Is calorie counting really a lifetime/long term solution?

DeguelloTex

mamapeach910 wrote: »

DeguelloTex wrote: »

The only way it makes sense is in terms of ratios. A 240 pound man's gaining a pound can be seen as different from a 100 pound woman's gaining a pound.

But, yeah, those few extra grams of yogurt add up to pounds just as quickly for a large man as a small woman.

What's the TDEE for a 6'5" man?

What's the TDEE for a 5'1" woman?

Do you mean to tell me that a few grams of yogurt will have the same impact on both of their intakes? Proportionally? Absolutely not. When you're talking someone who has 2200 calories for maintenance vs. someone who has 1350, that's a major difference.

The man's TDEE is higher. He also eats more food and has more opportunity for the "few extra grams" to accumulate. A "few extra grams" on more or bigger portions could easily put him over his TDEE in proportion to the "few extra grams" on the woman's fewer or smaller portions. Unless, I suppose, you posit that the man could estimate his portions with a smaller margin of error and not one relatively proportionally mistaken.

FitOldMomma

Tatarataa wrote: »

Hi,

I am always so insecure about what method for weight loss I should apply, especially as I have got issues with emotional eating/binge eating. I have tried intuitive eating several times and always failed and also other methods like eating certain foods only or restricting eating to certain times...so far the calorie counting was working best for me. However, I am insecure as many therapists and weight loss experts and also especially the intuitive eating authors and community account calorie counting responsible for most binge eating problems. What do you think and what is your experience? Is calorie counting a lifetime solution? I am almost ready to think so and give it a go (and of course at the meantime try to work on my binge eating as well)....I just need some supporters that can tell me "yes" you can decide for calorie couning and NOT feel deprived but free by doing it and relying on it forever!

Many thanks for your answers,
Tata

My plan is to continue logging my food intake after I meet my goal.
Believe me, I researched pretty much every diet and method 'out there' about weight loss, but more specifically about maintaining the losses for longterm. As many will tell you, losing the weight is the easy part, keeping it off is the monster.

What I've found with logging every bite is that it keeps me mindful of what I'm eating and of the total calories. It's a new good habit. In my pre-calorie counting days I would eat enormous amounts of calories just from mindless snacking and drinking. I wasn't eating enormous amounts of food-just very calorie dense foods that in reality were not the healthiest things I could have been eating.

I still will eat 'junk food' occasionally, but I will log it and own the calories. Sure, I may go over my desired calorie count for the day, but I will KNOW that I did.

I have the mindset that calorie counting and logging my food intake is my lifelong medicine I will require to stay healthy.

No more mindless snacking-that is one reason I ended up at almost 300 pounds.

PeachyCarol

DeguelloTex wrote: »

mamapeach910 wrote: »

DeguelloTex wrote: »

The only way it makes sense is in terms of ratios. A 240 pound man's gaining a pound can be seen as different from a 100 pound woman's gaining a pound.

But, yeah, those few extra grams of yogurt add up to pounds just as quickly for a large man as a small woman.

What's the TDEE for a 6'5" man?

What's the TDEE for a 5'1" woman?

Do you mean to tell me that a few grams of yogurt will have the same impact on both of their intakes? Proportionally? Absolutely not. When you're talking someone who has 2200 calories for maintenance vs. someone who has 1350, that's a major difference.

The man's TDEE is higher. He also eats more food and has more opportunity for the "few extra grams" to accumulate. A "few extra grams" on more or bigger portions could easily put him over his TDEE in proportion to the "few extra grams" on the woman's fewer or smaller portions.

Fair enough. However, you take the man, his scale tells him he's off, he can easily scale back and not end up eating a dangerously low amount of calories. Not so with the woman. She has less margin for error and less room to play with estimates for correcting it.

Bottom line?

I'm not going to be eyeballing things. I was doing that before I jointed MFP. I'm terrible at it.

DeguelloTex

mamapeach910 wrote: »

DeguelloTex wrote: »

mamapeach910 wrote: »

DeguelloTex wrote: »

The only way it makes sense is in terms of ratios. A 240 pound man's gaining a pound can be seen as different from a 100 pound woman's gaining a pound.

But, yeah, those few extra grams of yogurt add up to pounds just as quickly for a large man as a small woman.

What's the TDEE for a 6'5" man?

What's the TDEE for a 5'1" woman?

Do you mean to tell me that a few grams of yogurt will have the same impact on both of their intakes? Proportionally? Absolutely not. When you're talking someone who has 2200 calories for maintenance vs. someone who has 1350, that's a major difference.

The man's TDEE is higher. He also eats more food and has more opportunity for the "few extra grams" to accumulate. A "few extra grams" on more or bigger portions could easily put him over his TDEE in proportion to the "few extra grams" on the woman's fewer or smaller portions.

Fair enough.

Bottom line?

I'm not going to be eyeballing things. I was doing that before I jointed MFP. I'm terrible at it.

I hear you. I didn't lose all this weight just to gain it back through laziness. It may be that at some point, after the losing, and the maintenance, and the bulking, and some more maintenance, that I'll be in a position to handle things by keeping a sharper eye on my scale rather than the food scale, but I'm not planning on it.

PeachyCarol

DeguelloTex wrote: »

mamapeach910 wrote: »

DeguelloTex wrote: »

mamapeach910 wrote: »

DeguelloTex wrote: »

The only way it makes sense is in terms of ratios. A 240 pound man's gaining a pound can be seen as different from a 100 pound woman's gaining a pound.

But, yeah, those few extra grams of yogurt add up to pounds just as quickly for a large man as a small woman.

What's the TDEE for a 6'5" man?

What's the TDEE for a 5'1" woman?

Do you mean to tell me that a few grams of yogurt will have the same impact on both of their intakes? Proportionally? Absolutely not. When you're talking someone who has 2200 calories for maintenance vs. someone who has 1350, that's a major difference.

The man's TDEE is higher. He also eats more food and has more opportunity for the "few extra grams" to accumulate. A "few extra grams" on more or bigger portions could easily put him over his TDEE in proportion to the "few extra grams" on the woman's fewer or smaller portions.

Fair enough.

Bottom line?

I'm not going to be eyeballing things. I was doing that before I jointed MFP. I'm terrible at it.

I hear you. I didn't lose all this weight just to gain it back through laziness. It may be that at some point, after the losing, and the maintenance, and the bulking, and some more maintenance, that I'll be in a position to handle things by keeping a sharper eye on my scale rather than the food scale, but I'm not planning on it.

I started exercising and trying to eat the 1500 calories my doctor recommended about 3 months before I joined MFP. I did lose some weight, but it was only 10 pounds. That was most likely from just exercising after being completely sedentary.

I was MAJORLY underestimating my food intake. Getting a food scale and logging was such a revelation!

ladybird89

In my experience, eating to lose is way different than eating to maintain. Several years ago I lost about 40 pounds (which I've kept off) by counting/restricting calories. Once I leveled out at my goal weight, I was able to start eating pretty normally again without having to count calories at all. I know everybody is different, but for me, I didn't need to count calories once I plateaued because my body adjusted to the new weight and I was eating lighter without even thinking about it!