Counting calories = eating disorder?

nonoelmo

jezahb wrote: »

misskarne wrote: »

Please tell me you're getting help for this issue. Professional help.

I haven't told anyone, except for here, but this is pretty anonymous. Besides, despite losing 10 lbs rapidly I am still overweight, so nobody would believe I have an eating disorder.

nonoelmo

Please take good care of yourself. Please seek help. My teen is exhibiting signs of a potential ED. I started with her doctor and a nutritionist. I've seen with a friend how devistating it can be. Again. Please for your own sake take care and get assistance getting healthy.

azulvioleta6

Counting calories is not disordered...but binge eating most certainly is.

SLLRunner

SkinnyMiss053 wrote: »

Hi there. I'm new here and I would like to lose 10-20lb. Not sure how much yet. Depends on how I feel. I'm 5'2, 22, female and mfp gave me 1200 calories but I set it to 1350 because I feel like I might binge if I eat so little. I'm not active, but still.

Anyway, my mom thinks counting calories is an eating disorder. I don't live with her but I know she will bug me about it often. My sister got close to anorexia once and now she thinks I will head down the same road.

But I don't feel like I would be able to maintain without counting, because if I let myself get fat once I would surely do it again if I didn't keep myself accountable?

Do you think counting calories forever is an eating disorder or wrong in any way?

No to both questions. You need to do what works best for you in order to lose and then maintain your weight.

It just sounds like mom is having some fears.

barbecuesauce

OP, let me echo everyone who said not to speak to your mom about it. She displays disordered thinking and doesn't seem able to differentiate your way of thinking from hers or your sister's.

And give yourself credit for manually resetting your calorie goal because you thought 1200 was too low for you. You already seem more self-aware than your mom.

SLLRunner

ta12pn wrote: »

unfortunately it is! I read somewhere that everything you do in order to "compensate" eating is an eating disorder. Even working out to burn the calories you eat.

So, counting calories is an eating disorder?

Exercising is also an eating disorder?

And, if you log these things to find caloric balance, that is an eating disorder?

If this is what you are saying, you are sorely misinformed.

SLLRunner

barbecuesauce wrote: »

OP, let me echo everyone who said not to speak to your mom about it. She displays disordered thinking and doesn't seem able to differentiate your way of thinking from hers or your sister's.

And give yourself credit for manually resetting your calorie goal because you thought 1200 was too low for you. You already seem more self-aware than your mom.

Do I ever agree with this. The last person to speak to about any aspect of food and/or exercise or dieting is someone who is already disordered. Not engaging, or disengaging if you end up getting pulled in, are the best things you can do.

A simple, "Okay, I understand," works, or simply changing the subject, or even leaving the conversation if neither of those work.

SkinnyMiss053

Thanks everyone. I fell asleep after I wrote this do I have only just now read all the responses.

Some FR's would be welcome if you want. I just joined yesterday and only have 1 friend so far.

loribethrice

SkinnyMiss053 wrote: »

Hi there. I'm new here and I would like to lose 10-20lb. Not sure how much yet. Depends on how I feel. I'm 5'2, 22, female and mfp gave me 1200 calories but I set it to 1350 because I feel like I might binge if I eat so little. I'm not active, but still.

Anyway, my mom thinks counting calories is an eating disorder. I don't live with her but I know she will bug me about it often. My sister got close to anorexia once and now she thinks I will head down the same road.

But I don't feel like I would be able to maintain without counting, because if I let myself get fat once I would surely do it again if I didn't keep myself accountable?

Do you think counting calories forever is an eating disorder or wrong in any way?

My mom was anorexic in her early 20s and she became that way by carrying a calorie counting book and knowing exactly how many calories she was taking in at all times. But, she was only eating like 500 calories a day. You can become obsessive about it and that can become an eating disorder although counting calories on it's own is not one.

LKArgh

SkinnyMiss053 wrote: »

Hi there. I'm new here and I would like to lose 10-20lb. Not sure how much yet. Depends on how I feel. I'm 5'2, 22, female and mfp gave me 1200 calories but I set it to 1350 because I feel like I might binge if I eat so little. I'm not active, but still.

Anyway, my mom thinks counting calories is an eating disorder. I don't live with her but I know she will bug me about it often. My sister got close to anorexia once and now she thinks I will head down the same road.

But I don't feel like I would be able to maintain without counting, because if I let myself get fat once I would surely do it again if I didn't keep myself accountable?

Do you think counting calories forever is an eating disorder or wrong in any way?

I am on this site, so I have obviously counted calories, but still, yes, I agree with your mother. If counting calories for a while (be it months or years) helps you lose weight or gain weight or whatever your goal is, and if it helps you understand how to make better eating choices for the rest of your life, it is a tool. If it is something you need to do forever to eat, it is a disorder. If for whatever reason, there is a long history of years of very bad eating patterns, leading either ot obesity or being extremely underweight, or becoming bulimic etc, then counting calories for life might be a better choice than the alternative. But feeling at only 22 that you need to spend the rest of your life counting calories or you will get fat, this is disordered thinking IMHO.

SLLRunner

aggelikik wrote: »

SkinnyMiss053 wrote: »

Hi there. I'm new here and I would like to lose 10-20lb. Not sure how much yet. Depends on how I feel. I'm 5'2, 22, female and mfp gave me 1200 calories but I set it to 1350 because I feel like I might binge if I eat so little. I'm not active, but still.

Anyway, my mom thinks counting calories is an eating disorder. I don't live with her but I know she will bug me about it often. My sister got close to anorexia once and now she thinks I will head down the same road.

But I don't feel like I would be able to maintain without counting, because if I let myself get fat once I would surely do it again if I didn't keep myself accountable?

Do you think counting calories forever is an eating disorder or wrong in any way?

I am on this site, so I have obviously counted calories, but still, yes, I agree with your mother. If counting calories for a while (be it months or years) helps you lose weight or gain weight or whatever your goal is, and if it helps you understand how to make better eating choices for the rest of your life, it is a tool. If it is something you need to do forever to eat, it is a disorder. If for whatever reason, there is a long history of years of very bad eating patterns, leading either ot obesity or being extremely underweight, or becoming bulimic etc, then counting calories for life might be a better choice than the alternative. But feeling at only 22 that you need to spend the rest of your life counting calories or you will get fat, this is disordered thinking IMHO.

This is a good point, the distinction between feeling like you have to count calories or making the choice to do so. I also agree that it a person feels they have to count calories forever or they'd get fat is disordered thinking, which is not yet an eating disorder but certainly can lead to one.

tarcotti

I guess we all have eating disorders then haha. I didn't read any of this except for the first post....

PeachyCarol

SLLRunner wrote: »

barbecuesauce wrote: »

OP, let me echo everyone who said not to speak to your mom about it. She displays disordered thinking and doesn't seem able to differentiate your way of thinking from hers or your sister's.

And give yourself credit for manually resetting your calorie goal because you thought 1200 was too low for you. You already seem more self-aware than your mom.

Do I ever agree with this. The last person to speak to about any aspect of food and/or exercise or dieting is someone who is already disordered. Not engaging, or disengaging if you end up getting pulled in, are the best things you can do.

A simple, "Okay, I understand," works, or simply changing the subject, or even leaving the conversation if neither of those work.

Yup. I definitely agree that mom is the one who is disordered here.

My doctor recommended that I count calories. It's a tool.

A tool is benign, but a tool in the wrong hands can be a dangerous thing. If someone has an underlying disorder, calorie counting can trigger it or become part of it. It's not disordered behavior in and of itself, any more than using a hammer to hammer in a nail is disordered. If you use a hammer to assault someone? Whole different ballgame.