Scared of Calories

BalenciaLynn

I've been on MFP for almost a year and i've gone from not being aware to what i was eating to being over cautious.

I'm at the point now where i am always checking the nutrion lable before i decide whether or not i should eat it. I know thats not a bad thing to do but i find as soon as i see the item is over 50 calories i freak out and put it down.

For drinks and snacks that arent healthy i find that im glad im afraid of having all those calories as their not healthy foods.
But then for meals (dinner, lunch) if its usually over 250 calories i tend to think im eating too much and should be consuming something thats not as high.


Yes i know many people may say i have an eating disorder and i am FULLY WELL AWARE OF THAT NOW.

What im wanting is people to give me their input on how i can change this.

Captainobvvious

I'm no expert but calories aren't bad for you... You need them... Its EMPTY calories that are things you should run from.

Something rich in nutrients and all kinds of goodies that you can afford to have and remain under your calorie goal then it is something you should eat...

You should strive to hit your protein goals, vitamins and whatnot you should also strive to meet your daily calorie goal... Take the fear out of it, treat that calorie number as something you're striving to reach not something you're desperately trying to stay far far away from.

Again, I'm no expert and don't claim to be so there is my disclaimer.

Chief_Rocka

Yes i know many people may say i have an eating disorder and i am FULLY WELL AWARE OF THAT NOW.

What im wanting is people to give me their input on how i can change this.

Seek professional help.

deksgrl

Calorie = a unit of energy. Fuel.

You need X amount of calories per day to maintain your current weight. Since you have been watching what you ate to lose weight, you have been consuming less than that X amount. I assume you have also been exercising, which also requires fuel.

How long can you drive your car with no fuel?

Agree with above poster who said to look for nutrient calories not empty ones.

waldo56

Try bulking.

Strength train. Set your goals to what you believe is a calorie surplus, go ahead and try to gain 6-8 lbs or so (of which you'll gain a few lbs of fat and a few lbs of muscle). When you're done switch to a deficit to cut off those extra lbs of fat.

Your fear of calories is now cured, as you will now firmly grasp just how much you have to eat to gain weight. Chances are you will fail miserably at gaining until your fear of calories is gone.

EnderNC

I understand that. High calorie counts can be deterring. I say be more aware of chemical content though. If you eat foods with less chemicals, you're almost always eating less (bad) food, and you can eat much healthier.

drmerc

I understand that. High calorie counts can be deterring. I say be more aware of chemical content though. If you eat foods with less chemicals, you're almost always eating less (bad) food, and you can eat much healthier.

Which chemicals?

waldo56

I understand that. High calorie counts can be deterring. I say be more aware of chemical content though. If you eat foods with less chemicals, you're almost always eating less (bad) food, and you can eat much healthier.

I'd watch out, almost all food has dihydrogen monoxide in it. Too much of it will kill you. Read labels.

Chief_Rocka

I understand that. High calorie counts can be deterring. I say be more aware of chemical content though. If you eat foods with less chemicals, you're almost always eating less (bad) food, and you can eat much healthier.

Which chemicals?

My breakfast cereal has pyridoxine hydrochloride

HaleyxErin

staying away from empty calories is good and yes if you eat more calories than you need your body will store them as fat but your average meal can be anywhere from 250-400 or 500 calories, and that is OKAY you just need to tell your self that eating too few calories is far wores than eating a few too many. If you starve yourself you will lose muscle and become too weak.

EnderNC

I understand that. High calorie counts can be deterring. I say be more aware of chemical content though. If you eat foods with less chemicals, you're almost always eating less (bad) food, and you can eat much healthier.

Which chemicals?

I was being somewhat generic when referring to chemicals because a lot of chemicals don't have solid proof (Hence the debate, do Diet Sodas cause cancer?). Some, however, do have solid proof. Olestra, a common additive to fat free items, has been positively linked with anal leakage (So, I guess not SO solid proof ) Tartrazine, found in Diet Mountain Dew, increases ADHD like symptoms in children. Also, in soft drinks, Brominated Vegetable Oil has been linked to Ptosis of the right eyelid. That's just a few examples, but I'm sure there's a lot we don't know.

drmerc

I understand that. High calorie counts can be deterring. I say be more aware of chemical content though. If you eat foods with less chemicals, you're almost always eating less (bad) food, and you can eat much healthier.

Which chemicals?

I was being somewhat generic when referring to chemicals because a lot of chemicals don't have solid proof (Hence the debate, do Diet Sodas cause cancer?). Some, however, do have solid proof. Olestra, a common additive to fat free items, has been positively linked with anal leakage (So, I guess not SO solid proof ) Tartrazine, found in Diet Mountain Dew, increases ADHD like symptoms in children. Also, in soft drinks, Brominated Vegetable Oil has been linked to Ptosis of the right eyelid. That's just a few examples, but I'm sure there's a lot we don't know.

Because of Olestra and Tartrazine we should avoid all chemicals?

EnderNC

I understand that. High calorie counts can be deterring. I say be more aware of chemical content though. If you eat foods with less chemicals, you're almost always eating less (bad) food, and you can eat much healthier.

Which chemicals?

I was being somewhat generic when referring to chemicals because a lot of chemicals don't have solid proof (Hence the debate, do Diet Sodas cause cancer?). Some, however, do have solid proof. Olestra, a common additive to fat free items, has been positively linked with anal leakage (So, I guess not SO solid proof ) Tartrazine, found in Diet Mountain Dew, increases ADHD like symptoms in children. Also, in soft drinks, Brominated Vegetable Oil has been linked to Ptosis of the right eyelid. That's just a few examples, but I'm sure there's a lot we don't know.

Because of Olestra and Tartrazine we should avoid all chemicals?

Of course not, I'm not suggesting that. You'd be hard-pressed to find anything these days without some chemicals. But if you had the choice of trading a few calories, for a ton of chemical replacements.... it might be better to take the calories. That's all I'm suggesting.

NocturnalGirl

Seek professional help. Meanwhile, I recommend you stop logging calories.

JesterMFP

Firstly, it sounds like maybe you should get off MFP, and stop counting calories. This can be a huge trigger for people with disordered eating.

Secondly, a lot of people with eating disorders believe that they are fine. If you actually think you may have an eating disorder, then definitely seek professional help.

NocturnalGirl

I understand that. High calorie counts can be deterring. I say be more aware of chemical content though. If you eat foods with less chemicals, you're almost always eating less (bad) food, and you can eat much healthier.

Just want to point out that no individual foods are "bad". OP has signs of a possible eating disorder and labelling certain foods as bad isn't forming a healthy relationship with food.

EnderNC

Yeah, I just couldn't think of any other word to go in there at the time. That's why it's in parenthesis

Holdenke1

I'm no expert but calories aren't bad for you... You need them... Its EMPTY calories that are things you should run from.

Something rich in nutrients and all kinds of goodies that you can afford to have and remain under your calorie goal then it is something you should eat...

You should strive to hit your protein goals, vitamins and whatnot you should also strive to meet your daily calorie goal... Take the fear out of it, treat that calorie number as something you're striving to reach not something you're desperately trying to stay far far away from.

Again, I'm no expert and don't claim to be so there is my disclaimer.

This gentleman is giving you very good advise. Pay attention to this post. Simple and true. You will find you feel your best when you hit your calorie and nutritional goals.

jofjltncb6

I understand that. High calorie counts can be deterring. I say be more aware of chemical content though. If you eat foods with less chemicals, you're almost always eating less (bad) food, and you can eat much healthier.

Just want to point out that no individual foods are "bad". OP has signs of a possible eating disorder and labelling certain foods as bad isn't forming a healthy relationship with food.

So which is it? Is it that we're not doctors here so anything we say shouldn't be relied on? Or is it that we have to be careful about everything we say because we might trigger someone's disordered behavior?

I don't think it can be both.

And just so we're clear, yes, if anyone has signs of disordered eating, then they should seek professional help...but I don't believe every post made should be assumed to be read by someone with an eating disorder.

NocturnalGirl

I understand that. High calorie counts can be deterring. I say be more aware of chemical content though. If you eat foods with less chemicals, you're almost always eating less (bad) food, and you can eat much healthier.

Just want to point out that no individual foods are "bad". OP has signs of a possible eating disorder and labelling certain foods as bad isn't forming a healthy relationship with food.

So which is it? Is it that we're not doctors here so anything we say shouldn't be relied on? Or is it that we have to be careful about everything we say because we might trigger someone's disordered behavior?

I don't think it can be both.

And just so we're clear, yes, if anyone has signs of disordered eating, then they should seek professional help...but I don't believe every post made should be assumed to be read by someone with an eating disorder.

Seeking professional help is just so that they can get some outside support other than MFP. There are some good advice given here at times so it's not that they shouldn't be taken into consideration. I just think it's better to be safe and get help just in case.

Also: I didn't mean to tell him to "be careful" but just tell the OP that certain individual foods are not bad. Sorry it came out wrong.

TKRV

Yes i know many people may say i have an eating disorder and i am FULLY WELL AWARE OF THAT NOW.

What im wanting is people to give me their input on how i can change this.

Seek professional help.

I to hit a point in my life where I was doing this. In fact, I under ate. For me, I hit a breaking point when I was tired and miserable all the time. When I wasn't at work, all I wanted to do was sleep. I realized I would fade into nothing. That is the point where I set my life goal - to live to at least 100 years of age. I'm not going to do that losing a pound a week for the rest of my life.

Stay healthy and use MFP as a guideline. If there is professional help available to you and you often find yourself grossly under-eating, use it. I used a counselor in college to talk about my pressures in terms of weight and calories and it helped a lot. If you are anything like I was, your trouble with calories is more about how you define your value than health.

Health is not defined by the number of calories in any given food.