When to stop counting calories?

suzycreamcheese

ive stopped counting as such, but i still know roughly what sort of calories im intaking. A ballpark figure. You cant unlearn stuff.

When you work out how to maintain properly, and get the right balance between intake and output so your weight stays stable for a few weeks, i bet you youll start feeling less obsessive about it.
I HAD to stop counting for the sake of my mental health

sarah307

i already commented on your profile, but i thought i'd put it on here as well..

i dont know when to stop counting either. it is definitely obsessive and compulsive for me. i have been doing it on/off (mostly on!) since i was ten years old.cant stop. I know you have a good head on your shoulders and a very strong person, so you know what to do for YOU.

we will miss you if you do but i totally understand.. i am getting too obsessive myself and wish i could stop!... maybe you can take a break and make a challenge where you can log in every OTHER day or something like that.. then taper yourself off from it! to where you get to like every other week or something

if you really want to stop, i say take it day by day.. and do little bits at a time..

kanonxbou47

I felt like that for a while, and stopped for a month. It really is an awful feeling, but now I feel like I have an objective perspective.

Congratulations on your weight loss, Sarah! I think now you know enough about what your body needs that you can quit. The key is to focus on nutrients and eating a balanced diet.

Good luck!

beccau_20

If you were and still are in your helthy weight range, and you want to enjoy your life... stop counting. Me? I will have a life-long fight to not be really fat and will always have to count.

But be mindful, and as you probably learned from this site: all things in moderation.

Good luck and congrats on your success!

sarah307

B - just wanted to let you know that I think you are quite amazing - at any age!!! I wish the best for you, whatever you decide to do! Also - I'm about to turn 55 and my metabolism hasn't changed a bit, so please don't worry about what the future has in store for you. But perhaps there are other passions in your life besides those that relate to eating & exercise & appearance??? Maybe it's time to turn more of your attention to them? xoxoxo

^ Just because this was worth re-posting.. I realized that once I stopped "counting" I had so much more energy and piece of mind to spend my time on other things.. real things. You're so young and have soo much going for you.. Keep yourself aware of what you're consuming but don't let it be the center of your world. You're a runner and a daughter and a friend and a student and a future leader. Go be those things. =]

^ I thought both of these were well worth re-posting

dawnmichelea

Bump

bhagavatilad1

The time to stop counting calories is when you know the difference between high calorie foods like a huge baked potatoe fully loaded with cheese and dripping with butter and low calorie foods like friut. Also portion control is the size of the palm of your hand around 4oz so if you eat out most restaurants serve 8oz so you just need to be aware of these things and remember them before you overindulge and remember anything in moderation is fine. I've done this for years I'm just using this tool to get back on track because I never really lost my pregnancy weight 6 years ago. And also know the difference in foods that contain empty calories(foods that are not good for you) like sodas and fast food etc and ones that are good for you like avocado. Good luck.

bhagavatilad1

The time to stop counting calories is when you know the difference between high calorie foods like a huge baked potatoe fully loaded with cheese and dripping with butter and low calorie foods like friut. Also portion control is the size of the palm of your hand around 4oz so if you eat out most restaurants serve 8oz so you just need to be aware of these things and remember them before you overindulge and remember anything in moderation is fine. I've done this for years I'm just using this tool to get back on track because I never really lost my pregnancy weight 6 years ago. And also know the difference in foods that contain empty calories(foods that are not good for you) like sodas and fast food etc and ones that are good for you like avocado. Good luck.

wildon883r

I gained all my weight which is now gone slowly over 30 years of too much food, too much drink, etc, etc. If i gave up beer i'd be skinny as a rail and i'm not fat now. Tracking makes me push myself to eat my maintainance goal of 2800-3000 calories per day. IF i didn't track and just ate my 3 meals a day with a couple snacks i would rarely if ever exceed 2000-2200 calories a day. I rarely eat fast food which for one isn't healthy and secondly they are processed fat bombs. I think if a person has counted for 6 months and doesn't know what the calories of the foods they eat are they never will. Tracking generally makes me eat more then i would if i didn't track but i'm still losing even after 8 months of weight loss. In the end its totally unnecessary as long as your educated on the cost of most foods and drinks.

emilynicole02

Just remember, after you hit 30, that metabolism you have right now will begin slowing down....then you'll be watching again, calories & exercise.
Once you're in your 40's it's slowed even more...and think about even a 2lb gain a year continuing until you're 60 and above...where will you be at then?
Your metabolism has slowed even further...how much harder will it be then?

I know it seems obsessive, but once you decide to let go and move on, you're still going to be thinking about it in the long run.

It's better to know and continue on eating healthier and once in awhile pigging out then it is to just say forget it and eat whatever all the time...

I never want to go back to 200lbs again. And I am 49, so I HAVE to be careful....

I'm 19 years old. I'm a teenager... I don't really think I need to be worried about what it will be like when I hit 30 for a while... and I always ate healthy before and took care of my body, hence never being overweight...

I think she's just making you aware of how your body changes as you age. Even in your mid-20's you'll see differences. When I was your age, I ate whatever I wanted and never gained an ounce. By the time I hit my mid 20's I saw that eating whatever I wanted, in large quantities wasn't having the same effects on my body as when I was 18, 19 or 20.

Just be aware that our bodies change as we get older and it becomes harder to keep the weight off and harder to lose it when we DO gain it.

I used to have a much lighter appearance and was happier at age 18-19 being 5'2" and weighed 125 pounds.... I am now 22 years old and have gained 30 pounds...When I was younger and much lighter I wasn't caring what I ate, drank, or did for exercise and in the long run has really hurt my body. I am not happy with how I look now and just feel I have hit a wall with loosing weight and wish at that time that I watched what I was putting in my mouth and drinking (alcohol). I definitely understand that you are young and don't want to obsess about this stuff at your age... its your time to be young, have fun, and certainly not care about what you are eating.

With that being said, I wish I could go back in time and "re-do" my eating habits and drinking habits. No, I do not wish I was intensely strict on myself for every calorie I was eating but more portion control. I am also not sure what kind of drinker you are, but that is a HUGE factor in weight loss, or so I have seen friends lose weight and look amazing after they stopped drinking or minimized their alcohol content. It does seem that you work out a lot which is a good thing, this also helps when eating because you don't have to feel AS guilty about what you are eating.

Try to stop counting calories, be here for your fans and give them support. See how your body reacts to not counting everything that enters your mouth. If it has a negative effect....start counting again. If not, you can finally be happy and not have the obsessive worry about those darn numbers!! Stay strong girl!

(sorry if this doesn't help at all...)