How to Re-train My Calorie Counting Brain? page 2

[DianeThePurple]

One thing that has helped me is that I continue to write down everything that i eat. Sometimes I still weigh servings on the kitchen scale (usually only to get the proportions right for multi-ingredient things) and I write that down too.

The trick? I write it all down... and then I never look at it again. If something goes horribly wrong I can go back and look it up. But knowing it is all there in that little notebook, means I don't have to carry it around in my head any more. I find it very freeing.

Good luck! I hope you find something that works for you.

[Robynbee]

That's pretty clever Tawny, I like that. I hate reading nutrition labels anyway!

[lorichka6]

Just stop counting, recording, etc. You can only think about something when you "tell your brain" to do it. If you suddenly find yourself summing up calories, think about pink elephants or something and stop.

At least that is what I tell myself

I'm on day 3 of a no counting/weighing test. I've been a counter/weigher for YEARS.

What I've noticed in my n=3 day test... I'm slightly less stressed about food. I don't care as much about knowing exactly what is in what I'm eating (to a degree - boyfriend/cook extraordinaire cooks to primal "code" so I still care about what goes in to what I'm eating but less about using 1 or 2 tbsp of oil...you know). I tend to stop eating sooner because I have fewer "well I still have 500 calories allowed so I might as well keep going".

I hope this works, it sure is nicer than constantly plugging stuff into the stupid app on my phone

Just give it a shot - 1 week - if you go crazy, you can always go back to counting!

[ennasirk]

Well, yes, but this presumes that one wants to do that kind of workout.

My trainer seems to think I do. It's his new favorite form of client abuse.

[InSearchOfAbs]

I'm a cronic counter/weigher/logger as well. Food weighing that is, because heaven forbid if I don't log the correct amount of grams!

This thread is very timely for me as A.) I just joined this forum, and B.) I was JUST lamenting the fact that I need a break from weighing/logging/counting in my journal on another site for EXACTLY THE SAME REASONS as the original poster.

I was GOING to start May 1st, but hey, why not today?

To take it even more OCD, I also wear a bodybugg.. and have for a YEAR.

So listen, woman, if I can do it, you can do it.

You, me AND our food will walk hand in hand together into the sunset (my husband won't mind at all).....

Julie

[MalPaz]

The scale part is easy. Take the scale outside. Set it on the driveway. Go get a sledgehammer. Smash the scale with the sledgehammer. Throw the bits in the garbage can and sweep up the shattered stuff and toss that, too. Put away the sledgehammer.
I wish you luck.

ayyy done this!!!! prolly one of the top 5 best feelings

for calories, i stopped first by curing malnutirition. a mind at ease will take to changes much better. you count for a reason be it stress relief etc, so find another way to relieve stress. then i had to change my view of food. i stopped viewing it as numbers and look at it as nourishment. for example instead of looking at fried eggs and beef liverand worrying about a caloric number some dude gave it which isnt accurate anyways, look at the rack of b vitamins, choline and everything else that meal provides you.

helps not to eat by yourself also as you cant sit and analyze

[Robynbee]

Julie, what's a bodybugg?

And yes! Start your no-calorie counting journey with me today! High fives all around!

[InSearchOfAbs]

A bodybugg is that thing that the people on The Biggest Loser wear on their arm.

At the end of the day, it tells you how many calories you've burned, what your deficit is, your nutrition breakdown (you put your food into
their tracking system) and it comes up with all kinds of cool charts and graphs.

You can download your stuff as many times a day as you want to see where you are.

It'll tell you that you have "this many" more calories to burn to meet your daily deficit, so get off your buns and get out there!

Anyway, super spiffy dealybob... but after a year, I think I've got it. Still fun to wear though... for us OCD over the top people, but I can
hack not wearing it for a month or so. Or even after that, if I'm over it, I'll sell it.

SO! Yesterday was the first day of not tracking, counting or weighing food. I must say, I was a little anxious, but I know for a fact I ended up
eating less than I normally would just because I didn't have that "oh, i have 300 more calories left to eat... should I? Shouldn't I? Am I hungry?
No, no you're not you fat slob, you just want to eat those calories because they're staring at you and "you can". Annoying.

And no, I'm not really a fat slob and nor do I call myself that, but still. I see that I'm not at my calorie limit and for some reason it'd give
me license to eat even though I wasn't hungry. Lame.

So, here's to day 2.

How are you doing, Robyn?

Julie

[Robynbee]

Yesterday was a fine non-calorie counting day for me! Throughout work hours, I didn't once think about plugging my vittles into my little iPhone app (but that was probably because I spent most of my day here on MDA reading about good health and well-being). Then, I got home....and I had to physically tell myself not to see how many calories were in the little egg square I just ate. I turned my phone off and put it in my room so I wouldn't think about it. Thank god hockey was on, otherwise I probably would have fretted myself silly about my calorie count.

Today is going well, but it's the after work time, when I have more time to myself, that I start to really get crazy with the eating and the counting and the guilt.

I'm notoriously terrible for eating poorly on the weekends as we're usually out and about and I forget to eat and come home ravenous and try to eat everything but the kitchen sink. Sometimes I even go for the kitchen sink. BUT, I'm gonna be strong and just try to be a normal person with normal eating habits...eat when hungry and all that. I'm gonna be a survivor (cue Destiny's Child)....

[InSearchOfAbs]

Yeah, I'm not doing so well... not only do i feel like a fat toad, but I don't know if it's because it's PMS, I'm eating too much, or just in a shit-ass mood
because calorie counting was my "control" and now I don't have it so I'm whack and in full on withdrawl.

Could be all of the above....

What I DO KNOW, is that along with eliminating gluten, grains, fruit, dairy and booze... seems like now I need to give up seeds and nuts too because
they call to me... and then I eat them with wild abandon......

I fer shure know how many calories are in 10 macadamia nuts and the other day i stuffed my fat face with about 50 of them.

But I drank a diet root beer along side them, so, you know, those calories were negated, right? RIGHT!

Carry on Robyn....

I hope I get out of my funk soon. This bites.

I thought going off BOOZE was hard, after being a Professional Nightly Drinker for 23 years.... yeah, well...... sigh.


Julie