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Is counting calories/macros destroying our enjoyment of food?
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Hungry_Shopgirl wrote: »Eating dinner with my husband I watched him pick a cherry tomato from the tray and pop it straight into his mouth. I felt genuinely jealous because I don't get to do that. The tomato goes on the scale first, then into my mouth. There was something so simple and straightforward about the way he enjoyed that tomato that I don't get to have.
So yeah, I think for me counting calories does detract from the pleasure of eating.
This is how I feel. You just can't eat a bite of something and just enjoy it. I have low enough calories that for 1 week I tried to fit in a hamburger patty - not the bun - just the patty - and I finally gave up because with only about 1400 calories a day, it just didn't work, so I ate chicken instead of what I really wanted. I'm constantly having to swap out what I really want for something I don't want as much, or "nope, can't have that snack because it would put me over my calories". I also have learned that I can't eat foods I "love". I have to eat foods I "like" otherwise I won't stop eating the things I love.2 -
I haven't even gone to a restaurant in over a month (since I started) because of calorie counting. But to me this is worth it. I've spent most of my life having an unhealthy relationship with food... I need to see it as nutrition for a while and not just comfort and enjoyment. I'd like to get to a point where I can enjoy it again but also be mindful of its purpose.2
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musicfan68 wrote: »Hungry_Shopgirl wrote: »Eating dinner with my husband I watched him pick a cherry tomato from the tray and pop it straight into his mouth. I felt genuinely jealous because I don't get to do that. The tomato goes on the scale first, then into my mouth. There was something so simple and straightforward about the way he enjoyed that tomato that I don't get to have.
So yeah, I think for me counting calories does detract from the pleasure of eating.
This is how I feel. You just can't eat a bite of something and just enjoy it. I have low enough calories that for 1 week I tried to fit in a hamburger patty - not the bun - just the patty - and I finally gave up because with only about 1400 calories a day, it just didn't work, so I ate chicken instead of what I really wanted. I'm constantly having to swap out what I really want for something I don't want as much, or "nope, can't have that snack because it would put me over my calories". I also have learned that I can't eat foods I "love". I have to eat foods I "like" otherwise I won't stop eating the things I love.
Yep. If I cycle hills as fast as I can for 2 hours, then I can make *half* the burger and fries fit (and I better have a long run/ride scheduled the next day for the other half). But it better be a place with a damn good burger & fries. Usually- I settle for a rum & diet coke and sneaking a few bites of a Clif bar when dancing at bar venues. 1400 estimated net maintenance calories. Athletic males usually have no idea how lucky they are (higher BMR + higher cardio burns = actually able to eat & drink restaurant food afterward on more than a rare basis).
But- the alternative is being fat (or completely barring high-calorie-density foods altogether)..so on with the calorie counting
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Hungry_Shopgirl wrote: »Eating dinner with my husband I watched him pick a cherry tomato from the tray and pop it straight into his mouth. I felt genuinely jealous because I don't get to do that. The tomato goes on the scale first, then into my mouth. There was something so simple and straightforward about the way he enjoyed that tomato that I don't get to have.
So yeah, I think for me counting calories does detract from the pleasure of eating.
A cherry tomato is about three calories. If you underestimated the size of the tomato by half, you would need to eat over a thousand tomatoes to gain one pound. If this is causing you stress, there's a simple solution - just eat the tomato and go on with your life.
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musicfan68 wrote: »Hungry_Shopgirl wrote: »Eating dinner with my husband I watched him pick a cherry tomato from the tray and pop it straight into his mouth. I felt genuinely jealous because I don't get to do that. The tomato goes on the scale first, then into my mouth. There was something so simple and straightforward about the way he enjoyed that tomato that I don't get to have.
So yeah, I think for me counting calories does detract from the pleasure of eating.
This is how I feel. You just can't eat a bite of something and just enjoy it. I have low enough calories that for 1 week I tried to fit in a hamburger patty - not the bun - just the patty - and I finally gave up because with only about 1400 calories a day, it just didn't work, so I ate chicken instead of what I really wanted. I'm constantly having to swap out what I really want for something I don't want as much, or "nope, can't have that snack because it would put me over my calories". I also have learned that I can't eat foods I "love". I have to eat foods I "like" otherwise I won't stop eating the things I love.
Yep. If I cycle hills as fast as I can for 2 hours, then I can make *half* the burger and fries fit (and I better have a long run/ride scheduled the next day for the other half). But it better be a place with a damn good burger & fries. Usually- I settle for a rum & diet coke and sneaking a few bites of a Clif bar when dancing at bar venues. 1400 estimated net maintenance calories. Athletic males usually have no idea how lucky they are (higher BMR + higher cardio burns = actually able to eat & drink restaurant food afterward on more than a rare basis).
But- the alternative is being fat (or completely barring high-calorie-density foods altogether)..so on with the calorie counting
But damn, did I ever enjoy the hell out of that burger and fries though.1 -
musicfan68 wrote: »Hungry_Shopgirl wrote: »Eating dinner with my husband I watched him pick a cherry tomato from the tray and pop it straight into his mouth. I felt genuinely jealous because I don't get to do that. The tomato goes on the scale first, then into my mouth. There was something so simple and straightforward about the way he enjoyed that tomato that I don't get to have.
So yeah, I think for me counting calories does detract from the pleasure of eating.
This is how I feel. You just can't eat a bite of something and just enjoy it. I have low enough calories that for 1 week I tried to fit in a hamburger patty - not the bun - just the patty - and I finally gave up because with only about 1400 calories a day, it just didn't work, so I ate chicken instead of what I really wanted. I'm constantly having to swap out what I really want for something I don't want as much, or "nope, can't have that snack because it would put me over my calories". I also have learned that I can't eat foods I "love". I have to eat foods I "like" otherwise I won't stop eating the things I love.
I am in 1200 calories and that's why it's been so stressful, but I finally made progress. 5 pounds of fat lost in a month and 1.3 pounds of muscle gained. I hope I continue making progress. It's extremely tough though.4 -
musicfan68 wrote: »Hungry_Shopgirl wrote: »Eating dinner with my husband I watched him pick a cherry tomato from the tray and pop it straight into his mouth. I felt genuinely jealous because I don't get to do that. The tomato goes on the scale first, then into my mouth. There was something so simple and straightforward about the way he enjoyed that tomato that I don't get to have.
So yeah, I think for me counting calories does detract from the pleasure of eating.
This is how I feel. You just can't eat a bite of something and just enjoy it. I have low enough calories that for 1 week I tried to fit in a hamburger patty - not the bun - just the patty - and I finally gave up because with only about 1400 calories a day, it just didn't work, so I ate chicken instead of what I really wanted. I'm constantly having to swap out what I really want for something I don't want as much, or "nope, can't have that snack because it would put me over my calories". I also have learned that I can't eat foods I "love". I have to eat foods I "like" otherwise I won't stop eating the things I love.
I ... how big exactly was this hamburger patty??
Most of the restaurant burgers around here clock in at 800-900 cals including the bun. Now personally, I don't have a problem making that fit in 1400 cals, but I don't have a problem eating only eat two meals a day if both are on the heavier side. I know a lot of people don't do well trying to follow that kind of eating schedule.
There are burgers that are more than that, but they'd involve cheese, avocado, pate, something additional that's also pretty high cal.
Fries, now - those are hard to fit in unless you're satisfied with oven-baked. I love fries, but I'm super-picky about what type and how they're made. They must be steak fries, must not be double fried or be seasoned with anything other than sea salt. And of course they must be piping hot and can't be greasy. For my tastes, restaurant fries are almost never worth it.2 -
musicfan68 wrote: »Hungry_Shopgirl wrote: »Eating dinner with my husband I watched him pick a cherry tomato from the tray and pop it straight into his mouth. I felt genuinely jealous because I don't get to do that. The tomato goes on the scale first, then into my mouth. There was something so simple and straightforward about the way he enjoyed that tomato that I don't get to have.
So yeah, I think for me counting calories does detract from the pleasure of eating.
This is how I feel. You just can't eat a bite of something and just enjoy it. I have low enough calories that for 1 week I tried to fit in a hamburger patty - not the bun - just the patty - and I finally gave up because with only about 1400 calories a day, it just didn't work, so I ate chicken instead of what I really wanted. I'm constantly having to swap out what I really want for something I don't want as much, or "nope, can't have that snack because it would put me over my calories". I also have learned that I can't eat foods I "love". I have to eat foods I "like" otherwise I won't stop eating the things I love.
I ... how big exactly was this hamburger patty??
I had the same question, especially since this seems to be in the context of an at home meal.
If you have 95% lean ground beef, a 150 g patty (raw) is only 200 calories. It provides 32 grams of protein, which is nice.
Even with an 80% lean ground beef patty, 150 g would be 381 calories (lots but not that impossible to fit in a day if you skip the bun and are pairing it with vegetables).3 -
If tracking calories is destroying your enjoyment of food then I think you are approaching it with the wrong mindset. If you are eating something that is going to tank your calories and/or macros for the day, life goes on. Log it, enjoy it, review your day, and figure out what you could have done differently to stay within your limits, and do a better job tomorrow.8
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Alatariel75 wrote: »The first thing that comes to mind on this is the growing demands for calorie counts at restaurants.
I love food, and have spent an appalling amount of money at some very, very high end restaurants. When I go out to eat, I want it to be an event, and I'm sure as hell not thinking about calories. But there are some people out there who believe that it should be mandatory for all restaurants to provide nutritional information, which I think would be the death of everything I love about fine dining.
I mean, I'm all for the chains and fast food places which operate a production line kitchen having nutritional info and when I am grabbing something while out (as opposed to going out for the purpose of eating out) I tend to pick the ones that do have the info so I can track.
But the restaurants I love, the ones where I don't even look at a menu and just let them bring us a parade of different food that the chef has whipped up for that morning's trip to the market, could never even try to give nutritional info without destroying that spontaneity.
So in that way, I despair of the calls for mandatory information at restaurants and believe it would destroy the soul of those places, and thus my enjoyment of them.
I agree about ruining the enjoyment of fine dining and treating yourself. I think the information should always be available for anyone who asks for it, but I don't think it's necessary to put it right there on the menu.
I'm pretty certain that just about everyone who is concerned about calorie intake knows that anything that is breaded, fried or smothered in cheese/gravy/whipped cream is a bad choice... and those people who want to eat that probably aren't going to care about the calorie intake.
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Bry_Lander wrote: »If tracking calories is destroying your enjoyment of food then I think you are approaching it with the wrong mindset. If you are eating something that is going to tank your calories and/or macros for the day, life goes on. Log it, enjoy it, review your day, and figure out what you could have done differently to stay within your limits, and do a better job tomorrow.
Good words, my dude!1 -
I think every time I try to lose weight I learn something and shift my mindset a bit. The biggest thing that's helped me is regular mindfulness sessions, that are just helpful in life overall. Even 5 minutes a day helps me center myself and re-evaluate WHY I'm doing something. I was mindless in the other direction before MFP; before, I'd tune out my body's fullness signals, and with MFP sometimes I tune out my body's hunger signals. It's important to listen to all of those. Over time I learned that some foods aren't worth it; I can eat way less dessert now than I could before. I still eat it, but I know how i'll feel when the insulin spike hits, so I eat less of it. But yes the first few times I tried MFP before mindfulness stuff, I stopped enjoying food.2
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I think "calorie counts are ruining enjoyment of food" could be rephrased "things I like to eat are less-than healthy choices". Calorie counts are a reinforcement that choices have consequences and people don't like that. Be an adult, don't eat junk. Food is fuel, it doesn't have to taste bad, but it's not going to taste like a cinnamon roll.4
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I think "calorie counts are ruining enjoyment of food" could be rephrased "things I like to eat are less-than healthy choices". Calorie counts are a reinforcement that choices have consequences and people don't like that. Be an adult, don't eat junk. Food is fuel, it doesn't have to taste bad, but it's not going to taste like a cinnamon roll.
I personally find the exact opposite to be true. Food is not just fuel, it's much more than that, and it can taste like a cinnamon roll sometimes. Counting calories allows me to achieve exactly that; eat all the foods I love and pick the best tasting meals. I can have anything I want, whenever I want, in whatever quantity I want, just not all three at once. I would argue that calories ruin enjoyment of food for people who approach it from a neurotic place where stressing about the process itself dominates their lives instead of using it as a tool to enjoy food while still achieving their goals.5 -
Someone stated in a recent debate "there are no solutions, only trade offs". This really struck a chord with me and one of those incredibly simplistic, yet profound universal statements that connects with virtually everything in life.
Every decision is a trade off. Do you want the extra fries or do you want visible abs? Calorie counting simply enables you to make an informed decision. Without this tool many would simply go to an overly restrictive diet and eliminate fries. Knowing the calorie content enables me to have fries and adjust the amount so that I can fuel my workout and have control over the trade off.9 -
I enjoy it very much because I'm diabetic. I still have to see how many carbs are in everything but knowing the calorie count is available to everyone makes me not feel like such a freak.4
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Well, I have two options.
1) Continue to eat what ever the hell I want & die early because I'm a fat *kitten*.
2) Keep track of what I eat, lose weight so I can actually enjoy everything else rather than living a fat miserable existence in life, other than just enjoying the scarfing of everything in sight. I can also enjoy an occasional splurge on whatever I like this way.
So, No. Not knowing actually keeps me from being able to go out & enjoy it with family or friends, because I have no idea what or how much I am consuming. I am working too damn hard to go back to living like I used to with option #1. If nutritional info was available everywhere, I could always find an option that I liked & that was doable.7 -
Counting calories doesn't destroy mine. I don't even count calories that much anymore, anyways.0
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Periodically.
Sometimes when I look at what is "left over" macro wise I get discouraged. On other days that actually does help me come up with nice dinner ideas.
But I am only starting out and I started this out because I figured that I was slipping into having a bad relationship with food. Meaning, eating too little, punishing myself mentally for wanting something "unhealthy", when eating out not choosing what I want but I what I perceived to be high protein and low carb. And I am still there somewhat. MFP has this thing about subconsciously praising you for staying under your goals. But I set up my protein and calorie goal to actually reach it. Stil, I feel encouraged to stay under rather than risking getting "in the red". I am not sure that is good for me, but I am for now continuing to log food as much as I can.
I will be without a (reasonable) internet connection and without a choice of what I get to eat from Monday to Thursday next week. Maybe that will have a de-stress and de-load effect on my mind.2 -
skymningen wrote: »MFP has this thing about subconsciously praising you for staying under your goals. But I set up my protein and calorie goal to actually reach it.
Yeah -- I wish there was an option to have a green zone, within 5% of goals in either direction, maybe, and it would praise you for that. I think that would be a healthier approach.
It's a personal mental thing anyway, but for lots of people I think this would be helpful.8
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