is it possible to lose weight without counting calories?

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Replies

  • SaraLikesSunsets
    SaraLikesSunsets Posts: 92 Member
    Kelceybyers wrote: »
    You can definitely lose weight without counting calories. I find for me though personally I need to log my food and count them. I hold myself much more accountable when I do.

    I understand what you're saying. That makes a lot of sense
  • GemoBunny
    GemoBunny Posts: 15 Member
    For me, it was. I counted calories for a very long time but saw no results. Once I stopped counting calories and just ate in in moderation I noticed that I dropped a few pounds after a while.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    The other approaches I've studied focus on the behavioral aspects of diet rather than on counting calories or carbs or whatever. These include Evelyn Tribole's Intuitive Eating, the Beck Diet Solution, and Mindful Eating. In general, they focus on the thoughts and beliefs surrounding eating. I find the concepts useful in addition to logging and counting calories, but that's what works for me.

    Intuitive Eating for example recommends eating what you want rather than what you think you need to eat, eating when you're hungry, eating slowly and enjoying your food, and recognizing when you're full and stopping, realizing you can alway eat a bit more in a few minutes if you're still hungry. The Beck approach is based on cognitive behavioral principles. The Mindfulness approach is based on mindfulness therapy which is derived from Buddhist mindfulness meditation.

    You can do any of these in addition to counting calories/carbs/whatever if you choose. That's what works for me.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    Have you asked for the nutritional information? Just because its not posted doesn't mean it's not available.
  • Nerdycurls
    Nerdycurls Posts: 142 Member
    I find using a food scale has been extremely beneficial. There's nothing like having an honest visual aid to teach you what real serving sizes look like. I attempted to do this, but it didn't work because "eyeballing" looks different to different people. I'd rather be honest with myself and count the calories.

    Maybe one day I'll become more intuitive with my eating habits when I reach my desired weight. Some people are good at this while others are not.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Of course you can...people do it all the time.

    I've been maintaining for going on three years save for I tend to put on some weight over winter...this year it was about 6 Lbs...I don't log and I easily take that winter weight off.

    The vast majority of people will lose some weight simply by cleaning up their diet a bit and substantially decreasing the amount of "junk" they're taking in. Hell, when I started out a few years ago trying to lose 40 Lbs (mission accomplished), I lost about 20 of those by simply ditching my 3-5 sodas per day and cutting my deserts down to 2 or 3 times per week and not drinking alcohol during the week. I really only started logging because I became more interested in the nutritional aspects of things and basically I wondered what my diet looked like overall on paper...I'm sure I could have lost all of my weight without logging a single morsel. The benefits of logging for me were more about nutrition and eating a more balanced diet, etc.
  • bclarke1990
    bclarke1990 Posts: 287 Member
    Lets be honest. If you just stay active and eat reasonable amounts of unprocessed food it's going to be hard not to get in shape with some time.
  • bruhaha007
    bruhaha007 Posts: 333 Member
    Yes you can, BUT i strongly believe you need to follow a program of some kind and be consistent daily. I do IF (intermittent fasting) and meal replacement shakes which allow me to not have to count calories. I lost four lbs in the past week and didn't count a single calorie. It is possible!
  • Nerdycurls
    Nerdycurls Posts: 142 Member
    What kind of programs do people follow to be consistent?
  • Lovee_Dove7
    Lovee_Dove7 Posts: 742 Member
    SaraLikesSunsets wrote: »
    I am wondering this, because I am a student at Job Corps, and they don't have any information about how many calories are in the food. I would appreciate any replies I could get. Thanks everyone, and have a nice day.

    I think it is; once you establish a pattern for your eating, if you can maintain that pattern.
    For example, do you know what protein, carb, fiber and fat you choose to eat for each meal?
    How about, eggs and bacon, oatmeal, for breakfast? Or protein/fruit/chia and flaxseed smoothie?
    Lunch, chopped veggie and dressing, chicken, lentils
    Dinner, steamed veggies, fish with sauce, wild rice
    Snacks, fiber bars, nuts, dark chocolate, hot/cold stevia sweetened drinks

    or some such similar pattern.

    Initially you may want to log just to ensure what portion sizes should be.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited February 2016
    Nerdycurls wrote: »
    What kind of programs do people follow to be consistent?

    I don't follow any kind of program...I simply focus my diet around whole foods and meals prepared from scratch, whole ingredients or minimally processed food stuffs (i.e. canned tomatoes for sauces and whatnot). I eat 6-8 servings of veg and fruit per day...emphasis on veg and a serving or two of fruit...I eat plenty of whole grains, legumes, lentils, whole food starches, lean sourced protein, and healthy fats from things like nuts and avocados and cooking with olive oil, avocado oil, and coconut oil. Regular exercise is a big part of my life.

    I'm consistent because I enjoy feeding my body with awesomeness and I love to workout (namely cycle and lift). I'm pretty stinkin' good in the kitchen and I enjoy cooking so no issues there...and contrary to popular belief, healthy doesn't have to mean boring or bland.

    Things like eating out and "junk" food are occasional indulgences, not daily occurrences. Though I do enjoy a nice craft brew.
  • enterdanger
    enterdanger Posts: 2,447 Member
    I've only been successful losing weight when I count calories. I've read lots of studies that say that people who are able to lose weight eating intuitively have better success keeping the weight off. I wish I was someone who could do that, but I'm too good at lying to myself about the state of my calorie intake. I'd like to get there some day.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Of course you can. The question really is how easy it is to maintain if you don't.. Almost anyone can lose weight by just cutting high calorie foods.
  • SaraLikesSunsets
    SaraLikesSunsets Posts: 92 Member
    enterdanger wrote: »
    I've only been successful losing weight when I count calories. I've read lots of studies that say that people who are able to lose weight eating intuitively have better success keeping the weight off. I wish I was someone who could do that, but I'm too good at lying to myself about the state of my calorie intake. I'd like to get there some day.

    Oh, okay. I actually have had some success with both. Though I'll admit it is harder when you're not counting calories.
  • Domicinator
    Domicinator Posts: 261 Member
    I would say if you're overweight to severely overweight and live in America, you probably just simply aren't programmed to be able to do this. They don't teach us that skill here. I would advise logging for at least 4 or 5 months before you decide to go it alone.
  • lorib642
    lorib642 Posts: 1,942 Member
    Yes, if you eat less than you burn you will lose weight.

    It isn't optimum, but you could try estimating the amounts and use the entries in the system, and see how that works for you. Do you have any way to weigh/measure yourself?
  • srecupid
    srecupid Posts: 660 Member
    Of course. You could also just put some electric tape over your gas gauge and hope to never run out also.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,988 Member
    Yes. If most people who are overweight/obese just ate half the portions they are currently consuming, they would lose weight.

    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
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  • Abby2205
    Abby2205 Posts: 253 Member
    For sure it is possible. Years ago I lost weight on Suzanne Somers' plan. The theory of the plan itself was food combining nonsense, but the practical application worked great. The part that sticks with me was that you could combine carbs with vegetables and fat-free protein, or you could combine fat and protein+fat (for example meat) with vegetables, but you couldn't combine carbs (pasta, bread, potatoes) with fat or protein+fat. So you could have toast with preserves, but not with butter or peanut butter or eggs. You could have pasta with fat free sauces, but not with a meat sauce or a cream sauce. You could have meat with salad and vegetables sauteed in oil, but not with potatoes or bread. For someone else, that might not have worked.
    More recently I lost the first five pounds by stopping the weekday fast food lunches and replacing them with just about anything else that wasn't deep fried.
  • SaraLikesSunsets
    SaraLikesSunsets Posts: 92 Member
    lorib642 wrote: »
    Yes, if you eat less than you burn you will lose weight.

    It isn't optimum, but you could try estimating the amounts and use the entries in the system, and see how that works for you. Do you have any way to weigh/measure yourself?
    Oh okay. I would rather not. Because it would be either too much or too little and I prefer to not do it if I'm just off by that much. No, i don't have a way to weigh myself. There's no scales here that i could use once a week every week, unless i count one that doesn't seem to be accurate.
  • auntiebabs
    auntiebabs Posts: 1,754 Member
    If you can't count calories and track nutrition.... still keep keep a food journal. Anything that clarifies the cause and effect relationship between what you eat and how you feel is helpful. I learned a lot of thing with a food journal in my pre-MFP days.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    It is possible to lose weight without counting calories. I think it is harder to have a consistant loss that way and maintain that loss.
    What I would do is take smaller portions of foods that I know to be higher calorie and fill a lot of my plate with lower calorie vegetables. I would watch portion sizes of bread, pasta and rice. Use sauces, condiments, dressings sparingly. Foods that are not mixed in casseroles, soups or stews would be easiest to judge what you are eating. If you can get grilled meats you will probably be better off eating that than something fried. Maybe opt for fruit for dessert instead of something prepared with who knows what.
  • SaraLikesSunsets
    SaraLikesSunsets Posts: 92 Member
    Lounmoun wrote: »
    It is possible to lose weight without counting calories. I think it is harder to have a consistant loss that way and maintain that loss.
    What I would do is take smaller portions of foods that I know to be higher calorie and fill a lot of my plate with lower calorie vegetables. I would watch portion sizes of bread, pasta and rice. Use sauces, condiments, dressings sparingly. Foods that are not mixed in casseroles, soups or stews would be easiest to judge what you are eating. If you can get grilled meats you will probably be better off eating that than something fried. Maybe opt for fruit for dessert instead of something prepared with who knows what.
    Okay, thanks for the advice.

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