Hey everybody! New member here. My introduction and question:

I finally decided to join Calorie Count after lurking through the forums and using the other features for many months now. At my heaviest, I weighed in at a hefty 285lbs. I have since lost 130lbs and I now weigh 155lbs! To put it simply, I did this by counting calories and working out A LOT. It was a long and arduous journey, but I have made it to the finish line!

I believe that in order to maintain my weight, I will have to count calories for the rest of my life. I love being in control of how many calories I am consuming and burning, and I wouldn't mind tallying up my calories each day and for eternity if it meant that I would be able to maintain my weight, be healthy and feel as if I was in control of my life.

I have had a history of binge eating disorder/compulsive eating, made even worse by my all-or-nothing approach to foods. I was out of control. I don't want to take a chance and not count my calories for a week because I fear that I might go crazy and eventually gain everything back (sounds irrational, but I know myself very well). It would devastate me if this happened. My weight loss is very, very important to me: I live a happy, confident and energetic life now.

Now that I'm in maintenance mode, I have a question that's been on my mind for a while now:

Although it's not the most "normal" way to live life, should I count calories for the rest of my life? It will help me maintain my weight, feel as if I am in control, and I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment I get from staying within my maintenance calories.

I'm very curious to see what you all have to say. I'm going to go work out at the gym and I hope I see a reply when I get back! Thanks for listening.

Mo

Well, here is your reply...i hope it's worth while.

My opinion on this, I think that counting calories is okay, and even advisable for those who feel like they can't maintain their weight any other way. I do think that by and large it is unnatural and a bit abnormal to live this way FOREVER, but if it isn't a burden to you then it's not really a problem.

The problem that I do see is the sense of control that you feel from it, I guess on some level we all feel this way, but your expression of it scares me a bit since it seems as if it might be an indication of an underlying need to restore order to your life or maybe your seem out of control in other areas? I'm not sure, just guessing. 

Why do you need this sense of control? Is it just related to weight and you fear that you would ACTUALLY gain if you weren't counting or do you simply like the CONTROL aspect?

I also think that you should find other areas of your life to fulfill you, you said you get a sense of accomplishment from staying within your maintenance target. This makes me feel like if you were to go outside of your target you would then feel like a failure, so it seems like you put a lot on the line when it comes to your weight and how you feel about yourself.

The counting thing is fine i guess, even forever, but the WHY is the part that gets me. 

I hope this makes sense on some level, no judgments just my perspective!! 

130lbs is friggen amazing; good for you!!

i can't imagine counting calories for the rest of my life.  my maintenance strategy is to continue weighing every day (or almost every day, and i'll probably back off that when i've been in maintenance for a little longer) and adjust as necessary, within a few pounds.  i'm determined to stay below 135, so a couple of weeks ago when i got up to 134, i sat down and made a list of all the food "mistakes" i'd been making.  it was a pretty long list, actually, which made it easy to see where i could cut back.

i've been back down to 132-133 for over a week now, below 135 since the middle of may, and holding strong :)

First:  Wow!  Congratulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  That is wonderful losing that much weight.  That shows a great ability to set a goal and reach it.  I know you want to keep it off, so best of luck in doing that very thing!!!!!!!!!!!

In my opinion, yes, you should pretty much count your calories and chart them.  I have been doing it for 4 and 1/2 months, and I think it is easy and sensible to do.  I have found several places and books and heatlh wellness experts that say it is important to do this.  However, that doesn't mean you can't take a break here and there and not do it.  Maybe once you know your typical eating routine, you would not have to do it all the time.  I really think that depends on how well a person knows the kinds of foods he/she typically eats. 

Two things that I have found out in all the research I have done about dieting, losing weight, and maintaining are that 1) a person needs to keep track of his/her weight once he/she is in the maintenance mode and 2) a person needs to know generally how many calories he/she is taking in. 

I will state that there are many people in the Maintenance group on this site that DO NOT do this, and they don't seem to have any problem maintaining.  For me, I have made a life-style change, and I know that it is in my best interest to keep track of how many calories I consume and how much I weigh each day. 

congrats on your weight loss!

I haven't been maintaining for very long, only a month or two, and I still count. At first I just kept track mentally but lately have put a few pounds back on so I'm keeping careful track of my intake, exercise, and deficit everyday.

I'm guessing that eventually, I'll come to know how much I can eat in the course of a day without consciously counting.

Wow, thanks for all of the replies everybody!

Chrissy: It was very interesting to read your reply, felt like I was sitting on a couch at a shrink's! Lol. Not a bad thing, you're quite perceptive and should consider a career in counseling or something. Your words caused me to think about why it is that I want to calorie-count for the rest of my life. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that I have a type-A personality (Capricorn, it's in my nature!). But I think the bigger reason I want to continue to count calories is not because of some crazy control issue but because, more than anything else, I want to successfully maintain my weight! I worked very, very hard to get to this point. I am at my goal weight and I feel better than I ever have in my life.

I feel in control of my life in all other possible ways: My love life, happiness, career, etc. However, food is the one thing I THOUGHT I couldn't get a handle on, until I discovered calorie monitoring. I have only binge-eaten once since beginning this journey, but it was a horrible 2-day event and occured when I was 5 pounds away from my goal weight, that was an incredibly humbling moment that made me realize that the beast can rear it's ugly head at any moment. We maintainers wake up each morning and have to make a very important choice: Stay on the beautiful path we're strolling through or stumble on a rock and possibly fall off the edge of the cliff.

I choose happiness, health and success... and my preferred method of making sure of this is by continuing to count calories. I grew up as an obese child, and now that I reflect on those years... I just felt so out of control and as if I would never be able to have a somewhat appropriate relationship with food. I ate all day, everyday. Now I feel as if I do have some type of control over this particular aspect of my life... and that means more to me than any pair of jeans or "Wow, you look great!" compliment will. But those are a nice bonus too.

PGeorgian: Thank you. Congratulations to you as well for reaching your goal weight and entering the maintenance phase of this journey. I weigh myself once a week, but have contemplated weighing myself more often... perhaps twice a week? Why do you find weighing yourself daily is better than once-a-week, out of curiousity? Wishing you continued success.

PilgrimDude: Thanks! I have read a few of your posts and I congratulate you on your amazing weight loss too. You're right, after losing 130lbs, I feel as if I can accomplish ANYTHING I put my mind to.  I truly believe that you can achieve anything with enough hard work, patience and determination. It makes me feel better to know that you are also continuing to count calories... I liked your idea of taking a day off here and there, perhaps for a special occasion or simply if I don't feel like it that day? And it's very true that in order to maintain your weight, a person must monitor the changes in their weight and have at least a general idea of how much they are consuming and burning. Maybe I made too big of a deal of this continuing to count calories thing, but it's because I constantly hear that it is so much better to listen to your hunger cues and eat accordingly, and so I felt I would be weird to maintain my weight any other way. But I suppose intuitive eating doesn't work for everybody- especially those who have had an unhealthy relationship with food for a very long time. That's just my situation though; for all else who can do it that way, more power to you. I guess counting calories is just the way it is for me, I'd much rather write down and tally numbers than relapse and become the person I used to be before.

Qmwillcand: Thanks, congrats to you too! Good for you for realizing that you starting to slip and then getting back on track... this is exactly what maintenance is about! We should all realize that it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing approach, just because you gained a few pounds doesn't mean that you should give up and then gain all of the weight back, just accept it and act accordingly.

Mo.

hotnhealthymo:  I have done quite a bit of web research on this, and there are some conflicting answers about it.  However, I think it is wise to count calories daily--and to do it honestly.  That is, when I first started counting calories, I would "cheat" myself instead of the other way around.  My sister, on the other hand, has a tendency to not count everything, such as an occasional candy bar or half a sandwich, etc.  Because I had the time, I made a spreadsheet of every food I eat on a regular or semi-regualar basis and put down the calories for each one.  I can quickly add my calories consumed to a printed sheet I have for the 5-7 meals I have a day.  I log my weights, exercising, and calories on spread sheets.  It is a hobby for me.  I feel it is a very healthy hobby.  I go to this site Caloriecount first to find out calories in food, but I also check several other sites if I can't find what I want or if I want a second opinion. 

I am still in awe of what  you did.  You deserve great accolades for that.  Even if we "maintainers" occasionally have relapses, we need to support each other.  My sister gives up sometimes, but I just keep reminding her that before she started dieting and exercising she didn't exercise and would drink several regular cokes a day and eat handfuls of Cherry bings every day.  Now, she does eat a bing once in awhile. but she gave up Coke, and she doesn't eat as much caramel popcorn, hot dogs, and fatty meats like she used to.

I think counting calories is a good idea for us, but for the healthy reason of not letting the weight steadily slip on again; I don't think it would be good if it is only because we are obsessive-complusive and control freaks.

Best of luck in all things!