Calorie tracking

[15rose]

Hi, does anyone have any advice on how to safely count calories. I tracked for months before Christmas and became obsessive over what I ate, with some symptoms of anorexia. Now I have gained weight but I want to start counting calories again in a safe way.

[Awful]

Hi 15 Rose, l go to slimming world where you can eat as much veggies,fruit,lean Ham eggs,the only thing you have to weigh is your cereal,bread is the 400g size and you can have two slices for 6 syns but l don’t really know about calories, but l find the healthy eating plan at slimming world is the easiest to use. Hope you get on okay and watch this eating disorder l truly fill for you.

[TheAwfulToad]

"Counting calories" very often leads to an obsession with food and bodyweight, and occasionally to full-blown eating disorders.

The basic reason is that (a) the calorie-counter is permanently hungry, which causes psychological disturbances in and of itself and (b) it works poorly, if it works at all.

Because it doesn't work, the calorie-counter starts to believe that they must be doing something wrong (eg., that they're eating too much) or that there's something wrong with them (eg., that they're a bad, gluttonous person) and it all goes downhill from there. I strongly advise you not to do it again if you value your sanity. It is a dangerous and futile exercise, and it really bothers me that people with no relevant qualifications (ie., dieticians and slimming clubs) continue to promote it.

If you are overweight, it's because you are eating the wrong things, not because you are eating too much. This is incredibly easy to fix; once you start eating a genuinely healthy diet, your body will regain control over its bodyfat distribution and appetite. You'll lose weight without even having to think about it.

Would you like to try this? The primary hurdle you have to face is psychological: at some point you will need to accept that all the advice you've been given about "weight loss" is incorrect, and some people really struggle with that.

[Hidden in reply to TheAwfulToad]

This is very interesting TAT as the psychological impact of dieting can make us think about food too much so we trick/convince ourselves that we need to eat something that is in fact empty calories.

I see losing weight as changing our relationship with food by learning to eat well and not being obsessed with what we are avoiding to eat as that can make it seem more desirable...

You make some great points here.

[TheAwfulToad in reply to Hidden]

>> I see losing weight as changing our relationship with food by learning to eat well

Quite. Get that right, and you simply won't get fat.

I posted this elsewhere. I think anyone considering a "calorie-controlled" diet needs to know about this sort of thing:

psychologytoday.com/intl/bl...

The same result has been demonstrated in animal studies. Animals fed at 80% of their BMR requirement - which doesn't sound like a severe restriction, right? - quite literally go crazy, or sink into lethargy and depression.

[Icandoit2019]

Hi

Have you looked at the NHS plan you can download and also use the NHS guideline for the calorie allowances. Start on the higher end that’s how I got to my healthy BMI weight.

Also don’t worry about how long it takes and I find from experience the longer it takes you can maintain it a lot better.

Good luck to you all the best

[Hidden in reply to Icandoit2019]

Hey well done Icandoit2019 for achieving a healthy BMI, wise words here too.

[Kai--]

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Hmm . . . thought-provoking

.∩ . . .∩ 💭 💭

(=˘ϖ˘=)

. Ꮚ . . Ꮚ 🥕 . . . . . . query, 15rose. ☺️👍

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Some thoughts on calorie counting:

. . . 💭 drmcdougall.com/2019/09/13/... . . . 💭 google.com/search?as_q=Jeff...

. . . 💭 facebook.com/JeffNovickRD/p... . . . 💭 forksoverknives.com/the-cal...

. . . 💭 nutritionstudies.org/?s=cal... . . . 💭 nutritionfacts.org/?s=calor...

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Is considering :

. . . caloric density ( plantbaseddietitian.com/wp-... )

. . . nutrient density ( plantbaseddietitian.com/wp-... )

. . . satiety ( plantbaseddietitian.com/wp-... )

a better alternative to calorie counting? 🤔 💭

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Very best wishes, 15rose. 😌 🙏 🍀 🌺 🌞

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[GoogleMe]

What you've not said is why you started counting calories, what symptoms of anorexia you were experiencing, and why you still want to count calories when you feel it became problematic the first time you did it, and that's important information.

Bear in mind that anyone commenting is therefore going to be making a lot of assumptions which may or may not be correct about what is going on for you, and may also be making assumptions that eating disorders are all about eating. (There are, sadly, plenty of people who have come to grief with an 'it's all about excluding the wrong foods/eating the right foods' approach too, just as there are many people who do very well with calorie control (if we're talking about intentional weight loss, or gain), or with cutting out something that seems problematic which people may do for reasons of 'health' or weight)

[Fran182716 Prediabetic]

15rose I would advise you NOT to calorie count at present. I do calorie count so I’m not anti- calorie counting in the right circumstances in a sustainable healthy way, but it is not right for everyone and if you have found it triggers disordered eating behaviours for you then it is entirely wrong for you. There are other ways to lose excess weight but to be honest unless you are at imminent health risk from morbid obesity then your mental health is more important right now.

It might help to speak to your doctor who may be able to refer you for counselling for eating disorders so you can get support to eat healthily and eventually lose any excess weight when the time is right for you. You say you have put weight on but you don’t say what your weight and height are, so all the replies you have had are based on you actually being overweight which you may not be.

Good luck 🍀