Calorie counting
nicci288693
Posts: 73 Member
I started keto at 300 and am now at 278. I did this without counting calories. I started counting calories 2 days ago. Should I be? I'm not sure if keto and calorie counting goes hand in hand or if I'm over doing it... ?
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It's up to you. If you are losing weight at a satisfactory rate without counting, go for it. At the point you stop losing (for a month or so) track your calories to determine how many you are eating and reduce it. Hopefully you are eating enough to nourish your body for the long term. I've seen some crazy low calorie amounts over the years and it usually comes back to haunt people. Not always, but often.
I've been tracking calories for 4 years for loss and maintenance. It is just what I do and it is effective for me. I take breaks occasionally and am not super detailed at this time. Still maintaining at goal.
Years ago there was no such thing as tracking calories. Most people just knew that eating too much is how they became overweight so they decided to eat less...and it worked. My Dad was a paraplegic his last 20 years of life and was rarely (if ever) weighed but could see and tell he had gained so he'd just cut back on what he ate and he'd lose his excess. Every time.4 -
I'm aware of how many calories I consume but my focus is more on the grams of carbs consumed. If MFP shows I'm "over" calories for the day but I'm still hungry I'll eat. But what I eat is low carb high protein. Counting is a part of my way of eating but it doesn't strictly define.4
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nicci288693 wrote: »I started keto at 300 and am now at 278. I did this without counting calories. I started counting calories 2 days ago. Should I be? I'm not sure if keto and calorie counting goes hand in hand or if I'm over doing it... ?
Well that entirely depends on "what" you're trying to accomplish. We each have our own reasons for being here; although a lot are similar, they're not all the same.
If you're trying to lose weight, tracking would be extremely beneficial. Keto (and a lot of the foods) tends to be satiating, and some of the simpler plans call for "listening to your body". While that may work for some, and work for a while.... that's typically how a lot of us ended up overweight in the first place!
One of the reasons I've always like keto was that it DID tend to keep my hunger in check, despite eating at a deficit. So if dropping weight is your goal, then eating at a moderate deficit (accomplished through tracking) is something you'd probably want to start doing.1 -
This is one of those perennial debates around here. I fall squarely into the "don't count" camp. Actually, more in the "don't intentionally restrict to an arbitrary number" camp. But, it doesn't matter. If you are losing weight without counting, then you don't need to.
The vast majority of the true low-carb programs do not calorie count. But, some people like to add it to existing programs. Do what works for you.7 -
In the beginning, I think it's beneficial to track because you are able to put a picture in your mind as to the amount of food you are eating. Once you have a good grasp of what that looks like, then not counting is a personal choice that can be guided by your goals. Whatever you do, stay positive, believe in this WOE, and enjoy the journey!5
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I didn't count them. Until I HAD TO. There came a point where I plateaued and would not lose any more. I have a delayed satiety reflex and was born hungry. I wasn't going to get there on fullness signals since they were broken. So I came here. That was in Aug of 2014. I finally started to lose again. I've kept off almost 90lb counting calories.
I still have to count.7 -
I don't count calories BUT I DO keep an eye on them (heh).1
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I track calories and have a goal there. Attending to the macros does the same thing effectively, but some people are the "belt & suspenders" people. You figure out what you have to do to make it all work.2
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I track mine, and I weigh many things (like cheese) when I have trouble telling how much to log. I don't, however weigh things like eggs. I log an egg and don't care if it's off 10 calories one way or another.2
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Up to you! I lost my first 40 lbs or so with just loosely counting carbs in my head. Eventually I started counting calories, helps me feel more in control. I don't see myself counting calories forever but for now it works for me. I also recommend purchasing a good scale, makes a huge difference!3
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Food scale*2
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nicci288693 wrote: »I started keto at 300 and am now at 278. I did this without counting calories. I started counting calories 2 days ago. Should I be? I'm not sure if keto and calorie counting goes hand in hand or if I'm over doing it... ?
If your losing, I wouldn't bother. You can out-eat the benefits of keto though if you eat enough so if your not losing and doing keto (or any other method), I would count.2 -
Congratulations on losing 22kg so far!
Personally, I tracked my food accurately (weighing everything) from the start, but only concerned myself with keeping my net carbs low enough and my protein and sodium high enough (I actually struggled more with keeping these high enough than restricting my carbs!).
If you are losing weight just by restricting carbs, and don't WANT to also restrict calories then don't. If you are losing consistently then I would suggest concentrating on making sure your logging is on point and reserve the calorie restriction as a back up plan for when/if you stop losing weight just by restricting carbs.1 -
Counting calories seems to be like religion, politics, carbs, and fiber. After a while, most people seem to be pulled into one camp or the other, while a few remain uncommitted. (And don't bring it up around the in-laws!
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To me, it seems like another piece of information that might be useful. Calories are notoriously hard to count reliably, due to estimating errors, inaccurate labels, etc., but it's the only game in town.2 -
Counting calories seems to be like religion, politics, carbs, and fiber. After a while, most people seem to be pulled into one camp or the other, while a few remain uncommitted. (And don't bring it up around the in-laws!)
To me, it seems like another piece of information that might be useful. Calories are notoriously hard to count reliably, due to estimating errors, inaccurate labels, etc., but it's the only game in town.
The scale is king right! If it is going down, why count?1 -
I count sporadically. I find counting calories every so often helps with some of the creep that naturally happens to me. Over a month or two I'll find that I'm all of a sudden grabbing 2 servings of shredded cheese out of the bag instead of 1, and I'm no more hungry once I tighten that stuff back up. Cheese and nuts are my two biggest culprits for this.4
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lolliopopsnrainbows wrote: »Congratulations on losing 22kg so far!
Personally, I tracked my food accurately (weighing everything) from the start, but only concerned myself with keeping my net carbs low enough and my protein and sodium high enough (I actually struggled more with keeping these high enough than restricting my carbs!).
If you are losing weight just by restricting carbs, and don't WANT to also restrict calories then don't. If you are losing consistently then I would suggest concentrating on making sure your logging is on point and reserve the calorie restriction as a back up plan for when/if you stop losing weight just by restricting carbs.
Thank you0 -
Counting calories seems to be like religion, politics, carbs, and fiber. After a while, most people seem to be pulled into one camp or the other, while a few remain uncommitted. (And don't bring it up around the in-laws!)
To me, it seems like another piece of information that might be useful. Calories are notoriously hard to count reliably, due to estimating errors, inaccurate labels, etc., but it's the only game in town.
The scale is king right! If it is going down, why count?
2 reasons
1. We're not, hopefully, always going to be in weight-loss mode.
2, The scale is not king and belongs in a dumpster.
As Butter Bob says, it:s a lyin', cheatin', SOB, not your friend.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1l0415166/scale-why-should-i-dump-thee-let-me-count-the-ways3 -
Counting calories seems to be like religion, politics, carbs, and fiber. After a while, most people seem to be pulled into one camp or the other, while a few remain uncommitted. (And don't bring it up around the in-laws!)
To me, it seems like another piece of information that might be useful. Calories are notoriously hard to count reliably, due to estimating errors, inaccurate labels, etc., but it's the only game in town.
The scale is king right! If it is going down, why count?
2 reasons
1. We're not, hopefully, always going to be in weight-loss mode.
2, The scale is not king and belongs in a dumpster.
As Butter Bob says, it:s a lyin', cheatin', SOB, not your friend.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1l0415166/scale-why-should-i-dump-thee-let-me-count-the-ways
As far as weight loss goes (not talking about controlling blood sugar), the scale is the last ultimate authority (I guess something that tells you %bf and weight is really the last ultimate authority). Doesn't matter what else calorie counting or any other protocol says if the scale says your gaining weight. If your in maintenance mode, the scale also can tell you if your maintaining or not.0 -
Counting calories seems to be like religion, politics, carbs, and fiber. After a while, most people seem to be pulled into one camp or the other, while a few remain uncommitted. (And don't bring it up around the in-laws!)
To me, it seems like another piece of information that might be useful. Calories are notoriously hard to count reliably, due to estimating errors, inaccurate labels, etc., but it's the only game in town.
The scale is king right! If it is going down, why count?
2 reasons
1. We're not, hopefully, always going to be in weight-loss mode.
2, The scale is not king and belongs in a dumpster.
As Butter Bob says, it:s a lyin', cheatin', SOB, not your friend.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1l0415166/scale-why-should-i-dump-thee-let-me-count-the-ways
As far as weight loss goes (not talking about controlling blood sugar), the scale is the last ultimate authority (I guess something that tells you %bf and weight is really the last ultimate authority). Doesn't matter what else calorie counting or any other protocol says if the scale says your gaining weight. If your in maintenance mode, the scale also can tell you if your maintaining or not.
I still disagree that the scale is the "last ultimate authority." The scale is a liar and can't really be trusted on its own.
Consider this -- the scale says I've been slowly gaining weight (outside of water weight fluctuations), but my tape measure and clothes say I've been losing. Which one is the ultimate authority?
The answer: neither, and both. They are data points, and only when you use them both together do you see that your body is undergoing recomposition.
If the scale were the only measurement, you'd only see that weight is going up and you'd think that you're gaining fat (because very few people look at changes in the scale and think anything else as the cause of the gain).1 -
Calorie counting has its uses, though I've found that if you get your nutrition dialed in, you don't need to rely on it so much in order to normalize your weight, generally (there are some things that complicate that, but barring those complications...).
I generally recommend that new people track for a while, but don't restrict calories artificially. Switching to high fat makes it feel like we're eating a ton, but that might not actually be the case, so tracking is a good way to recalibrate our sense of amount. This is also useful if you're experimenting with something, so you can see how it fits into your way of eating.
That said, don't feel like you have to track your food. I don't. I can't. It makes me neurotic. So I have other ways to tweak my intake to achieve my goals. For example, I'm toying with a high protein breakfast, after my morning workout, because fasting wasn't really working in combination with my work environment and schedule.1 -
I tend to eat the same foods everyday so I only count calories when I’m making a change or coming back from a trip and need to remind / retrain myself. I also use it when I’m doing occasional experiments.0
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Dragonwolf wrote: »Counting calories seems to be like religion, politics, carbs, and fiber. After a while, most people seem to be pulled into one camp or the other, while a few remain uncommitted. (And don't bring it up around the in-laws!)
To me, it seems like another piece of information that might be useful. Calories are notoriously hard to count reliably, due to estimating errors, inaccurate labels, etc., but it's the only game in town.
The scale is king right! If it is going down, why count?
2 reasons
1. We're not, hopefully, always going to be in weight-loss mode.
2, The scale is not king and belongs in a dumpster.
As Butter Bob says, it:s a lyin', cheatin', SOB, not your friend.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1l0415166/scale-why-should-i-dump-thee-let-me-count-the-ways
As far as weight loss goes (not talking about controlling blood sugar), the scale is the last ultimate authority (I guess something that tells you %bf and weight is really the last ultimate authority). Doesn't matter what else calorie counting or any other protocol says if the scale says your gaining weight. If your in maintenance mode, the scale also can tell you if your maintaining or not.
I still disagree that the scale is the "last ultimate authority." The scale is a liar and can't really be trusted on its own.
Consider this -- the scale says I've been slowly gaining weight (outside of water weight fluctuations), but my tape measure and clothes say I've been losing. Which one is the ultimate authority?
The answer: neither, and both. They are data points, and only when you use them both together do you see that your body is undergoing recomposition.
If the scale were the only measurement, you'd only see that weight is going up and you'd think that you're gaining fat (because very few people look at changes in the scale and think anything else as the cause of the gain).
That is why I said that weight & %bf measurement is the king (tape measures included)%. My point is the end goal is the weight & %bf. Counting calories is only a means to get to the end. It isn't the end goal.1 -
I count calories as a matter of habit. I know there are inaccuracies in MFP but I try to keep within a certain range just so I don't overeat. I counted calories for over a year and my weight went up even when I was within my range. So it mattered more what kind of food I was getting my calories from. I reduced my sugar intake considerably and switched from diet soda to water, tea, and coffee and I noticed things start to change but then level off. That is when I decided to reduce my carb intake a lot and up my protein and fiber then I started working out and that is when things really began to change.
I usually tend to eat the same things throughout the month so I set up meals in MFP so entering foods is not that much of a hassle and it just lets me know if I am probably exceeding my net carbs or overall calories. Like I said its a habit and it just makes me aware of what I am eating, its just one more tool that I can use in my weight loss journey.2 -
I did something similar to @xerogs1. I've built a list over time of about 125 items I frequently eat and saved each individually as a "meal" by the ounce/cup/tablespoon. Whatever measure is appropriate. All I have to do is look at the list that appears alphabetically, click the item and enter the amount. Done. It takes only a couple minutes a day. I don't sweat the small stuff like spices/herbs. I've never had to be precise except the year I ate medically therapeutic.
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I'm so glad I'm not the only person who saves their frequent foods as meals, I thought I was a bit weird doing that! Saves me so much time when planning my week. I like to plan a week ahead and try to make sure my weekly calorie total is within goal, if I do that I lose weight at a steady rate even if I do sometimes go a week or two without loss. I'm hoping that by the time I reach my goal weight I'll have enough good habits and hunger control to maintain and not have to count calories for every day.0
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