Some people in OA weigh and measure their food to control their calorie consumption. 30Bad encourages people to weigh and measure food to ensure that people are actually eating enough. I've never counted calories as a raw vegan, but I've been humbled to take suggestions and be open-minded. I know for sure there were days where I consumed a huge amount of fruit calories that I still reached for junk, partly addiction, force of habit, stress, etc.
Weighing and measuring sounds awfully complicated and hard and inconvenient and annoying. But I want to get better so bad, I'm willing to give it a try. I have a little scale; I'm going to replace the battery and start practicing. I'm sitting at the library right now as I don't currently have Internet access at home, which makes doing Cronometer difficult. Can I download it on my smart phone? The whole thing just sounds annoying- I'm struggling to be open-minded!
But I know I've been guilty of undercarbing and then overeating. It's really easy to fall into that trap. So, this will be an attempt at breaking the cycle.
What do you guys think about weighing and measuring? Just for the record, some people do in OA, some don't.
Tags: Anonymous, Overeaters, obesity, raw, vegan
Permalink Reply by John Jasper on I have found the web-based FitDay to be a better, easier solution probably because I started using it before trying Cronometer. It's what I'm used to and I believe that it has a better food database but either way it is adequate for my needs.
I use the free account version of FitDay at http://www.fitday.com/ but they also have versions for PCs and iPhones.
As I said in a different post, I use it at times to check that I'm getting sufficient calories and fine-tune my judgement. Once I know I'm on track, I forget about it. So I support your idea of getting the scales out and checking quantities for a period of time especially if you find it helpful.
Permalink Reply by John Jasper on Lori,
You have a very healthy outlook on this subject that should hold you in good stead.
I made a point of weighing and tracking my intake because in the past, I've made the mistake of virtually eating all day for weeks on end but on review realising that my average daily calories was too low for my level of activity. When you properly chew through apples, oranges, bananas, dates, lettuce, cucumber, etc, you get better digestive results but it burns up so much time and can really tire out the jaw muscles.
Making smoothies and juicing fruits enables you to consume the fruit faster but there's always a trade-off when you resort to fast(er)-food.
My main point here is, use scales and food diaries as tools but don't let them become shackles!
Permalink Reply by dandelion on Hi Dovima,
I seem to travel better when I log my calories in cronometer. But even more than that logging my water intake seems to be even more important as I notice when I'm properly hydrated I'm more willing to put the right things in my mouth and exercise the right amount. I think it has something to do with my electrical wiring working better and therefore being more connected to my Higher Power.
Doug Graham and quite a few others recommend weighing rather than guesstimating as you can be quite wrong with that. But I don't know if I have time to do it during the week - just so flat out.
You've inspired me to get back to logging my food, exercise and water because that really worked for 3 months. You can get cronometer on your iPhone and that sounds like a great idea.
Regarding meetings for those who want to know - Meetings are beautiful and very supportive. Everyone feels shy the first time, but beyond that is the most lovely warm feeling of connection with others who share your story, or something very similar. That's good meetings. The occasional one can be a winge-fest. If it is find another one. most are lovely.
Today has been a good day. One day at a time, hey?
Permalink Reply by anabea on Just had to chime in on this one because the subject so intrigues me. So, there is an offshoot of OA called Greysheet. In that group, they have a set meal plan. These people weigh and measure EVERYTHING that goes into their mouths. There are some that have been doing this for over 20 years. There is a lot of "recovery" there, if you know what I mean. It is a very controlled plan, but within that, there is a ton of recovery. This works perfectly for a certain group of people. It is beautiful. People change from within. It is amazing as with all 12 step programs. For some, with disordered eating, this way of healing was a blessing.
The food program does not work within our 80-10-10 requirements. The method might sound extreme and the day to day routine might seem mundane to some. But there is genius in there.
That being said, this technique is not for everyone. Not everyone could or would want to do that. I just put it out there to give an example of where weighing and measuring does work. This didn't work for me, or let me say I was not ready. I did weigh and measure when I first started 80-10-10. I was needing to learn what 3000 calories looked like. I was learning what fruits worked for me... how to do this lifestyle. There was quite the learning curve.
Right now, I have other goals then when I first started. I am honestly struggling with weighing and measuring again. I need to do it because I want to accomplish some things, yet have difficulty because some fruits (like apples where you only eat a part of the fruit) are hard to calculate. Or, when I am out, and have to eat fruits I haven't weighed.
Any ideas on weighing and measuring with fit day would be so appreciated.
This topic is such an interesting one. I have found many on this site with disordered eating who have healed themselves through 80-10-10. It fascinates me that the ideas for healing are that most people are undercarbed and that is why addiction sets in, rather then some major spiritual deficiency that must be worked on in other ways. When I read and researched 80-10-10 and read through the sites, particularly this one, I was thrilled to hear of the healing.
hope this helps.
Permalink Reply by Dovima on Hi anabea- thanks for chiming in! Yeah, I don't really hear about Greysheet anymore. I think it's kinda evolved into the HOW program now, and one important aspect of that is the Dignity of Choice tenet, meaning people are responsible for getting their own food plan from a doctor or nutritionist. It wouldn't be too difficult to find one supporting a 811 diet- really an excellent option for someone who is extremely addicted to junk food and needs more structure and support obtaining freedom from the bondage of compulsive eating of deleterious food.
Thanks for recognizing the immense space for substantial spiritual growth for people following a more structured plan! It's so important to share info like this hoping to alleviate others suffering.
Permalink Reply by anabea on Actually, the greysheet movement is growing too. I know several who are doing it. It is a thriving community. Funny, I am a nutritional counselor and have been totally knocked off my block transitioning to 80-10-10. As I get more of a foothold, I incorporate more of the tenants into my counseling. But, I still have a long way to go, both for myself and my practice.
Yes, I think there are many ways to skin a cat. I think there is room for it all. The main issue is to stop hurting yourself with food, right. Addiction or not, we want all to have a healthy relationship to food and feel good. What an amazing topic... could go on and on.
Permalink Reply by Dovima on John, no kidding about the time commitment!
Let's see: I sleep more on 811, say ten hours, maybe one hour of that is reading in bed to unwind. Is it fair to say one hour per meal? That's common to hear that, isn't it? One hour of exercise too. That's fourteen hours of your day right there! Now add in weighing and measuring your food, not once but twice! You need to measure your apples before you eat them, then weigh the cores afterwards to get an accurate measurement of fruit actually eaten!
And on top of it, I need to work more than full time in order to be able to afford organic produce, even buying in bulk.
Social life? ha, who needs friends when you have a laptop.........;0)
Permalink Reply by ORGANIC811LFRV on Pretend that you want to fly a plane the worst way possible. It's a life-long dream of yours. You study up, know the background, enroll in flight-school, higher an instructor at $150 per hour. You get acquainted and are excited to try your hand at the helm so to speak. You sit in the pilot's seat and then to the shock of your instructor you put a blind fold on!
This is what doing this program without weighing and measuring and using Cron-o-meter is like.
You get used to the "trouble" of being consciously aware of what you are exactly eating. It is actually a process of coming awake and admitting to your path. You can download from your smartphone the Cron-o-meter program.
Permalink Reply by anabea on what an amazing analogy.
May I ask, are you weighing everything in the morning before the day begins? How are you doing this?
Permalink Reply by ORGANIC811LFRV on It kind of puts things in a brighter perspective, doesn't it?
I make most of my food in the morning and carry it in a soft sided cooler for work. I measure/weigh everything as I make it. It takes very little effort/time because it is such a habit now. At night for dinner I make my evening meal and weigh/measure that at that time.
Permalink Reply by anabea on that sounds like heaven.... very zen. I want to do that. May I ask you one more question? Are you following a specific skeletal program each day, or doing what you have? Just trying to build something that works for me and would love to know how you are doing it. Don't mean to be annoying with questions.
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