Counting calories = eating disorder?
SkinnyMiss053
Posts: 65 Member
Hi there. I'm new here and I would like to lose 10-20lb. Not sure how much yet. Depends on how I feel. I'm 5'2, 22, female and mfp gave me 1200 calories but I set it to 1350 because I feel like I might binge if I eat so little. I'm not active, but still.
Anyway, my mom thinks counting calories is an eating disorder. I don't live with her but I know she will bug me about it often. My sister got close to anorexia once and now she thinks I will head down the same road.
But I don't feel like I would be able to maintain without counting, because if I let myself get fat once I would surely do it again if I didn't keep myself accountable?
Do you think counting calories forever is an eating disorder or wrong in any way?
Anyway, my mom thinks counting calories is an eating disorder. I don't live with her but I know she will bug me about it often. My sister got close to anorexia once and now she thinks I will head down the same road.
But I don't feel like I would be able to maintain without counting, because if I let myself get fat once I would surely do it again if I didn't keep myself accountable?
Do you think counting calories forever is an eating disorder or wrong in any way?
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Replies
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No and no.
Just curious, did you select more than 1 lbs/week loss? That might explain a lower calorie goal. I'm 5'2 and older than you and lose eating way more than that.
Calorie counting is a tool.0 -
yah no.
I have counted calories for almost 2 years and before that I did it in high school...20 odd years ago.
It is like a financial budget...you keep track of your spending and incoming income to ensure you are in a balance for what you want...
Is that disordered? no...your mom might get it if you explain it like that.
ETA:you are on a calorie counting website...chances are most will say no. However it can be a tool people with issues use.0 -
No counting calories is not an eating disorder in itself. It helps many people control their weight and keep/get to a healthy weight.
But it is a part of many people's eating disorders. I'm sure you can understand why your mother is worried if your family has experienced eating disorders and the damage they do first hand, why dint you sit and explain to her why and how you plan to go about losing those ten lbs.
Also out of curiosity as you posted this and gave all your stats except your weight, what are your goals? Good luck on your journey! :-)0 -
No and no.
Just curious, did you select more than 1 lbs/week loss? That might explain a lower calorie goal. I'm 5'2 and older than you and lose eating way more than that.
Calorie counting is a tool.
Yes I did. But it was on purpose. I don't weigh so much so I need less. I've never been able to stick to a too slow diet before, because I'm driven by results. At 1350 I will at least have a weekly noticeable loss, although it won't be a full pound. My maintenance currently is 1650.0 -
If you don't live with your mother and you are buying your own food, don't divulge anything that would cause her unnecessary worry for you that comes out in the form of ridicule.0
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If you don't live with your mother and you are buying your own food, don't divulge anything that would cause her unnecessary worry for you that comes out in the form of ridicule.
Anything causes that. She told her friend that I eat a piece of chocolate each night and that I will soon look like a whale.
pff. 0 -
No. My doctor recommended this specific tool. I didn't start it on my own. However, she did also warn me that I would have to keep myself in check, because some people do become food obsessed when pursuing as large of a goal as we are. I had a little over 80 lbs to lose. I'm 43 in, and I'm not food obsessed, and I'm eating healthy, nutrition-packed meals.0
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kickassbarbie wrote: »No counting calories is not an eating disorder in itself. It helps many people control their weight and keep/get to a healthy weight.
But it is a part of many people's eating disorders. I'm sure you can understand why your mother is worried if your family has experienced eating disorders and the damage they do first hand, why dint you sit and explain to her why and how you plan to go about losing those ten lbs.
Also out of curiosity as you posted this and gave all your stats except your weight, what are your goals? Good luck on your journey! :-)
I currently weigh 135lb. I'm not sure where I want to be yet. So 10lb for now. It depends on how I look at 125lb I suppose.
maybe I'll lose more once there or maybe I'll just tone up. 0 -
I just look at it as being efficient. Someone else mentioned equating it to managing finances and I think that's a brilliant way to look at it.
People rarely understand what makes someone successful, counting calories will make you successful at managing, losing, or gaining weight. Take advantage of it. It's in no way a disorder.0 -
Your mom is your mom and of course she's going to worry, especially with your sister and all. If she lives nearby a good way to keep her off your back would be to just go out to dinner with her sometime. Show her that you ARE eating.
"But I don't feel like I would be able to maintain without counting, because if I let myself get fat once I would surely do it again if I didn't keep myself accountable?" <-- This is why I keep at it. Ideally I shouldn't *have* to since I hit my goal, but left to my own devices it's all candy binges all week. lol0 -
SkinnyMiss053 wrote: »If you don't live with your mother and you are buying your own food, don't divulge anything that would cause her unnecessary worry for you that comes out in the form of ridicule.
Anything causes that. She told her friend that I eat a piece of chocolate each night and that I will soon look like a whale. pff.
Yeah you've just got to learn to ignore that! My mother is teeny tiny and has been 105 lbs her whole life- even after having 5 babies! She thinks she's 'fat' at 112 lbs now she's ridiculous. She's always poking me and saying you really should watch what you eat or you really need to lose a few lbs. It sucks and sometimes it gets to me but I just brush it off! I know she loves me and just wants me to be comfortable and happy since typically I'm relatively small too just let my eating get waaaay out of hand and stopped being active
changed that now though! Sorry for the novel but I can relate to having a mom like that! 0 -
SkinnyMiss053 wrote: »If you don't live with your mother and you are buying your own food, don't divulge anything that would cause her unnecessary worry for you that comes out in the form of ridicule.
Anything causes that. She told her friend that I eat a piece of chocolate each night and that I will soon look like a whale. pff.
Wow... So, if you examine that statement (your mom's) and what she said about calorie counting, well, you begin to see who actually has the disordered thinking... Since you didn't post your weight, I have no idea whether or not you actually need to lose, but if you do, calorie counting is the absolute best and most reasonable way to do it. I'm sorry you have to deal with that from mom, but sounds like it's her problem, not yours- don't let her make you feel badly about yourself.0 -
Keep doing what you're doing. You'll get there.0
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Do you think counting calories forever is an eating disorder or wrong in any way?
It happens. Depends on the person. If you find yourself going OCD on it or overly-preoccupied with counting, it might make sense to reconsider.
Most people, though, can't even stick to calorie counting, so it's not an issue.
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SkinnyMiss053 wrote: »Hi there. I'm new here and I would like to lose 10-20lb. Not sure how much yet. Depends on how I feel. I'm 5'2, 22, female and mfp gave me 1200 calories but I set it to 1350 because I feel like I might binge if I eat so little. I'm not active, but still.
Anyway, my mom thinks counting calories is an eating disorder. I don't live with her but I know she will bug me about it often. My sister got close to anorexia once and now she thinks I will head down the same road.
But I don't feel like I would be able to maintain without counting, because if I let myself get fat once I would surely do it again if I didn't keep myself accountable?
Do you think counting calories forever is an eating disorder or wrong in any way?
Hi There,
Its certainly not an eating disorder or certainly doesn't lead to one. you need to know what you're eating/drinking and analyse it to see if you need to change it to get healthy. I know people who are on MFP not for losing on gaining weight but just to track their food... pure satisfaction.
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Having a child with anorexia would be deeply traumatic for most people, so it's understandable that your mother would be alarmed by hearing that you are calorie counting. There is also a significant genetic element to anorexia, so your mother has grounds for worrying about you. (I will ignore her comment about the cake because it's quite possible she is conflicted in her own views about food and body image.)
If I were you I would keep quiet about my calorie counting so as to spare her the anxiety, but I would also open my mind to the possibility that I was vulnerable to contracting an eating disorder. If you are already at a medically appropriate weight (you haven't revealed your height, which is curious) you might want to examine your motivations for wanting to be thinner.
I am a huge fan of calorie counting but will concede that it probably does constitute 'disordered eating', as distinct from an eating disorder. In my case the alternative seems to be eating too much to the point where I become obese and take on all the health risks associated with that, which is also disordered eating. So, for me, calorie counting is the lesser of two evils.
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Anything causes that. She told her friend that I eat a piece of chocolate each night and that I will soon look like a whale. pff.[/quote]
Yeah, I'm much older than you but I get it. I have a mother like that and she still rides my last nerve. I won't say it gets any better, but you do eventually let it bug you less.0 -
Is it an eating disorder? No. Can it LEAD to one? Yes.
I am currently living proof, been at this calorie counting thing for a couple years (kept trying to keep it up and failing) but when I got put on a medication that suppressed my appetite as a side effect I found that the combination of the two triggered an eating disorder with me. Now the medication is gone, but I still am starving myself because I have become obsessed with logging my calorie intake and if I go over 1000 calories I start to become panicked and physically ill feeling (feels like food poisoning). I have always been an anxious person and I have PTSD, so perhaps that is part of why it happened, but be aware if anorexia is in your genes and you were raised with disordered thinking about your body/food (from what it sounds like, your mother probably instilled that in you from a young age) that calorie counting CAN trigger an obsession.
Just my two cents0 -
Is it an eating disorder? No. Can it LEAD to one? Yes.
I am currently living proof, been at this calorie counting thing for a couple years (kept trying to keep it up and failing) but when I got put on a medication that suppressed my appetite as a side effect I found that the combination of the two triggered an eating disorder with me. Now the medication is gone, but I still am starving myself because I have become obsessed with logging my calorie intake and if I go over 1000 calories I start to become panicked and physically ill feeling (feels like food poisoning). I have always been an anxious person and I have PTSD, so perhaps that is part of why it happened, but be aware if anorexia is in your genes and you were raised with disordered thinking about your body/food (from what it sounds like, your mother probably instilled that in you from a young age) that calorie counting CAN trigger an obsession.
Just my two cents
Please tell me you're getting help for this issue. Professional help.0 -
SkinnyMiss053 wrote: »If you don't live with your mother and you are buying your own food, don't divulge anything that would cause her unnecessary worry for you that comes out in the form of ridicule.
Anything causes that. She told her friend that I eat a piece of chocolate each night and that I will soon look like a whale. pff.
Yeah you've just got to learn to ignore that! My mother is teeny tiny and has been 105 lbs her whole life- even after having 5 babies! She thinks she's 'fat' at 112 lbs now she's ridiculous. She's always poking me and saying you really should watch what you eat or you really need to lose a few lbs. It sucks and sometimes it gets to me but I just brush it off! I know she loves me and just wants me to be comfortable and happy since typically I'm relatively small too just let my eating get waaaay out of hand and stopped being active changed that now though! Sorry for the novel but I can relate to having a mom like that!
Omg, do we have the same mom??
I could have written the same thing about my mom (110lbs after 5 kids, and thinks she's fat)0 -
I have a fuel disorder because I check the gas gauge when I drive my car. Ummm, no!0
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Not at all. Just be careful not to become too obsessed with counting, as that can lead to an actual eating disorder.0
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Ugh, our moms are exactly the same. I'm pretty slender though, but I like to count my calories to maintain my frame. And according to MFP I can eat up to 1900 calories a day so I have room to eat A LOT. My mom tries to shame me by saying "you can stand a few pounds" and crap like that. But to me though, counting calories is fine just as long as you don't get obsessive about it0
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It's only a disorder when you get really obsessive about it. In the middle of the night, I get up and put some butter on a few Rice cakes. They never go in my diary because I am someone that is not obsessive. Obsessive is when you eat the min calories and go out with friends and just drink a diet coke instead of having dinner.0
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unfortunately it is! I read somewhere that everything you do in order to "compensate" eating is an eating disorder. Even working out to burn the calories you eat.0
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Ok, then. Your comments suggest that your mom has her own issues that she projects. Do not share your eating habits with her. Realize that her misplaced opinions are based on her own insecurities and fears. Love her, but she is not in a place to give you advice about your eating habits.
I'm going to add the caveat that you need to look out for your health first and weight loss second. I'm so tempted to reduce calories for that faster scale response but realize that my strength goals will suffer, along with my ability to stick to it! I'm older, 45, and have been up and down. I've wasted years being overweight and obese (man, I hate admitting that) because I didn't take the time to love myself, and what I'm doing, to feel better.
An eating disorder is not brought to bear by counting calories. It's a varied emotional/behavioral disorder. You may be susceptible, as your sister was. That is a legitimate worry. However, your mother seems to have problems with varied eating habits. She will not likely change, so it's up to you to change how you react to her comments.0 -
pollypocket1021 wrote: »SkinnyMiss053 wrote: »If you don't live with your mother and you are buying your own food, don't divulge anything that would cause her unnecessary worry for you that comes out in the form of ridicule.
Anything causes that. She told her friend that I eat a piece of chocolate each night and that I will soon look like a whale. pff.
Yeah you've just got to learn to ignore that! My mother is teeny tiny and has been 105 lbs her whole life- even after having 5 babies! She thinks she's 'fat' at 112 lbs now she's ridiculous. She's always poking me and saying you really should watch what you eat or you really need to lose a few lbs. It sucks and sometimes it gets to me but I just brush it off! I know she loves me and just wants me to be comfortable and happy since typically I'm relatively small too just let my eating get waaaay out of hand and stopped being active changed that now though! Sorry for the novel but I can relate to having a mom like that!
Omg, do we have the same mom??
I could have written the same thing about my mom (110lbs after 5 kids, and thinks she's fat)
What is wrong with them!? I'm terrified to have kids because I'm worried I won't lose the baby fat I don't think my mom
Ever had baby fat..not that I remember anyway! She'd pop them out and look all thin and great again!0 -
There are all sorts of eating disorders, It's not unbelievable for an overweight person to have one. You should/need to seek professional help before it gets really out of hand and you do long term damage to yourself.0 -
That has nothing to do with it. You need help. NOW.0
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