Calorie counting is making me insane.

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ObsessedMonster
ObsessedMonster Posts: 150 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I've completely lost desire to make nice healthy home cooked meals ever since I started counting calories because it's extremely time consuming and sometimes inaccurate, but if I stop, I'll gain weight. I'm obsessed with the scale (both food and weight); I can't live without either. Sometimes I have a strong urge to binge, but I somehow manage to resist the temptations. My mood for the day depends on the number I saw in the morning when I stepped on that darn scale. I don't enjoy eating out any more or eating home cooked meals. All I can think about is the possibility of gaining more weight back even though I'm 3 pounds under my goal weight. I've lost the energy I used to have and feel tired all the time. I didn't lose a significant amount of weight. I went from 119 pounds at 5'4 to 112 pounds and it took months. My goal was 115. I'm happier the lower my weight is even though I feel worse physically. Any advice? I think I'm going crazy.
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Replies

  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
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    Get lean meat and shop in the produce aisle. Baked veggies can be really good. If it has a list of ingredients, skip it. Don't have to do a huge amount of weighing with good veggies and meats have it on the label. Good luck!
  • brookemart81
    brookemart81 Posts: 62 Member
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    I don't know if this is good advice or not, but if I was in your situation I think I'd consider just setting the scale and the calorie counting aside and trying to eat reasonable portions of good healthy food. Weigh yourself once a week to keep an eye on things and if you see your weight creeping back up, spend a week or two weighing and counting again until you're back where you want to be. You say you are happy at your weight and it took you months to lose that 7 pounds, so I understand not wanting to mess with that- but you're not going to gain it all back in a week. I would think monitoring your weight on a weekly basis and making adjustments as needed would be a less intensive, lower stress way to maintain control over your weight.
  • theJTfitness
    theJTfitness Posts: 142 Member
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    Sometimes when I'm making meals it seems like it takes me twice as long as I am weighing and logging everything as I go. But when I sit down to eat, I find comfort in knowing exactly what I'm eating. If I were to not log and just eat portions, my OCD would kick my butt and I wouldn't enjoy the meal. It's a trade-off. Personally, the benefit outweighs the cost for me.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    If you don't like calorie counting...

































    this may not be the site for you. Just saying.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
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    I'm happier the lower my weight is even though I feel worse physically. Any advice? I think I'm going crazy.

    You need to see a therapist. Your post screams eating disorder, or at least a very unhealthy relationship with food and weight in general.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
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    I'm happier the lower my weight is even though I feel worse physically. Any advice? I think I'm going crazy.

    You need to see a therapist. Your post screams eating disorder, or at least a very unhealthy relationship with food and weight in general.

    This...
  • djprice_69
    djprice_69 Posts: 115 Member
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    Just think - every recipe you document is a 'freebie' the next time you make the same meal. Also, as you include the same indgredients/portions/foods in the next recipe, you've already got that portion of it done. Trust me when I say it gets easier and easier with time. The hardest part is getting started. Stick with it - it takes time to make/break habbits and having an accurate count of your caloric intake WILL make a BIG difference in your journey to better health.
  • gypsy_spirit
    gypsy_spirit Posts: 2,107 Member
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    If counting calories, your scale weight, & cooking healthy food is making you insane, it's time to talk to someone. This should be about getting healthy, feeling better as you get healthy, and having a plan that will be sustainable for the rest of your life.

    This does not sound like a healthy, happy life to me. Please, talk to someone.:flowerforyou:
  • starrylioness
    starrylioness Posts: 543 Member
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    I agree with the above comment about possibly just skip the calorie counting and just watch your portions and eat sensibly. If that doesn't work, then I don't know what to suggest.

    I've pretty much come to the conclusion that I will likely be counting calories for the rest of my life but then that's just ME.
  • battybecks
    battybecks Posts: 147 Member
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    I'm happier the lower my weight is even though I feel worse physically. Any advice? I think I'm going crazy.

    You need to see a therapist. Your post screams eating disorder, or at least a very unhealthy relationship with food and weight in general.

    ^^ Yup.

    This doesn't sound like you need nutrition or exercise advice, you need help with your attitude to nutrition and exercise (or rather, the obsession with numbers and weight that it's so easy to fall into).
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    My goal was 115. I'm happier the lower my weight is even though I feel worse physically. Any advice? I think I'm going crazy.

    You are obessesing too much and probably in danger of developing an eating disorder. You need to rein this in quickly. Seek help if you need to. I would suggest you stop weighing and stop tracking for a while until you get this under control.

    It's completely ridiculous to weigh every day and base your actions on it, because it's completely natural for your weight to fluctuate every day. Especially for a woman because hormones are such a big factor in weight.

    Switch to weighing once a week. Same day, same time of day. Don't sweat minor fluctuations.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    Get lean meat and shop in the produce aisle. Baked veggies can be really good. If it has a list of ingredients, skip it. Don't have to do a huge amount of weighing with good veggies and meats have it on the label. Good luck!

    OP: How are your macros? I have no visibility into that since you diary is closed, but am guessing that your fat may be low. It's a common mistake when people cut calories to reduce fat too low because they're easy calories to cut...but too little fat can do horrible things to your body and it will frequently present as decreased energy.

    Posts like the above do nothing to help this common problem. And there's nothing wrong with a list of ingredients. Also, in what world do you not have to weigh meats to know how much you ate?

    TL;DR - The 80s were generally awesome, but wrong that eating fat makes you fat.
  • whisperfitandhealthy
    whisperfitandhealthy Posts: 66
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    I've completely lost desire to make nice healthy home cooked meals ever since I started counting calories because it's extremely time consuming and sometimes inaccurate, but if I stop, I'll gain weight. I'm obsessed with the scale (both food and weight); I can't live without either. Sometimes I have a strong urge to binge, but I somehow manage to resist the temptations. My mood for the day depends on the number I saw in the morning when I stepped on that darn scale. I don't enjoy eating out any more or eating home cooked meals. All I can think about is the possibility of gaining more weight back even though I'm 3 pounds under my goal weight. I've lost the energy I used to have and feel tired all the time. I didn't lose a significant amount of weight. I went from 119 pounds at 5'4 to 112 pounds and it took months. My goal was 115. I'm happier the lower my weight is even though I feel worse physically. Any advice? I think I'm going crazy.

    I was in the same boat. And so I took a break from calorie counting for a week. I admit I gained 5 pounds but my body needed those 5 pounds. I didn't realize I wasn't at a good weight and I was starving myself. Please just listen to your body. Hide the scale, get out of the house. Be social, go for long walks. Remind yourself why you started this in the first place. Have a cookie. Savor it. Don't think about the calories. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Not to be shackled down by numbers.
  • pommychic
    pommychic Posts: 25 Member
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    I've completely lost desire to make nice healthy home cooked meals ever since I started counting calories because it's extremely time consuming and sometimes inaccurate, but if I stop, I'll gain weight. I'm obsessed with the scale (both food and weight); I can't live without either. Sometimes I have a strong urge to binge, but I somehow manage to resist the temptations. My mood for the day depends on the number I saw in the morning when I stepped on that darn scale. I don't enjoy eating out any more or eating home cooked meals. All I can think about is the possibility of gaining more weight back even though I'm 3 pounds under my goal weight. I've lost the energy I used to have and feel tired all the time. I didn't lose a significant amount of weight. I went from 119 pounds at 5'4 to 112 pounds and it took months. My goal was 115. I'm happier the lower my weight is even though I feel worse physically. Any advice? I think I'm going crazy.


    I was in the same boat. And so I took a break from calorie counting for a week. I admit I gained 5 pounds but my body needed those 5 pounds. I didn't realize I wasn't at a good weight and I was starving myself. Please just listen to your body. Hide the scale, get out of the house. Be social, go for long walks. Remind yourself why you started this in the first place. Have a cookie. Savor it. Don't think about the calories. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Not to be shackled down by numbers.

    Good post
  • pammerz88
    pammerz88 Posts: 58 Member
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    . All I can think about is the possibility of gaining more weight back even though I'm 3 pounds under my goal weight. I've lost the energy I used to have and feel tired all the time. I didn't lose a significant amount of weight. I went from 119 pounds at 5'4 to 112 pounds and it took months. My goal was 115. I'm happier the lower my weight is even though I feel worse physically. Any advice? I think I'm going crazy.

    Do you expect positive feedback about this? I must be considered fat in your book since I weigh 117 pounds.
  • Louise1583
    Louise1583 Posts: 97 Member
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    Can I just point out, at 5ft 4 and 112lb, you're perhaps as small as you should aim to go? You're probably not losing weight because your body is going to shut down if you lose anymore.

    Just stop for a while with the calorie counting, fill yourself up with healthy food, get some decent sleep, drink a load of water, and do some gentle exercise. You'll feel tons better within a few days.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    What steps have you taken to attempt to lose weight while not counting calories?

    Counting calories is not necessarily the best option for everyone and there are other methods that you could employ to attempt to lose weight while not counting calories. Creating a general but not rigid structure via some sort of meal planning framework may be one option, and there's other methods you could employ as well. Another possibility would be to utilize a certain method of food selection to create satiety and autoregulate calories that way.

    I do think that if you're going to stop tracking, you should have some sort of general plan as to how you're going to attempt to eat within a reasonable range of calories.

    It's still largely calories in vs calories out, whether you track them or not.
  • Kelly_Runs_NC
    Kelly_Runs_NC Posts: 474 Member
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    Sometimes when I'm making meals it seems like it takes me twice as long as I am weighing and logging everything as I go. But when I sit down to eat, I find comfort in knowing exactly what I'm eating. If I were to not log and just eat portions, my OCD would kick my butt and I wouldn't enjoy the meal. It's a trade-off. Personally, the benefit outweighs the cost for me.

    ^Exactly this to a T...
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    If counting calories, your scale weight, & cooking healthy food is making you insane, it's time to talk to someone. This should be about getting healthy, feeling better as you get healthy, and having a plan that will be sustainable for the rest of your life.

    This does not sound like a healthy, happy life to me. Please, talk to someone.:flowerforyou:

    I agree.

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