Obsessive About Counting EVERY calorie

JenniTheVeggie

I am the same way but I have only been at this for about 3 weeks. I leave my measuring cups and spoons on the counter because I measure everything too.

weskie

I have OCD...It sounds like you may have it too.I bet there are a lot of areas in your life that you take to extremes like this. I got help. you can too.

Axels91

i fear losing control. wow i just answered my own question.

a slip up>>>"you couldn't even control yourself with FOOD of all things">>>you are fat>>>>you are on your way to becoming fat>>>>you have reversed all your hard work>>>you will never complete this>>>square one

thats what ALWAYS happens to me.

Axels91

I have OCD...It sounds like you may have it too.I bet there are a lot of areas in your life that you take to extremes like this. I got help. you can too.

well, i don't follow any rituals or practices. i have a thing with my hands though. i'll ask my psychiatrist about it. thanks for the tip.

wolfchild59

Im so glad to hear that there are many more here who are dealing with this! I do not want this to take over my life, I have a very "all or nothing" attitude about everything. If I do something, I want to do it 100%. I guess I wanted someone to convince me that I could get away with a little here and there, without logging calories, and still lose weight.

I have this irrational belief that the calorie I don't count will be the calorie that causes me to gain.

So, for those of you who stopped making yourselves crazy, when did it click that you were going down a bad road?

I was like this at the start too. It cut me off from friends and family because I refused to eat places that didn't have nutrition info and I refused to ever go over my originally allotted 1200 calories.

Once I'd been tracking for awhile, I got better at estimating food calorie amounts at places that didn't have nutrition info, but still tried to limit those instances severely.

After I had my total meltdown from stress caused by my obsessiveness, and I spent a lot of time apologizing to all of the people I had been horrible to on my mental decline during the previous months, I took a month off from caring about what I ate. I still logged, but I wasn't necessarily counting the overall calories. At the end of that month, I'd gained a whole, entire, whopping, pound.

So I screwed my head back on straight and allowed myself to be much more relaxed. I still log everything I eat, but if I go over one day or have a high sodium day because I was out with my friends, I don't really care, just take it in stride and balance out the week.

And yes, when I say I had a meltdown, it was an actual meltdown. Which came on after months of being pulled aside at work for my attitude and declining performance and also far too many arguments with my husband over absolutely nothing at all. Things which had never been a part of my life experience before. But once I loosened my reigns on myself about the food tracking after the meltdown everything turned itself right way up again.

Oh, and food for thought - all US nutrition labels are allowed a legal margin of error of up to 20% in either direction. So that 100 cal snack can be anywhere from 80-120 calories and be legally labeled as 100 calories. So no matter how much you obsess over making sure that things you eat have nutrition info, your food log simply can never be 100% accurate to the exact number of calories that you're consuming.

kcoftx

I can't be obsessive even if I want to be. I live in another country and I can't read the food labels. I can tell how many calories are in something but I can't tell what the serving size is. If I go to a restaurant, forget it. I don't know what is in it.

I look for generalized things and then overshoot it. Most of the time I eat at home and shop at an American grocery store and know what it is I am eating. I refuse, however, to never enjoy the place I'm priveledges to have the opportunity to explore.

Sometimes it is hard because I want my numbers to be more accurate but it is what it is.

wolfchild59

I refuse, however, to never enjoy the place I'm priveledges to have the opportunity to explore.

Totally this. I hate the amount of time I wasted not enjoying the amazing food I have available in my area. Sure, it's not like I can go to those places all the time (I couldn't afford to even if calories weren't a factor), but when the opportunity arises to go to some new/amazing/favorite restaurant, I'm definitely not going to pass the chance up simply because they don't offer nutritional info.

The funny thing is, the places that do offer nutritional info are the cheap, fast casual, crappy food, high sodium, don't want to eat there even if I know the calories, kind of places anyway. It's the one of a kind places, either small/family owned or nice/upscale, that are the places that's it's worth it to me to splurge for a meal.

I don't live someplace exotic, but I do live in the San Francsico Bay Area, so I could probably try a new restaurant everyday for a year and still not have discovered all of the amazing places to eat that are available to me.

chevy88grl

Im so glad to hear that there are many more here who are dealing with this! I do not want this to take over my life, I have a very "all or nothing" attitude about everything. If I do something, I want to do it 100%. I guess I wanted someone to convince me that I could get away with a little here and there, without logging calories, and still lose weight.

I have this irrational belief that the calorie I don't count will be the calorie that causes me to gain.

So, for those of you who stopped making yourselves crazy, when did it click that you were going down a bad road?

The light bulb went on for me when I realized I was feeling jealous, envious and a little angry when I saw other people eating whatever (and these people were also on the thinner side). I realized that I need to get the feelings in check NOW before it spiraled out of control even more. I don't want to have an unhealthy relationship with food and that's where I felt it was going.

CrystalFlury

I refuse, however, to never enjoy the place I'm priveledges to have the opportunity to explore.

Totally this. I hate the amount of time I wasted not enjoying the amazing food I have available in my area. Sure, it's not like I can go to those places all the time (I couldn't afford to even if calories weren't a factor), but when the opportunity arises to go to some new/amazing/favorite restaurant, I'm definitely not going to pass the chance up simply because they don't offer nutritional info.

The funny thing is, the places that do offer nutritional info are the cheap, fast casual, crappy food, high sodium, don't want to eat there even if I know the calories, kind of places anyway. It's the one of a kind places, either small/family owned or nice/upscale, that are the places that's it's worth it to me to splurge for a meal.

I don't live someplace exotic, but I do live in the San Francsico Bay Area, so I could probably try a new restaurant everyday for a year and still not have discovered all of the amazing places to eat that are available to me.

AGREED! Funny thing too, those locally owned joints have FRESHER food than the mass chains you can find nutrition info for. Keep that in mind next time you eat delicious, locally owned restaurant food!

Axels91

And yes, when I say I had a meltdown, it was an actual meltdown. Which came on after months of being pulled aside at work for my attitude and declining performance and also far too many arguments with my husband over absolutely nothing at all. Things which had never been a part of my life experience before. But once I loosened my reigns on myself about the food tracking after the meltdown everything turned itself right way up again.

Oh, and food for thought - all US nutrition labels are allowed a legal margin of error of up to 20% in either direction. So that 100 cal snack can be anywhere from 80-120 calories and be legally labeled as 100 calories. So no matter how much you obsess over making sure that things you eat have nutrition info, your food log simply can never be 100% accurate to the exact number of calories that you're consuming.

i HAVE become very irritable at family members, ESPECIALLY around meal times. If they seem to be enjoying the food, forget it. I explode. I am glad I can see the decline. I wish I could release the mental reigns. Maybe it will take something similar to what happened to you. Maybe Something needs to put life in perspective for me again so that I am not micro-obsessed.
Trust me, if its not food, its money. I will find anything to worry about.

As far as the US nutrition labels thing, WOW. WOWx1000

That is why I am slowly trying to eat more natural foods that can be weighed.

chasityspencer

Nutrition facts aren't going to ALWAYS be perfect ALL THE TIME..and the calories burned that it calculates are even less accurate, they are just estimates. These should serve as a GUIDEline to you..

My daily calorie limit is low, but if I want to eat more then I exercise. If you are worried about gaining weight, you could be sure to exercise.

Nobody is perfect, so don't beat yourself up

Axels91

Nutrition facts aren't going to ALWAYS be perfect ALL THE TIME..and the calories burned that it calculates are even less accurate, they are just estimates. These should serve as a GUIDEline to you..

My daily calorie limit is low, but if I want to eat more then I exercise. If you are worried about gaining weight, you could be sure to exercise.

Nobody is perfect, so don't beat yourself up

thanks. its just really hard to put it into practice. i can only imagine what people with legitimate eating disorders are going through! its a real eye opener.

CyanWisp

I like to think of it as... diligent. I want my weight loss to work, so I work the numbers. (Not EVERY day, mind you!)

Regardless of transgressions, I get back on track the next day. The best thing about this site is that I feel absolutely in control.

I have lost weight like clockwork by being "obsessive," and I feel great about it! Also, along the way, I have developed a much better sense of what different foods have to offer your body, so I am having to count less and less.:happy:

irisheyes67

Great advice!

Axels91

Regardless of transgressions, I get back on track the next day. The best thing about this site is that I feel absolutely in control.

I have lost weight like clockwork by being "obsessive," and I feel great about it!

thats kind of why im so on the fence. having this much control is truly allowing me to see how much im eating, how much im losing, if it works and what doesn't work.


i like seeing my macronutrients the most.

barbie1000

When I first started to count my calories daily, I was so obsessed with counting every single calorie and when I couldn't find the calorie count in a food I couldn't enter it cause I was so stressed. To be honest, it really isn't worth it to obsess about it; just record the best you can; it won't make that much difference. You'll get an idea of what you are eating and the calorie value after a while. It's all good; don't worry.
This is what I've done and have lost 45 pounds so far and I work out about 5 days a week.
Good luck.

Jazzyrose77

I wish I had that problem. I'm not strict enough.

McKayMachina

You just have to stop it.

That's all.

It's not that hard.

bluefox9er

In the UK nutritional information is only accurate +/- 20% of the ACTUAL content. Try and be roughly right... and I feel for you if you ever discover the nutritional value of a single cous-cous and end up with that on your plate someday...

cranberrycat

If you are afraid of it being an obsession, then how about just giving yourself a free day? That's what I do, take 1 day and not write any of it down.

Not saying that you should ignore the calories completely, though. Most of us have a good idea where we are at on any given day, whether we write it down or not. Just stick to your diet plan but DON'T write it down for 1 day. Try it!

chevy88grl

You just have to stop it.

That's all.

It's not that hard.

I disagree. It CAN be that hard. It's easy to say "Just stop it" but when you're the one dealing with the obsession and compulsion to do it, saying "Just stop it" is like telling an alcoholic to "just stop drinking". Easy to say, impossible to do.

I think some people can easily count calories, log exercise and track water without any issues. I think other people become so focused on it that it takes over their life and drives them slowly insane. As someone who has been slowly driven insane by the ridiculous need to count EVERY single calorie? It is far more difficult to "just stop" than you think it is.

Inebriated

The question would be if you can or even want to spend the rest of your life this way... ?
And yes, I had this issue when I was anorexic and wrote down everything I ate, which was not much.
There is a middle ground there somewhere. Being this obsessive will eventually drive you so mad that you may well end up quitting altogether and end up back at square one. I suggest being a bit more lenient on yourself.

You said it perfectly.

Robin_Bin

I haven't had this issue, but... my guess is that you need to learn how to estimate. Once you've learned how to be reasonably accurate, you can see how 5 calories won't matter, but 500 calories on something you eat regularly does matter.

Until you learn, you will need to focus more attention, as you learn how to estimate, you can relax a bit -- partly because you will know more and partly because you know what to worry about. You've already figured out that things like vegetables without labels can be estimated by weight. It is an estimate... different varieties will vary and it may also vary by season or where it was grown.. a Red Delicious apple grown in Michigan may have a different amount of calories than a Gala apple grown in New Hampshire. But you probably don't worry about that because the amount for a generic apple is close enough.

In order to be able to estimate, you need to to learn some "stake in the ground" points. So, for instance learn how many calories in a spoonful of your favorite condiments. Learn about dishes that can vary greatly depending on how they are prepared. Guess how many calories in something based on a general knowledge of the ingredients or even the ingredients on the label and then test your guess against the nutrition label. Be the most accurate about the things you eat regularly. If you only eat something once a year, does it really matter if it's 100 calories or 110? But if you eat it daily, 10 calories a day is roughly 1 pound by the end of the year, if you didn't change anything else.

Over time, you'll probably get more accurate about most things, and try not to "miss" in the same way every time. If you "round up" one time, "round down" another. If you keep doing that and checking occasionally when it's possible, you can get better at estimating over time. (Be careful with commercially prepared foods. Except when they make a big deal of it, restaurants tend to make things "tastier" by adding lots of fats, sugars and salts. So, the same dish that you can make at home for a certain amount of calories may be much higher at a restaurant. Many restaurants have nutrition information available now a days, at least in the U.S., so you can check your guesses again.)

Sorry that was a bit long... but in summary, I wouldn't worry about being obsessed at the beginning as you are learning a new way of eating, but if you get more obsessive over time instead of less, then it's time to figure out a different way of handling things.

Best wishes!

Axels91

That makes alot of sense! You're right, one or two calories is nothing in the long run as long as its not constant.

Wow thank you, it kinda helped reduce my stress for eating a star mint. However I still have to work on trying to make my eating fit a rigid schedule.

sweetsarahj

i fear losing control. wow i just answered my own question.

a slip up>>>"you couldn't even control yourself with FOOD of all things">>>you are fat>>>>you are on your way to becoming fat>>>>you have reversed all your hard work>>>you will never complete this>>>square one

thats what ALWAYS happens to me.

First things first---- cut out the negative self talk. Will putting yourself down get you anywhere? No. Everyone has eaten something and then regreted it. Just chin up, move on and do better with your next meal.

I have struggled with negative self talk too. You can overcome this.

You might ask yourself- would I say these things to my friend? sister? mother? if the answer is no--- then why is it ok to say it to yourself?

My 2 cents. hope it helps.