Counting Calories is an eating disorder?

pkw58

Based on this article, I am just going to have to learn to live knowing I have an eating disorder and use journaling my calories, activity and thoughts for the day as a coping mechanism. O h w e l l. Honestly, sorting through every newsflash on what is healthy or not and avoiding being overweight/obese is kinda crazy. all my journaling does is keep me in check at my maintenance level, it doesn't stop me from work or play. Jeez.

FussyFruitbat

Obsessive calorie counting can be a sign of of an eating disorder, but counting calories in itself is not. That's it.

dsjohndrow

Amazing that people who don't, or never had a weight problem get to have "scientific" opinions.

Logging food is important because it teaches us to understand our caloric intake. Exercising is very good for us, especially if we eat more than we should. People like this are idiots.

goodtimezzzz

of course!! Everyone here is completely ****ed up:) why else would we be here?

OddballExtreme

Honestly, I don't count calories. My obsession is counting carbs and sodium. With both Type 2 Diabetes and high blood pressure, those are the two things I have to watch more. I went to a lot of trouble losing the 50+ pounds, and reading the labels has done nothing but be helpful for me. If this is a "disorder," I think this is one I'd like to have.

RllyGudTweetr

It's not a disorder until it becomes a problem.

As you count your calories, just keep telling yourself: "I am not being obsessive-compulsive, I am not being obsessive-compulsive, I am not being obsessive-compulsive. . . ."

neandermagnon

Obsessive calorie counting can be a sign of of an eating disorder, but counting calories in itself is not. That's it.

^^^ this. it's totally context dependent.

Feeling tired is a symptom of flu, but not everyone who feels tired has flu. Not everyone who feels tired is even ill. Maybe they just had a busy day. Obsessive calorie counting is a symptom of an eating disorder, but not everyone who calorie counts (even fairly obsessively by many people's standards) has an eating disorder. Maybe it's what they need to do to ensure they're eating the right amount of food for their needs. And people with eating disorders will have a whole load of other symptoms besides obsessive calorie counting.

jsuaccounting

Whenever I go low calorie for any length of time, I get a little obsessed with food and counting calories. I think it is a little disordered but a natural and possibly unavoidable consequence of eating less than you need. (ie at a deficit). So perhaps being crazy doesn't cause the dieting, the dieting causes crazy. (please forgive the term) I guess you just have to do a reasonableness check now and again -- so have a network of people to warn you not to eat too low (my fitnesspal friends) and regular friends who remind you that there is more to life than worry about your diet.

Tiffa0909

This doesn't' feel like a disorder to me.

I have been obese and I also have been in some 300 calories diet for months which back then sounded completely okay but now I see how stupid and crazy I was. I use to cry because I had an apple or a chicken breast and that was not on my diet , I use to get really sick.

But now yes sometimes I worry about my calories and have to plan what I'm going to eat but I like to call it dedication to my health. I no longer act as crazy and I understand it. I want to be healthy and find something that works for the rest of my life , I never want to go back to those 300 calories day and the emotional mess I was.

kendallsauntie

You get a million cool points for the use of Sheldon Copper. As for this supposed ED? I'm still trying to figure it all out but once I do I will join the ranks with the rest of y'all.

Claire_x90

It is, but the main thing behind it is WHY you are doing it. are you doing it for health benefits or are you doing it because of the monumental fear of what could happen if you didn't.

If you go out for a meal are you terrified because you don't know 100% what is in it? or do you just enjoy your meal.... if you don't count calories during a day do you care?

It's along the same lines of saying being sad is having chronic depression. or being stressed is having an anxiety disorder. No sometimes sad things happen and you are sad doesn't mean you have depression. Sometimes stressful events are coming up and you get anxious about them, does not mean you have anxiety. Some nights are difficult to get to sleep, does not mean you have insomnia.

counting calories/ being OBSESSED with calories is a big criterion for certain eating disorders but it does not mean that everyone who has ever used an app for calories or read the packet of their food has an eating disorder.


*edit
I am in recovery from an eating disorder and have had disordered eating for at least 11 years... I used to plan my days intake up to 60 days in advance. things like every 20 days I would have a treat etc and NOT until then. I would break down in tears in the grocery store if a certain item I had planned for was out of stock. I would weigh all my food and put back flakes of cereal if they were 1g over... the article is referring to obsession like that. Part of normalized eating is flexibility and diversity.

Ophidion

emyishardcore

...

Sharon009

I think more people need to be aware of what they are putting in their mouth. I was obsessed when I first started but once I figured out how to navigate the world of 'bad' choices I relaxed. But still firmly believe in thinking about what you eat and preparing ahead of time.

Neeser926

I weighed 318 pounds when I didn't think about what I ate. I eat healthier and I move more. As a result I have gone from Morbidly Obese to just plain overweight on my way to a healthy BMI and weight. If that is an eating disorder then bring it on! I'm not starving myself or binging and my health is steadily improving.

skinnydreams19

Probably not the case if you're medically overweight and need to lose. But if you're at a healthy weight and count calories consistently over time...yes.

WhaddoWino

We live in a world of processed foods and a food industry drive for consumption. JUST TO MAINTAIN GOOD HEALTH, we all need to be incredibly mindful of what we put in our mouths. This is not a disorder, this is a responsibility. If you want to achieve a healthy weight and you must either lose or gain to do this, it makes complete sense to not only monitor the healthfulness of what we eat but also the quantity/caloric value.

Morninglory81

A balanced life is about planning. That is what adults do! I plan my food, time, money,and energy. If I didn't have a plan I would fail at reaching and sustaining my goals. Only children can be that spontaneous and that is because they have an adult to help balance things for them.

Continue to think like a child if you never want to enjoy the stability of knowing where you want to be, and the satisfaction of getting there.

Morninglory81

No.

I plan what my family and I are going to eat...so I know what groceries to buy at the shop.

This can take me 3-4 hours a week alone!

carrietehbear

good one.

Calorie counting is a part of my meal planning and maintaining a healthy diet. My meal planning is apart of maintaining my budget. My budget is a way to help me get out of debt quicker. Looks like I'm nuts!

almc170

Considering 2/3 of the US population is either overweight or obese, counting calories is arguably not "normal" behavior. But perhaps it should be?

MamaEpstein

omg. love this!

JoanB5

The person who wrote this article has, according to her site, no qualifications in anything related to psychology or nutrition except personal experience. She's just given up dieting herself and wants to make herself feel good about that decision. That's fine, if it helps her. But it says more about her than about the rest of the people in the world with a 'eating disorder'.

You run into this a lot. People making rules out of their own story to feel good about themselves and incorrectly applying those rules to the rest of the population. That doesn't make it gospel.

Many people will tell you that you are out of balance if you are not like them. In my favorite weight loss story, a doctor gave an obese patient four rules to follow, and one of those was "do not tell anyone what you are doing." It is so difficult to reach your goals around people who do not share the same goals, even when those goals are healthy.

If you have ever taken a psychology class, most disorder "formulas" will apply to most of us to some degree. You have to know where you are and realize there is a problem versus a healthy behavior.

I had two older people tell me I was going to make my children anorexic because I was concerned that they were eating too many junk snacks between meals, or in place of meals. They watched a talk show to determine this. I said, "You are diabetic, and you are overweight. You do not watch what you eat." I wasn't judging. I just stated it as a fact by comparison. But, I didn't hear any more about it.

MamaEpstein

seriously..i read this last night and spent most of the night worrying I am STILL doing everything wrong to get healthy.

as others of you pointed out here my fat disorder has a disorder and worrying about it is apparently a disorder;)

xo

etoiles_argentees

Considering 2/3 of the US population is either overweight or obese, counting calories is arguably not "normal" behavior. But perhaps it should be?

I wonder how many are dieting, or have dieted (for weight loss).

Kushy8

I disagree with the aforementioned post. Counting calories, including those you burn off, is a way to keep track and work toward your goal. Eating disorders (anorexia, bulimia,binge eating disorder, etc. are TRULY disorders because they consume your mind, and instead of eating sensibly, you either starve yourself, binge and purge, or just straight binge. Watching your calories in and calories out is NOT a disorder!

goldfinger88

I've not read that article and would like the full URL. But I personally totally agree. I do not log food at all and do not count calories. I've lost over 20 pounds by simply eating good food in moderation and doing very moderate exercise throughout the day. I hadn't thought of counting calories as an eating disorder but I can see why it would be considered as such.

I remember counting calories when my mother was in the hospital dying. To me, that's obsession and that's very bad. I do so regret having done that.

Interesting post. Please provide the URL.

wtdia

This is insulting....I am a c.p.a. and have to make businesses accountable for their fiscal management, so this concept is absurd to me. I liken my counting calories and exercise to being accountable to myself. For years, I 'thought' I was eating healthy and being good by walking...but the weight just never came off or I would gain...I finally decided to make a change and be accountable, even in maintenance. So many times I succeeded in counting calories and losing weight and many times when I stopped, I fell back into bad habits and whalaa....there I was again. I have maintained my weight loss for a year now by taking the different approach of counting my calories and exercise, even in maintenance and am finally not falling back into old habits. I don't call that an eating disorder, I call that being smart. I wouldn't call it obsessive, I would call that being accountable to myself and being fair to my body. I don't want high cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes. I was on that road and all the hard work to achieve my goals will not go in vain this time. MFP makes it so easy to check in....in fact then everyone playing the games on their phones, texting the world every time they fart, have disorders too. At least if I'm on my phone logging in my plan for the day.....I'm doing it for the good of my health and to make sure I don't make an excuse...well this time I can do this. YES I do eat chocolate, cake and ice cream too...I just make sure it falls into my daily plan....so if I then have an eating disorder, than the whole world needs to get it too so we all get healthier. This is just stupid to me.

hmc4

I got fat by not counting and eating whatever the h3ll I wanted. Don't consider it obsessive or an eating disorder, has just become my way of life.

This! When I am "obsessive" about keeping a very detailed journal of intake and output - I succeed at losing weight. When I just chuck it all - I succeed at gaining... Wrong direction for me!

This article is dumb. The idea that because you are trying to get healthy automatically means you have an eating disorder is ridiculous.

goldfinger88

2/3 of the population is overweight and obese because of the type of food they eat and the portion size. If they would simply get the sugar out, eat fewer carbs and get more good fat, they'd lose the blubber. Calories would automatically get reduced. No need to count.