[surfergirl2]

Hello everyone. I haven't been here in a while. I gave up dieting, weighing myself, and reading about dieting over a year ago (April 2013 I think). I haven't gained any weight despite eating "whatever I want." In fact I am currently a bit lighter, although my weight does vary a bit with the seasons. Actually, I don't really know what I weigh because I only weigh myself randomly every few months, but I think I am probably a little over 150 right now. I highly encourage you to give up dieting. It did wonders for me.

Anyway...this is for real, I REALLY gave up all food restrictions. However, I still kept a rough count of calories in my head. So I still read food labels. I didn't have a limit on how many calories I could eat, but I just wanted to know--for information's sake. Today, I am thinking about giving up even that. I think it will be a little scary!! I will still need to read food labels because I'm kind of salt-sensitive (I get really bloated). But I think if I give up calorie counting, that will REALLY be the last step I need to take in being an intuitive eater.

ETA: has anyone given up calorie counting? Do you recommend it?

[Palestrina]

Wow congratulations that's am amazing feat!

Initially giving up calorie counting was hard. I was still doing it even though it was trying to quit it. I couldn't help it! After so many years of doing it it's hard to stop this unconscious behavior. How does one unlearn how many calories there are in their favorite English muffin? You've can't, but over time you do stop the tally. It happens gradually. I'm virtually rid of it but when I do find myself tallying calories in my head it's a signal that something is wrong, that's I'm feeling insecure and trying to desperately control something -food is an inevitable scape goat, as is the diet mentality.

In going through my own journey now giving up my obsessive use of the scale and it's tough. I don't have my anchor. Well I though it was my anchor but really it was just pulling me under.

You may have more luck reaching others in the IE thread, I think I'm the only IEer that visits other parts of the forum, which they find very triggering.

[surfergirl2]

Thanks, Wannabeskinny!

It's now been a couple weeks since I stopped counting calories and it's a little bit of a weird feeling, but it's gone well. I haven't gained weight--I can tell because I'm wearing a dress today that only fits when I'm in my lower weight range. More importantly, not once have I had that feeling of "oh no, it's only 4 pm and I've already eaten as many calories as I should in a whole day. now I feel panicked and I think some cake and ice cream will make me feel better." There are definitely days where I think "hmm...if I were counting calories, today would probably be a high calorie day" but who cares? I know they will balance out over the course of several days.

[Marina Brasil]

I don't count calories and i love it. I have no idea how i was able to do this for so many years in the past. People think I'm nuts. I do know the caloriesof a lot of the foods i eat, but i don't count them. I don't know the calories of "new" foods. I feel that "x" food has more energy than "y" food because of how it makes me feel when i eat it. Strangely, i never thought of food as energy and nutrients that nurture my body when i was counting calories; i thought of food as something i should avoid, as something that was "bad". Not counting calories and having a real relationship with your body is empowering.

[carolr3639]

I lost 40 lb on IE but would like to lose 30 more and I have been stuck for several years. I'm older now (65) and have a lot of health issues so I have other thing to be concerned about.

[surfergirl2]

Marina--EXACTLY! Food is supposed to nourish, not be something evil.

Carol--I don't really think of IE as a way to lose weight, but a way to cure our dysfunctional love-hate relationship with food. Not really sure how weight lose plays into it, to be honest, except I know that being obsessed with calories did NOT help me lose weight (and keep it off).