9 reasons why counting calories is dumb

rsjoWECHANGED

I thought this article was awesome - http://tomnikkola.com/9-reasons-why-counting-calories-is-dumb/

Not saying MFP is dumb - just that maybe the macros and what we're actually putting in our bodies is more important than the calorie total?

quirkytizzy

The problem with that is that it ALL comes down to reducing calories. Have too high a sugar macro and are looking to increase your protein? You cut down sugar and start eating chicken. That's calorie counting. Carbs a problem for you? Reduce that - which means reducing the amount of food you are eating. Etc etc.

Not to mention, if nutritional labels are off 20%, so are their estimates of the nutrients you're getting in those foods. The theory is flawed by it's own design.

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

9 reasons that article is stupid.

1. NUTRIENT LABELS CAN BE OFF BY 20%
>Implying I eat enough packaged foods for this to be relevant

2. YOU DON’T ESTIMATE WELL
>Implying I estimate my portion sizes

3. MEASURING CALORIE EXPENDITURE IS SIGNIFICANTLY INACCURATE
>Implying I log exercise

4. RESTING METABOLIC RATE VARIES DAY TO DAY
>implying this doesn't even out over time

5. WHEN YOU EAT FEWER CALORIES, YOUR BODY BURNS FEWER CALORIES
>Implying I don't already know about and compensate for adaptive thermogenesis

6. A CALORIE OF PROTEIN IS NOT THE SAME AS A CALORIE OF FAT OR CARBOHYDRATE
>Implying I don't count macros

7. CALORIE COUNTING ISN’T SUSTAINABLE
Sustainable for whom? It's sustainable for me and has been for a year.

8. NO STUDY HAS SHOWN LOW-CALORIE DIETS ARE EFFECTIVE FOR LONG-TERM WEIGHT LOSS
Is the author arguing calories in < calories out doesn't cause weight loss? :laugh:

9. PEOPLE DON’T GAIN WEIGHT BECAUSE THEY EAT TOO MANY CALORIES, THEY EAT TOO MANY CALORIES BECAUSE THEY’RE GAINING WEIGHT
Lol wut :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Now if only MFP let us green text.

BeachIron

Laughable article and it even references Taubes. Hint, anything that sites Taubes is going to be FoS.

I'll keep counting calories and gaining weight on my bulks and losing weight on my cuts. Funny how effective that is for so many of us.

SideSteel

I disagree with the majority of this article. I'd list the reasons but the second reply you got (justsomerandom) basically covers my thoughts on this.

_Zardoz_

so stupid not even worth responding to

CrankMeUp

No.

ndj1979

compete and total BS...

msarro

Now if only MFP let us green text.

LOL
Attack of the btards

Calories matter, simple as that.
As for a calorie of fat vs calorie of protein vs calorie of fibre... that's like saying a pound of feathers is less than a pound of brick. It is still a pound. A Calorie (Kcal) in this case is a defined unit of measurement - 1000 calories, where a calorie is defined as the amount of energy required to heat 1 gram of water by 1 degree celsius. So yeah, a Calorie of each of those things is still 1000 calories, each capable of heating 1g of water by 1 degree celsius.

The defined unit of measurement doesn't change based on the source.

TavistockToad

9. PEOPLE DON’T GAIN WEIGHT BECAUSE THEY EAT TOO MANY CALORIES, THEY EAT TOO MANY CALORIES BECAUSE THEY’RE GAINING WEIGHT
Lol wut :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

the what now?!?!

adamgottlob

I read a similar article why counting calories "doesn't work" and they say things like "a calorie isn't always a calorie" and "3500 calories does not equal a pound of fat"...so what? Counting calories isn't perfect. I sat on the couch on Saturday and stacked firewood on Sunday. I could never accurately calculate my calorie expenditure...

But to say that because it's imperfect and people are imperfect that the concept is "dumb" borders on irresponsible. We have to calculate something and calories are a decent measure. If I am low one day I assume I will be high another day. If I am always high I can reduce my targets.

But I believe anyone who says calorie counting doesn't work, was simply not able to stick with it.

rsjoWECHANGED

To each their own - its just an alternative perspective that might work for other people...

I've lost 55lbs without counting calories and just focusing on what types of food I eat - never hungry and never deprived - I use MFP every once in a while to make sure I'm hovering around the right macros.

Will be interesting to see what people have to say about Taubes being FoS when http://nusi.org/about-us/board-of-directors/#.UdrI1tLrxfA starts releasing their findings

ndj1979

9. PEOPLE DON’T GAIN WEIGHT BECAUSE THEY EAT TOO MANY CALORIES, THEY EAT TOO MANY CALORIES BECAUSE THEY’RE GAINING WEIGHT
Lol wut :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

the what now?!?!

yea, that one pretty much blew me away too...

ShaniWulffe

I needed a good laugh this morning XD

zeala

A very firm believer of this:" A calorie from fat, carbohydrate, protein or alcohol are not close to the same. Each has a different effect on metabolic rate, hormones and satiety."

Of course I don't want to track my calories every day for the rest of my life, but I do think it is especially useful for people who end up getting off track and become completely unaware of how much they are eating. I could see it being especially true for people who are obese. They may not be counting it perfectly , but perhaps they become aware for the first time that they have been consuming a ridiculous amount of calories for their lifestyle.
I don't track every day. Usually just one week a month. Hormone wise I could eat gallons of ice cream, pasta and a lot of other things.
Otherwise I listen to my body and choose foods based on a general knowledge of what their calorie content is, which I learned from initially measuring and counting calories.

martinescoto

Its almost like a Bleacher Report article. TERRIBLE!

BeachIron

To each their own - its just an alternative perspective that might work for other people...

I've lost 55lbs without counting calories and just focusing on what types of food I eat - never hungry and never deprived - I use MFP every once in a while to make sure I'm hovering around the right macros.

Will be interesting to see what people have to say about Taubes being FoS when http://nusi.org/about-us/board-of-directors/#.UdrI1tLrxfA starts releasing their findings

The lolz keep coming . . .

AverageUkDude

I'm sick of seeing this bull**** at the minute.

Let's not try and overcomplicate something which is essentially very system

Track your calories, track your macros and eat some good greens to ensure you get your micros.

Really do we need so much bull**** pseudo science around this by uneducated 'diet experts'.

myofibril

The answer to weight management isn’t eating fewer calories, it’s in eating more quality food.

I think in reality it's both.

Interesting article. Lots of food for thought but I doubt it's going to go down well on what is essentially a calorie counting website...

jonnythan

One reason counting calories is not dumb:




Score:
Counting calories 1
Not counting calories 0

iplayoutside19

Is having a gas gauge on your car dumb?

Calories are energy, too much and too little will cause you problems.

glin23

FWIW, until I joined this website, except for 2 weeks of a Fitness and Nutrition class, I've never really counted calories. But I've been mindful, ie: I'll look a label and keep in mind what the calories are for a serving size and what that serving size is, especially in relation to the total package. That said yes I'm aware that nutrition fact calculations can be inaccurate. It's really not that hard to see that.

ItsCasey

This guy and that Fitness Beverlyhills chick would get along really well. They both stubbornly resist science.

glin23

The answer to weight management isn’t eating fewer calories, it’s in eating more quality food.

I think in reality it's both.

Interesting article. Lots of food for thought but I doubt it's going to go down well on what is essentially a calorie counting website...

To me it's definitely both. It doesn't help that a lot of junk food has a high calorie density.

msarro

I do agree that eating higher quality food DOES help, if only because the better the food you eat, the more nutrient dense it is. The more nutrient dense it is, the less you need to eat. It's a positive circle.

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

To each their own - its just an alternative perspective that might work for other people...

I've lost 55lbs without counting calories and just focusing on what types of food I eat - never hungry and never deprived - I use MFP every once in a while to make sure I'm hovering around the right macros.

Will be interesting to see what people have to say about Taubes being FoS when http://nusi.org/about-us/board-of-directors/#.UdrI1tLrxfA starts releasing their findings

So a guy with an engineering degree is supposed to give us the best advice on nutrition?

I know a lot of Yale lawyers. How about I get them together to build a rocket to the moon. You know, because they're Yale educated.

CipherZero

9 reasons that article is stupid.

Quoted for truth. I don't measure much any more because I've gotten back in the habit of recognizing how much (or little, depending) a tablespoon, cup, three ounces, half a pound of something is.

One study (and I wish I still had the pubmed link) shows overweight people underestimate their calories taken in by 50-90%(!!!!) ans the effects of exercise similarly.

Fats don't make you fat. Calories make you fat.

dsjohndrow

-1 Counting calories is not a perfect science. It's a guide, and mileage may vary.
-2 What we eat has a huge impact on our LONG TERM health. Most young people cannot accurately predict the effects of years of fats, processed foods and pesticides.
-3 Losing weight is a byproduct of getting fit. Although weigh-loss begins with the fork, real health occurs when blood chemistry, overall well being, as well as body fat and strength and aerobic fitness merge.

Ultimately, how much we eat, and what we eat impacts us the most in both the short term and long term. How we exercise and the type of exercise impacts how we feel much more in the long term. It is hard to reduce the effects of heart disease and cancer causing exposure and genetics.

UsedToBeHusky

But I do watch my macros.... in accordance with my calorie goal. :huh:

Lalasharni

I read this and sighed..... There are SO MANY people out there who tell us that what we're doing is dumb, unhealthy, stupid, etc.etc.
A calorie, is a calorie (or kilo-calorie to be exact). A kilo-calorie is the amount of heat required to raise one gram of water through one degree centigrade So if you eat 10 calories of protein, or ten calories of fat,. then you need the same amount of energy to burn that 10 calories off. The only difference in the calories is the order, and how, your metabolism burns off calories. That's an exact science, and too involved to dump into a blog.
I know that counting calories works, it IS sustainable, and it IS a healthy way of losing weight. That is all there is to it. thousands of other people on MFP will agree, we have counted calories and we have lost weight. The only addition to counting calories that we make, and that we know is essential for our success is that we run, walk, swim, cross-train or lift heavy.

Eat less, exercise more, count calories = lose weight.

It's not rocket science - and please excuse the quote - MFP works. Count calories.

elainecroft

This person clearly can't math.

Is it hard to calculate how many calories your body burns in a day? Yes. But not impossible.

Is estimation always perfect? No. But you can get really darn good at estimating (and as anyone who works in the fields of economics, planning, policy, or healthcare knows a hecka lot more things in life are estimated than most people probably want to know).

The key is that if you are not getting the results you want, you revise your estimates, aka use data to do a better job in the future. Not to give up and say that the whole method is dumb.