Calorie counting is making me insane.
ObsessedMonster
Posts: 150 Member
I've completely lost desire to make nice healthy home cooked meals ever since I started counting calories because it's extremely time consuming and sometimes inaccurate, but if I stop, I'll gain weight. I'm obsessed with the scale (both food and weight); I can't live without either. Sometimes I have a strong urge to binge, but I somehow manage to resist the temptations. My mood for the day depends on the number I saw in the morning when I stepped on that darn scale. I don't enjoy eating out any more or eating home cooked meals. All I can think about is the possibility of gaining more weight back even though I'm 3 pounds under my goal weight. I've lost the energy I used to have and feel tired all the time. I didn't lose a significant amount of weight. I went from 119 pounds at 5'4 to 112 pounds and it took months. My goal was 115. I'm happier the lower my weight is even though I feel worse physically. Any advice? I think I'm going crazy.
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Replies
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Get lean meat and shop in the produce aisle. Baked veggies can be really good. If it has a list of ingredients, skip it. Don't have to do a huge amount of weighing with good veggies and meats have it on the label. Good luck!0
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I don't know if this is good advice or not, but if I was in your situation I think I'd consider just setting the scale and the calorie counting aside and trying to eat reasonable portions of good healthy food. Weigh yourself once a week to keep an eye on things and if you see your weight creeping back up, spend a week or two weighing and counting again until you're back where you want to be. You say you are happy at your weight and it took you months to lose that 7 pounds, so I understand not wanting to mess with that- but you're not going to gain it all back in a week. I would think monitoring your weight on a weekly basis and making adjustments as needed would be a less intensive, lower stress way to maintain control over your weight.0
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Sometimes when I'm making meals it seems like it takes me twice as long as I am weighing and logging everything as I go. But when I sit down to eat, I find comfort in knowing exactly what I'm eating. If I were to not log and just eat portions, my OCD would kick my butt and I wouldn't enjoy the meal. It's a trade-off. Personally, the benefit outweighs the cost for me.0
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If you don't like calorie counting...
this may not be the site for you. Just saying.0 -
I'm happier the lower my weight is even though I feel worse physically. Any advice? I think I'm going crazy.
You need to see a therapist. Your post screams eating disorder, or at least a very unhealthy relationship with food and weight in general.0 -
I'm happier the lower my weight is even though I feel worse physically. Any advice? I think I'm going crazy.
You need to see a therapist. Your post screams eating disorder, or at least a very unhealthy relationship with food and weight in general.
This...0 -
Just think - every recipe you document is a 'freebie' the next time you make the same meal. Also, as you include the same indgredients/portions/foods in the next recipe, you've already got that portion of it done. Trust me when I say it gets easier and easier with time. The hardest part is getting started. Stick with it - it takes time to make/break habbits and having an accurate count of your caloric intake WILL make a BIG difference in your journey to better health.0
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If counting calories, your scale weight, & cooking healthy food is making you insane, it's time to talk to someone. This should be about getting healthy, feeling better as you get healthy, and having a plan that will be sustainable for the rest of your life.
This does not sound like a healthy, happy life to me. Please, talk to someone.:flowerforyou:0 -
I agree with the above comment about possibly just skip the calorie counting and just watch your portions and eat sensibly. If that doesn't work, then I don't know what to suggest.
I've pretty much come to the conclusion that I will likely be counting calories for the rest of my life but then that's just ME.0 -
I'm happier the lower my weight is even though I feel worse physically. Any advice? I think I'm going crazy.
You need to see a therapist. Your post screams eating disorder, or at least a very unhealthy relationship with food and weight in general.
^^ Yup.
This doesn't sound like you need nutrition or exercise advice, you need help with your attitude to nutrition and exercise (or rather, the obsession with numbers and weight that it's so easy to fall into).0 -
My goal was 115. I'm happier the lower my weight is even though I feel worse physically. Any advice? I think I'm going crazy.
You are obessesing too much and probably in danger of developing an eating disorder. You need to rein this in quickly. Seek help if you need to. I would suggest you stop weighing and stop tracking for a while until you get this under control.
It's completely ridiculous to weigh every day and base your actions on it, because it's completely natural for your weight to fluctuate every day. Especially for a woman because hormones are such a big factor in weight.
Switch to weighing once a week. Same day, same time of day. Don't sweat minor fluctuations.0 -
Get lean meat and shop in the produce aisle. Baked veggies can be really good. If it has a list of ingredients, skip it. Don't have to do a huge amount of weighing with good veggies and meats have it on the label. Good luck!
OP: How are your macros? I have no visibility into that since you diary is closed, but am guessing that your fat may be low. It's a common mistake when people cut calories to reduce fat too low because they're easy calories to cut...but too little fat can do horrible things to your body and it will frequently present as decreased energy.
Posts like the above do nothing to help this common problem. And there's nothing wrong with a list of ingredients. Also, in what world do you not have to weigh meats to know how much you ate?
TL;DR - The 80s were generally awesome, but wrong that eating fat makes you fat.0 -
I've completely lost desire to make nice healthy home cooked meals ever since I started counting calories because it's extremely time consuming and sometimes inaccurate, but if I stop, I'll gain weight. I'm obsessed with the scale (both food and weight); I can't live without either. Sometimes I have a strong urge to binge, but I somehow manage to resist the temptations. My mood for the day depends on the number I saw in the morning when I stepped on that darn scale. I don't enjoy eating out any more or eating home cooked meals. All I can think about is the possibility of gaining more weight back even though I'm 3 pounds under my goal weight. I've lost the energy I used to have and feel tired all the time. I didn't lose a significant amount of weight. I went from 119 pounds at 5'4 to 112 pounds and it took months. My goal was 115. I'm happier the lower my weight is even though I feel worse physically. Any advice? I think I'm going crazy.
I was in the same boat. And so I took a break from calorie counting for a week. I admit I gained 5 pounds but my body needed those 5 pounds. I didn't realize I wasn't at a good weight and I was starving myself. Please just listen to your body. Hide the scale, get out of the house. Be social, go for long walks. Remind yourself why you started this in the first place. Have a cookie. Savor it. Don't think about the calories. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Not to be shackled down by numbers.0 -
I've completely lost desire to make nice healthy home cooked meals ever since I started counting calories because it's extremely time consuming and sometimes inaccurate, but if I stop, I'll gain weight. I'm obsessed with the scale (both food and weight); I can't live without either. Sometimes I have a strong urge to binge, but I somehow manage to resist the temptations. My mood for the day depends on the number I saw in the morning when I stepped on that darn scale. I don't enjoy eating out any more or eating home cooked meals. All I can think about is the possibility of gaining more weight back even though I'm 3 pounds under my goal weight. I've lost the energy I used to have and feel tired all the time. I didn't lose a significant amount of weight. I went from 119 pounds at 5'4 to 112 pounds and it took months. My goal was 115. I'm happier the lower my weight is even though I feel worse physically. Any advice? I think I'm going crazy.
I was in the same boat. And so I took a break from calorie counting for a week. I admit I gained 5 pounds but my body needed those 5 pounds. I didn't realize I wasn't at a good weight and I was starving myself. Please just listen to your body. Hide the scale, get out of the house. Be social, go for long walks. Remind yourself why you started this in the first place. Have a cookie. Savor it. Don't think about the calories. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Not to be shackled down by numbers.
Good post0 -
. All I can think about is the possibility of gaining more weight back even though I'm 3 pounds under my goal weight. I've lost the energy I used to have and feel tired all the time. I didn't lose a significant amount of weight. I went from 119 pounds at 5'4 to 112 pounds and it took months. My goal was 115. I'm happier the lower my weight is even though I feel worse physically. Any advice? I think I'm going crazy.
Do you expect positive feedback about this? I must be considered fat in your book since I weigh 117 pounds.0 -
Can I just point out, at 5ft 4 and 112lb, you're perhaps as small as you should aim to go? You're probably not losing weight because your body is going to shut down if you lose anymore.
Just stop for a while with the calorie counting, fill yourself up with healthy food, get some decent sleep, drink a load of water, and do some gentle exercise. You'll feel tons better within a few days.0 -
What steps have you taken to attempt to lose weight while not counting calories?
Counting calories is not necessarily the best option for everyone and there are other methods that you could employ to attempt to lose weight while not counting calories. Creating a general but not rigid structure via some sort of meal planning framework may be one option, and there's other methods you could employ as well. Another possibility would be to utilize a certain method of food selection to create satiety and autoregulate calories that way.
I do think that if you're going to stop tracking, you should have some sort of general plan as to how you're going to attempt to eat within a reasonable range of calories.
It's still largely calories in vs calories out, whether you track them or not.0 -
Sometimes when I'm making meals it seems like it takes me twice as long as I am weighing and logging everything as I go. But when I sit down to eat, I find comfort in knowing exactly what I'm eating. If I were to not log and just eat portions, my OCD would kick my butt and I wouldn't enjoy the meal. It's a trade-off. Personally, the benefit outweighs the cost for me.
^Exactly this to a T...0 -
If counting calories, your scale weight, & cooking healthy food is making you insane, it's time to talk to someone. This should be about getting healthy, feeling better as you get healthy, and having a plan that will be sustainable for the rest of your life.
This does not sound like a healthy, happy life to me. Please, talk to someone.:flowerforyou:
I agree.0 -
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extremely time consuming? not really
Certainly far less time consuming than keeping up with the MFP forums.0 -
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I'm happier the lower my weight is even though I feel worse physically. Any advice? I think I'm going crazy.
You need to see a therapist. Your post screams eating disorder, or at least a very unhealthy relationship with food and weight in general.
This...
Obsessions can lead to compulsive behavior and could very well be an underlying cause in your struggle with optimal weight. Counseling can be really awesome for helping you change your perspective and to learn how to examine your own behavior.0 -
extremely time consuming? not really
Certainly far less time consuming than keeping up with the MFP forums.
plus if she has time to cook full meals she has time to click some keys on the computer
Good point. I do a lot of my preliminary meal logging while the food is cooking...and then make an adjustment later for the amount I actually ate. A few minutes, tops...and without obsessing over it. It's only time-consuming/onerous if you make it that way.0 -
TL;DR - The 80s were generally awesome, but wrong that eating fat makes you fat.
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Definitely go see a therapist. Counting calories and the scale should not be causing you this much stress. The scale should not rule your life.0
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You are obsessing too much and probably in danger of developing an eating disorder.
I'll take it one step further and agree with the other folks who believe you already have one. So sorry to hear that - it's tough to battle, but not hopeless! I echo the advice to speak to a counselor, and seek one who is specifically educated in this area.
I'd also highly recommend checking out the Overeater's Anonymous program. It's a fantastic support group for people who have compulsive behavior surrounding food. If you're not comfortable attending a meeting, at the very least check out the "Big Book" which outlines 12 great steps and many tools that will help you overcome the thinking that leads you into this behavior. Here is a link that takes you to a free .pdf of it online.... http://www.aa.org/bigbookonline/en_tableofcnt.cfm
Counseling, coupled with learning the 12 steps, can be a very powerful combination. You can be free from the obsession.
Good luck. 0 -
I'm happier the lower my weight is even though I feel worse physically. Any advice? I think I'm going crazy.
You need to see a therapist. Your post screams eating disorder, or at least a very unhealthy relationship with food and weight in general.
This...
Agree....0 -
I'm also someone who has never liked cooking and never will, so I feel you on having no desire to cook, but it doesn't have to keep you from enjoying your life and staying healthy. I'm single and live alone, so I've had to figure out a lot of easy meals to cook for just me. Sandwiches, veggie plates, ground turkey burritos, soups, etc. A lot of things that you can cook one night a week & have as leftovers for the rest of the week. Just take it one day at a time. And if you don't want to cook, don't. Stock up on frozen meals, canned soups & the like that fit into your calorie goal & macros. They work great in a pinch on a night that you don't want to cook.
I do agree with others that this is borderline obsessive and unhealthy thinking. Definitely find help wherever you can find it [others posted some awesome resources]. Good luck & I hope things get better for you soon!0 -
I'd have to agree with this, it doesn't sound good at all and not saying you shouldn't work to be healthy but it sounds extreme and because of your user name, I assume you have obsessive tendencies in general? I don't really know what else to say other than what someone else said, try to estimate things and just check the scale once a week. I understand about the scale but you cannot allow it to control you; why is a specific number so important? Ask yourself that and think about eating/exercising to feel well not for a number.I'm happier the lower my weight is even though I feel worse physically. Any advice? I think I'm going crazy.
You need to see a therapist. Your post screams eating disorder, or at least a very unhealthy relationship with food and weight in general.
This...0
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