Do you guys really count calories?

kronin23

I do count my calories very carefully

JaneSnowe

kronin23 wrote: »

I do count my calories very carefully

There goes another kitten. I hope you're happy, @kronin23. Was it worth it??

nxd10

I don't weigh or measure things much now because I have gotten very good at estimating. I know my dishes and have a good sense of what food is how much.

But yeah, I log every single thing that goes into my mouth. And have, for four years.

HarleyHeartstop

I dont count calories, macros, ounces etc. I also stopped logging because I feel its tedious. I eat intuitively and stop when I feel full and nothing is off limits. It works for me for maintenance.

JLG1986

Yes, I count calories. I have a food scale, and measuring cups that I use for most things I prepare at home. It's true, eating out at places without nutritional information gets tough, but you'll find that after spending some time doing very precise measurement, your mental "guesstimator" gets more accurate.

Francl27

cwolfman13 wrote: »

HappyCampr1 wrote: »

Wow! A three year old thread comes back!

Because it's worth repeating. Lol.

tahxirez

I weight calorie dense things, some things I guesstimate based on size (medium apple) but I also try to over log things I'm unsure of and try to keep a little calorie buffer to account for my logging inaccuracies. My loved ones already think I'm a little obsessed because I enjoy talking about calories and nutrition so I have to be careful not to talk about it too much

snickerscharlie

"This is the thread that never ends
It just goes on and on my friends
Somebody started posting it not knowing what it was
And they'll continue posting it forever just because
This is the thread that never ends..."



You're welcome for the ear worm.

Taylorgo90

I don't count - fitnesspal doing this but I care about

silvilunazul

If you want to retain or gain muscle whilst burning fat, which would basically be a recomposition, yes, you do need to be accurate with your nutrition. Have you heard of "if it fits your macros"? Give it a google.

MelZweightlossjourney

I log everything. I've been doing it for years so I'm used to it.

srecupid

I'm trying to ditch it but, honestly it's not that hard. Even if i just enter 2 steak tacos when eating out and it's way off it's still an effort to keep me on track. It's the effort that counts right? What else am i going to do while waiting for something to microwave?

pcsd203

Its habit for me to log it now. It helps me stay on track and realize how many calories/fat are in some of the things I used to eat.

gentlygently

Well clearly you dont 'need' to log calories....you have been losing weight without. Well done.

Despite the emphasis on logging on mfp lots of people on here do not log regularly, or at all. For a variety of reasons.

if you carry on as you are you will continue to lose fat.. ..most likely your muscles will respond to the lifting - by growing a bit too.

I'd keep on going with your relaxed approach (as long as you do not feel unwell, or get too light for your height, and as long as your diet is a good healty mic of food types) - much more enjoyable and also less obsessive.

Domilg23

ye, it helps

KetoneKaren

jhloves2knit wrote: »

After a while of tracking, when you look at food....all you see are calorie numbers, grams of protein, sodium levels...etc...

That's funny. Didn't realize I was doing exactly that and talking about my analysis. No wonder my husband gets cranky.

LOL!!! yeah, better to keep that little commentary in your own head to avoid the rolling eyeballs and/or glazed looks.

_piaffe

I do. I have to, because after all this time, I'm still idiotically amazed at how quickly things add up.

I just got back from an 8-day roadtrip with 3 kids and logged everything. It's horrifying, really. I prefer denial, but my fitted work clothes don't allow it.

ginalove1960

I've been amazingly successful with MFP. Logging all my calories with nothing more than guesse's as to the calorie contents. I purposefully overestimate calories. And, instead of one exercise strategy, I incorporate two to three, almost daily. I've been doing this in one way or another, for years. And I've never seen the need to own a scale. I've lost 50 lbs. and have kept it off for three years now.

TitaniaEcks

I don't count calories in maintenance. I developed good habits during loss and now I just kind of eyeball my food and use common sense, and it works well. I hope I never have to go back to counting calories. What an OCD-type consumer of my time.

sgt1372

I count cals as best as I can w/MFP. I use the DB in MFP, I weigh food and I scan info off labels. If in doubt, I overestimate cals consumed and underestimate cals burned. So, that I don't over eat. This worked well enough 3 years ago for me to lose 40 lbs in 5 months. Goal this time is more modest. Just need to lose about 20 lbs. Started at 196 and now at 181 after just 6 weeks. Target is 175 (prior weight loss was too extreme) which is my best weight and expect to get there w/in another 3-4 weeks. Couldn't do it w/o counting cals w/MFP.

markrgeary1

I enter the food. The computer counts. Unless you are talking about sleeping sometimes I count backwards.

Yes I weigh and enter everything I eat. Hit goal six months ago and still log everything.

Diana_GettingFit

I lost my weight through calorie counting and this is how I'm going to keep it off. I understand it isn't for everyone but I don't see it as obsessive to keep doing what works. I'll probably always count my calories and I have no problem with that. I just reached maintenance today.

srcurran

I don't measure or weigh everything, but I'm pretty good at estimating and limiting my portion size. I log it all. So far it's gotten me to goal and kept me here for 15 months.