Counting calories..Or not
Ironandwine69
Posts: 2,432 Member
I know..I know, counting calories is the most accurate way. But is it the only way?
I wing it.
Who else is with me?
I wing it.
Who else is with me?
7
Replies
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You're on a calorie counting website...60
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That's great you can. I know I can't. Most people here can't this is why we are here. I know I gained weight by eating what I wanted at the portions I wanted. So I am eating better by tracking and losing weight.9
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cmriverside wrote: »You're on a calorie counting website...
I thought this site was called "My fitness pal", not "counting calories.com"23 -
A few people can actually eyeball portions relatively accurately and know their hungry/full cues well enough to get away with it. Consider yourself fortunate if you are one of them!
Many folks around here have a history of over indulging and/or an unhealthy relationship with food that requires a fair bit of retraining. Counting calories and weighing food is an invaluable tool that can't be replaced in those cases with 'winging it.'20 -
People who are pretty fit (which it looks like in your photo) may be able to just eye it. Others needing to lose a significant amount of weight, probably not. It's subjective many times as to seeing what isn't too much to eat for many people.
I hear overweight people say all the time "but I don't eat that much", then we count up the calories. LIARS.
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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Sure, people can lose weight without counting calories.
My dh lost 30+ lbs and has maintained without counting calories.
I have trouble doing that.4 -
When I don't count, I over estimate frequently. But I actually enjoy counting...11
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That's great you can. I know I can't. Most people here can't this is why we are here. I know I gained weight by eating what I wanted at the portions I wanted. So I am eating better by tracking and losing weight.
Oh, I gain weight if I eat anything, whenever I want. I've actually gained ten pounds by doing exactly that the past year. But I knew I was overeating.
I think counting calories is great, but also very time consuming ( for me). I think it's great to do for a while, until you learn what you need, but I can't imagine spending my life measuring food and counting calories.6 -
Every time I stop counting calories, I gain weight. It's like permission to eat what I really want. There is no accountablility. It's the same reason I eat cake out of the pan... no one knows how much I ate. If I cut a piece and put it on a plate, there it is. That's how much I ate. I can see it. If I just take a fork and start eating off a whole cake, you really can't tell how much I ate, and then I can say, "Well I only had a few bites, I didn't eat that much." It really is denial.
pinuplove is absolutely right about an unhealthy relationship to food and the way you perceive food and portions.
ninerbuff is right also with the "didn't eat that much" excuse
although I only have about 5 pounds to lose, it is the same mentality.12 -
It's time consuming but worth it, in my opinion. I like that my calorie goal is both measurable and flexible, two attributes which make it much more likely that I'll stick with it. And while there's some days when I add my meals up in my head and guesstimate, I don't feel that's realistic for me or my goals in the same way that weighing and logging each day is. Also, with my family's history of diabetes and heart problems, I don't feel like my weight is really something that I should be taking a chance on *shrug*
Different stuff works for different people.4 -
I've been in the mindset of seeing calorie counting as restriction and such in the past but now I count everything accurately and have gotten used to making it a habit. I have a goal that I want to reach, so I realized that there would be no point in half-heartedly following the journey.
I formed my mindset into making calorie-counting and logging my food as a priority, something just as important as brushing my teeth or getting dressed. It just gets easier once you accept it.4 -
The odd time I will log, but for the most part, I don't. I counted calories regularly a few years ago while I was bulking because I am the worst underestimator.
But now that I am calorie aware, I pretty much wing it.
Right now I am bulking and winging it.. I don't think there are a lot of people that do it this way... however, it has been working for me. Have I been gaining as fast as I would like? Not really.. I had a few bad months where I wasn't gaining, and if I was tracking I probably wouldn't have that issue. BUT.. overall, I will take a few slow months because I absolutely HATE tracking.
Point is, if you are getting the results you want, keep doing what you are doing. For some it can be slower, but if you don't mind that, then do what you want.4 -
If I have a goal, I want to know that I'm doing anything and everything possible to achieve it. In terms of physique goals, that means being as accurate as possible about what I put in my mouth....The results you get equal the effort you put in.5
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You could use your hands to measure your food portions. I saw pin on pinterest that showed how to do it correctly. Counting constantly calories is tiring1
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It's not only way.3
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I wouldn't say it is the ONLY way, but for a lot of people (especially those with histories of over-indulging) it is certainly the most effective way.
I would love to get to a place where I can eat intuitively but I have A LOT to learn and many habits to form before I can get there.3 -
I ve done slimming world to death and am actually enjoying counting calories for a change and finding it much more flexible as I really can eat anything. I thought I d find weighing everything a nuisance but so far its fine. There are moments when I think, why am I weighing garlic etc, but I need the accountability. I ve also bought a book on amazon called carbs and cals and this shows pictures of food on a plate with its calorie value. So on the days I forget to weigh first, or don’t have as much time I can put in a guesstimate. Or if I don’t know what a tbsp of peanut butter weighs and tbsp is not listed as an option. One tip I did get from slimming world was that its better to acknowledge you ve eaten something and account something for it, than ignore that you ve had it.3
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livingleanlivingclean wrote: »If I have a goal, I want to know that I'm doing anything and everything possible to achieve it. In terms of physique goals, that means being as accurate as possible about what I put in my mouth....The results you get equal the effort you put in.
"Winging it" IS effort lol.
I didn't say eat anything I want. I meant estimate without counting and measuring.
But I agree. If you want to be accurate, counting and measuring is the best way.2 -
Some can maintain an energy deficit without counting/tracking calories, some can't. One is not better then the other. They are what they are...6
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It's certainly not the only way at all. I'm a confirmed counter because I like the nerdery of it and it fits my personality, but that's me.
If it's not you, it's quite simple to just cut back on certain foods and your portions and wing it by using the scale as feedback to see how it's working.
People have lost weight and/or managed their weight for years without counting calories. My mother in law used to simply cut back on dessert portions and bread when she thought her weight was getting out of hand, for example.4 -
It takes maybe four minutes extra to weigh and measure and log food.
To each their own, I'd rather have accurate numbers.
When I was in my twenties and thirties, "winging it" worked. Then it didn't.10 -
Ironandwine69 wrote: »I know..I know, counting calories is the most accurate way. But is it the only way?
I wing it.
Who else is with me?
You may not be counting calories, but you're doing all the healthy behaviors that go along with it. Portion control, listening to hunger cues, making "smart" decisions for food options. Basically, you've taken what you learned and applied it. I'm sure you still look at (or reference from memory) the calories associated with items -- or the macros, if you ever logged that way.
The vast majority of people here are counting calories because they're trying to create the healthy behaviours you already have. So I guess congratulations? Keep winging it if it works for you. Everyone's different.
Also, you seem to think it takes a lot of time to log the calories, but I mean, my day is logged and I know my macros are spot on and where I'm sitting for my vitamins/nutrients in under 5 min. Worth it for my health.10 -
livingleanlivingclean wrote: »If I have a goal, I want to know that I'm doing anything and everything possible to achieve it. In terms of physique goals, that means being as accurate as possible about what I put in my mouth....The results you get equal the effort you put in.
If I was in competition prep like you and had a deadline, I would definitely track my cals. I wouldn't want to waste time, effort and money not being accurate.
But I am just a Jane-shmoe.. SAHM, if I am being honest, I am just doing what I am doing for fun. Not to say I don't put 100% effort in, but there is no deadline for me.. so I can kind of cruise the waves a bit more.0 -
I don't count at maintenance (I'm good at knowing roughly where I am), and I've lost in the past without counting, so I don't claim counting is the only way or necessary. It's not true that it's time consuming, though, and I hate it when people try to make it sound like this big horrible burden or something people would only do if they were overly neurotic.
For me, it's the most fun way to lose weight and results in me not over-restricting, so I like it. And since I'm a data geek I can use it to experiment with changes in how I eat unrelated to losing weight (or to bulk should I ever try that).
But sure, whatever.2 -
I have been able to loose 32lbs by calorie counting on this site. Sometimes looks can be deceiving so I am learning to read labels and cut corners by eliminating using salad dressing and avoiding sauces on foods.3
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lemurcat12 wrote: »It's not true that it's time consuming, though, and I hate it when people try to make it sound like this big horrible burden or something people would only do if they were overly neurotic.
But sure, whatever.
It IS true that it's time consuming( for me). Unless you eat everything out of a box. I cook most of my meals from scratch. It's easy to scan a box, not so easy to count and measure everything you are putting in your meal for a family.
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Ironandwine69 wrote: »lemurcat12 wrote: »It's not true that it's time consuming, though, and I hate it when people try to make it sound like this big horrible burden or something people would only do if they were overly neurotic.
But sure, whatever.
It IS true that it's time consuming( for me). Unless you eat everything out of a box. I cook most of my meals from scratch. It's easy to scan a box, not so easy to count and measure everything you are putting in your meal for a family.
I tend to agree with this. I have put in most of the recipes we use on a regular basis into the recipe builder, so that has become easier over time because I have a good base of recipes (like 12 pages on here). But, for the one off meals where I am just kind of throwing things in a pan or having a "clean out the fridge" meal (like chicken, pasta, veggies and then making my own sauce), it does take time.
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People who are pretty fit (which it looks like in your photo) may be able to just eye it. Others needing to lose a significant amount of weight, probably not. It's subjective many times as to seeing what isn't too much to eat for many people.
I hear overweight people say all the time "but I don't eat that much", then we count up the calories. LIARS.
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
i would agree with this.
when I started out I logged/weighed everything but lately I have not been doing that and I have not had any problem maintaining current weight.
If I was trying to do a hard cut I would have to go back to weighing/logging everything.
I think that weighing and logging teaches you correct portion sizes, so that you know, roughly, how much you are consuming...3 -
cmriverside wrote: »It takes maybe four minutes extra to weigh and measure and log food.
To each their own, I'd rather have accurate numbers.
When I was in my twenties and thirties, "winging it" worked. Then it didn't.
yea, not quite as easy when you have to cook for three and are making things from scratch, or close to it..
When I was single it was easy to weigh/log everything; now with a girlfriend and her son living with me, not so easy..1
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