Getting obsessive with calorie counts

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Replies

  • Riverofbeauty
    Riverofbeauty Posts: 205 Member
    I think it takes a while to kind of balance it out. Plan as much as you can ahead of time, but if something comes up (out with friends/family etc) try not to let it get to you and just carry on the next day :)

    This is life, so you need to balance all the other areas of your life with it too. Good luck!
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    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.

    You see, I find that planning give me MORE wiggle room, not less.
    If I have planned my day and I know that I've built in (for example) 300 cals of snacks, then if there is a birthday at work I feel fine about eating a small peice of cake because I'll just drop off the snacks I had planned and substitute the cake.
    Or, because I know what's for dinner, I can have something extra with lunch if something comes up, and I'll just have a smaller portion at dinner, or drop off the extra cheese or avocado or something.
    Or, I'll just go over my calories today and know that I'll be under a little bit tomorrow so it will work out.

    It certainly helps having a smart phone, but it's not essential. Really though, if the whole calorie counting thing is making you so obsessive, perhaps its not the right approach for you. We are all different and you need to find a way of eating that fits into your lifestyle. MFP has worked wonderfully well for me, but maybe you would be better with a different approach.
  • Byrdsong1920
    Byrdsong1920 Posts: 336 Member
    LOL! It's all good! Atleast you are conscious about what you are eating. But remember, we want this to be a lifestyle; in saying that, we dont want to obsess over food the rest of our lives :)

    I'm a Realtor and always in the car, infront of clients, talking, typing, on phone,etc. So hard to get all my food in sometimes! I even put calendar/cell alert reminders to drink water and take vitamins :) lol

    I suggest preparing your food the nite before (measure and ziploc or tupperware) everything you can. Then even add in MFP log that nite (if you have time). This way you can space out your meals and already know serving sizes and space out your calories thru the day.

    for me, I'm too busy to 'mess up' during the day, because I just reach in the cooler and grab that food/snack/etc. :) I tend to fall off on the weekends if I'm not as busy as I am during the week, but just try to plan ahead, or you PLAN TO FAIL ;) When I had a trainer, he was all about BEING PREPARED! If you have your food on you and ready to go, you are more likely to do well and not mess up :)

    but make this fun and enjoy watching your body change. Its been fun for me because so many others around me have gotten inspired and are joing MFP as well!

    HAPPY JOURNEY! Have fun, life is short!! Bless u
  • Byrdsong1920
    Byrdsong1920 Posts: 336 Member
    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.

    You see, I find that planning give me MORE wiggle room, not less.
    If I have planned my day and I know that I've built in (for example) 300 cals of snacks, then if there is a birthday at work I feel fine about eating a small peice of cake because I'll just drop off the snacks I had planned and substitute the cake.
    Or, because I know what's for dinner, I can have something extra with lunch if something comes up, and I'll just have a smaller portion at dinner, or drop off the extra cheese or avocado or something.
    Or, I'll just go over my calories today and know that I'll be under a little bit tomorrow so it will work out.

    It certainly helps having a smart phone, but it's not essential. Really though, if the whole calorie counting thing is making you so obsessive, perhaps its not the right approach for you. We are all different and you need to find a way of eating that fits into your lifestyle. MFP has worked wonderfully well for me, but maybe you would be better with a different approach.

    great insight! thanks for sharing!
  • kesslertg
    kesslertg Posts: 54 Member
    OCD can work against you. Perfection is the enemy of the good. The idea is to approximate the calories, not perfect them. Objective is to eat 1700 approximate calories rather than 3000 approximate calories. No big deal. Advice is to relax, track things approximately, keep the calories below 2000 per day and workout at 1000 calories or more per day. Do that and weight will drip off.
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