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NO MORE CALORIE COUNTING
sweetangelkitten
Posts: 116 Member
Yep, that's right! I'm done counting calories and tracking everything I eat! I'm eating wholesome foods and eating when I am hungry. Doing what feels natural! Anyone else here with me on this?
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Replies
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Nope. Wishing you the best.64
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Not me. I gained a lot of weight eating wholesome foods and eating when I was hungry.
There are others who are basically doing what you are doing so you are not alone.
Whatever your goals are I wish you the best of luck.54 -
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Eating wholesome food when I was hungry led to a 70 pound weight gain over the years. Counting calories allowed me to lose that weight and maintain the loss. Wishing you a better outcome with your eating plan.37
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sweetangelkitten wrote: »
Thank you! I can't seem to find anyone on here who isn't counting calories sadly...
Well it is a calorie counting site so I don't think they post very often but I have seen people say (in posts) that they are doing or plan to do intuitive eating like you intend. Some may or may not choose to eat whatever you consider wholesome.
I do suggest you stay diligent on however you measure your weight. I see nothing wrong with an experiment like this and I hope you will be fine but, if not, know when to pull the plug.60 -
Good luck! But nope. I count calories and will until the nurses at the old folks home pry my mfp calorie counter from my ancient arthritic fingers. I can’t eat intuitively worth a kitten.57
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sweetangelkitten wrote: »
Why does this lead so many people to weight gain? We weren't counting calories a couple hundred years ago or even a hundred years ago... Seems unnatural to be measuring and counting, we should eat when we are hungry >,<
We were more active back then. Depending on what you call wholesome it can include some very calorie dense items that are easy to overdo. Nuts are a good example.33 -
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I don't count calories or track anymore, however I used to (mostly to gain though) now that I have good calorie awareness I just use the scale to track my progress. Sometimes I do check in with certain items or track protein only to make sure I am hitting my goals especially when I am deep in a cut. However I wouldn't say I eat completely wholesome and I can't go by my hunger since I would likely undereat, so I eat on a schedule.
You will find many people continue to calorie count to maintain and keep their portions in check. You are on a calorie counting website afterall!
Good luck!24 -
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sweetangelkitten wrote: »
Funny enough, I threw the scale away XD This is the only health forum that I know of that is steadily active >,< I've decided I can't weigh myself anymore and should leave my body alone let it do it's thing. Our bodies know what they need and guide us 
That is why I said to use whatever means you plan to use. Some people go by how their clothes fit. If they get snug or you find yourself buying bigger sizes you might reconsider your plan. My point is to keep an eye on things. I still don't know how I managed to keep buying bigger clothes without stopping to think I was doing something wrong. Don't be me... please.17 -
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sweetangelkitten wrote: »
Funny enough, I threw the scale away XD This is the only health forum that I know of that is steadily active >,< I've decided I can't weigh myself anymore and should leave my body alone let it do it's thing. Our bodies know what they need and guide us
Mine led me to be underweight at one point so not always a good guide!
Unfortunately no I'm sorry I don't know of any other forums, I am only a part of this and another focused on bodybuilding.10 -
sweetangelkitten wrote: »
If I buy larger clothes then I am working to try to accept that and see where my natural body is
Ok. Sounds like you have it all worked out in your head then.
I am unaware of any forums that cater to your philosophy. When you think about it they may not have anything to discuss if they are all just listening to their bodies.
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I think most of us are here because we saw where our body naturally ended up and it wasn't where we wanted to be!
Calorie counting has been a godsend for me, but I know it's not a good fit for everyone.
Best of luck OP, I hope you find the balance you're looking for.47 -
I think most of us are here because we saw where our body naturally ended up and it wasn't where we wanted to be!
Calorie counting has been a godsend for me, but I know it's not a good fit for everyone.
Best of luck OP, I hope you find the balance you're looking for.
My natural body was going to die before much longer if I had not taken action.38 -
sweetangelkitten wrote: »
Why does this lead so many people to weight gain? We weren't counting calories a couple hundred years ago or even a hundred years ago... Seems unnatural to be measuring and counting, we should eat when we are hungry >,<
Perhaps I can give an example from my country, which has modernized very recently (last 30 years or so) and has seen an explosion in obesity. The typical diet is very high calorie, rice, beans, tropical fruits, plantains and yucca, sausage, high fat beef, and lots of things fried. But the population overwhelmingly worked active jobs. Farmers, construction, home help, etc. It kept them moving and burning a lot more calories. At the very least, everyone walked everywhere. Now many more people are sitting working in an office all day, getting to and from by car or bus, and eating the same diet. So a lot more people are getting obese because their calorie output is much lower.
Here's the thing about counting calories: your body does it, even if you do not. So some people do manage to lose weight or maintain eating intuitively, because the amount they eat happens to correspond with a good calorie goal. That is not always the case though. You can certainly eat too much while doing intuitive eating, but one area I haven't seen mentioned much yet is you can also easily eat too little. If you only eat until full on low calorie foods, you can easily not get the necessary energy your body needs. That's why it can lead a lot to extreme diets, where people undereat and lose quickly but then gain it all back, or develop health issues related to rapid weight loss.
One last thing: calorie counting does not always have to be synonymous with weighing and measuring every single thing you put in your body. Some people certainly do that, and it is the most precise way, but if that's too much it doesn't have to be done that way. I weigh certain things, but I also straight up guesstimate things that I didn't cook myself and don't know the ingredients or portion sizes. That has been effective to me, because some visibility and estimation of what I am eating and tying it to a calorie goal has kept me on track and helped me lose almost 30 pounds. So it doesn't have to always be so intense. I don't put a ton of work into calorie counting daily. It doesn't have to be stressful and all consuming.
I wish you luck on your journey, and hope you can find a good balance of eating enough without eating too much or too little.47 -
sweetangelkitten wrote: »
Why does this lead so many people to weight gain? We weren't counting calories a couple hundred years ago or even a hundred years ago... Seems unnatural to be measuring and counting, we should eat when we are hungry >,<
Different food environment, and you don't have to burn a ton of calories in working on the farm or doing household chores or to go anywhere. Plus, food is far more available.
Also, I don't think people ate when they were hungry only. I think mostly food was eaten at specific times, for at least recorded history.
At maintenance, if I am mindful and pay some attention to calories, and if I eat according to my preferred schedule (3 meals, sometimes 2, no snacking), and am reasonably active (I live in a city so walk a ton, and I do intentional exercise), I have no issues, although I think logging is interesting so sometimes do it for a while. But I can't kid myself -- if I am not mindful, even if I stick to foods I consider "wholesome," I can easily overeat, and if I start snacking and stop exercising, I'll definitely gain, and again this is in an environment where I naturally have to walk more than most Americans.
I don't think the majority of humans have hunger signals that say "stop eating" as soon as they hit maintenance calories, especially in the presence of easy, tasty food, since through most of human history food was scarce and being able to eat when it was available was an advantage. I think like many things we imposed such signals through reason and through culture (eating patterns).
Re food forums without calorie counting (or other things like macro counting, carb counting), try searching intuitive eating or see if that bright lines woman has a forum. There's likely places on reddit. There's also stuff like W30 forums (I assume they exist) or paleo. I know that doesn't work for me without more, but who knows, it does for some.13 -
sweetangelkitten wrote: »
Do you know of any health forums that don't count calories? This is the most active health forum I could find
)
I really like xxfitness on reddit, it’s mainly fitness related but there is lots of good discussion on health and nutrition as well!3 -
My natural body likes to tell me what it needs, but I know it is a lying *kitten* because wine and cheese are always involved.55
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Oh sorry I didn’t see the part where you said “no” calorie counting, I’m sure there is people who track on there, but it’s a good subreddit nonetheless!1
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I really don’t find tracking my calories as unnatural. I look at it like I look at my checking account. I’m trying to keep things in balance. And ‘back in the day’ we use eat meat, potatoes, corn and food was scarce so it can’t really be compared to modern times.15
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I listened to my body's apparent needs. It involved eating far too much. It involved next to no exercise. It involved putting on and staying over 50kg above my goal weight.
Counting calories takes a maximum of 5 mins of my day. Calorie counting and MFP has given me is perspective. I now know what 1600cal looks like. I now know what 100g of protein looks like. I can see my progress on a chart. I now understand why it is important to stay above 1200cal.13 -
sweetangelkitten wrote: »
Why does this lead so many people to weight gain? We weren't counting calories a couple hundred years ago or even a hundred years ago... Seems unnatural to be measuring and counting, we should eat when we are hungry >,<
A couple hundred years ago people were doing so much more activity than now. Plus, they didn't have the kind of foods we have now. Many had to live off what they could hunt or farm. There was hunting, farming, and so many activitys that had to be done on a daily basis just to survive.9 -
I take more of a mixed approach. I go through periods where I don’t track on an app but I have general calorie knowledge at this point and tend to eat a lot of the same foods frequently so I have a general idea of how much I’m eating. You’re basically on a calorie counting website so I don’t think this is the support group you are looking for.
I have mixed feelings on this topic in general. Part of me is all for body acceptance but I just truly don’t think being obese is healthy for most people. I’m sure there’s one in a hundred out there who is obese and simultaneously healthy, but I don’t think that’s the norm. However, I do think if our body easily maintains a weight that is considered a little overweight and we eat well and are active, that is far healthier than starving ourselves to get to a certain weight.
And I agree with the above posters that things are more complicated food wise than they were before. I’m sure my great grandmother made everything from scratch but I honestly don’t have the time or desire to do that. I’d rather spend a little time tracking at times than do some kind of Whole 30 type thing but that’s just me. And I like being able to eat ice cream, cheez it’s and donuts lol.8 -
It isn't uncommon in the Low Carber Daily or Keto mfp groups. Many still count calories but there are quote a few, like me, who found that if they lower carbs to a certain point, appetite goes to a normal level and cravings go away. As long as I keep carbs very low, I can eat according to my hunger cues and still lose weight. Ymmv
Good luck!13 -
sweetangelkitten wrote: »
If I buy larger clothes then I am working to try to accept that and see where my natural body is
If it leads you to being overweight, then what it means is that you're ingesting more calories than your body needs. Nothing to do with your 'natural' body. We're actually (unfortunately) extremely well disposed to gain weight easily, because we evolved in times that fluctuated between food plenty, and food shortage. Our bodies had to take advantage of the times of plenty to balance out the times of shortage, or we'd be extinct.
Is your goal weight loss, OP? The statement above suggests not, in which case I'm somewhat perplexed as to what your goal is? If it's just to eat wholesome foods and let what happens happen, I'm not sure why you need a website for that. Maybe a HAES (healthy at every size) community?24 -
sweetangelkitten wrote: »Why does this lead so many people to weight gain? We weren't counting calories a couple hundred years ago or even a hundred years ago... Seems unnatural to be measuring and counting, we should eat when we are hungry >,<
My body often tells me what it wants, not only what it needs. That's how I got fat. I don't always crave "wholesome" foods. You'll never catch me binge-eating kale, for example.
That said, I think intuitive eating can work for many people, particularly when in maintenance. I've not tracked food for months and the scale has stayed within a range of a few pounds. However, I tracked every bite for years before and I know my activity level, calorie burns, and how far I can go before things start to get out of control. I know what a proper portion size for me should look like.
If your goal is to lose weight, it may be helpful to track/log for a few months so you have an idea of what you're currently consuming. From there you can adjust what you're eating and eat more intuitively if that's what you prefer. For me, I don't think I'd be as successful if I didn't have an accurate picture of what I was consuming when I started.
Wishing you the best on your journey. 8
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