do i have a disorder?

im done losing wieght but i cant not count my calories every single day. im always thinking about how much i have eaten and how much more i can and when i can eat. it gets really annoying and i feel like im obsessed and never not thinking about it.

i think as soon as you stop counting is when you risk overeating. it may seem a little obsessive, but i think it's healthy. otherwise you may end up gaining and having to re-lose the weight you've worked so hard at keeping off!

so your saying that i should count my calories for the rest of my life?

well. no. but because you're in the habit right now, there's no loss. if it really bothers you, just try and make a conscious effort NOT to count, and just choose healthy foods

I suggest not.

The reason for which being I was just like you. Constantly feeling like I was obsessed with 'how many. ' Counting my calories and other peoples as well. Lol

Then I realized I was still losing weight by counting. Just at a slower rate than before. Once I stopped counting and just continued to eat healthy things it balanced itself out. I still sometimes find myself counting calories out of habit. But, not daily each meal. Not constantly pondering over how many I have left and what equals out to that. I think you should just start using your scale each week. Still continue eating healthy and working out. But, don't stress over the number of calories you intake. I felt like it was giving me a bad relationship with food. You can weigh in every so often to be sure that you're still on track. That way you're sure to keep yourself within a healthy range of your goal.

You shouldn't be a calorie counter for the rest of your life. I'm sure you have a good idea now what a healthy portion and meal is for you. Try just eating ' healthy' without the ' counting ' away until it becomes an obsession. Or disorder.

There is a loss in it if it becomes a complusive obession/disorder. To the point you can't enjoy your day to day life. Or you can't think about anything else.  I think having a bad relationship with food is a disorder. Even if you aren't overweight or underweight. It's just not healthy mentally.

It's possible. I've been maintaining 103-105lbs since April. So I'm living proof that maintaining is doable without counting.... forever. =-P ( 5'2 small frame )

You can do it too.

Additional posts added from duplicate thread in WL.



#1 hannybanany Sep 25 2007 00:15

i need opinions guys!



 #2 adratus Sep 25 2007 00:15

On my recent business trip I had no internet access, and could not log my calories. I found that I actually ate less!

The reason seems to be that with the counting, I always eat up to my allowance, and if I ate 200 calories less then allowance by the end of the day, I somehow have to eat something these last 200 calories, as if not to lose them, even if I'm not hungry.

On that business trip some days I ate a lot more then my allowance (dinner with the co-workers etc) and some days i guess less, because I was too tired to eat.

End result was that when I returned home 1 week later, I was surprised to find that I have lost 3 lb, which is more then my usual rate.


#3 popthebubbles Sep 25 2007 00:22

been there- i know- it can become overwhelming.

if it becomes TOO MUCH, maybe consider taking yourself OFF OF CALORIE COUNT for a day a week.

unfortunately, when i had my ED, i did not let myself go on this site for MONTHS.

I would also suggest looking at the Intuitive Eating thread here in Maintainance. Disorder - in my opinion - a pattern of thoughts and patterns that separates you from your body and is not sustainable over the long run. That will be different for everyone. 

I've been flamed to hell and back for insisting that people can't count forever.

I haven't counted for almost 5 months, have eaten like a normal person, and could not be happier. I'm also no heavier than I was when I stopped counting, and I'm more muscular.

 

I am trying to stop counting, and I did ok when I was on vacation and food was being served to me. Problem is, when I make my own food I can't seem to stop measuring and looking at the nutritional info and then I add it up in my head. It's a rough count now -- not like when I used to log every single bite -- but still more than I *want* to count.

I also wonder if I have a disorder because every time I "splurge" calorically (big restaurant meal) I obsess about it -- feel guilty and try to add up the # of calories. Come to think of it, I obsess about every meal I don't know the caloric value of.

I don't think there's necessarily anything wrong with measuring portion sizes when you cook or keeping a rough count in the back of your head.

I think it's only a problem when you freak out over not knowing the exact number or compulsively log everything.

I only actually logged food and counted calories for about three weeks back in March.  That was enough for me to understand how much and what I should be eating.  Not counting is not the same as eating whatever whenever. I continue to eat healthy foods in proper purportions.

I have felt the same way and still feeling like I have to count everything now, but where hasn't my obcession lead me. It has lead to my current Bulimia/Depression condition, I was doing so much better at weight loss when I was going by fat content not calories, but thats just me.

Hey benn....

I noticed that you sais everything was so much better when you were only dieting by controlling fat content. I started dieting this way too and went from 215 lbs to about 155-160lbs (im a 18 yr old male). My life was happy and I ate helathy foods when I was hungry. Then for some resason I decided to count calories ( I have no idea why), and although it did make me lose more weight, (im down to about 145 lbs now), it also made me miserable. Now I am stuggling with getting my calories up to 1400 a day and regaining a healthy relationship with food. I was wondering if you or anyone else has any insight into low-fat, healthy food diets (not ones that count calories persay) and their results in reguards to maintenance. I just remember how happy I was when i didnt count calories and I want to go back to that kind of lifestyle, but now that I know about calories and how excess of anything, even if it is low fat, can lead to weight gain, I am scared to drop calorie counting. Any sugguestions or insight?

The FDA says that people who have lost a substantial amount of weight (over 50 pounds) and kept it off for 15 years or more, have 3 things in common:

1. They count their calories, daily.

2. They exercise 3-5 times a week for 30 minutes

3. They weigh themselves regularly

so, yeah, for some of us it may be neccessary to count the rest of our lives...but so what? It's worth it to find a healthy weight and stay there...

thanks guys. im gunna try my best not to count cause i think its really time anyways

Im not done losing yet but I dont think I will every be able to stop counting, I am obsessed and I can't help it....also if you have just finished losing weight its going to be hard to stop right away.

How long did it take you to get into the habit of counting? It will probably take you the same amount of time to stop obsessing, they say you have to do something for 30 days for it to become a habit. Maybe you just have to stop counting and calculating for a month or so and then you will be able to eat like normal person without counting, and also not over eating.

kathygator

It is so true what you have stated.  Those are the three most important things in maintaining a healthy weight.  I'm glad I have something in common.

hannaybanany - just good luck to you in moving forward !

hi enchantingimage.

you said your at the point of maintaining now? i'm also but how do you do it...

what would you say your average calorie need is and how much excercise do you do now to stay on track?

also, do you allow yourself to relax for a day or two if you have been good throughout the week?

Hey, Misfit89


I workout about 4-5 times a week. But, I always throw in some crunches every so often as well as the dropping down in the floor to do the plank excerise.( I'm trying to tone my abdomen.) In the evening after I put baby down ect. I've been doing the Denise Austin 8 or 9 minute abs workout. In the daytime I do the 8 minute Taebo full body workout. A lot of people talk about their 45 minute workouts, but I don't see how they do that. I'm much better with shorter workouts. It's more ' do-able ' for me. That way I never miss it. I can actually commit myself to 16minutes a day.Period. Without feeling so drained afterwards that I don't want to do anything else.  Then I'm more likely to do more. Say another workout later the same day.

I don't count calories anymore but today was a normal day for me and my intake was about 1500 calories. ( Maybe a lil less since my baby likes to try whatever I'm eating. ) She's my lil bird as I like to call her.

The trick is slowly adding back to your calorie intake once you've reach your goal. Everyone's body is different. Try to slowly add the calories back that you were deducting for weight lost. That way your body has time to adjust again. If you don't do this at a slow enough pace for your body, you may simply gain. Just take your time adding them back steadily. It's doable. 

 I don't think it's neccessary to count forever. It's just not if you eat healthy and working out. After counting so long as to reach your goals, you have a better idea of the right proportion/meals for your body. You may  naturally find yourself counting some things out of habit. But, it doesn't have to consume every ounce of your being. I feel badly for people when they have a bad relationship with food. I started to be the exact same way. Always counting everything and thinking about when I could eat next ect ect. I really do think it's a disorder to have a bad relationship with food. Regardless if you're underweight or over weight. Or normal weight. Food isn't the enemy neither or calories.

My biggest suggestion is just continuing to eat healthy with a routine workout. Whether it be 45 minutes 2 times a week. Or 8 minutes 5 days a week. So long as it's a routine that you can stick with. I still indulge myself when I want a cupcake. I don't eat three or four of them. But, if I want one I have one!  I don't have one with dinner everyday. Lol 

It's much less bothering to me to weigh in every week. Than to constantly be stressed over counting. Don't let it turn into a obsession/compulsion that takes over your life. Food is meant to be enjoyed too. It's scary the thought of ' gaining ' it all back. ( It's an ever scary thought of letting calorie counting become an eating disorder. ) You can keep yourself on track with just eating healthy and sticking to a workout routine. A weigh in day helps a lot too. That way, if you notice you're falling short. Or a bit high of your goal weight, you can take that into account. Increasing your workout routine or just subtracting a snack. ( You may actually find yourself losing weight still. Because of the lack of stress. I did. I had to add a snacking periodically. ) That's what I do and I've been maintaining 103- 105lbs since April.

For all of you that are worried that it's turning into something unhealthy, trust that instinct. You can do it without counting.

thanks for the reply! appriciated

 No problem. =-P Feel free to private message me if you want.  Or add me to your friends list. Good luck.