You don’t have to eat just because you can

I started calorie counting in May, and although I find it tedious and frustrating at times, it’s really helped me understand portion control, and I’ve lose 20 lbs since I started counting!

With that said, I personally don’t intend nor do I want to calorie count for the rest of my life; as someone who travels a lot and can’t control what goes into my meals 100% of the time (others cooking for me, eating out, eating at a college dining hall), I find it very stressful to have to play a guessing game all the time and having this internal dialogue, “does this fit into my calories?” playing every time I put something into my mouth.

So, I completely understand that while calorie tracking is helping me lose weight, I can’t rely on that number when I reach maintenance, and I need to actually develop eating habits that will help me maintain in the long run.

Recently I’ve been getting into the habit of eating something sweet late at night just because I can. “Oh I have 200 calories left over? Why not eat a scoop of ice cream?” I’d eat dessert even if I was stuffed and not particularly craving anything. This habit is okay, especially if you intend to track calories long term, but unless monitored, it could lead to some destructive eating habits that will ultimately pile the pounds right back on.

Right now I just finished a light dessert, and I still have 150 kcal left over—I’m sitting here going through all of the things I could eat to fill that deficit: granola or a few bites of cheesecake or ice cream or chocolate or hot cocoa, and so on.... But I realized, I just had dessert, I’m full and satisfied, so why am I spending my time poring through all of the 150 kcal desserts I can eat, just because I ~can~ eat them??

When you’re tracking calories, it really comes down to whether or not you meet your goal and stay in a deficit. It doesn’t matter when you eat, how much you eat in one sitting, how often you eat, whether you are hungry or not, if you already had dessert—your metabolism knows none of this. However, when that arbitrary number goes away, forming positive habits around these factors will be crucial to your success.

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from loseit - Lose the Fat https://www.reddit.com/r/loseit/comments/jl964o/you_dont_have_to_eat_just_because_you_can/