Calorie counting

I am aware that calorie counting may well be one part of my way of going about things that might seem a bit overwhelming. Of course, as long as you don't cheat, doing other things like exchanges or counting points works just fine, too. In any case it seems to me an essential part of this practice to keep track of what we eat. This serves two distinct functions; making us aware of what we put into our bodies and facing the feelings we have when we can eat no more for a day than we already have.

As I mentioned early on in this blog, my method is to take my ideal weight in pounds and multiply this by 10*--this is my calorie count per day. At first this tracking of calories can seem to be a real pain, but it's not so bad. What I know about myself is that I really don't eat a huge variety of foods, so once I have done the initial work of figuring the calories for these common foods, I can replicate them when they arise again, then add in anything out of the ordinary. There are also some websites that will do some of the work for you, but I find them to be more trouble than they're worth. (These sites also inevitably subject you to obnoxious weight loss advertising; avoid them, I say). There are some good, plain calorie charts on the web that are easy to use (here's one). If you eat out a lot, many restaurants will provide calorie counts on request (in some states, including mine, this is a requirement). *(If you read the earlier version of this post, I accidentally wrote to multiply by 100. Yikes! That would be generous indeed. I would like to think I couldn't eat 18,000 calories a day, but I shudder to think it might be possible!).

One day a week I do not track calories, but remember that this is not to give myself carte blanche to eat everything in sight; on the contrary, this is the day that I devote to purely mindful eating, paying attention to my hunger and what triggers it, what hunger really feels like, and what kind of hunger it is (it might be helpful to review the huger posts; there are three--hunger, hunger, part two and hunger, part three). I also don't count calories on special occasions like birthdays, but I strongly urge you to avoid labeling too much as special; this is an easy trap to fall into. Eating sensibly while others are eating insensibly will not cause you to feel deprived if you are focused on why you are doing so.

One thing you might find when you first start tracking calories is that you are shocked at how little food this allows you to eat. Be assured, it really is a sufficient amount. (On the other hand, if you are used to extreme diets, you may be surprised by how much you can eat). There is no harm in approaching the lower calorie count successively, reducing down to more calories than I suggest and gradually getting down to the ideal count. I also use a dietetic scale so I can't fool myself as to portion size (it will no doubt shock you to learn that when I first started this practice I discovered that my rough estimates were a trifle high).

If this all seems a bit onerous, a bit too much like work, it is helpful to think of all this as a meditation on food. After all, the point of eating like a buddha is not weight loss but awareness.The point of any Buddhist practice is awareness, because it is awareness that can lead us to the end of suffering. Another reason to emphasize the awareness of food rather than weight loss is that this is not designed to lead to rapid weight loss, but a gradual loss as you change your relationship to food. Losing more than a pound or two a week is not healthy and research has shown that weight lost rapidly nearly always returns, usually in even greater quantities.

And always remember that this is a work of love, not violence. You are being kind to yourself in taking this on. If you feel yourself getting caught up in shame or self-loathing, back away and try to think in terms of lovingkindness toward yourself. No one is more worthy of your love.