So how about them Ravens, eh? 
Actually, please donāt ask me for any sort of insightful commentary because I wouldnāt be able to give you one. Collectively, I would say that I watched about fifteen minutes of the Superbowl, and most of that was made up of halftime, commercials, and the final 2 minutes of play. I may have mentioned that Iām not a big fan of football? I wasnāt kidding. Still, I definitely got sucked in near the end there ā it was a close one.
But thatās enough football talk for one blog post year; letās move on to more marvelous things. Actually, letās move on to one marvelous thing in particular. I mean, I could talk about how great it is that the weather is improving and that weāre finally starting to see some sunā¦
ā¦ or about how this [beer?!] commercial totally tugged at my heartstringsā¦
[youtube=āhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2prAccclXs&w=560&h=315ā³]
I could talk about the warm and fuzzy feeling that comes with nostalgiaā¦
(remember how I said I found my old Tamagotchi? Well, this weekend I replaced the batteries so I could see what all the fuss used to be about. Time will tell how long this bugger lives ā Iāll keep you updated.)
ā¦ or the cold [but totally worth it] feeling that comes with eating frozen mangoesā¦
But what I really want to talk about, is ignorance. Yep, ignorance is bliss marvelous. Allow me to explain. Every Sunday evening, I head on over to my parentsā place for dinner. On the menu this week? Momās slow cooker stewā¦
There was a time in my life where thereās no way I would have let myself enjoy such a delicious conglomeration of food. Why? Because it was a conglomeration of food and I didnāt know a) exactly what was in it, and b) in exactly what amounts. I mentioned before that I used to be completely obsessed with tracking my macros. I used an online calculator to tell me how many carbs, fats, and proteins I was eating, and if I couldnāt enter something into my trusty calculator, it sure as hell wouldnāt be entering my body.
See where Iām going with this? Thereās absolutely no way I would have been able to decipher Momās stewā¦
I get a lot of e-mails from people asking me for tips on recovery, and I almost always tell them to step away from the online calculators. Is it scary? Hell yeah it is ā thereās nothing more terrifying than the unknown to someone who needs to be in control. But itās also triggering. It also feeds the obsession. And most importantly, itās not needed. I used to think that I needed to be completely on top of my diet or my body would break down, but you know what? It was because I tried to be completely on top of my diet that my body broke down. I ignored everything it told me in favor of meeting some arbitrary ratio, and had absolutely no fun in the process.
So hereās to ignorance, not only is it blissful marvelous, but itās pretty darn tasty too.
. ā . ā . ā .
Do you use an online calculator to track your food? Did you ever?
Do you think itās helpful or hindering?
I used to have a ātamagotchiā or wtv haha but we called them nanos
And that stew looks really good! My dad makes this amazing slow cooked meat with beans and its so freaking delicious but Iād rather not know why itās so good 
Iāve never used trackers, but I have automatically counted calories in my head since I learned how in like, 7th grade. Woof! But I spent this weekend in the city, and had no idea what I was eating. This wouldāve been just not an option for me in the past, but I survived and enjoyed everything I ate no guilt, no second thought. Iām kind of proud of myself. Okay, Iām not proud of the decision to eat late night street food- and neither was my stomach, but itās huge difference from where I used to be.
Late night street food or not, you definitely should be proud. Itās a huge step to have come so far
Yes and I used trackers and no they werenāt helpful. The opposite in fact. Iām also in the camp that if you donāt need it, donāt count. I think itās the worst thing in recovery but equally provides a comfort blanket at first. It has to go in the end though or else you never get anywhere.
Your mumās stew looks amazing!
I sometimes track and I sometimes donāt, but strangely enough when I do track its with the intention of making sure I am eating enough! Therefore its a positive thing in my eyes and I donāt let it become too obsessive
Never used one and never plan to haā¦just has bad idea for me written all over it and not something i want or think i need to challenge myself with. As far as Iām comcerned ignorance in terms of calories and whatnot is marbelous indeed
and thank heavens foitball is officially overā¦now we can all focus on real sports like hockey 
Haha! Amen to that. Hockey definitely trumps football.
OMG! I havenāt seen a Tomagotchi for years. I used to love those things, but my pet always died!
I agree, calorie obsession is the way that you can just fall flat on your face in recovery. it is a dependency on something that can only lead you down a dark path. omg I so had a tamagochi but I have no idea where mine is, mine was purple. I adore frozen fruit. I like the bigger pieces like mango for sure. with a little sugar on top and cinnamonā¦ yes I like sugar. a lot. expect an email soon, I have something I want to throw at you
Is it a cookie!?!? Or pie? Iāll settle for pieā¦ but only chocolate or banana creamā¦
I didnāt watch any of the superbowl but two of my best friends live in Maryland and they said the aftermath was just insane! I donāt track my food using online tools because for me it leads to obsession and restrictive behavior. Hope you had a great weekend!
This was a great topic ā I used to track everything in an online calculator as well and it became a huge source of anxiety for me. I isolated myself because friends meant eating out and when I couldnāt control where I was eating Iād freak out because I couldnāt put it in my calculator or know ahead of time how many calories were in it. Definitely not the way to live!
I think I watched a combined total of about 5 minutes of the Superbowl. Hey, you either love it or you donāt and Iā¦donāt ;).
OMGosh that Tamagotchi brings back crazy memories!! It is so funny how we forget about those silly things from our childhood.
omg that commercial lol I watched it this morning before work and almost cried lol Iām rooting for your Tamagotchi hahaha I used to be obsessed with mine! Wonder where it isā¦..
Iām the queen of calorie counting. Not anything ED wise, but just out of habit. I started counting them Senior year of High School mainly because I was bored in class and love math lol I actually blame that for my obsession with itā¦ I like mathā a lot lol (dork :p) Iām not super crazy like some people get, and will miss some stuff lol I just find it as a fun hobby lol
iāve tried to step away from the calculators, iāve crept back, iāve banned them again, etc. etc. etc. like a never ending vicious cycle ā youāre definitely right ā i think the only way you can be truly free of any type of disordered thinking is to just STOP thinking so damn much about it. and if not thinking means you get to eat some of that delicious stew? well then that is a-ok with me. i missed out on eating a lot of delicious stuff when i was home for the summer because of my own obsessive calculating tendencies and iām so glad i snapped out of it before i went home for christmas. it was so freeing to simply eat when i was hungry and eat what everyone else was eating. amazing how great it feels to just be.
Definitely amazing. And remember that amazing feeling when youāre tempted to creep back to the calculators. That and remind yourself that youāre perfectly FINE (and actually better off) without them.
I never really got into using an online calculator I just did the math in my head after I read so many labels I just knew how many calories per serving over time. I think it could be helpful for a lot of people who struggle or are unsure but at the time it could be a bad thing because people could take it to extremes and count excessively. I guess what Iām trying to say is everything in moderation:)
Yes, yes, yes to all of this! That commercial is really cute, thanks for sharing as I obviously didnāt watch the Superbowl ā well, Germany ā¦ Which name suggestion did you tweet ;)?
Ignorance truly is bliss when it comes to food. Eating a dish you know the (more or less) exact calorie and macronutrient count of isnāt nearly as enjoyable as an unknown one. While Iām still having a hard time eating what others prepared I do find it blissful. Eating a Christmas dinner which I didnāt even prepare a single bit of? Having a huge birthday lunch at a restaurant? Those are good food memories I definintely want more of. Hereās to visiting Berlin with my mum soon and finally enjoying every bit(e)!
Sadly, I have to admit I never used a calculator during my ED just rougly adding up numbers but started tracking sometime last year. First it was kind of fun because the checklist-loving person in me enjoyed reaching the ārightā amounts of vitamins, iron, calcium. But it soon became obsessive hence hy Iām trying to stop using it. I didnāt calculate on Christmas or my birthday and several other days so thatās a tiny success.
Those ātiny successesā are definitely worth a great deal! Just try to make them happen more often
Once a week, maybe? Or have one āmysteryā meal/snack once a day? Itās definitely worth fighting for! And I promise you that the world wonāt fall into chaos if you donāt know how you ādidā for the day.
Iāll bet the cold lives longer than the Tamagotchiā¦ and maybe you should try to decipher your moms stew a little. Iād like some of that in my belly!!
And YAY to being able to enjoy home cooked yummies :).
Xxx
Hey now! Are you calling me a bad pocket pet keeper?! Iāll have you know that he/she/it(??) is still alive and well. Although youāre probably rightā¦ it wonāt last
Oh boy Amanda, how do you ALWAYS manage to speak what I think! I definitely have experience with opting out of meals due to not being able to calculate it. Rather than calories, mine was in the form of points- if I couldnāt work out how many points a meal had (especially at a restaurant), I almost refused to touch itā¦because you know, one meal out of my control wasnāt worth gaining 10 lbs over- seriously remembering my logic back in the day makes me CRINGE! That being said, tracking my calories/nutrition was helpful to an extent- it definitely made me more aware of my choices but like anything, there is a fine line. Making sure I was on top of it became my top priority and I dread to imagine what yummy stuff I missed out on as a result.
Although Iām not knocking those who do count calories, Iām glad that I donāt anymore- at least not as meticulously as I used to. I am much more a fan of the whole āintuitiveā, ātrusting myselfā approach to eating and what do you know- my weight is fine but my mental health has only soared :D!
I think that calorie counting and online calculators DO have their purpose and can be really helpful tools when it comes to making people more aware of what theyāre eating, but at the same time itās way too easy to fall into that obsessive mindset and take things too farā¦ and then it becomes pretty challenging to free yourself from that. Iām with you! Taking the plunge and trusting myself has been more than worth it.
I agree about online calculators. I think itās very easy to get sucked into them and you just cannot stop tracking. I am thankful that I never got to that point but it makes sense for that to be one of the things that should be taken out very quickly.
I am the same way with the super bowlā¦I watched bits and peices but nothing too serious.
Amen to this post! That stew looks delish & so glad you enjoyed it. Iām slowly moving away from MyFitnessPalā¦itās so tough. Seeing folks like you who have done it is inspiring. Thank you! And the clydesdale commercial made me tear up
Itās definitely a tough thing to give up! But you really just have to give it a shot and realize that nothing bad happens (and nothing will, I promise)ā¦ and after that, the freedom becomes kind of addicting
Stepping away from them calculators is hard. Especially when tracking my intake and the calories. Oh boy. Every now and then I check to see my BMR and freak out. :\
I didnāt watch much of the commercials (too busy pacing [49er fan here] and cleaning) so thank you for linking that one. Made me smile and tear up.
Yay! Iām so proud that you ate and enjoyed a great meal from your mom. When I was recovering I definitely tried to stop the counting and did find that not knowing what exactly was in my meals was definitely helpful simply because there really was no way for me to know what I was eating. Happy Monday girl!
Ughā¦online calculators. Even now, I canāt use one. I used MyFitnessPal for about 3 days last week (to give me a better idea of what I needed to change to help fix my stomach woes) and even after that short of a time, it was harder than Iād like to admit to make myself stop. I donāt think itās possible to recover while still calculating macros/calories/whateverā¦just step awayyy.
And my plan for tonight is to youtube the hell out of Superbowl commercials and the halftime showā¦because clearly those were the important parts that I missed :-p
Yeah itās kind of scary how easy it is to get sucked back in to that obsessive mindset. Thankfully I havenāt been tempted to fire up the old calculators, because I honestly have no idea how Iād handle all that extra āknowledgeā.
I feel like you didnāt miss much in the Super Bowl. Mostly just the power outage which provided a lot of good jokes! I have never been a bit calorie tracker, but I do think it could be helpful. I remember reading that Carrie Underwood keeps a food journal, and girl looks good, so I am sure a tool like that could be really useful!
To be honest, the whole game was a blur besides the halftime show;) Oopsy.
I actually do (right now) use an online calculator to calculate calories, I find it helpful now, because when I try and not do it I end up under-eating like a significant amount, which is kind of odd haha. You think Iād learn by now. Iām sure at some point it will become hindering and I know Iāll need to back off of it, for now itās helpful, but who knows what the future will be like. I do know I donāt want to be in my 60ās still counting calories;)
I use myfitnesspal.com to track my calories, but Iām not really as hardcore with it as I used to be. It did help me lose weight, but now it kind of points out if Iām being crazy and going way over calories. Iām actually not sure it gives me an accurate amount of calories I can eat everydayā¦ But I havenāt been to a nutritionist or anything to get an accurate account of calories. Frozen mangoes are my jam though. I seriously get everyone hooked on them. I eat Dole brand though, because I have a hard time finding them in the supermarket! However, I love love love them. I could eat a whole bag in one sitting.
Iāve definitely been guilty of that! Iām not too crazy about fresh ones, but frozen? Foodie kryptonite for sure!
It is so true about those online calorie/nutrient calculators ā they will absolutely make you nuts. I honestly believe that even if you donāt have disordered thoughts before you start using one, you WILL. Paying that kind of minute attention to anything is going to drive you crazy. Even the THOUGHT of using one makes me twitchy. Ugh.
I do use an online calculator and make up menus for the entire week. I tend to eat the same thing for breakfast & lunch, and tend to switch up dinner. For me, if I want to have something different for dinner, no big deal. A girlās got to indulge every once in a awhile.
iām dying that you replaced the batteries! I think Iād throw that think out the window within a day or two from all the beeping
Haha! Surprisingly, it hasnāt been that bad yet, but time will tellā¦
My whole family and I teared up during that commercialā¦so cute!
Iām with youā¦ I watched a total of two minutes of football! I have used that before but I tend to get obsessive so I try to just trust what my body needs on a day to day basis!
Best way to do it!
Uuuuh, I wanna have the tamagotchi! I searched for the opportunity to purchase one online a while ago and they arenāt sold anywhere anymore
Have you tried amazon? Iāve seen them on there!
They just have a fake version: http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B009LEHKP4/ref=oh_details_o01_s00_i00 , but I ordered it anyway (itās pretty cheap), and give it a try. Thanks for the hint ā I searched on amazon a while ago and they hadnāt any.
Oh wow, I guess theyāre rarer than I thought
Yeah, I couldnāt believe when I found mine! Itās all the way back from 1997 
I only sometimes use an online calculator when Iām trying to vamp up the health in what Iām eating! It reminds me of portion control and how those mindless snacks add up. It sure as hell doesnāt rule my life, more like a friendly reminder.
I use an online calculator to track my foods from time to time ā usually when Iām trying to change my habits or kick-start a diet. I canāt do it long term though (I just canāt keep up with it and it drives me crazy), but for short term purposes, it can be pretty helpful.
;( oh my gosh im actually crying, that commercial
sort of reminds me of war horse. it doesnāt make me want beer though (that could be because i hate beer) but i really loved it. i havenāt used an online calculator, iāve always just used my hear or written it down in older days. and when i donāt ācountā, in a sense i still am, because iām having similar foods and sort of know the general idea. but honestly i donāt think i could handle getting obsessive again, more than now, because i have so many other thoughts and obsessions going through my head that iād probably just keel over ;P for real, though. and the mango looks good. i canāt find frozen papaya anywhere and it bothers me, itās supposed to be a good digestive aid, like for any type of issue and, since my stomach/etc is totally messed up i wanted to try it. i can only find fresh but i donāt want that much. xoxox
Have you tried papaya enzymes? You can find those in the vitamin/pill section of most stores. They come in pill form that you can take with meals and they help with digestion. I used to take them all the time when I was younger and they really do work
I am not a fan of football at ALL, so I didnāt watch much of the game, just some of the commercials:) I did see that Clydesdale commercialāI would have liked it much better if it wasnāt an ad for beer!! The horses looked so gorgeous and powerful though; I suppose it is somehow supposed to imply that beer will somehow give you strengthā¦.SO FALSE! Those frozen mangoes look delicious; I love eating mangoes when we happen to buy themāthey arenāt exactly cheap.
Mjamm, I would definitley want to have some of that stew!!
Funny enough, I never was a big calorie counter which is unusual since I went through all kinds of EDās (and still go somehow). Well, I just tried to eat as little as possible, so that wasnāt any better. I sometimes ā and I mean like once in 2 months ā check on a calculator just because I am curious. But honestly, I donāt know how many calories I eat. It is too much pressure because my ED voice would say ā1300 a dayā!!! And I probably have around 1800 or more and then I feel guilty and am already sucked in. No way.
Itās better not to know ā it gives us way more freedom
I almost shed a tear from watching that commercial. lol and almost threw up at the GoDaddy commercial. lasdjfkasdjf blech. I never used online calculators but the worst part of my recovery is the combination of knowing the calories in almost everything (from having an ED for so long) + mathematics major. Even if I donāt sit down and write calories, I can easily keep track of them in my head because, unfortunately in this case, numbers are āmy thingā.
YES that commercial was one of my favs. Seriously so cute
Of course Im a hardcore football fan, so I watched every minute, including the 30 minute delap from the power outage lol I just sat there glued to the tv like a big dork listening to the analysts. It sure was a nail biter down at the end!
I love this! I am definitely not one for surprises ā but am learning that sometimes itās best to just let life happen. Although I love planning, I am beginning to appreciate spontaneity. Iām glad you enjoyed the stew
Truth be told, my friends and I started watching the Super Bowl, but ended up gossiping our way through the rest! Hope you have a great Monday love!
Funny story about those tamagotchi things. I used to make my mom take it to work with her so it wouldnāt die while I was at school. yes, I was that kid. Then it miraculously disappeared. I wonder who did thatā¦
I didnāt watch the superbowl at all with the exception of the halftime show. No cable=perfect excuse.
Haha! I used to bring it to school with me, and most of my class did the same. I think eventually the teachers caught on and started getting really strict about it, which is probably around the time that mine died for goodā¦
Thatās about all of the Super Bowl I watched too. I talked the whole time at my buddyās place, and then the hubby and I went home during the blackout. Hey, this girlās gotta bed time!