Anyone else ever wish they could stop counting calories?
NakeshiaBeard
Posts: 83
Anyone else ever wish they could stop counting calories?
Some days I wish I could stop and just not think about how much I'm eating or working out... but I'm afraid that as soon as I stop I'll just start gaining weight again. I've been at this on and off for 2 years now and every time I've stopped I've gained weight. At the same I really don't want to be counting calories for the rest of my life!
Some days I wish I could stop and just not think about how much I'm eating or working out... but I'm afraid that as soon as I stop I'll just start gaining weight again. I've been at this on and off for 2 years now and every time I've stopped I've gained weight. At the same I really don't want to be counting calories for the rest of my life!
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No, the goal shouldn't be to count calories for life, lol. It would be the exceedingly rare person who did that, if there is even one.
The goal should be to learn better eating and exercise habits. The calorie counting should help you learn better eating habits. The exercise logging should get you in the habit of doing it and help you have an idea of how much exercise burns how much food.
In the end, you want to have a healthier diet, eaten in reasonable portions and have exercise be a part of your life (which should continue for life, as long as you're physically able.)
If you want to stop, you can stop any time. No gun to your head.
You should do it because you WANT to do it. If you don't want to work on this, just stop and be happy doing what you do want to do.
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No, the goal shouldn't be to count calories for life, lol. It would be the exceedingly rare person who did that, if there is even one.
The goal should be to learn better eating and exercise habits. The calorie counting should help you learn better eating habits. The exercise logging should get you in the habit of doing it and help you have an idea of how much exercise burns how much food.
In the end, you want to have a healthier diet, eaten in reasonable portions and have exercise be a part of your life (which should continue for life, as long as you're physically able.)
If you want to stop, you can stop any time. No gun to your head.
You should do it because you WANT to do it. If you don't want to work on this, just stop and be happy doing what you do want to do.
True. I guess I'm just not learning much from entering foods and staring at numbers on a screen. Personally I felt I learned more from reading books and completing health programs. Then again, having the knowledge and putting it into play are 2 completely different things. I guess MFP is a kind of tool that keeps me accountable for what I'm eating and how much exercise I'm getting.
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I'm planning on counting for the rest of my life
otherwise I'll lose my ability to do this
done it before
I'm not putting it back on0 -
eh it's like brushing my teeth. Just part of my day.
Will I always count? probably
Is it a pain sometimes? yup but I do it anyway...just like my lifting
Really if you don't always want to count you have to really apply yourself and learn what food has what calories based on what you are serving yourself...
Am I going to do that? maybe but not likely.0 -
Its psychosomatic for some. Without having evidence of failure you have nothing stopping you from digressing from your goals.
Another large factor that often plays into it is grazing. If you never teach yourself not to eat all day long it could be pretty hard to keep calories in check without recording them.
If its an accountability thing than try and find a way to be accountable without logging. If its a grazing issue than set out your grazing foods for the day and dont exceed them. That way youll know what you've consumed.
Whatever it is, try to figure that out and come up with a solution.
A lot of people do with will self imposed penalties and rewards. Just as many fail horribly with such systems and it leads to binge exercise and other unhealthy habits.0 -
I'll have to count for the rest of my life to keep myself accountable or I fear I'll just end up gaining again. It makes me feel pretty stressed out and sad, but I refuse to gain the weight back I've lost.0
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I get tired of it sometimes, and then I think of my fat body before my weight loss. I never want to go back to that...NakeshiaBeard wrote: »Anyone else ever wish they could stop counting calories?
Some days I wish I could stop and just not think about how much I'm eating or working out... but I'm afraid that as soon as I stop I'll just start gaining weight again. I've been at this on and off for 2 years now and every time I've stopped I've gained weight. At the same I really don't want to be counting calories for the rest of my life!
And so I cheerfully log in today's food intake...
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I will probably never stop counting, like was said above it is just part of my day, some things I just do because they are good for me, this is one of them. Do I sometimes wish I could eat anything I like, as much as I like, yes - that is how life was for me for the first 35 years of my life, never gained and could eat anything. That isn't the case anymore so yea I do get what you mean, I wish I didn't need to, but I find it empowering rather than constricting, knowledge is power. Also, I'm not just counting calories, I am watching my fiber, sodium, sugar and macros, I don't get those headaches anymore due to too much salt for instance.0
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If you keep gaining weight after you stop counting calories then the obvious is we should always count calories.0
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If you keep gaining weight after you stop counting calories then the obvious is we should always count calories.
No it is not, not if counting calories causes other negative things to occurring, which it does in some people.
The obvious answer in this case is that the OP hasn't yet learned the skills necessary to succeed without counting and she should pursue that with the eventual goal of trying again.
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If you keep gaining weight after you stop counting calories then the obvious is we should always count calories.
No it is not, not if counting calories causes other negative things to occurring, which it does in some people.
The obvious answer in this case is that the OP hasn't yet learned the skills necessary to succeed without counting and she should pursue that with the eventual goal of trying again.
Also remind me not to post from my phone before my coffee, where grammatical errors rule my morning and the edit button hides from me. Ok thanks!
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I will be one who will count for the rest of my life. What I'm more tired of is the gaining and losing yo yo. I'm so over it! I know I will have to watch my weight until I leave this earth. Yay me....
I remember once when my husband decided it was time to try to lose some weight. I made a big salad for the two of us and when it came time for him to put on the dressing, he pulls out a big cook tablespoon from the drawer to measure the dressing with. I showed him the difference in the amount he was 'going to put on' with that spoon vs. the actual measuring spoon for a TB. He was amazed.
The point is, what we 'see' and what really 'is' are usually 2 very different things. I measure and weigh everything. I have to. Yes, it's work. But yes, it works!
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I still like logging and see no reason to stop at some point, just as I see no reason to stop weighing myself or keeping track of my exercise.
However, if you want to stop, I think you need to figure out what goes wrong when you do. Is it that you eat more than you realize? If so, you just need to figure out how to mentally keep track without having to count. My meals and habits now are such that I'm pretty confident I could consistently hit close to my desired calorie level without logging and cut or add to it in a controlled way without logging also. That's something not hard to learn. Or is it that you want to eat without thinking about it and logging currently serves as a restriction to keep you from eating more, which you do when not thinking about it. Some think you can address the latter by eating to hunger and focusing on intuitive eating. Personally, I know I'm not good at it--my hunger cues are basically controlled by habit anyway when not by more problematic things like emotion. So when I maintained before I ate in a controlled way without logging and probably need to. I think this is actually more normal for humans. If not limited by cost and shortages, we've generally eaten in a way highly controlled by custom and the opportunities for unlimited eating of whatever that are currently available are not the norm.0 -
I will count, because for me its necessary. Others will not find it so.0
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I fear I will be doing this until the end of my days... I would love to be able to get to the stage of eating for requirement and getting the sums right, but after a lifetime of Yo Yo dieting my weight has been relatively stable for the past 6 years mostly due to counting calories and logging on here. For me it's a necessary evil and just part of my day...0
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Ok I am with the crowd of folks that must do this for life. I obviously can't control myself with food so why ignore that fact. I know its a "Problem" but its also a "Problem" if I die of a massive heart attack because I can't trust myself with food. Logging everything and weighing myself religiously is the only way for "Me" Your Mileage may Vary 0
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I can, and I have... and then one day I realize I'm 30 pounds overweight (again). I'll have to at least spot-check to remind myself about portion control from time to time when I reach goal (again). I know someone who's kept about 40 pounds off for more than 10 years and that's what she does.0
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I don't count every day. Now that I'm at maintenance I have a pretty good idea of what my day should look like and my appetite has regulated such that I don't typically go too crazy on days I don't count. I log when it's convenient just to check in and make sure I'm still on track, but certainly not every day. For a while I obsessively tracked every calorie and worked out like crazy and I was miserable. So I stopped and I've literally gained a total of 5 lbs but I'm MUCH happier with balance in my life. Do what you need to do to maintain, but I don't really think obsessing over logging every day is necessary.0
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I'm okay with it. To me, it's like the responsibility of having money in your checking account and keeping it balanced. Sure, I'd love to spend all I wanted to every day without watching it, but I have to keep it balanced or I'll overdraw. When it comes to calories, overdrawing regularly means gaining weight. As it becomes a part of my daily routine, I'm comfortable and less stressed out knowing that I'm making progress.0
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Back when I originally lost about 70 lbs and was within 5 lbs of my ultimate goal weight, I stopped counting and kept it off, +- 10 lbs, for a few years. I still have no idea how I did it. Obviously, I eventually gained it back, plus another 10 lbs. I think I just got used to eating smaller portions. I remember having a lot of half normal-size sandwiches for lunch.
I also kept working out and running, A LOT. But I drank like a fish!!0 -
I will count calories for the rest of my life. If this isn't something you prefer then you have to develop the habits needed to transition from counting calories to portion control. Hopefully, you are using a food scale, measuring spoons, and cups. As you prepare your food, focus on the size and amount of your portions. Over time, you will be better able to go without counting calories.0
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On my deathbead, I will demand to know the macros of the IV drip0
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I will always have to count calories. I stopped recently for about a month and have gained 4 pounds back. I have just come to realize that unless I am counting the calories I have blinders on as to how much I am really eating. Today starts a new day for me and the beginning of the rest of my life. Happy Counting
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Chief_Rocka wrote: »On my deathbead, I will demand to know the macros of the IV drip
lol
And as someone mentioned grazing is hard... I have to break that habit.
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No, the goal shouldn't be to count calories for life, lol. It would be the exceedingly rare person who did that, if there is even one.
The goal should be to learn better eating and exercise habits. The calorie counting should help you learn better eating habits. The exercise logging should get you in the habit of doing it and help you have an idea of how much exercise burns how much food.
In the end, you want to have a healthier diet, eaten in reasonable portions and have exercise be a part of your life (which should continue for life, as long as you're physically able.)
If you want to stop, you can stop any time. No gun to your head.
You should do it because you WANT to do it. If you don't want to work on this, just stop and be happy doing what you do want to do.
THIS.0 -
You could try keeping a food log where you just write the amounts you eat for a while. Such as "1 large scoop of rice, 2 spoons of soy sauce" without the exact measurements and calories.
That way you are still mindful about your eating without all the work. And you would be less likely to eat a huge piece of chocolate cake if you had to write down "1 enormous piece of chocolate cake with ice cream"
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I definitely wish I could stop. I actually did stop for the past 3 days, but had so much anxiety about it that I logged back in this morning.
Hopefully soon, I can learn to let go and just keep doing the healthy habits that I have picked up over the past year and a half. Until then, I'm with ya! Good luck!0 -
My goal is *not* to, but if it winds up that I need to, I will. It is second nature to me now, so I don't find it cumbersome.0
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Even if I don't physically count calories by now I know the calories in the food I'm eating so no going back
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I think I'll end up counting for the rest of my life. Maybe not daily, but definitely often enough to keep myself accountable. I know exactly how to eat to maintain my weight, it's just that I don't seem to actually DO it if I'm not counting calories.0
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