Weight Loss

I am a regular here, although not really known or as involved in this little community, and have to say that counting my calories really helped me...in the beginning. It provided great tools and information to get me started but now I am just obsessed. I am so stuck on the number that I force myself to eat even when I am not hungry. I kill myself when I go over the slightest bit and am compelled to stuff my face before work just to make it to 1200 cals somedays. I am honestly thinking about deleting my account (even though it would pain me) because I spend way too much of my time on here. I am only 19!!!! Unfortunately, the cons outweight the pros in regards to counting my calories. I don't want to be ruled by a number anymore. I want to be able to listen to my body and I can't do that on here. Just had to let that out because no one around here would have listened. Thanks

The only way to do it is to cut the strings and fly solo.  If it started as a healthy exercise but is turning into an obsession then you can't mess around.  Delete the bookmark to CC and stop counting calories.  Go see a friend out of town for a few days.  Anything that will help you to break the ties and appreciate that you can trust your own judgement. 

Hi vmcbutterfly,

Its ok to give yourself a break from counting calories. You probably have a very good idea about what the nurtion values are for the foods you choose. I don't think any nutrionist or doctor intends for any of us to be obsessed with numbers. We need to know the true value of what we are taking in against what we are expending. Give yourself a break. Trust your natural hunger. Maybe the numbers are forcing you to eat less than you should? Women should not be eating less than 1,200 calories. Maybe you will allow yourself to naturally eat a little more if you don't record every bite. Good luck.

I know how you feel; I am the same way.  I now see the calorie count when I look at food not the food.  The people I work and live with think I have a ED or something because I have become obsessed with my calorie in take and burn number every day.  And I am sure we are not the only ones.  However I have lost weight and become much healthier so I feel it is worth it.  I have just learned not to talk about it so much and some days I tell myself I am not logging today (about once a week) just so I give myself a break from counting (I still do a little in my head but I don't log it and watch the number as closely). 

yeah... i admit i am quite obsessed, going on 5 months now. but i have lost 12 pounds and have held that loss with what feels like ease. im also healthier mentaly and physicaly. i know i have an obsessive persnonality but i like to focus that obsessiveness towards health so it works out for me. i feel like i eat to live not live to eat now. food isn't the splendid pass time it use to be for me and thats the way i think it should be.

I understand, vmcbutterfly.  I went out of town for a float trip this past weekend and when I got back late Sunday night I went straight for my computer to get on CC and log every morsel that I ate all weekend.  I actually counted the number of dried blueberries that I ate out of a bag of trail mix and memorized it so I could log it later (embarrassed to admit that).  When I got everything entered in, I didn't go over my calories like I feared I did (actually had a good deficit each day, though it varied).  I did have WAY too much sodium though, and the scale went up 2 lbs.  But I have learned enough from this site and its smart people to know that it's water retention if there's NO way I ate more calories than I consumed each day.  I'm trying to convince myself to let go of the numbers now.  I'm going on another trip in a month and will NOT log my foods after that one.  It might be a slow process...but I will wean myself.  CC will always be here if I feel myself slipping... Good luck and peace of mind to you!!

I'm the same way...i'm 20 and I amaze myself with how I know the number of calories in soooo many foods off the top of my head, but have trouble remembering dates for a history test haha. 

I have found that I feel much better if I just try to eat a normal amount of healthy food, snack on healthy things, have occasional treats, and work out regularly.  The only time I really log food is if I'm worried I really overate on a day, or if i have no idea whether something I ate had a ton of cals or not.  It's hard to break away from logging every bite of food you eat all day...The only way I managed to do it was moving home from college for the summer.  We have a family computer with dial-up (without a bookmark to this site haha), so I couldn't just live on here whenever i wanted haha.  Plus I found it easier to eat healthy at home, so I was able to break away from daily logging.

Original Post by alicat29:

It might be a slow process...but I will wean myself.  CC will always be here if I feel myself slipping...

 I weaned myself a few months ago, and that's how I'm looking at it.  If my clothese start getting snugger, or I just want to check to make sure I didn't forget what I've learned, I'll go back for a few days.

And VMC, if you're being ruled by numbers and it's interfering with your enjoyment of life, then I agree you should take a break from CC for a while.  Trust what your body tells you for a while and see how it works - getting healthy isn't supposed to make you neurotic.  If going cold turkey is too difficult, start with no logging for at least a few days a week, and then increase until it's over with.

Best of luck to you!

i believe everyone is different. for some, this website is more helpful than for others. you seem to have less use and pleasure off it, so why not try to go without - maybe it is a better way for you than suffering and beating yourself up over numbers.

I understand completely. I'm here to help people and make friends. I don't actually eat to adjust.. I eat when I am hungry and keep a running total in my head, try to stay below my bmr. I dunno what a deficit is lol. I lose ~2-5 pounds a week.