Too Obsessed?

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Thewatcher_66
Thewatcher_66 Posts: 1,643 Member
in Motivation and Support
I'm almost addicted to the myfitness pal app. I know it sounds like it might be a good thing but friends of mine are telling me that I am allowing it to run my life and I'm too rigid with my fitness and dieting habits. Anyone else out there getting any backlash from so-called "friends" or family about the same issue? Do you think that they may have some valid points and we should learn to lighten up?
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  • ValerieMomof2
    ValerieMomof2 Posts: 530 Member
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    Kinda. My husband isn't saying anything, but he gets very frustrated when I start logging everything. He wants to be supportive because I had met my goal and then decided to do it without tracking calories. I gained weight back so now I am back because I make better decisions when I log. It is an obsession, but in a good way for me anyway.
  • st3f4real
    st3f4real Posts: 23 Member
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    Haha. I lost 19 lbs and then a family member said to me (OMG that is not a way to live your life tracking calories). Then I sent this same person a copy of a book about 10 common diet mistakes women make and one of the lines said something to the effect of "People who track their calories maintain their weight loss." Also, in the news lately there have been articles saying that people who look at labels are thinner.

    MFP helps me do both (look at labels to calculate calories, and track what I am putting into my body).

    PLEASE let their comments roll off your back and don't take them personally. You are not OBSESSED. I have let people mess up my health in the past by being insecure about their stupid comments. For our health we need to stay strong and keep seeing what we are putting into our mouths! Any nutritionist or dietician will tell us to keep tracking our calories. I have been meeting with mine and she thinks I am doing great!
  • CassieR1994
    CassieR1994 Posts: 3
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    Logging everything keeps me on track. I don't think it is an obsession. "Obsession is the word the lazy use to describe the dedicated"
  • EmiBun
    EmiBun Posts: 84 Member
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    My eating disorder keeps me glued to myfitpal.
    So yea it can become and obsession
  • honu18
    honu18 Posts: 294 Member
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    I'd also be careful with this. I'm not going to lie, using MFP in tandem with my obsessive/addictive personality led me to have an ED, something I thought I would never have or a place I thought I'd never get to. Relax a bit.
  • nickfr21
    nickfr21 Posts: 3 Member
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    Don't let it rule your life, but using MFP is the only way I've found to realiably lose weight. I have no problem working out, but if I didn't have MFP, I'd eat 3000-4000 calories and not even realize it. The snacking used to kill my diet. Now I don't eat it because I know I'll have to log it. If you used to have problems with this, I'd keep logging.
  • AggieFan2011
    AggieFan2011 Posts: 551 Member
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    I think there is a difference between being obsessed and being dedicated to your weight loss goals. Yes, I tend to log everything right away after eating it and sometimes my friends think I'm crazy for looking at labels and trying to count up how many drinks I've had so that I can log them. However, I'm also not obsessed to the point of not allowing myself a little leeway and freedom now and then. If I want to go out to eat and enjoy myself then I do and I just don't worry about logging anything until later when I'm at home. While I think it's a good thing to be dedicated to logging on MFP, I also think it's important not to lose your perspective and let it control your life.
  • rockangel8907
    rockangel8907 Posts: 429 Member
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    Go ahead and call me obsessed....I say I am arming myself with the tools I need to be successful. I log every morsel that passes my lips I know exactly how many calories I have consumed. It takes me all of 2 minutes to log a meal....I am not withdrawing from my everyday life to log and analyze everything. I don't deny myself anything, if I want cake I budget for it.

    Those who don't understand tend to be the first to criticize. As long as you are not letting the ap interfere with your life you are fine!
  • santhia
    santhia Posts: 4
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    Same with me. Got obsessed with it. It drove my husband up the wall. I deleted the app from my iPhone, but I still use my calculator to estimate calories. I still weigh my food. I still check certain things on MFP's website.
    My advice is to try to stop the obsession. I developed eating disorders from food restriction and calorie counting. It's horrible. I hope you are able to get yourself out of this.
  • loudgls89
    loudgls89 Posts: 87 Member
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    Go ahead and call me obsessed....I say I am arming myself with the tools I need to be successful. I log every morsel that passes my lips I know exactly how many calories I have consumed. It takes me all of 2 minutes to log a meal....I am not withdrawing from my everyday life to log and analyze everything. I don't deny myself anything, if I want cake I budget for it.

    Those who don't understand tend to be the first to criticize. As long as you are not letting the app interfere with your life you are fine!

    This!!
  • ThunderMonkeyy
    ThunderMonkeyy Posts: 30
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    Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated.
  • sarahmoo12
    sarahmoo12 Posts: 756 Member
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    my mum is always saying that and the ones I work with. I dont care what they think if I didnt use it I would still be over 11 stone!
  • RunDoozer
    RunDoozer Posts: 1,699 Member
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    Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated.

    Not really obsessed is a word about doing something that is at the expense of other important things in your life. Dedication is being able to do those things with out the adverse affects to other responsibilities. You can be intense either way just depends on how much.
  • meaghan2008
    meaghan2008 Posts: 401 Member
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    yes!!!!!
  • wellbur
    wellbur Posts: 240 Member
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    MFP is now part of my life, if i stop logging the pounds creep on, i'm not really to worried what people think, i am so much happier having lost this weight and keeping it off. I think this site is fantastic and i have some wonderful supportive friends on here that have helped me change my life :flowerforyou:
  • sc1572
    sc1572 Posts: 2,309 Member
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    I'd also be careful with this. I'm not going to lie, using MFP in tandem with my obsessive/addictive personality led me to have an ED, something I thought I would never have or a place I thought I'd never get to. Relax a bit.

    ^This. I started out just using it as a helpful tool, but then it backfired on me and I became too obsessed. I also developed an ED, went to therapy for about 6 months, and no longer use MFP to log. I stay because I have amazing friends and support, and I like to enter and save recipes to use for later. But, I never plan to log again. It's great as a tool, but don't let it run your life. :)
  • gonzo2802
    gonzo2802 Posts: 15
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    I'm almost addicted to the myfitness pal app. I know it sounds like it might be a good thing but friends of mine are telling me that I am allowing it to run my life and I'm too rigid with my fitness and dieting habits.

    IMO, I think it depends on what you & your friends mean by "allowing it to run my life". Logging in everything you eat and trying your best to stay within your calories & macros, isn't an obsession. It's you taking an active role in your health and fitness, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. It may seem rigid to people who don't do any of that stuff, but it doesn't mean you have an unhealthy addiction.

    Now, on the other hand, if you're dictating every place you and your friends can and can't eat when you hang out....or you cancel plans with them so that you can stay home and workout because according to MFP you need to burn another **** calories to meet your goal for the day. Well, THEN you could be looking at an unhealthy addiction and might want to think about lightening up.
  • Thewatcher_66
    Thewatcher_66 Posts: 1,643 Member
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    Gonzo--- I think you might have been spying on me. LOL. Yes, that's starting to sound like me. I even counted calories on Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm also training for a marathon and perhaps once it's over in early March, I can probably lighten up by then.
  • EmilyOfTheSun
    EmilyOfTheSun Posts: 1,548 Member
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    They are jealous that you're doing something good for yourself and they're stuck in their bad habits. Don't listen. I get the same *kitten*.
  • weird_me2
    weird_me2 Posts: 716 Member
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    I'm almost addicted to the myfitness pal app. I know it sounds like it might be a good thing but friends of mine are telling me that I am allowing it to run my life and I'm too rigid with my fitness and dieting habits. Anyone else out there getting any backlash from so-called "friends" or family about the same issue? Do you think that they may have some valid points and we should learn to lighten up?

    What do you think? Honestly, I make sure I am logging every single thing I'm eating and even weigh most things when I'm at home, but I haven't had any comments about it. I think it's because I keep it very low key. I don't say "I have to log X" right now or I have to weigh my portion, etc. I also don't talk about it at all really. We had a small gathering last weekend and I eyeballed most portions, didn't have seconds, logged everything and then when we were having dessert, I weighed my portion. I waited until almost everyone had theirs then quietly got out my food scale and weighed my ice cream. No one said anything about it.

    I've found that when I'm all gung ho about something and excited about it I tend to talk about it a lot which annoys those around me. Or, if you are constantly saying I can't do XYZ or eat ABC or even I ran 5 miles in 30 minutes today, etc., that tends to get annoying, too. Maybe that's what's happening?

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