago.  I've been losing a pound a week which I am very pleased about.  However now I am starting to feel like I am a slave to food.  Like it's a chore now to plan ahead and eat what I've planned.   Measure this, count that, calculate a total... It's starting to bum me out.  When I'm eating my food I find that it tastes just fine but I want something else.  The funniest part is that I don't know what that "something else" is.  It's like an anti-craving.  I want anything other than what I'm eating. 

I packed my lunch yesterday for work.  At lunch, I decided that I didn't want what I packed and that I would treat myself to a "surprise lunch".  It took me twenty minutes with the nutrition facts to select the option that I wanted to eat for lunch and then once I decided I was bummed to find that when I started eating it, I quickly lost interest. 

Not sure what I should tell myself to make this go away.  Not sure how to just be grateful for the food on my plate.  Any ideas would be welcomed.

 I am afraid that makes two of us.

A little back story... I used an online program, one that would calulate everything for you, all you had to do was enter everything that you put in your mouth or were going to if you were that type. This got really old really quick.

Now...I just look at the nutrition labels and do my best to add things up in my head. I then wright things down after the fact so I can enjoy my food and it seems to work out just fine for me.

Sounds to me, you are really bored with what you are eating?  Add spices to your food.  You can take ordinary chicken and add spices, or even maple syrup, or sugar free jams, and make them taste like you have ordered from a high end restaurant.  I have posted many recipes like these, over on the 50 Somethings threads.  Look for the one called "I like to eat, therefore I exercise."

To take care of problem 2.  You are just starting out.  Don't get so frustrated already.  Did you think this was going to be a cake walk?  It isn't, by any stretch of the imagination!!  You WILL have to work for what you are wanting to acheive.  But, after a while, this does become second nature to you.  For now, it is best you write it all down, and preferably before you eat it.  It seems we have a tendency to forget ALL the things we eat throughout the day.  After several months of doing this, you should be pretty comfortable in knowing if you are meeting your calories and fat grams for each meal.  I wish for you great success, and know that this is attainable for anyone that wants it bad enough!!!!

 Columbus17 - When I started Alli all I counted was calorie and fat grams, that was it.  I ate what I wanted (including chips ahoy cookies) , just smaller portions, I didn't plan stuff ahead and measure and prepare etc.., all the things that you're doing now.  Of course, I think you probably lose more weight initially if you do it that way, but that was too much for me.  I was trying to change my habits to something I could live with.  Planning, preparing etc... didn't sound like something I could live with.

After awhile, my new habits became ingrained and I made new changes.  I started walking everyday, I stopped the chips ahoy and ate more fruits and veggies, etc... etc..  I didn't start logging all my food until about 2 months in.  By then, I was doing it because I wanted to see what I was putting into my body, and to have a record of it, not because I was supposed to do it.

I probably would have lost more in the beginning if I'd followed the plan to a "T" but I couldn't muster up the enthusiasm and discipline to change all that at once.  I changed stuff 1 at a time, and it didnt' feel drastic and now I have habits I can keep.  Maybe this strategy will work for you too?  It doesn't have to be all or nothing, little changes add up.  Good luck!  You can find a strategy that works for you, you can do this!

Good advice from everyone, Columbus, and after doing this for two years I'm always looking for new ideas.  One that is working for me right now is just giving up sugar.  That way I am still open to a lot of food choices, and I can say to myself "as long as it doesn't have sugar".  Of course you always have to keep track of the calories.  I watch Dr. Oz and he says that sugar is a real addiction and you have to detox from it, which takes about three weeks, and then you really won't crave it anymore.  Seems to be true.  Whatever you do, change things up as you become bored, because you want to hang in there FOREVER.  And it can be done.

Judy

 Thanks everyone!  I am doing so much better this week.  I took a trip to the grocery store and found some new options that have made me excited for my lunch again.  The "newness" appears to be exactly what I needed.  Some of it was small changes like a new brand of salsa others were completely new to me like whole wheat pita's. 

I had a craving for soup, I was looking for a healthy recipe for a spicy black bean and corn soup.  I was feeling defeated since I couldn't find a recipe.  I gave into my imagination a bit... I grabbed a soup pot, added onion, garlic and a little olive oil.  Then added black beans, corn, salsa, beef broth, cardamon, cumin and finally shrimp.  It was exactly what I had hoped for.  Plus I was so pleased with myself for coming up with my own little recipe, good food for the soul right there.  :)