Can't count because I love my body!!

batoolalnabulsi1

Hey guys, this issue is bothering me!
Each time I try to stick to counting, a voice in my head tells me I'm fine and I look good so I don't need it, even if I gained weight! It's good that I love my body, but I don't want it to stop me from counting!
The only time I counted perfectly was when I had an eating disorder and I'm glad it's finally over.
How do I get back to counting without being negative and obsessive in it? I want something in between.
Any suggestions? Motivations?
Thanks!

cmriverside

Counting...calories? I think it can be as obsessive or as chill as you decide it is.

I log all my food, I use a food scale, I eat 90% of my meals prepared by me. That requires planning, shopping, prep, cooking, cleanup, budgeting and then inputting the info into this site. I've got the actual logging part down to about five minutes per day to log food.

The bigger investment is in the planning, shopping, prep, cooking and cleaning. You might see that as obsessive. I see it as a life skill.

MikePTY

I also love my body and because I love it, I want to take care of it. Taking care of it to me means getting to a helahty weight, getting proper nutrition, as well as physical activity. You can both love your body and want to make changes to it.

Counting calories helps me because it helps me to lose weight by tracking how much I eat so that I don't overeat. But it also helps me make sure I am eating enough so that I have the proper energy to fuel my body. As long as you don't approach it from a "lower is always better" perspective but rather a "I'm going to eat as close to my goal as possible so that I can lose weight whole still fueling myself" perspective, it can be done from a good place of self love.

LyndaBSS

Just log your food. See where the numbers land. You don’t have to consider it “counting”.

If you’re happy with your weight, that’s great. If you’re in good health, even better.

Enjoy your journey!

cupcakesandproteinshakes

batoolalnabulsi1 wrote: »

Hey guys, this issue is bothering me!
Each time I try to stick to counting, a voice in my head tells me I'm fine and I look good so I don't need it, even if I gained weight! It's good that I love my body, but I don't want it to stop me from counting!
The only time I counted perfectly was when I had an eating disorder and I'm glad it's finally over.
How do I get back to counting without being negative and obsessive in it? I want something in between.
Any suggestions? Motivations?
Thanks!

You don’t need or have to count calories. If you are recovering from an ED can you talk these issues through with your treatment team.

sijomial

But do you want to count or do you simply want to maintain your weight in a healthy weight range?
TBH I'm not really seeing counting calories itself as a useful goal - I simply see it as a tool. A very good tool but not necessary for everyone.

Perhaps you could explain why counting seems so important to you?
Are you saying you can't maintain without it?

LivingtheLeanDream

What have you been doing when not counting? if your weight is stable perhaps you can maintain without counting.

nighthawk584

Good for you, but I hated my body and most of all, my HEALTH! I will be counting forever because I don't want to ever go back to that. Works for me and it's routine now.

apullum

I would echo what everyone else is saying--maybe you don't need to count calories. Especially since you had an ED, maybe it's not even a good idea for you. If you feel like you MUST count calories, then I think it's worth discussing these plans with your treatment team.

ElizabethKalmbach

*FIRST* check in with your treatment team and find out what is best for your MENTAL health. That's what's gonna drive your game.

That said, we have calorie *TARGETS*. Not calorie lines. As with a target on a shooting range, the victory conditions are to nail the target as close to center as possible. Missing above and missing below are both missing. Your daily calorie target is the same. Too high and too low are equally MISSING. The goal is to get as close as you can to the number of calories you need to stay healthy - neither less nor more. If that doesn't seem challenging enough, you can then start hitting MACRO targets. Again, extremes of missing are still missing. The goal is to get as close as possible to the healthy number as discussed with your health support team.

There are a ton of ways to exert self discipline and control. You already know that calorie restriction is no good, no matter how good you've gotten at that game. Step it up (when you're mentally healthy enough to do so) and apply that discipline you know you have to hitting your health goals.