Does tracking calories really matter? Cutting carbs and starches or counting calories...

dawnflowers104
dawnflowers104 Posts: 12 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello myfitnesspal family! So I went through my own weight loss journey back in 2012 and lost 92lbs. I have gained back about 48lbs total. I am back on a new journey to get the weight off again. My question is this...When I first lost the weight I did not track or count calories at all. I only cut out starches (still ate carbs just not starches) and otherwise ate whatever I wanted. Now that I have added starches back in my diet for nutritional reasons including getting enough iron and potassium, I struggle with getting the weight back off. What do you think? Do you think tracking really helps or is it all about the carbs and starches?

Replies

  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
    Well, since this is primarily a calorie counting site, the majority of folks are going to come down on the side of counting calories! I have lost over 100 lbs with calorie counting, and weighing my food to make sure I am eating at the level I think I am - I do not have the skill to be able to eyeball portions accurately. If you can, then good for you and maybe you can continue to do that without considering the calories. However, for accuracy, a food scale and calorie counting is a workable choice.
  • mom22dogs
    mom22dogs Posts: 470 Member
    Of course tracking calories really matters. When you lost weight before, when you cut out starches or carbs, if you didn't replace them with something, it probably put you in a calorie deficit. Over time, you probably started eating more which was more calories, and you gained. Watch your portion sizes of carbs if you tend to over eat them. And watch your total calories and stay at or just under what MFP tells you for calories and you'll lose weight.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    dawnflowers104 wrote: »
    Hello myfitnesspal family! So I went through my own weight loss journey back in 2012 and lost 92lbs. I have gained back about 48lbs total. I am back on a new journey to get the weight off again. My question is this...When I first lost the weight I did not track or count calories at all. I only cut out starches and otherwise ate whatever I wanted. Now that I have added starches back in my diet for nutritional reasons including getting enough iron and potassium, I struggle with getting the weight back off. What do you think? Do you think tracking really helps or is it all about the carbs and starches?

    When you cut out an entire macro (carbs) by default, most people will cut calories. Calories are what matter for losing weight regardless of the method used to cut those calories. Considering that this is a calorie counting website, the vast majority here have kept a diary and tracked calories to lose weight.

    A calorie is a unit of energy...given your stats and activity, you require XXXX amount of energy per day to maintain the status quot. When you consume energy in excess of what you need, that excess is stored as body fat...it's just stored energy...it's like your backup generator. When you consume less energy than you require, that deficiency has to be made up...you make up for that deficiency by burning stored energy (body fat)...your backup generator kicks on.

    It has nothing at all to do with carbs and starches.
  • dawnflowers104
    dawnflowers104 Posts: 12 Member
    Oh forgot to mention...I actually did not cut out carbs at all..just starches so I ate plenty of fruit, yogurt, veggies and I ate tons of nuts includind almonds and peanuts which are loaded with calories of course. I did not eat beans, bread, potatoes, rice, oatmeal, cereals etc. Just to clarify :):)
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    It's all about calories. You can go low carb/high carb.....whatever. It's still about calories.

    Keeping the weight off - I struggle with this too. NO more elimination diets, or replacement diets for me. Low carb is not how I will maintain, so it's not how I will lose (this time).

    Tracking will always matter to me (I'm afraid). I've been overweight too long, overeating is "normal" for me. Tracking may not matter to you, but you still need to find a method that keeps you under goal for weight loss and AT GOAL for maintenance. Your maintenance goal will be a smaller number of calories (than your current maintenance) .....forever.

    Perhaps the No-S diet would help (for not logging). It's no sweets, no seconds, no snacks, except "sometimes" on days that begin with "S" - Saturday, Sunday, Special days (holidays)......if this would be a lifestyle change then this might be an option.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited February 2017
    dawnflowers104 wrote: »
    Oh forgot to mention...I actually did not cut out carbs at all..just starches so I ate plenty of fruit, yogurt, veggies and I ate tons of nuts includind almonds and peanuts which are loaded with calories of course. I did not eat beans, bread, potatoes, rice, oatmeal, cereals etc. Just to clarify :):)

    Yeah...but cutting out beans, bread, potatoes, rice, oats, cereal, etc is going to cut out a lot of calories. The only thing you really mentioned above that was calorie dense were the nuts.

    You created a calorie deficit...that's how you lost weight...that's how any diet plan works...calorie reduction.

    I lost 40 Lbs eating all of those things...I just consumed fewer calories than I expended. I'm cutting my winter fat now...same thing...basically I cut out a couple of snacks and don't drink beer during the week...I'm cutting calories.
  • Heltel123
    Heltel123 Posts: 4 Member
    You say you have added back the starches for nutrition, but most beans, bread, potatoes, rice etc. do not contain the potassium and iron you are looking for. You should be able to get those nutrients from your diet without the starches. If it worked before for you, why are you looking for another way to lose weight? Just cut back on those. If you need extra nutrients you can't get from a diet, then supplements or a protein shake can help.
  • dawnflowers104
    dawnflowers104 Posts: 12 Member
    TeaBea wrote: »
    It's all about calories. You can go low carb/high carb.....whatever. It's still about calories.

    Keeping the weight off - I struggle with this too. NO more elimination diets, or replacement diets for me. Low carb is not how I will maintain, so it's not how I will lose (this time).

    Tracking will always matter to me (I'm afraid). I've been overweight too long, overeating is "normal" for me. Tracking may not matter to you, but you still need to find a method that keeps you under goal for weight loss and AT GOAL for maintenance. Your maintenance goal will be a smaller number of calories (than your current maintenance) .....forever.

    Perhaps the No-S diet would help (for not logging). It's no sweets, no seconds, no snacks, except "sometimes" on days that begin with "S" - Saturday, Sunday, Special days (holidays)......if this would be a lifestyle change then this might be an option.

    TeaBea I totally agree!! What I am learning throughout this whole process is that ultimately it is HOW you will maintain that goal weight...forever! Its SOOOO hard! Its easy to lose the weight, but maintaining for a lifetime is what matters. I also tend to eat too many calories on a daily basis and it feels like a normal amount unfortunately. LOVE the book "Food Rules" which is what I am trying to adopt as a lifestyle. Thanks for the encouragement! <3
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    dawnflowers104 wrote: »
    Oh forgot to mention...I actually did not cut out carbs at all..just starches so I ate plenty of fruit, yogurt, veggies and I ate tons of nuts includind almonds and peanuts which are loaded with calories of course. I did not eat beans, bread, potatoes, rice, oatmeal, cereals etc. Just to clarify :):)

    But you still eliminated a large number of foods from your diet. Eliminations can be helpful for weight loss.....that's step #1

    A temporary elimination diet is NOT helpful for weight maintenance......that's step #2

    You want a plan that addresses both steps. Can you give up: beans, bread, potatoes, rice, oatmeal, cereals forever?
    In other words the elimination is permanent.....not temporary.

    Will you eat these foods at goal BUT START measuring & logging them at goal? If that's the case, why not eat them now, but get used to the portion sizes now while losing weight.
  • dawnflowers104
    dawnflowers104 Posts: 12 Member
    heldolphin wrote: »
    You say you have added back the starches for nutrition, but most beans, bread, potatoes, rice etc. do not contain the potassium and iron you are looking for. You should be able to get those nutrients from your diet without the starches. If it worked before for you, why are you looking for another way to lose weight? Just cut back on those. If you need extra nutrients you can't get from a diet, then supplements or a protein shake can help.

    Thanks! I think ultimately the reason I am looking to lose differently this time is simply because I cant keep up a "starch free" diet. As life goes on it just isnt working for me anymore. It worked for me for 3 years and I am finally burnt out. Yes protein shakes do work but sometimes those get old too. As far as the iron, its true you can get it from whole food sources but it ends up being a ton of spinach and raw vegetables unless willing to eat a bunch of meat everyday of course. Most breads and processed foods contain iron which makes it easier to reach the daily allowance each day but obviously not a healthy way of eating when trying to cut calories/lose weight. :) By the way, have you ever really tried to eat the recommended amount of potassium in one day? It is crazy! You have to be willing to eat bananas, sweet potatos and spinach in large quantities each day to get the minimum 3500mg. I exercise a ton and teach classes so getting enough electrolytes is super important.
  • dawnflowers104
    dawnflowers104 Posts: 12 Member
    TeaBea wrote: »
    dawnflowers104 wrote: »
    Oh forgot to mention...I actually did not cut out carbs at all..just starches so I ate plenty of fruit, yogurt, veggies and I ate tons of nuts includind almonds and peanuts which are loaded with calories of course. I did not eat beans, bread, potatoes, rice, oatmeal, cereals etc. Just to clarify :):)

    But you still eliminated a large number of foods from your diet. Eliminations can be helpful for weight loss.....that's step #1

    A temporary elimination diet is NOT helpful for weight maintenance......that's step #2

    You want a plan that addresses both steps. Can you give up: beans, bread, potatoes, rice, oatmeal, cereals forever?
    In other words the elimination is permanent.....not temporary.

    Will you eat these foods at goal BUT START measuring & logging them at goal? If that's the case, why not eat them now, but get used to the portion sizes now while losing weight.

    Yes totally agree!!! Thanks!
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    Calories, calories and yep it's really about the calories :)
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    dawnflowers104 wrote: »
    heldolphin wrote: »
    You say you have added back the starches for nutrition, but most beans, bread, potatoes, rice etc. do not contain the potassium and iron you are looking for. You should be able to get those nutrients from your diet without the starches. If it worked before for you, why are you looking for another way to lose weight? Just cut back on those. If you need extra nutrients you can't get from a diet, then supplements or a protein shake can help.

    Thanks! I think ultimately the reason I am looking to lose differently this time is simply because I cant keep up a "starch free" diet. As life goes on it just isnt working for me anymore. It worked for me for 3 years and I am finally burnt out. Yes protein shakes do work but sometimes those get old too. As far as the iron, its true you can get it from whole food sources but it ends up being a ton of spinach and raw vegetables unless willing to eat a bunch of meat everyday of course. Most breads and processed foods contain iron which makes it easier to reach the daily allowance each day but obviously not a healthy way of eating when trying to cut calories/lose weight. :) By the way, have you ever really tried to eat the recommended amount of potassium in one day? It is crazy! You have to be willing to eat bananas, sweet potatos and spinach in large quantities each day to get the minimum 3500mg. I exercise a ton and teach classes so getting enough electrolytes is super important.

    I rarely eat bananas...I drink 2x low sodium V8s pretty much every day. Also, canned tomato products in general have a lot of potassium. Coconut water also. Regular potatoes as well as sweet potatoes. Avocados. Big leafy green salads. Fish (particularly salmon). Yogurt. Squash (especially Acorn). Dried fruits. Mushrooms.
  • dawnflowers104
    dawnflowers104 Posts: 12 Member
    edited February 2017
    @cwolfman13

    Do you reach your potassium goals everyday by eating this way?
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,343 Member
    dawnflowers104 wrote: »
    @cwolfman13

    Do you reach your potassium goals everyday by eating this way?

    Unless you're manually adding the potassium values to all the foods you log or tracking it yourself in some other way, MFP's food diary won't accurately reflect your potassium intake. Manufacturers aren't required to include potassium values on food labels (and most of them don't), and the vast majority of food entries on MFP don't have any potassium values entered. So if you're using MFP to track your potassium intake, it will never look like your intake is adequate.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    dawnflowers104 wrote: »
    @cwolfman13

    Do you reach your potassium goals everyday by eating this way?

    It's difficult to see the whole picture with MFP due to the fact that most entries are user entered from a label and nutritional labels aren't required to present potassium information. I eat a very wide variety of whole foods and back when I logged I would find that stuff individually and in most cases I was meeting those requirements and often exceeding them. My low sodium V8s alone give my around 1400 Mg daily.

    Honestly, I don't bother myself with hitting exactly this or that...my blood tests have never come back with any potassium deficiencies and I figure that I'm doing just fine with a diet rich in whole foods/minimally processed foods. I generally eat around 6-8 servings of veg daily and 1-2 servings of fruit on top of plenty of whole grains, legumes and lentils, lean proteins (I eat a lot of fish), and healthy fats.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories