How to make counting calories not suck so much

beastmode2718

i will start by saying my partner is trying to loose too but he is not on board with counting calories I feel like I have an eating disorder. I don't put anything in my mouth without looking up calories first. Have given up most of my favorite foods and restaurants and am annoying my man because I won't eat at certain places I know have high calorie food. Is this normal? Does it get easier.

Psychgrrl

I don't see any reason to give up your favorite foods, or any foods, entirely. You want sustainable habits and deprivation is rarely something you can do for the rest of your life.

Places that have high calorie food usually have low calorie choices as well. Salads with lean protein and dressing on the side. Grilled chicken/fish, etc.

I'm a huge data nerd and love the numbers and challenging myself.

It does get easier. Just give yourself a little grace and patience. Going out to eat can be tough. I plan ahead by eating lighter during the day.

Maybe the two of you can take a healthy cooking class so you can cook together at home and learn about the construction of healthy meals and portion sizes.

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RodaRose

Go back to the restaurants with your favorite foods. Log ahead of time so that you feel comfort in following through with your own plan.

ibamosaserreinas

Just a few things -

1. I think disliking counting calories is fairly normal at least at first but the basic foundation of practically every diet out there boils down to calorie reduction...
2. I eat out anywhere. I just look at the menu beforehand and come up with a few options. If I know I am going out I also make sure to eat less for breakfast and lunch so that if dinner is big it is fine.
3. You don't have to give up your favorite foods. You just might have to give up how frequently you eat them or the quantity that you eat them in.
4. Forgive yourself if you go overboard once in awhile. Overeating for one or two meals a week isn't going to totally derail you if you are on point the rest of the time.

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SLLRunner

beastmode2718 wrote: »

i will start by saying my partner is trying to loose too but he is not on board with counting calories I feel like I have an eating disorder. I don't put anything in my mouth without looking up calories first. Have given up most of my favorite foods and restaurants and am annoying my man because I won't eat at certain places I know have high calorie food. Is this normal? Does it get easier.

Hi,

This is your weight loss journey and has nothing to do with him or anyone else. I weigh and log everything I eat, and I am really anal about accuracy. My honey is also on a weight loss journey, does log, but does not weigh anything at all. How he chooses to conduct himself is his business, and how I choose to conduct myself is my business, even though we support each other 100%.

There is no reason to give up on foods you love, just eat them in moderation. If you order a meal at your favorite restaurant, ask for a to go box, put half in the box, and eat the rest that night. It sounds like your beau just wants to share that time with you.

Please realize that your feelings of having an eating disorder is your stuff. However, if he giving you a hard time about counting calories, logging, etc., it's time to have a good talk with him.

85Cardinals

I find it a little oppressive at times too. I didn't have to worry about this nonsense when I was younger and thinner. But whaddya gonna do. Necessary evil.

johnnyprimetime

Really awesome way to eat the foods you like and even have a beer or two a few days a week: try intermittent fasting! I skip breakfast or lunch, eat some macros (maybe a piece if fruit to sustain myself), then I eat whatever I like practically.

johnnyprimetime

To piggy back myself, this affords me so many calories by dinner time that I count the calories after I order and eat my food to see if I earned dessert.

vixtris

Making friends through this site is a great way to make counting calories by using this site more fun. I've met a lot of people that have similar goals to me, and it gives you a place to celebrates your progress. Especially if you feel that you aren't getting much support from the people around you.

PAV8888

A friend's daughter likes to recount this traumatic childhood story:

My toe hurt and I told dad, and he said, come here, and I did, and he hit me in the arm!

That HURT

And I said "Bad, Daddy, why did you hit me?"

And he said "does your toe hurt now?"

And I said "NO, MY ARM hurts!"

Being Obese II sucks much more than calorie counting does.

Orphia

vixtris wrote: »

Making friends through this site is a great way to make counting calories by using this site more fun. I've met a lot of people that have similar goals to me, and it gives you a place to celebrates your progress. Especially if you feel that you aren't getting much support from the people around you.

Definitely! I've made some very cool friends, and interacting with them, logging my calories, and learning about diet and nutrition on the forums are all linked together and lots of fun.

I just spend less time on Facebook. Oh Noes!!

MelodyandBarbells

beastmode2718 wrote: »

i will start by saying my partner is trying to loose too but he is not on board with counting calories I feel like I have an eating disorder. I don't put anything in my mouth without looking up calories first. Have given up most of my favorite foods and restaurants and am annoying my man because I won't eat at certain places I know have high calorie food. Is this normal? Does it get easier.

Why not challenge yourself to make a lower calorie version of your favorite foods? Same with restaurants - what can you order or how can you modify the meal so it fits or comes closer to fitting? Like either have just a couple fries or ditch them altogether in favor of steamed veg. Water or unsweetened iced tea instead of soda, etc. So many possibilities. You don't have to become a recluse just because you're calorie counting

callsitlikeiseeit

youre making this way harder than it has to be.....

999tigger

Maybe work on your mindset and understand how weight loss works. How badly do you wnat the results, how quickly do you wnat them and keep your expectations reasonable. You calorie count to help you maintain an accurate deficcit.

1. Counting becomes easier once you build up a small database of the types of food you eat.
2. Restricting and cutting foods out can often be a flaw for many people because this denial stuff ends up making them miserable and more probne to binging. Moderation i.e eating the same foods juts smaller portions tends to be the favoured strategy for most.

Faithful_Chosen

I know I speak from a position of privilege because I only have a little I want to loose, but I love counting calories. Seriously. I love to be 100% responsible for my own journey. I get my own groceries, make double meals if my girl doesn't want to join me so I can make the food I want to eat. I make a game out of making meals that are satisfying and average 150-450 calories, get my healthy snacks in (~150 cal). And at the end of the day I enjoy my munchies and go to bed happy. I wake up excited to eat good food that will make me healthy and happy, and to work out. Honestly, I think weight loss is about 99% mental. If you embrace it fully and find a way to enjoy it, you are going to make it. Rock on, okay?

dondotwinks

I agree with 999tigge.........Don't avoid foods or eating out, just make better choices. I've eaten out a few times this year and still loosing.If you start cutting and not enjoying what you are eating you have a higher chance of failure( thats the way i see it)
As in all things moderation is the key

Timorous_Beastie

If you feel like you have to give up all your favorite foods and can't go out to eat, maybe your calorie goal is too restrictive.

By your ticker, you only wanted to lose 11 pounds total, and you've lost 4. With that small amount of weight to lose, you should be eating only about 250 calories below maintenance to lose a half pound a week. If you eat three meals and a snack a day, that means they would each be ~62 calories below what you'd normally eat to maintain your weight. You can and should be able to eat very normally and still lose. There's no need to be a martyr to it.

Francl27

It doesn't get 'easier' but again, it was never hard for me. Yes, it can be a pain, but it's so completely worth it. After a while you're much better at estimating calories when you eat out though...

I'm the same way about restaurants though... I can be a pain and I refuse to go to certain places (like places that only have burgers and sandwiches that come with fries or coleslaw. All places won't offer vegetables and I'm SO SICK OF SALADS, and I'm not eating just half of a sandwich because I don't want to be starving 2 hours later). And I'm eating at maintenance. I'm just more careful about what I put in my body now (I mean, I'll go to one of those places if I really crave something there, but that hasn't happened in 2.5 years). That's the price of being healthy I guess.

beastmode2718

Great suggestions, I'm still pretty new to this. I had no clue before how to eat heathy but I know I need to stop making poor choices. It will help if my partner didn't wanna eat out multiple times a week but I see now I can still eat healthy