Myfitnesspal Obsession

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joneedolla
joneedolla Posts: 9 Member
in Getting Started
Does anyone else obsess over myfitnesspal? I'm starting to think it is creating bad habits and making me binge eat. Any one else having or had the issue and got past it?

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  • bbell1985
    bbell1985 Posts: 4,572 Member
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    Yeah I obsess. Sometimes I think I'd eat less if I wasn't logging. I have to eat every calorie and then end up going over. (This is after years of using it properly though).
  • faramelee
    faramelee Posts: 163 Member
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    jsho27 wrote: »
    Does anyone else obsess over myfitnesspal? I'm starting to think it is creating bad habits and making me binge eat. Any one else having or had the issue and got past it?

    I understand how it could possibly encourage 'obsessional' behaviours for some people but I do not understand how the app can be blamed for binge eating. Stating it's 'making me binge eat' could appear as if you're not taking accountability for what you're eating and are just focusing on something else to blame. This may then lead to 'I can't use MFP as it made me binge eat' which could be construed as justification for not addressing your issues.

    By all means sit back and take stock of your situation. Ensure that you're not trying to do anything too drastic at present as it can seem insurmountable. One day at a time, you'll find your groove.

    Best of luck to you :)
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,041 Member
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    When I lost all my weight in 2007, I thought, "Yeah. I got this. I know what to do."


    And then gained 15 pounds. Just. Like. That. Losing that last 15 AGAIN is so annoying.

    I've taken time off several times since then - and really, I know what to eat and how much. I've got probably 10-12 meals I make over and over. I have a spreadsheet. I have a body-weight and digital food scale. It's not rocket surgery.

    BUT.

    I need that accountability.

    I tend to let my portions and treats creep up. That's just me. It is so much easier to stay in my five-pound comfort range than it is to have to lose that last 15. Again. I do not likey calorie deficits.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member
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    I think there can be a fine line between "managing effectively" and "unhealthy obsession." For me, focusing on my health, including tracking my calories and meal planning and improving my health is a much better habit than eating 3 fast food meals a day. Once I'm dedicated to something, I want to go all in and optimize as much as I can. Sometimes it becomes overwhelming, and I'll back off a little from MFP, but I still weigh my foods and plan my meals to stay in my calorie goals.
  • tapwaters
    tapwaters Posts: 428 Member
    edited March 2017
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    I don't think it's obsession so much as consciousness. I don't fully understand how it leads to binge eating, because if you're logging everything as or before you eat it, you should see how the food fits and adjust accordingly.

    I need the accountability and numbers after losing forty pounds, then gaining back 100, and now having lost 120. I have learned the hard way that I need tracking to be successful.

    At my goal weight I need the weighing and tracking to dial in my maintenance calories, protein macro while I work on gaining muscle on a vegan diet; later I'll need tracking to make sure I don't gain it all back -- AGAIN.

    Consciousness and obsession are different.
  • French_Peasant
    French_Peasant Posts: 1,639 Member
    edited March 2017
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    jsho27 wrote: »
    Does anyone else obsess over myfitnesspal? I'm starting to think it is creating bad habits and making me binge eat. Any one else having or had the issue and got past it?

    At the beginning, I was obsessing over my food, because I was cutting back to 1200 calories a day and that is a hard goal to meet. Once I learned I could eat back my exercise calories, it became easier. And once I figured out the food that kept me full (proteins like chicken, 0% greek yogurt, cheese and cottage cheese) I could more effectively schedule my daily eating and instill things into habits so I didn't feel deprived of the chips and crackers I was working to cut out.

    If you are hungry, you are more likely to obsess, give in and binge. You have to stick with it to know the foods and habits that are going to work for you, and it will become second nature and not an obsession. For me, now, it is more of a tiny daily challenge to fit 800 g of fruit and veg, 100+ g of protein and my workout into my calorie goal, but it is more interesting and a source of pride rather than an obsession.

    ETA: Also, regarding binge eating, you need to learn to head that crap off at the pass. What is your trigger and when do you lose control? Every day, I make sure to eat a fruit or vegetable late in the afternoon at work so I don't go home and start grabbing absolute crap to hold me over till dinner. And if I am still ravenous, I have learned to grab an ounce of cheese and a small apple or similar snack.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
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    I think so at first but now not so much. I think it's natural at the beginning.
  • tmoneyag99
    tmoneyag99 Posts: 480 Member
    edited March 2017
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    NARCISSISTIC_PUP wrote: »
    IamMicah wrote: »
    Obsessed is the word lazy people use to describe those that are dedicated.

    While I agree obsession can get out of hand I also will remind you that people aren't using MFP because they got it all together. The tool meets the need to assist with what they couldn't do on their own.

    Id also add as a Fat Guy that got thin using MFP and then got fat again after an extended injury. Fat people need the obsession or dedication and when you need to lose alot of weight like 100 lbs Obsession is a necessary evil and as long as its not screwing up your relationships or your ability to work or its not jeopardizing your day to day life ( getting healthy isn't) then I think its difficult to find negativity in that.

    I think that is a bit of a dramatic generalization.

    Im not lazy in the slightest, yet admit that i was once obsessing far to much about things

    ITA. Being obsessive means that you risk loosing sight of other things in your life. Conversely other people can say

    "People that people who pride themselves on being obsessive have no balance"

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Logging food intake has to be done to a certain degree of accuracy, or else there's no point.
    Dedication and anxiety are two different things.
    Are you consistently or periodically undereating because you don't trust the numbers? Or yourself?
    Talk to your doctor if you suffer from emotional/self-esteem issues.
  • jennypapage
    jennypapage Posts: 489 Member
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    i guess i'm a bit "obsessed" ,but in my opinion it's a positive thing. I don't log everything(no herbs, spices, artificial sweeteners), but i weigh eveything else to the gram.If i couldn't log my meals i would probably be eating less than i should, and my meals would not be as balanced. I tend to eat more fats and carbs, so mfp helps keeping track of my protein and i can tweak my meals accordingly. During the day i change my meals and the quantities 2 or 3 times to meet my needs.Life would be hard without mfp.
  • robhod1
    robhod1 Posts: 18 Member
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    I weigh and log most of my food but I'm not overly bothered if the numbers aren't exactly 100% correct. As long as the scale is going in the direction I want it to go over a period of time I know I'm meeting my goals. It's impossible to log everything correctly anyway, eg home meals and eating out are a basic guess when it comes to the nutritional values.

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