Fine line between counting/logging and obsessing?
Replies
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DeeJayShank wrote: »It is obsessive to know what your bank account balance is every day, or just staying on top of your financial picture?
Very good way to look at it.
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DeeJayShank wrote: »It is obsessive to know what your bank account balance is every day, or just staying on top of your financial picture?
If you do it for fun or for some particular purpose, who cares. If you find yourself stressing because you missed a day due to outside factors or such, it is unhealthy. Obsession by definition comes with an aspect of feeling helpess, out of control, etc.0 -
I'm learning to make my health and weight and food (calories and nutrition) serve my life and have a firm rule against letting it become the other way around.0
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Some people say I don't need to be as strict as I am anymore. I agree to an extent and I have relaxed a little bit, BUT I know I would eat when not hungry and eventually would gain back the weight.
I don't mean this in a negative way, but if you have to be that strict still, it doesn't sound like you've made a lifestyle change with permanently changed habits.0 -
amandarunning wrote: »Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated...
This is ridiculous.
I disagree. Many people who can't commit, who have no discipline, are the first to jump up and accuse someone else of being obsessive. We live in a country of lazy, unrealistic people who have no idea what it takes to change a complex behavior.
I have commitment and I have discipline while still believing that there are some people out there that are obsessive and take things way to far. Of course I'm not saying everyone or even most but there sure are plenty. Am I lazy?
Your statement was absolute. Had it been more tempered, I wouldn't have disagreed.0 -
amandarunning wrote: »Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated...
This is ridiculous.
I disagree. Many people who can't commit, who have no discipline, are the first to jump up and accuse someone else of being obsessive. We live in a country of lazy, unrealistic people who have no idea what it takes to change a complex behavior.
Some may be (as has been noted already)...but is it true for all, or even the majority? I would call you on the fact that it is.
I've been called "obsessive" by too many fat people who haven't a clue about nutrition or exercise. They attack other people to deflect criticism from themselves. Incidentally, I NEVER make comments on other people's eating or exercise habits unless asked.0 -
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DeeJayShank wrote: »It is obsessive to know what your bank account balance is every day, or just staying on top of your financial picture?
Behaviors by themselves are not necessarily obsessive.
But if certain behaviors lead someone to obsess or to have enough stress or anxiety then there exists a problem to be addressed.
This is why Sara posted the definition of obsession multiple times.
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Person A:
I log my food daily, I use a food scale, I weigh everything meticulously and while it can be a burden at times it's working great and I can keep doing it.
Person B:
I log my food daily, I use a food scale, I weigh everything meticulously and I seriously hate this. My marriage is having problems because I'm too scared to eat at a restaurant and my husband feels like I don't want to go out and have fun. I can't stop thinking about calories and it's negatively effecting my quality of life and mental well being.
Massive difference.
Just because you are person A, don't pretend person B either doesn't exist or just needs to "suck it up".
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Person A:
I log my food daily, I use a food scale, I weigh everything meticulously and while it can be a burden at times it's working great and I can keep doing it.
Person B:
I log my food daily, I use a food scale, I weigh everything meticulously and I seriously hate this. My marriage is having problems because I'm too scared to eat at a restaurant and my husband feels like I don't want to go out and have fun. I can't stop thinking about calories and it's negatively effecting my quality of life and mental well being.
Massive difference.
Just because you are person A, don't pretend person B either doesn't exist or just needs to "suck it up".
Yes, and by 'burden' in case of person A, I'd say it more like 'hassle' or 'occasional nuisance' than 'emotionally taxing' or 'stressful'.0 -
Person A:
I log my food daily, I use a food scale, I weigh everything meticulously and while it can be a burden at times it's working great and I can keep doing it.
Person B:
I log my food daily, I use a food scale, I weigh everything meticulously and I seriously hate this. My marriage is having problems because I'm too scared to eat at a restaurant and my husband feels like I don't want to go out and have fun. I can't stop thinking about calories and it's negatively effecting my quality of life and mental well being.
Massive difference.
Just because you are person A, don't pretend person B either doesn't exist or just needs to "suck it up".
Many people who throw around the term "obsessive" act as if Person A is Person B. They are irritated that some people want to know what they're eating, want to be active, etc. They take Person A's actions as a criticism of them, when Person A doesn't give a damn.0 -
Person A:
I log my food daily, I use a food scale, I weigh everything meticulously and while it can be a burden at times it's working great and I can keep doing it.
Person B:
I log my food daily, I use a food scale, I weigh everything meticulously and I seriously hate this. My marriage is having problems because I'm too scared to eat at a restaurant and my husband feels like I don't want to go out and have fun. I can't stop thinking about calories and it's negatively effecting my quality of life and mental well being.
Massive difference.
Just because you are person A, don't pretend person B either doesn't exist or just needs to "suck it up".
Many people who throw around the term "obsessive" act as if Person A is Person B. They are irritated that some people want to know what they're eating, want to be active, etc. They take Person A's actions as a criticism of them, when Person A doesn't give a damn.
And to that I say "so what?" The sooner we stop caring so much about who is annoyed with us in any given moment, the sooner the problem will disappear.
On these boards I so often see all these really aggressive and confrontational approaches to dealing with idiots, but personally I subscribe to just letting the crap fall off of me as quickly as possible and walk away from a dense situation.
Just because others are dense doesn't mean I have to surround myself with it voluntarily. Silence can be more powerful than words, but this lesson doesn't always seem to have hit home in this place...0 -
amandarunning wrote: »Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated...
This is ridiculous.
I disagree. Many people who can't commit, who have no discipline, are the first to jump up and accuse someone else of being obsessive. We live in a country of lazy, unrealistic people who have no idea what it takes to change a complex behavior.
Some may be (as has been noted already)...but is it true for all, or even the majority? I would call you on the fact that it is.
I've been called "obsessive" by too many fat people who haven't a clue about nutrition or exercise. They attack other people to deflect criticism from themselves. Incidentally, I NEVER make comments on other people's eating or exercise habits unless asked.
Sounds like you are applying your issues to everyone.0 -
Person A:
I log my food daily, I use a food scale, I weigh everything meticulously and while it can be a burden at times it's working great and I can keep doing it.
Person B:
I log my food daily, I use a food scale, I weigh everything meticulously and I seriously hate this. My marriage is having problems because I'm too scared to eat at a restaurant and my husband feels like I don't want to go out and have fun. I can't stop thinking about calories and it's negatively effecting my quality of life and mental well being.
Massive difference.
Just because you are person A, don't pretend person B either doesn't exist or just needs to "suck it up".
Many people who throw around the term "obsessive" act as if Person A is Person B. They are irritated that some people want to know what they're eating, want to be active, etc. They take Person A's actions as a criticism of them, when Person A doesn't give a damn.
If someone is taking Person A's actions as criticisms of them, then they have the issue (whether it be imagined slight/paranoia or whatever).
Still does not address the point though. Some people are truly obsessive (Person B ), and people making this observation (let's say Person A ) are not necessarily lazy.0 -
Person A:
I log my food daily, I use a food scale, I weigh everything meticulously and while it can be a burden at times it's working great and I can keep doing it.
Person B:
I log my food daily, I use a food scale, I weigh everything meticulously and I seriously hate this. My marriage is having problems because I'm too scared to eat at a restaurant and my husband feels like I don't want to go out and have fun. I can't stop thinking about calories and it's negatively effecting my quality of life and mental well being.
Massive difference.
Just because you are person A, don't pretend person B either doesn't exist or just needs to "suck it up".
Many people who throw around the term "obsessive" act as if Person A is Person B. They are irritated that some people want to know what they're eating, want to be active, etc. They take Person A's actions as a criticism of them, when Person A doesn't give a damn.
If someone is taking Person A's actions as criticisms of them, then they have the issue (whether it be imagined slight/paranoia or whatever).
Still does not address the point though. Some people are truly obsessive (Person B ), and people making this observation (let's say Person A ) are not necessarily lazy.
Agree with this too. Don't know why laziness had to be brought to the table in the first place, seems like a whole lot of stereotypical thinking. But apparently that is how some people need to view the world.0 -
OP, it's ok to take a break for a little while. How long have you been doing this? Do you feel like you have a grip on how to feel full while staying under calories?
Ways of getting around calorie counting frustration are:
- Meal planning and portion control. If you've been doing this for a while and know that certain meals and recipes work for you, just rotate them, keeping an eye out for portions. Maybe use a measuring cup to serve yourself, because it's easy to slip back into underestimating how much food is there (this is a cognitive bias we all have and can overcome, but it's the default). But if you know that a meal of 1 cup of rice, 1 cup of asparagus and a piece of roast beef the size of your palm, or that Lean Cuisine's lasagna dinner will work for you, you've got those in the bank.
- Using rules of thumb. E.g., "limit creamy sauces", or "one chunk of meat, one serving of grains/potatoes, two servings of veg" (basically shooting for this on your plate):
Those methods still involve being careful and paying attention, but you may find them a little less fraught than weighing etc.0 -
Also: I've posted elsewhere about this, but yeah, I found calorie counting, initially, involved a massive amount of vigilance. A lot of my time and energy was devoted to learning this new way of eating, shopping, food preparation, making decisions, etc. It's a huge learning curve, involving a number of shifts in behaviour, and management of a lot of new information. It took me about a year to figure out how to eat to lose in a sustainable way, serving both my goals and my tastes, preferences, and lifestyle.
I still do find it strange in comparison to not paying attention to food at all, but it's much easier now.0 -
I was obsessed and thoughts of food and calories consumed me at first. Holidays were so stressful to try and think about. As with anything, you get better with practice. Frequent foods made it easier to track faster and I don't get super hung up about estimating in unexpected situations. I gave my self some slack to not be perfect. However, I do get flack from time to time from my husband at the dinner table (I'm still occasionally using a food scale and other implements of measure) and when we are out as a family. He sees it as ignoring everyone, I see it as a prerequisit to a meal. We disagree, but I have to keep being accountable consistantly to stay on track. I sometimes log way ahead and adjust after the meal if needed so I'm not on my phone so much at the table. I have also tried doing it in the kitchen where I fill my plate before sitting down with my family. I know I am trying to compromise and it seems to help. What has helped the most is now he is curious and asking how many calories his things are and he is keeping a mental tally for himself:)I get this accusation from my wife on a fairly regular basis. Suffice to say it's definitely annoying but I don't let it bother me. I'm getting results, logging is usually a pretty seamless part of my life at this point, I have my methods and processes down for most situations I find myself in, I'm planning/expecting to do it forever and that thought doesn't concern me in the slightest. Is logging, or comments and reactions regarding my logging, annoying sometimes? Yes. But it's far less annoying than being fat.0
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Alot of interesting replies here---food for thought. Before finding MFP, I went out for a pizza at least twice a week with my husband. He loves pizza and is quite thin--has never had a weight problem. He cannot finish a pizza (here in Italy they give you an entire pizza), and always tries to give me half. I was always dieting (and slowly gaining weight just the same), so I would order a salad and then fight with him over that pizza, since I was convinced that he was sabotaging my weight loss. Then we would have a dessert. I was always frustrated. Once I started MFP and counting calories, I realized that I could eat my salad, 1/3 of his pizza, and half a dessert and still lose weight. Things are alot more serene.
Another thing counting has given me is my macros. For those of us who are "older", hitting our protein and fat goals are important for our health while dieting. For these reasons I find calorie counting relaxing and liberating. Just my 2 cents.
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I agree with snowflake. I find it liberating because it allows me to get what I want - a healthy body - without worrying. I often eat more, not less, after I've logged. You can make better decisions with data.0
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OMG. If my husband tried to get me to eat pizza and dessert, I'd have no calories left for the rest of the day and my blood glucose would be sky high, followed by an epic crash later. I'd be like "box it up, bucko. I'm not eating that." Salad and coffee, maybe. IDK, maybe I could be less obsessed about what I ate... and I may well qualify, btw... if my blood sugar weren't all whackety. It seemed to be under control after I lost the weight, but then I got put on statins for my cholesterol, and there it went again.
Being expected by the doctor to control all these problems with diet and then having it not work no matter how well I comply is getting close to tipping me over into an eating disorder (definitely obsession when it goes that far). I'm probably not the only person here with something like this going on (one thing I've learned: you're *never* the only one.)0 -
DeeJayShank wrote: »It is obsessive to know what your bank account balance is every day, or just staying on top of your financial picture?
But what if you had to go look at your bank account a million times a day?
Awareness =/= obsessing...
Does anyone own a frackin' dictionary?0 -
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