what is the point of logging?

hilla1996 · August 2020

I am a binge eater.

But I dont just let myself be free and consume.

I keep track of what I eat and count the calories.

Does anyone else do this?

I will obsessively measure out peanut butter and chocolate spread but not stop when I reach my goal or limit for the day.

The point of tracking is to know when you should stop but how do you actually stop?

This is my issue with calorie counting.

Today I ate 3150 calories, I rode my bike for about 2.5 hours (30 miles) and I walked about 5 miles.

I should have stopped at 2500 to stay in a calorie defecit as I want to lose about 7 pounds ( I am 5'7 and 130-135 pounds depending on whether I have binged or not, usually around 133)

I dont have control to stop eating but I have control to count everything, its so frustrating and pointless.

I know calories in/out is the way to go but I feel so envious of people who just eat and dont even think about tracking.

Thats my rant....I used to be 150 plus pounds and 5 months ago I lost some weight and have been maintaning.

I binged then and I binged now....my body does not care where I am at weight wise it just wants calories.

people that are overweight binge eat as well, the body is requesting excess calories to numb emotional pain or who knows honestly.

anyone else relate to this?

I should be happy with my 20 pound weight loss but I still get bloated and feel horrible and regretful after a binge.

harper16 · August 2020

Have you thought about taking to a professional regarding your binge eating?

Orphia · August 2020

hilla1996 wrote: »

I am a binge eater.

But I dont just let myself be free and consume.

I keep track of what I eat and count the calories.

Does anyone else do this?

I will obsessively measure out peanut butter and chocolate spread but not stop when I reach my goal or limit for the day.

The point of tracking is to know when you should stop but how do you actually stop?

This is my issue with calorie counting.

Today I ate 3150 calories, I rode my bike for about 2.5 hours (30 miles) and I walked about 5 miles.

I should have stopped at 2500 to stay in a calorie defecit as I want to lose about 7 pounds ( I am 5'7 and 130-135 pounds depending on whether I have binged or not, usually around 133)

I dont have control to stop eating but I have control to count everything, its so frustrating and pointless.

I know calories in/out is the way to go but I feel so envious of people who just eat and dont even think about tracking.

Thats my rant....I used to be 150 plus pounds and 5 months ago I lost some weight and have been maintaning.

I binged then and I binged now....my body does not care where I am at weight wise it just wants calories.

people that are overweight binge eat as well, the body is requesting excess calories to numb emotional pain or who knows honestly.

anyone else relate to this?

I should be happy with my 20 pound weight loss but I still get bloated and feel horrible and regretful after a binge.

You did a lot of exercise. I find that I can be ravenously hungry after that, then it calms down the next day.

If you were over today, to maintain, you can be under a bit for a day or two. No biggie.

I'm worried you're not enjoying eating after your exercise.

The point of logging?

To have some control over your weight, and to have caloric awareness.

You have caloric awareness, but today it seems you have no control.

If this is a big problem for a long time, take away the logging and see if it makes you change your behaviour, since it's not helping give you control. Perhaps you like doing the "wrong" thing.

Check out the Maintenance forum. Maintaining is a whole different game, just as hard if not harder than losing weight. Good luck, and well done for asking in here.

spyro88 · August 2020

Hi Hilla. It sounds like maybe for you calorie counting won’t be so helpful because you have a separate thing going on which is the binge eating.

It might be worth first trying to get some help with that in real life by seeing a professional/ counsellor.

Logging your food isn't gonna be helpful for you right now because you need to make a mental shift first around the binge eating, and that is something that an online forum probably won’t be able to help with. There are likely to be some deep underlying issues around why you do it that you need to explore.

Orphia · August 2020

I just noticed that if you lose 7 lb, you will be on the borderline between underweight and normal.

hilla1996 · August 2020

harper16 wrote: »

Have you thought about taking to a professional regarding your binge eating?

I am scared...I dont want to be labeled.....

hilla1996 · August 2020

Orphia wrote: »

hilla1996 wrote: »

I am a binge eater.

But I dont just let myself be free and consume.

I keep track of what I eat and count the calories.

Does anyone else do this?

I will obsessively measure out peanut butter and chocolate spread but not stop when I reach my goal or limit for the day.

The point of tracking is to know when you should stop but how do you actually stop?

This is my issue with calorie counting.

Today I ate 3150 calories, I rode my bike for about 2.5 hours (30 miles) and I walked about 5 miles.

I should have stopped at 2500 to stay in a calorie defecit as I want to lose about 7 pounds ( I am 5'7 and 130-135 pounds depending on whether I have binged or not, usually around 133)

I dont have control to stop eating but I have control to count everything, its so frustrating and pointless.

I know calories in/out is the way to go but I feel so envious of people who just eat and dont even think about tracking.

Thats my rant....I used to be 150 plus pounds and 5 months ago I lost some weight and have been maintaning.

I binged then and I binged now....my body does not care where I am at weight wise it just wants calories.

people that are overweight binge eat as well, the body is requesting excess calories to numb emotional pain or who knows honestly.

anyone else relate to this?

I should be happy with my 20 pound weight loss but I still get bloated and feel horrible and regretful after a binge.

You did a lot of exercise. I find that I can be ravenously hungry after that, then it calms down the next day.

If you were over today, to maintain, you can be under a bit for a day or two. No biggie.

I'm worried you're not enjoying eating after your exercise.

The point of logging?

To have some control over your weight, and to have caloric awareness.

You have caloric awareness, but today it seems you have no control.

If this is a big problem for a long time, take away the logging and see if it makes you change your behaviour, since it's not helping give you control. Perhaps you like doing the "wrong" thing.

Check out the Maintenance forum. Maintaining is a whole different game, just as hard if not harder than losing weight. Good luck, and well done for asking in here.

So for me I am actually hungry the day after I work out....Its like the hunger just hits me like a tidal wave

I used to just eat anything in sight but now I buy nicer fresh food so at least the food I am eating is what I want and not random leftovers

hilla1996 · August 2020

Orphia wrote: »

I just noticed that if you lose 7 lb, you will be on the borderline between underweight and normal.

I hate that I conform to these stupid and pointless western beauty ideals....but being on the thinner side is more valued....When I was 150 pounds I was swimming 4x a week for two hours I was incredibly strong....But no one thought I was sporty or athletic, now I get complimented all the time and I guess it goes to my head

I was a size 8 and I recently went to the store and the size 4 dresses zipped up easily and I could have worn a 2

janejellyroll · August 2020

Logging is just a tool to understand how much we're eating. That's why some people find it useful for weight management. But it can't address all the issues we might be having with deciding when to eat, what to eat, and how much to eat, especially if these issues are driven by our emotions.

I can intellectually understand when I need to stop eating, but still struggle with the emotions surround it. I can understand that meal "A" might be a better choice for my goals and plans than meal "B," but it's not going to keep me from choosing "B" if my emotions are screaming for it.

There's no shame in getting help when we know something is wrong and we aren't sure how to fix it. If my car won't start, I ask a professional for help. If my television won't turn on, I don't take the back off myself and start messing around. We don't think someone is a failure if they ask for help with a broken toilet or need help doing their taxes. It's the same way with our emotions, it's okay to ask for help.

Diatonic12 · August 2020

Sit down with someone. Face-to-face. Thoughts that are repeatedly directed towards what you've detailed in your original post don't go away on their own. Those around you already know. Don't worry about labels. This is a self-induced food prison. You need to free yourself so you can be yourself for the rest of your life.

janejellyroll · August 2020

Diatonic12 wrote: »

Sit down with someone. Face-to-face. Thoughts that are repeatedly directed towards what you've detailed in your original post don't go away on their own. Those around you already know. Don't worry about labels. This is a self-induced food prison. You need to free yourself so you can be yourself for the rest of your life.

Teletherapy is another great option if face-to-face contact is a concern right now.

I noticed some old restriction habits and intrusive thoughts popping up due to recent isolation stresses and I had a few online sessions that were incredibly helpful.

sarahrh1 · August 2020

Yes, I second what everyone else says here. You need to talk to a therapist.

I'm your height and weight and used to deal with binge eating where I had no control, and at that time I weighed above 160.

I'd binge eat even healthy things.

I learned for me personally, the binging came from different sources, it's not all the same.

Sometimes it came from other unmet needs in my life, that I wasnt even really aware of, I wouldn't let myself think that deep, I just filled that hole with food.

Therapy will seriously help you learn how to address that kind of binging.

There's another kind that I occasionally deal with still today, that is more physical. If I restrict my diet too much and am physically not getting enough calories for too long, I lose control because my body needs them.

At this point, if I were trying to still lose weight, it would have to be 1 or 2 pounds per MONTH, and if I push myself beyond that, I would start to go back to the binging. I dont have a lot of extra, neither do you, and our bodies need plenty of nutrients to keep up with an active lifestyle.

Either way, I definitely would recommend seeing a therapist that is familiar with eating disorders to address this.

Orphia · August 2020

hilla1996 wrote: »

Orphia wrote: »

hilla1996 wrote: »

I am a binge eater.

But I dont just let myself be free and consume.

I keep track of what I eat and count the calories.

Does anyone else do this?

I will obsessively measure out peanut butter and chocolate spread but not stop when I reach my goal or limit for the day.

The point of tracking is to know when you should stop but how do you actually stop?

This is my issue with calorie counting.

Today I ate 3150 calories, I rode my bike for about 2.5 hours (30 miles) and I walked about 5 miles.

I should have stopped at 2500 to stay in a calorie defecit as I want to lose about 7 pounds ( I am 5'7 and 130-135 pounds depending on whether I have binged or not, usually around 133)

I dont have control to stop eating but I have control to count everything, its so frustrating and pointless.

I know calories in/out is the way to go but I feel so envious of people who just eat and dont even think about tracking.

Thats my rant....I used to be 150 plus pounds and 5 months ago I lost some weight and have been maintaning.

I binged then and I binged now....my body does not care where I am at weight wise it just wants calories.

people that are overweight binge eat as well, the body is requesting excess calories to numb emotional pain or who knows honestly.

anyone else relate to this?

I should be happy with my 20 pound weight loss but I still get bloated and feel horrible and regretful after a binge.

You did a lot of exercise. I find that I can be ravenously hungry after that, then it calms down the next day.

If you were over today, to maintain, you can be under a bit for a day or two. No biggie.

I'm worried you're not enjoying eating after your exercise.

The point of logging?

To have some control over your weight, and to have caloric awareness.

You have caloric awareness, but today it seems you have no control.

If this is a big problem for a long time, take away the logging and see if it makes you change your behaviour, since it's not helping give you control. Perhaps you like doing the "wrong" thing.

Check out the Maintenance forum. Maintaining is a whole different game, just as hard if not harder than losing weight. Good luck, and well done for asking in here.

So for me I am actually hungry the day after I work out....Its like the hunger just hits me like a tidal wave

I used to just eat anything in sight but now I buy nicer fresh food so at least the food I am eating is what I want and not random leftovers

I'm always hungrier after a workout/run. Either that day or the next. That's normal.

If you're dieting and exercising you need to eat back your exercise calories. There are hundreds of threads about that, so you wouldn't be the first not to know.

Are you bingeing every day?

thelastnightingale · August 2020

There are some physical reasons why you might binge eat. For example, doing an intense workout and not fuelling properly - the body will want fed. If you don't get enough calories beforehand, it will demand those after - and sometimes, yes, that hunger could hit you the day after.

However, there are also emotional reasons why you might binge eat. And it sounds like whilst there might be a bit of inadequate fuelling going on, the reasons why you keep binging are connected to your low feelings of self-worth. You've managed to lose an incredible amount of weight and you're not happy - if you can't find a way of loving yourself having lost the weight that you previously might have thought was making you sad, it really is time to bring in a professional.

If someone wants to label you, let them. It doesn't matter what they call you, or what condition they say you have, as long as they can help you get better. Because what you feel right now isn't the way you want to feel forever, is it? If you were truly content in this binge eating cycle, you wouldn't have wanted to post. And if you weren't secretly very strong and very brave, you wouldn't have found the courage to actually hit post. You are capable of more than you think you are, and better days do lie ahead for you. You might need a little help in reaching those better days, but that's OK. You got this far on your own, and that's amazing, but now it's time to get someone else to put in some of the effort.

As for the question of logging - most people log because they find it holds them accountable to themselves. Sounds like right now, the way you're feeling, it doesn't do that for you. Which is OK - not everything works for everyone. If logging doesn't help, you can stop.

Adding my voice to the many above me - a therapist would be a brave next step. Remember, you are brave.

kmccrom · August 2020

Thanks for your post OP... it was helpful to me. I agree with everyone that professional help will empower you.

You bring up an important issue about exercise and weight loss. I had some of the same issues as you. Ironically, exercising less led to me losing more weight. This is a head trip for me. I love big cardio sessions like long bike rides and walks, but yes they can at times make me ravenous. On the other hand, the bingeing can have nothing to do with hunger. So, it’s a complex issue. Thanks for bringing it up to the group. I echo what @thelastnightingale said about your bravery.

hilla1996 · August 2020

Thank you to everyone for the encouragement and responses

I have been considering myself a food addict to excuse my binging until I realized the foods I was binging was mainly gluten and sugar based (although I have eaten 3 or 4 bananas and apples at a time)

I will try to focus on my goals and on a quote from Abe Lincoln that resonates with me

"discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most"

TonyB0588 · August 2020

hilla1996 wrote: »

I am a binge eater.

But I dont just let myself be free and consume.

I keep track of what I eat and count the calories.

Does anyone else do this?

I will obsessively measure out peanut butter and chocolate spread but not stop when I reach my goal or limit for the day.

The point of tracking is to know when you should stop but how do you actually stop?

This is my issue with calorie counting.

Today I ate 3150 calories, I rode my bike for about 2.5 hours (30 miles) and I walked about 5 miles.

I should have stopped at 2500 to stay in a calorie defecit as I want to lose about 7 pounds ( I am 5'7 and 130-135 pounds depending on whether I have binged or not, usually around 133)

I dont have control to stop eating but I have control to count everything, its so frustrating and pointless.

I know calories in/out is the way to go but I feel so envious of people who just eat and dont even think about tracking.

Thats my rant....I used to be 150 plus pounds and 5 months ago I lost some weight and have been maintaning.

I binged then and I binged now....my body does not care where I am at weight wise it just wants calories.

people that are overweight binge eat as well, the body is requesting excess calories to numb emotional pain or who knows honestly.

anyone else relate to this?

I should be happy with my 20 pound weight loss but I still get bloated and feel horrible and regretful after a binge.

You ask what is the point. For me, it gives insight into the true nature of what I'm eating. It helps me to know what is a correct portion size, and what a normal meal should look like. After measuring and recording for some time, you can almost guess when your plate is too full, or if you didn't have enough for the day. You also know if it's necessary to go for one more walk this week, it if you've pushed your body too much already.

But you can't just record and ignore the summary on the chart. It is intended to drive change. Go for it. You can do it.

GreenValli · August 2020

What's the point of logging?

Personally, I do not want to be 242 lbs again, EVER! I am now 171.
Logging keeps me accountable, even if only I see my food diary.
I still would like to be thinner.
Since my gym is still not open, I am not exercising I am not losing weight like I have in the past. Just a pound or two a month. Right now logging keeps me from gaining weight again.
I promised myself I would not ever, ever be over 200 lbs again.
Logging is not hard to do, It makes a difference.

magnusthenerd · August 2020

As other said, consider professional help. You seem like you have a few issues that might benefit from it: possible binge eating, possible undereating to an underweight body, and possible self image issues about your size and appearance.

Logging can accomplish a number of things.
Done properly, it is an objective measure of food intake. This prevents a certain amount of self deception.
Over time, the habit also builds tools that make one better at estimating food intake with less bias and more accuracy. For many that makes it possible to control weight even without needing to log.
I also have found that logging can become a certain kind of road bump towards mindless consumption. It is easy to just eat something without consideration. Logging puts in a little friction where one is potentially justifying or least assessing what one takes in.

KrissDotCom · August 2020

I have been diagnosed with binge eating disorder by a professional and one thing I can tell you is this

Do not dismiss yourself because of the foods you choose to binge on.

Binge eating disorder is a lot deeper then that, its something that you try to control but it controls you. Just because you binge eat on what most people consider highly palatable foods and tend to cause people to over consume them, does not make your struggle any less valid.

You say you are worried about being labeled.

Dont be. Its freeing, you can finally have an answer and finally know what direction to seek help in, you can finally stop being frustrated and struggling and be free of that constant chaos.

People with binge eating disorder go through phases of restriction where they lose weight but it only causes the loop to return to weight gain unless you can find the right tools, and you can only get that with professional help.

kshama2001 · August 2020

hilla1996 wrote: »

I am a binge eater.

But I dont just let myself be free and consume.

I keep track of what I eat and count the calories.

Does anyone else do this?

I will obsessively measure out peanut butter and chocolate spread but not stop when I reach my goal or limit for the day.

The point of tracking is to know when you should stop but how do you actually stop?

This is my issue with calorie counting.

Today I ate 3150 calories, I rode my bike for about 2.5 hours (30 miles) and I walked about 5 miles.

I should have stopped at 2500 to stay in a calorie defecit as I want to lose about 7 pounds ( I am 5'7 and 130-135 pounds depending on whether I have binged or not, usually around 133)

I dont have control to stop eating but I have control to count everything, its so frustrating and pointless.

I know calories in/out is the way to go but I feel so envious of people who just eat and dont even think about tracking.

Thats my rant....I used to be 150 plus pounds and 5 months ago I lost some weight and have been maintaning.

I binged then and I binged now....my body does not care where I am at weight wise it just wants calories.

people that are overweight binge eat as well, the body is requesting excess calories to numb emotional pain or who knows honestly.

anyone else relate to this?

I should be happy with my 20 pound weight loss but I still get bloated and feel horrible and regretful after a binge.

Here's my standard advice in regards to the bolded:

What's your weekly weight loss goal? With only 7 pounds to lose, you should only be trying to lose a half pound per week. Undereating can definitely lead to overeating.

However, because of other things you said, I echo the suggestion to seek professional help.

I don't think of it as a label but rather a diagnosis, and as such a starting point for getting help

ps - eating higher protein (and fiber) makes me less prone to episodes of uncontrolled eating.

:flowerforyou:

what is the point of logging?

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