CC vs Not CC

honeybee739

There is so much conflicting info.

What is your opinion of losing weight by eating what you want within your calorie range vs whole foods eating/low carb/ etc without counting/tracking?

I don't mean filling your day full of junk food and eating 1500 calories of junk food. But if you want a sandwhich and you can "afford" it, you eat it. Also obviously eating fruits and veggies because they are healthy and lower in cals.

Has anyone tried both cc and then not and focusing on whole foods/low carb/paleo...etc basicall any lifestyle that doesnt focus on calories.

DeguelloTex

You have to be in a calorie deficit. If you can do that without counting and tracking, that's peachy. If you're meeting your goals without counting, counting probably doesn't add much benefit.

queenliz99

It's all about the calories eaten. How you get there is up to you

nordlead2005

I've only ever successfully lost weight over a long period of time by counting calories regardless of how I ate.

ninerbuff

CC is the heart of weight loss/gain/maintenance. One could pick being a vegetarian only that doesn't eat complex or starchy carbs and probably will never exceed their calorie count, however they many still need to count to ensure they get enough calories in to fulfill calories needed.
Don't really want to count calories? Then be systematic and eat the same meals every day if can handle it.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

jemhh

For the first I lost the first 30-something pounds without calorie counting (I'm assuming that CC means calorie counting.) I was heavy enough that just limiting serving sizes and focusing on eating a lot of fresh fruits and veggies and fewer breads/pastas/baked goods cut enough calories to allow me to lose weight. After a certain point, though, I stalled out and needed to tighten up my process in order to lose more. In all likelihood, I will probably end up counting calories for years, if not for the rest of my life, in order to stay at a level that is healthy for me.

Azuriaz

I think you should find the foods that make YOU feel good and don't drive YOU crazy with hunger.

Varies person to person.

auddii

jemhh wrote: »

For the first I lost the first 30-something pounds without calorie counting (I'm assuming that CC means calorie counting.) I was heavy enough that just limiting serving sizes and focusing on eating a lot of fresh fruits and veggies and fewer breads/pastas/baked goods cut enough calories to allow me to lose weight. After a certain point, though, I stalled out and needed to tighten up my process in order to lose more. In all likelihood, I will probably end up counting calories for years, if not for the rest of my life, in order to stay at a level that is healthy for me.

It took me way too long to figure out what CC stands for...

And I agree, the basis behind weight loss is having a calorie intake less than you burn in a day. Many people regulate this without calorie counting. Some eat intuitively and their natural hunger cues keep them in balance, others use particular diets or eating habits (such as low carb, prepared/delivered foods, intermittent fasting or whatever) to help control their intake.

It will boil down to what works for you and your lifestyle. It all comes from the same place, but there are many paths to take.

Personally, I find my hunger cues are not well regulated and I will overeat if I try not counting. It seems to happen repeatedly when I give up on logging. To be fair, during the times I gained while not logging I did not shun particular foods, but I typically eat whole foods.

Lounmoun

honeybee739 wrote: »

Has anyone tried both cc and then not and focusing on whole foods/low carb/paleo...etc basicall any lifestyle that doesnt focus on calories.

Some people can lose weight without keeping a food diary or even thinking about the calories in the food they eat. They just eat less or exercise more and kind of find the right level for them without knowing the numbers.
I'm not one of those people. I tried for 15 years to lose weight without counting calories just doing different diets. Sometimes I lost a bit but it was very inconsistent and I was unable to maintain any loss I had.
I've had the best success and easiest loss just counting calories and eating normally for me. At this point, I don't think I can lose or maintain weight without knowing how many calories I am eating.
Along with focusing on calories, I have focused on getting more protein and increasing lower calorie foods like vegetables. I would say that because of calorie counting I have been eating a more moderate carb, less processed food diet because it fits my goals better. I don't label foods as junk, bad or unhealthy. I think more about nutrients and how that food meets my needs that day.
I think the best advice is to eat in a way you could maintain for life. If you can't give something up forever then don't. Work it into your diet.

nvmomketo

I am low carb and I count calories but I give myself large variations on either end. I usually eat about 1500 calories but I go over or under that by up to 500. Some days I'm not hungry and eat 1000 cal but on other days I am up to, or even over, 2000 cal. I eat largely to my appetite but I have upper and lower limits.

I was losing about 2 lbs per week doing this for three months, but it has slowed to a lb per week now that I am no longer overweight. Works for me.

ManiacalLaugh

I lost my first chunk of weight without any calorie counting. I just ate less and moved more. When I got around a certain poundage though, I stalled because I wasn't continuously lowering my intake to match my lower weight. That's when I started actually counting.

Knowing what you burn (based on height, weight, and age), while knowing your intake is extremely helpful, but if you're simply eating less than you burn, you will lose. Exactly how one accomplishes that in a way that is sustainable for the long-term (low carb; high fat, plain CICO eating, IF, etc...) is entirely up to the individual.

Soopatt

Counting calories has made all the difference for me, but I also had to face reality about the type of foods I ate - even when I was still coming in under my calorie target. These last two weeks for example - my junk eating has been out of control (it had not been bad before then).

Although I have not gained weight because I have still counted and logged every calorie - living off ice-cream, chocolate and fast food has really started to take its toll on my moods and energy levels.

I have had this little junk season and I am sick of it. I have not gained weight, but it was still not worth it. What works best for me is maintaining an 80/20 of healthy food to junk, which I am going back to from today onwards.

You start to get disgusted by convenience food when you eat it too often. You long for vegetables! I am at that stage.

I will still have junk days, but I think I have learnt my lesson around the sustainability of that.

I have to say though, there is a lot of judgement around eating junk on this site. Most of us eat it, but I think a lot of people struggle to log it honestly for fear of judgement. I log every morsel. If however, someone wants to moan at me about it without my permission, they will get immediately booted off my friends list.

I am here for support, but I don't need a mommy or a policeman thanks very much. We should all feel safe and comfortable logging the large pizza or the McDonalds blow-out, when it happens without needing to shroud it behind a quick calorie entry.

tennisdude2004

honeybee739 wrote: »

There is so much conflicting info.

What is your opinion of losing weight by eating what you want within your calorie range vs whole foods eating/low carb/ etc without counting/tracking?

I don't mean filling your day full of junk food and eating 1500 calories of junk food. But if you want a sandwhich and you can "afford" it, you eat it. Also obviously eating fruits and veggies because they are healthy and lower in cals.

Has anyone tried both cc and then not and focusing on whole foods/low carb/paleo...etc basicall any lifestyle that doesnt focus on calories.

I've tried both and personally I prefer not to CC.

I find it a lot easier to eat intuitively when I am eating low carb. I'm probably one of the lucky ones, I'm not so attached to carbs that I can't go without bread or pasta without feeling I am missing out on life.

I struggled with calorie counting (to much like hard work). Plus I didn't like having to stop eating when I was still hungry - felt torturous.

VykkDraygoVPR

I lost over 100 pounds without counting. I ate more reasonable servings, and started cardio and body weight training. I still ate out a lot (at least once a week), and ate things I enjoyed, just a lot less of it.

It's easier to do if you are counting though.

Liftng4Lis

Firm believer in CICO.

kommodevaran

honeybee739 wrote: »

There is so much conflicting info.

What is your opinion of losing weight by eating what you want within your calorie range vs whole foods eating/low carb/ etc without counting/tracking?

I don't mean filling your day full of junk food and eating 1500 calories of junk food. But if you want a sandwhich and you can "afford" it, you eat it. Also obviously eating fruits and veggies because they are healthy and lower in cals.

Has anyone tried both cc and then not and focusing on whole foods/low carb/paleo...etc basicall any lifestyle that doesnt focus on calories.

The conflict isn't real, though. Calories in, calories out - everything else is about the money.

My personal experience has been that counting calories while eating what I want, changed what I wanted to eat: I started out like "yay, counting calories means that I can eat chips and chocolate as long as I stay under my goal". But when I understood what amounts of chocolate and chips we were talking about, I quickly lost interest. After some time I learnt what kinds of foods made it easy to hit my calorie goal and not be hungry, and I noticed that I liked those foods better and better, and the cravings were getting weaker.

I counted calories for 18 months, including a period in maintenance, until it suddenly became boring and felt pointless. I realized I had learnt how to feed myself properly.

dubird

You have to do what works best FOR YOU. There's a lot of different eating plans out there, and as long as they're healthy, any of them are fine. But when you boil it all down to the very basic premise, any diet or eating plan that helps you lose weight means it's making you eat less calories than you burn. That's it. HOW you do that is up to you. Some people just control calories in, some step up the number they burn, a lot of people do a combination of the two. As long as at the end of the day you are in a calorie deficit regularly, you'll lose weight.

The thing you need to keep in mind is that you can't look at this as a 'diet'. A diet ends. And when it ends, you will probably go back to eating like you were before and gain the weight back. What you need to be doing is retraining your brain and body to what proper food portions are. Anyone, even vegans, can gain weight just by eating too much. If you're going to pick an eating plan from some other source, make sure it's one you can do for the rest of your life. Take a low carb diet: some people do great on it and they're happy to make that a permanent change in their eating habits. I could never do that, I love garlic bread too much! So for me, while I might lose weight on a low carb diet, I wouldn't enjoy it and would drop it as soon as I hit my weight goal, go back to eating like I was, and gain it back. What I had to do was adjust the foods I already ate, lowered the amount of 'junk food' I was eating (by junk food, i mean high calorie/low nutrition foods), and adjusting my portion sizes. I still get to eat the foods I want, I've just learned how to fit them into my day. And because I did that, I'll be much better and staying in my weight range for the future.

PeachyCarol

I'm a data nerd, so calorie counting clicks for ME. This might not be the case for someone else.

The basic premise of energy balance will always rule the day when it comes to weight regulation, but how one achieves that result? That comes down to personal preference.

Plenty of people lose weight just fine without physically counting calories. I wasn't one of them. I tried restricting food groups and things like that. It didn't work for me. It works beautifully for other people, though.

MarcyKirkton

I count but dont weigh. I just go for 200 less than recommended 1200 a d assume hodden calories. No food is forbidden but hunger drives me to proteins and fiber.
I am fine with routine so I eat the same breskfast daily and lunch doesn't vary much.
I look at Average weight loss per week to gauge if I'm on tra k and adjust when needed.

MommyL2015

Every time I eat, I try to guess how much I'm portioning out before I weigh it, just to see how accurate I am. I'm never right. So until I can get right, or at least in a good ballpark, I'll probably have continue counting because when I'm wrong, I'm always way over. I imagine one day I'll be able to eat a plate of something without my food scale, but I've got some practicing to do.

lemurcat12

honeybee739 wrote: »

Has anyone tried both cc and then not and focusing on whole foods/low carb/paleo...etc basicall any lifestyle that doesnt focus on calories.

Yes. I gained lots of weight when I was still really obsessive about eating whole foods. I also lost weight and have maintained weight without counting calories.

It's not really either/or. Unless you are not really that into the foods you consider nutritious or have a super restrictive idea of what a healthy diet consists of (much more restrictive than paleo or low carb is), it's not that hard to gain on whole foods.

However, it's certainly possible -- at least for many people, including me -- to lose or maintain by focusing on eating a nutrient-dense diet and also by focusing on or being mindful of portion control/how much you are eating or when you eat. I lost my initial 20 lbs that way (I was actually being too restrictive and undereating, which I realized when I started counting) and I lost weight years ago that way too. I maintained the first weight loss for 5 years that way, plus being active (I regained when I stopped being active and had some issues with depression).

That said, I found it more fun to count, because I'm a data geek and counting and logging kept me really interested and motivated, and I think given that I expected to take a year or more to lose the weight that being able to eat a less restrictive diet than I started out with (although still focused on nutrient-dense foods) made it feel so much easier and more sustainable. Importantly, with the foods I primarily ate I never really had a problem making my calorie goal, so it's not like I felt like I was restricting myself, but I could see that I had room to add in some cheese or more olive oil or some extra potatoes or some ice cream.