Giving Up Calorie Counting After 5 Years?
seashellbabe
Posts: 12 Member
Hey everyone! So here's my situation. When I was a sophomore in high school (I am currently a sophomore in college) I used MyFitnessPal to lose weight & go from 224 pounds to 133 pounds. However, counting calories has led to a really nasty binging problem. I've gone from 133 (which wasn't healthy for me anyway, I'm shooting for 140 now) to 165-170. I'll count calories & do very well for a few days, & then binge and eat grotesque amounts of food. Sometimes I'll have a binge week & absolutely demolish everything. The cycle has been continuing for years. It's not a healthy way to live for me & I know the calorie counting needs to go because everything I've tried always leads back to calorie counting being the issue. This is in NO way attacking the success others have had with losing & keeping the weight off with MyFitnessPal, but my question to the wonderful people on this forum is if any of you have any different life style changes that are sustainable? My mental health has deteriorated a LOT because of this but I'm simply not the type to lay around moping all day & I'd really like to find a way to end this cycle 
I'm thinking of going vegan as one possible alternative to lose the weight. I'm 6 foot, 165-170 pounds, and a 19 year old man. I definitely would like to build some muscle because I have a lot of flab, but right now diet is my main concern. Also, if anyone has any suggestions on how often/if to weigh myself, that'd be great too because I have an issue with obsessive weighing and I think it's playing a huge part in this. Thank you all so much
I'm thinking of going vegan as one possible alternative to lose the weight. I'm 6 foot, 165-170 pounds, and a 19 year old man. I definitely would like to build some muscle because I have a lot of flab, but right now diet is my main concern. Also, if anyone has any suggestions on how often/if to weigh myself, that'd be great too because I have an issue with obsessive weighing and I think it's playing a huge part in this. Thank you all so much 1
Replies
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I think your first step should be to get some counselling, if you're not already doing so. What you are describing is an eating disorder.30
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Here's what you do, pick up The Lean Muscle Diet by Lou Schuler used on Amazon for ten bucks. Read it, it's a life changer. At 19 your metabolism is a furnace. You should be able to eat anything, maybe just stay away from sugar. I think if you fill up on the right foods and start lifting weights you won't feel the need to binge.16
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And weigh yourself every Monday. Sounds like you're actually underweight.9
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Dare I say it? Before the internet, many of us successfully maintained weight by cutting down on fattening foods and weighing ourselves. We learned pretty quickly what was working and what wasn't. You can give up counting calories, but you should still weigh yourself.
You may be bingeing because your diet is too restrictive. Start lifting weights, build some muscle, weigh weekly, and see how you're doing in a few months. Not everyone on here counts calories. Let us know how it goes. You're young and have lots of time to play around with things.6 -
Goober1142 wrote: »And weigh yourself every Monday. Sounds like you're actually underweight.
Kind of random isn't it? In which way is Monday better than Friday for example? Given water weight variation how are you going to guarantee that there will not be a much bigger variance from week to week because of water weight as opposed to fat change?
It will all boil down to how the OP mentally manages all that.
Given the OPs age and given the fact that he's not even overweight at this point I will chime in to say that addressing the issues that lead to these binges is the first and most important thing to tackle. Dealing with weight loss is a far second.10 -
Actually, just checked, and you are at a healthy weight for your height, OP. You do not need to lose weight. 140 would put you at the bottom end of the BMI range, which is not in any way advisable for a male.
Please, please get some help.14 -
Thank you for the comments about getting counseling, and I think I should've elaborated in the OP. I have been getting counseling and I'm aware of the dangers of binge eating. That's actually why I'm here, because my therapist told me to pursue new concrete ways to manage weight without triggering bingeing like through calorie counting. I definitely should've included that in the OP but thank you for being so kind about it, it's definitely not an easy topic to discuss & I appreciate your kindness so much
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I'm glad to hear you're getting help. Absolutely you do not need to track calories - you might actually want to poke around in the maintainers forum for posts about quitting counting - they pop up from time to time and may have a lot of good advice for you.2
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Couple thoughts:
1. When I was with the VA TeleMOVE program they gave me a scale that only allowed me to weigh once per day. I don't know if that is available to the public, but something like that might help with obsessive weighing, yes?
2. When I was your age and active, I didn't need to count calories to lose weight - I just moved a little more and ate a little less. How active are you?
3. Do start weight lifting. That is of course one way to be more active, as well as helping you get the body you want. I strongly recommend a few sessions with a personal trainer so you are not just doing random stuff with poor form at the gym.5 -
seashellbabe wrote: »Thank you for the comments about getting counseling, and I think I should've elaborated in the OP. I have been getting counseling and I'm aware of the dangers of binge eating. That's actually why I'm here, because my therapist told me to pursue new concrete ways to manage weight without triggering bingeing like through calorie counting. I definitely should've included that in the OP but thank you for being so kind about it, it's definitely not an easy topic to discuss & I appreciate your kindness so much
I'm glad you're in therapy. Are you learning Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques to help get your food issues under control? This really helped me.4 -
At 19, you are still growing. Men grow until age 21. When I enter your height, age, gender into calculator.net, 170 IS a healthy weight. The top end of healthy, but healthy. Bone structure plays a role, too. I'm real concerned that 140 (your goal) is not a healthy goal.
I'm glad you're seeing a counselor. Unfortunately, I must disagree that you need another method to monitor your weight loss. Maybe you should see a nutritionist. Don't know.
I don't think the issue is how you should restrict your intake. I think you need to come to peace with food. Is it like your at war with food?1 -
GottaluvFood wrote: »At 19, you are still growing. Men grow until age 21. When I enter your height, age, gender into calculator.net, 170 IS a healthy weight. The top end of healthy, but healthy. Bone structure plays a role, too. I'm real concerned that 140 (your goal) is not a healthy goal.
I'm glad you're seeing a counselor. Unfortunately, I must disagree that you need another method to monitor your weight loss. Maybe you should see a nutritionist. Don't know.
I don't think the issue is how you should restrict your intake. I think you need to come to peace with food. Is it like your at war with food?
Not at all like I'm at war, if anything I love food too much. I don't avoid it. My counselor believes that when I do diet & count calories it puts this rigid systematic image into my mind & once that image is messed up (I go over my calories, I get super hungry so I have to eat more, etc.) all hell breaks loose.2 -
seashellbabe wrote: »Thank you for the comments about getting counseling, and I think I should've elaborated in the OP. I have been getting counseling and I'm aware of the dangers of binge eating. That's actually why I'm here, because my therapist told me to pursue new concrete ways to manage weight without triggering bingeing like through calorie counting. I definitely should've included that in the OP but thank you for being so kind about it, it's definitely not an easy topic to discuss & I appreciate your kindness so much
I think a lot of us have been there (not necessarily underweight but binging/purging/feeling out of control).
There are lots of threads out there from people strugging with BED; I'd recommend looking through the archives there's some great information out there. If you're looking to put on muscle, you'll need a lifting plan; it might help you get into a routine regarding eating/exercising.
One tip I've seen that's great is to write down how you feel after a binge: what set you off? Were you starving? Were you around your trigger food? What was your emotional state? Better awareness might help you prevent dramatic fluctuations in diet/weight.
If you want to log but you don't want to track calories, you can try using a paper log and writing down only WHAT you eat, not how much.
And maybe lay off weighing yourself completely for now; when I find myself getting obsessive I find I have to put the scale away.
Also start looking into "recomposition"; rather than losing weight being the focus (it could be what's making you hungrier) the focus is on gaining muscle/strength while losing fat.
I think your intentions are all in the right place: it sounds like you want to achieve and maintain health and feel good, and you deserve to! It might take a while for you to figure out exactly how to go about doing so, but I'm confident you'll get there. In the meantime, make sure you're aiming for other goals as well: you've got a gift for expressing yourself, and I'm sure many other skills besides. Let yourself shine! 4 -
How many calories do you allow yourself?
Are you working out...and if so are you eating those calories back?
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emailmehere1122 wrote: »How many calories do you allow yourself?
Are you working out...and if so are you eating those calories back?
1400-1500, and no I'm not working out but I applied for a gym membership. I think in a lot of ways I'm scared of working out because I don't want to see the scale go up, even if it's muscle. It's irrational and makes little sense2 -
seashellbabe wrote: »Thank you for the comments about getting counseling, and I think I should've elaborated in the OP. I have been getting counseling and I'm aware of the dangers of binge eating. That's actually why I'm here, because my therapist told me to pursue new concrete ways to manage weight without triggering bingeing like through calorie counting. I definitely should've included that in the OP but thank you for being so kind about it, it's definitely not an easy topic to discuss & I appreciate your kindness so much
I think a lot of us have been there (not necessarily underweight but binging/purging/feeling out of control).
There are lots of threads out there from people strugging with BED; I'd recommend looking through the archives there's some great information out there. If you're looking to put on muscle, you'll need a lifting plan; it might help you get into a routine regarding eating/exercising.
One tip I've seen that's great is to write down how you feel after a binge: what set you off? Were you starving? Were you around your trigger food? What was your emotional state? Better awareness might help you prevent dramatic fluctuations in diet/weight.
If you want to log but you don't want to track calories, you can try using a paper log and writing down only WHAT you eat, not how much.
And maybe lay off weighing yourself completely for now; when I find myself getting obsessive I find I have to put the scale away.
Also start looking into "recomposition"; rather than losing weight being the focus (it could be what's making you hungrier) the focus is on gaining muscle/strength while losing fat.
I think your intentions are all in the right place: it sounds like you want to achieve and maintain health and feel good, and you deserve to! It might take a while for you to figure out exactly how to go about doing so, but I'm confident you'll get there. In the meantime, make sure you're aiming for other goals as well: you've got a gift for expressing yourself, and I'm sure many other skills besides. Let yourself shine!
Okay, TimTam pretty much wrote the post I was going to...
I've been where you are, OP, at your age even, 'cept, I purged on top of the starving and binging. No fun, and my heart really goes out to you. I'm very glad you are seeing a counsellor. The tip for keeping a journal of how you feel is a really good one. Particularly see if you can do it before the binge. Actually stop and analyse what it is that you are feeling that is making you want to binge in the first place. It is really hard work confronting those emotions at first, but it is key to recovery. Find out what is causing the destructive coping mechanism (because that's what it is), and then find new, healthy ways to deal with the issues instead.
Also endorsing looking into recomposition, because you don't need to lose weight. And yeah, don't weigh yourself.
Best of luck to you, OP.1 -
Are you a high energy type of person?
Do a lot of walking?0 -
So the first issue with your caloric goal that one's would identify is that you're systematically under-eating until you explode in an overeating event.....9
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Let me say congratulations on losing all that weight but you still have your calories set to lose weight. The calorie calculator I use says you need 2007 calories to maintain your weight
You have already proven you have tremendous will power by being able to accomplish what you already have...do you think your body might be trying to tell you that you need to eat more?
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seashellbabe wrote: »emailmehere1122 wrote: »How many calories do you allow yourself?
Are you working out...and if so are you eating those calories back?
1400-1500, and no I'm not working out but I applied for a gym membership. I think in a lot of ways I'm scared of working out because I don't want to see the scale go up, even if it's muscle. It's irrational and makes little sense
Oh sweetie! That's not anywhere near enough calories for you, even if you aren't doing any exercise. You really are starving, then breaking and binging. Eating a normal amount really will help with that urge to binge.
I totally understand not wanting to see the scale go up (like, really, really understand), which is why I think not weighing, at least for awhile, would be good for you. Really hard habit to break at first, but you can do it.
Also, if you're eating at maintenance (so more calories please!) whilst doing progressive strength training, the scale shouldn't move much anyway. You will likely have a bit of water gain to help with muscle repair (go good! Not fat!), and maybe an initial little jump on the scale just from having more food in your system and replenishing your glycogen stores (again, it's not fat). But if you keep away from the scale, you won't even notice
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Thank you everyone for the suggestions I definitely am gonna work out & get a personal trainer, but I'd like to tackle my eating first because it's both the root of the problem & extremely important for my weight. After all, it's 80% diet & 20% exercise I'm thinking of going vegan, & making a huge effort to eat less without paying attention to calories. Any other recommendations? 1
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seashellbabe wrote: »Thank you everyone for the suggestions I definitely am gonna work out & get a personal trainer, but I'd like to tackle my eating first because it's both the root of the problem & extremely important for my weight. After all, it's 80% diet & 20% exercise I'm thinking of going vegan, & making a huge effort to eat less without paying attention to calories. Any other recommendations?
Please don't eat less, you are already under-nourishing your body
. Going vegan for this reason is just another way of enabling your restrictive behaviour. 12 -
Are you able to make an appointment with a dietician?3
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seashellbabe wrote: »Thank you everyone for the suggestions I definitely am gonna work out & get a personal trainer, but I'd like to tackle my eating first because it's both the root of the problem & extremely important for my weight. After all, it's 80% diet & 20% exercise I'm thinking of going vegan, & making a huge effort to eat less without paying attention to calories. Any other recommendations?
At 1400-1500 calories you need to eat more calories per day, not less. Under-eating can trigger binges for sure.
I'm 6 inches shorter than you, 31 years older, and female, and I lose weight netting 1500 calories per day.3 -
What does you doctor say about your weight? Are your other stats normal? (Blood pressure, sugar, cholesterol?)0
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Going vegetarian or vegan doesn't necessarily mean you lose weight. It's restrictive, and that generally makes a way of eating less sustainable. Obviously some folks are successful vegans and vegetarians, but in general, it is more work. E.g. you have to think harder/plan more for getting enough protein, and protein is filling for most people, so getting enough really helps stabilize your eating pattern after being stuck in a restrict-binge cycle. One friend became vegetarian for ethical reasons but eventually gave it up because she kept gaining weight and decided maintaining her weight was a higher priority to her.
If addressing the binge-restrict eating pattern is your first goal, I'd say the strongest first step is to eat at an appropriate calorie level -- not more or less, and do it consistently. Experiment to figure out the macro MINIMUMS you need to feel energetic and satisfied all day. E.g. for me, a 115 lb woman, I feel best with AT LEAST 25g fiber, 50g fat and 100g protein daily on average. That may be difficult if counting is a trigger for you, but seriously, undereating is a binge waiting to happen for almost anyone.3 -
Try determining what your maintenance calories are (odds are it's far higher than what you've been eating). Eat at that for about a month and see how you're doing. Your low calories may be triggering your binge eating, I know I tend to eat more if I'm not eating regularly for me (I like eating 3 meals a day, it works for me) and eat things that satisfy me. When I'm getting good balanced meals in, I'm not drawn to overdo it. If you're looking for more help on what to eat and such, get a recommendation to a dietician.0
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I was doing the same thing. I upped my general calories and am much much better. I get more food in the day and not feeling as deprived, thus curbing binge episodes. I'm finding that slower weight loss for myself is better due to the binge cycles that were happening.
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seashellbabe wrote: »My mental health has deteriorated a LOT because of this but I'm simply not the type to lay around moping all day & I'd really like to find a way to end this cycle I'm thinking of going vegan as one possible alternative to lose the weight. I'm 6 foot, 165-170 pounds, and a 19 year old man. I definitely would like to build some muscle because I have a lot of flab, but right now diet is my main concern.
I think most of us are suggesting you start lifting weights because you said you have a lot of flab. Since you're a young man, why not have a lot of muscles? You've got the "lose weight" thing down. If you get into lifting weights that will get you into eating more protein, and eating more to build muscle. For me, I didn't recommend it as "exercise to lose weight" but rather as an activity that you could do that will teach you about proper nutrition so that you can build a strong and trim body. Use a trainer for awhile and go onto the Fitness boards and check out the great posts there.
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fiddletime wrote: »seashellbabe wrote: »My mental health has deteriorated a LOT because of this but I'm simply not the type to lay around moping all day & I'd really like to find a way to end this cycle I'm thinking of going vegan as one possible alternative to lose the weight. I'm 6 foot, 165-170 pounds, and a 19 year old man. I definitely would like to build some muscle because I have a lot of flab, but right now diet is my main concern.
I think most of us are suggesting you start lifting weights because you said you have a lot of flab. Since you're a young man, why not have a lot of muscles? You've got the "lose weight" thing down. If you get into lifting weights that will get you into eating more protein, and eating more to build muscle. For me, I didn't recommend it as "exercise to lose weight" but rather as an activity that you could do that will teach you about proper nutrition so that you can build a strong and trim body. Use a trainer for awhile and go onto the Fitness boards and check out the great posts there.
This.
We are a community that is trying to promote health, not weight loss exclusively; if you can't think of anything else but weight loss then you probably won't be able to see progress regarding overcoming your binging.
OP, multiple people here expressed concern with your perception that you're too heavy, plus with your calorie intake (I'm 5' tall and female and older and weigh less than you did at your skinniest and I still eat more than you and still lose weight). Starving makes mental health issues worse, so if you're not feeling well eating less will not be helpful. Google ways people tackled depression and anxiety with lifestyle interventions. (And this is speaking from experience too; I remember once slipping into 500cal a day and I was miserable; one day I had nothing but a black coffee til 4 and ate a tiny square of chocolate that came with my coffee and then went and cried because I'd slipped up... our brains don't work without fuel, surprisingly.)
Please come up with a different goal for yourself. Weight is not a bad thing to have; weight is your body, alive and present. Do you want to improve your mental health? Do you want to feel more energized? Do you want improved focus and stamina? What are you good at? What will you contribute to the world?
Veganism or no, calorie counting or no, taking care of ones body starts with the mindset. Orthorexic behaviors will only kick the can down the road. And if for all our recommendations, you still can only think about losing weight, you'll stay stuck in a binge/undereating cycle for a long time.
Sending you lots of hugs.5
This discussion has been closed.
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