Do you watch the numbers, analysing and counting how many calories in this, that and the other? If you do, you should definitely read my story. Calorie counting was a borderline eating disorder for me.
Calorie counting and dieting. I’ve been there and done that myself. It became a very damaging obsession for me at one time.
When I was in my late teens I was, lets face it, at 8 and three quarter stone, not overweight. But a chance comment from my Nana about my shape made me change how I ate and drank for quite some time.
She was putting sun-cream on my back – it was those days when people sunbathed and liked to get tanned.
My Nana exclaimed to my mum, as she applied the Bergasol, “Oh she’s well covered isn’t she!!”.
She may have meant I was well covered in tanning cream. But the young me, age 19, took it to mean that my skin was too thick and soft, deciding there and then that I did NOT want to be “well covered”.
I limited my calories.
All I knew was that “diet food” was salad, fruit, cottage cheese and Ryvita, no internet then of course.
So that’s pretty much all I ate for about 3 years.
Needless to say I lost weight. But that wasn’t all I lost. I lost my energy, my sparkle, and my self-confidence. I was permanently cold and irritable. I binged. I ate secretly. I wanted to think only about food. My periods stopped. I had a boyfriend, so I went out just with him – I had no energy left to do all that I should have been doing out with my friends at college and Uni. In fact, I pretty much lost my mates for a while too as they didn’t spot it. I could put on a pretty good show and pretend all was well with my mental and physical health, but it wasn’t. I know now that I was low-level eating disorder and at a dangerously low body weight and muscle mass, through most of my College and University life.
I know first hand that diets are damaging. Dieting can damage your social life, your psychology and your physiology. Counting calories is not the best way to lose weight. There are other ways to health and happiness which are waaaay more fun. And as soon as you flip the switch and just start, you will feel better almost immediately!
As soon as I discovered how different I felt when I exercised and ate healthily (thanks to my now husband), I realised there really IS a better way to manage a healthy weight AND actually LIVE YOUR LIFE whilst getting fit and fabulous!
My tips to escape from Calorie Counting
- STOP diet foods now. Choose wholegrain, natural and home-cooked foods. Take a bit longer, but worth it.
- Trust your brain. You know what’s good and bad to eat. Be an intuitive eater and ENJOY more of the HEALTHY STUFF!
- Eat a lovely nutritious breakfast to set you up for the day I love muesli, greek yogurt and fruit.
- Eat 3 meals a day. Ditch the snacks from now. Cheaper too!
- Drink more water for great skin and a healthy gut.
- Walk every day – yes, even in the rain. You might come back wind-blown and looking like a drowned rat, but you will FEEL AMAZING!
If you feel that you are becoming unable to break away from dieting and its ruining your life, I can help you.
If you need support, knowledge, motivation or just a kick up the bum to get weight off or get started on your fitness, then I am here for you.