calorie counting is impossible in the long run

Options
12357

Replies

  • Izzwoz
    Izzwoz Posts: 348 Member
    Options
    Option 1: Lose weight by logging calories to ensure caloric deficit, when weight is off, stop logging as to not become obsessed. Fall back into old habits and put weight back on.
    Option 2: Lose weight by logging calories to ensure caloric deficit, when weight is off, eat and log maintenance calories and keep weight off.

    Hmmm, is a tricky one, for sure.
  • gabbygirl78
    gabbygirl78 Posts: 936 Member
    Options
    If you have struggled with your weight your entire life and truly have to watch your intake to stay healthy then this is a no brainer ! What is so hard about calorie counting, especially when you have the right tools to help you. This is by far the easiest thing I have done to lose weight and I will forever be aware of the calories I consume. After you do this for a while you become geared for it. You have made yourself aware of the calories you consume for so long that it is second nature to do so. You know what you can have and not have and it becomes habit. This is just healthy living ... No obsession. I don't log on the weekends but I am still mentally aware of what I eat and I still lost weight.:bigsmile:
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Options
    Anything can lead to obsession.
  • nomeejerome
    nomeejerome Posts: 2,616 Member
    Options
    OK......Give me your opinion.

    calorie counting leads to obsession.It is not ideal for permanent fatloss.Instead one should focus on nourishing ones body and use
    progressive strength training to get stronger .Fatloss will be a byproduct of getting healthy...
    LET ME REPLACE OBSESSION WITH DISORDERED EATING PATTERN

    :huh:
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
    Options
    Whatever excuse floats your boat.

    Yeah, pretty much this. It took me til 49 to finally grow up and accept the fact that if I wanted to lose the weight, I was going to HAVE to count my calories accurately. Do I obsess over it? Perhaps a little. Especially in the beginning. But NOT obsessing over it is why I always quit within a few days or weeks of starting. I lied to myself, firmly believing that I NEVER ate over a certain amount.

    I also falsely believed that I needed more calories than I actually did. Accurately logging my calories over time, was proof of exactly how many calories I could maintain or lose on.

    For many people, they don't have to count calories. If that works for them, then fine. But anyone that has NOT been successful in losing their weight, and starts playing the 'I don't think it is mentally healthy' card. Might just be using that as an excuse.

    I do agree that it is more than JUST counting calories. Consistent exercise and eating a balanced, healthy diet, is important for good health and sustaining your weight loss.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
    Options
    Option 1: Lose weight by logging calories to ensure caloric deficit, when weight is off, stop logging as to not become obsessed. Fall back into old habits and put weight back on.
    Option 2: Lose weight by logging calories to ensure caloric deficit, when weight is off, eat and log maintenance calories and keep weight off.

    Option 3: Lose weight by logging calories to ensure caloric deficit...while you are doing this, focus on proper eating habits and making overall better nutritional decisions...learning portion control and moderation of not so healthy choices...make healthy eating a "habit" and get your fitness on. Stop logging at maintenance because it's no longer necessary given your new and improved eating and fitness habits that have truly become a "lifestyle" and maintain easily.

    That would be me...IMHO, calorie counting isn't the "lifestyle"...the decisions you make are. If you go back to old eating habits and drop your fitness regimen it is because you've failed to actually adopt a sustainable dietary and fitness "lifestyle." Now if you'll excuse me, I have cyclocross practice to attend...
  • fitbulky
    fitbulky Posts: 75
    Options
    NOW DON'T GET ME WRONG.NOT EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE A FITNESS MODEL.EATING CLEAN AND SERIOUS WEIGHT TRAINING WILL DEFINITELY STEER YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.IT WILL PROBABLY TAKE MORE TIME.BUT IT WILL SAVE MANY FEMALES FROM GETTING AN EATING DISORDER.ALL I WANT TO SAY IS THAT IT CAN BE A GREAT PLACE FOR A PERSON TO START.THEN ONE CAN TAKE THE NEXT STEP.I HAVE SEEN PEOPLE DESTROYING THEIR LIVES AND RELATIONSHIPS DUE TO DISORDERED EATING.
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
    Options
    OK, the caps lock needs to go.

    I have been that person that got all obsessive and whipped out her pocket scale and picked apart her restaurant meal ingredient by ingredient, and it led to binging and gaining back a lot of weight.

    I am now dedicated to getting back to health. Real health without obsession or putting my head in the sand about how much I ate. I know I will, in fact, be logging for the rest of my life, because data collection and analysis is the only way I can review my calories in versus weight change. I can't know my total daily energy expenditure over time without the daily calories eaten and body weight data points! You can't fly a plane for very long without checking the instruments either. That doesn't make it obsessive, it's just prudent.
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
    Options
    EATING CLEAN
    If you want to avoid disordered eating patterns, it's probably best to avoid orthorexic terms like "eating clean" too.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    Options
    NOW DON'T GET ME WRONG.NOT EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE A FITNESS MODEL.EATING CLEAN AND SERIOUS WEIGHT TRAINING WILL DEFINITELY STEER YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.IT WILL PROBABLY TAKE MORE TIME.BUT IT WILL SAVE MANY FEMALES FROM GETTING AN EATING DISORDER.ALL I WANT TO SAY IS THAT IT CAN BE A GREAT PLACE FOR A PERSON TO START.THEN ONE CAN TAKE THE NEXT STEP.I HAVE SEEN PEOPLE DESTROYING THEIR LIVES AND RELATIONSHIPS DUE TO DISORDERED EATING.
    Wow.

    Stop yelling.

    Eating clean is stupid and unnecessary.

    Getting the right number of calories for my body is not disordered, it's the opposite of disordered.
  • mommy3457
    mommy3457 Posts: 361 Member
    Options
    I wouldn't say it is impossible. I'd say it is a matter of preference. Some come here to learn how to just portion control their food and then take what they learn and leave. Others will continue to count calories as it is their preference, and they consider it to help them the best to keep themselves on track. I'm trying to learn how to not count calories and lose weight. I have been successful so far. I do not want to count calories forever personally.
  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
    Options
    Eating clean is stupid and unnecessary.

    It's practically a self-imposed death sentence. Really.

    Those poor, poor, deluded fools... :sad:
  • fitbulky
    fitbulky Posts: 75
    Options
    NOW DON'T GET ME WRONG.NOT EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE A FITNESS MODEL.EATING CLEAN AND SERIOUS WEIGHT TRAINING WILL DEFINITELY STEER YOU IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION.IT WILL PROBABLY TAKE MORE TIME.BUT IT WILL SAVE MANY FEMALES FROM GETTING AN EATING DISORDER.ALL I WANT TO SAY IS THAT IT CAN BE A GREAT PLACE FOR A PERSON TO START.THEN ONE CAN TAKE THE NEXT STEP.I HAVE SEEN PEOPLE DESTROYING THEIR LIVES AND RELATIONSHIPS DUE TO DISORDERED EATING.
    Wow.

    Stop yelling.

    Eating clean is stupid and unnecessary.

    Getting the right number of calories for my body is not disordered, it's the opposite of disordered.

    I am not yelling.Just want a solid impartial discussion
  • Hexahedra
    Hexahedra Posts: 894 Member
    Options
    I spend probably five minutes a day on average to track food using my iphone, it's not exactly an obsession or an impossibility. Tracking gives me freedom, because without it I would feel too uncomfortable eating food that I like. Now I just eat whatever and make sure I don't blow my caloric budget.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    Options
    I will do what I want to do!!! :tongue:
  • PixieGoddess
    PixieGoddess Posts: 1,833 Member
    Options
    Option 1: Lose weight by logging calories to ensure caloric deficit, when weight is off, stop logging as to not become obsessed. Fall back into old habits and put weight back on.
    Option 2: Lose weight by logging calories to ensure caloric deficit, when weight is off, eat and log maintenance calories and keep weight off.

    Option 3: Lose weight by logging calories to ensure caloric deficit...while you are doing this, focus on proper eating habits and making overall better nutritional decisions...learning portion control and moderation of not so healthy choices...make healthy eating a "habit" and get your fitness on. Stop logging at maintenance because it's no longer necessary given your new and improved eating and fitness habits that have truly become a "lifestyle" and maintain easily.

    That would be me...IMHO, calorie counting isn't the "lifestyle"...the decisions you make are. If you go back to old eating habits and drop your fitness regimen it is because you've failed to actually adopt a sustainable dietary and fitness "lifestyle." Now if you'll excuse me, I have cyclocross practice to attend...

    This. I hate logging. Absolutely word-that-MFP-will-replace-with-asterisks HATE it! I do it when I need to lose weight. I reached goal weight a few years ago, stopped logging, and maintained my goal weight for quite a long time. It wasn't until I had several injuries and illnesses that I gained weight again, so now I'm back here trying to lose it again. And when I have, I will stop logging again. Because I hate it. It's a personal choice for everyone; do what works for you.
  • 1princesswarrior
    1princesswarrior Posts: 1,242 Member
    Options
    I don't think it's impossible for the long run. It's a good habit to get into. It's something you CAN actually maintain long-term.

    Thank you, I also look at it as a habit. And a guide.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Options
    define:concern troll

    A person who posts on a blog thread, in the guise of "concern," to disrupt dialogue or undermine morale by pointing out that posters and/or the site may be getting themselves in trouble, usually with an authority or power. They point out problems that don't really exist. The intent is to derail, stifle, control, the dialogue. It is viewed as insincere and condescending.



    I am one of those people who developed the bad kind of obsession while tracking my calories. To the point that I was regularly breaking into tears at restaurants and in my friends' driveways before parties because I knew there would be delicious food there and I would eat more of it than I intended. My therapist and I had an honest discussion about it and I relaxed my thinking and my logging.

    I still believe that logging your food and tracking calories is the single best method of dieting and would recommend it in an instant to anyone who asked me how I lost my weight. I don't believe that it leads to disordered eating in all or even a majority of users.

    I am currently returning to calorie tracking after putting on about 15 pounds this year. I clearly cannot trust my body's signals alone to maintain my weight. Will I continue tracking forever? I don't know. But for now it will be a necessary tool while I relearn what my body needs.

Categories