Why I Stopped Counting Calories

I've always been a perfectionist. I still am. For the most part, I think it is a good thing. It motivates me to work hard and usually, succeed at my goals.

But other times, being a perfectionist is a curse. That is what I want to talk about today... how my never ending battle to become fault-less easily turned into something that damaged me both mentally and physically.

I started to count calories around age 11. Looking back on this, it sounds so depressing. An 11 year old shouldn't be worried about calories, she should be focused on school, friends, and having fun.

Around this time, I also started to work out. I found simple workout videos on YouTube and did a few each week. I lost weight, and was so proud.

Now, I don't think counting calories is necessarily a bad thing. If someone is very over weight or has a specific goal, counting and tracking food intake can be very useful and sometimes even mandatory. However, I was doing this task in a very wrong way.

1) I ate processed, fake food. Special K, Yoplait, and 100 calorie packs were my friends. I cared only about calories, not food quality.

2) I restricted way too much. Counting became obsessive, and soon I was eating below 1000 calories.

3) I thought I could "reverse" eating with working out. Ate an extra bowl of cereal? Time to walk on the treadmill for an hour.

4) In relation to the above, I would over eat "bad" foods (like cake, cookies, candy) as a reward, or because I felt so restricted and let wanted to let myself "loosen up."

This was a bad phase in my life. My parents were divorcing, I was not living in my own home, and school was becoming very difficult for me. I used food as my only means of control in this hectic time.

About two years ago, I was at my lowest weight ever. I might make a different post addressing this area in my life, because so much happened then. I was dangerously sick with an eating disorder. However, I will not go into great detail in this post.


Powerlifting saved my life, seriously. This was last year when I first dipped my toes in the world of weight lifting. Still very underweight.

With much struggle, I gained back a healthy portion of weight. Along with outside support, I found it easier to gain weight through heavy lifting/ powerlifting. Eventually I stopped weighing myself all together (I have not been on the scale for months.)

About three weeks after I posted that I was going to start counting macros, I quit counting calories entirely. One day at lunch, I felt weighed down by the fact I was going to have to track what I just ate. I looked at my mother sitting across from me, and simply said, "I'm done."

I have never felt so free. No longer am I bound to a railroad track by the ropes of food restriction- because, honestly, counting calories/macros is exactly that. A form of restriction. (This is just my opinion. If you have a different one, feel free to share, but don't bash me just for thinking differently than you might.)

As I mentioned before, I developed a very bad relationship with eating. Hunger cues were (and still are) all over the place, and the horrible cycle of "restrict/binge" happened a lot. Since I have stopped counting calories entirely, I have improved in the area DRASTICALLY. If I want something sweet, for instance, I will make a batch of healthy, gluten free cookies and have one or two and be done. I never could have done that just a year ago.


My best friend Abby and I, enjoying some fresh cookies before I left to return home to Texas. I act and look so much happier now that I don't count calories!

So, why did I stop counting calories?

To reshape my relationship with food.

To stop over eating.

To stop hating my body or feeling guilty for eating.

For freedom.

Do you count calories? Why or why not?

Natalie

My Life Lately: More Iron, Less Yoga, and NEW PANTS!

I haven't updated you guys on my general life in a while. I figured it was time!

Where to even start? 2014 has already brought a ton of changes, mostly for the better.

• To start things off, I am so happy to have become best friends with Abby from Yes To Yummy over the past year. I just returned home from an AMAZING trip with her! Besides the fact that she is a constant motivation for me to be creative in the kitchen, she is one of the most caring, loving, giving, and intelligent people I have ever met. I am blessed beyond belief to have her in my life. How awesome would it be if we could go to college together in the future!

• A while back I posted about starting to count macros. Well... let's just say that's out the window now. Not that I think it couldn't have worked. But I tried it for about three weeks, and while I found it new and interesting, I also became enlightened. I have been counting calories for years. I am only 16! This... I'm sorry, but it is NO WAY to live.

I train hard. And honestly, I have little desire to ever eat something that I would consider processed, fake, or filled with man-made who knows what. So as long as I am eating healthy and pushing myself in the gym, why on earth do I need to count calories (at least at this time in my life)? I want to focus again on eating mindfully, and hopefully that will provide my mind and body with peace.


This was taken back in December! 

• This past year especially, I have cut way back on yoga. I almost say this with regret, because I love yoga and still hope to be able to teach one day. But right now, my heart is in weight lifting. 

I have never been so thrilled to go to sleep, knowing that when I wake up I have an hour to myself... I have never been a competitive person with others, and power lifting/weight training is ALL about personal competition (which I love!) 

I am proud to be able to SHAPE MY BODY the way I have always wanted it to look. It's a mental game for sure, but it is worth every tear and drop of sweat shed. Some teenage girls want makeup and boys...all I want is lifting gloves and a barbell across my back. It's fun to be the only girl in the weight room at times!

 

HUGE thanks to the girls Carrie, Tara, and Staci for motivating me to lift heavy, eat more, and not be afraid of "getting bulky:" (because thats not gonna happen!!) I may not know you personally, but following your blog posts and advice make me feel as if your a friend. I really hope this doesn't make me sound like a giant creeper. 

 

You've probably noticed my increase in lifting if you've been reading my Week of Workouts posts. I have for sure seen improvement since starting this past December when I got a gym membership. I plan to keep you guys updated with any other achievements I make fitness wise. 

 

• Speaking of weight training... I now have grown a butt. Six months of squats, deadlifts, and other heavy work has given me a behind that I never have had! Lol. 

In celebration of my new butt, I have cleaned out my closet and gotten new pants... actually, new clothes!

Okay, well, maybe I was *forced* to do this because none of my clothes fit correctly anymore...

• I am still working on healing my gut, but am more lenient. I think this (getting rid of food stress) has helped ALOT. 

I recently read a post on Marks Daily Apple that made a ton of sense. It talked about a study that was done that proved people's bodies will react differently to food according to how they think about the food. It makes sense! If I THINK my body will feel bad eating something, it probably will.

I still sprout my beans and such, but I am in cooperating more non sprouted beans and have had no nasty reactions. I also eat quality Greek yogurt a occasionally with (USUALLY) no awful side effects.

• I get to DRIVE legally soon! Lol. I get my drivers license in a month!! 

What have you been up to lately?

Natalie 

Counting Macros: Why I'm Taking the Plunge

Counting Macros? 

Some of you might be wondering what this even means. If so, check out a great article from Carrie at This Fit Chick.

Basically, it just means tracking how many of each macro nutrient (Proteins, Carbohydrates, Fats) that your body requires each day in accordance to your training, gender, age and goals, and eating in order to fill those need. 



Why am I doing this?

If you read my weekly workout roundups, you know how serious I am about my training. For the most part, eating clean has made me feel and look good.

But what happens when I am tired of JUST "feeling good?" And not to mention, I don't ALWAYS feel good. I often have tummy problems, and I am not afraid to admit that I have suffered from food guilt because I over think things.

Was that too much fruit in one day? Too much honey in my oatmeal? It is ridiculous to be so worried about what I am eating when I know it is nourishing my body. I am done with this mindset! 

 
Side by side comparison... LEFT is before. RIGHT is after, about one week into counting macros. 

I have looked into Macro Counting for months now, and have seen how it has impacted peoples lives. Almost everyone who has tried it has loved it and had success...

Improved training

Better results, more muscle definition

Increased energy and better mood

No food guilt

When everything you eat fits into your needed macro nutrients for the day, there is NO NEED to feel guilty about consuming them. Also, by giving your body EXACTLY what it requires, it functions at an optimal level. 

I know what you might be thinking. Has Natalie gone insane? Is she going to join the "If It Fits Your Macros" Poptart bandwagon? 


Not quiet for me. Lol! 

Of course not. While I am humble and will admit that my mind is now more open to the idea, I still believe that whole foods is the best option for your body.

I don't want to pump by body with fake food and chemicals, and even the experts will tell you that- no duh- you will get faster results with healthy food.

What this DOES mean is that I no longer have to panic or feel bad whenever I want a healthy treat.

No longer will I have to worry if I ate too much, too little... the pressure is off!  Not to mention... hopefully I will now be able to see more definition in my muscles, and will notice an increased performance in the gym.

I recently bought an ebook by Krissy Cagney, called "Flexible Dieting", that has helped me calculate my macro needs. I also have talked to Carrie from This Fit Chick, who is SO supportive, amazing, and knowledgeable. 

With their help and support, and the support and knowledge of all my readers and fellow bloggers... I am excited to see what is to come. I will give it a few months, and if I don't see or feel a difference, I will stop. Simple!  

What is your opinion on counting macros?
Have you had success or failure with it?

Natalie 

PS: I know that everyone is different, and in no way am I advocating that counting macros is for you. I only believe that EVERYONE should nourish their bodies with wholesome foods, in the way that BEST WORKS FOR THEM. Listen to your own body!