According to Albert Einstein…
The definition of insanity is
” doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
(not this type of insanity) 
I have been counting calories for a very, very long time. I have lowered my caloric intake. I have cycled calories. I have cycled carbs. I have not lost weight.
The last time I was trying to lose weight was after I had my daughter. I counted calories roughly and worked out with cardio only ( I’ve come a long way with my workouts )
I lost weight until I got to my happy weight and then stopped worrying so much about it. When I stopped worrying about it, I actually lost more weight due to stress at school
I’m not trying to go that low again.
But, something occured to me while reading Intuitive Eating:
I tend to ignor my body’s signals and do what I think I should be doing to lose this weight. Sometimes I eat when I’m not really hungry because I know I have “that many calories left” and I don’t want to wake up starving. Sometimes, I don’t eat when I am hungry because I don’t want to go over my alotted calories.
I didn’t realize that putting on this weight has really messed with my head. I really have to squash the fat talk
So, maybe, after all of this counting and calculating, cycling and refeeding…what I really need to do is listen to my body.
It’s hard at first. I asked myself what I wanted to eat today and I realized that I have no idea what I really want most of the time! I am so used to eating according to health guidelines. But I have noticed that I tend to crave healthy foods. My body doesn’t want junk all the time but it doesn’t want to live on the same 10 foods either.
What do you think? Are you a calorie counter?
I am challenging myself to stop counting! It’s going to be hard since I have a pretty good idea of how many calories are in almost everything. But, it’s driving me insane. It has not been working for me , so why do I continue to count?! Craziness.
Ah calorie counting! I did it for years, and then stopped. The problem was when I stopped, I ended up eating way too little! So now I count to make sure i get enough. Kind of stinks, but I know it’s necessary!
As soon as I started listening to my body, and eating and working out for health and for competitiveness (races) I found my happy weight. I no longer get on a scale, count calories, deprive myself, and I always fit in my clothes. Our bodies are smart! I think listening to them is the best idea ever.
I am a HUGE fan of journaling what you eat, but not calorie counting! I honestly think it is a waste of time. I think if as long as someone focuses on eating the right things, calorie counting is useless (if not discouraging and limiting as you may know). I know if someone tells me I can’t have a 3rd cookie, I freakin’ HAVE TO HAVE that cookie lol. Good luck girlie girl! I need to order that book!!
I can totally relate to your feelings… I’m a calorie counter and have been since I was 13 years old. After years of following numeric guidelines, I’ve sort of lost touch with my senses. For a while there, my appetite would literally be flat throughout the day. There was no “I’m hungry, so I’ll eat lunch”, or “I’m full, so I’m stopping here”. No, I lived by “It’s time to eat my 3:00 snack”. Everything was purely mechanical and detrimental to my well being (ofcourse, I’m just now realizing this).
My body also requires an abnormally large amount of calories to maintain weight… I have to eat about 3200 calories to stay above 100 lbs. Being an athlete, I also need to pay attention in making sure that I eat enough. But I just want to learn how to eat more freely. I guess you could say I’m taking small steps…
For instance, I know how much I have to eat throughout the day (calorically, that is), but I don’t eat in regimented portions anymore. Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, and Snacks are eaten when I’m hungry for them, there’s no specific time involved. I’ve found that I’m hungriest in the morning and right after training. I’ve even allowed myself (I used to feed into the “no food before bed rule”) indulging in some casein protein icecream before bed.
It’s still hard though, especially going out to eat to a place where nutritional information is unavailable. I try to eat “uncharted” foods like this once a week, and I’ll admit, it’s challenging. Like you mentioned, it’s tough to even PICK a food, because I have no idea what I really want, not knowing macros and everything. Through trial and error, I’ve discovered that my body tends to crave alot of seafood and veggies- mainly whole foods. I always used to snack on raw veggies as a kid actually, so this makes sense. After making this connection, I asked my mom how I used to eat. Hearing some of my natural dietary habits, all the way back from childhood, really has been helpful in relearning my body.
With my excessive knowledge of food and nutrition, I have my doubts that I’ll ever be able to eat intuitively again. But who knows? I’m going to check out that book and see what happens. Best of luck with your journey, and thank you for the great post.
great reflections. it is crazy to me that most people just eat when they are hungry, stop when they are full, lalala.. WHY can’t we all be like that? i am like you, i just know about foods and dont even mean to add things up but i do because it is second nature. best of luck to you in breaking the cycle!
I think it’s totally doable to break the habit of calorie counting. I used to do it ALL the time. Now I focus more on portion control.
I still find myself calculating the calories for some of my meals from time to time, but I think I do that just because it really interests me and I like numbers. I think it might be harder for some people more than others to stop counting because it’s almost like a manifestation of a person’s type of personality, at least for me anyway. I like knowing the facts of what I’m consuming.
I used to count calories. I tried to keep it under 1000…yes that did not work. I don’t count them anymore but I do eat the exact same things most days so I have a good idea.
I used to count calories and since I’ve stopped, I know I have lost weight. Not that I want to lose weight, but I agree with what you said about eating even if not hungry, and if you have more calories “left”. When you eat intuitively you don’t do that! Not only that, but life is much more relaxed and fun. I hate thinking about calories all day, it causes stress in itself. Not fun. I hope the book is helping and you can learn the principles and put them into practice. Intuitive eating is a life saver, and it’s how we ate when we were young! We all need to re-learn that technique.
I know I eat too often when I’m not hungry b/c it’s time. I have been working on eating intuitively for months now–parts of it are getting better/easier and parts are still a struggle! I can tell you I’m much happier eating this way.
AMEN to listening to your body. What we all don’t always realize, is that it IS all in our heads sometime..you can count calories, workout like a mad man…but what you need in the end is a little self-love…and cutting yourself some slack! Listening to your bodies needs is KEY! This was the key to keeping my weight off and steady the past 4 years, I know it! Being happy and stopping the “fat” “calorie counting” thoughts really are freeing!! WAY easier said than done….but I think you can do it! Thanks for sharing….let me know if there’s anything I can do to help!
i agree with janetha, i like your reflections. I do count calories, because I feel I have lost touch with “intuitive” eating. I would eat everything if I could!
Maybe one day I will have a healthier relationship with food and stop counting everything? xoxoxo