Getting obsessive with calorie counts

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rhichi
rhichi Posts: 133
in Food and Nutrition
Hey guys,

So, I find myself lately obsessing over exactly how many calories are in my food. I know that the point of a food diary is to keep track, but I think I'm going overboard. Like, if a snack has 100 calories or more, I freak out and feel like it's too much. The biggest issue with this is that I end up struggling at the end of the day because I've been trying to keep to 60 calories here and 50 calories there, so I'm way under for the day. I know it's not good to totally gorge myself at night, but I'm constantly paranoid that I will go over or not have enough left or still be hungry.

Does anyone else have this issue? How do you work around it?
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Replies

  • stayxtrue
    stayxtrue Posts: 1,190 Member
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    I was having this same issue as well and a few friends outside of MFP flagged it as quite a serious issue. So I have stopped logging... I exercise and lift weights, my metabolic rate is quite high these days. So I eat fairly clean... So no takeaways and so on... This way if I have a snack I do not feel guilty about it as I am not logging it :D
  • rhichi
    rhichi Posts: 133
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    Do you still log exercise, or do you have a good sense of that? I think my biggest issue is that I don't have the intuition on how many calories are in a food like I thought I would have after a while. So then when I see nutrition facts on something I wasn't expecting, I get freaked out and think that I can't eat it anymore.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Plan ahead - log what you think you'll have for breakfast, lunch and dinner, then add some snacks. If you still have clls to spare add extras to meals or snacks like fruit, avocado, cheese, nuts etc.
    Don't forget to estimate your exercise too so you get a few extra cals earlier in the day if you have a workout planned.
    If plans change - then edit your diary, but at least you can see what a healthy eating day looks like.
  • rhichi
    rhichi Posts: 133
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    That might work when I have any inkling of where my next meal is coming from, but what would you suggest for the many days I'm not home, have no idea where or when or what I'll eat, and if I'll have time to log it? Maybe that's all obsessive thinking too, though. I really don't know. I've been having a really tough time lately in general and I think this is all piling onto it.
  • stayxtrue
    stayxtrue Posts: 1,190 Member
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    At the moment I am just making sure I am fueling my body correctly... Being too concerned with calorie counting was just putting me in a bad place with muscle growth. And It was holding me back.. I see a PT who pushes me hard!! So for me I Just follow a nutritional plan that we have developed and seeing how that goes
  • vypeters
    vypeters Posts: 475 Member
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    Try this for a while: make a plan for your eating the night before that's spread throughout the day. Tweak it until you're within your calories and macros, then eat that. It may help you feel comfortable with getting some calories in early in the day.

    I'm not suggesting you do it forever - just until you get comfortable with what a normal day's eating feels like in your calorie range.
  • Thisprincesswearsrunningshoes
    Thisprincesswearsrunningshoes Posts: 51
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    You can also get the app for your smart phone if you ahve one so you can log through out the day.
  • chachadiva150
    chachadiva150 Posts: 482 Member
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    Exactly. Pre-plan your meals to fit and make adjustments as you go along. Planning keeps you in control. No need to obsess.

    Even if you are away from home, you have to plan your meals the day before. You can make sandwiches, snacks and small meals in the morning or the night before.

    You have to take control of your eating and NOT leave it up to chance.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    I usually enter the meals I do know about and add some quick add cals if I don't know whats for dinner.
    Or you could allocate 400 cals for each meal and 2x 100 cal snacks, for example, then you know you have 400 cals for lunch, no matter where you eat.
  • bedinky1207
    bedinky1207 Posts: 53 Member
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    Just keep in mind that food IS your friend. Food is fuel and our bodies need it. It's just about making better choices about the calories we put into our mouths.
  • rhichi
    rhichi Posts: 133
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    My only concern is that by pre-planning my day, I leave no wiggle room for myself in case my plans change. My day-to-day life can get rather hectic, and I'm worried that I'll begin obsessing about planning out the perfect meals and then if I don't stick to them I'll get very angry at myself.

    EDIT: If I did have a smartphone, it might be easier, but sadly, I don't.
  • AshCakes88
    AshCakes88 Posts: 131 Member
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    Plan a daily food menu of what you plan to eat and calculate it like that. That way you'll see exactly how many calories you'll consume for the day :)
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
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    My breakfast and lunches are typically the same ish every day, which leaves me 1000 or so cals for dinner. Pre plan some of your meals and get a feel for them. If i try to eat less during the day it just bites me in the butt with a binge at night
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
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    What types of places do you eat when you are not home? You can plan for healthier choices at a variety of your usual places you might end up. Or, get a lunch box and take food from home that you have measured and already know the calories of.

    Learn what is healthier and what is less healthy so you can make better choices when out. Grilled chicken instead of fried and battered. Mayo on the side instead of whatever sauce they put on. Steamed veggies instead of fries. Water instead of cola.
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
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    I was having calorie counting issues as well, so I actually just stopped. I shifted my focus to intuitive eating, and eating when I was hungry. I made sure the food I was putting into my body was healthy, even if it was higher calorie, like peanut butter or yogurt. It's been a struggle, and sometimes I still log my intake on here just so I have a ballpark idea of what I'm eating, but I think in the long run it'll be better for me. My relationship with food was beginning to hinge around relatively arbitrary numbers and not giving my body what it was asking for. Now if I crave something sweet, I eat fruit. Want something savory, peanut butter with healthy fats.

    I still struggle with it, and not knowing the number at the end of the day can be rough. But I know in the long run this will be what's best for me.
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
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    Plan ahead - log what you think you'll have for breakfast, lunch and dinner, then add some snacks. If you still have clls to spare add extras to meals or snacks like fruit, avocado, cheese, nuts etc.
    Don't forget to estimate your exercise too so you get a few extra cals earlier in the day if you have a workout planned.
    If plans change - then edit your diary, but at least you can see what a healthy eating day looks like.

    ^^^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^^

    Reposting it so you read it again!

    I bag a lunch and I'm OK with eating the same thing every day, especially at this point when I'm trying to lose weight and learn lessons I thought I already knew about food.

    Sit down and spend some time with the foods you like, and maybe a few you want to try, and work up a day that:

    1. Has you eating things you want to eat.
    2. Has you eating frequently enough that you don't go through hungry times when you go searching for a snack (PLAN those snacks as part of your day!!!)
    3. Has a good balance of proteins, fats, carbs, fresh fruits, veggies, etc.

    Now take that meal and mix it up a little, and build out a half-dozen meals and snack combinations that all meet that criteria.

    TODAY, plan what you will eat TOMORROW. TOMORROW, eat what you planned. Learn when you need to eat what to stay satisfied and happy.

    Example - my daily routine:
    - Breakfast: Half a bagel with cream cheese, coffee. I rarely deviate from this. It's enough to pick me up and get my day started.
    - Lunch starts at 10:30 with half a lean turkey-and-cheese wrap
    - 11:30 the other half of the wrap
    - 12:30 or so - workout or walk, followed with eating a banana.
    - 2:00 or so - nut and sesame stick mix, about 1/4 cup.
    - 3:00 and 4:00 - Apple and Clementine
    - 5:30-6:00 home for dinner, not tremendously hungry because I've been grazing ALL DAY LONG so I can eat a reasonable meal. What I eat for supper is heavily dependent on how much I was able to work out.
    - 8:00 (if my budget allows) small glass of wine and 10-20 dark chocolate chips.

    EDIT: And, yes, I do occasionally get "surprise" invitiations to lunch or dinner. Plans change. Be flexible, log the variances, and you'll learn your body's signals for "we're done" once you start eating healthier.
  • rhichi
    rhichi Posts: 133
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    @deks: It can be anywhere from a friend's house, a restaurant, some random thing I got from the store, or places like my fiance's work (which was where tonight's round of anxiety came from, seeing that all the snacks they had were calorie-dense).

    I think, perhaps, the reason I'm feeling resistant to pre-planning is because I really don't want to have to add that level of stress and organizing to my already anxiety-filled day. I guess maybe what I'm really asking for is coping mechanisms for the anxiety I already get, not a way to avoid it. I have an obsessive-compulsive nature and I don't want it to control my life to the point that I have to decide everything I want to eat a day in advance.
  • ALH1981
    ALH1981 Posts: 538 Member
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    At the moment I am just making sure I am fueling my body correctly... Being too concerned with calorie counting was just putting me in a bad place with muscle growth. And It was holding me back.. I see a PT who pushes me hard!! So for me I Just follow a nutritional plan that we have developed and seeing how that goes

    I found the same thing - i became obsessive and actually began to react negatively - put ON weight, wore myself down, became reclusive and quite sick... Now i log but don't get too worried... I live to eat clean, excerise for endorphins and enjoy my life!!!

    so far this mentality is going WELL!!!
  • Savyna
    Savyna Posts: 789 Member
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    I used to be really crazy counting calories and at one point was only trying to eat up to 400-600 calories a day. I got very sick and then i found this website and found that you are supposed to eat up to 1200 calories so then at that point my problem was trying to get over my fear of eating too much and eat to at least 1200 calories. It took several weeks but I finally got into the groove of it. What I do like someone else has mentioned is plan ahead. Also it takes time to get used to counting calories, and soon enough it isn't that bad or stressful feeling. Good luck.
  • skinnylove00
    skinnylove00 Posts: 662 Member
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    haha but really, if you find yourself doing this you may need to take a breather break from mfp. relax. food = NUTRIENTS not NUMBERS. try thinking of it that way. usually the nutritious foods are low cal. and everyone goes over their cals once in a while. food is meant to be nourishing and enjoyable while doing so, and while its important to watch proportions, if you become too obsessed with the numbers (cals in, cals out) part of this lifestyle its just not as enjoyable! so take it easy love! <3

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