When you SHOULDN'T count calories
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Losing weight is NOT easy. Yes, simple principles apply, but you have to put in the hard yards. If you want something really bad, you will work to get it.0
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Blueseraphchaos wrote: »I've just seen a lot of her posts in the past and seriously, not trying to be mean, they just worry me. But it's mfp and everyone is mean here.
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Pinnacle_Fitness wrote: »Blueseraphchaos wrote: »I've just seen a lot of her posts in the past and seriously, not trying to be mean, they just worry me. But it's mfp and everyone is mean here.
I do look remarkably like that. Especially when i am telling my kids that they're done playing video games for the day.0 -
haha - me too!Blueseraphchaos wrote: »
I do look remarkably like that. Especially when i am telling my kids that they're done playing video games for the day.
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UltimateRBF wrote: »Well, it's not like I can make them stop serving food at any and all church events. And I would love to go work out for an hour a day, but after being on my feet walking for 6 to 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, there are days where I rely on painkillers just to walk to the bathroom. Right now, I take 15,000 to 20,000 steps a day on average, and I often go for short walks with friends when we go out. I'm limping on the walks, but I suppose weight loss is supposed to be synonymous with pain.True, when I go straight from work until church, I don't have to eat. I can go from lunch at 3 pm and wait until midnight to eat dinner. No problem.
You're acting like the only person with a busy schedule and obstacles to work around. You should have just started this thread right off with the whining and excuses because we all knew that's where it was going to head anyway. For Pete's sake there are people on this site with kids, spouses, multiple jobs, school, severe health problems and they still find a way to make it work. You're acting like you've got it so tough. Get some freaking perspective.
You've been given AMPLE good advice, multiple times. Figure it out, stop the attention seeking and stop the complaining and excuses.
This 100%.0 -
So, because YOUR methods don't work for me, I'm just complaining and making excuses?
Fine, then I guess I am.
That's perfectly fine with me. I'm trying to figure out something that WILL work for me. If, for many reasons (some more complex than, even I know), I do not do well with counting calories, I'll figure out something that I will do well with.
Maybe that'll be packing lunch and cooking at home (and not just things like frozen buffalo wings and boxed macaroni and cheese- actually cooking fresh, whole ingredients).
Maybe it'll be strictly using certain plates, bowls, and lunch containers for meals to help keep portions in check: Leafy green salads on my large plate; other meals on smaller plates. Milk served only in my smaller 8 to 10 oz. cup; water, unsweetened tea, and seltzer in the larger ones.
Maybe sitting down for meals rather than grazing on on snacks while walking around will be one of the many keys to my success.
Maybe keeping track of when I eat my meals will help me pinpoint what to eat on what days. I may find patterns- like I eat later on Fridays, so I should eat a larger breakfast and lighter lunch, but on Thursdays, I'm more easily able to eat more evenly spaced meals, so I can keep my meal sizes about equal.
Perhaps, while sticking to South Beach, Paleo, or another plan like that isn't realistic for me at this point, I'll find that I do best eating primarily unprocessed, whole foods- so long as I don't stress over the occasional dessert or burger.
But it will be trial and error. It could be that all of this methods work for me. It could be that NONE do.
I just know that obsessing over calorie counts, numbers, and the like just does not work for me. I need to do something I can stick to long term.0 -
Good.
Don't do calorie counting then.
Create a calorie deficit using another method.
But Do It.
Don't just talk about doing it.0 -
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Just here expressing my disbelief that this thread is still here lol0
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I want to know what I'm eating and feeding the machine
I look at the stock market
I watch the weather
I look at the gas gauge in my car
I'm the kind that likes to know what's up.
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So, because YOUR methods don't work for me, I'm just complaining and making excuses?
Fine, then I guess I am.
That's perfectly fine with me. I'm trying to figure out something that WILL work for me. If, for many reasons (some more complex than, even I know), I do not do well with counting calories, I'll figure out something that I will do well with.
Maybe that'll be packing lunch and cooking at home (and not just things like frozen buffalo wings and boxed macaroni and cheese- actually cooking fresh, whole ingredients).
Maybe it'll be strictly using certain plates, bowls, and lunch containers for meals to help keep portions in check: Leafy green salads on my large plate; other meals on smaller plates. Milk served only in my smaller 8 to 10 oz. cup; water, unsweetened tea, and seltzer in the larger ones.
Maybe sitting down for meals rather than grazing on on snacks while walking around will be one of the many keys to my success.
Maybe keeping track of when I eat my meals will help me pinpoint what to eat on what days. I may find patterns- like I eat later on Fridays, so I should eat a larger breakfast and lighter lunch, but on Thursdays, I'm more easily able to eat more evenly spaced meals, so I can keep my meal sizes about equal.
Perhaps, while sticking to South Beach, Paleo, or another plan like that isn't realistic for me at this point, I'll find that I do best eating primarily unprocessed, whole foods- so long as I don't stress over the occasional dessert or burger.
But it will be trial and error. It could be that all of this methods work for me. It could be that NONE do.
I just know that obsessing over calorie counts, numbers, and the like just does not work for me. I need to do something I can stick to long term.
OP I've read your original post and all the others since then. Your just going around in circles and making many excuses! If you don't want to count calories ect, then DONT! I honestly think you need to speak to a Health Professional about your many issue's. I'm not trying to be mean or judgmental but how hard is it to decide what you want/need to do with your food intake? Your also so negative about almost everything? Many people on here are giving you great advice and your not taking any of it. Don't understand why your even on MFP if you don't want to log your food. Good luck when you decide what you want to do!!0 -
I, myself, suffered from severe anorexia nervosa for six years. Post recovery I ended up overweight. The way that I lost my excess weight was by counting calories but in a different way than I know others do it. For example, I try to hit my daily goal rather than staying below it. I eat every exercise calorie. I allow myself to eat all food groups and treat myself within a calorie goal. If I have a social event, I estimate and leave it at that. I prefer to make my deficit through exercise rather than eating less. I also have to be careful that I don't let the number on the scale consume me, so I don't weigh myself that often. Instead I set fitness goals, take measurements and do this for health rather than weight. It has worked very well and I have not engaged in disordered behaviours for nearly a year. I try to keep my head in the game, but not obsess about it by having other interests. Now I am happy with myself
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So, because YOUR methods don't work for me, I'm just complaining and making excuses?
Fine, then I guess I am.
That's perfectly fine with me. I'm trying to figure out something that WILL work for me. If, for many reasons (some more complex than, even I know), I do not do well with counting calories, I'll figure out something that I will do well with.
Maybe that'll be packing lunch and cooking at home (and not just things like frozen buffalo wings and boxed macaroni and cheese- actually cooking fresh, whole ingredients).
Maybe it'll be strictly using certain plates, bowls, and lunch containers for meals to help keep portions in check: Leafy green salads on my large plate; other meals on smaller plates. Milk served only in my smaller 8 to 10 oz. cup; water, unsweetened tea, and seltzer in the larger ones.
Maybe sitting down for meals rather than grazing on on snacks while walking around will be one of the many keys to my success.
Maybe keeping track of when I eat my meals will help me pinpoint what to eat on what days. I may find patterns- like I eat later on Fridays, so I should eat a larger breakfast and lighter lunch, but on Thursdays, I'm more easily able to eat more evenly spaced meals, so I can keep my meal sizes about equal.
Perhaps, while sticking to South Beach, Paleo, or another plan like that isn't realistic for me at this point, I'll find that I do best eating primarily unprocessed, whole foods- so long as I don't stress over the occasional dessert or burger.
But it will be trial and error. It could be that all of this methods work for me. It could be that NONE do.
I just know that obsessing over calorie counts, numbers, and the like just does not work for me. I need to do something I can stick to long term.
It's good that you have some methods in mind to try. I'd suggest trying them one at a time for at least 3 weeks. If it doesn't seem sustainable, then try something else. Trial and error is how we learn. And while you are trying you are still working toward a goal.0 -
So, because YOUR methods don't work for me, I'm just complaining and making excuses?
Fine, then I guess I am.
That's perfectly fine with me. I'm trying to figure out something that WILL work for me. If, for many reasons (some more complex than, even I know), I do not do well with counting calories, I'll figure out something that I will do well with.
Maybe that'll be packing lunch and cooking at home (and not just things like frozen buffalo wings and boxed macaroni and cheese- actually cooking fresh, whole ingredients).
Maybe it'll be strictly using certain plates, bowls, and lunch containers for meals to help keep portions in check: Leafy green salads on my large plate; other meals on smaller plates. Milk served only in my smaller 8 to 10 oz. cup; water, unsweetened tea, and seltzer in the larger ones.
Maybe sitting down for meals rather than grazing on on snacks while walking around will be one of the many keys to my success.
Maybe keeping track of when I eat my meals will help me pinpoint what to eat on what days. I may find patterns- like I eat later on Fridays, so I should eat a larger breakfast and lighter lunch, but on Thursdays, I'm more easily able to eat more evenly spaced meals, so I can keep my meal sizes about equal.
Perhaps, while sticking to South Beach, Paleo, or another plan like that isn't realistic for me at this point, I'll find that I do best eating primarily unprocessed, whole foods- so long as I don't stress over the occasional dessert or burger.
But it will be trial and error. It could be that all of this methods work for me. It could be that NONE do.
I just know that obsessing over calorie counts, numbers, and the like just does not work for me. I need to do something I can stick to long term.Need2Exerc1se wrote: »So, because YOUR methods don't work for me, I'm just complaining and making excuses?
Fine, then I guess I am.
That's perfectly fine with me. I'm trying to figure out something that WILL work for me. If, for many reasons (some more complex than, even I know), I do not do well with counting calories, I'll figure out something that I will do well with.
Maybe that'll be packing lunch and cooking at home (and not just things like frozen buffalo wings and boxed macaroni and cheese- actually cooking fresh, whole ingredients).
Maybe it'll be strictly using certain plates, bowls, and lunch containers for meals to help keep portions in check: Leafy green salads on my large plate; other meals on smaller plates. Milk served only in my smaller 8 to 10 oz. cup; water, unsweetened tea, and seltzer in the larger ones.
Maybe sitting down for meals rather than grazing on on snacks while walking around will be one of the many keys to my success.
Maybe keeping track of when I eat my meals will help me pinpoint what to eat on what days. I may find patterns- like I eat later on Fridays, so I should eat a larger breakfast and lighter lunch, but on Thursdays, I'm more easily able to eat more evenly spaced meals, so I can keep my meal sizes about equal.
Perhaps, while sticking to South Beach, Paleo, or another plan like that isn't realistic for me at this point, I'll find that I do best eating primarily unprocessed, whole foods- so long as I don't stress over the occasional dessert or burger.
But it will be trial and error. It could be that all of this methods work for me. It could be that NONE do.
I just know that obsessing over calorie counts, numbers, and the like just does not work for me. I need to do something I can stick to long term.
It's good that you have some methods in mind to try. I'd suggest trying them one at a time for at least 3 weeks. If it doesn't seem sustainable, then try something else. Trial and error is how we learn. And while you are trying you are still working toward a goal.
I'm trying three things for now
1. Logging food and time eaten
2. Packing lunch for work
3. Only eating when seated (helps with logging the time eaten if I'm not mindlessly grazing).
My main goals are to be more mindful and lean towards healthier whole foods with no guilt if I indulge. Logging food, sitting when I eat, and packing lunch will help with that.
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I'm trying three things for now
1. Logging food and time eaten
2. Packing lunch for work
3. Only eating when seated (helps with logging the time eaten if I'm not mindlessly grazing).
My main goals are to be more mindful and lean towards healthier whole foods with no guilt if I indulge. Logging food, sitting when I eat, and packing lunch will help with that.
Logging food is only going to help if you act on the information. Do you eat less food if you log it? Do you log it all?
Packing lunch might get you eating a set amount but if you havent at some stage counted calories then how do you know whether its a lot or a little?
What has the time eaten got to do with it? Are you only eating at certain times of the day?
If these are your methods, then you do seem to be skirting around the issue. If you wnat to lose weight fundamentally you have to get to grips with controlling and moderating food intake, its amount that matters in the first instance for weight loss. You can do all this if you use the scales or a tape measure as your means of estimating over time. They just seem tiny steps of dubious effect afyer all these years of trying.
If you wnat and got help in addressing the mental aspects an whats holding you back there, then you might begin to see what everyone else can and thereby be able to tackle the issues properly. I just think you are selling yourself short by not listening to people who have achieved what you say you wish to and it saddens me that you have been on MFP for such a long time, but still seem to be skirting around the issue of controlling how much you eat.0 -
I'm trying three things for now
1. Logging food and time eaten
2. Packing lunch for work
3. Only eating when seated (helps with logging the time eaten if I'm not mindlessly grazing).
My main goals are to be more mindful and lean towards healthier whole foods with no guilt if I indulge. Logging food, sitting when I eat, and packing lunch will help with that.
Logging food is only going to help if you act on the information. Do you eat less food if you log it? Do you log it all?
Packing lunch might get you eating a set amount but if you havent at some stage counted calories then how do you know whether its a lot or a little?
I don't calorie count either and get this question a lot, even though the answer should be completely obvious. You can tell by your weight/size.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
I'm trying three things for now
1. Logging food and time eaten
2. Packing lunch for work
3. Only eating when seated (helps with logging the time eaten if I'm not mindlessly grazing).
My main goals are to be more mindful and lean towards healthier whole foods with no guilt if I indulge. Logging food, sitting when I eat, and packing lunch will help with that.
Logging food is only going to help if you act on the information. Do you eat less food if you log it? Do you log it all?
Packing lunch might get you eating a set amount but if you havent at some stage counted calories then how do you know whether its a lot or a little?
I don't calorie count either and get this question a lot, even though the answer should be completely obvious. You can tell by your weight/size.
Your weight/size don't immediately change and chances are if you're not logging the amount of calories between days can differ a lot. You can have a long term trend in one direction or the other, but unless you have an idea of the calorie contents of your days you can't pinpoint where you fudged up.0 -
Need2Exerc1se wrote: »
I don't calorie count either and get this question a lot, even though the answer should be completely obvious. You can tell by your weight/size.
If you follow the thread, then I have no problem with estimating by other methods, but the OP has been at this for years posting the same strategies and hasnt adjusted to one which results in her stated aim of weight loss. If you read her posts and the thread then you will see shes given plenty of advice on other ways of estimating, but appears to take none of it. Read ninkyous post of what the OP was posting 2 years ago.0 -
When I attended a few weight watchers meetings a while back there were several women who felt similar to you and would not track because it brought up fears of over-control and impending obsession about "failure." They achieved great success, so find what works for you!
While I find that tracking helps me stay real with myself (my obsession is fear of the scale--it's horrible. I fear my weekly check-ins and know I can't weigh in more than once weekly because it stresses me out so much about "failing"--even if I know my tracking was on point--that I want to binge eat because at least if I "fail," I choose to... weird and unhealthy, I know.), I can relate to attending functions where I have no idea how much everything is on a calorie meter. In those situations, I fall back on old Weight Watchers eyeballing portions techniques, and try to fill up my plate with 1/2 veg, 1/4 starch, and 1/4 protein, rather than push that ol' "I don't know-->binge" button or just drinking black coffee and smiling weakly (lol).0 -
This is the strangest thread.
It's like me going to a vegan/IIFYM/etc website and writing a post about why I SHOULDN'T be vegan/IIFYM/etc.
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I'm trying three things for now
1. Logging food and time eaten
2. Packing lunch for work
3. Only eating when seated (helps with logging the time eaten if I'm not mindlessly grazing).
My main goals are to be more mindful and lean towards healthier whole foods with no guilt if I indulge. Logging food, sitting when I eat, and packing lunch will help with that.
Logging in a way that captures calories and macros freaks you out...but this doesn't? I'm not seeing how recording the time or just writing down what you have eaten (without quantity or nutritional information) is helpful in any way.
What you are doing is not dieting--it's just basic adult eating. Don't expect to start losing weight this way.0 -
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Yep sure does!!0
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KittensMaster wrote: »I want to know what I'm eating and feeding the machine
I look at the stock market
I watch the weather
I look at the gas gauge in my car
I'm the kind that likes to know what's up.
Ha, I kind of like that. Just checking up on what's going on. Add checking your daily calories to the list of other things you check but are such a habit you don't think about. Your calories will become a habit as well.
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Blueseraphchaos wrote: »Just here expressing my disbelief that this thread is still here lol
Know why this thread is still here?
Because the OP is using it to feed her disordered thinking. Nothing more than that. There's zero intent in terms of actually making a change or (more importantly) making a commitment to get the professional help she clearly needs.
Instead it's just this endless cycle of talking about/talking around/being a victim/feeling attacked/making no changes/ad infinitum. The thread helps keep it going.
Yes I think you are right. OP likes talking about weight loss methods, her goals, her barriers to achieving them etc - but doesn't actually do anything much about it.
That's why I said talking to her about different methods is not helping - until she is actually doing something to reduce her calories, as opposed to just talking about food or even recording food, nothing will change.
OP to coin a phrase from Nike - Just Do It.
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Blueseraphchaos wrote: »But isn't this how it always goes....completely ignore anything that doesn't mesh totally with what she wants to hear, which is "you're right, you are special and can't lose weight"
I don't know about here, but on SparkPeople, a bunch of us did break this down at one point. What if she IS a special snowflake, medically speaking? We discussed some of the possible issues that can making losing weight physically difficult. We suggested different approaches to try and what to get checked out with a doctor.
Of course, the OP never addressed any of this.
Clearly we are all out to get her!
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Well, it's not like I can make them stop serving food at any and all church events. And I would love to go work out for an hour a day, but after being on my feet walking for 6 to 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, there are days where I rely on painkillers just to walk to the bathroom. Right now, I take 15,000 to 20,000 steps a day on average, and I often go for short walks with friends when we go out. I'm limping on the walks, but I suppose weight loss is supposed to be synonymous with pain.
Personally I can't even tell you how crap like this makes me feel. I could rant and say some stuff right now, but I'll try to keep it nice. I keep my painkillers to a bare minimum because I don't want to get hooked on them, and because they work better if I don't take them often, and I try to save them for agonizing pain. Because that's what you get when you've had back fusion surgery, and another back surgery, and currently have another disk getting ready to break down. Some days I gotta use my cane to go to the store, but I still force my way onto the elliptical when I can make it (which isn't always). So give it about being on your feet and taking a lot of steps and limping when you take a walk.
BUT HEY. None of that matters, because weight loss doesn't have anything to do with that. It's about what you put in your mouth. Who cares if they serve food at church events? you don't have to eat all the food they serve there, you can bring your own, or make good choices.0 -
Well, it's not like I can make them stop serving food at any and all church events. And I would love to go work out for an hour a day, but after being on my feet walking for 6 to 7 hours a day, 5 days a week, there are days where I rely on painkillers just to walk to the bathroom. Right now, I take 15,000 to 20,000 steps a day on average, and I often go for short walks with friends when we go out. I'm limping on the walks, but I suppose weight loss is supposed to be synonymous with pain.
Personally I can't even tell you how crap like this makes me feel. I could rant and say some stuff right now, but I'll try to keep it nice. I keep my painkillers to a bare minimum because I don't want to get hooked on them, and because they work better if I don't take them often, and I try to save them for agonizing pain. Because that's what you get when you've had back fusion surgery, and another back surgery, and currently have another disk getting ready to break down. Some days I gotta use my cane to go to the store, but I still force my way onto the elliptical when I can make it (which isn't always). So give it about being on your feet and taking a lot of steps and limping when you take a walk.
BUT HEY. None of that matters, because weight loss doesn't have anything to do with that. It's about what you put in your mouth. Who cares if they serve food at church events? you don't have to eat all the food they serve there, you can bring your own, or make good choices.
Exactly. The food is there--nobody is forcing you to eat it. I used to have a job where part of what I did involved going to fancy cocktail parties. At the time, I could not drink alcohol due to medications. This was in a country where just about everybody is a big drinker and where refusing alcohol is extraordinarily rude. I was often the guest of honor, so I could not fade into the woodwork. So I would take a drink, carry it around, swirl it, move it from hand-to-hand and never take a sip. Nobody ever questioned me about this. Don't tell me that you can't go to a church potluck and either not eat or make some reasonable choices. If all else fails, take a tiny bit of food and just leave it on your plate. It absolutely CAN be done if you are trying at all.
I'm twice the OPs age, am missing most of one knee and walking that much every day doesn't make me limp. Her whole perception of pain, suffering, hunger...no, STARVATION...all of these are really off.0 -
You are right. Nobody is forcing me to eat, but it's pretty hard to resist eating when it's been 4 or 5 hours since my last meal, and it will be another 4 or 5 until my next. There's no opportunity to eat before; I barely make it to church on time from work with traffic as it is. By the time I get home, it's usually after 9 or 10pm. I suppose I could wait until 11 to eat dinner, but that always messes me up. I ended up eating dinner late last night due to unforeseen circumstances, and nothing satisfied my hunger. I went to bed with my stomach growling trying to resist the urge to eat just about anything I could get my hands on.
But, as I have said before, I barely eat anything at these weekly church potlucks. That's not the issue. It's dealing with the stress of counting calories at these events.
And good for you. Unfortunately, being on my feet for 6 to 10 hours a day most days often leaves me in so much pain that my left foot won't bear any weight. Just because you don't have that issue does not mean I don't. Age and lack of a knee has nothing to do with it; it's my own personal limitation.0 -
You don't want to count calories or log your food? Sorry doesn't make sense. MFP is a calorie counting App. There's no other reason for you to be here. Consult your doctor or a nutritionist on the best way for you to lose weight.0
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