Is counting calories necessary?

lr60372
lr60372 Posts: 7 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I dislike counting calories. Before I started tracking on MFP, I started watching what I was eating, and filled my plate with wholesome healthy foods and drank a lot of water. Doing this, I lost 79 pounds over the past year. Since I started just counting calories on here,I changed my eating habits based on the macros they are telling me to eat and I gained 10 pounds back. Is there a way to set it up where you aren’t counting calories, and still get the support from this site?
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Replies

  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    For what it's worth, you can change your macros to whatever you prefer by going to MY HOME > GOALS
  • Verdenal
    Verdenal Posts: 625 Member
    You don't have to count calories if you stick to foods and portions whose calorie content you know. If you gained weight you didn't account for everything, or, less likely, the calorie estimate on the package was incorrect. There is a margin or error of something like 15-20% allowed by law.
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    edited August 2018
    Did you enter your stats correction into MFP to get a calorie recommendation?

    did you weight and measure all the foods to accurate log?

    how long ago did you make the change? did you weight yourself around the time you started?
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
    lr60372 wrote: »
    I dislike counting calories. Before I started tracking on MFP, I started watching what I was eating, and filled my plate with wholesome healthy foods and drank a lot of water. Doing this, I lost 79 pounds over the past year. Since I started just counting calories on here,I changed my eating habits based on the macros they are telling me to eat and I gained 10 pounds back. Is there a way to set it up where you aren’t counting calories, and still get the support from this site?

    You can change your diary macros. There's no reason to eat foods just to hit the default. Personally, I prefer more protein and fat than what the default gives me. I'm not low carb by any stretch, but I prefer making sure I get enough of the other two first.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    No, you don't have to log calories. You can log (I'd just use pen and paper for this) what you eat and the quantity or approximate quantity (e.g., two serving spoonfuls of X.) Then if you are maintaining or gaining, you just start eating less. Most of us eat the same meals over and over so this can be a reasonable way to track your intake. You just have to be sure you are being honest about what/how much you're eating (which you'd also have to do with calorie counting.)
  • Jackie9003
    Jackie9003 Posts: 1,115 Member
    There is lots to this site other than logging food, you can just track your weight and exercise for instance. There's a database for recipes and there are useful blogs and articles. And of course there's the forum with lots of different subjects being discussed and no matter what you want to know there will be someone who can help. It's a tool for you to use, it's up to you how you use it. Enjoy :)
  • DebTavares
    DebTavares Posts: 87 Member
    I don’t count calories and have lost just under a pound per week by eating less and exercise. No foods are off limits but I do try to make healthier choices.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    I'm trying to figure out how to manage my weight without counting. I still like MFP for the forums, and I like having a designated place to log my weight and put progress pictures. I have 6 years worth of historical weight data that I can look at which I find interesting.
  • jondspen
    jondspen Posts: 253 Member
    edited August 2018
    I noticed the same thing, I have to get 100% RDA of nutrients, meet a daily fiber goal, keep my calories down, and at the same time balance those calories between carbs, fats, and protein. Jeez - and I thought work, grad school and being a single dad to two teen daughters was hard to juggle!!!! :wink:

    I finally gave up on trying to meet every goal, for every metric, on every day for every meal. I take a vitamin, eat what I want but still healthy, and keep my calories down so I can lose these last 8 lbs and hit my goal. If I go over on protein or fats, then so be it.

    So, no it's not required - as you experience in the past. It does help you see your history and be able to accurately track what you have been doing, instead of relying on memory or perception. I hate logging too, and some days instead of being 100% accurate I just find something in the database that closely resembles what I ate and ballpark my calories from there. Perfect example was eating Chinese buffet one day - no way in hell I was going to measure out every item I got, so I just used the entry from the database and guesstimated. I will say that I do this now after tracking my foods for the last 2-3 years, so now am a fair judge of portion sizes and calorie content BECAUSE I logged calories for so long.

    But hey....whatever works for you, I say go for it. If it stops working, then time to try something different.
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,565 Member
    The macro and micronutrient information is there as a tool if you choose to use it. There's no reason to pay any attention to those numbers if your only goal on this site is to keep track of calories while eating in a style that suits you. Just as many people lose weight without tracking calories, many meet their minimal nutrition requirements without tracking macros.

    If you want to use this site just for the forums, that's fine too. Being part of an on-line community of people who have some common goals can be rewarding and supportive. Do what works best for you :)
  • lr60372
    lr60372 Posts: 7 Member
    Panini911 wrote: »
    Did you enter your stats correction into MFP to get a calorie recommendation?

    did you weight and measure all the foods to accurate log?

    how long ago did you make the change? did you weight yourself around the time you started?

    yes, i entered the correct stats
    yes, i weighed and measured all of the food i ate.
    i started tracking my macros and counting calories 1 month ago, and did weigh myself. my body fat also increased over the last month also.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    edited August 2018
    lr60372 wrote: »
    Panini911 wrote: »
    Did you enter your stats correction into MFP to get a calorie recommendation?

    did you weight and measure all the foods to accurate log?

    how long ago did you make the change? did you weight yourself around the time you started?

    yes, i entered the correct stats
    yes, i weighed and measured all of the food i ate.
    i started tracking my macros and counting calories 1 month ago, and did weigh myself. my body fat also increased over the last month also.

    If you were having success your way, why did you change? Did your weight loss start to slow, or did you want to start pursuing certain nutritional goals?

    Often, people will just "eat less" until that ceases to be effective and they need to more carefully track how many calories they are taking in (you need to eat fewer calories the smaller you get, and you have a much smaller margin for error). If your way was still effective, no need to make any changes.

    In what time frame have you gained the 10 lbs? If it was slowly over time, you are gaining weight because you are now regularly eating over your maintenance level of calories (for whatever reason). If it was a sudden change, likely it is water weight as the result of eating more carbs, sodium, or a new exercise program.
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    You need a calorie deficit, but you don't need to count calories to do this.

    If you're making healthier choices and this results in a calorie deficit and weight loss then that's great, keep doing that. If you don't enjoy calorie counting and it's not helpful to you then don't :)
  • Hamsibian
    Hamsibian Posts: 1,388 Member
    I haven't weighed or counted calories in months, and I still can find support on here and on my page.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    some people can maintain a deficit without counting.

    some can't.

    i cant do a deficit without counting. i can maintain without counting.

    i ignore macros.

    but when you find you have stalled, you may want to reconsider making the food scale your best friend.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    lr60372 wrote: »
    I changed my eating habits because people raved about macros and how important they are to be healthy. This weight gain has been over about a months time. Since I started with the macros. In the past I was eating low glycemic index. I ate as many veggies as i wanted(cooked appropriately of course). They were my main dish on my plate, 3-4 ounces of protein, and a side of a carb like a sweet potato. I was still losing weight when I started with the macros. I really just want the support end of MFP, so I will continue with that aspect of it and go back to my low glycemic eating. I track my weight, hydration and body fat in a journal.

    Macros are more important for satiety than health. I know healthy and fit vegans who eat upwards of 60% carbs and there are successful keto-ers here who eat around 70% fat and 5 % carbs.

    So sure, go back to doing what was working :)

    Or you could adjust the macros to how you are actually eating.

    No one (who wants to remain sane) tries to juggle all three macros at once. I'm naturally fine on fat, and just look at protein, and let the carbs fall where they may.
  • mrsbarnett1012
    mrsbarnett1012 Posts: 63 Member
    lr60372 wrote: »
    I changed my eating habits because people raved about macros and how important they are to be healthy. This weight gain has been over about a months time. Since I started with the macros. In the past I was eating low glycemic index. I ate as many veggies as i wanted(cooked appropriately of course). They were my main dish on my plate, 3-4 ounces of protein, and a side of a carb like a sweet potato. I was still losing weight when I started with the macros. I really just want the support end of MFP, so I will continue with that aspect of it and go back to my low glycemic eating. I track my weight, hydration and body fat in a journal.

    I think if what you were doing before was working for you then go back to that. You can still be a part of the community without tracking your calories. What you've been doing sounds very similar to what I'm currently doing as far as how I plate my food and with what and tracking everything down with pen and paper, without counting calories, etc. If that works for you, then do it! You can always come back to counting calories at any point if you decide you want to.
  • mhlew
    mhlew Posts: 377 Member
    I used to but it’s tedious, I don’t own a food scale so I was never sure if my amounts were correct and I always ended up forgetting something or some ingredient.

    I now do IF and have lost about 25 lbs in the last 8 weeks or so. I use judgement now and it’s much easier by keeping it simple. Just use common sense when eating in regards to what you eat and portion size. I’m don’t logging food and I’m doing better than I have ever done.

    What I do, do - is weigh myself daily. If there is an increase in weight I log in my note pad why it may have increased (ie- had beers last night for example)

    It helps me understand temporary weight fluctuations and weight loss patterns. At the end of the day do what works for u. For me- logging is no longer necessary and too tedious.
  • harding0010
    harding0010 Posts: 1 Member
    Ghirardell espresso sundae
  • TrishSeren
    TrishSeren Posts: 587 Member
    lr60372 wrote: »
    I changed my eating habits because people raved about macros and how important they are to be healthy. This weight gain has been over about a months time. Since I started with the macros. In the past I was eating low glycemic index. I ate as many veggies as i wanted(cooked appropriately of course). They were my main dish on my plate, 3-4 ounces of protein, and a side of a carb like a sweet potato. I was still losing weight when I started with the macros. I really just want the support end of MFP, so I will continue with that aspect of it and go back to my low glycemic eating. I track my weight, hydration and body fat in a journal.

    In most instances, if your following a balanced diet (like you mentioned you were doing in the beginning) you’ll actually be meeting your bodies macro needs naturally. I’d say don’t worry too much about macros if your goal at this stage is only to lose fat.

    Calories are king when it comes to losing fat. Macros are handy to know when working out what keeps you feeling full whilst trying to lose fat (for me protein and carbs, fat is tasty but doesn’t help me feel full).

    I’d say if you were doing well your original way go back to that. You would have been meeting your bodies “macro needs” naturally.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    It's a means to an end. The only say to lose weight is to burn more calories than you consume, so counting calories is just keeping track of that process.
  • lr60372
    lr60372 Posts: 7 Member
    Well I stopped counting calories and started eating low glycemic again and i am happy to report that I lost almost all that I gained while trying to count calories and tracking macros. lesson learned...
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