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Is counting calories all wrong?

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Replies

  • lin_be
    lin_be Posts: 393 Member
    ParadigmShift82 wrote: »
    I wonder how people stayed healthy before counting calories? Hmmm...

    Lol not too long ago the average diet was a steak, whiskey, and 1 pack of cigarettes a day.
  • zeejane03
    zeejane03 Posts: 993 Member
    edited January 2019
    ParadigmShift82 wrote: »
    Then what's the difference between those who stay healthy without counting calories and those who spend hours logging calories and still can't drop the weight?

    Just logging calories doesn't do anything, one must also be at the correct calorie balance for their weight management goals.

    My husband's family are all thin and have been since I've known them 20+ years. None of them have ever dieted/gained weight, lost weight etc. From being around them several times a week, going on vacations with them etc-

    a. they're constantly moving around/can't sit still. Several of them have ADHD, and I see this as well in my underweight son who also has ADHD.
    b. they're all taller (the women are around 6ft tall). I on the other hand am 5ft 6in
    c. they don't snack-this isn't intentional, it's just not something they do
    d. they eat smaller portions-again not intentional, they just put less on their plates
    e. none of them do intentional exercise but they are active in their day to day activities
    f. they are very strict with their 'moral' code-no drinking, smoking etc. This is in large part because of their religious leanings (which is the same as mine, but I'm bit more 'loosey goosey' lol).

    They don't track/pay any attention to calories. They don't follow a specific way of eating etc. They're all healthy, with healthy weights.

    eta: one example-when we go on vacation I bring a stack of books and can spend the whole time reading/vegging out. On the other hand they're up at dawn heading out to explore the area/gobs of walking/shopping etc. They cannot veg out and do nothing, it drives them nuts lol.

  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    I don't think that anyone is saying that counting calories is the only path to health. BUT the only way to lose weight is to eat fewer calories than you consume. Overall health includes more moving parts than just calories.
  • Keto_Vampire
    Keto_Vampire Posts: 1,670 Member
    wmd1979 wrote: »
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    azzeazsaleh5429 wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    This will not end well. Fung is a quack but many here subscribe to his theories. He’s very polarizing around these forums.

    Whether you choose to count calories or not, calories, and ultimately the energy balance that they contribute to, is what drives weight loss, gain and maintenance. You can be in a calorie deficit without counting calories and many who successfully lose weight following some of Fung’s suggestions are doing just that.

    For many of us using MFP, accurately logging and managing our calorie intake - regarding of the foods you choose to eat, is the best way to ensure we are in a calorie deficit or, in my case now, eating at maintenance calories having met my weight loss goals and in maintenance for several years.

    But buckle up this is going to be a bumpy thread.

    I definitely will be keeping the gameplan i just find it odd that a doctor would put that out there

    Ours would be a much better world in general, if education - even relevant education - kept people from being either sorely mistaken, or cynical/predatory. Sadly, education provides no such assured preventive.

    Old person's grumble coming up....

    The internet seems to have weakened people's common sense. I remember the simple advice of from my dear old Mum "if it sounds to good to be true.....".
    Being gullible used to be a sign of not being very bright but just because something is in an email or a video on YouTube seems to hook intelligent people too and circumvent their natural cynicism.
    Did you know that the word gullible has been dropped from the latest edition of the Oxford English Dictionary?

    Vetting sources also seems to have gone out of fashion.
    If you asked someone who they would go to for dietary advice people wouldn't normally say a nephrologist, a cardiologist or a chiropractor and yet people are sucked in because someone sends them a link or they see rave reviews on social media.

    Ummm.

    Remember "Snake Oil Salesmen"?

    People have been scammed for centuries, the internet just makes it easier to do the scamming so we see more of it. But I don't really think people are more gullible, just exposed to more. Just like it's easier to do "mail fraud" these days when you don't need to use actual mail.

    I really don't think folks were brighter or had more common sense "back in the day"    .

    They had much more effective cough medicine back in the day though...6i8npl4qcly0.jpg

    Man, with such outrageous & overkill labeled ingredients, you got me curious about what those "other ingredients" constitute...throw in some barbituates & metoclopromide in the right doses & you've got yourself a recipe for suicide/aka never wake up
  • azzeazsaleh5429
    azzeazsaleh5429 Posts: 77 Member
    edited January 2019
    What counting calories has taught me so far, I lost touch with proper portions sizes to a point when I calculate calories I need to cut back a lot of food off my plate or else I will mess up my daily calorie intake. For example, just had some of our family favorite pizza, its 424 calories a slice before mfp I easily would eat 4 slices now I counted calories I only can eat 2 slices. So its a whole new ball game when portioning food for my new ideal weight that is what I am trying to acquire. Not to mention how all the macros get screwed up with all the wrong types of food. My protein for the day is way too low eating bad food.
  • Keto_Vampire
    Keto_Vampire Posts: 1,670 Member
    FitFamilyGuy wrote: »
    IF eating regularly tells my body to store those calories as fat and my body is not being told by my frequent eating to burn fat then:

    How do I stay muscular and lean?

    Steroids? No... never did them even once.
    Youth? No... I'm 41 years old.
    Dieting for summer? No... I'm lean year round.
    Fasting? No... don't fast except during my 8 hour sleep.
    Low carb? No... love carbs. I eat them all of the time.
    No sugar? No... my post workout involves low fat ice-cream... daily.
    Only 3 meals per day? NO WAY... I'm constantly eating.
    Cardio? No... I've never enjoyed or stuck to cardio longer than a few weeks. Boring!
    Temporary Good Luck? No... I've been doing this for 26 years.
    Fitness Obsession? No... I have a family & only lift weights about 45 minutes a day with few working sets.
    Athlete? No... just a regular old family guy.

    How is this possible? According to the principles of the video, how do I burn fat? This isn't just theoretical. I would like an honest answer.

    But, were you able to OBJECTIVELY figure kcals-in vs. kcals out (TDEE) over said 26 years...? Or even just estimate/at least come close/ballpark?
  • FitFamilyGuy
    FitFamilyGuy Posts: 73 Member
    edited January 2019
    Keto_Vampire wrote: »
    FitFamilyGuy wrote: »
    IF eating regularly tells my body to store those calories as fat and my body is not being told by my frequent eating to burn fat then:

    How do I stay muscular and lean?

    Steroids? No... never did them even once.
    Youth? No... I'm 41 years old.
    Dieting for summer? No... I'm lean year round.
    Fasting? No... don't fast except during my 8 hour sleep.
    Low carb? No... love carbs. I eat them all of the time.
    No sugar? No... my post workout involves low fat ice-cream... daily.
    Only 3 meals per day? NO WAY... I'm constantly eating.
    Cardio? No... I've never enjoyed or stuck to cardio longer than a few weeks. Boring!
    Temporary Good Luck? No... I've been doing this for 26 years.
    Fitness Obsession? No... I have a family & only lift weights about 45 minutes a day with few working sets.
    Athlete? No... just a regular old family guy.

    How is this possible? According to the principles of the video, how do I burn fat? This isn't just theoretical. I would like an honest answer.

    But, were you able to OBJECTIVELY figure kcals-in vs. kcals out (TDEE) over said 26 years...? Or even just estimate/at least come close/ballpark?

    I'm not exactly sure if I understand your point but I will try to answer anyway.

    For about 22 years I used 90/10 rules like conscious food choices to keep my diet in check. I was always lean, strong and similar in build to my current build. (although just 135 lbs at the start of grade 10 at the very beginning)

    Over the past 4 or 5 years but especially the last 2 years I took it up a notch by counting calories. I don't need to count calories but I like to. I like the precision control/results and flexibility of counting calories. For me, when I count calories, cutting out some fat with little loss of muscle or adding some muscle with very little fat is as easy as making the decision to do it.

    Are you for or against counting calories? To answer your question, yes I know my average calorie burn rate per day and I get in the ballpark each week to gain muscle or lose fat at will. In the middle of winter I'm currently getting stronger, hitting new personal bests (26 years in) I still have abs. I can provide proof you wish.

    I'd still like to know how the principles in the video would explain why I stay lean and constantly eat through the entire day.

    Thanks for the reply.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,092 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    Tacklewasher wrote: »
    sijomial wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    azzeazsaleh5429 wrote: »
    WinoGelato wrote: »
    This will not end well. Fung is a quack but many here subscribe to his theories. He’s very polarizing around these forums.

    Whether you choose to count calories or not, calories, and ultimately the energy balance that they contribute to, is what drives weight loss, gain and maintenance. You can be in a calorie deficit without counting calories and many who successfully lose weight following some of Fung’s suggestions are doing just that.

    For many of us using MFP, accurately logging and managing our calorie intake - regarding of the foods you choose to eat, is the best way to ensure we are in a calorie deficit or, in my case now, eating at maintenance calories having met my weight loss goals and in maintenance for several years.

    But buckle up this is going to be a bumpy thread.

    I definitely will be keeping the gameplan i just find it odd that a doctor would put that out there

    Ours would be a much better world in general, if education - even relevant education - kept people from being either sorely mistaken, or cynical/predatory. Sadly, education provides no such assured preventive.

    Old person's grumble coming up....

    The internet seems to have weakened people's common sense. I remember the simple advice of from my dear old Mum "if it sounds to good to be true.....".
    Being gullible used to be a sign of not being very bright but just because something is in an email or a video on YouTube seems to hook intelligent people too and circumvent their natural cynicism.
    Did you know that the word gullible has been dropped from the latest edition of the Oxford English Dictionary?

    Vetting sources also seems to have gone out of fashion.
    If you asked someone who they would go to for dietary advice people wouldn't normally say a nephrologist, a cardiologist or a chiropractor and yet people are sucked in because someone sends them a link or they see rave reviews on social media.

    Ummm.

    Remember "Snake Oil Salesmen"?

    People have been scammed for centuries, the internet just makes it easier to do the scamming so we see more of it. But I don't really think people are more gullible, just exposed to more. Just like it's easier to do "mail fraud" these days when you don't need to use actual mail.

    I really don't think folks were brighter or had more common sense "back in the day".

    No because they weren't a thing where I live. The conmen were more likely selling cars or double glazing.

    Sorry but I disagree.
    I'm sure the huge volume of data people are exposed to now contributes but there's an almost child-like naivety which is now widespread rather than unusual. There's always been gullible people being taken advantage of course but it's the suspension of critical thinking just because something appears on a screen. It seems to lend a completely undeserved authority.

    Back in the 80's there was a tabloid newspaper (The Sunday Sport) which was famous for their ridiculous stories such as WW2 bombers being found on the moon or a London Bus being found in the Antarctic - don't recall anyone being other than amused. Now I wonder if people would simply pass it on to their social media contacts...

    My Dad used to describe the TV as "The Idiot's Lantern" for the way people would just watch it slack-jawed and just let the words and picture wash over them without any real thought process going on. Sure he would switch the phrase to the internet and social media in general now.

    Don't think it helps that science is so poorly taught now. People simply don't learn the fundamental principles that would equip them to dismiss a lot of the nonsense pedalled in the weight loss arena.
    Jumpstart your metabolism, different kinds of calories.... etc. etc.

    I'm with Tacklewasher on this one. People have always been gullible. The difference is exposure, both to scams, and to publicity about people falling for them.

    Look up Mark Twain's "Petrified Man" and especially aftermath (only one of his little fun hoaxes).

    Consider "War of the Worlds" and how many believed it despite announcements during the broadcast that said it was a radio drama, not a news story. (My dad, a farm boy, boarded with a family in the city so he could work a factory job during the week, and head home to the farm on weekends. During the intial live broadcast, the family he lived with were all up and ready to run from the aliens . . . he couldn't have been more astonished.)

    I could go on.

    There's a reason P.T. Barnum said . . . well you know. But there's no evidence he actually did say it.

    (This way to the Egress!! ==>)

    Although to be fair, many people tuned in during the middle and may have missed the announcement, possibly because they were listening on a different station to the top-rated show, a ventriloquist act ... on the radio!
  • rfrenkel77
    rfrenkel77 Posts: 103 Member
    edited January 2019
    FitFamilyGuy wrote: »
    I found that I didn't make progress over that winter because of the absence of protein. This winter I am just as lean but feeling stronger and gaining muscle. That is my experience. I won't go back to Intermittent fasting.

    Not sure why you are blaming IF for lack of protein. You can eat as much protein as you body weight requires. . As far as I understand at least IF is not a bodybuilding tactic, it’s a body burning tactic.
  • rfrenkel77
    rfrenkel77 Posts: 103 Member
    I know it’s only been a week and a half but the weight seems to moving down very deliberately. Jan 21 BMI 24.8; Jan 30 BMI 23.3. Will see how long this pattern lasts. See attached

    5i45isqh7kc6.jpeg
    nnhf8biez8di.png
  • ladyreva78
    ladyreva78 Posts: 4,080 Member
    How much weight lost is that? My attempt at calculating it out comes to around 8lbs... In 9 days? That seems insane and far from healthy.
  • rfrenkel77
    rfrenkel77 Posts: 103 Member
    edited January 2019
    Posting my own numbers and making no claims, here is every weight in point from aria2 Fitbit scale. In the study dr Fung shows in low carb vale, people fasted every other day for 30 days. Exactly what I am doing. Don’t sense anything unhealthy about it.

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