Do you ever just get tired of thinking about calories?

I also have an OH who eats whatever he likes whenever he likes. He's Type 1 diabetic so we always have things like small chocolate bars or jelly sweets in the house in case his glucose gets low (which probably wouldn't be neccesary if he managed his condition better but he won't be told) so temptation is always within reach. He loves ice cream as well so for ages I was resentful that he could munch on ice creams and chocolate bars while I was weighing every last gram of everything. Then I did what everyone else here has suggested and found some snacks that satisfy my sweet tooth but only 'cost' 50-100 calories and I darn well make sure I have enough calories for them every night My favourite is Solero ice cream (95 cals).

macgurlnet wrote: »

Let's say there's 60 calories in your orange.

You could also have a piece of chocolate for the same number of calories - you may have to do less than a full portion, depending on what it is, but you can still have chocolate.

If you want those things, work them in! Go for a longer walk and earn some extra calories.

I have treats every single day. I did that while I was losing and still do it while I'm maintaining for a while. I try to limit candies and such to just after dinner, but some days are just stressful and I go for something earlier. I log it, I stay within goal, I mostly meet my macros.

If you're miserable, you won't stick with this. Don't do that to yourself.

~Lyssa

This. I find having a bite or two of the white chocolate cheesecake (or the brownie or whatever) gets me my fix--I don't need to have the whole piece.

Even if I decide to have the whole piece, I just cool it for the rest of the day or earn some calories back.

The other day, I was driving from an appointment. It was lunchtime, and I decided I wanted a Big Mac. No guilt, no guessing, just had the craving and bought one. Fantastic going down, didn't feel particularly good afterwards, but I was able to adjust for the rest of the day and was still under my calorie goal. It can be that simple. Good luck!

TimothyFish wrote: »

There are ways to control one's weight without weighing everything or counting calories. Some people love to weight stuff and they feel like counting calories gives them control, but if you really hate it, find a method that you like.

Got to comment on this - I don't think it's possible to lose weight without thinking about calories. I think it's what OP meant... not necessarily the counting, but the fact that, well, you're very aware of how many calories are in things and that you just can't eat too many brownies or too much ice cream or you will gain weight. And that has nothing to do with calorie counting.

Heck, I'd argue that if anything, if you don't count calories, it's even harder not to think about the calories in the brownie you really want to eat, as you have no way to know if it actually fits in your day or if it's going to set you back. I'd guess that people who don't count calories eat less sweets than I do.

OP, I honestly believe it's not counting calories, it's the way you look at it. For me logging here has been freeing.

I used to try to eat "clean" or "light" throughout the day, avoiding foods i loved because they would probably make me gain weight. And then after dinner I would want a little piece of chocolate or a small bowl of ice cream and I would stress out - could I afford it? Had I been good enough today? Would it put me over? And if I ate it, I would feel guilty.

Now that I count, I know how I did. I know if I have enough calories left for a bowl of ice cream or maybe just a small bite of chocolate instead. I can plan my day to allow for a restaurant meal or a couple of drinks after work. And if I do go over, I know I did, and I don't feel guilty because I know I can do better tomorrow.

Try pre-planning your day and leaving calories for a treat every day. Don't feel guilty if you go over one day, just us it as motivation to do better tomorrow. And if you are set to lose 2 lbs a week, back off a little and give yourself some extra calories. Life is too short to not enjoy a bowl of ice cream every once and awhile . good luck!

I really, really think you might want to take a step back and re-evaluate your relationship with food. You should not have to feel like you need to avoid social situations for fear of eating something you feel you shouldn't - you should not stop living your life because of food! Also, I personally don't like the phrase "cheat meal" some of us are referencing - if you have something you want, I don't think the connotation between food and guilt or something taboo should be made, if anything, call it a celebration meal. Now, when I only focused on calories I felt the same as you - I felt angry, tired, and very constricted and felt like throwing my hands up all the time and eating whatever I wanted only to feel even worse at the end of it. However, the way I've been handling my diet lately is really not focusing on calories at all. I make smarter choices throughout my day (whole, unprocessed foods and things with short and pronounceable ingredient lists) so that if I want to have a little something like some chocolate or a few chips, I have them without the guilt. I don't weigh my food, and I pay more attention to the quality and content OTHER than calories (like carb, protein and fat grams) and just watch my portions and stop eating when I'm not hungry and it's really helped. Honestly, I think it's better to take some focus away from how many calories you're eating and focus more on how food makes you feel and what benefits it's going to provide you. I know if I eat cookies and candy all day I don't feel very good, and I'm certainly not full and will probably eat more crap to essentially feel like crap. I know I'll feel sluggish, tired, and still hungry even after eating a whole container of Chinese food, so I typically don't eat it because I know it wont do anything for my body. If I really want something I'll have a bite or two of it instead of eating a whole bunch of other things that might be better for me but wont curb the craving (and in the end will be eating more than if I just had the food I wanted in the first place). Other times if I'm out and I really want the whole enchilada like a burger and fries or ice cream (my guilty pleasures) I just have it, provided I stay within my macros because I know it's not going to ruin my whole day or week or body in general if I celebrate from time to time. I also definitely agree with other people though that you should really think twice about if you really want something or if you're just bored or actually need water and are mistaking it for hunger. All in all, I live my life and I don't let food get in the way of it. Have a healthy relationship with food - don't see it as something that could ruin you but as something that can fuel you and make you feel great about your day in reaching your DV's. Start cooking more, explore farmers markets with your husband, fill your fridge with color and things you've never tried! Try alternatives and see what you like and don't like - food can be so much more than a limiting factor in your life and instead be a creative outlet and very fun to experiment with.

Yes, although when I don't do it is when things go awry. Some days I just say screw it, and eat whatever and am not mindful of my budget, but I still log it just to have the data. Seems to break the monotony somewhat.

I only log most of what I eat to keep tabs of where I'm at--I don't log everything. arya8 has it right; just have a knowledge of what you are eating (and how much). If you've been dieting for a while you kinda know abt how many calories are in an item and abt what a serving size looks like. It is abt making it a lifestyle not a diet or project with an end date.

I'm grateful for things I've learned from logging. For example, I had no idea how many calories are in tortilla chips, one of my go-to snacks. Just 9 chips is 140 calories. By contrast, three Oreo cookies are 160 calories. It's so easy to mindlessly eat half a bag of chips. I never do that any more. If I really want chips, I'll count out and/or weigh a portion and just eat that. Before logging, I'd've guessed that Oreos would be more of an impediment to weight loss than chips, just because they're chocolatey and sweet. But two or at most three Oreos is enough to satisfy me, whereas I used to eat chips without any thought as to how satisfying they were. Oreos are more worth the indulgence than chips to me.

cparsons_60 wrote: »

I'm grateful for things I've learned from logging. For example, I had no idea how many calories are in tortilla chips, one of my go-to snacks. Just 9 chips is 140 calories. By contrast, three Oreo cookies are 160 calories. It's so easy to mindlessly eat half a bag of chips. I never do that any more. If I really want chips, I'll count out and/or weigh a portion and just eat that. Before logging, I'd've guessed that Oreos would be more of an impediment to weight loss than chips, just because they're chocolatey and sweet. But two or at most three Oreos is enough to satisfy me, whereas I used to eat chips without any thought as to how satisfying they were. Oreos are more worth the indulgence than chips to me.

I've never really thought about that either. I guess I've never paid attention to the calories in oreos...but that is interesting. Maybe when I'm craving something sweet a few oreos isn't a bad idea if I can fit them into my day.