Being OCD about calories

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  • sparklemummy
    sparklemummy Posts: 13
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    I'm strict on my calorie recording, everything I eat I note down. I weigh my food out, have to to get the correct amount of calories. It's mainly things like mash potato, meat, cereal, butter/margarine and baked beans. It's not that much more of an effort so if I'm at home or a friends house then I weigh. At restaurants I tend to guess but I've usually 'saved' a lot of calories during the day to be flexible.

    I don't understand what the 'cups' mean in the weight section, so I go for grams or oz but some foods only say in cups. Don't know how many grams are in a cup.

    Maybe when I get to a certain point, say another 20lbs, I might not be so bad but for now I enjoy weighing my food and it's working!
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
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    I don't understand what the 'cups' mean in the weight section, so I go for grams or oz but some foods only say in cups. Don't know how many grams are in a cup.

    A cup is a US unit of measure. It's a specific volume which is the same size as 8 fl. oz. of liquid. It is used to measure both liquids and solids.
  • dalgirly
    dalgirly Posts: 280 Member
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    I definitely think this is a big problem. Personally, its great to watch your eating, but to get to an obsessive point just isn't good for your mentality. People stress so much about it, it gets too much. Definitely need to find a balance between eating healthy, and living a stress free life!
  • Toxictwist
    Toxictwist Posts: 274
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    yes, I feel super guilty if I go over my calorie intake number.
  • Rob_Sarge
    Rob_Sarge Posts: 70 Member
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    How do you keep from being overly OCD about calorie counting? Most days I'm good - but every once in a while I start to get really obsessed with being precise - which isn't feasible. Anyone else struggle with this?
    I hate OCD. I try to understand that getting it to an exact number just isnt gonna happen but as long as your seeing results you must be doing something right......right?
  • anniebanknote
    anniebanknote Posts: 10 Member
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    My goodness. I definitely did not mean for this to be a post that many would take offense to. Nor am I making light of a disorder. I really struggle with this and it's much more than just being obsessive or a control freak. As kaitlinj said, you don't know us or our medical history. OCD manifests itself in a lot of different ways - more than you may be familiar with. And it can range from mild to severe.

    Instead of attacking someone for using a term incorrectly (and thereby offensively), in your opinion, either don't reply and move on, or find a constructive and supportive way to respond.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
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    My goodness. I definitely did not mean for this to be a post that many would take offense to. Nor am I making light of a disorder. I really struggle with this and it's much more than just being obsessive or a control freak. As kaitlinj said, you don't know us or our medical history. OCD manifests itself in a lot of different ways - more than you may be familiar with. And it can range from mild to severe.

    Instead of attacking someone for using a term incorrectly (and thereby offensively), in your opinion, either don't reply and move on, or find a constructive and supportive way to respond.

    Who was attacking? I was constructive in the way I approached the situation. I think it's important for people to be conscious of the words they use. Regardless of anyone's past medical history, the use of the word OCD in this thread was most generally of a light-hearted manner. That's what was offensive to me.
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
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    My goodness. I definitely did not mean for this to be a post that many would take offense to. Nor am I making light of a disorder. I really struggle with this and it's much more than just being obsessive or a control freak. As kaitlinj said, you don't know us or our medical history. OCD manifests itself in a lot of different ways - more than you may be familiar with. And it can range from mild to severe.

    Instead of attacking someone for using a term incorrectly (and thereby offensively), in your opinion, either don't reply and move on, or find a constructive and supportive way to respond.

    I'm sorry you felt attacked, but I don't think anyone meant to make you feel that way. I know I certainly didn't. In fact, I stated that I knew you meant no harm by using the term.
  • maidentl
    maidentl Posts: 3,203 Member
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    Instead of attacking someone for using a term incorrectly (and thereby offensively), in your opinion, either don't reply and move on, or find a constructive and supportive way to respond.

    Interesting, I thought everyone who commented about it DID do so in a calm, constructive manner. :huh:
  • ilookthetype
    ilookthetype Posts: 3,021 Member
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    Instead of attacking someone for using a term incorrectly (and thereby offensively), in your opinion, either don't reply and move on, or find a constructive and supportive way to respond.

    Rather than think of it as an attack, think of it as a learning experience.
  • writtenINthestars
    writtenINthestars Posts: 1,933 Member
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    I personally appreciate the people trying to point out how the term being thrown around is offensive to people who actually are diagnosed with this disorder (like myself...oh the horror stories I could tell you) and the people who simply were asking for help with controlling their obsession with counting calories.....
  • CaptainGordo
    CaptainGordo Posts: 4,437 Member
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    I personally appreciate the people trying to point out how the term being thrown around is offensive to people who actually are diagnosed with this disorder (like myself...oh the horror stories I could tell you) and the people who simply were asking for help with controlling their obsession with counting calories.....
    Bingo. I would think that anyone dealing with the disorder would appreciate others standing up to remind everyone not to toss the term around so casually and -- as I suspect in 90% of the times it was used in this thread -- incorrectly.
  • LeanMeanFitnessMachine
    LeanMeanFitnessMachine Posts: 659
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    I think its totally okay to obsess a little over calorie counting! Its good to be aware of your intake & ouput - as long as you are counting to MEET your goals and not counting to eat as little as possible. That's when it gets dangerous & unhealthy.

    Keep up the good work & good luck reaching your goals!!
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
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    I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for the OP besides "watch your terminology."

    How about:

    Hey there, OP! I'm not sure if you were meaning to suggest that you believe you may actually have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. You may want to check out the symptoms: http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx25.htm If your thoughts and actions are affecting your life in a negative way, you may want to seek help from a professional and not an internet forum.

    If, instead, you just meant to say that you think you might be a little too caught up in calorie counting, I would suggest you see how things go if you decide to 1) only log calories a few times a week and the rest of the time just write down what you ate to keep yourself accountable, 2) recognize that striving for perfection in calculating calories going in is futile. We can't know EXACTLY how many calories we are eating just as we can't know exactly how many calories we are expending. The goal is to get a gauge of what the right amount of food is for our bodies to meet our goals and to have some accountability in eating that amount of food.
  • Jorra
    Jorra Posts: 3,338 Member
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    I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for the OP besides "watch your terminology."

    How about:

    Hey there, OP! I'm not sure if you were meaning to suggest that you believe you may actually have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. You may want to check out the symptoms: http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx25.htm If your thoughts and actions are affecting your life in a negative way, you may want to seek help from a professional and not an internet forum.

    If, instead, you just meant to say that you think you might be a little too caught up in calorie counting, I would suggest you see how things go if you decide to 1) only log calories a few times a week and the rest of the time just write down what you ate to keep yourself accountable, 2) recognize that striving for perfection in calculating calories going in is futile. We can't know EXACTLY how many calories we are eating just as we can't know exactly how many calories we are expending. The goal is to get a gauge of what the right amount of food is for our bodies to meet our goals and to have some accountability in eating that amount of food.

    This is fantastic advice. :flowerforyou:
  • writtenINthestars
    writtenINthestars Posts: 1,933 Member
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    I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for the OP besides "watch your terminology."

    How about:

    Hey there, OP! I'm not sure if you were meaning to suggest that you believe you may actually have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. You may want to check out the symptoms: http://psychcentral.com/disorders/sx25.htm If your thoughts and actions are affecting your life in a negative way, you may want to seek help from a professional and not an internet forum.

    If, instead, you just meant to say that you think you might be a little too caught up in calorie counting, I would suggest you see how things go if you decide to 1) only log calories a few times a week and the rest of the time just write down what you ate to keep yourself accountable, 2) recognize that striving for perfection in calculating calories going in is futile. We can't know EXACTLY how many calories we are eating just as we can't know exactly how many calories we are expending. The goal is to get a gauge of what the right amount of food is for our bodies to meet our goals and to have some accountability in eating that amount of food.

    ...well there you have it....
  • questionablemethods
    questionablemethods Posts: 2,174 Member
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    I'll add that, I'm no professional, but the idea of an obsession/fixation/etc. "going too far" or "getting a bit out of hand" is highly subjective and it is probably more of a graded idea than a binary "is" or "is not" healthy. Calorie counting can certainly start innocently enough and, for some, can lead to a bad psychological place (not that calorie counting is the cause, per se, but it might be a trigger). It might not be OCD, but it can be somewhere that is not good psychologically. Obviously, this isn't the case for everyone. It is up to the OP (or, perhaps, those around her) to recognize when a "healthy habit" is turning into something that feels out of control or is taking away from quality of life.
  • Contrarian
    Contrarian Posts: 8,138 Member
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    I'll add that, I'm no professional, but the idea of an obsession/fixation/etc. "going too far" or "getting a bit out of hand" is highly subjective and it is probably more of a graded idea than a binary "is" or "is not" healthy. Calorie counting can certainly start innocently enough and, for some, can lead to a bad psychological place (not that calorie counting is the cause, per se, but it might be a trigger). It might not be OCD, but it can be somewhere that is not good psychologically. Obviously, this isn't the case for everyone. It is up to the OP (or, perhaps, those around her) to recognize when a "healthy habit" is turning into something that feels out of control or is taking away from quality of life.

    Well said.

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