how to stop obsessing over calories??
ducky653
Posts: 20 Member
Hello healthy friends!
I have found that for the past few weeks I've been using MFP, my daily recordings have turned into near obsession. I am constantly thinking about eating, not because I'm bored or addicted to food, but because restriction has become such an important part of my life! How do I maintain control of my calories without freaking out and bingeing?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I love MFP but it's taking over my life.
I have found that for the past few weeks I've been using MFP, my daily recordings have turned into near obsession. I am constantly thinking about eating, not because I'm bored or addicted to food, but because restriction has become such an important part of my life! How do I maintain control of my calories without freaking out and bingeing?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I love MFP but it's taking over my life.
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Replies
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Prelog.
Open MFP in the morning, log what you plan to eat. And then eat what you plan. If you make any changes, you can always go in and adjust things.0 -
I make rules for myself. I don't eat before noon, and I try and save most of my allotment for evening when the kids and so are eating dinner. I usually eat something different from them, but that's alright. I also don't go out when I am hungry. If I have to, I eat a pb&j before I go out, and I don't have to worry about chowing down a whopper out of hunger. I am very meticulous about my calories as well, but I took the time to identify my issues. Eating in the evening was number one for me, as well as making bad choices out of hunger.0
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Ducky- I chuckled at your post because I'm falling into the same trap. I do what Machka suggested and plan out my meals and track them a day in advance and focus only on that. Hopefully in time, as we become more accustomed to the planning and tracking we'll stop obessing so much!0
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Maybe take a break from recording and use your intuition for a few days. Calorie counting can become obsessive which for certain people can lead to eating disorders. Not that MFP isn't great but it's not worth sacrificing your mental health. Not trying to say you have an eating disorder- just speaking from personal experience with family members.0
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Pre-logging is an excellent idea. Also, consider changing your mindset from focusing on restriction to focusing on becoming healthy - this lets you put mental energy into meeting nutritional requirements rather than putting energy into what you are not going to eat. Finally, remember that eating is also a social act and source of pleasure so choose foods that you like, and eat them in the company of people you enjoy if opportunities present themselves.0
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Pre-logging is a great idea. I go in waves. It gets consuming, then goes on the back burner, then I obsess again. The longer you are at it, the easier it is and the less you actually need to think about it. At this point I get consumed bc I treat it like a game. It gets easier!0
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I think I have (or am developing) the same problem. I've been pretty consistent for a couple of months plus now and have lost several pounds--seeing exciting changes in my body and becoming toned and svelt. This is great, but it also makes me nervous because it's new. Seems too good to be true, and I'm scared I can't keep it since I've always been on the bulky or slightly chunky looking side and have a history of yo yo dieting. It's almost like I've been burdened with something I'm convinced in can't hang on to and I'm more worried about effing it up now that I have a nicer figure than I was about my less desirable figure in the first place. Anyway, now being on a long vacation with a friend who is not careful at all about food and being out of my routine and stressing out has triggered binges. Trouble is I binged twice before in the last couple months--big binges. I think these are caused my my obsessesing over and restricting calories (even though I've been allowing sweets/not restricting whole types of food). I've got to the point where meals are less enjoyable cause I'm wondering while I eat how much more I can eat without getting a big red line in my diary for the day. Then I just get to a point where I'm like "eff it I'm gonna eat till I feel truly satisfied and then just go to town and be free for the night!". And it all falls apart from there.0
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whenever I get to this point, I eat at maintenance for 2 weeks and then I restrict again. It's very slow but at least healthy ....0
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Hello healthy friends!
I have found that for the past few weeks I've been using MFP, my daily recordings have turned into near obsession. I am constantly thinking about eating, not because I'm bored or addicted to food, but because restriction has become such an important part of my life! How do I maintain control of my calories without freaking out and bingeing?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I love MFP but it's taking over my life.
If you're constantly thinking about food, are you eating enough?
Can you open your diary, and/or tell us your height/weight/calorie limit?0 -
I have a similar breakfast every day and then for lunch I have a Tuna pot pre-made thing, so I just have to scan the barcode. Only for my evening meal to I usually have to weigh everything on the scale.
I'm the same though, get obsessed about it and then fall off the wagon because it's too much hassle.0 -
I have a similar breakfast every day and then for lunch I have a Tuna pot pre-made thing, so I just have to scan the barcode. Only for my evening meal to I usually have to weigh everything on the scale.
I'm the same though, get obsessed about it and then fall off the wagon because it's too much hassle.
I don't see it as a hassle. It's still only a few minutes less time from being on Facebook, and we could all use a break from Facebook!
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Exhibit A for short-term thinking.I have a similar breakfast every day and then for lunch I have a Tuna pot pre-made thing, so I just have to scan the barcode. Only for my evening meal to I usually have to weigh everything on the scale.
I'm the same though, get obsessed about it and then fall off the wagon because it's too much hassle.
If someone told you, "Here, do this completely non-strenuous activity for a couple of minutes before each meal and you'll lose weight" you'd think it was too good to be true. But you have it, and it's too much of a hassle.
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camillemilton1 wrote: »Maybe take a break from recording and use your intuition for a few days. Calorie counting can become obsessive which for certain people can lead to eating disorders. Not that MFP isn't great but it's not worth sacrificing your mental health. Not trying to say you have an eating disorder- just speaking from personal experience with family members.
^^This.^^
Obsession with numbers (whether it be calories, TDEE or weight) is IME a flashing red light/glaring siren warning of an eating disorder in the making. And that is a road you do not want to start down. Don't let it take over your life. It's not worth it, and it could put your life at risk. Good for you for realizing it's a problem while it's still a "near" obsession and not a full blown one. Personally, I'd step away for awhile -- away from calorie counting and the scale (both the food scale and the body weight scale). Focus on a healthy lifestyle w/o actually doing any measuring.
Best of luck.
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Man, I guess all my Excel spreadsheets -- on which I
track calories, TDEE, and weight, with all sorts of trend lines -- don't bode at all well for my mental health.0 -
All mathematicians have eating disorders? LOL0
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I'm a data geek
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I have a similar breakfast every day and then for lunch I have a Tuna pot pre-made thing, so I just have to scan the barcode. Only for my evening meal to I usually have to weigh everything on the scale.
I'm the same though, get obsessed about it and then fall off the wagon because it's too much hassle.
I don't see it as a hassle. It's still only a few minutes less time from being on Facebook, and we could all use a break from Facebook!
To be fair, I'm lacking in time because I run my own business, not because I'm sat browsing Facebook.
I know my limits, if I get bored quickly I lose interest, so I work to my own strengths and weaknesses, nothing wrong with that.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »
Exhibit A for short-term thinking.I have a similar breakfast every day and then for lunch I have a Tuna pot pre-made thing, so I just have to scan the barcode. Only for my evening meal to I usually have to weigh everything on the scale.
I'm the same though, get obsessed about it and then fall off the wagon because it's too much hassle.
If someone told you, "Here, do this completely non-strenuous activity for a couple of minutes before each meal and you'll lose weight" you'd think it was too good to be true. But you have it, and it's too much of a hassle.
I didn't say it was too much hassle, I said I modify the way I do it so it doesn't become an over-burden on me and therefore too much hassle. There is a difference.
Short term thinking is where you don't plan for the long term, as I already know my weakness I have therefore planned for it in advance.0 -
If losing weight (and probably getting healthier) is a priority for you, there are worse things in life than having MFP be a major time investment. You can reduce the time by spending less time on this forum.0
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I find pre-logging helps stop me from thinking about calories all day. I actually pre-log the night before. It's almost 8:30 Wednesday night and I have all my food for Thursday, plus breakfast, lunch and snacks for Friday logged. If I don't pre-log, I can't fall asleep because I start planning my food for the next day.0
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I find pre-logging helps stop me from thinking about calories all day. I actually pre-log the night before. It's almost 8:30 Wednesday night and I have all my food for Thursday, plus breakfast, lunch and snacks for Friday logged. If I don't pre-log, I can't fall asleep because I start planning my food for the next day.
I pre-log as well. I also portion my food out and take it all to work with me. Then I just eat what I have. I still think about food. Ponder whether I can put extra cheese on my dinner, whether eating a cupcake from the kitchen is worth my while etc. But pre-logging and meal prepping definitely helps!0 -
47Jacqueline wrote: »If losing weight (and probably getting healthier) is a priority for you, there are worse things in life than having MFP be a major time investment. You can reduce the time by spending less time on this forum.
But you can do both, you just need to find a system that works for you.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »Man, I guess all my Excel spreadsheets -- on which I
track calories, TDEE, and weight, with all sorts of trend lines -- don't bode at all well for my mental health.
Obviously I've been crazy for some time.
I've been maintaining a fairly detailed cycling log since 1990!
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Hello healthy friends!
I have found that for the past few weeks I've been using MFP, my daily recordings have turned into near obsession. I am constantly thinking about eating, not because I'm bored or addicted to food, but because restriction has become such an important part of my life! How do I maintain control of my calories without freaking out and bingeing?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I love MFP but it's taking over my life.
I found normalising the whole process worked best for me. Instead of it being "that thing Im trying to do" and an extra burden, I made it habit and it became "what I normally do anyway". At this point it was routine, and not an added effort, and so not on my mind constantly.
I also found being a bit habitual with food helped, initially at least. Had a few go to meals where I knew the calorie content well and so was comfortable managing my daily intake. Over time that expanded to where I now feel quite flexible in my eating while still being in control.
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Some people can log and track all day long w/o becoming obsessed. There is a vast difference between being interested in something and being obsessed by it.0
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Some people can log and track all day long w/o becoming obsessed. There is a vast difference between being interested in something and being obsessed by it.
I agree it's a slippery road ... I remember when I was doing WW for the first time, I thought about food and eating all the time. This is not healthy.0 -
Hello healthy friends!
I have found that for the past few weeks I've been using MFP, my daily recordings have turned into near obsession. I am constantly thinking about eating, not because I'm bored or addicted to food, but because restriction has become such an important part of my life! How do I maintain control of my calories without freaking out and bingeing?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I love MFP but it's taking over my life.
These two bits of information are indicative of someone who is over-restricting their calorie intake. How many calories are you eating? If you are constantly thinking about food and feel restricted then my immediate thought would be that you're not eating enough.0 -
Look at your logging history. If you keep track so much, you're probably doing a good job at eating healthy (I'm just assuming!). Then, stop counting what you've counted already and just eat what you eat normally. You know what's healthy and what isn't
Like others said, combine this with prelogging and I think you'd be fine.0 -
If you're constantly thinking about food, are you eating enough?
Can you open your diary, and/or tell us your height/weight/calorie limit?[/quote]
Sure! I eat 1,290 calories a day or less. I'm 5'7'' and I weigh around 185 lbs.0 -
If you're constantly thinking about food, are you eating enough?
Can you open your diary, and/or tell us your height/weight/calorie limit?
Sure! I eat 1,290 calories a day or less. I'm 5'7'' and I weigh around 185 lbs. [/quote]
With your stats you could eat more and still lose weight:
Use this calculator to help you understand how many calories your body needs: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
BMR = 1679
Depending on your activity level your TDEE will be between 2015 and 3190 cals per day. To lose weight you need to eat less than your TDEE, which (again, depending on your activity level) means you could eat between 1612 and 2552 calories and still lose weight.
If you are sedentary:
TDEE = 2015
To lose weight eat 1612
If you do 1 to 3 hours of light exercise per week:
TDEE = 2309
To lose weight eat 1847
If you do 3 to 5 hours of moderate exercise per week:
TDEE = 2603
To lose weight eat 2082
If you do 5 to 6 hours of strenuous exercise per week:
TDEE = 2896
To lose weight eat 2317
If you do >6 hrs exercise and have a physical job:
TDEE = 3190
To lose weight eat 2552
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