Do I have to count macros and calories???

michaelsvance

I have been counting my macros and staying within my calorie limit for a couple months, but it gets exhausting dissecting my food to make sure that I can eat it with my other meals to hit my macros. Can I just eat healthy and still lose weight? I've lost 15 pounds in two months. Would I maintain that kind of weight loss? I'm just tired of counting everything and not being allowed to eat something because it will put me over my macros and calories. As long I keep soda, refined carbs, and sugar out of my diet, then I should be fine right? Or do I have to suffer this to the end of my weight loss journey?

kommodevaran

You are not disallowed anything. You can eat anything you want and lose weight as long as you consistently eat less than you burn, and you can stop losing, or gain weight, eating nothing but whole nutrient dense foods. Counting calories is just to keep track of calorie intake. If you are suffering, it's smart to see what you can do differently. We are brainwashed to believe weight management has to be painful, but it's not true.

Alatariel75

I lost 80lbs counting calories and only paying scant attention to macros. And by scant attention, if I realised I'd eaten nothing but carbs so far, I'd make sure there was some protein in dinner, but that's about it.

missh1967

Counting calories is easier. As you get fitter, healthier, and lighter, tweaking your macros can be kind of fun to see how your body responds to different ratios. But for pure weight loss, calories are the bottom line. If soda and refined carbs are things you enjoy, you can surely incorporate them into your calorie allotment. If you are the kind of person who rebels against abstinence, don't abstain. Have those things in reasonable amounts. Hope that makes sense. You won't maintain weight loss unless you're eating foods you enjoy in moderation.

amusedmonkey

Try it. Counting is for the sake of keeping track. If eating what you perceive as healthy helps you stay in a calorie deficit without counting then yes, it will work. If, however, you feel like you are limiting yourself to where your diet becomes stressful or unsustainable, or if eating healthfully does not put you in a calorie deficit, then you will need to explore different options. Some options work for some people without counting calories and macros, like time restricted feeding, intuitive eating, 5:2, "clean" eating, Paleo, plant based diets, OMAD, keto...etc. Note that none of them is guaranteed to produce weight loss, but some people are able to achieve a deficit without counting. Try a few things out and see which one feels natural and relatively easy to you while still producing results.

sijomial

You're an adult - you get to make choices.
That includes the level of tracking, logging and accuracy. Decide what is sustainable to you.
You also don't have to be perfect every day or deprive yourself or avoid social events involving food and drink.

I believe a period of logging accurately is educational to understand portion sizes and calorie density but it's far from necessary to be precise long term.

Weighing calorie dense items but estimating less calorie dense items worked fine for me. Judging by my rate of weight loss my somewhat lazy but consistent logging was only about 200 calories off, so I simply adjusted my goal accordingly.

Personally I find excluding food more frustrating than reducing the amount of foods but certainly swapping high calorie items for lower calorie substitutes is a valid technique.
In the end your scales will tell you if it's working. If it isn't - try something else, there's many paths to success.

ceiswyn

michaelsvance wrote: »

As long I keep soda, refined carbs, and sugar out of my diet, then I should be fine right?

Wrong.

Weight loss is about calories; end of. You can avoid simple carbs and sugars all you like, but if that just means you substitute the same calories in fat and protein instead you will stop losing, or even gain weight. There are plenty of high-calorie 'healthy' foods!

You can worry less about your macros, if that helps. Those are about your overall health, and you don't need to hit all of them closely every day, just make sure you don't go too far over/under the same one all the time.

Over time you also get a sense of the calories something is likely to have, and can skip the occasional weighing; but it's still best to weigh and count most of the time to make sure your estimates don't get over-optimistic.

Muscleflex79

michaelsvance wrote: »

I have been counting my macros and staying within my calorie limit for a couple months, but it gets exhausting dissecting my food to make sure that I can eat it with my other meals to hit my macros. Can I just eat healthy and still lose weight? I've lost 15 pounds in two months. Would I maintain that kind of weight loss? I'm just tired of counting everything and not being allowed to eat something because it will put me over my macros and calories. As long I keep soda, refined carbs, and sugar out of my diet, then I should be fine right? Or do I have to suffer this to the end of my weight loss journey?

the bolded part above has nothing to do with weight loss or ensuring you are in a calorie deficit.

just remember, whether you count calories or not your body does - the choice is yours.

OliveGirl128

Weight loss happens when the correct calorie deficit for your weight loss goals happens. Tracking your calorie intake is a simple way to make sure this is happening.

As for macros ratios -in terms of weight loss it doesn't matter what your macros are, only that you're hitting that calorie deficit.

Same with good choices. lt doesn't matter what foods you're eating to make up your calories, only that you're at that calorie deficit.

Op during my weight loss phase I didn't track macros at all, (still don't now in maintenance ), and I continued to eat all the foods I liked, just within my calorie parameters. I kept things really simple and that worked very well for me. It also made it easy to transition into maintenance and then stay there

oocdc2

michaelsvance wrote: »

I have been counting my macros and staying within my calorie limit for a couple months, but it gets exhausting dissecting my food to make sure that I can eat it with my other meals to hit my macros. Can I just eat healthy and still lose weight? I've lost 15 pounds in two months. Would I maintain that kind of weight loss? I'm just tired of counting everything and not being allowed to eat something because it will put me over my macros and calories. As long I keep soda, refined carbs, and sugar out of my diet, then I should be fine right? Or do I have to suffer this to the end of my weight loss journey?

I hate to break it to you, but, to make this stick, I hope you realize that this is a life journey, though it's not so meticulous when you've reached your goal. You're still going to have to watch what you're eating, though, if you want to keep the weight off.

That being said: in my experience, watching macros is actually what took the suffering out of my weight loss. If you meet your protein and fiber goals, and not worry about fat intake, you may find that you feel sated most of the time. (Fat has a lot of calories, but it makes for good brain food and that "full" feeling.) However, many people on the forums have reported not caring about the macros and just eating under TDEE and losing weight fine.

Best of luck, and I hope you find your balance.

malibu927

I count calories, but macro-wise I just make sure I'm getting enough protein

MegaMooseEsq

Man, I totally endorse forgetting about macros if they're stressing you out. I've been losing for several months now and I only occasionally glance at them. If you're having trouble with not feeling full and staying under your calories, it can be worth looking at mixing things up - I get full on fats, for example, many others swear by protein, especially if they're more physically active. But for purposes of straight weight loss, just stay under your calorie goal and you'll be fine.

People here do tend to push back on the "no sugar or carbs or blank" talk, but if that's what keeps your calories low, go for it. One of the first things I cut out was most fast food and soda, because I find it too calorie dense for too little payoff. Most of us are here because we find calorie counting works, but honestly, if you're eating less and losing weight, don't bother with the counting. You might want to look up a book called "Smart People Don't Diet" - it's very much the no-nonesence style of eating MFP supports, but without the strict logging.

laurenebargar

I Barely pay attention to macros, I like to check my iron intake some days, and I try to get enough protein because I eat like 90% vegetarian.

Also just eat whatever you want in your calorie limit. I have not cut out anything besides Soda and I only did that because I was drinking an insane amount, and I would get headaches and crash half way through the day. I dont plan on ever going back to it though.

but seriously, I had pizza for dinner last night, and last week I had cheesecake for lunch and im still losing what im supposed to every week.

rybo

michaelsvance wrote: »

I have been counting my macros and staying within my calorie limit for a couple months, but it gets exhausting dissecting my food to make sure that I can eat it with my other meals to hit my macros. Can I just eat healthy and still lose weight? I've lost 15 pounds in two months. Would I maintain that kind of weight loss? I'm just tired of counting everything and not being allowed to eat something because it will put me over my macros and calories. As long I keep soda, refined carbs, and sugar out of my diet, then I should be fine right? Or do I have to suffer this to the end of my weight loss journey?

You can eat "healthy" and lose weight without counting calories and/or macros if you are able to keep a deficit without logging. Some people can, some can't. Same goes for avoiding the things you listed. If you drop them and don't replace the calories to the extent where you are over maintenance, you're good. I feel your pain, I despise calorie counting. Sometimes it is necessary, but if you can make do not having to count, I'm all for it. Lastly if it's just the macro breakdown you are struggling with, then don't worry as much or set your % to that which is closer to how you normally eat. Just make sure you get adequate protein.

CindyWard2

I never look at the nutrition tab until I finish my day. 90% of the time I find I stay within the recommended limits of macros without even trying...well, fairly close. I have to continue tracking calories though...I am horrible at judging that.

DebLaBounty

I pay attention to the calories.

trigden1991

Calories control weight loss (or gain).
Macronutrients affect body composition.

Holly_981

You don't HAVE TO do anything. You choose what works best for you and do that. Too many variables and opinions to let someone else decide that for you

alondrakayy

I have not read other responses - in my opinion do what works best for you. You don't have to count calories. You can have meals that consists of lean protein, veggies, and crabs and limit your treats here and there. When I do this, though, I tend to eat too little and lose weight too fast (that's bad for me if I want to preserve as much muscle as possible). I also can't tell if I have had enough protein for the day. But I see not counting work for others! Look up intuitive eating on YouTubes for examples.

You could also try not to restrict yourself too much? Not sure what your goals are or how much you're trying to lose each week.. but if counting is as annoying for you as you say it is and if it's mainly because you can't go over your macros sometimes then maybe you're not eating enough. Idk, just a thought! Could be wrong. Good luck!

Edit to add: something that's made this process easier for me is not tracking my fats/carbs. I only make sure I hit my protein goal and make sure I am eating at a deficit everyday. This has been a life saver! and it's made this process enjoyable.