Counting calories makes me think about food all the time!

chatpeau
chatpeau Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi,
I have started tracking my food intake about 3 weeks ago to see where that could take me. I am 5'5", 150 lbs, carry a good 20 lbs excess weight and it shows. I have been that weight and shape for at least the past 5 years (maybe putting on a 1-2 lbs a year, no matter my activity level (that went from not much at all to biking up 3000ft every day for six months in a row).
I was curious about if I could actually lose weight by counting everything I eat, although I am still clueless about which diet I should be following in particular. I try to limit my calorie intake at 1500 - I have an office job and I bike everywhere and run 3 times a week for 30 minutes.
The thing with MFP is that now, since I have become so conscious about taking note of everything, I think about food ALL THE TIME and it makes me hungry! I want to make this a lifestyle change and not a diet but I feel like this is taking over my life.
Have anyone experienced this and would know how to come over that?
Thanks.

Replies

  • amandzor
    amandzor Posts: 386 Member
    I think I was doing more harm to myself and my body by -not- thinking about food. I wasn't paying attention to what I was shoving in my mouth. Now I recognize when I'm eating, and what.

    If it doesn't fit in my macros for the day, I don't eat it.

    I trea MFP sort of like a bank account. When the "funds" are empty, I can't "afford" to eat anything else.

    That being said, the first few weeks i was starving. Now, almost two months later, I think about food as fuel, using the numbers, the nutritional composition to meet my daily goals.

    Believe me when i say it gets easier. Count everything. Your body will thank you for it.
  • Mama530
    Mama530 Posts: 605 Member
    I will pack my lunch and snacks for the day and per log them. Then, I can just eat when I'm hungry, I have healthy options and there's no thinking about it for the day. It takes a little extra time in the am or the evening before, but worth it.
  • sharonfoustmills
    sharonfoustmills Posts: 519 Member
    It makes me think about food all the time too, but I am planning healthy meals not really thinking about food and getting hungry. I believe it will change in time as the eating habits become better developed and you won't need to think so much to manage your food. Good luck on your journey- I have much farther to go than you do.
  • cjackson2012
    cjackson2012 Posts: 3 Member
    I can totally relate to you! I am always counting my calories which makes me think about food all day. I wish I could just not worry about everything I eat all the time. If you find a solution please share. I also have an office job and workout at the gym 4 times a week. I am 5'5, 170lbs. I have been lifting alot lately. My calorie intake is 1320 daily. I am normally under my calorie intake on my workout days. However, on the weekends my eating habits are so poor it is pathetic. I also have some baby fat I need to lose. My son will be 2 in October, so I have NO excuse.
  • maybeazure
    maybeazure Posts: 301 Member
    Get more exercise and log it too. Then you will only think about food half the time. The rest of the time you will think about exercise. Seriously though I think the extreme focus (obsession) on it is normal, and probably necessary for change to happen. I'm hoping that someday it gets more automatic.
  • margebouvierx2
    margebouvierx2 Posts: 53
    it did make me think about food all the time at first and made me want to eat everything in sight, (so thank god i had will power not too) but the good thing is now that doesn't happen, I think about what I'm going to eat the day before or the morning and then i forget about it.
    Sometimes if i've planned the whole day I find myself not even wanting to eat at all of what I've planned.
    So for me that feeling wore off after about two weeks and its just automatic to log the food then forget about food.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    That's the whole point. It's not thinking about food and the effects both positive and negative that make people unhealthy
  • mammakat0830
    mammakat0830 Posts: 117 Member
    I will pack my lunch and snacks for the day and per log them. Then, I can just eat when I'm hungry, I have healthy options and there's no thinking about it for the day. It takes a little extra time in the am or the evening before, but worth it.

    I do this... Except I do it in the morning, log in everything and then I don't have to worry. However, when I first started I was obsessed with food, calories, macros, eat more, eat less, calories in, calories out... it was a little overwhelming. Now, it is just part of my day. Give it some time and don't lose focus. The long term pay off is very worth it.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    I will pack my lunch and snacks for the day and per log them. Then, I can just eat when I'm hungry, I have healthy options and there's no thinking about it for the day. It takes a little extra time in the am or the evening before, but worth it.

    I do this... Except I do it in the morning, log in everything and then I don't have to worry. However, when I first started I was obsessed with food, calories, macros, eat more, eat less, calories in, calories out... it was a little overwhelming. Now, it is just part of my day. Give it some time and don't lose focus. The long term pay off is very worth it.

    This^ I try to plan my meals for the week on Friday or Saturday when sales circulars come out. This way I make a list and don't have too much to think about the rest of the week.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    The thing with MFP is that now, since I have become so conscious about taking note of everything, I think about food ALL THE TIME and it makes me hungry! I want to make this a lifestyle change and not a diet but I feel like this is taking over my life.
    Have anyone experienced this and would know how to come over that?
    Thanks.

    Yeah, I did. I lost more weight just listening to my body and focusing on health before I joined MFP. I am a data analyst and tend to get really obsessed about numbers some time. When I first started logging I just thought about what I could eat next to make those numbers come out right. It was ridiculous. Eventually I stopped logging for a while to break the habit 'cold turkey'. I still log most weekdays but rarely log on the weekends or while on vacation. And I stopped trying to eat back exercise calories. I log my exercise, but I put it all in as 1 calorie burned.
  • Mathguy1
    Mathguy1 Posts: 207 Member
    it did make me think about food all the time at first and made me want to eat everything in sight, (so thank god i had will power not too) but the good thing is now that doesn't happen, I think about what I'm going to eat the day before or the morning and then i forget about it.
    Sometimes if i've planned the whole day I find myself not even wanting to eat at all of what I've planned.
    So for me that feeling wore off after about two weeks and its just automatic to log the food then forget about food.

    I too plan and enter my meals the night before. That way, I pack up the food that I take to work the night before and just grab my bag on the way out the door. Now, if you are thinking about food constantly because you are always hungry, that's a different story. You probably aren't eating enough (or better kinds of foods).
  • chatpeau
    chatpeau Posts: 9 Member
    That is great advice guys! I will try to plan more ahead and log ahead, although it will take some discipline! Thanks, and keep it coming!!!
  • noon1200
    noon1200 Posts: 35 Member
    Hi,
    I have started tracking my food intake about 3 weeks ago to see where that could take me. I am 5'5", 150 lbs, carry a good 20 lbs excess weight and it shows. I have been that weight and shape for at least the past 5 years (maybe putting on a 1-2 lbs a year, no matter my activity level (that went from not much at all to biking up 3000ft every day for six months in a row).
    I was curious about if I could actually lose weight by counting everything I eat, although I am still clueless about which diet I should be following in particular. I try to limit my calorie intake at 1500 - I have an office job and I bike everywhere and run 3 times a week for 30 minutes.
    The thing with MFP is that now, since I have become so conscious about taking note of everything, I think about food ALL THE TIME and it makes me hungry! I want to make this a lifestyle change and not a diet but I feel like this is taking over my life.
    Have anyone experienced this and would know how to come over that?
    Thanks.

    You can definitely lose weight by tracking your calories eaten every day and keeping the average calories eaten under a certain amount. You don't need to "follow a diet," just eat what you enjoy eating in portions small enough hit your calorie target. It's easier if you like eating vegetables because they're very low in calories for their volume. You'll probably change what you like to eat a bit as you learn the caloric costs of different foods.

    1500 sounds a little low for someone who bikes to work and runs regularly. Did you set your lifestyle to active and your goal to losing one pound a week? If you set it to two pounds a week, that would be too much and would explain why you're hungry all the time.

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