6 signs you're overdoing your diet

Is losing weight at the top of your New Year's Resolutions list? In the flurry of regret and determination that follows holiday excess, promises to stick to a diet or fitness plan are perennial. And there's nothing wrong with that: after all, resolving to take better care of yourself is a positive choice.

However, if exercise and caloric restriction are affecting your relationships or ability to enjoy life, you may have a problem.

Read on for six signs that you need to back away from the treadmill and maybe just enjoy a nice pasta dinner for a change. If you exhibit multiple signs, you should see your family doctor immediately for help getting your diet back on track for the good of your health.

Sign #1: You're so "good" it hurts. Then you lose control and go on an eating binge.
Orthorexia, anyone? This pop-psychology term, coined by Colorado doctor and author Steven Bratman, refers to an obsessive condition that the author describes as a pathological fixation with "healthy" foods. Orthorexics deem foods negative or positive based on whether they contain fat, refined flour, sugar, preservatives, animal products or other bugaboos, and will refuse to eat anything they deem "bad."

The bad news? In real life, it's pretty much impossible to eat only "good" foods. Healthy choices are always better than bad ones, but honesty, does anyone really think a diet of, say, raw vegetables, fruit and tree nuts can keep you happy forever?

For many people, deprivation can lead to breakdowns, such as a late-night ice cream-cake-hot-dog-and-cookie binge, followed by regret, or, even worse, vomiting and bulimia.

A better plan: everything in moderation.

Sign #2: You're blowing off important dates to get to the gym
Sure, it's important to get to the gym several times a week. Prioritize it in your schedule so you have time set aside for your fitness goals.

But if you find yourself regularly bailing on dinner with friends, missing important family events, or blowing work deadlines because you're unwilling to skip or reschedule the odd workout, your fitness obsession is already affecting your non-gym life.

Working out should make you feel good, not inflexible.

Page 1 of 2 -- Four more ways you could be overdoing your diet on page 2.