Re: Calories Per Day

[Guest guest]

>

> If we're using the thermometer metaphor, then it's okay to know the

> caloric values of the foods we eat, but it's anti-IE to use those

> numeric values to help us make choices about food. In that case, I

> agree - you can count calories for purely informational purposes and

> still be practicing IE - but the moment you choose to deny or allow

> yourself food based on the number of calories you've consumed that

> day, you've ditched IE and crossed over into " dieting " territory.

>

> Shauna

>

I agree with you, Shauna. I frankly can't see the point of knowing

those numeric values unless you're going to use them - and many if

not most of us are not the appropriate " head space " to use them

dispassionately and not let them in some way influence the amount or

content of our consumption. And that, either subtly or directly,

interferes with our intuition - the whole point of intuitive eating.

It's a rare woman indeed who can view her caloric intake in detail

and not let it affect her decision making in some way. Good luck to

those who can, but I for one steer well clear of counting of any sort

because I know how much it would mess with my mind.

S

[Guest guest]

I sometimes count calories as a way to show myself that I can

actually eat quite a bit and still stay the same weight. I have a

tendency to eat practically nothing all day and then binge in the

evenings so if I count calories it shows me that if I would instead

spread the same amount of calories out through the day my weight

isn't going to change. If that makes any sense %)

>

> I do the same thing (track my calories) because I have a tendency

to think I am bingeing, only to find that I'm only 200 calories or

so over where I want to be.

>

> I eat 1500 calories a day, give or take a couple hundred (that's

net. If I exercise, then I almost always " eat " the calories burned).

But, there are days when I'm hungry, so I'll go up to 2000 or 2100.

Other times, I'll only eat 1200. But, by tracking what I eat, I am

getting a feel for what my body wants. Otherwise, I feel out of

control and like I am eating like a horse when I am not. I use the

data to correct my emotional misperceptions from years of hating

myself.

>

> I am only five feet tall, and weigh 163, so 1500 calories is a

good number for me.

>

>

> Did you miss Dr Traci's Monday Morning Motivator? You can still

catch it at www.drtraci.com (even if it's Tuesday night!) Tune in

next week for her topic Stop Talking and Start Doing!

>

>

> (¯`v´¯)

> `*.¸.*´

> ¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨

> (¸.•´ (¸.•´ Traci

>

> ---------------------------------

> Be a better friend, newshound, and know-it-all with Yahoo!

Mobile. Try it now.

>

[Guest guest]

>

> you can count calories for purely informational purposes and

> still be practicing IE - but the moment you choose to deny or allow

> yourself food based on the number

I know for myself that I am not in an appropriate place emotionally to be

taking note of that data. Even if I didn't make a different choice, I would

have guilt (or virtue) reactions to the choices, and those are two

responses (guilt & virtue) that I am trying to eradicate from my eating

decisions. Unfortunately, after years of dieting, I mostly don't have to

look at the package to know the calories of most foods!

However, there are some very limited examples where I can use that type of

data successfully. Specifically, my family does not taste a difference

between full fat & low fat milk, sour cream, & certain cheeses (NOT skim/no

fat, more like 2%). If no one in the household can tell the difference

between the full fat & reduced fat product, then I think it is ok for me to

buy the lighter version, as long as I don't use it any differently than I

would use the " full fat " product.

As a measure, I imagine what my reaction would be if my nutritionist were

to recommend it. When she recommended eating more chips and ice cream, I

thought to myself " woo hoo. " If she recommended using whole milk instead of

2%, I'd shrug & say ok fine, but I wouldn't feel any excitement over it,

because it really doesn't matter to me.

However, that does NOT apply to yogurt. I detest most store yogurts, ever

since living England, where I used to get Muller's <drool>. So now I

occasionally make yogurt at home, and I have found that using full fat milk

(or even half-and-half) makes a HUGE difference. Granted, homemade yogurt

from 2% or even skim is still better than anything I've found in the store,

but homemade full fat yogurt is REALLY good.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

mail2web.com - Microsoft® Exchange solutions from a leading provider -

http://link.mail2web.com/Business/Exchange