Why am I scared of calories?!

ohhaiitsshelby

I'm 5'10, 19, about 225 pound and I've had a weight problem my entire life. But every time I try to lose weight I get obsessed with calories. Although on MFP I have my calories set at 1400 a day, I constantly find myself at every meal trying to cut calories. Some days I only eat like 600 calories. What are some ways I can overcome my anxiety about calories? I just want to be healthy.

KAYRRIE

Your car can only go so far without gas. Think about it like that. Those calories are meant to be the fuel for your body to lose the weight you need to lose. If you do not eat your calories the way you should, it's just like driving your car on empty. You could only get so far before your engine gives up. Seriously, don't be scared to eat your calories. And if you work out in a day and burn lets say, 200 calories, you should eat those calories back up. It's not hard depending on what you pick. Peanut butter is an easy calorie builder and it's good for you (protein). Add apple slices and man what a snack that will be. Avocados is another easy calorie builder. Give it a try and "fuel" up that car of yours.

ohhaiitsshelby

Thank you! I never thought of it like that

Ready2Rock206

There is nothing at all healthy about only eating 600 calories. You have to be kind to your body to get the results you want. Starving it of nutrients it needs to function properly is not kind or healthy.

KAYRRIE

I've been there, my pleasure. Trust me when I tell you it works.

mmarie_3

Look at your food as fuel, without it your body won't go!! Eating so little is terrible for your metabolism and will actually halt weight loss.

Shrinking_Erin

You'll end up bigger in the long run. Just eat what MFP suggests.

Vortex88

Calories keep you alive

Larissa_NY

For what it's worth, this is very very common, and hugely difficult to get past no matter how much you know intellectually about fueling your workout and whatnot. It's exactly why I don't count calories any more than I absolutely have to, and I've never had real weight problems.

It sucks a lot. Just keep telling yourself what other people in this thread have told you, and trust that collective wisdom when you don't want to trust yourself.

TribeHokie

If you don't eat the minimum of what your body needs (which could be anywhere from 1200 calories to 75% of TDEE depending on your philosophy) you will eventually start seeing negative effects and will fail. When I was 19 and had 60 lbs to lose I did great for the first 15-20, then started unreasonably cutting back, even as low as 500 a day. By the time I hit 30 down I would have days that I couldn't make it to class because I was dizzy and nauseated from not eating enough. When I started eating normally again I got into binging behavior that I had never had before because my body was so deprived. Over the next 8 years I put the 30 back on plus 60 more. Trust me, do it the right way once so you don't have to do it again later.

giantwisdom

At your height and weight, you should not be eating 600 calories on some days. That is ridiculously low and a recipe for disaster. You will wreck your metabolism and go on massive binges if you keep that up.

My advice is to ignore calories for now and focus on food quality first. Change the types of foods you're eating, not the quantities. Eat as much as you want of the right foods (whole, unprocessed foods) and stick to them for a few weeks, and see how you feel. I would be shocked if you didn't feel much better, have more energy, and to boot, actually be significantly lighter on the scale.

Calorie restriction has its place on a diet, but the restriction should never approach the level you're eating on some days. What you eat is the primary driver of weight loss, with how much you eat being of secondary importance.

ashtoncm394

Calories can become very value laden! Try to think of a calorie as what it is...a unit of energy, which are not good or bad. Your body needs the energy to do things like keep your heart beating and all other metabolic processes. Try to separate the emotional part from it maybe?

itsmemaringle

Nothing wrong with being 'obsessed' with calories!! Just make sure you are obsessed with tracking and staying as close to your allowance as possible... instead of obsessed with how little you can eat. Your food choices will help you to be satisfied and not be hungry so eat nutrient food rich foods to support your body and immune system etc and also drink your 2ltrs+ of water it will help everything!!
If you like being obsessive then aim to hit your macros over a daily or weekly view.
Enjoy!

itsmemaringle

Feel free to add me btw

DanSTL82

If you want to be scared straight, know that eating too few calories can lead to serious health problems, like heart rhythm problems and gall bladder attacks. You need the nutrients that comes with food, and the calories that your body needs to work properly.

Asher_Ethan

Don't be scared of calories. I feel a lot better when I have 1800 calories a day vs 1400 a day.
Side question - why is your calorie goal so low? I'm 5'9" and a decade older than you and I lost the majority of my weight eating 1800 a day. The only reason I've kept the weight off is because I feel satisfied the majority of the time and that keeps me from bingeing.

ohhaiitsshelby

My resting metabolic rate is 1600 because of my activity level -.-

lorrpb

Calories are your friend, because tracking them will help you manage your weight ALL the time. Then you won't need to go on weight loss efforts repeatedly. It sounds like you're ignoring calories most of the time, then stressing about them when you decide you want to cut. You need to be MORE concerned about calories more of the time so that once you achieve your goal weight you can maintain it long term.

JustMissTracy

KAYRRIE wrote: »

Your car can only go so far without gas. Think about it like that. Those calories are meant to be the fuel for your body to lose the weight you need to lose. If you do not eat your calories the way you should, it's just like driving your car on empty. You could only get so far before your engine gives up. Seriously, don't be scared to eat your calories. And if you work out in a day and burn lets say, 200 calories, you should eat those calories back up. It's not hard depending on what you pick. Peanut butter is an easy calorie builder and it's good for you (protein). Add apple slices and man what a snack that will be. Avocados is another easy calorie builder. Give it a try and "fuel" up that car of yours.

+1...also nuts, they are great to top up the calories...or icecream...NUTELLA (my fave!), cheeses, loaded baked sweet potatoes...all yummy, all good for you!

lol..I got excited there...maybe not the icecream so much, but a small bowl will top up your calories!

janellsosajs

Eat every 2.5-3 hours (make your snacks anywhere between 100-200 calories) and include protein at every meal. Also eat an hour after you wake up, and at least an hour or two before bed, don't skip meals. This will keep you satisfied and keep your metabolism continously burning. Avoid a lot of processed foods eat whole grains, veggies, protein, nuts, and fruits. But I'm sure you already new all that

janellsosajs

Correction **Eat within an hour after you wake up**

janellsosajs

janellsosajs wrote: »

Eat every 2.5-3 hours (make your snacks anywhere between 100-200 calories) and include protein at every meal. Also eat an hour after you wake up, and at least an hour or two before bed, don't skip meals. This will keep you satisfied and keep your metabolism continously burning. Avoid a lot of processed foods eat whole grains, veggies, protein, nuts, and fruits. But I'm sure you already new all that

**Knew** sorry my bad

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ReaderGirl3

janellsosajs wrote: »

Eat every 2.5-3 hours (make your snacks anywhere between 100-200 calories) and include protein at every meal. Also eat an hour after you wake up, and at least an hour or two before bed, don't skip meals. This will keep you satisfied and keep your metabolism continously burning. Avoid a lot of processed foods eat whole grains, veggies, protein, nuts, and fruits. But I'm sure you already new all that

No. Meal timing/frequency is a preference thing and nothing more. Some prefer to eat frequent, smaller meals and others prefer to eat 2-3 larger meals a day with no snacking. What matters is that you're at an appropriate calorie deficit for your goals at the end of the day.

OP-trust the system, it really does work. Weight loss is pretty straightforward: eat the foods that you like (no need to cut anything out) accurately track all your food intake, pay attention to portion sizes (use a food scale), and hit as close to the calorie goal that MFP sets for you. Going way under does you no favors and will lead to frustration and failure.

You can do this

shadow2soul

ohhaiitsshelby wrote: »

My resting metabolic rate is 1600 because of my activity level -.-

Sweety, keep in mind your Basal Metabolic Rate is the calories your body burns at complete rest. No daily activity. This is just what your body currently uses to keep your body functioning. Activity level has no impact on this number.

Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure is the number you want to eat under to lose weight and is what is impacted by your activity level. I ran your numbers through a few calculators for you:

http://www.iifym.com/iifym-calculator/
Sedentary with no exercise

TDEE: 2160
0.5 lb per week loss: 1910
1 lb per week loss: 1660

http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/
Desk job with little exercise

TDEE: 2254
0.5 lb per week loss: 2004
1 lb per week loss: 1754

JeromeBarry1

ohhaiitsshelby wrote: »

I'm 5'10, 19, about 225 pound and I've had a weight problem my entire life. But every time I try to lose weight I get obsessed with calories. Although on MFP I have my calories set at 1400 a day, I constantly find myself at every meal trying to cut calories. Some days I only eat like 600 calories. What are some ways I can overcome my anxiety about calories? I just want to be healthy.

You are new to the forums. Please stay around and read a lot of the messages. You'll find various people confessing the harms they did to themselves with insufficient nutrition. When I was a youngster I read a lot of WWII history books. These modern calorie cutters remind me of Nazi-designated untermenchen in the concentration camps and Leningraders under seige. No sensible person in a mostly free society should choose to undergo such privations, agonies, and deaths. Yes, deaths. Death is the inevitable end of a successful severe long-term calorie restriction. Less than 1200 calories per day, for a woman, is a severe calorie restriction. Please don't turn yours into a successful long-term calorie restriction.

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