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I Don't Believe in Calorie Counting
Replies
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I still say it depends. Counting calories has the ability to better any diet because it empowers the individual by providing data to make informed decisions on which food choices to restrict. I think there are a number of diets which restrict food choices by their design. I suspect in both cases most people will find that there is a significant overlap in the kinds of foods which were restricted either through governance or abstinence.0
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stevencloser wrote: »Things that were proven to generally not work because people suck at it: "Paying attention" to what you're eating.
Things that are proven to work, given it's done consistently and accurately while adjusting amounts as needed: logging.
Case closed.
Frequently I don't log till the end of the day and I find that I intuitively quit eating reasonably close to goal levels. But if I go a few days without logging, I drift into bad habits (eating non-satiating food, overeating). Logging MAKES me pay attention. If I were able to pay attention all the time without logging, who knows, I might be able to argue the OPs case.
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I count calories, I'm obsessive and I do not have a good relationship with food. I see all food as bad and fattening, but I eat it anyways bc you have to, but I still feel guilty of eating. I use to be 100 pounds over weight. I think anyone who gets to that point and loses it, has a distorted view of food, fear of gaining weight is always in my mind. For years all I heard was eat less and move more. Yesterday my doctor said eat more and exercise less...I'm never right!?!?! Anyways, my point is counting calories is important for me bc I feel like I am in control of my eating, I can make sure I don't eat too much....or too little. No matter what other people think (even the doctor) I know me, I know I can not stop being diligent unless I want to gain the weight back. AND I never want to go through that again. For me it is much easier to keep it off than it was to lose it.
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Tracy Anderson is just about the last person on earth I'd ever take any health and fitness advice from.11
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I count calories, I'm obsessive and I do not have a good relationship with food. I see all food as bad and fattening, but I eat it anyways bc you have to, but I still feel guilty of eating. I use to be 100 pounds over weight. I think anyone who gets to that point and loses it, has a distorted view of food, fear of gaining weight is always in my mind. For years all I heard was eat less and move more. Yesterday my doctor said eat more and exercise less...I'm never right!?!?! Anyways, my point is counting calories is important for me bc I feel like I am in control of my eating, I can make sure I don't eat too much....or too little. No matter what other people think (even the doctor) I know me, I know I can not stop being diligent unless I want to gain the weight back. AND I never want to go through that again. For me it is much easier to keep it off than it was to lose it.
Wow....
1) You admit that you're obsessive and see food as a bad thing.
2) Your doctor likely recognizes your issues because they advised you to lessen your calorie restrictions and lighten up on the exercise (based on your post I wouldn't be surprised if you're following a VLCD and engaging in extreme amounts of exercise which is not good for you).
3) You assume that people who were once overweight but lost the weight all have a disordered view of food when in reality it's more likely that they were once ignorant about food or didn't care but learned how to eat well for their goals.
Scary, scary post...
Listen to your doctor.12 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »I count calories, I'm obsessive and I do not have a good relationship with food. I see all food as bad and fattening, but I eat it anyways bc you have to, but I still feel guilty of eating. I use to be 100 pounds over weight. I think anyone who gets to that point and loses it, has a distorted view of food, fear of gaining weight is always in my mind. For years all I heard was eat less and move more. Yesterday my doctor said eat more and exercise less...I'm never right!?!?! Anyways, my point is counting calories is important for me bc I feel like I am in control of my eating, I can make sure I don't eat too much....or too little. No matter what other people think (even the doctor) I know me, I know I can not stop being diligent unless I want to gain the weight back. AND I never want to go through that again. For me it is much easier to keep it off than it was to lose it.
Wow....
1) You admit that you're obsessive and see food as a bad thing.
2) Your doctor likely recognizes your issues because they advised you to lessen your calorie restrictions and lighten up on the exercise (based on your post I wouldn't be surprised if you're following a VLCD and engaging in extreme amounts of exercise which is not good for you).
3) You assume that people who were once overweight but lost the weight all have a disordered view of food when in reality it's more likely that they were once ignorant about food or didn't care but learned how to eat well for their goals.
Scary, scary post...
Listen to your doctor.
+10 -
Ideas are tools, but sometimes the best tool for the job, isn't the tool you're best at using. Use what you're best at to accomplish goal. I think calorie counting is the best tool for weight loss, but a few people seem incapable of weighing & logging consistently. Maybe a real-time caloric restriction like "portion size and frequency awareness" is for them.2
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Carlos_421 wrote: »I count calories, I'm obsessive and I do not have a good relationship with food. I see all food as bad and fattening, but I eat it anyways bc you have to, but I still feel guilty of eating. I use to be 100 pounds over weight. I think anyone who gets to that point and loses it, has a distorted view of food, fear of gaining weight is always in my mind. For years all I heard was eat less and move more. Yesterday my doctor said eat more and exercise less...I'm never right!?!?! Anyways, my point is counting calories is important for me bc I feel like I am in control of my eating, I can make sure I don't eat too much....or too little. No matter what other people think (even the doctor) I know me, I know I can not stop being diligent unless I want to gain the weight back. AND I never want to go through that again. For me it is much easier to keep it off than it was to lose it.
Wow....
1) You admit that you're obsessive and see food as a bad thing.
2) Your doctor likely recognizes your issues because they advised you to lessen your calorie restrictions and lighten up on the exercise (based on your post I wouldn't be surprised if you're following a VLCD and engaging in extreme amounts of exercise which is not good for you).
3) You assume that people who were once overweight but lost the weight all have a disordered view of food when in reality it's more likely that they were once ignorant about food or didn't care but learned how to eat well for their goals.
Scary, scary post...
Listen to your doctor.
Oh I didn't mean to imply I wasn't fixing my problem. I definitely realize I have an issue with food. I am getting help, I have a doctor and a nutritionist that are helping me, I agree, when I said that most people who were that over weight and lost have a distorted view of food. I know that they didn't know any other way and had to learn. I am learning now. My point was not counting calories for me is not an option. I have to feel like I am in control of the situation. I made all of the changes the doctor thought I should make to lose the weight and I did. I trust him to help me now and I am trying to do as he wants, but ignoring calories is no happening. I told him I will exercise less and I will eat the protein shakes he wants me to eat but I am still counting the calories and I am still not willing to add too many too fast. I see them weekly so hopefully soon the nutritionist and I will have my diet sorted out to something I can live with that still meets all of my nutritional needs.5 -
Of course, dieting habits can vary from person to person. A lot of people do not understand the difference between counting calories and restricting calories. I try to eat as many (good) calories as possible, after coming off a bad relationship with food constantly restricting how much I ate, even if it was all the good stuff. I find that the less you restrict, the better you will feel. It is good to keep track, but instead of restricting, provide.3
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AestheticStar wrote: »I stopped counting calories. Before I found MFP, I used to eat what I wanted, not restrict, not count or obsess over it. I did my workouts as normal & I lost weight & was lean & perfectly fine. When I ended up counting calories, I have never struggled more in my life. It was the worst mistake I ever made. I have seen more & more fitness trainers coming forward & talking about how damaging calorie restriction is for your metabolism & can lead to metabolic damage.
If people don't believe it, watch this video I put a link to at the end. Kelli (Fitness Blender) is straight-forward, she wouldn't lie, she talks about her calorie restriction, which lead to an eating disorder & she struggled with weight. As soon as she broke away from that, she started eating more calories & overcame it. Even Cassey Ho from Blogilates posted about metabolic damage when she was doing a bikini competition where the trainer made her eat only 1,000 calorie A DAY. Your body NEEDS nutrition. And look at all the people on the Biggest Loser who restricted, went on to live their lives & gained all, if not MORE, weight back. It happens to so many celebs that go on calorie restrictive diets. It is NOT worth it IMO. I log my workout calories & my food, but I do not care about the numbers of it, I just enjoy tracking what I've done for a workout & what I've ate. And the more I've been eating lately, I feel more like my old self, I have energy, I feel happy.
This is the video Kelli posted from Fitness Blender. I really recommend people watch it, it might be eye opening.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=VM99CXSPcVM
"counting calories" and "restricting calories" are two different things. I count calories, and eat between 1500 and 1900 calories a day, depending on my workout. I eat icecream, cookies, and truckloads of chocolates. I count them all, log them all....but I don't "restrict" my calories.6 -
Carlos_421 wrote: »I count calories, I'm obsessive and I do not have a good relationship with food. I see all food as bad and fattening, but I eat it anyways bc you have to, but I still feel guilty of eating. I use to be 100 pounds over weight. I think anyone who gets to that point and loses it, has a distorted view of food, fear of gaining weight is always in my mind. For years all I heard was eat less and move more. Yesterday my doctor said eat more and exercise less...I'm never right!?!?! Anyways, my point is counting calories is important for me bc I feel like I am in control of my eating, I can make sure I don't eat too much....or too little. No matter what other people think (even the doctor) I know me, I know I can not stop being diligent unless I want to gain the weight back. AND I never want to go through that again. For me it is much easier to keep it off than it was to lose it.
Wow....
1) You admit that you're obsessive and see food as a bad thing.
2) Your doctor likely recognizes your issues because they advised you to lessen your calorie restrictions and lighten up on the exercise (based on your post I wouldn't be surprised if you're following a VLCD and engaging in extreme amounts of exercise which is not good for you).
3) You assume that people who were once overweight but lost the weight all have a disordered view of food when in reality it's more likely that they were once ignorant about food or didn't care but learned how to eat well for their goals.
Scary, scary post...
Listen to your doctor.
Oh I didn't mean to imply I wasn't fixing my problem. I definitely realize I have an issue with food. I am getting help, I have a doctor and a nutritionist that are helping me, I agree, when I said that most people who were that over weight and lost have a distorted view of food. I know that they didn't know any other way and had to learn. I am learning now. My point was not counting calories for me is not an option. I have to feel like I am in control of the situation. I made all of the changes the doctor thought I should make to lose the weight and I did. I trust him to help me now and I am trying to do as he wants, but ignoring calories is no happening. I told him I will exercise less and I will eat the protein shakes he wants me to eat but I am still counting the calories and I am still not willing to add too many too fast. I see them weekly so hopefully soon the nutritionist and I will have my diet sorted out to something I can live with that still meets all of my nutritional needs.
If you aren't already, talking to a counselor who specializes in treating eating disorders may be helpful too.
Not everyone who was overweight and then loses it becomes obsessive or has disordered thoughts about food. It sounds like you are taking steps with a team to address your issues but often time there is a psychological component to the process of getting to a good place when it comes to managing weight in a healthy way for the long term.
Good luck.
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janekenney95 wrote: »Of course, dieting habits can vary from person to person. A lot of people do not understand the difference between counting calories and restricting calories. I try to eat as many (good) calories as possible, after coming off a bad relationship with food constantly restricting how much I ate, even if it was all the good stuff. I find that the less you restrict, the better you will feel. It is good to keep track, but instead of restricting, provide.
Some people call it eating in a deficit, some call it restricting an amount of calories so a deficit is created. No matter what we call it, losing weight is based on eating less calories than we need in order for an energy deficit to be creatd so our bodies will use stored fat instead of incoming calories to reduce fat stores on the body. Otherwise no fat will be lost.
If you just count your calories, thats great! But counting them so you can get into a habit of eating less of them to lose weight means restricting them back to an amount that is less than your body needs.
If you stop restricting calories and eat at exactly what your body needs tdee, you are at a happy place of not gaining or losing. If you eat more than your body uses then you add on weight, both fat and muscle.
By the way, when a body loses weight, it always loses both fat and muscle together.
Providing more calories than your body uses will always result in weight gain.
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OP sounds like she's well on her way (if not there already) to an eating dis-order. Not sure if she does have kids, but she will no doubt pass on her eating dis-order to them...1
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janekenney95 wrote: »Of course, dieting habits can vary from person to person. A lot of people do not understand the difference between counting calories and restricting calories. I try to eat as many (good) calories as possible, after coming off a bad relationship with food constantly restricting how much I ate, even if it was all the good stuff. I find that the less you restrict, the better you will feel. It is good to keep track, but instead of restricting, provide.
@janekenney95 that is a good point about counting and restricting being different.
While we can all agree 'counting calories' is not considered the 'norm' in most of the world it can be a good tool to use last least until we can find a macro, etc that can remove the need to count calories by getting our bodies/minds back into automatically managing our natural weight range.
I was talking with owner/manager of a group of fast food restaurant chain recently who had lost 20 pounds over the last year just by macro adjusting only but initially he did have to count up calories to learn his then current macro.
Until I counted for a while (pen and paper in my case) I was clueless as to my calories and my macro make up. One may find several macros that works for him or her and change them around from time to time even.
We are all different when it comes to macros and where they naturally lead to weight loss, maintenance or gains.
muscleforlife.com/8-ways-to-improve-hunger-control-and-weight-loss/ Seems to be selling something but does make some science points.
breakingmuscle.com/nutrition/eat-what-you-want-your-macros-and-the-truth-about-carbs Makes some good general statements but the info in the Comments seem to get into more details sometimes.
chriskresser.com/are-you-lower-carb-than-you-think/ This is a good link that drives home if you do not count you can not know your current macro and make informed macro decisions. The first chart is awesome it helping set carb macros based on one's objectives/health needs.0 -
I think you might be getting people mixed up.OP sounds like she's well on her way (if not there already) to an eating dis-order. Not sure if she does have kids, but she will no doubt pass on her eating dis-order to them...
ETA: Oh, never mind. I guess you are saying that because she called a thin person "chunky" that she might suffer from an eating dis-order, right?0 -
Possibly, this thread is all over the place...
I think you might be getting people mixed up.OP sounds like she's well on her way (if not there already) to an eating dis-order. Not sure if she does have kids, but she will no doubt pass on her eating dis-order to them...
ETA: Oh, never mind. I guess you are saying that because she called a thin person "chunky" that she might suffer from an eating dis-order, right?3 -
yeah its become a bit of a free for all!1
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I'm still on page one. Reading the "no woman should lift more than 3 pounds ever". Lots of things weigh more than three pounds. Gallon of milk, bags of groceries, newborn infants, and the list goes on.9
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OP, Of course. However, to speak properly of counting calories one must understand that this is in the context of eating a variety of foods which meet your macro needs as well as your essential vitamin needs. That, really, is also described in terms of understanding how to use food to feel good and be fit.2
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Calories are like money...
Some people budget their money, they know how much they have and they know exactly where and how much money they spend. Everything is accounted for and recorded. They prioritise where they spend money but sometimes they splurge on things because that 'thing' is important to them but then cut back on something else. It's simply used as a tool. Especially helpful for people who don't have a lot of money to spend, when things are tight so to speak. Some people use it after they have been over spending for a long time and have realised overspending has become a problem. It works for them, they feel it helps them in their journey to get back to 'normal' but it's not an unhealthy obsession. A lot like 'counting calories' can a useful tool. Counting calories but not losing sight of the big picture.
Then again, you have people who do this instinctively. They don't account for every little thing but they don't over spend either. Some have a second job (or go to the gym and exercise away some of the calories), some get paid more (are taller and younger and can eat more) and some just simply don't like spending money unnecessarily (just don't get hungry enough or it doesn't fit with their priorities so it's not worth it). It works out for them, happy days! Akin to losing weight without counting calories.
Some people overspend by just a little everyday and they end up in some debt. Not as much of a financial problem as people who overspend by a lot everyday, money they don't have, and they don't even have a second job to help pay for it! If they don't stop spending then they will be in dire straits but it fills a need, maybe an emptiness, and it makes them happy when they are doing it. When the credit card bills come, they pretend it isn't happening and often go and spend more money because it makes them feel better. They are not sure how to get out of the debt. Some don't even think they have a problem. Also known as being overweight.
And then you have people who are cheap and always go for cheap because they think cheap is the ultimate way. Anything to save a dollar so to speak. Nothing has priority other than cheapness, not happiness, not mental health, not family, not friends. They are terrified of spending money. There is a sense of unbalance already, a sense of losing control and a sense of fear. Kind of like people who already have an unhealthy relationship with food.
I will not apologise for counting calories, nor will I be ashamed to admit it when someone asks me how I lost my weight. Saying that counting calories is bad is like saying having a budget is bad... it's not! Although I agree not everyone needs one or wants one, there are many ways to do things that lead down the same path. Having an unhealthy relationship with food is the problem... not counting calories can be a detriment to that and counting calories can be a detriment to that.
That is all.
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lemurcat12 wrote: »The_Enginerd wrote: »AestheticStar wrote: »I stopped counting calories. Before I found MFP, I used to eat what I wanted, not restrict, not count or obsess over it. I did my workouts as normal & I lost weight & was lean & perfectly fine. When I ended up counting calories, I have never struggled more in my life. It was the worst mistake I ever made. I have seen more & more fitness trainers coming forward & talking about how damaging calorie restriction is for your metabolism & can lead to metabolic damage.
If people don't believe it, watch this video I put a link to at the end. Kelli (Fitness Blender) is straight-forward, she wouldn't lie, she talks about her calorie restriction, which lead to an eating disorder & she struggled with weight. As soon as she broke away from that, she started eating more calories & overcame it. Even Cassey Ho from Blogilates posted about metabolic damage when she was doing a bikini competition where the trainer made her eat only 1,000 calorie A DAY. Your body NEEDS nutrition. And look at all the people on the Biggest Loser who restricted, went on to live their lives & gained all, if not MORE, weight back. It happens to so many celebs that go on calorie restrictive diets. It is NOT worth it IMO. I log my workout calories & my food, but I do not care about the numbers of it, I just enjoy tracking what I've done for a workout & what I've ate. And the more I've been eating lately, I feel more like my old self, I have energy, I feel happy.
This is the video Kelli posted from Fitness Blender. I really recommend people watch it, it might be eye opening.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=VM99CXSPcVM
Calorie counting =\= excessive calorie restriction...
Exactly this. For me it was the opposite -- since I didn't know how much I was eating I was overly restrictive (basically meat and veg, and "serving size" of meat) and discovered once I started logging it was coming in at about 900-1000 calories per day, which was way too low and would not have been sustainable. Understanding what I was eating better (how much, what my macros were) helped me make sensible choices to get to a reasonable level of calories (and eat back activity calories as that became relevant). I haven't been logging for a while and I never found that counting made me obsessive, but it was a great learning process to do it for a while.
Hmm, maybe people are different? I personally think that if someone tends to be obsessive about food restriction it won't manifest just with counting, but certainly if counting seems to trigger that, don't do it.
I second this!!!
I lost 25kg about a decade ago and I did it really fast like in about 4 months! I knew nothing about calories at that time and I counted nothing. I had a warped sense of what weight loss meant and for me I thought I had to eat 'like a rabbit' to lose the weight, so I did and it worked! I think a lot of people think that 'weight loss=eating like a rabbit'. I piled it back on because I didn't know how to get that balance.
Over the years I tried a few diets but they were all unsustainable for me because they never answered the important question (for me, which I now realise is) 'How much exactly? It was just an endless muttering of 'eat this' ... 'don't eat this'... 'eat intuitively'... 'follow the recipes in this book'... 'carbs are bad'... 'fat is bad' ... 'eat small meals all day'... 'don't skip breakfast'... 'do cardio'...'don't eat late at night'... 'eat less and move more (but how much less and how much more)'... 'eat more one day and eat very little the next'... 'eat healthy food and the weight will come off'...'chew food slowly'...'you're getting older'... 'set weight'... 'it's not your fault'...'blah blah blah'.
Then I found out about calorie counting and learned about TDEE and BMR and I found that 7700 calories is approximate to 1kg (weight gain or loss). I had something to work with other than the endless mutterings I mentioned before. It was personal and it was about me! I didn't have to eat like a rabbit.... I can eat carbs, I don't have to follow recipes in a book and yes I had some control over it. I use it as a tool and it's helped me get back my sense of balance and helped me to 'heal' both physically and emotionally.
Will I always do it? I'm not sure. I will see how things go when I am on maintenance but I know I can always rely on it. Counting calories is not for everyone but to say it's an unhealthy obsession would be a swiping remark. Thanks to my knowledge of and experience in counting calories, I have a better personal understanding of what it takes to lose and maintain my weight.4 -
listen to your body1
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listen to your body
My taste buds love high-fat, high-salt fast food items. Eating soothes my anxiety. The more often I eat, the more often I get peckish.
Listening to my body without any other data had me grazing all day and slowly putting on weight month after month. Now I can eat often (which I like to do) but in calorie amounts that allow me to lose weight now and keep it off later.
Why should I forego a useful tool just because some people don't "believe" in it? If you don't need it, that's great. If I need it, it would be silly not to use it when it's so easy to do.
I'm nearsighted and I need glasses. That's just the way my body works. In that same way, I don't have whatever body signals some people have that let them intuitively manage their calorie intake. I'm not going to wake up one day with perfect eyes and I doubt that I'll ever have a functional intuitive calorie management ability.7 -
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when ou get fat it means you should lower your carbs. that easy.1
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Well, this works for me. I check my diet for two weeks and if I find out my belly is getting swollen I decrease my carbs. For general public there are many reasons, and many of them don't really pay attention to diet and their physical appearance.0 -
Well, this works for me. I check my diet for two weeks and if I find out my belly is getting swollen I decrease my carbs. For general public there are many reasons, and many of them don't really pay attention to diet and their physical appearance.
Hence, the benefit of calorie counting for them.
There's no "one neat trick" to quickly lose excess weight when a person is obese. You seem quite athletic and close to your ideal weight and able to intuitively listen to your body. Some people can't do that. For them, learning how to closely watch intake by calorie counting may be the tool they need to lose the weight.6
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