9 reasons why counting calories is dumb

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.

LCFulmer

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

Ditto... You have to do what you can stick with and what works for you.

Going4Lean

One reason counting calories is not dumb:




Score:
Counting calories 1
Not counting calories 0

Off topic, but great job.

jennrox78

for me... when i began counting calories, i began choosing better foods.. then i added exercise to the mix.. which has equaled weight/ inches lost..

so in my book : calories counting = good!

JulesAlloggio

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?

^^ main reason why I stopped counting calories a long time ago. I eat according to my macros (IIFYM) hence the reason why my food log is all in red. yes calories are important but if you're not getting enough protein/carbs/fats or your numbers are all jacked up, then you're actually not improving your results on weight loss.

Just my opinion.

WendyTerry420

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

QFT


You know what's *really* dumb? Telling a bunch of calorie-counters that they are doing it wrong, even those of us who are successful. hmmm

LoraF83

1. NUTRIENT LABELS CAN BE OFF BY 20%
True....but by eating more whole foods, you can avoid this.

2. YOU DON’T ESTIMATE WELL
This is why I weigh and measure everything. Estimation will get you nowhere.

3. MEASURING CALORIE EXPENDITURE IS SIGNIFICANTLY INACCURATE
True, but there are tools that can help. When I tracked exercise calories, I used a heart-rate-monitor. A Fitbit or BodyMediaFit would also help.

4. RESTING METABOLIC RATE VARIES DAY TO DAY
That's why averages are important.

5. WHEN YOU EAT FEWER CALORIES, YOUR BODY BURNS FEWER CALORIES
Which is why it's often recommended that you take a week or two off now and then. Or at least have cheat days. A lot of people are very successful this way. Also, TDEE-20% is much better to combat this issue than VLCD.

6. A CALORIE OF PROTEIN IS NOT THE SAME AS A CALORIE OF FAT OR CARBOHYDRATE
Which is why you should find the macro ratio that works for you and your needs.

7. CALORIE COUNTING ISN’T SUSTAINABLE
I find it very sustainable and plan on counting for a very long time. It takes me 5 minutes per day. The author suggests that I should want "all that time back". I find that I'm happy to give up 5 minutes a day if it helps keep me fit, lean and happy with my body. Surely I'm worth 5 minutes?

8. NO STUDY HAS SHOWN LOW-CALORIE DIETS ARE EFFECTIVE FOR LONG-TERM WEIGHT LOSS
That's why I don't eat low calorie. I eat less than I need.

9. PEOPLE DON’T GAIN WEIGHT BECAUSE THEY EAT TOO MANY CALORIES, THEY EAT TOO MANY CALORIES BECAUSE THEY’RE GAINING WEIGHT
Gary Taubes. Enough said.

WendyTerry420

for me... when i began counting calories, i began choosing better foods.. then i added exercise to the mix.. which has equaled weight/ inches lost..

so in my book : calories counting = good!

^^ This too!

I have learned so much just by keeping a food diary, not to mention the excellent info I have found in these forums.

ItsCasey

The "quality of food" argument is such BS because ANY kind of food, even vegetables, will make you fat if you eat more of it than your body requires for weight maintenance. Sure, it's going to be hard to eat enough vegetables to make you fat, but that's the point ... it's not because vegetables are magic foods, it's because they're low in calories! By the same token, a person can eat fast food every single day and still lose weight if they eat less of it than is required for weight maintenance. I would say the guy is just being intellectually dishonest, but I have yet to see any evidence that he understands this stuff well enough to BE intellectually dishonest about it.

cwolfman13

Hmmm....well, I've lost 40 Lbs being dumb then. As far as sustainability goes, I'd agree that counting calories forever is probably not sustainable...at least not for me. Sustainability comes with learning or re-learning how to eat and having a lifestyle that is fitness and nutrition oriented. I successfully maintained for 3-4 months without counting...just listening to my body, getting my nutrition on and getting my fitness on. I'm counting again due to I'm on another cut...bur really, I think sustainability is all about your overall lifestyle. If you have a lifestyle that is fitness oriented and nutritionally sound, your body is going to reflect that.

skullshank