Recovering without counting calories
I have noticed a lot of people on here in recovery are counting calories, But I am in an out patient program, And in the program they have us go by Food exchange and not calories.
And i have been freaking out a bit, I am worried that with the food exchange I wont be getting the amount of calories i need [Or that i wont be getting the right amount of calories per day] For example; 1 slice of bread counts for 1 gain/starch but every brand of bread has different calories, same with soy milk and so on. . .I am just afraid that i wont be giving my body the right amount of calories it needs and I will be gaining on 1,500 when i really need 2,500.
I was wondering if anyone here is on a recovery plan where they are not counting calories, and are doing food exchange? And how is it working for you? Am I freaking out over nothing?
i think in OP it's actually pretty common to have exchanges. if you're following it correctly then you're probably getting enough calories. i was OP for a bit and they had me on exchanges as well but m MP was really low in calories initially, i mean less than 2000 but that's because i was just starting. the adjust it as you go and it really is effective if you don't try to do any ED type sneaky things.
Hey
I'm in recovery and I don't count calories OR do a meal exchange plan. I'm goin' solo!! Ok I kinda do calories, just roughly though yknow? Like I will round down my guess of a calorie amount and go from there. I can't do full on calorie calculations, it's too triggering for me, and I am not working with a nutritionist or anything so I don't do the meal exchange.
Anyways... yeah! Hope you had a good day =]
Thanks for the replies!
Chrissy1988, Did you find that the exchanges help you learn to eat more normaly then if you were to count calories through out your recovery?
I guess its just the ED side of me freaking out, I just started this Tuesday.
But i will stick with the plan that i am on and will have to learn how to trust my body and nutritionist
i didn't stick with OP so i'm not sure what effect the exchange system has because i always counted. i think you should trust your N and just let go of some control. i'm certain it will be good for you! :)
Gaining on 1500? Is that actually possible? I've been reaching 1500 - 1800 this past week (I know this isn't enough; I'm getting some fortisip to add to my MP in the next few days) and I'd gained at my weigh in yesterday. I'm not sure if this is actual fat or water/food/natural fluctuation.
I am also on an exchange system. I work with my nutritionist and am on a mealplan where I have to get in so many exchanges each day of different macronutrients etc. If you meet a certain number of exchanges per day for each type (ie protein, fats, grains, fruits, vegetables, dairy, etc) it generally adds up to a certain calorie range depending on the amount of exchanges you have been prescribed. For example, on my plan, 2200 calorie equals about 10 grains, 4 fruits, 3 vegetables, 3 dairy, 6 proteins, 4 fats. I also have a comprehensive list of examples of each exchange and what one serving constitutes. It does note that for example, a large muffin from a bakery or restaurant would count as more than a homemade or smaller muffin. Or if you choose lowfat product over a full fat you would need twice the amount to make up an exchange as opposed to one for a full fat product. One can always find loopholes and cheat by buying very low nutrient low cal weight watcher bread or something but you are only cheating yourself in the end.
It is a frustrating system at times because as eating disordered people we are drawn to exact numbers, figures, black and white thinking, control. An exchange system is designed to take the focus off of calorie counting and obsessing and getting it perfect and exact and to loosen the grip a bit and allow for a range. It draws us away from the tedious task of worrying about how much we are eating everyday and allows us to focus on other areas of recovery more but still give us some responsibility. Its also designed to help us focus more on the quality of our diet and to normalize our eating habits and make better food choices (for example it helped me realize just how much fat I need in my diet per day to repair and maintain etc) and focus on nourishing our bodies. If we follow our mealplans correctly our nutritionists know that we are meeting the caloric requirements we need. We dont necessarily need to know this information right now other than a generalized knowledge.
Admittedly, I still count calories in my head. I am very knowledgeable about how many calories are in many many items and its drilled in my head from years of obsessing and its impossibly hard most of the time not to make little mini calculations all the time. I have made some progress in not keeping detailed daily records in notebooks of every calorie, fat gram, carb, etc of every morsel of food and gum and coffee bla bla that passes my lips, or not planning every meal and snack for weeks in advance and spending hours every day at this, but I still plan meals and snacks a day ahead and dinners for a week ahead (to make shopping for food ingredients easier but also because I still have a lot of anxiety not knowing ahead what I will be eating and am still working on the spontinaity bit).
I think we get so focused on the weight gain part of recovery (which is hugely important dont get me wrong) that we forget about the nutrition and eating habits but also about the mental and spiritual aspects of recovery. The exchange system is freaky when one is used to absolute control over every detail and it takes getting used to and understanding, but it does work if you follow it correctly. It doesnt work for everyone but its worth a try.
I wish i was on an exchange system, but honestly, i count calories in my head every single day whether i want to or not. i have an automatic calculator. it's sad. i can look at an item of food and give an estimation of what it is. my nutritionist in the past wrote up a sort of exchange system from me, saying, you need this main of each good groups each day, and gave me a ball park of how many calories i needed (2100-2300 at the time) but it was up to me to eat them on my own, and of course, i knew exactly how many calories were in each. the more i think about it, the more helpful i think it would be to be on ane xchange system...to understand what my body needs based on food groups not on mere numbers. i have found sometimes at night im just putting random stuff in my mouth to get up to a decent calorie amount, and with every bite, another 10, 20, 50, 100...
the less math the better, i think!!!!!!!!!! i hate numbers. im a theater and english major. the day i forget how to count calories will be the happiest day of my life.
Original Post by little_miss_actress189:
I wish i was on an exchange system, but honestly, i count calories in my head every single day whether i want to or not. i have an automatic calculator. it's sad. i can look at an item of food and give an estimation of what it is. my nutritionist in the past wrote up a sort of exchange system from me, saying, you need this main of each good groups each day, and gave me a ball park of how many calories i needed (2100-2300 at the time) but it was up to me to eat them on my own, and of course, i knew exactly how many calories were in each. the more i think about it, the more helpful i think it would be to be on ane xchange system...to understand what my body needs based on food groups not on mere numbers. i have found sometimes at night im just putting random stuff in my mouth to get up to a decent calorie amount, and with every bite, another 10, 20, 50, 100...
the less math the better, i think!!!!!!!!!! i hate numbers. im a theater and english major. the day i forget how to count calories will be the happiest day of my life.
Ha ha same here! I am a writer and English major/journalism minor (dropped out of college years ago though) and dancer at heart and I used to hate any sort of math but since being sick with anorexia numbers have become a complete all out obsession...even as far as counting exercise repititions and dividing pieces of food up etc. Eveything has to be neat and orderly and organized and exact and measured. Its getting better now in recovery but I still sometimes drive myself mad with those numbers in my head. My nutritionist and I have tried so many strategies to overcome my anxieties and obsessive tendencies in those regards but it gets discouraging at times. Two steps forward, one back...sigh
to the OP: I am on an excahnge system based on a calorie need. sometimes if i just need to get the cals in, ill just find something of equivellant calories. if you need more help, ask your N, or look online. i found a website designed for diabetics that provides a list of what a serving is of almost ANY type of food in relation to how many exchanges it is worth. after time you will get used to it. for example: a grain is roughly 80 calories, so make sure your bread is that OR MORE!! a fruit is 60, a veg is 30 (so that means you have to have a LOT of salad or a little bit of peas); a fat is 45; a protein is 55(basically one ounce of ANY kind of meat); a dairy is 90. then i have others like 200 cals discresionary "dessert" 180 cal snack, an ounce of nuts, and an ensure plus every day. so-follow what your N gave you, but if you need more help, seek it out-do NOT SHORT YOURSELF!! EVER!
Original Post by myvalentinesquest:
to the OP: I am on an exchange system based on a calorie need. sometimes if i just need to get the cals in, ill just find something of equivalent calories. if you need more help, ask your N, or look online. i found a website designed for diabetics that provides a list of what a serving is of almost ANY type of food in relation to how many exchanges it is worth. after time you will get used to it. for example: a grain is roughly 80 calories, so make sure your bread is that OR MORE!! a fruit is 60, a veg is 30 (so that means you have to have a LOT of salad or a little bit of peas); a fat is 45; a protein is 55(basically one ounce of ANY kind of meat); a dairy is 90. then i have others like 200 cals discresionary "dessert" 180 cal snack, an ounce of nuts, and an ensure plus every day. so-follow what your N gave you, but if you need more help, seek it out-do NOT SHORT YOURSELF!! EVER!
That make's alot more sense; thank you!
would you happen to know what that web site was? my N is not so much help with helping me understand the exchange system.
And thank you to everyone else! All of your replies have helped me trust my nutritionist, and that the exchange system works just as well as counting calories. :]
