Weighing food = eating disorder

At least according to my family.

I've been losing weight for 11 months, and in that time I have developed a problem that is the opposite of what most people have. I overestimate instead of underestimate.

Which means if I don't meassure, I think I'm eating 1600 when really I'm eating more like 1000.

Now because I want to be well nourished, I weigh my food...and this reaps all sorts of snide comments from my family.

"Look she's got her scale again..."
"She's gonna gain it all back."
"We really need to get you to a therapist soon..."
"She's gonna go into starvation mode and look like an anorexic"
"Are you allowed to eat that on your diet? I'd better take that from you..." **takes ice cream and hides under the bed...**

Sorry bit of a rant. I'm just wondering how the heck I'm supposed to be sure I eat enough without meassuring..... :-/
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Replies

  • libbydoodle11
    libbydoodle11 Posts: 1,351 Member
    The food police will always be around. Explain to them what you have explained to us. Let them know that you need to weigh out your food so that you have a better understanding of your calorie intake. Stand up for yourself and be firm if you have to.
  • coolraul07
    coolraul07 Posts: 1,606 Member
    The food police will always be around. Explain to them what you have explained to us. Let them know that you need to weigh out your food so that you have a better understanding of your calorie intake. Stand up for yourself and be firm if you have to.
    ^^This... OR you could just say "EFF all ya'll! I know what I'm doing!" and fork-up the next person that tries to take food from you.
  • spideywebb77
    spideywebb77 Posts: 126 Member
    No one ever would take food from me....... :noway:

    Yeah I get the " so what don't you eat now?" stuff all the time. I love the confused looks when I say nothing is off limits.
  • No one ever would take food from me....... :noway:

    Yeah I get the " so what don't you eat now?" stuff all the time. I love the confused looks when I say nothing is off limits.

    It went like this:

    She: "Are you sure you should eat that ice cream? I think maybe you should let me eat it and continue with your diet" *she reaches for ice cream to take it*

    Me: *takes ice cream out of her reach* "No."

    She: Well alright if you want to get fat again then it's fine by me....
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,227 Member
    The nice thing about family is that you can tell them to go stuff themselves and they still have to stay related to you.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    No one ever would take food from me....... :noway:

    Yeah I get the " so what don't you eat now?" stuff all the time. I love the confused looks when I say nothing is off limits.

    It went like this:

    She: "Are you sure you should eat that ice cream? I think maybe you should let me eat it and continue with your diet" *she reaches for ice cream to take it*

    Me: *takes ice cream out of her reach* "No."

    She: Well alright if you want to get fat again then it's fine by me....

    Basically present them with this

    gain.gif
    lose.gif
    maintain.gif

    "Now eff off and let me eat my caloric deficit, not my diet, as I choose.
    tumblr_mm6eg2CQIz1s9m0wdo1_500.gif
    "

    ETA the link because MFP is stupid and doesn't just scroll or resize too-big images, ugh
    http://www.acaloriecounter.com/calorie-counting.php
  • psych101
    psych101 Posts: 1,842 Member
    The nice thing about family is that you can tell them to go f*** themselves and they still have to stay related to you.

    Haha yep
  • I've just found out that my (somewhat cheap) scale had been weighing too low, at least with very light weight items...needless to say I had a meltdown lol
    So you're not the only crazy one who needs therapy!
    All I know is that it's evidently working for us, you don't owe anyone anything! It's about your health!
  • I've just found out that my (somewhat cheap) scale had been weighing too low, at least with very light weight items...needless to say I had a meltdown lol
    So you're not the only crazy one who needs therapy!
    All I know is that it's evidently working for us, you don't owe anyone anything! It's about your health!

    :laugh: This is why I don't eat back exercise calories...it helps in times like those. :smile:
  • LoryBear
    LoryBear Posts: 89 Member
    If I had a dollar for every time someone rolled their eyes at me when I say anything about calories..Sheesh, people act like it's the worst thing in the world to keep track of what you put in your body. I usually just remind people that keeping track of what I'm eating is what made me lose most of my weight in the first place, and they usually quiet down after that. Though, your problem is technically opposite of mine the logic still applies.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    I'm just wondering how the heck I'm supposed to be sure I eat enough without meassuring..... :-/
    Learn to estimate by eyeballing and recognizing portion sizes. Don't worry so much about under-eating. Listen to your body. No one HAS TO weigh their food to estimate their intake. If you're losing too fast, eat more, if too slow, eat less.
  • Jreeves9210
    Jreeves9210 Posts: 19 Member
    I love weighing my food now. I wouldn't say i look at it like a game, but it kind of is. I count macros, so i love the challenge of figuring out how to keep the balance close at the end of the day.
  • Sounds like they are jealous of your successfulness. I was luck that my family supported my measuring the food. My mom started getting jealous after I lost 100 pounds saying my boobs were smaller then hers. But you can't let there issues become your issues..

    Keep up the good work
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Weighing is a little obsessive, lol! There must've been a time in your life where you'd have thought someone who weighed every bite of food was being a little nuts. You'd have been right, IMO. :) It is a little nuts!

    A little good-natured teasing makes the world a happier place. :)

    Just keep weighing and let 'em laugh. One day, they'll be bragging about it and telling a friend about how well you did. :)

    But the long-term goal, IMO, should be to not weigh all the food. Learning to eat well, according to hunger, without measuring and weighing every damn ingredient - that's real success. I don't imagine anyone will want to weigh all the food for 30 years, KWIM? But whatever works! :)

  • A little good-natured teasing makes the world a happier place. :)

    Just keep weighing and let 'em laugh. One day, they'll be bragging about it and telling a friend about how well you did. :)

    I wish I could agree with that, but I know better. It's not exactly considered teasing (where I come from) if your own mother calls you a fat b!tch. :)

    And I'm not even fat anymore. I'm at the top of my healthy BMI and I wear a medium where she wears a xxl.
  • Luckily after years of practice I'm able to brush off their comments. They don't upset me too much anymore (unless I'm hormonal), but it's really irritating to hear the same crap everyday.
  • uconnwinsnc1
    uconnwinsnc1 Posts: 902 Member
    You need to understand that people get jealous and butthurt whenever someone tries to improve themselves. They go nuts and try to stop you because they know that they can't do it themselves.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    Woe betide the poor sap who'd ever attempt to remove food from my hands. Everyone who knows me know better than to even suggest it. :explode:
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member

    A little good-natured teasing makes the world a happier place. :)

    Just keep weighing and let 'em laugh. One day, they'll be bragging about it and telling a friend about how well you did. :)

    I wish I could agree with that, but I know better. It's not exactly considered teasing (where I come from) if your own mother calls you a fat b!tch. :)

    And I'm not even fat anymore. I'm at the top of my healthy BMI and I wear a medium where she wears a xxl.
    That is a horrible thing for a mother to say. She sounds cruel and mentally unhinged.

    I'm sorry you go through that. Start making plans to move out. Nobody needs to hear that kind of stuff.
  • bellissimom
    bellissimom Posts: 5 Member
    Sad thing is that most people have an eating disorder. We may not binge or purge but... how often per day do we think about our weight or our body shape. A LOT! We are obsessed.

    Some of us, however are taking steps towards a healthy obsession and healthy lifestyle.

    Those naysayers are simply jealous and envious of your dedication and picking on you lets them avoid taking care of themselves.
  • independant2406
    independant2406 Posts: 447 Member
    OR you could just say "EFF all ya'll! I know what I'm doing!" and fork-up the next person that tries to take food from you.

    ^^^ This!
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Just keep doing what you're doing and ignore them.
  • Kontxesi
    Kontxesi Posts: 86 Member
    Woe betide the poor sap who'd ever attempt to remove food from my hands. Everyone who knows me know better than to even suggest it. :explode:

    True life. I've had times when people have played "keep away" with a candy bar I'd just purchased or something, and they learned that was a bad idea real quick. You do not mess with my food.


    But really, I see a lot of posts like this from people with terrible family members/friends. My family is pretty dysfunctional, but I've never experienced that and it blows my mind. I'd have some pretty choice words for those folks! But being snappy is kind of my bag, so that comes easy to me. I know others have a hard time with it, which I suppose is a good thing sometimes.

    The only thing similar I remember: my younger sister was getting herself some ice cream in the middle of the day. My dad walked in and told her to put it back, because "[did she] want to end up like [Kontxesi]?" I was about 15/180lbs/5'7" at the time.

    You need to shut that down as it happens. Exactly how you word it depends on your family dynamic, but something along the lines of "it's none of your damn business and the next time you say something about it, you'll be spitting out teeth" should work.
  • This content has been removed.
  • If your family members are children of certain ages, you might have to explain to them HOW to be encouraging to you. Tell them, if you want mom to be happy and healthy, you'd appreciate their positive support and here is what they can say.

    "way to go mom!", "I believe in you", "you are awesome".... and say the same things back to them.

    Sometimes people need to be taught the skill of encouragement on a regular basis.
  • Kontxesi
    Kontxesi Posts: 86 Member
    If your family members are children of certain ages, you might have to explain to them HOW to be encouraging to you. Tell them, if you want mom to be happy and healthy, you'd appreciate their positive support and here is what they can say.

    "way to go mom!", "I believe in you", "you are awesome".... and say the same things back to them.

    Sometimes people need to be taught the skill of encouragement on a regular basis.

    I assumed that she was talking about adults who should know better, but this is a good point. It's important to teach kids to be empathetic/not *kitten*.
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    List of Comebacks:
    -I'm sorry; I can't hear you over all of the weight I'm losing.
    -I weigh my food so that I can eat more. If you would like to have a discussion about my eating plan, I'm happy to tell you how I'm losing weight.
    -You are being rude. You are welcome to your opinion; keep it to yourself.
    -If you don't have anything nice to say, go away.
    -Is my food scale hurting you? No? Then stop talking about it.

    How old are you? Move out. I would never be able to tolerate that kind of negativity.
  • List of Comebacks:
    -I'm sorry; I can't hear you over all of the weight I'm losing.
    -I weigh my food so that I can eat more. If you would like to have a discussion about my eating plan, I'm happy to tell you how I'm losing weight.
    -You are being rude. You are welcome to your opinion; keep it to yourself.
    -If you don't have anything nice to say, go away.
    -Is my food scale hurting you? No? Then stop talking about it.

    How old are you? Move out. I would never be able to tolerate that kind of negativity.

    :laugh: Those are pretty good! I'm 21, but still live at home as I study from home. My income doesn't bring enough to actually move out as I have to save everything for books, so until I get a full time job I'm either stuck here or on the street. (no my parents aren't paying for my studies)
  • I don't really reply to any of it. I just keep my mouth shut and give my siblings the evil eye. My mom I just don't look in the eye right now. I can't say a damned thing until I'm out of here.

    My advice to all of you?

    Don't ever get adopted by people who only wanted to take you in so that they can look good in public. When in reality they don't give a **** about you.
  • Kontxesi
    Kontxesi Posts: 86 Member
    List of Comebacks:
    -I'm sorry; I can't hear you over all of the weight I'm losing.
    -I weigh my food so that I can eat more. If you would like to have a discussion about my eating plan, I'm happy to tell you how I'm losing weight.
    -You are being rude. You are welcome to your opinion; keep it to yourself.
    -If you don't have anything nice to say, go away.
    -Is my food scale hurting you? No? Then stop talking about it.

    How old are you? Move out. I would never be able to tolerate that kind of negativity.

    +1 for "I'm sorry, I can't hear you over all of the weight I'm losing." A+, you win.