Counting Calories - I hate hate HATE it!

MireyGal76

Ok, so just venting here... I really REALLY hate counting and keeping track of my calories. I guess I'm spoiled, I don't want to have to watch what I eat, and when I do, I am well aware of why I'm not making my goals.

I am thankful for the ease that we can track things on MFP, but really, I'm not even at dinner and my TH double double, muffin and 1/2 sub at lunch has me over my fat content.

boo hoo hoo... yeah, yeah I know, suck it up butter cup.

For other calorie counter haters out there... what do you do to ease the pain of counting?

PinkEarthMama

I take a break from it every once in a while. I still eat " healthy " I just don't log it all.

jgic2009

The results make it worthwhile for me. Plus when I consider the alternatives, it doesn't seem so bad.

waldo56

It takes me all of a minute or two a day. I'm not sure what the big deal is that some people have with it.

sgmomma

I hate it too, just because it annoys me to have to figure out our home cooked meals every single night or guess when we are eating with family or out somewhere that doesn't offer cal information

MireyGal76

I think maybe that's the problem - not knowing how many calories my home made food has.

Once I have a list of stuff I commonly eat, maybe it will take me only two minutes to log... but until then, trying to figure out how many calories that bit of chicken I had in a tortilla wrap with some cheese and mustard feels so painful, I don't wanna bother. :-P

Meg_78

I make home cooked meals for my family every single bloody night (grrrr!), so figuring out the calorie count can be a little time consuming, but I'm at the point now where I also have so many or my basic foods like rice, spaghetti, meat sauce con carne, all my burgers or patties etc stored and measured (I always calculate my recipes for 100g serve (or per piece serve) so it doesn't matter how much I eat I can log it so easily) It takes time, but it has also taught me a lot about what I have been putting onto myself, and I like that...now I find it kind of interesting to put in my meals and see what they are, I don't think I had any idea about calories before I stared counting.

LiddyBit

I agree, it is really annoying for those of us who cook at home or eat fresh food a lot. I don't have a solution. I suck it up and grumble while I enter all my ingredients.

waldo56

Unless you are always experimenting, eventually you will always be eating the same things, and will have entered it previously.

Make use of the meals and recipes features, and the ability to copy a meal into today.

We eat about 3 dishes every week for dinner, the other 4 are rotated between about 20 or so recipes. I've long since entered them in so at most just need to adjust quantities.

chelelynn1972

I think the reason I struggle with the calorie counting is because of the cooking I do. I have a culinary degree and will often throw some things together and I cook nearly every night. I'm trying to train myself to jot down what I've used and the amounts as I go but sometimes with the measurement conversions and weighing, etc. it's a real PIA. I work full time and have a 5 year old and a spoiled husband so some evenings I just don't want to fool with it. I have started a recipe collection in my diary of the things I cook most often, but I still may vary them some each time I make them.

In general, I know how healthy (or not) my meal is and I do okay with calorie counting for the rest of the day, so as long as I'm seeing results I'm okay with not calorie counting some meals.

IveLanded

I was talking with one of my trainers last night...........I feel like MOST of the struggle of losing weight and getting fit is mental.

It's all a choice. If you chose to hate it, and chose that it's going to suck........it will. When I started this whole thing I went into all of it TOTALLY positive. I love eating healthy, I love being knowledgeable about my food choices, I love treating myself well. I supposed I could chose to see only the negative and be miserable about it, but every minute I spend being miserable is 60 of happiness lost. So I just chose to love this journey.

trhjrh06

I actually really like it. It's kind of fun lol. Like a game sort of. I don't know maybe it's just me.

SuffolkSally

It is time consuming - I cook at home all the time really, and my meals vary a lot. But I really like seeing the nutritional breakdown and how close I am to my macros. I think if you're feeling that resentful, and still eating subs and muffins, maybe you need to take a step back and really reflect on why you're doing this and whether you really want to - you sound a bit in two minds about it and that won't help you succeed. Good luck!

MireyGal76

It is time consuming - I cook at home all the time really, and my meals vary a lot. But I really like seeing the nutritional breakdown and how close I am to my macros. I think if you're feeling that resentful, and still eating subs and muffins, maybe you need to take a step back and really reflect on why you're doing this and whether you really want to - you sound a bit in two minds about it and that won't help you succeed. Good luck!

I think you hit the nail on the head there... I think I want the nice body, without needing to watch what I eat. That seems to be my last stronghold. And so far, I've been ok, but if I want that last bit of success, i need to change my mindset... either that, or be happy with what I have and who I am now.

Thank you!

Jbarbo01

Its good to take breaks for sure, but honestly you dont have to count calories if you are not a consistent overeater in my opinion. The eat clean diet has a really great answer to that, and its just that you eat a serving size at each meal. You eat the small frequent meals so you have a 1/2 cup of brown rice, a palm size piece of chicken, and baseball size of vegetables for a meal as an example. If you just use proper portion sizes, eat only when youre hungry, eat when not distracted (no standing, in front of tv, computer, etc.) and stop when youre full, and you eat healthy foods you don't need to do it if you hate it. However, I like eating distracted, I overeat all the time, so Id rather have the control tracking gives me. You really do have other options, just ideas to think about because I understand hating it. Its no fun.

emnk5308

So far I actually really like it
If you go see my diary you will understand why though.. It is easy to count when its all on the package for you =p
I can't afford to put together a bunch of healthy meals at the moment.. and for me to start learning, it is easier to use frozen dinners.. I'm sure when I start cooking for myself I'll start to not like it so much.. just something to get used to I guess.

DeniseB0711

That motivation sentence at the end of day when you complete your food diary...If everyday were like this you'd weigh _____ in 5 weeks. I really like seeing that number.

Denise

angeldaae

Honestly, I count calories and that is IT. Why are you worried about being over your fat count when you're "counting calories?"

If keeping up with it all is stressing you out or making you hate doing it, switch to just one macronutrient and don't worry about the others for a while. That is what I had to do, and it is working very well.

ThatOthrVeganChic

I'm actually new to MFP so last night was my first time ever logging my calories. I just got kind of curious. I seldom if ever count calories even if I'm trying to loose weight because I get obsessive about it. So I watch my portions and I cut the junk and the processed foods and focus on eating whole grains, fruits and veggies. Being vegan makes it a little easier. This usually works well for me. But like you sometimes I wonder about the calorie content of what I make at home. I think I'll keep plugging in my calories on here because I really am curious.

graelwyn

I only hate it when I have a bad day and go over my calories, then obsess over what to do about it the next day, because basically, I am at the very, very bottom of a healthy bmi and should not be having to ask myself if I can have an ice cream, or if I can have a chocolate bar a few times a week. It has made my life extremely boring of late.

broadway_Calls

I don't count strictly calories or weigh myself at the moment but I still think I'm 'on a diet' so to speak. I just know how much my body needs and go more by instinct, like I'll count the calories of certain carbs to make sure I don't go OTT but tend to eat whatever veg/fruit I like without trying to fit it into a 'daily maximum'. It's worked for me so far

momtokgo

I actually really like it. It's kind of fun lol. Like a game sort of. I don't know maybe it's just me.

Nope, not just you. It doesn't bother me at all, and I like the challenge of figuring out how to make everything balance each morning.

EllaScarlet

I think you hit the nail on the head there... I think I want the nice body, without needing to watch what I eat. That seems to be my last stronghold. And so far, I've been ok, but if I want that last bit of success, i need to change my mindset... either that, or be happy with what I have and who I am now.

Thank you!

This is exactly how I feel too! Bit of a dilemma, really....

linz1125

I hated it too...so I don't do it anymore! I have started clean eating, which is eliminating processed foods and sugar from your diet. Basically eat things in the most natural form possible. I have never felt healthier! I am down 3lbs so far, and I am on week 4. The first two weeks I was still getting used to the concept of clean eating, so I didnt lose anything....but now it's kinda melting off of me! The best part is, I don't feel restricted in what I eat. Mealtimes are much more fun!

jodycoady

mfp does it, that's why I love this site! Don't give up

christenwypy

When I see myself losing weight which I have not been able to do until I counted calories, then I know it is worth it.

Tink_889

My worry is that I almost become obsessed with counting calories, rather than hating it. It becomes something I have to do which isn't always great.

HealthyNFit4Life

My worry is that I almost become obsessed with counting calories, rather than hating it. It becomes something I have to do which isn't always great.

I agree. I've always been an emotional/binge eater and sometimes I think that counting calories fuels my obsession with food. My ultimate goal is to eat healthy, eat good portions, eat what my body craves, and stop when I'm satisfied. In other words, eat mindfully and intuitively. I will have to overcome my binge eating to be able to do this.

IamJacksColdSweat

I've been obsessed with counting calories since I was 11- I'm nearly 27 now. After 16 years of counting, being obsessed, not being able to stop thinking about it and going through periods of eating disorders (bulimia and binge eating), I have stopped counting.

Just decided a couple days ago to focus more on eating clean, healthy foods and getting at least 60 minutes of exercise per day. For the first day, I still wrote everything down, minus the calorie counts, but I found since I know the calories of literally every food I eat, that even having them written them down, I was adding it up. Starting yesterday, I stopped tracking and I ate healthy. Same thing with today. Its difficult, and sometimes I still add certain things up- its a wicked hard habit to break- but I'm getting better at it and less obsessed. I also find that I only eat when I'm actually hungry and I'm listening to my body more than when I was logging every single meal.

Just sharing my experience and I'm not saying it will work for everyone, but eating mostly clean is helping me stay at a deficit without obsessing quite as much.

tigerblue

It's actually a real postive for me. Instead of looking at it as restrictive, I see it as freeing. If I have enough calories left, I can have a treat without guilt. (Or if I have a treat early in the day, it is simply a challenge to stay within my "budget"). If I wasn't counting, I'd probably have given up by now, because I would always feel deprived. I guess it's all in how you look at it.

By the way, I've been at this for over two and a half years, and I plan to count forever, to maintain my healthy weight!

Pinoy_Pal

I like to incorporate a "I just don't give a f'k" attitude once in a while...as long as most of my meals are healthy, I don't really sweat it!