Counting Calories - I hate hate HATE it!

Umeboshi

I've never really hated it, then again I don't obsess over my macros.
If you really hate it though, maybe you should work on loving your body the way you are, and spare your emotional wellbeing by quitting calorie counting. It all depends whether the physical health benefits or emotional health benefits are more important to you, or bigger in one situation.

sengseng74

For me, I was able to stop counting calories after a few months of getting used to the foods I was eating. To make things even easier, I narrowed down my diet to things I loved to eat, and would do quick math in my head to make sure I didn't accidentally double my calories for a particular meal.

I think calorie counting is designed to be a tool, and once you begin learning portion control and which foods go well with each other (combinations of protein, carbs, and fats), you no longer worry about it.

This is especially true if you exercise, because you'll have a significant deficit of calories each day that you can choose to "eat back", even if by accident.

So my advice is advice I used on myself with great success: "Go easy on yourself!" Your caloric burn varies day by day anyway, so who cares if you are short 100 or over 100. If you get freaked over what you're eating, your mind will begin resisting, instead of enjoying.

For what it's worth... :-)
Steve

grinch031

I hate it too. Its easy to do when all you eat are packaged, processed foods that are less good for you. If you eat more whole foods and raw ingredients in your cooking, it becomes very tedious to measure everything and track. I don't know if people generally use a mobile app for MFP inputs, but I don't have a smart phone so I use a laptop that isn't always on hand, especially when I'm eating outside the home. For all of these reasons I don't even bother doing it because in the past I've tried and it never lasts too long. I only use MFP for the forums.

ElizaGeorge

Honestly, I love all of this. The weight loss, the exercise, looking up and logging all of my food. For the first time in my life I am doing great things for myself. I think it's super important to log everything I do so that I am more knowledgeable next time. If I never log the food and look at the nutritional content, I won't know to tweak the recipe next time/ not order what I ordered.

Take a step back and look at your journey! This is a place to grow your mind and shrink your waistline!

Elf_Princess1210

I take a break every now and then. It saves me frustration!

christenwypy

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 relate to this. Not even just with counting calories but for me it is more with exercise. Like I HAVE to exercise no matter what even if it is a rest day. I am trying not to get obsessive because obsessive behavior is what got me into this in the first place but it's tough.

kfitzpa

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.

I totally agree with you! It's like a new challenge everyday lol. I only dislike it when I go over.... duh!

kfitzpa

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 relate to this. Not even just with counting calories but for me it is more with exercise. Like I HAVE to exercise no matter what even if it is a rest day. I am trying not to get obsessive because obsessive behavior is what got me into this in the first place but it's tough.

I know what you mean Someone called me out on having OCD about counting calories. It's like whenever I get something to eat I have to log all the calories real quick before I start eating. Even when I go out to dinner I'm at the table logging in my calories. UGH

Melampus

I have to say I don't regard it as a chore though obviously it does take a little time to do it. Actually I find it an education because as I enter things into MFP I get to learn which foods are very calorie dense and therefore I should eat sparingly and which ones I can eat more of.

I think if the effect of counting was that I had to eat tiny meals or skip meals because I had busted my allowance I might feel differently but as an example I have very quickly come to reduce the amount of breakfast cereal I eat and make up the difference in volume with fruit or berries. I was also quite surprised to learn how calorie dense bread is so if I ever have sandwiches I have fewer rounds of bread with more filling in each.

It is certainly still possible to have treats too and I don't "take a holiday" from counting in order to have the treat. I enter the treat and then, if necessary, make an adjustment elsewhere to accommodate it, for example eating slightly less rice, potatoes or pasta later in the day.

Whatever you do needs to be sustainable which means you need to include food in your diet that you enjoy eating otherwise you won't be able to keep it up. There is an incredible range of food to choose from though so the trick is to choose things which are nice but also consistent with your calorie allowance and for the things that are very calorie dense limit the amount rather than ban them completely.

Melampus

I hate it too. Its easy to do when all you eat are packaged, processed foods that are less good for you. If you eat more whole foods and raw ingredients in your cooking, it becomes very tedious to measure everything and track. I don't know if people generally use a mobile app for MFP inputs, but I don't have a smart phone so I use a laptop that isn't always on hand, especially when I'm eating outside the home. For all of these reasons I don't even bother doing it because in the past I've tried and it never lasts too long. I only use MFP for the forums.

Long before I finally took the plunge and started to diet I had always assumed pre-packed foods would be the easy bit because they had the information printed on the label and that the non-processed foods would be harder but actually sites like this have a big database (derived from the same source, I think) on non-processed foods such a meats, vegetables, fruits etc.

Granted I do have a smartphone and when I was looking for a site like this data entry via the smartphone was an essential requirement because it is the one thing I always have with me, even if I don't have a pencil and paper and one reason for choosing this site is because of a very good App for Android.

I do find that 80-90% of the entry is at home though so without a smart phone I guess you could use a pencil and paper and then enter the data later.

When making a meal where a number of ingredients are cooked together, for example in some kind of sauce, I tend to measure and record the ingredients as they go in, some of which I would have to do anyway, and then just apportion a certain fraction of that to me when I serve it up.

CollisionofNova

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.

Not just you! I like to sit and tinker, see how much I can fit in lol!

I cook a lot and have always improvised...I never follow a recipe. My only "issue" is running back and forth between the kitchen and my computer to enter the weights of the various ingredients I'm using. I do find that I'm starting to stick to the same meals that are easy to weigh and quick to make. If I don't precut my veggies at the beginning of the week, I might not get around to using them because I don't want to cut and then weigh them.

Roni_M

If it helps, when you exercise it increases your fat allowance for the day along with the calories! :flowerforyou:

Pollywog39

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.

I agree..........a challenge, each day, to make that goal! I have to admit that I feel sucky when I DON'T........but I still enjoy the logging

finaglingsock

For me, it was a huge revelation of how much I snack and sneak things in, and just how unhealthy things like takeout are for me, so at first I hated it. But once you get recipes stored, it's not too bad. It's just a matter of prioritizing.

ClassicPearl

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.

^ Love this. I agree!

kcoftx

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.

True! Love it!

Missmissy0003

Oddly, I really enjoy it. It's a little game to me to see how much great stuff I can fit in.

MireyGal76

Thank you to EVERYONE for their posts, I love hearing how each of you have different perspectives, and how we're all adjusting to fit health into our lives.

I've started to count the calories again. I know I have to watch myself, because I think I am borderline OCD... so for example, I didn't eat much all day, and when I saw how much 'weight I would lose if I kept that up', it almost reinforced the desire to stop eating.

That said, I want to learn how to eat healthy, and doing this tracking is helping me be better aware of my sodium and fat intake, not just my calories in total.

Thank you again for sharing, it is great to be a part of this journey to healthy lifestyles with everyone. :-D

MireyGal76

Thank you to EVERYONE for their posts, I love hearing how each of you have different perspectives, and how we're all adjusting to fit health into our lives.

I've started to count the calories again. I know I have to watch myself, because I think I am borderline OCD... so for example, I didn't eat much all day, and when I saw how much 'weight I would lose if I kept that up', it almost reinforced the desire to stop eating.

That said, I want to learn how to eat healthy, and doing this tracking is helping me be better aware of my sodium and fat intake, not just my calories in total.

Thank you again for sharing, it is great to be a part of this journey to healthy lifestyles with everyone. :-D

p.s. I still don't like doing it (counting calories) tho!

kristen6022

I must be really screwed up, but I really like logging and counting calories. I'm heading to PA for the weekend to spend time with my family and I won't have a good signal to log by phone and by Sunday it's seriously gonna get on my nerves...

But I'm a planner. When I get a new recipe it goes in the recipe builder. I plan what I'll eat a day ahead. When I'm going to a restaurant, I look online to decide what I'll eat.

It's a way to keep tabs on what I'm doing...and I reach my goals faster when it stares me in the face!

wackyfunster

I guarantee you spend more time here and on Facebook etc. than you do counting calories. If social media and fitness forums are more important to you than taking 5 mins per day to log your food intake, maybe it's time to reevaluate your priorities.

If it's because you feel entitled to eat whatever you want whenever you want and however much of it you want, and not exercise to offset it, I don't know what to tell you. In order to be successful at anything in life (or life in general) you have to do the things you NEED to be healthy, happy, and prosperous. Once that is out of the way, your remaining time and effort can go to vices and sloth.

Sorry if this doesn't seem very sympathetic, but sometimes the truth hurts.

MireyGal76

I guarantee you spend more time here and on Facebook etc. than you do counting calories. If social media and fitness forums are more important to you than taking 5 mins per day to log your food intake, maybe it's time to reevaluate your priorities.

If it's because you feel entitled to eat whatever you want whenever you want and however much of it you want, and not exercise to offset it, I don't know what to tell you. In order to be successful at anything in life (or life in general) you have to do the things you NEED to be healthy, happy, and prosperous. Once that is out of the way, your remaining time and effort can go to vices and sloth.

Sorry if this doesn't seem very sympathetic, but sometimes the truth hurts.

Ouch... and yes there is definitely an element of truth to what you say. I do exercise regularly, and am very near my goal weight, so i don't think I'd classify myself as sloth.