Counting Calories: Not for Me

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

Wow, I'm usually a dismissive jerk on the forums and even I think some of these comments are rude and uncalled for.

OP, talk to your physician and see if you can get a referral to a specialist or go to a psychiatrist or therapist. People here are jerks.

Sunnyjb

I am so much like you. I'm tracking my food for accountability reasons right now... so that I DO eat. You're right, counting can trigger. Maybe take a few days off and just eat to see how you feel? Go from there... you can do it! If you need a venty friend you can add me

bumblebums

Yeah... I'd say get a good therapist who understands eating disorders, and get off MFP pronto, if only to avoid the sort of comments I am seeing in this thread. For shame.

Siege_Tank

Does looking at your bank statement cause erratic spending?

It does if you have a gambling addiction.

I'm really sick of people on here. I love the supportive posts, you guys are what love and understanding is all about!

But the people making nasty, rude, denigrating posts towards someone who has issues not with her weight but her self image.. you disgust me, just..

:explode:

We love you OP, great job recognizing the triggers and tendencies!! Above all else we must be in good health!

skinnydreams19

I definitely discourage calorie counting for anyone with ED tendencies - it's a slippery slope!

hookdewey

No, the same rules do not apply to everyone- she clearly stated it was not about nutrition, it is about her mental health- which is just as important. Yes, ate the end of the day it is the classic calories in - calories out formula which makes weight loss successful. Her point, however, was that monitoring the calories made it too hard not to over think and obsess about food, which for some can be a slippery slope into unhealthy behaviors (i.e. binge and purge, starvation, etc.). She was not complaining that tracking does not help her lose weight, she was articulating that it was making it difficult for her to do it in a psychologically healthy way.

You may have "read her post twice", but you did not hear or understand anything she was saying. Moreover, there is not place for your rude, unkind, and mean-spririted judgement here. Apparently your mother forgot to tell you if you do not have anything to say, don't say anything at all -especially regarding strangers whose stories you do not know or understand.

cwolfman13

I definitely discourage calorie counting for anyone with ED tendencies - it's a slippery slope!

This^^^ people with ED or ED tendencies should not be calorie counting. Focus should be on proper nutrition and learning to have a positive relationship with food, not on calories in/out. I see so many posts about people being at goal weight but afraid to go to a maintenance level of calories...which just makes me sad that they think they have to keep on dieting to maintain.

jennifer_417

If you feel like it's pushing you into disordered behaviors, then it probably would be good to take a break. However, I would caution that you don't use it as an excuse to fall into even more or more frequent disordered behaviors. Whatever you decide, please take care of yourself. Be concerned for your health, not just how thin you are. You are worth taking excellent care of yourself.

Edited for typo.

ArchangelMJ

Does looking at your bank statement cause erratic spending?

It does if you have a gambling addiction.

I'm really sick of people on here. I love the supportive posts, you guys are what love and understanding is all about!

But the people making nasty, rude, denigrating posts towards someone who has issues not with her weight but her self image.. you disgust me, just..

:explode:

We love you OP, great job recognizing the triggers and tendencies!! Above all else we must be in good health!

Thank you, and to everyone with supportive words. I sort of posted this thread on a whim. I don't typically talk about things in real life, as I don't think anyone would really understand. (Most people think I'm fine the way I am, and don't understand my desire for weight-loss.) I also don't have the confidence to deal with people who will only say I'm too weak, or that I just need to get over things. I already do that to myself enough as it is. The online community is the only community where I've ever felt comfortable divulging information about my psychological idiosyncrasies. I never claimed to be "special", I just felt like venting.

Some of the comments on here have indeed been scathing, but I'll try not to take them to heart. I suppose I should have expected as much, the internet is full of jerks and bullies trying to assert their dominance. However, I must admit I was a bit taken aback by the vitriol. I suppose the only thing I was looking for was an affirmation that yes, it's okay to stop counting. It doesn't make you a failure, it doesn't make you weak, it won't make you fat.

At this point, I'm probably more active than I've ever been in my life. My body-image and self-esteem has always been askew, and in recent years it's only gotten worse. As a child, I always felt inferior to my classmates physically, because I was so terrible in P.E. I'd be picked last constantly and I was thin. I just lacked the athleticism and competitive drive my peers had, despite my endeavor to try my best at activities.

As a shy and intrinsically self-conscious person, that's definitely set me up to have a poor attitude about exercise and it's been a struggle to combat my fears. The uber competitive jock types that gloat about their prowess while diminishing your own, they certainly don't help. I feel that in America there is an overbearing mentality that shuns people who aren't good enough at sports, a mentality that says you've got to do it bigger, better, harder and faster to be worth a damn. I never enjoyed team sports and activities as a child, and I think part of combating the obesity epidemic involves fostering a more inclusive community. People shouldn't feel like they have to compete against anyone. It's okay to start slow, not everything must be like "The Biggest Loser".

For the first time I'm beginning to enjoy exercise, because I'm doing what makes me feel good about my body, despite it not being where I want it visually yet. I'm proud that I can now run for thirty minutes when before I could barely make it for 30 seconds. It may be at a slow pace, but it's a huge improvement that makes me feel worth something. It started with walking for me, which lead to an interest in dancing and now, running.

I can't stand people who shun walking or any "low intensity" exercise as being inferior or not "good enough". It *is* good enough for someone who's not used to exercise, for someone who's not in touch with their body. It's good enough for the sake of being a positive non-sedentary activity. I've tried the 30 Day Shred many times, but could never make it past a few weeks. I absolutely hated it and dreaded it each day. I used to be down on myself for not being able to stick with it, but I've realized that it's alright. At some point, I might be able to get through, but for now I'm not going to let it bother me. For now, strength exercises on the Wii will suffice.

Fitness, as with everything else, is not a one way street. The fact that I have perpetual self-doubt and use food as a way to cope with anxiety plays a big role in why I don't think calorie counting is for me at this point. Why some people feel the need to insult me is beyond my comprehension.

LuHox

It is okay. Many people lead fit an healthy lives without ever counting calories. For me, counting calories is something I cannot stick with long term. I just plain can't log every bite I eat every single day. Partially because it's inconvenient, and partially because I start to get obsessive and that makes me miserable. I started out doing that on MFP and now I'm just on here to occasionally track and make sure I keep a good idea of what is the right amount to eat. So you're not alone, and it sounds like you've made awesome progress so far. i enjoy measuring progress in fitness goals. For example, running for 30 minutes when you previously couldn't last 30 seconds is absolutely great. I'm glad you don't let people get to you. Seriously, what's the point in getting onto a forum that is supposed to be for help and support just to be a.... {pick your favorite obscenity & insert here}???

JDBLY11

It's not counting calories that is the problem it is your reason for turning to calorie counting that is the problem. The heart that drives you to the behavior is the problem. Have you considered getting counseling for this?

Warchortle

I think if you've learned portion control and generally macro nutrient breakdowns from MFP you wouldn't need to log. I suffered a mini ED when I would basically do 4 hours at the gym and eat ~1000 calories daily through prepackaged meals. I've always loved food, so restriction has always worked well with me, but flexible dieting has allowed me to not be afraid of food and still hit my personal goals. Your situation is a little different and as long as you're happy with your health and lifestyle I see no problem with eating healthful foods and not worrying too much about it. My mom had a recipe that needed broccoli and she was like "this looks like about 10 oz" and already knowing what 10 oz vaguely is I told her that it wasn't 10 oz's and she could use my food scale. It was 8.3 and she weighed out another 1.7. I recognize that a serving size is 3-4 oz for steak etc without even really needing to look at the database I can roughly figure out the meal by sight.

I have poor body image and for me MFP has allowed me to contain my binging and extreme calorie cutting with the knowledge that I know exactly what I'm eating. I'm really glad that you're enjoying exercise and fighting the good fight. Society has pressured us to be a certain way, but it looks like you're already well on your way on making good changes. I do low intensity steady state cardio... walking is awesome. Honestly, walking for 45 minutes on an incline is just as hard if not harder for me than squatting 320 lbs.

jknoell

I feel the same way.

I don't have the same ED issues that you describe, but I do feel that logging calories has made me a worse person. I find it to be a burden most days and I have way to many issues with the "if every day were like today, you'd weigh __" statement, the red color that the numbers turn when you go over the calore allotment, and the constant stress associated with logging EVERYTHING. I felt so stressed about it that I would binge eat. I ended up eating terribly as soon as I had a "bad day" - associated with the things I mentioned above.

I think you have to take care of yourself first and foremost. If your binging and purging doesn't stop after you give logging calories a break, see a therapist. Talk out your issues - there is nothing wrong with talking. There is also nothing wrong with taking a break from logging - it might just be what you have to do to set yourself on the right path.

Best of luck to you!

JDBLY11

I definitely discourage calorie counting for anyone with ED tendencies - it's a slippery slope!

With bulimia or anorexia tendencies. I have BED or compulsive overeating and calorie counting helps me a lot. I have gained 11-15 lbs in a single week in my life.

On Weight Watchers they say not to use their program if you have an eating disorder. so it is probably the same for you with MFP.

Maybe you should try to use this program with the help of a counselor or psychologist who specializes in eating disorders. The thing that is so great about calorie counting is that it makes you accountable in the opposite way too in eating the correct number of calories for you ( not overeating and not undereating) and if you learn to calorie count you can stop having so much fear that you will gain weight over time. Anorexics often are put on calorie counting to gain weight. Me with BED to lose it. Is MFP just making you more aware of when you don't eat enough and when you overeat? So you have compensated with ED behaviors? I had some triggers to start throwing up again after about 7 months of being on WW when I started having problems with binging a couple years ago and did for a month or so but then stopped when I saw that it was actually causing me to gain weight every week I did it. It was not something for me that I could not control though it is that way for some people. I am sorry you are going through this.

goodtimezzzz

WORD...I NEVER COUNT ****...I WRITE DOWN ALL MY FAVORITE FOODS...AND THEN I EAT THEM EVERY ****EN DAY...AND THEN I SEE HOW MY BODY REACTS I THEN WRITE DOWN MY FAVORITE FUN AND PLAYFUL EXERCISES WORKOUTS AND I DO SOME ONLY IF ITS FUN...THEN I SEE HOW HOW MY BODY REACTS....POOF MAGIC HAPPENED!
KRISTIAN ROCCO

ctpeace

It's ok not to count, and since it sounds like exercise is a positive thing in your life right now, maybe keep most of your goals in that sphere. You said you like running, road races are GREAT and very positive (costume runs, color runs, etc. add fun!), and most people aren't running to beat anyone, they're running to finish. Also, it's kinda fun to have a whole crowd cheer for you and to cheer for others. I'd definitely recommend talking to someone about the ED tendencies, and good for you for recognising the problem, next step is talking to your doctor or mental health professional.

onyxgirl17

I totally understand where you are coming from. I have control issues and one of the reasons I didn't even try to lose weight for years is because I know what happened with my ED as a teen with restricting calories.

It's really hard to turn off ED thoughts, they never completely go away, but after many years they are fewer and farther between. I finally felt comfortable counting calories last year and it has worked great (telling by my ticker). I think it would have been just fine to eat healthier and cut the junk I was eating too though. I just needed to get myself back in check.

This last year I decided to make living a healthier lifestyle more fun by cooking meals etc.