Counting calories & OCD/Perfectionism?

Options
2»

Replies

  • mzbek24
    mzbek24 Posts: 436 Member
    Options
    I'm pretty OCD and love counting calories also, makes me feel a bit more in control of things lol. I'll sometimes literally have a weird amount like 7g of almonds if it means I will be all in the green with my calories and macro's (I can get a little perfectionist with that and I of course feel a bit annoyed if anything is red) but yeah apart from that, calorie counting and measuring and weighing things makes me feel happier than guessing or worse-not paying attention to my portion sizes and just thinking "Oh why not eat this gigantic bowl, couldn't be that many calories right?"

    Ultimately its given me better results and satisfaction than other methods and over time I find it takes me only a short time to plan out a days food...pre plan and things are pretty stress free :)
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
    Options
    It's seriously so habitual now. people Say I'm ocd. I dont care. perfect I'm not because I know what I can let slip by. it works if you can do it.
  • veeve1
    veeve1 Posts: 13
    Options
    FDA allows companies a 20% margin of error on nutritional facts

    Really? Argggh.

    Ocd = Obsessive Calorie Deliberation

    .. for me too. Although its only been 16days now lol. I may get sick of it soon & actually preplan a diet so I dont have to spend so much time entering stuff & seeing if I can/cant that day.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Options
    If it makes you feel better about estimating, I weigh almost nothing and I post-log my eating and lose pretty much on track with what I should.

    Many people here tend to want to micromanage it all and worry so much over potentially under-eating, even for one day. It doesn't have to be that hard. Pick an intake level, log, note how fast you lose weight. If it's slower than you like, lower your intake level.
    nice
  • sympha01
    sympha01 Posts: 942 Member
    Options
    I tend to weigh pretty precisely (or try to anyway) but I don't find it hard to do a quick reality check.

    Getting my apple off by 10 grams? A couple of calories, NBD.
    Getting my peanut butter off by 10 grams? LOLWUT that's over 50 calories. And yet. At the end of the day, 50 calories is nothing. But if I measured all my higher calorie foods carelessly, it might add up to a few hundred.

    Keep a sense of proportion regarding the type of food it is and whether it's super calorie dense is all.
  • cassique
    cassique Posts: 164 Member
    Options
    If it makes you feel better about estimating, I weigh almost nothing and I post-log my eating and lose pretty much on track with what I should.

    Many people here tend to want to micromanage it all and worry so much over potentially under-eating, even for one day. It doesn't have to be that hard. Pick an intake level, log, note how fast you lose weight. If it's slower than you like, lower your intake level.
    Me too. And the only time I felt like I was hitting a plateau was when I was doing a diet bet and was freaking out as I got nearer to the end. It seemed like the more a stressed and obsessed the less I lost. I managed to hit my goal and win the money, and after the deadline I gave myself a two day break. I still logged, but I was back to my casual after the fact or as I was eating sort of way and the weight started falling off again--after a few high calorie low activity days. I needed to relax to kickstart myself into losing again.

    I like to take the "least amount of effort" approach to things that I want to stick with for the long term. I start by making one small change. Assessing the results, and tweaking as a go along. I know what a portion looks like on my flatware at home so i feel comfortable eyeballing. I weigh or measure when I feel like I could use a recheck but certainly not all the time. I usually will weigh pasta if I am using a larger bowl or plate than usual, but I don't go crazy about exact numbers. All I want is a decent enough estimate so that the next time I use that bowl or plate I know what a serving size should look like. If I'm happy with the results I continue as is, if not than I might spend some time focusing on accuracy so I can make appropriate adjustments with the goal being to go back to a more relaxed approach.
    If you are in this for the long haul, then you have to accept that being perfect will be more of a road block than allowing yourself to be flexible.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
    Options
    If you're a perfectionist, does counting calories drive you crazy??? I find that i drive myself crazy when measuring. I get frustrated because i think i am for sure doing it wrong. I think my numbers are all off. This is why I measure/count for like 2 days and give up.

    I'm not alone in this lol?

    The first time I used MFP it did indeed drive me crazy and I eventually threw up my hands in frustration and stayed fat a while longer. For some reason, this time I have been able to be much more relaxed about it. I guesstimate the best i can when eating something not easily accounted for and when I have a really crazy day, I may not log at all. But I have continued to lose weight so it's shown me that perfectionism really isn't necessary.
  • brittvas55
    brittvas55 Posts: 15 Member
    Options
    In order to not drive yourself crazy with counting you must constantly remind yourself that the FDA allows companies a 20% margin of error on nutritional facts. So even if you are perfect, your count is still +/- 20% which is a pretty big margin of error. This why consistency is much more important then accuracy.

    Sooo true. Consistency will get you there. Also, get a food scale and just go off grams. Way easier and food scales are fairly cheap.
  • ceron1234
    ceron1234 Posts: 19 Member
    Options
    If you're a perfectionist, does counting calories drive you crazy??? I find that i drive myself crazy when measuring. I get frustrated because i think i am for sure doing it wrong. I think my numbers are all off. This is why I measure/count for like 2 days and give up.

    I'm not alone in this lol?

    I have looked into a percentage based diet instead of counting calories.

    50/25/25: 50% Veggie, 25% Carb and 25% Protein. Use this formula if you need to lose major weight.

    40/30/30 of moderate weight loss and 33/33/33 for maintenance

    I knowledge of calories is still needed but you don't have to count as much.

    Just an idea
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Options
    If you're a perfectionist, does counting calories drive you crazy??? I find that i drive myself crazy when measuring. I get frustrated because i think i am for sure doing it wrong. I think my numbers are all off. This is why I measure/count for like 2 days and give up.

    I'm not alone in this lol?

    I have looked into a percentage based diet instead of counting calories.

    50/25/25: 50% Veggie, 25% Carb and 25% Protein. Use this formula if you need to lose major weight.

    40/30/30 of moderate weight loss and 33/33/33 for maintenance

    I knowledge of calories is still needed but you don't have to count as much.

    Just an idea
    Veggies ARE carbs. And where's the FAT?
  • ceron1234
    ceron1234 Posts: 19 Member
    Options
    If you're a perfectionist, does counting calories drive you crazy??? I find that i drive myself crazy when measuring. I get frustrated because i think i am for sure doing it wrong. I think my numbers are all off. This is why I measure/count for like 2 days and give up.

    I'm not alone in this lol?

    I have looked into a percentage based diet instead of counting calories.

    50/25/25: 50% Veggie, 25% Carb and 25% Protein. Use this formula if you need to lose major weight.

    40/30/30 of moderate weight loss and 33/33/33 for maintenance

    I knowledge of calories is still needed but you don't have to count as much.

    Just an idea
    Veggies ARE carbs. And where's the FAT?

    Sorry should have said starch

    This is not about micros and macros. That is up to to the person to make healthy decisions.

    Fats? Where do you get your Fat from now?

    I personally eat fresh avacado and cook with EVOO
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Options
    If you're a perfectionist, does counting calories drive you crazy??? I find that i drive myself crazy when measuring. I get frustrated because i think i am for sure doing it wrong. I think my numbers are all off. This is why I measure/count for like 2 days and give up.

    I'm not alone in this lol?

    I have looked into a percentage based diet instead of counting calories.

    50/25/25: 50% Veggie, 25% Carb and 25% Protein. Use this formula if you need to lose major weight.

    40/30/30 of moderate weight loss and 33/33/33 for maintenance

    I knowledge of calories is still needed but you don't have to count as much.

    Just an idea
    Veggies ARE carbs. And where's the FAT?

    Sorry should have said starch

    This is not about micros and macros. That is up to to the person to make healthy decisions.

    Fats? Where do you get your Fat from now?

    I personally eat fresh avacado and cook with EVOO
    You're prescriptively telling folks exactly what percentage of "carbs" and "starches" (both of which are carbs...) and "protein" to eat. And that percentage equals 100%. Where is the FAT supposed to come in? and what BAD approach to take. You don't want to talk about macros, ok, but come on! 1 in the 33/33/33 model?
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Options
    I think my numbers are all off.

    They are off. And they will be off no matter what you do.

    These are all approximations.
  • ceron1234
    ceron1234 Posts: 19 Member
    Options
    Again......Where do you get your fats from now?
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,272 Member
    Options
    I am actually diagnosed OCD by a psychiatrist. Trust me, most people are not OCD. They just like to use the term which lessons the meaning and seriousness of the diagnosis. Which is bad.

    Off my soapbox now. I do find I have to be careful not too get too obsessed with it. If I find myself losing that control, I will not log for a few days as sort of a mental reset. It's a balance for me between wanting to make sure I am as close to accurate as possible and not taking it to the next level that causes me to allow it to take over my life.
  • francotramelan
    francotramelan Posts: 16
    Options
    You're spot on mate!!!!!!!!!!
    Turn your weakness into a strength.

    I have OCD and I love counting calories. It suits my methodical and aynalitical tendicies .

    Ever watch The BIg Bang Therory on TV ? Sheldon always knocking 3 times is me weighing food. LoL

    Yes I put the extra gram of cheese back in the bag !!!

    Hitting my daily Marco percentages exactly makes me chuckle and I try to do it just for fun every day.
    Hitting my daily micro nutrient numbers has become my shopping and meal planning challenge. I am constantly looking for the perfect meal plan to hit my numbers.

    Basically I just use my OCD as a way to keep me motivated to lose fat. don't let OCD be your excuse to stay fat.
  • cassique
    cassique Posts: 164 Member
    Options
    Again......Where do you get your fats from now?
    I don't understand this question. I get my fats from oils, meats, nuts, dairy--lots of places. I noticed I trend toward a high fat low carb diet because those are the types of foods I like best, but that wasn't what got me fat in the first place. Carelessness and laziness was to blame (and alcohol especially). We need fat in our diets, just like we need carbs and protein.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,626 Member
    Options
    I'm not OCD, but I lean in that direction. I don't take the calorie totals as gospel, so I don't get frustrated knowing they might be wrong. It's just a good estimate. And kind of fun, if you like to make comparisons and stuff.

    Another poster made a really good point. You can guess instead of weighing and measuring. If you don't lose, keep eating less until you do lose.

    The game isn't about accurate numbers, it's about weight loss. So, if your guesses are too low - you think you're eating 900 cals/day, but you're really eating 1350, it doesn't matter. As long as you drop to a point where you feel strong and healthy, but are losing weight, you're good to go.

    You don't have to weigh and measure to lose. If it's too much, do it another way. :)

Categories