Calorie tracking is counter-BED recovery?
Options
Replies
-
I've read on multiple websites and books that one of the most important ways to curb binge eating is to eat very nutrient dense food (whole foods, plant-based, with animal products used as "garnish", if any, and not main part of meal as they have very little micronutrients). Your body will be a lot more likely to send your brain signals that you are satiated and thus the emotional part of the disorder will be easier to control. As far as I have experienced, it really works. It can be very hard if you don't have much time for food prep, though, because of using mostly fresh ingredients and no processed "stripped" foods. I didn't have any food prep time when I started post-secondary along with my full-time job, and I relapsed hard.
So to answer your question and come to the point (I have one, I swear!), as far as logging goes it really helps me to make sure that I am consistently eating a wide variety of nutrients weekly- I ignore the calories completely. I do believe that calorie counting is counter-productive and more often than not encourages negative thoughts and feelings (at least for me). I have a tendency (along with so many binge eaters) to eat processed, nutrient stripped food (my binge food of choice is potato chips), so this is very helpful.
By the way, I'm new to the forums (first post); I'm Lea
Hi Lea, welcome to MFP! The whole nutrient-dense thing is great but wouldn't work for me. My bingeing has more to do with emotion than nutrition and although hunger will trigger a binge, once I start eating, I eat well past the "not hungry" "full" and "uncomfortable" mark and don't realize I'm bingeing until I'm in pain and nauseated. Then I get mad at myself which begins the cycle all over again. And, of course, once I consider a food off limits because it isn't nutrient dense or whatever, I obsess over it. If I eat it, log it in I can get over it without guilt and I do better. But that's just how I roll, I'm not advocating this behavior for anyone else.
In fact, OP, I suggest that you try a variety of behaviors, log in, don't log in, log in "loosely" eat nutrient-dense and "clean" (whatever that term means to you), avoid food triggers, and see what works for you as a long-term solution.0 -
Thanks for the welcome craftywitch I agree with your statement that we should do whatever we can sustain.
And I'll take your tomatoes and beets
yummm hehe 0 -
I applaude you for doing it more or less on your own! I have a very hard time bringing myself to present moment awareness like that (asking myself questions). It must be a great help having someone close to you for support. I've been trying and trying but I finally threw in the towel and got up the courage to tell my doc I need help a couple days ago. Just waiting for news on an appointment with a counselor. I think I will need both counseling and personal tracking if I'm going to beat this.Professional counselling is good, but so is self-tracking. I have never gone to counselling for BED. Over the years I began to see a pattern, started to track and ask myself questions etc. My husband also acts as an excellent observer and supporter.
I would be lying to tell you that I have solved the whole mystery of BED But I have developed some strategies here and there which are useful in bad times. For a while, I blogged myself out of the cycle on MFP!0 -
I do use - that's why I'm here on MFP - but I am very much in recovery. I don't stress out about numbers the way I used to. I don't deprive myself and I use the tools I've learned along the way to not overindulge either. If I go over my calories by a little bit, that's ok. It doesn't mean I'm a bad person or having a relapse.
The most important thing I keep in mind is to be kind to myself.0 -
I find if I make sure the meal is 'clean' and only consists of healthy food (heavy on the vegetables) then I'm ok. When I track and count calories it makes me kinda obsessed with food and that's a bad thing for a person recovering from BED. Weighing is in even worse for me. I know people say you should weigh in regularly to monitor progress but I know for myself if I just plod along and eat right (healthy 'clean' meals with no junk food) and exercise I do well but if I check the scale, even once a week, then I feel like I'm getting nowhere and throw it all in. Monthly weigh-ins work best for me. x
I can totally relate! The more I "just do it", the less I feel pressured, and almost always a pleasant surprise when I step on that scale.0 -
In fact, OP, I suggest that you try a variety of behaviors, log in, don't log in, log in "loosely" eat nutrient-dense and "clean" (whatever that term means to you), avoid food triggers, and see what works for you as a long-term solution.
Exactly what's happening these days What works for me is always mega amount of workouts, like when I was travelling and walked 8 hours a day. But that's not possible outside the vacation period. Hence the whole rethink and experimentation. 0 -
I applaude you for doing it more or less on your own! I have a very hard time bringing myself to present moment awareness like that (asking myself questions). It must be a great help having someone close to you for support. I've been trying and trying but I finally threw in the towel and got up the courage to tell my doc I need help a couple days ago. Just waiting for news on an appointment with a counselor. I think I will need both counseling and personal tracking if I'm going to beat this.
I am VERY happy to hear that you are getting counselling. Recognition is the first step really, as cliche as it may sound. Now you will been able to share with a professional and get some advice!! I know sometimes you may "click" immediately with a counseller or his/her advice; other times need some shopping around.
Good luck with your first appointment!0 -
Thanks for the welcome craftywitch I agree with your statement that we should do whatever we can sustain.
And I'll take your tomatoes and beets yummm hehe
:happy: :happy: :happy: :happy:0 -
I can most definitely say that calorie counting is what caused my BED. I was on a really good roll after New Years (there's something about making a resolution that really kept me motivated). I went over a month with no binges, eating healthy, and eating a decent amount of food around my maintenance goals everyday. I wasn't trying to eat at a deficit, or trying to restrict, but I was still weighing, measuring and logging everything I put on my plate. I swear it's enough to drive you insane, trying to be so meticulate and keeping track of every little crumb like that. I get obsessed...nothing goes into my mouth without being weighed/measured. It makes me feel so crazy sometimes. I have gotten to a point that can do this in front of my BF (we live together), but I know he must think I am crazy. He doesn't say anything to me about it, but sometimes he will just watch me as I'm doing it and i feel like such a freak.
In any case, all that to say, that I was not putting myself in any kind of starvation mode for over a month, but still logging every little crumb, and I still got sucked back into the cycle of binge eating. I am in there right now and trying so hard to get out. I had a bad weekend.....Monday was supposed to be better, and I went the whole day without logging anything...though I did weigh/measure for portion control in the morning... then came lunch and an office goodbye party for a co-worker, and then around 8-9 brownies later I wrecked my day and continued to do so throughout the evening when I got home....
I'm not gonna log again today, it usually takes me a few days to come back from a weekend of binging anyways, so I'm over what happened yesterday. Here's hoping today is a "good day".0 -
The majority of my binge-eating is to "drop out" of life - the stresses, discomforts, challenges, whatever. It has been very helpful for me to use the MFP food diary because I had no idea how many calories I was eating especially when I binged. I currently need that accountability, however I can also see that the perfectionism mentality of logging food could be counter-productive to folks as well.
My main reason for posting is just to say that a binge always starts in my head, not with what I put in my mouth. I have had success reducing my binges since I joined MFP last December and I am back to logging after a month break which resulted in a 2-3 lb gain and a number of serious binges. The break was planned and was supposed to be for just a couple of weeks while I celebrated my birthday. Didn't happen that way, so I've tried to be kind to myself as others here have mentioned, think about what didn't work, and learn how to do things differently next time.
Thanks to everyone who posts so honestly and openly about BED. It helps me so much to know I am not alone.0 -
The majority of my binge-eating is to "drop out" of life - the stresses, discomforts, challenges, whatever. It has been very helpful for me to use the MFP food diary because I had no idea how many calories I was eating especially when I binged. I currently need that accountability, however I can also see that the perfectionism mentality of logging food could be counter-productive to folks as well.
My main reason for posting is just to say that a binge always starts in my head, not with what I put in my mouth. I have had success reducing my binges since I joined MFP last December and I am back to logging after a month break which resulted in a 2-3 lb gain and a number of serious binges. The break was planned and was supposed to be for just a couple of weeks while I celebrated my birthday. Didn't happen that way, so I've tried to be kind to myself as others here have mentioned, think about what didn't work, and learn how to do things differently next time.
Thanks to everyone who posts so honestly and openly about BED. It helps me so much to know I am not alone.
Keep up with the good approach and progress!0
