Anyone Else Feel Dependant on MFP?

SweetlyVague
SweetlyVague Posts: 172 Member
edited January 24 in Motivation and Support
As much as this site has helped to motivate me, educate me and well, lose all the weight I have... I dunno, I almost feel like it's built some poor habits for me.

I've become obsessed with calories.

It's like I LIVE by the amount of calories I can have in a day, and I find myself also obsessed about the amount of calories I burn. If I even go a little over my daily calories, I feel absolutely terrible. And I mean terrible. As if one bad day is just my utter failure to everything I've done. And when I workout, I feel I always gravitate to things like the treadmill and the elliptical where I can SEE the calories I burn. Activities where I can't SEE the results in big numbers, I feel less motivated to do. For example, I do enjoy strength training, but it "burns less" than my high cardio activities and although I KNOW strength is necessary and amazing, I don't feel like I've done enough for the day after 30-40 min of strength because the numbers don't please me as much as when I finish my run and time on the elliptical. And I almost never take days off from the gym, because seeing a lack of burned calories nags at me, too. A single day off makes me feel guilty as hell even if I'm sick, or hurting. I know days off are necessary and yet... bah.

I've been trying my best to be less concerned with the calories, but I just don't know how to pull away. I know it's getting unhealthy on how much I care about them. I've used this site for a long enough time that I know how to eat healthy, I know how much to exercise, but the lack of numbers in front of me if I don't log nags at me incessantly.

I've only made a single improvement and that's when I plan to have a fun day out with my friends, I'll still have fun, eat out and stuff, but I still moderately watch what I'm eating and I don't go overboard, and I try to just not log for the day and let myself enjoy the day. But even then, it grates on me and I sit and wonder if I went over, or if I still have wiggle room. And I insist we walk around a little more or take long ways to get back to the car just to get a little more movement into the day...

I just hate it. I'm thankful for this site and I know it's helped me a TON, but I'm so dependant and I don't want to be like this forever.

Replies

  • SweetlyVague
    SweetlyVague Posts: 172 Member
    bump
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,580 Member
    Is there a question in there? Because it just sounded like you wanted to get that off your chest, so maybe people didn't know what to say?




    Take some time off. Come back in a month. It's just a habit.

  • ladyark
    ladyark Posts: 1,101 Member
    I think it can be addicting especially at first. It used to stress me out big time and one day i was going to give myself a week off from logging....i lasted 2 days lol. I just do better knowing and logging. Its time consuming but keeps me in check
  • ohmscheeks
    ohmscheeks Posts: 840 Member
    The website can't be blamed if you've developed bad habits. You don't have to become an alcoholic just because there's a $0.99 cent liquor store around the corner.

    I agree with backing off the calorie counting if it is causing distress. Perhaps just plan meals around nutritional value and modify as needed based your weight loss results (or lack thereof).
  • Emtabo01
    Emtabo01 Posts: 672
    I changed my calorie goal to my TDEE so I never see red numbers and know that I'm still losing weight even it's slow as all hell. Some days I come in under my goal, some days way under, I just try to focus more on eating correct portions of healthy foods, leaving some room for daily treats. I eat roughly the same amount as when my MFP calorie goal was set lower, but mentally I am doing better with things this way. I'm pretty much at goal weight anyway, just trying to lose the belly flab with a small calorie deficit, a little cardio and a lot of lifting.
  • johned63
    johned63 Posts: 306 Member
    I use it as a tool to help me, along with a number of other online tools. I could allow myself to get obsessed with the numbers, but I choose to look at the numbers as just targets. Some days I am going to get very close to the target, some days my aim will be a little too loo or a little too high.

    You should never feel like a failure when you go over, first of all if your target is at a deficit then going over is quite possible still under your maintenance calories. When you look at your intake for the entire week chances are you were still under maintenance for the week.

    I am not sure what you were looking for, but I would try not to get obsessed by the numbers, use them as a guide. On every journey it is fun to take a side road once in a while.
  • mockchoc
    mockchoc Posts: 6,573 Member
    I felt like that for a while. Take a break. Keep an eye on your food and keep exercising. You won't gain a ton all that fast trust me. I've been eating and drinking anything and everything and only gone up 2 kgs since Xmas. Just keep weighing yourself .. best is once a week I think and then you'll be ok. Start logging again if you do start to gain though.
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
    yes... I feel like this too...pretty often but I also know the whirlwind of unhealthiness that would plague me if I did not log
  • carrietehbear
    carrietehbear Posts: 384 Member
    Lately, I've felt like I've become a little too obsessed with my calorie burn to "earn" extra calories. So recently, I used the fat to fit website to determine my TDEE and set my calorie goal at the activity level that I'm already at. I will still log my exercise but it's only for tracking progress in my workouts. I'm going to try this for at least a month to see how I do.
  • RobynLB83
    RobynLB83 Posts: 626 Member
    It sounds like you're on the cusp of an eating disorder and you realize it. It's great that you realize that your thinking has become obsessive, distorted, unhealthy, whatever you want to call it. As for what to do. If you have insurance or access to healthcare, see someone immediately. These things get worse without treatment, and early treatment is best.
  • RaggedyPond
    RaggedyPond Posts: 1,487 Member
    I have been using MFP off and on since 2009. I find it very helpful to keep track of calories. I love the fact that you can figure out the least amount of exercise you need to lose weight. Days I don't track my calories I find myself not eating enough. MFP keeps me on track by telling me I need to eat more or get more exercise in because I ate too much.

    I also met my goal weight back in 2010 but I had a baby and in the frozen tundra of North Dakota was unable to get outside to exercise. Now I am back. :)
  • xaMErica
    xaMErica Posts: 284 Member
    Is there a question in there? Because it just sounded like you wanted to get that off your chest, so maybe people didn't know what to say?




    Take some time off. Come back in a month. It's just a habit.



    I agree =) We all have to learn to live w/o MFP.. eventually. I mean, if you want to keep it or a notebook or whatever forever go for it! Give yourself a trial run.. you learn how to make good choices.. see how you do without worrying about calories!
  • PhattiPhat
    PhattiPhat Posts: 349 Member
    I feel ya OP. As a matter of fact, I have a trip to the country coming up next week where I won't have internet access for 4 days. Kinda wondering how I'm gonna handle those days without MFP. Might not hurt to experiment and not log in for a week and see if you're still on track after....I mean, how much damage can you do in a week that is un-fixable? Having a lifelong commitment to fitness just means we have to step outside of the box once in a while to experiment on what works.
  • nikilis
    nikilis Posts: 2,305 Member
    MFP i just the beginning. I've moved onto harder stuff...

    tumblr_maixf28QPW1r9fil7o2_250.gif

    BUT, in all seriousness:


    you have learnt how to eat healthy and within your calories. if you are on a deficit, it doesn't matter if you go over because even if you go over by 20%, you just reached maintenance.

    I felt like this for perhaps the first 4-5 months because I didn't want to slide back into unhealthy eating. you need to realise that your calorie number is just a number, you can go over it and you wont gain weight. if you consistently overeat every day by more than 20% then you would. but im pretty sure you wouldn't do that.

    you need to get rid of this guilt related to food, and just realise that this is a life long thing, so having some extra calories over your goal isn't going to make a difference.


    you need to realise above all, its ok and normal to go over your calories some times. for example, when I go to christmas, or birthdays or celebrations like that I just eat what I want cause I know its not going to make me go back to my "old ways" and wont affect my weight loss at all, unless I do it every day for a week, which would only probably make a gain of a pound. a pound. not a lot is it. so one bad day, with 6 good days is still a deficit.


    you think you are holding onto the rail because think you will fall. just look down, eat some donuts and realise your feet are on the ground.

    EDIT: I had 3 servings of desert and 2 full plates at christmas. the scale went down more than usual that week. epic.
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