Noone stab me for asking but does anyone on here not count calories?

girls_read_comics

I mainly want to use this site for recipes,support and accountability . I know the app has a calorie counter but does anyone not count?

lynn_glenmont

There are people who use the site but don't count calories. I'm not one of them.
You don't need anybody's permission to do that (assuming you're an adult).

girls_read_comics

I am an adult. I was on a paleo forum once and mentioned I eat half a cup of rice a day and was kicked out so im a little bit nervous haha

I lost 80 lbs so far and would like to use the last 20 to learn to eat intuitively

DaddieCat

I don't count calories... but I do count macros... ultimately it's the same thing, just a slightly different way of going about it. You do you.. as long as you are eating a proper amount and still losing, who cares what others think you should be doing.

MoiAussi93

There are plenty of people here who don't count calories. Some don't count as a rule, but then will count when they are making some kind of dietary change. I lost most of the weight I lost without counting, then counted and lost more, and in the past few months have gone without counting for periods of time (and successfully maintained). Some don't count in maintenance but count when losing. Some only count if they gain a few pounds until they get back on track.

Do whatever works best for you. Counting calories is a tool many people find helpful, but it is not necessary for many others at all.

Sabine_Stroehm

There was a thread here yesterday about that. And a couple of threads about intuitive eating you could probably google.

I didn't count calories while losing. I still don't most of the time.

Do what works for you.

Good luck!

lyttlewon

I have successfully done limiting diets like the South Beach Diet, which didn't require calorie counting.

The most sustainable method for me has been counting, because it allows me to tweak according to circumstances, i.e. eating at other people's houses.

Gisel2015

Search for "Not tracking?" That thread has some good comments and some links that you may find helpful.

AquabearGO

You MUST count calories!!! If you dont, that makes you a bad person and you will be shunned by the MFP Society. Its our way or the Highway sister! Now, start counting......the Food Police are watching you.......(PS See how silly that sounds? Use this site the way you see fit. Remember, its your site, no one elses. Welcome)

Kalikel

satanicbunny wrote: »

I am an adult. I was on a paleo forum once and mentioned I eat half a cup of rice a day and was kicked out so im a little bit nervous haha

I lost 80 lbs so far and would like to use the last 20 to learn to eat intuitively

I'm working on that, too. I kind of got to the point where if I wasn't weighing and logging all my food, I wasn't sure how to eat! Was I eating too much? Too little?

I do not even think that I could go the rest of my life weighing and logging every bite of food I eat, so it's important for me to learn to eat now, while I finish losing my weight.

When I began all this, I'd never have guessed that I would have this issue, lol.

I'm certain that I can learn to eat without needing a scale or a computer. It's a little work on my part, but I'll get there.

lyttlewon

Kalikel wrote: »

satanicbunny wrote: »

I am an adult. I was on a paleo forum once and mentioned I eat half a cup of rice a day and was kicked out so im a little bit nervous haha

I lost 80 lbs so far and would like to use the last 20 to learn to eat intuitively

I'm working on that, too. I kind of got to the point where if I wasn't weighing and logging all my food, I wasn't sure how to eat! Was I eating too much? Too little?

I do not even think that I could go the rest of my life weighing and logging every bite of food I eat, so it's important for me to learn to eat now, while I finish losing my weight.

When I began all this, I'd never have guessed that I would have this issue, lol.

I'm certain that I can learn to eat without needing a scale or a computer. It's a little work on my part, but I'll get there.

That has been harder that I thought, eating without logging. The last three months of maintenance and not logging my food has been more mentally stressful than the 3 years of weight loss was.

lynn_glenmont

satanicbunny wrote: »

I am an adult. I was on a paleo forum once and mentioned I eat half a cup of rice a day and was kicked out so im a little bit nervous haha

Rough crowd. Sorry that happened to you.

MissElectricEyeliner

I started out counting calories and weighing my food, but recently haven't been. The number on the scale keeps dropping though. If the number isn't going down then I'll go back to counting and reevaluate because that lets me know I'm eating too many calories.

Kalikel

lyttlewon wrote: »

Kalikel wrote: »

satanicbunny wrote: »

I am an adult. I was on a paleo forum once and mentioned I eat half a cup of rice a day and was kicked out so im a little bit nervous haha

I lost 80 lbs so far and would like to use the last 20 to learn to eat intuitively

I'm working on that, too. I kind of got to the point where if I wasn't weighing and logging all my food, I wasn't sure how to eat! Was I eating too much? Too little?

I do not even think that I could go the rest of my life weighing and logging every bite of food I eat, so it's important for me to learn to eat now, while I finish losing my weight.

When I began all this, I'd never have guessed that I would have this issue, lol.

I'm certain that I can learn to eat without needing a scale or a computer. It's a little work on my part, but I'll get there.

That has been harder that I thought, eating without logging. The last three months of maintenance and not logging my food has been more mentally stressful than the 3 years of weight loss was.

I started by going days where I weighed things and jotted them down, but didn't record it until I was done eating...but found I was relying on that, so moved the logging to the next morning. Still, I found I was under-eating because I was a little nervous that I'd overeat without a computer to tell me how I was doing, lol. Then I did 2-3 days.

I'm now doing single weeks at a time. Still weighing and seeing how I did, but it's a lot harder to undereat for a week. It's not as easy as I'd have thought it might be, but I'll get there.

I just cannot live out the rest of my life not knowing how to eat without a scale and a computer, you know? Some people feel they will be able to accomplish that and Yay for them, but I know I couldn't...and wouldn't want to, anyway. I don't love weighing or logging.

One of these days, I will start cooking like I used to - adding stuff as I think it's needed and not stopping to weigh it first! I can not wait.

MommyL2015

I wish I didn't have to but I'm so famous for taking a bite of this or a handful of that. If I didn't write it all in my diary as I did it, weight would quickly pile back on. Putting those small amounts of food in there keeps me awake and accountable. I have days where I don't bother or I just quick add things just to get an idea but those days aren't too common.

Nataliegetfit

I have a relative who is Vegan and she counted for awhile on here just to make sure she was getting enough calories and protein and fat and things like that. It did help her to know. She wasn't eating enough and wasn't loosing any more, and upped her calories a little and it made a difference for her.

rockmama72

I don't log every day but I'm super-aware. It never leaves my mind. I rock my Fitbit and just try to lose a little at the end of the week.

lbaxandall

I don't count every single thing. If I'm running around and grab a handful of trail mix, or have one candy, I'm not going to bother to log it... It won't derail my progress! I have a hard time logging condiments too, I always forget!

ModernRock

satanicbunny wrote: »

I am an adult. I was on a paleo forum once and mentioned I eat half a cup of rice a day and was kicked out so im a little bit nervous haha

Gee, they sound like a bunch of cavemen.

cosmichvoyager

Unfortunately I have to weigh my food and count calories to lose. I tried stopping and it wasn't working. I also eat more veggies and stuff when I'm keeping closer track

tomatoey

Kalikel wrote: »

lyttlewon wrote: »

Kalikel wrote: »

satanicbunny wrote: »

I am an adult. I was on a paleo forum once and mentioned I eat half a cup of rice a day and was kicked out so im a little bit nervous haha

I lost 80 lbs so far and would like to use the last 20 to learn to eat intuitively

I'm working on that, too. I kind of got to the point where if I wasn't weighing and logging all my food, I wasn't sure how to eat! Was I eating too much? Too little?

I do not even think that I could go the rest of my life weighing and logging every bite of food I eat, so it's important for me to learn to eat now, while I finish losing my weight.

When I began all this, I'd never have guessed that I would have this issue, lol.

I'm certain that I can learn to eat without needing a scale or a computer. It's a little work on my part, but I'll get there.

That has been harder that I thought, eating without logging. The last three months of maintenance and not logging my food has been more mentally stressful than the 3 years of weight loss was.

I started by going days where I weighed things and jotted them down, but didn't record it until I was done eating...but found I was relying on that, so moved the logging to the next morning. Still, I found I was under-eating because I was a little nervous that I'd overeat without a computer to tell me how I was doing, lol. Then I did 2-3 days.

I'm now doing single weeks at a time. Still weighing and seeing how I did, but it's a lot harder to undereat for a week. It's not as easy as I'd have thought it might be, but I'll get there.

I just cannot live out the rest of my life not knowing how to eat without a scale and a computer, you know? Some people feel they will be able to accomplish that and Yay for them, but I know I couldn't...and wouldn't want to, anyway. I don't love weighing or logging.

One of these days, I will start cooking like I used to - adding stuff as I think it's needed and not stopping to weigh it first! I can not wait.

Ha, I did that the other day and had a moment of awareness that I hadn't done it freely (according JUST to taste and feel) in a while, and it felt really good

My experience was that once I was well into maintenance, I was able to not have to count. It did mean limiting McDonald's etc. Not completely, though. (I'm not saying you eat McD's or should, just that was my tradeoff.) But I went 80/20 with the "fad" that I started with (South Beach phase 3 - mostly lean meats, veggies, grainy carbs, dairy, etc, it all tasted good to me, no suffering there) and just eyeballing portions, and it worked great for ages.

The other big part of it was 30-60 mins of daily hard cardio, I am pretty sure, though. I can't do that now and the buffer is *missed*. Hitting the same burn with more leisurely paced, non-impact activity takes much more time. (I only estimated my burns then but it *must* be the case that I burned more doing plyometrics etc. than walking on a treadmill or stationary cycling at low resistance.) Not having any kind of cardio is the pits, appetite goes up, while calories have to go down. Result is a constant state of mild deprivation, or just maintenance / not losing.

Working2BLean

satanicbunny wrote: »

I mainly want to use this site for recipes,support and accountability . I know the app has a calorie counter but does anyone not count?

Only during practice run weekends for races.

Saturday was a 53 mile ride and straight into a 10K run

Sunday was 30 mile recovery ride

I ate lots of good healthy food, and one whole small pizza that was not exactly healthy but I didn't eat the crust. Ha!

So depending on activity, I may or may not count calories.

Normally

I weigh my food

Maintain a calorie deficit

Monitor protein intake closely to maintain lean body mass

There is no cheating and staying lean for me. I have to burn food off or it goes to fat.

scyian

Find what works for you. You do not have to calorie count. I do count calories and weigh 95% of what I eat and the latter is making most of the people who know me think I'm nuts but it works for me. I hope once I'm at maintenance I will have learnt portion control so I don't have to log and weigh as diligently as I am now. MFP is a tool and use it to how it suits you.

rybo

I don't count. While I think it can be useful in certain situations, I don't have the mindset to comprehend counting calories on a daily basis forever.

hamlet1222

satanicbunny wrote: »

I am an adult. I was on a paleo forum once and mentioned I eat half a cup of rice a day and was kicked out so im a little bit nervous haha

I lost 80 lbs so far and would like to use the last 20 to learn to eat intuitively

classic, I got hounded out of an atkins diet forum for suggesting someone who was failing on atkins for checking how many calories they were getting from cream (they said they were having a lot of cream).

I'm not logging my calories at the moment, I logged for one week, which gave my an idea of good portion sizes for my calorie goal, and since then I've just been trying to maintain discipline on portion sizes - it's been working so far, but I suspect portion creep will kick-in eventually, and I'll have to start logging for another week.

psuLemon

hamlet1222 wrote: »

satanicbunny wrote: »

I am an adult. I was on a paleo forum once and mentioned I eat half a cup of rice a day and was kicked out so im a little bit nervous haha

I lost 80 lbs so far and would like to use the last 20 to learn to eat intuitively

classic, I got hounded out of an atkins diet forum for suggesting someone who was failing on atkins for checking how many calories they were getting from cream (they said they were having a lot of cream).

I'm not logging my calories at the moment, I logged for one week, which gave my an idea of good portion sizes for my calorie goal, and since then I've just been trying to maintain discipline on portion sizes - it's been working so far, but I suspect portion creep will kick-in eventually, and I'll have to start logging for another week.

I got repeated warned and pretty much kicked off beachbody's website for linking people to science that disproved a lot of their perceptions.. God forbid we listen to science, ha.


OP, I count while on a cut because I have very little room for error. I found that getting to a very low body fat, that tracking is very important. When I maintain though, I transition off calorie counting. And when I would bulk, I would track again.

hamlet1222

psulemon wrote: »

hamlet1222 wrote: »

satanicbunny wrote: »

I am an adult. I was on a paleo forum once and mentioned I eat half a cup of rice a day and was kicked out so im a little bit nervous haha

I lost 80 lbs so far and would like to use the last 20 to learn to eat intuitively

classic, I got hounded out of an atkins diet forum for suggesting someone who was failing on atkins for checking how many calories they were getting from cream (they said they were having a lot of cream).

I'm not logging my calories at the moment, I logged for one week, which gave my an idea of good portion sizes for my calorie goal, and since then I've just been trying to maintain discipline on portion sizes - it's been working so far, but I suspect portion creep will kick-in eventually, and I'll have to start logging for another week.

I got repeated warned and pretty much kicked off beachbody's website for linking people to science that disproved a lot of their perceptions.. God forbid we listen to science, ha.


OP, I count while on a cut because I have very little room for error. I found that getting to a very low body fat, that tracking is very important. When I maintain though, I transition off calorie counting. And when I would bulk, I would track again.

It's both funny and sad how dogmatic some people get.

Agree that the more precise your body fat goal, the less room for error you have, and the more diligent you need to be in calorie counting.

For most overweight people, I reckon simply cutting out snacking, having sensible meal portions, and drinking calorie free drinks is all they need to do to get to a healthy BMI. Calorie counting initially is a good way to shock them into realizing how much they are overeating.

livelovebbg

I don't count calories, and when I did it was to help me gain weight (on another account). I'm still here because I really enjoy reading through the forums

mom2colbyj

I was counting until a couple weeks ago. I was put on a sodium restricted diet due to health issues a few months back and was really getting depressed with both calorie restriction and sodium restriction. It got to the point that I cried thinking about eating. Now instead of counting calories I'm weighing my food and watching the things I eat. It's working for me and I'm no longer viewing food as the enemy. I may go back to calorie counting once I'm established with the sodium restriction but for now I'm happy.

Sarajvz

I went the IF route for weight loss/maintenance and only spot check calories. During the weight loss phase I counted calories every other day. Now in maintenance I count maybe 2-3 days a month. However, I do other things instead of regular calorie counting-IF, daily weigh ins, blood work twice a year etc, that I use to track of my progress.

Biggest thing is to just find what works for you and then go with it-there is no 'one' perfect way

extra_medium

ModernRock wrote: »

satanicbunny wrote: »

I am an adult. I was on a paleo forum once and mentioned I eat half a cup of rice a day and was kicked out so im a little bit nervous haha

Gee, they sound like a bunch of cavemen.

+1