I can't decide if this site is right for me...

natalie2355

i'm a big fan of baby steps. It's fine to just keep track of what you eat without the calories/carbs/fat etc for a little while. Once you get comfortable with the idea, THEN start adding in the calorie counting, then exercise, carb counting and the rest will follow in stride. Trying too much at once sets you up for failure!

funkycamper

ARE YOU GUYS EVEN PAYING ATTENTION OR ARE YOU MORE CONCERNED IN EXPRESSING YOUR FANTASTIC LITTLE OPINION!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS CHILD HAS AN EATING DISORDER AND NEEDS PROFESSIONAL HELP,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please check out her profile, notice she does not need to lose weight.

WAKE UP PAY ATTENTION!

Not everyone here needs to lose weight. There are lots of people here that have eating disorders, pay attention please.

Thank you! No, obviously, most people aren't paying attention.

BrendaLee

Honestly, tracking my calories and actively focusing on food is the only way I, personally, can control my binge habit. Having a goal and forcing myself to log everything keeps me accountable and aware. If this process isn't making you feel good, though, and the focus on food is making things worse, maybe you need to explore alternate means of dealing with your eating disorder. MFP makes me feel better, because logging makes me feel more in control. At your age, especially, you probably shouldn't be doing this alone. Do you have an Overeaters Anonymous near you? I've never been to meetings, but it might be a good support system for you.

macx2mommy

After reading your profile, I would not use this site for calorie tracking. In fact you can do much better by just tracking foods without the calories associated. Originally, my dr/dietitian advise an eating plan that was geared towards establishing healthy eating choices. Each day, I was to just tick off the number of grains, fruits, veggies, proteins, and fats each day. For the junkies foods, I just made note of them and would try and reduce them. The point was the if. Ate a healthy balanced diet, the weight would come off, and I would do it a healthy way. The important thing was not losing the weight but developing a healthy lifestyle and view towards food. A list of healthier choices were provided, but no worries if I occasionally picked a less than healthy choice, as long as I got all my food groups.

I think for you and anyone who is 'afraid' to eat their calories or go over, this may bet a better approach. You have targets in each of the food groups each day that you must ea as a minimum, and this is for good health. Even if you start to try and do lower calorie items since the are still eating a healthy diet. There's still room for other not as healthy food, but it's about giving our body what it needs to maintain a long lasting lifestyle.

I do challenge to STOP TRACKING CALORIES, if it's causing ou so much stress.

xdaysbingefree

ARE YOU GUYS EVEN PAYING ATTENTION OR ARE YOU MORE CONCERNED IN EXPRESSING YOUR FANTASTIC LITTLE OPINION!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS CHILD HAS AN EATING DISORDER AND NEEDS PROFESSIONAL HELP,!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Please check out her profile, notice she does not need to lose weight.

WAKE UP PAY ATTENTION!

Not everyone here needs to lose weight. There are lots of people here that have eating disorders, pay attention please.

I really appreciate your concern and the fact that you took the time to read my profile whereas others didn't, and I wanted to clear a few things up

I know you asked earlier if I purge, and no I do not. My problem is just that I binge sometimes to cope with feelings (stress from school, anxiety, etc). I have talked to my doctor about it, and I'm doing everything she told me to, and I have an appointment with her again in a month to talk about it more.

I also know that you said I am young and don't need to lose weight. I am 18, so I am legally an adult and am able to decide for myself. And my profile picture is only my face, whereas most of my weight is carried in my hips. Also, my goal weight is still well within the normal weight range for my age and height.

Lesa_Sass

Thanks for your response to me and I apologize for assuming you did not need to lose weight. I work with people that suffer from addiction and food issues are a large part of it. The only problem with food is we have to have it to live as where we can abstain from drugs and alcohol.

You may want to look into seeing if there is an over eaters group in your town. They will help you with these issues and by working the steps, you will be able to cope and manage dealing with your feelings with out having to binge eat. Its also pretty much free, they ask that if you go to a meeting, you can put a dollar into the hat to help with expenses.

I am very happy you do not purge, this is a big deal.

There is also a site that you can go do to join a group of people that suffer from the same issues. If you would like that address, I will be happy to private message it to you.

Good luck, I hope you find the help you are looking for.

xdaysbingefree

Okay I followed some of your suggestions and changed my weight loss to 1lb per week, so now I get 1260 calories per day instead of 1200. I also looked at maintenance calories (1760) and it is helpful to know that as long as I am under that number, I am still at a deficit

thistimeismytime

My friend and I started working out/eating better January 1. We are very similar weights/body types. I use MFP and she keeps a written log because MFP is "too much trouble." As of today, I've lost 11 pounds. She has lost TWO. 'Nuff said.

SueD66

Counting calories is new for me too. I'm learning and if i take all the information that i receive and can put it to use in my life style it will help me understand how "I" work with my eatting. Give it a try.

appyfan

After reading your profile, I would not use this site for calorie tracking. In fact you can do much better by just tracking foods without the calories associated. Originally, my dr/dietitian advise an eating plan that was geared towards establishing healthy eating choices. Each day, I was to just tick off the number of grains, fruits, veggies, proteins, and fats each day. For the junkies foods, I just made note of them and would try and reduce them. The point was the if. Ate a healthy balanced diet, the weight would come off, and I would do it a healthy way. The important thing was not losing the weight but developing a healthy lifestyle and view towards food. A list of healthier choices were provided, but no worries if I occasionally picked a less than healthy choice, as long as I got all my food groups.

I think for you and anyone who is 'afraid' to eat their calories or go over, this may bet a better approach. You have targets in each of the food groups each day that you must ea as a minimum, and this is for good health. Even if you start to try and do lower calorie items since the are still eating a healthy diet. There's still room for other not as healthy food, but it's about giving our body what it needs to maintain a long lasting lifestyle.

I do challenge to STOP TRACKING CALORIES, if it's causing ou so much stress.

I second this poster's suggestions.

I also applaud you for identifying you have an issue, especially early in the game. I'm 24yrs old & have recently come to terms with emotional binging.

gbelltx

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill

Stinalynn121

Not sure if you have a "smart" phone or Iphone, but that has made it really easy, today is my 1st day on diet and tracking calories, and if you can just scan the barcode on the packaging of everything and sync this with your phone you can just alter the "serving size" ie: things that 1.0 "serving" is 1/2 cup, if I only had a 1/4 cup I just changed the 1.0 to .5, and it does everything else for me

_Kate_P

It's really up to you, but I totally know what you mean! Sometimes I get super obsessive about food and thats all I think about. It actually kind of aided an ED in me personally, since it became all I ever thought about and how I could eat less and avoid food. I had to take a break for a few months and then come back with a healthier perspective on things, but I'm thinking about stopping too because I can feel myself getting super obsessed again. If it makes you obsessive like it does for me, then you might be better off without it and just watching portion sizes/making healthy choices. I also find that when I'm counting calories, I binge way more often since I'm always thinking about food. Just something to think about. Your weight loss may be slower without counting calories, but you don't want it to turn into something like an ED. So if you think it makes you obsess, then try not tracking for a while, but don't go all out with the junk etc, just mind your portions and eat as a form of fuel, not entertainment

KareninCanada

I don't know whether tracking is really going to be a good tool for you or not, especially if it (a) causes you stress, or (b) is just a food diary, disconnected from the rest of your reality. And if it's making you focus more on food, in a way that is hurting more than helping, then there might be a better tool out there for you.

Keeping a record is good, if it is helping you to paint a picture of your life and what is happening inside you. To do that, you might need to be journaling more than just calories. Maybe you would want to consider opening a blog - likely keeping it private, but just as a place to record your feelings and what's happening in your day. Helping you and your doctor to address some of the issues that make you want to "eat your feelings" in the first place.

If you find the right people, MFP could be a good source of semi-anonymous support for you... but you are also likely to find "friends" who will encourage you in ED behavior, so please be careful out there.

That being said, how many calories are you allowing yourself? You may be feeling guilty about going over simply because your calorie goal is set ridiculously low. You are 18 and active and not technically overweight....so 1200 calories a day probably isn't the best goal for you (if that is what you are eating). Setting your calorie goal higher may make it easier for you in the long run, though weight loss may not be quite as fast.

^^^ this. It is really unlikely that you are eating enough if you're in the 1200's for calories. I'm pretty sure you're not just lying down/sitting on your tail 24 hours a day. This website is a pretty good one for accurately calculating your daily calorie needs based on your stats and estimated activity: http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html

Try not to get really hung up on creating a big calorie deficit in the hopes of losing weight quickly. Healing yourself is going to take time, and it would be sad to see you get sucked into starving yourself to try to make up for overeating.

You're a beautiful girl, and really strong for admitting your trouble in the first place. You can get there.