Is calorie-counting different from dieting?

ayumi_

Most people don't know exactly when their relationship with food started to change for the worst, just like most women don't know they're in an abusive relationship until the negative effects are too obvious and harmful to ignore. A flip doesn't just go off one day and say "OKAY, START EATING EVERYTHING!" It's a gradual process of conditioning. You slowly learn to eat when you're not hungry because of other reasons. You slowly build the habit of using food to cope with other things. When you were young you were probably taught to clean your plate before you could get dessert. Of course a child wouldn't be aware of what was going on psychologically, but that doesn't mean it wasn't happening.

I highly disagree with your theory. People who are more active eat more BECAUSE they are more active, not regardless of whether or not they're active. Michael Phelps eats 10,000 calories a day to fuel his swimming. I'm 5'2, pretty sedentary and a female. I would never hope or desire to eat as much as he does because I know his body needs more energy than me, because of it's composition and because of his activity level. If I worked out that much, I'd need more food too. But I don't, so I don't.

You miss the boat. An entire population of people (thus an obesity epidemic) changed, not just one or two outliers. There has always been obesity but it is accelerating. You can't tell me that an entire population of people just stopped learning to listen to their body without some external factor. I take responsibility for my weight problem and choose to deal with it in a way that I feel works for me, you choose your own path.

People like Phelps can eat 10,000 calories because they are active. When people did manual labor they needed more calories and therefore could eat those calories. He can eat more calories because he must eat that many calories to maintain his level of fitness, no different than the farmer who could eat more because he needed to eat more. Oh, btw, Michael Phelps does NOT eat 10,000 calories. He eats more than you or I and can do so because he burns every one of them eventually. The vast majority of people today are not active enough to eat as many calories as their ancestors but still continue to do so.

That's exactly my point. What else has changed that didn't exist back then? Food advertisements that encourage people to eat even if they aren't hungry, because the food will make them happier, or will make them less stressed ("Upset? Eat a Snickers."), or will solve some other problem in their lives. Restaurants that serve portions WAY larger than most people need, encouraging them to ignore their fullness and eat far past a comfortable level.

And again, you proved my point again. If Michael Phelps tried to eat 2,000 calories or whatever the recommended amount was for a normal male, he'd be STARVING. His body would be crying out for more food because he NEEDS more food to power his workouts. Someone who sits around all day doing nothing, their body does NOT cry out for more food. They do not get physically hungry enough to eat 3,000+ more calories. They might get bored enough, tired enough, upset/depressed enough. But that's not physical hunger talking, physical hunger is not to blame here. Learned behaviors around food are. Eating when you aren't hungry is to blame.

Otterluv

Most people don't know exactly when their relationship with food started to change for the worst, just like most women don't know they're in an abusive relationship until the negative effects are too obvious and harmful to ignore. A flip doesn't just go off one day and say "OKAY, START EATING EVERYTHING!" It's a gradual process of conditioning. You slowly learn to eat when you're not hungry because of other reasons. You slowly build the habit of using food to cope with other things. When you were young you were probably taught to clean your plate before you could get dessert. Of course a child wouldn't be aware of what was going on psychologically, but that doesn't mean it wasn't happening.

I highly disagree with your theory. People who are more active eat more BECAUSE they are more active, not regardless of whether or not they're active. Michael Phelps eats 10,000 calories a day to fuel his swimming. I'm 5'2, pretty sedentary and a female. I would never hope or desire to eat as much as he does because I know his body needs more energy than me, because of it's composition and because of his activity level. If I worked out that much, I'd need more food too. But I don't, so I don't.

You miss the boat. An entire population of people (thus an obesity epidemic) changed, not just one or two outliers. There has always been obesity but it is accelerating. You can't tell me that an entire population of people just stopped learning to listen to their body without some external factor. I take responsibility for my weight problem and choose to deal with it in a way that I feel works for me, you choose your own path.

People like Phelps can eat 10,000 calories because they are active. When people did manual labor they needed more calories and therefore could eat those calories. He can eat more calories because he must eat that many calories to maintain his level of fitness, no different than the farmer who could eat more because he needed to eat more. Oh, btw, Michael Phelps does NOT eat 10,000 calories. He eats more than you or I and can do so because he burns every one of them eventually. The vast majority of people today are not active enough to eat as many calories as their ancestors but still continue to do so.

That's exactly my point. What else has changed that didn't exist back then? Food advertisements that encourage people to eat even if they aren't hungry, because the food will make them happier, or will make them less stressed ("Upset? Eat a Snickers."), or will solve some other problem in their lives. Restaurants that serve portions WAY larger than most people need, encouraging them to ignore their fullness and eat far past a comfortable level.

And again, you proved my point again. If Michael Phelps tried to eat 2,000 calories or whatever the recommended amount was for a normal male, he'd be STARVING. His body would be crying out for more food because he NEEDS more food to power his workouts. Someone who sits around all day doing nothing, their body does NOT cry out for more food. They do not get physically hungry enough to eat 3,000+ more calories. They might get bored enough, tired enough, upset/depressed enough. But that's not physical hunger talking, physical hunger is not to blame here. Learned behaviors around food are. Eating when you aren't hungry is to blame.

THIS is the world we live in. Not some fantasy of 50 years ago. In order to successful live well in this reality, calorie counting helps.

BTW - I went from sedentary to running fairly long distances and weightlifting. I know the difference between bored eating and feeling hungry. Running long distances makes you hungry, a burning wanting to eat everything in sight hunger. The kind that would encourage you to exceed your daily calorie needs. The whole gaining weight while training for a marathon thing is real, and that's why. It's all about the energy, and when we are doing activities that use a lot of energy our bodies want a lot of it, enough to store for later, because who knows when we'll run across it again.

Even for athletes, hunger cues are not always reliable.

fitandfortyish

Most people don't know exactly when their relationship with food started to change for the worst, just like most women don't know they're in an abusive relationship until the negative effects are too obvious and harmful to ignore. A flip doesn't just go off one day and say "OKAY, START EATING EVERYTHING!" It's a gradual process of conditioning. You slowly learn to eat when you're not hungry because of other reasons. You slowly build the habit of using food to cope with other things. When you were young you were probably taught to clean your plate before you could get dessert. Of course a child wouldn't be aware of what was going on psychologically, but that doesn't mean it wasn't happening.

I highly disagree with your theory. People who are more active eat more BECAUSE they are more active, not regardless of whether or not they're active. Michael Phelps eats 10,000 calories a day to fuel his swimming. I'm 5'2, pretty sedentary and a female. I would never hope or desire to eat as much as he does because I know his body needs more energy than me, because of it's composition and because of his activity level. If I worked out that much, I'd need more food too. But I don't, so I don't.

You miss the boat. An entire population of people (thus an obesity epidemic) changed, not just one or two outliers. There has always been obesity but it is accelerating. You can't tell me that an entire population of people just stopped learning to listen to their body without some external factor. I take responsibility for my weight problem and choose to deal with it in a way that I feel works for me, you choose your own path.

People like Phelps can eat 10,000 calories because they are active. When people did manual labor they needed more calories and therefore could eat those calories. He can eat more calories because he must eat that many calories to maintain his level of fitness, no different than the farmer who could eat more because he needed to eat more. Oh, btw, Michael Phelps does NOT eat 10,000 calories. He eats more than you or I and can do so because he burns every one of them eventually. The vast majority of people today are not active enough to eat as many calories as their ancestors but still continue to do so.

That's exactly my point. What else has changed that didn't exist back then? Food advertisements that encourage people to eat even if they aren't hungry, because the food will make them happier, or will make them less stressed ("Upset? Eat a Snickers."), or will solve some other problem in their lives. Restaurants that serve portions WAY larger than most people need, encouraging them to ignore their fullness and eat far past a comfortable level.

And again, you proved my point again. If Michael Phelps tried to eat 2,000 calories or whatever the recommended amount was for a normal male, he'd be STARVING. His body would be crying out for more food because he NEEDS more food to power his workouts. Someone who sits around all day doing nothing, their body does NOT cry out for more food. They do not get physically hungry enough to eat 3,000+ more calories. They might get bored enough, tired enough, upset/depressed enough. But that's not physical hunger talking, physical hunger is not to blame here. Learned behaviors around food are. Eating when you aren't hungry is to blame.

Oh wow...did you ever open a can of worms. I stepped away from the tablet for and hour (to work out incidents...) and the debate rages on.

To your point(s) yes. It gets to be very important to watch what goes in you mouth. Not fair to compare we mortals to the Phelps or the world . They condition--go beyond mere exercise--so need to fuel their bodies.

I consistently row 10,000m in under 45 mins in a fasted state--no less than 12 hours without food prior to....I don't require the fuel because I'm not Phelps-ian lean. Typically I won't eat for an hour after working out either. Which means what ? Means that most of us won't need to refuel that much after a work out....might not even be that hungry.

Bottom line, we don't start our marathons by stepping onto the course the morning of...we work up to it so we don't flail about for 1000m then call it quits resigning ourselves to the failure we think we are.

Know your calorie threshold. And DEFINITELY make the choices that help, not hinder your progress to the goal. I wholeheartedly believe in what you are saying in general--the theory is sound. I just think you need to back the start position up a bit.

Sabine_Stroehm

THIS is the world we live in. Not some fantasy of 50 years ago. In order to successful live well in this reality, calorie counting helps.

BTW - I went from sedentary to running fairly long distances and weightlifting. I know the difference between bored eating and feeling hungry. Running long distances makes you hungry, a burning wanting to eat everything in sight hunger. The kind that would encourage you to exceed your daily calorie needs. The whole gaining weight while training for a marathon thing is real, and that's why. It's all about the energy, and when we are doing activities that use a lot of energy our bodies want a lot of it, enough to store for later, because who knows when we'll run across it again.

Even for athletes, hunger cues are not always reliable.

Calorie counting helps YOU. It's NOT what works best for all. It's not what works best for me, in fact. At this time. It's not the right answer for every person, at every time in their lives. This is why I said earlier (as many others have): find what works for you and make a real plan for transitioning that from weight loss diet to to lifestyle diet.

LiftAllThePizzas

Burning off an extra donut a day by being moderately more active does not balance out the dozens of donuts and other things consumed when people are emotionally eating, or eating just because it's there, or eating to distract themselves, or eating out of boredom, etc etc.

I can easily eat close to my TDEE worth of krispy kreme donuts before my body tells me I'm full. It's not emotional eating or eating to distract myself or boredom or any other BS reason. It's because I'm hungry and I like the taste of them, and my body's 'full' signal is not properly attuned to my caloric needs in all circumstances.

And you wouldn't feel nauseous, sick, or completely lacking in energy if you ate 1500+ calories worth of donuts? You'd feel perfectly fine & full of energy?

No I wouldn't feel nauseous and sick or lack energy. If I did I wouldn't have ever done it after the first time.

Housecats are domesticated, which means that their owners use food to train them, bribe them, etc. etc. They, like people, learn that food can be a reward and not just a biological need. Animals in the wild are not overweight because they are not influenced in this way.

Animals in the wild are limited in population and size by the amount of food available. There aren't more of them in the wild because of the ones that starved off. If there were enough food for one to get fat, there'd be enough for another healthy individual to outcompete them as soon as they got too big to keep up with the process of gathering/finding/eating food. The biggest competition is from others of the same species and those who eat the same food sources. If there were more food, the next season's crop of youngsters would have a higher survival rate and the population would quickly increase to meet the available food source.

I've seen fish in aquariums that will overeat when given an unlimited food supply too, and some reptiles and snakes will do the same. Are you going to suggest that fish and reptiles are domesticated and trained to eat food for psychological reasons?

Quasita

This thread is irritating...
1. Obesity is NOT a new thing, but rather newly epidemic. There is evidence of overweight animals and humans alike stemming back for centuries.
2. Calorie counting is NOT particular to weightloss. It IS considered a part of a healthy maintenance diet, particularly for people with special circumstances.
3. Intuitive eating does NOT work for everyone, and shaming people is a terrible thing to do.

If you don't like MFP's tactics, then stop using it. It's... that... simple.

LiftAllThePizzas

I finally got fed up after my last attempt around the age of 19. I used to use MFP to track my calories too, and just like everyone recommended, I ate 20% less than my TDEE, exercised 5 times a week, etc. But eventually I just got tired of the counting and tired of living that lifestyle. Having friends who had no trouble with this sort of thing eventually got me thinking. Why can they eat normally and not me? Am I cursed to be fat forever?

You weren't going about calorie counting correctly. Most likely you still had a diet-like mindset towards it.

RhineDHP

This thread is irritating...
1. Obesity is NOT a new thing, but rather newly epidemic. There is evidence of overweight animals and humans alike stemming back for centuries.
2. Calorie counting is NOT particular to weightloss. It IS considered a part of a healthy maintenance diet, particularly for people with special circumstances.
3. Intuitive eating does NOT work for everyone, and shaming people is a terrible thing to do.

If you don't like MFP's tactics, then stop using it. It's... that... simple.

/end thread

Sabine_Stroehm

This thread is irritating...
1. Obesity is NOT a new thing, but rather newly epidemic. There is evidence of overweight animals and humans alike stemming back for centuries.
2. Calorie counting is NOT particular to weightloss. It IS considered a part of a healthy maintenance diet, particularly for people with special circumstances.
3. Intuitive eating does NOT work for everyone, and shaming people is a terrible thing to do.

If you don't like MFP's tactics, then stop using it. It's... that... simple.

Alas, this happens with everything. For whatever reason, each person's posted approach to eating, when shared on MFP, generally opens them up to mocking or shaming by *someone*. I have no idea why this is, but it always happens.

fitandfortyish

This thread is irritating...
1. Obesity is NOT a new thing, but rather newly epidemic. There is evidence of overweight animals and humans alike stemming back for centuries.
2. Calorie counting is NOT particular to weightloss. It IS considered a part of a healthy maintenance diet, particularly for people with special circumstances.
3. Intuitive eating does NOT work for everyone, and shaming people is a terrible thing to do.

If you don't like MFP's tactics, then stop using it. It's... that... simple.

Alas, this happens with everything. For whatever reason, each person's posted approach to eating, when shared on MFP, generally opens them up to mocking or shaming by *someone*. I have no idea why this is, but it always happens.

^^^^^^ This

DamePiglet

If so how?

I've been lurking these forums for a few weeks and I constantly see people telling others, "don't diet! make it a lifestyle change!" But you're all counting your calories? Not to be judgmental but I don't see how it's different from a diet. Is this just a stepping stone to a healthier lifestyle? Or do you plan to count calories forever?

Why are you lurking around forums on a food tracking website asking people questions?
You're not counting calories, so you're here for other purposes.
People give you answers that you don't seem to be satisfied with.
So, cut to the chase... What do you want?

Since you skipped over my question before, I'm bumping it in case you didn't see it.

In case you didn't notice, I'm ignoring you purposely because I can tell by your earlier posts that you're only trying to poke fun at me or discredit what I'm saying using petty tactics.

I did notice you were ignoring me.

There is nothing petty about pointing out your behavior.

If it only takes "petty tactics" to discredit what you say, then what you say is rubbish, not fact.

joan23_us

If so how?

I've been lurking these forums for a few weeks and I constantly see people telling others, "don't diet! make it a lifestyle change!" But you're all counting your calories? Not to be judgmental but I don't see how it's different from a diet. Is this just a stepping stone to a healthier lifestyle? Or do you plan to count calories forever?

if you think of it as a diet there is a negative connotation that it is ONLY TEMPORARY... most people that make lifestyle changes including the way they approach their eating, portion sizes and exercises understands that its not a short term solution, its a journey towards changing your old bad habits that leads you on this website in the first place... it may seem daunting to think that you are going to count macros forever but it is the best solution, as others said it is an eye opener, you will be surprise on things you will discover about yourself, how much you eat, how it affects your mood, etc. imho it is more than just a diet, you dont have to necessary do it for life but for now that is what needs to be done to kickstart your journey... goodluck

megsmom2

There is a difference between 'going on a diet' and 'changing your diet'.

Calorie counting is just a tool I use to help me change my diet. It helps me to learn to control portions and how to eat so that I feel full and satisfied, can still have the occasional treat, but not feel restricted.

"Going on a diet" often involves limiting the types of food one eats, or having rules about when to eat etc.

In a sense, counting calories is really just record keeping. Our memory is not always that good.

This. Exactly this!

Otterluv

THIS is the world we live in. Not some fantasy of 50 years ago. In order to successful live well in this reality, calorie counting helps.

BTW - I went from sedentary to running fairly long distances and weightlifting. I know the difference between bored eating and feeling hungry. Running long distances makes you hungry, a burning wanting to eat everything in sight hunger. The kind that would encourage you to exceed your daily calorie needs. The whole gaining weight while training for a marathon thing is real, and that's why. It's all about the energy, and when we are doing activities that use a lot of energy our bodies want a lot of it, enough to store for later, because who knows when we'll run across it again.

Even for athletes, hunger cues are not always reliable.

Calorie counting helps YOU. It's NOT what works best for all. It's not what works best for me, in fact. At this time. It's not the right answer for every person, at every time in their lives. This is why I said earlier (as many others have): find what works for you and make a real plan for transitioning that from weight loss diet to to lifestyle diet.

Did I say that everyone must calorie count? Nope, pretty sure I didn't. My apologies if my post made it seem otherwise. My brother, mother and sister have all been able to maintain healthy weights by just noticing when they put on a few pounds and cutting back temporarily. I think that's wonderful for them. They don't rely on hunger cues, though. They are just MUCH better at keeping their portions reasonable than I am. It's the same with my sisters in law.

So, I have this one area in my life that I suck at. But, that's okay because there is a cheat code for me and for others with the same issue: weigh, measure, and count my calories. BOOM! It's a perfectly reasonable approach and a life changing tool.

christa279

Why come to a calorie counting forum and bash calorie counting?

It's great to be passionate about something that worked for you, but remember just that. It worked for YOU and might not work for EVERYONE else.

AwesomeGuy37

Sure people should probably get those problems that led to their obesity under control, but why demonize calorie counting?

If a cat can get fat, is his natural hunger force not working or does he have emotional issues?
Why are there underweight people?
Why do bodybuilders and normal weight people count calories?
Why are you on a calorie counting site?

Housecats are domesticated, which means that their owners use food to train them, bribe them, etc. etc. They, like people, learn that food can be a reward and not just a biological need. Animals in the wild are not overweight because they are not influenced in this way.

Some people are naturally thinner than others even though they eat according to hunger. What's considered a "healthy weight" is not necessarily accurate for everyone. BMI calculators are not an accurate depiction of how healthy a person is.

Body builders have goals to push their bodies to large, muscular proportions. Although it can still be healthy, it's definitely not "natural". So it would of course take unnatural methods to get there.

The only normal weight people who count calories are doing it to keep their weight low because they've forgotten how to do so any other way, OR they're trying to maintain a weight lower than where their bodies would naturally fall. But many, if not most, normal weight people AREN'T concerned with calories.

I used to be a MFP member and now I'm back to share my discoveries. I don't see what that has to do with the topic at hand though. But I can see how you could be trying to use that to deviate from the topic & discredit what I'm saying.

I answered your TOPIC AT HAND a while back, and you brought up this topic on your own with your logical fallacies and baseless assumptions about cravings.
Here:

The word "diet" has negative connotations associated with it, plus there are many definitions. A lifestyle would incorporate something you do not have to change. If you eat the maintenance for your ideal weight, eventually you would be that weight and not have to change a single thing. That is the theory. Many say they will diet to lose weight. Then what? When they get to their ideal weight, go back to old eating habits? I'll probably count calories for life. That's just part of my new lifestyle.

You have an answer for everything dontcha?
Housecats, dogs, ferrets, pigeons.. why differentiate? If you give an untrained housecat a whole box of food, does he not overeat?

BMI calculators are not an accurate depiction of how healthy a person is.. Who says it is? You assume I'm referring to under BMI people. Some people are not hungry when they should eat. Your making assumptions and trying to start another topic to deviate from the question I asked.

You avoid the question with bodybuilders by describing to me what a bodybuilder is. Your premise is that calorie counting is a crutch and restrictive. Focus on those.

You are making claims and I'm just asking you to back them up.

Don't play a victim.

LiftAllThePizzas

THIS is the world we live in. Not some fantasy of 50 years ago. In order to successful live well in this reality, calorie counting helps.

BTW - I went from sedentary to running fairly long distances and weightlifting. I know the difference between bored eating and feeling hungry. Running long distances makes you hungry, a burning wanting to eat everything in sight hunger. The kind that would encourage you to exceed your daily calorie needs. The whole gaining weight while training for a marathon thing is real, and that's why. It's all about the energy, and when we are doing activities that use a lot of energy our bodies want a lot of it, enough to store for later, because who knows when we'll run across it again.

Even for athletes, hunger cues are not always reliable.

Calorie counting helps YOU. It's NOT what works best for all. It's not what works best for me, in fact. At this time. It's not the right answer for every person, at every time in their lives. This is why I said earlier (as many others have): find what works for you and make a real plan for transitioning that from weight loss diet to to lifestyle diet.

Did I say that everyone must calorie count? Nope, pretty sure I didn't. My apologies if my post made it seem otherwise.

No, it's not you, this is her M.O. If you say clean eating is not necessary, she will quickly show up to accuse you of telling everyone they should eat nothing but pop tarts.

in_the_stars

Have any of you read "Hunger" ?

KimiSteinbach

If so how?

I've been lurking these forums for a few weeks and I constantly see people telling others, "don't diet! make it a lifestyle change!" But you're all counting your calories? Not to be judgmental but I don't see how it's different from a diet. Is this just a stepping stone to a healthier lifestyle? Or do you plan to count calories forever?

This is a VERY valid question and I'm not going to digest the prior pages too much. Counting calories has to take place in order to reset and learn where one went wrong. Same as getting a scale and weighing foods or measuring.

OP is correct in that it IS a stepping stone or "baby step" to getting it straight.

Some folks may need to count cals forever but some may not. Depends upon the person.

I"m REALLY hoping this topic didn't go south with symantics.

KimiSteinbach

I will count calories as long as it has not become a natural way to live. I have to teach it to myself and it takes a very long time... it is a new way of life. I cannot count on myself doing it without a conscious effort. I have a lifetime of bad habits and bad choices to counterbalance...

So why not just try to fix those bad eating habits directly? Why turn to counting calories if it's a crutch you'll have to rely on for the rest of your life in order to maintain a healthy weight?

Wouldn't it be easier to work on fixing the issues that cause you to overeat, and once those issues are addressed, continue eating a reasonable amount for the rest of your life & losing weight steadily that way?

Absolutely true. Fix the issues. The guy who is a moderator here that lost 330 lbs had to fix his issues as to why he was eating.

KimiSteinbach

OP, you're a smug young thing, aren't you? You've got all the answers. It's neat that you've been able to analyze the entire community of MFP users in order to formulate this perfect method for weight loss. Maybe you should write a diet book.

I don't eat for any reason other than I like to eat (and I eat a healthy diet). I also like to drink wine (a lot) and I wasn't exercising, so I found myself in need of some good old-fashioned reducing. I don't need to explore my relationship with food, I need to eat less of it for a while and learn what a portion looks like. (Do you know how easy it is to pour out two tablespoons of oil instead of one when you're cooking?) I look at more than just calories because I want optimal nutrition, and without logging it I wouldn't know if I'm getting it. I've learned that I need to up my protein and fiber, so I've been able to try some new stuff that helps me do that.

Edited to add: The word DIET doesn't bother me at all. It's just a word.

No, she's just curious. Leave her alone and let her ask her questions without getting your back up.

darrensurrey

If so how?

Because I'm trying to eat a minimum of 2600 a day with a minimum of 140g protein to get heavier!

fitandfortyish

If so how?

I've been lurking these forums for a few weeks and I constantly see people telling others, "don't diet! make it a lifestyle change!" But you're all counting your calories? Not to be judgmental but I don't see how it's different from a diet. Is this just a stepping stone to a healthier lifestyle? Or do you plan to count calories forever?

This is a VERY valid question and I'm not going to digest the prior pages too much. Counting calories has to take place in order to reset and learn where one went wrong. Same as getting a scale and weighing foods or measuring.

OP is correct in that it IS a stepping stone or "baby step" to getting it straight.

Some folks may need to count cals forever but some may not. Depends upon the person.

I"m REALLY hoping this topic didn't go south with symantics.

Open forums on the Internet are not for the feint of heart for sure. OP had some good points but the crowd got a bit hostile unfortunately

DamePiglet

If so how?

I've been lurking these forums for a few weeks and I constantly see people telling others, "don't diet! make it a lifestyle change!" But you're all counting your calories? Not to be judgmental but I don't see how it's different from a diet. Is this just a stepping stone to a healthier lifestyle? Or do you plan to count calories forever?

This is a VERY valid question and I'm not going to digest the prior pages too much. Counting calories has to take place in order to reset and learn where one went wrong. Same as getting a scale and weighing foods or measuring.

OP is correct in that it IS a stepping stone or "baby step" to getting it straight.

Some folks may need to count cals forever but some may not. Depends upon the person.

I"m REALLY hoping this topic didn't go south with symantics.

Open forums on the Internet are not for the feint of heart for sure. OP had some good points but the crowd got a bit hostile unfortunately

OP had a question then made a bunch of statements when people tried to answer.

LinDiSm26262

For me calorie counting is teaching me about portion size and the calories in certain foods (eg pasta - my idea of a portion had about double the calories in it than I thought). That's allowing me to make healthier choices. I don't think I'll count calories forever but it keeps me focussed whilst I'm getting to target. I do think there's certain foods that I'll weigh probably forever as its easy to eat a lot of extra calories without trying (complex carbs and high fat food in my case). Calorie counting is part of my lifestyle change but to eat the right things more often and to retrain my eating habits.

This is it in a nutshell....learning portion control......the secret of weight loss.

Mr_Knight

I want to eat this:



But I need to lose weight, so I can only eat this:



Whether I get there through food restrictions, or macro restrictions, or calorie restrictions, I'm getting there via restrictions.

Which means I'm dieting.

Since I will *always* be able to eat - and want to eat - more than my body needs I will *always*, for the rest of my life, be on a "diet". Euphamisizing it into a "lifestyle change" doesn't change a thing or make it any of this any easier.

And pretending otherwise does a disservice to people who are struggling.

(Yes, of course I'm exaggerating the images to help make a point)

Sabine_Stroehm

THIS is the world we live in. Not some fantasy of 50 years ago. In order to successful live well in this reality, calorie counting helps.

BTW - I went from sedentary to running fairly long distances and weightlifting. I know the difference between bored eating and feeling hungry. Running long distances makes you hungry, a burning wanting to eat everything in sight hunger. The kind that would encourage you to exceed your daily calorie needs. The whole gaining weight while training for a marathon thing is real, and that's why. It's all about the energy, and when we are doing activities that use a lot of energy our bodies want a lot of it, enough to store for later, because who knows when we'll run across it again.

Even for athletes, hunger cues are not always reliable.

Calorie counting helps YOU. It's NOT what works best for all. It's not what works best for me, in fact. At this time. It's not the right answer for every person, at every time in their lives. This is why I said earlier (as many others have): find what works for you and make a real plan for transitioning that from weight loss diet to to lifestyle diet.

Did I say that everyone must calorie count? Nope, pretty sure I didn't. My apologies if my post made it seem otherwise. My brother, mother and sister have all been able to maintain healthy weights by just noticing when they put on a few pounds and cutting back temporarily. I think that's wonderful for them. They don't rely on hunger cues, though. They are just MUCH better at keeping their portions reasonable than I am. It's the same with my sisters in law.

So, I have this one area in my life that I suck at. But, that's okay because there is a cheat code for me and for others with the same issue: weigh, measure, and count my calories. BOOM! It's a perfectly reasonable approach and a life changing tool.

Apologies. When you used the phrase "world we live in" I made an assumption. Thanks much for clarifying.

Sabine_Stroehm

THIS is the world we live in. Not some fantasy of 50 years ago. In order to successful live well in this reality, calorie counting helps.

BTW - I went from sedentary to running fairly long distances and weightlifting. I know the difference between bored eating and feeling hungry. Running long distances makes you hungry, a burning wanting to eat everything in sight hunger. The kind that would encourage you to exceed your daily calorie needs. The whole gaining weight while training for a marathon thing is real, and that's why. It's all about the energy, and when we are doing activities that use a lot of energy our bodies want a lot of it, enough to store for later, because who knows when we'll run across it again.

Even for athletes, hunger cues are not always reliable.

Calorie counting helps YOU. It's NOT what works best for all. It's not what works best for me, in fact. At this time. It's not the right answer for every person, at every time in their lives. This is why I said earlier (as many others have): find what works for you and make a real plan for transitioning that from weight loss diet to to lifestyle diet.

Did I say that everyone must calorie count? Nope, pretty sure I didn't. My apologies if my post made it seem otherwise.

No, it's not you, this is her M.O. If you say clean eating is not necessary, she will quickly show up to accuse you of telling everyone they should eat nothing but pop tarts.

Wow. That was uncalled for and a gross mischaracterization. But, meh. Opinions are like...well, you know. cheers

Wiseandcurious

There is a difference between 'going on a diet' and 'changing your diet'.

Calorie counting is just a tool I use to help me change my diet. It helps me to learn to control portions and how to eat so that I feel full and satisfied, can still have the occasional treat, but not feel restricted.

"Going on a diet" often involves limiting the types of food one eats, or having rules about when to eat etc.

In a sense, counting calories is really just record keeping. Our memory is not always that good.

This. Me exactly.

RaggedyPond

I feel like counting can fall into the "dieting" category. It isn't something that is possible to do the rest of your life. Tons of people lose weight using MFP and come back again because they started eating more than they did when they had something telling them how much to eat.