Fine line between counting/logging and obsessing?
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I can enjoy an indulgent meal too. But the only way I can is by tracking in MFP. I use the weekly nutrition function...and when I see leftover calories that I have not consumed...I feel totally OK about the indulgence. Without tracking I wouldn't have that information. To each his/her own...but tracking works for me. I am so tired of being laughed at and derided for it.0
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cwolfman13 wrote: »amandarunning wrote: »Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated...
Oh please...
IKR!
I really hate those inspo quotes. Nine times out of ten they are just plain stupid.0 -
But, I don't mind logging. Logging keeps me grounded, safe, and guilt-free. I like seeing the numbers. Makes it easy. What I guess prompted me to post is the being accused of "obsessing" and wondering if anyone else felt that way or were told that. If it is obsessing, it will just have to be. It works for me.0
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good quote.amandarunning wrote: »Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated...
The nice thing about obsessing over it for a while is that you get really good at guesstimating calories so there could come a time where you could just eat intuitively.
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tammylee57 wrote: »But, I don't mind logging. Logging keeps me grounded, safe, and guilt-free. I like seeing the numbers. Makes it easy. What I guess prompted me to post is the being accused of "obsessing" and wondering if anyone else felt that way or were told that. If it is obsessing, it will just have to be. It works for me.
I am confused. How does this jive with your first post?
"I am tired of it...weary of it...sometimes hate it... "0 -
good quote.amandarunning wrote: »Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated...
The nice thing about obsessing over it for a while is that you get really good at guesstimating calories so there could come a time where you could just eat intuitively.
IMO, its a terrible quote.
Obsessed:
"preoccupy or fill the mind of (someone) continually, intrusively, and to a troubling extent."
It does happen - and its apparently good? And when that observation is made by someone, that person is lazy? Really?
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You get used to it and it become second nature.. I used to worry that I would get obsessed but after a year of logging I feel like it's the same thing as keeping track of your gas meter on your car. You don't obsess over it, just get it done and over with.0
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Lrdoflamancha wrote: »amandarunning wrote: »Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated...
This is ridiculous.
Ridiculous probably.... But it is also the truth...
This is a bunch of fitspo garbage and it's insulting to people who actually develop obsessive attitudes towards their diet.
Troll
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lessismoreohio wrote: »Lrdoflamancha wrote: »amandarunning wrote: »Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated...
This is ridiculous.
Ridiculous probably.... But it is also the truth...
This is a bunch of fitspo garbage and it's insulting to people who actually develop obsessive attitudes towards their diet.
Troll
I'm not trolling in the slightest.0 -
tammylee57 wrote: »I can enjoy an indulgent meal too. But the only way I can is by tracking in MFP. I use the weekly nutrition function...and when I see leftover calories that I have not consumed...I feel totally OK about the indulgence. Without tracking I wouldn't have that information. To each his/her own...but tracking works for me. I am so tired of being laughed at and derided for it.
who's laughing or deriding you about it? people are just pointing out that there's a huge difference between logging and keeping track of something and obsessing about it.
I logged for about 9 months and was very successful...and early on, it wasn't really a big deal...but down the road several months, and i didn't every want to eat anywhere that wasn't a chain and didn't provide nutritional info...I was meticulously weighing out a dollop of ketchup and god forbid if I forgot to log those 10 calories.
There is a fine line. Yes, calorie counting taught me a lot...but ultimately I had to look at it as training wheels...it was to the point that what I was doing was unhealthy. Fortunately, I learned a lot of healthful habits and learned a lot about nutrition in general as those tools have helped me maintain without having to keep a diary anymore.
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I would say if you find yourself obsessed, this is probably not the only thing you obsess about. Obsessive behavior about food is usually a symptom of something greater.0
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If your mostly a creature of habit, whom often consumes the same thing regularly; then you might already know how many Calories daily your consuming. So I'd just log everything new and/or infrequent, I also try not to consume; anything that I can't measure.0
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You get used to it and it become second nature.. I used to worry that I would get obsessed but after a year of logging I feel like it's the same thing as keeping track of your gas meter on your car. You don't obsess over it, just get it done and over with.
YOU aren't obsessing over it and that's a great thing. You are a good example of someone who can likely stick to logging for a long term period and do really well with it and that's great.
Other people may obsess over it in a way that causes less than desirable results with their view of food. And these are the people who need to address it.0 -
I'm used to it. I don't care.tammylee57 wrote: »I am so tired of being laughed at and derided for it.
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lessismoreohio wrote: »Lrdoflamancha wrote: »amandarunning wrote: »Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated...
This is ridiculous.
Ridiculous probably.... But it is also the truth...
This is a bunch of fitspo garbage and it's insulting to people who actually develop obsessive attitudes towards their diet.
Troll
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lessismoreohio wrote: »Lrdoflamancha wrote: »amandarunning wrote: »Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated...
This is ridiculous.
Ridiculous probably.... But it is also the truth...
This is a bunch of fitspo garbage and it's insulting to people who actually develop obsessive attitudes towards their diet.
Troll
I'm not trolling in the slightest.
I am literally lol'ing at that.0 -
UGH, hear hear!cwolfman13 wrote: »amandarunning wrote: »Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated...
Oh please...
IKR!
I really hate those inspo quotes. Nine times out of ten they are just plain stupid.
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lessismoreohio wrote: »Lrdoflamancha wrote: »amandarunning wrote: »Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated...
This is ridiculous.
Ridiculous probably.... But it is also the truth...
This is a bunch of fitspo garbage and it's insulting to people who actually develop obsessive attitudes towards their diet.
Troll
Telling the truth, even though it may not be what you want to hear =/= troll.
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lessismoreohio wrote: »Lrdoflamancha wrote: »amandarunning wrote: »Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated...
This is ridiculous.
Ridiculous probably.... But it is also the truth...
This is a bunch of fitspo garbage and it's insulting to people who actually develop obsessive attitudes towards their diet.
Troll
Still lol'ing
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No, there is a huge difference between logging diligently and being obsessed. I got to a point in logging where all of my macros had to be perfect and if they weren't I'd have a breakdown that usually including binging on bags and bags of chips, jars of PB and nutella, anything I could get my hands on (including once, an entire jar of pickled beets). I would scrutinize my diary for HOURS a day. I wouldn't eat anything I hadn't prepared myself because I couldn't guarantee the accuracy of nutrition. THAT is obsessive. Logging your food does not make you obsessive.
You must be lazy according to this thread.
Hahaha...yup--and thank goodness. I'd rather be lazy than obsessed ever again!0 -
I kind of like the quote but hey ho each to their own...
Personally I've often been told, "you're obsessed" "you don't need to lose weight" or "you exercise too much" and frequently those feeling in a position to comment are simply deflecting their own (over) weight and (lack of) fitness issues.0 -
I sometimes wonder the same thing about myself but the reality is that until I lose interest in food this is a tool that I need! Maybe one day when we are not bombarded with the need to overindulge in just about everything, and obesity is a thing of the past and we all survive eating pellets
MFP and all other weight loss tools with no longer be needed. Then if we are still obsessing over our pellet intake we will know we have an issue!
Not to make light of it, but this is what works for us and think just like that day that we started happened when it was time for it to happen so will that day for us to stop logging will happen when it is right for us! Don't rush it just let it happen and when someone ask about logging, just tell them the truth 'this is what is working for you right now and you are not ready to stop!'0 -
I saw this on Buzzfeed the other day and it made me laugh! Any MFP'er will totally understand!
http://www.buzzfeed.com/catesevilla/hold-on-i-just-need-to-log-this#.pvWBz2Red
thank you for sharing this! this made my day!!
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amandarunning wrote: »
Personally I've often been told "you don't need to lose weight" or "you exercise too much" and frequently those feeling in a position to comment are simply deflecting their own (over) weight and (lack of) fitness issues.
I don't disagree that there are people who do exactly this.
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amandarunning wrote: »Obsessed is a word the lazy use to describe the dedicated...
Love this! Where is the "Like" button?!0 -
I personally think I might always have to log my food... but I wouldn't buy a new dress without looking at the price and then checking my account to make sure I had enough money, so I won't get that particular meal unless I'm sure I have the calories for it. It's already a habit and it doesn't bother me. If it ever does, then I guess I would try without it and see if I'm good enough at portion sizes to not gain. If I gain it would be right back to counting. I doubt I'll get tired of it, though.0
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I understand what you are saying but it's not necessarily true that you always have to be aware of the number of calories you are consuming.
It is possible, over time and with the correct resources, for some people to learn eating habits that allow them to respect hunger/satiety cues and use that, along with good food selection habits, to eat a reasonable range of calories for their goal.
It's not simply "eating whatever you want" but it's also not "mentally tracking calories" either.
I think the reality is that there are many people who are here for whom calorie counting is the only method that has worked, so they are willing to do whatever it takes to use that method.
Perhaps for some people this might be true, but it's also a possibility that they have not yet learned the habits necessary to have success without logging.
Fortunately, it's quite possible to learn those habits WHILE you are tracking intake so that AT SOME POINT you do not have to keep logging.
This is exactly what I was feeling when I read this post. Of course, I just read through all of your's and SarahUKs wonderful articles (or rather a plethora of them) so your logic is fresh in my head.
OP, I have the opposite spectrum where I don't log enough. Simply because I need to see what I am eating is doing to me and a log would allow for that reflection. My analytic mind wants that but my time constraints do not allow it. I still need to reflect and look in the mirror regularly (whether I like what I see or not) in order to help me move forward. Yet, I still found where I need to be and if I had a bad week and need to work it off I also have an idea of what that would take.
The key is everyone is different. You have to find what works for yourself and you have to be comfortable with what you are doing for yourself. If logging gets you there, then that is awesome - keep logging.0 -
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The sometimes I hate it..weary of it (of my original post).... referred to counting calories...not the logging of them0
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