I don’t know if I’m getting OCD about this or what, but I’m having major problems with the myfitnesspal.com site. I’ve become totally absorbed in it. I check out calories for different foods all the time to determine whether or not I can eat them or what I would need to adjust in order to eat them. I check it several times an hour, and I never close its tab on my computer. I talk about calorie counts all the time; I am driving my husband crazy. If I go over my allotted calories- which I do sometimes- I am laden with guilt and remorse. It makes me feel like I’ve failed. And even with all this, I am still gaining weight.
Does anyone else have issues like this? Please tell me I’m not alone.
I’m scared that if I stop, I will eat whatever I want, and the weight gain will only get worse. Some of my meds were changed about 8 months ago, and I’ve been gaining weight ever since. 20 lbs. so far. I just want it to stop. I can’t fit in my clothes from last summer, so I went out to buy some more. I didn’t realize how bad I looked until i stood there in front of the dressing room mirrors. I look terrible, and I hate it. I just want to go back to being me, and I don’t know how else to do it. I have physical limitations that keep me from most exercise- even walking- so reducing calories is about it for me.
It’s a little overwhelming to worry over every thing we eat. Humans didn’t develop for millions of years to look at spreadsheets for their next meal. My old doc used to tell me that we were built for feast or famine, and when I admitted that perhaps I was eating too much, he told me I need to stop bulking up for a stay at some desert island. He was a funny guy.
Your as bad as I was when I went on a diet few years back.
I am not doing one now. Then, it was horrible because I had not learned how to make it easier.
I ended up printimg out a list of foods with their calorie content. That was put into a simple folder.This would be for things with no label fruits vegetables meats.
I also learned to use (try not to laugh) ice cream scoops as serving spoons because they measure better. (no I never worked as a lunch lady).
There were many things I had to do to adjust. It is hard.
I think you should not feel bad if you go over a bit. Like the rest of us, I am certain you have days that are more active than usual. That will get rid of the extra couple of hundred calories.
Maybe give yourself some breathing room. Make it a daily range such as- between 2000 and 2500.
I dont see how anyone can hit a calorie count right on the nose everyday. I think this maybe why you feel like this?
IMHO, the whole first 6wks of a diet is going to be far from perfect as it is an adjustment period.
Using a print out so I could just keep a running daily calorie tab and using the scoops to keep my propotions reasonable did help.
I do quite a bit of calorie counting between using MyFitnessPal and a simple calorie counter I programmed myself but I think it’s very important not to ignore doing two major things: getting a decent amount of sleep most of the time and doing some strength training. If I don’t get enough sleep I tend to binge a lot more. I use my Fitbit to track my sleep and try to take a lot more naps. Also just dieting and cardio alone can make you lose muscle mass so it’s pretty important to build up muscles or you may actually burn off muscle tissue in the process and just about everybody loses muscle as we age. Doing some weights can also help strengthen your bones.
One other thing is that I think I have to be careful about not overdoing my fluid intake because I get dry mouth a lot from meds and tend to drink way more than the 6-8 glasses of water they recommend. I think a lot of excess body weight is just fluid retention, especially if you eat a lot of sodium too.
If u have a little extra money, id go on weight watchers… Its what i do… U dont count calories just points so ur cam eat till ur points r gone for that day… Ive lost 50lbs in the laat year…
I don’t…I’m trying hard to lose weight so no snacking. No soda and alcohol…unless I’m having a good day!
Then portion size…I eat a bit more rationally! Weight watchers is great if you can afford it. Just takes the hard out of it but you should be able to do it yourself!
To take some of the pressure off, my husband suggested I alter my goal on the program to losing just 1/2 a lb. a week. It’s slower progress than I want, but maybe it will help. As it is, I sometimes skip lunch so I can eat a nice breakfast like pancakes or a muffin. Or, I get upset because I go over my calorie count for having a grilled cheese sandwich at lunch. I can now eat 1700 calories a day.
The thing with counting calories for me is wanting to get it right. Have I had 3 oz(141) or 4oz(188) chicken breast etc? Have I been able to allocate a calorie score for each item of food ?
Yeah, that’s really tricky! I have been judging based on the size of steaks. I know what a 6 oz. filet looks like and what a 12 oz. sirloin looks like, so I go by that.
Any one who suffers from OCD traits or has the disorder should probably not count calories. I have no issues with www.MyFitnessPal.com But, then, I don’t have OCD either.