Counting calories..Or not
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There was a time I could do that. I didn't even eat that much to begin with. So if I wanted to lose weight I just had to cut out the extra stuff like soda and candy. I walked all day for work and cleaned and did yard work. So I didn't have to try. Now I'm older, have heath issues, and eat a lot more food, and have a desk job. So I have to count to make sure I'm not over doing it.2
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Before attending these boards I had been with Precision Nutrition. Over there we never count calories. In fact, they don't believe counting is a "leverage point"--meaning that it is not worth the time-investment. So I've never weighed anything in my life. If you cared, you could look at my food blog and you would see that my feedings are super clean, super boring, and my goals are met predictably. So counting isn't the only way.0
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megzchica23 wrote: »There was a time I could do that. I didn't even eat that much to begin with. So if I wanted to lose weight I just had to cut out the extra stuff like soda and candy. I walked all day for work and cleaned and did yard work. So I didn't have to try. Now I'm older, have heath issues, and eat a lot more food, and have a desk job. So I have to count to make sure I'm not over doing it.
I hear you. In my 20s I could eat anything I want. Now I have to really watch what goes in my mouth. I can imagine health issues make I harder too.0 -
Ironandwine69 wrote: »RunRutheeRun wrote: »Counting calories isn't the only way to lose weight but it certainly educates us to the foods that are calorie dense. People gain weight because they simply don't realise how much they are eating. Counting calories really does make us aware of what and how much we are eating.
I no longer count calories as such but that's only because I've been able to maintain my weight loss for 4 years and I still eat the same way I did when losing, I just get more calories. I still think in terms of food = calories, I don't think that's a bad thing though.
Absolutely it's NOT a bad thing. I used to do it years ago. However I think the point is for us to learn what works and what doesn't, so we can live a healthy lifestyle without having to depend on an app or website.
What works will be different for everyone. Just because you naturally can lose, maintain or gain doesn't mean everyone will have that skillset at any point in their. And for 5 minutes a day it makes sense for them to just log their food and know exactly where they are.
Personally, while I am still losing and creeping close to my goal, I WANT to track my calories to optimise results and lessen the amount of time it takes me to get there.
Will I need to do it forever? I don't know. I spent years maintaining my weight naturally, albeit overweight. I hope to manage to do that when I get to goal now that I have learned exactly what a reasonable diet looks like for me. But I can't be sure that's the case. So in that scenario will I log for a time or at least regularly? Sure. It takes all of about 5 minutes out of my day max. It seems a small thing to add to my daily routine to ensure I achieve my goals and maintain the lifestyle and health benefits that come from being a healthy weight.
And whilst losing I have taken diet breaks. Some I have logged, some I have not. With the exception of one period where I actively knew I was gaining I have maintained my weight during those periods. Yay for me. Doesn't apply to everyone.
Just because you find it weird or overly controlling doesn't mean that's the same for everyone.
I don't understand why you seem to be so disdainful of people doing what they need to do to be where they want to be and happily so.1 -
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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.1 -
I've already commented on this, but I'll elaborate a bit more. I haven't counted calories in a number of years and can maintain or lose weight as needed...but I did count during my initial weight loss (at least a portion of it) because I was basically lost from a nutritional standpoint and had zero clue what I needed, or what an appropriate portion of X, Y, or Z looked like.
I never had any weight issues growing up...I was a track and field sprinter from 2nd grade through my senior year in highschool and played a myriad of sports besides that and actually always had issues holding onto weight.
When I graduated I went into the military and PTd daily along with having a very active job and never had to worry about how much I was eating or what I was eating.
When I was discharged I went back to school...I was in my 20s and didn't own a car for most of my college time so I biked and walked most places unless I happened to get a ride...I also did landscape construction in the summer and waited tables and/or worked retail during the school year. I spent free time playing Ultimate Frisbee with my buddies or hiking in the mountains and enjoyed hitting the gym a couple days per week. I never had to give even a second thought about calories or what I was eating or how much...I just did whatever and it all evened out.
I graduated at 30 and took a desk job at an accounting firm working 12 hour days during the week and usually at least 4-6 on the weekend along with about 25 weeks per year of business travel. I bought a car to commute and no longer had the luxury of lots of free time for hiking, playing with my friends, etc and made little effort to get to the gym. I also made zero changes to my diet...the result was pretty rapid weight gain in my thirties.
I chalked a lot of it up to being in my 30s and just getting older...I really didn't make any efforts one way or the other in regards to my weight, nutrition, health, and fitness. I started counting calories really in an effort to start making better nutritional choices given that at 38 I had some really bad blood work come in...I also started exercising again. Counting was a pretty big eye opener for me...my diet wasn't actually horrible from a nutritional standpoint but certainly could be better...but I was eating a crap ton of calories for my activity level (or lack thereof).
Counting basically taught me what I needed and what things should look like on my plate, etc. I never viewed it as a long term proposition...I always viewed it as a tool and basically a crutch until I could get about on my own. It was a pretty invaluable experience for me, but yeah...nothing I set out to do for all of eternity.3 -
Ironandwine69 wrote: »megzchica23 wrote: »There was a time I could do that. I didn't even eat that much to begin with. So if I wanted to lose weight I just had to cut out the extra stuff like soda and candy. I walked all day for work and cleaned and did yard work. So I didn't have to try. Now I'm older, have heath issues, and eat a lot more food, and have a desk job. So I have to count to make sure I'm not over doing it.
I hear you. In my 20s I could eat anything I want. Now I have to really watch what goes in my mouth. I can imagine health issues make I harder too.
Yes. I have stomach issues and high blood pressure. So I swell and bloat a lot which makes it hard to even get accurate weight. The doctor is also checking my thyroid to see if that my be contributing to some of my problems. So that will be interesting to find out. I don't want it to be but at this point I just want an answer and a solution so I can go back to being the me I use to be.0 -
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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.3 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »I've already commented on this, but I'll elaborate a bit more. I haven't counted calories in a number of years and can maintain or lose weight as needed...but I did count during my initial weight loss (at least a portion of it) because I was basically lost from a nutritional standpoint and had zero clue what I needed, or what an appropriate portion of X, Y, or Z looked like.
I never had any weight issues growing up...I was a track and field sprinter from 2nd grade through my senior year in highschool and played a myriad of sports besides that and actually always had issues holding onto weight.
When I graduated I went into the military and PTd daily along with having a very active job and never had to worry about how much I was eating or what I was eating.
When I was discharged I went back to school...I was in my 20s and didn't own a car for most of my college time so I biked and walked most places unless I happened to get a ride...I also did landscape construction in the summer and waited tables and/or worked retail during the school year. I spent free time playing Ultimate Frisbee with my buddies or hiking in the mountains and enjoyed hitting the gym a couple days per week. I never had to give even a second thought about calories or what I was eating or how much...I just did whatever and it all evened out.
I graduated at 30 and took a desk job at an accounting firm working 12 hour days during the week and usually at least 4-6 on the weekend along with about 25 weeks per year of business travel. I bought a car to commute and no longer had the luxury of lots of free time for hiking, playing with my friends, etc and made little effort to get to the gym. I also made zero changes to my diet...the result was pretty rapid weight gain in my thirties.
I chalked a lot of it up to being in my 30s and just getting older...I really didn't make any efforts one way or the other in regards to my weight, nutrition, health, and fitness. I started counting calories really in an effort to start making better nutritional choices given that at 38 I had some really bad blood work come in...I also started exercising again. Counting was a pretty big eye opener for me...my diet wasn't actually horrible from a nutritional standpoint but certainly could be better...but I was eating a crap ton of calories for my activity level (or lack thereof).
Counting basically taught me what I needed and what things should look like on my plate, etc. I never viewed it as a long term proposition...I always viewed it as a tool and basically a crutch until I could get about on my own. It was a pretty invaluable experience for me, but yeah...nothing I set out to do for all of eternity.
I agree 100%.
I actually counted for a while too. This was 5 years ago, and actually on this site too( Back then the phone app sucked). It taught me a lot about what works for me and what doesn't. Then I started feeling as I was taking away from enjoying the food( Italian and Greek blood here, we LOVE food). So I stopped counting. Just applied what I learned from when I was counting.
Will I ever count again? Yes, maybe. Not saying it's a bad tool at all. I actually just wanted to talk to other who manage it without counting, this was not an attemp to say counting is bad. Counting the works. Just not for me right now.0 -
Traveler120 wrote: »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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.
If someone doesn't want to weigh long term, that's fine. But I think it's unnecessary to declare that others should stop weighing. I know, from experience, that I'm terrible at eyeballing. I have no problem weighing long term because it frees me up to think about other things. Using a tool to do something more efficiently doesn't equal being a "slave." Sometimes it's just the smartest way to solve a particular problem.6 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.
If someone doesn't want to weigh long term, that's fine. But I think it's unnecessary to declare that others should stop weighing. I know, from experience, that I'm terrible at eyeballing. I have no problem weighing long term because it frees me up to think about other things. Using a tool to do something more efficiently doesn't equal being a "slave." Sometimes it's just the smartest way to solve a particular problem.
Who declared that others should stop counting?
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Ironandwine69 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.
If someone doesn't want to weigh long term, that's fine. But I think it's unnecessary to declare that others should stop weighing. I know, from experience, that I'm terrible at eyeballing. I have no problem weighing long term because it frees me up to think about other things. Using a tool to do something more efficiently doesn't equal being a "slave." Sometimes it's just the smartest way to solve a particular problem.
Who declared that others should stop counting?
You use a lot of "We/you should" "You/we don't need to" - that kind of language gets peoples' hackles up.
I find it's generally best on forums (and in life) to come from an "I" place, not a "You/We" place when discussing How-To-Do-It.4 -
Ironandwine69 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.
If someone doesn't want to weigh long term, that's fine. But I think it's unnecessary to declare that others should stop weighing. I know, from experience, that I'm terrible at eyeballing. I have no problem weighing long term because it frees me up to think about other things. Using a tool to do something more efficiently doesn't equal being a "slave." Sometimes it's just the smartest way to solve a particular problem.
Who declared that others should stop counting?
See bolded:Traveler120 wrote: »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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.
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Ironandwine69 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.
If someone doesn't want to weigh long term, that's fine. But I think it's unnecessary to declare that others should stop weighing. I know, from experience, that I'm terrible at eyeballing. I have no problem weighing long term because it frees me up to think about other things. Using a tool to do something more efficiently doesn't equal being a "slave." Sometimes it's just the smartest way to solve a particular problem.
Who declared that others should stop counting?
The person I quoted said: " Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food."
I think it's fine for people to use it temporarily (or even not at all). It's also okay to use it long term if that is what works best for someone.1 -
Traveler120 wrote: »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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.
These kinds of comments assume that there's a reason that eyeballing is preferable, that counting or weighing is bad. It's not.
I don't really like logging, I admit it. I eat better when I do it, to some extent -- it's a psychological trick that keeps me from deciding that eating extra calories if I feel bad or something doesn't really count if it's just today, so when I'm losing it's helpful (just like making sure I weigh myself or try on favorite pants weekly or some such also is helpful). But on the other hand, I LIKE weighing, and don't get why the weighing part seems to be everyone's "oh, that's so weird" hangup. Even when not logging (since I don't like logging and don't do it at maintenance unless I decide to do some new training diet and see how it goes or some such), I often weigh lots of stuff because when I'm cooking it's just part of the process. I usually weigh my oatmeal when I'm cooking and pasta, meat and cottage cheese and yogurt, I even often weigh vegetables (in part because if it's less than I thought it prompts me to add more, although mostly just out of curiosity). I always weigh out ice cream -- I know my eye would lie to me if not.
I don't think any of this is necessary any more than I think logging is necessary, but it's fun and no extra work for me, so it's annoying that people seem to like to claim it's freakish or SO time consuming or burdensome or shows a weird relationship with food. (Or, as here, that the only people who could disagree must be eating all boxed stuff, LOL!) It's just different personality traits or maybe one's process when cooking (I rarely make the casserole-y things or even stews where I think creating a recipe is necessary and it's kind of burdensome).
I also find the idea of pre-logging or planning out meals for the week or cooking from recipes super burdensome seeming, FOR ME. I don't feel compelled to tell others they shouldn't do that or that it must be so much work. It's just different styles or personalities, again.0 -
Traveler120 wrote: »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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.
I'll stop weighing and measuring when you start buying my clothes.
If you can eyeball your food and maintain, great for you. Stop whizzing in the Cheerios of people who don't have that ability.9 -
Ironandwine69 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.
If someone doesn't want to weigh long term, that's fine. But I think it's unnecessary to declare that others should stop weighing. I know, from experience, that I'm terrible at eyeballing. I have no problem weighing long term because it frees me up to think about other things. Using a tool to do something more efficiently doesn't equal being a "slave." Sometimes it's just the smartest way to solve a particular problem.
Who declared that others should stop counting?
you did...0 -
Traveler120 wrote: »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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.
I'll stop weighing and measuring when you start buying my clothes.
If you can eyeball your food and maintain, great for you. Stop whizzing in the Cheerios of people who don't have that ability.
Yeah, it makes them completely inedible!
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Traveler120 wrote: »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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.
I'll stop weighing and measuring when you start buying my clothes.
If you can eyeball your food and maintain, great for you. Stop whizzing in the Cheerios of people who don't have that ability.
Yeah, it makes them completely inedible!
anyone know how many calories that is?2 -
When I first started calorie counting I managed to measure everything for 4 months and I loved it! I think I learned a lot from this process and it helped me understand my body, nutrition, when I am actually hungry or just craving etc.
After that period I stopped counting for most time of the year, but I go back to it once in a while to "calibrate" my body. I personally don't freak out with the idea of counting forever if needed, but if you don't like it I'm sure you can find another way to stay healthy and balanced.
Calorie counting is not an obligation, it's just a tool. For some it is a great tool, that they use everyday. For others it may be a rusty tool left in a dark corner of the basement. Either way is fine
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jessiferrrb wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.
I'll stop weighing and measuring when you start buying my clothes.
If you can eyeball your food and maintain, great for you. Stop whizzing in the Cheerios of people who don't have that ability.
Yeah, it makes them completely inedible!
anyone know how many calories that is?
Well first, you have to accurate measure your liquids, then find the right database entry....1 -
cmriverside wrote: »Ironandwine69 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.
If someone doesn't want to weigh long term, that's fine. But I think it's unnecessary to declare that others should stop weighing. I know, from experience, that I'm terrible at eyeballing. I have no problem weighing long term because it frees me up to think about other things. Using a tool to do something more efficiently doesn't equal being a "slave." Sometimes it's just the smartest way to solve a particular problem.
Who declared that others should stop counting?
You use a lot of "We/you should" "You/we don't need to" - that kind of language gets peoples' hackles up.
I find it's generally best on forums (and in life) to come from an "I" place, not a "You/We" place when discussing How-To-Do-It.
Why are people getting so backed up about it though?
A lot of people are telling me that counting is not time consuming and is fun, yet I am not getting sensitive about it.
This is about sharing opinions. If one doesn't like mine, so be it. When I rule the world, there will be no counting. Until then everyone does what they want.0 -
Ironandwine69 wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »Ironandwine69 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.
If someone doesn't want to weigh long term, that's fine. But I think it's unnecessary to declare that others should stop weighing. I know, from experience, that I'm terrible at eyeballing. I have no problem weighing long term because it frees me up to think about other things. Using a tool to do something more efficiently doesn't equal being a "slave." Sometimes it's just the smartest way to solve a particular problem.
Who declared that others should stop counting?
You use a lot of "We/you should" "You/we don't need to" - that kind of language gets peoples' hackles up.
I find it's generally best on forums (and in life) to come from an "I" place, not a "You/We" place when discussing How-To-Do-It.
Why are people getting so backed up about it though?
A lot of people are telling me that counting is not time consuming and is fun, yet I am not getting sensitive about it.
This is about sharing opinions. If one doesn't like mine, so be it. When I rule the world, there will be no counting. Until then everyone does what they want.
I don't know why you would even care if other people want to count calories. How does it impact your life?2 -
Traveler120 wrote: »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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.
Why not? The scale is just another kitchen gadget sitting on the counter and is actually easier to use when making a recipe and produces fewer dishes to wash than measuring cups and spoons. There is a reason European recipes are all written by weight.2 -
Ironandwine69 wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »Ironandwine69 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.
If someone doesn't want to weigh long term, that's fine. But I think it's unnecessary to declare that others should stop weighing. I know, from experience, that I'm terrible at eyeballing. I have no problem weighing long term because it frees me up to think about other things. Using a tool to do something more efficiently doesn't equal being a "slave." Sometimes it's just the smartest way to solve a particular problem.
Who declared that others should stop counting?
You use a lot of "We/you should" "You/we don't need to" - that kind of language gets peoples' hackles up.
I find it's generally best on forums (and in life) to come from an "I" place, not a "You/We" place when discussing How-To-Do-It.
Why are people getting so backed up about it though?
A lot of people are telling me that counting is not time consuming and is fun, yet I am not getting sensitive about it.
This is about sharing opinions. If one doesn't like mine, so be it. When I rule the world, there will be no counting. Until then everyone does what they want.
People are getting their hackles raised because they are being told that they shouldn't. You don't, and you explained why you don't. Why are you getting so upset that people do count calories that you are trying to change them?0 -
Traveler120 wrote: »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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.
Why not? The scale is just another kitchen gadget sitting on the counter and is actually easier to use when making a recipe and produces fewer dishes to wash than measuring cups and spoons. There is a reason European recipes are all written by weight.
We should all move to Europe0 -
Ironandwine69 wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.
Why not? The scale is just another kitchen gadget sitting on the counter and is actually easier to use when making a recipe and produces fewer dishes to wash than measuring cups and spoons. There is a reason European recipes are all written by weight.
We should all move to Europe
Or finally get around to writing recipes the best and most accurate way. The US is stubbornly holding on to the Boston Cooking School style of measuring just like they are stubbornly holding on to imperial measurements when the rest of the world uses weights and metrics. Backward as always.
0 -
Ironandwine69 wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »Ironandwine69 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »Traveler120 wrote: »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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.
If someone doesn't want to weigh long term, that's fine. But I think it's unnecessary to declare that others should stop weighing. I know, from experience, that I'm terrible at eyeballing. I have no problem weighing long term because it frees me up to think about other things. Using a tool to do something more efficiently doesn't equal being a "slave." Sometimes it's just the smartest way to solve a particular problem.
Who declared that others should stop counting?
You use a lot of "We/you should" "You/we don't need to" - that kind of language gets peoples' hackles up.
I find it's generally best on forums (and in life) to come from an "I" place, not a "You/We" place when discussing How-To-Do-It.
Why are people getting so backed up about it though?
A lot of people are telling me that counting is not time consuming and is fun, yet I am not getting sensitive about it.
This is about sharing opinions. If one doesn't like mine, so be it. When I rule the world, there will be no counting. Until then everyone does what they want.
maybe if you did not label folks that calorie count as "food obsessed" you would get a slightly different reaction..6 -
Traveler120 wrote: »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 cook everything from scratch and it is not time consuming for me at all. I have to put food needing to be cooked into some kind of pan or bowl so why not put it into a pan or bowl sitting on a scale? Food not needing to be cooked can be plated while the plate is on the scale.
Dump, note weight, hit tare, dump next ingredient. Rinse and repeat.
Until when? The end of time? Who wants to be a slave to the scale. Measuring or weighing should be a temporary learning tool to understand calories in food. After that, one should know enough about various foods and quantities that eyeballing should be sufficient for the long term.
I'm no more a "slave" to my scale than I am to my checkbook, gas gauge, or calendar.9
This discussion has been closed.
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