Lost 80 lbs and never counted calories!
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What DarrenSurrey said....
I can maintain and bulk without counting calories (bulking requires the extra "effort" of making sure I eat high carb snacks to bump my calories above maintenance... maintaining requires that I'm careful not to accidentally do this) but cutting without counting calories is very hit and miss with me... sometimes it works, e.g. if I cut out different high carb foods like bread, pasta etc and fill up on protein and fibrous veggies... but I can end up lacking in energy and having problems due to eating too few carbs, and plus, I like bread and pasta and don't want to cut them out. And at other times i can end up eating at maintenance because i tend to feel hungry until I hit maintenance calories. So calorie counting for cutting is the best strategy for me, because then I can be sure that I'm definitely eating the right amount and not accidentally undereating or overeating, and also it enables me to enjoy all the foods I want to eat and still be in a deficit. IMO that's the biggest advantage with it for me.
I love bread and pasta myself. However, I reach a new beginning by not buying bread at all! I eat wheat pasta about once every 6 weeks. My body has responded well to it. I only eat bread if I go to Subway, and I do that a couple times on the weekends, but it balances out b/c I work out all weekend. Keeping bread and pasta out of your house helps you to eliminate the cravings (or atleast for me it does). I haven't tackled the maintaining stage or the bulking up stage yet but I will deal with that when I cross that road. To become good at no calorie counting while losing weight, it will take some failures. No one will do it perfectly the first time.
I don't see the point (for me) in practicing or using trial and error to lose weight without counting calories, because counting calories when you use MFP is not difficult at all, and I have that certainty that I'm neither undereating nor overeating, and I have the freedom of being able to eat all the foods I want, and knowing just how much I can eat of these foods without going over my calories for the day. I'm sure non-counting methods work for some people. And I can see how in the days before smartphones and apps like MFP calorie counting must have been a total pain in the rear end, I mean all that arithmetic... but the app does all the work. And non-counting works for me for bulking and maintenance so it's not like I'm going to be counting calories my whole life, but it's definitely the best method for me for cutting cycles.0 -
Isn't this site about counting calories? Seems the OP has missed the point. No matter what you need to eat at a deficit to lose weight. If you can do this without counting calories that's great for you (not sure why your on MFP though). For the rest of us who have problems eating at a deficit without counting calories we'll continue. It takes 10 minutes of my day to log everything and I seem to have lost a wee bit of weight doing it.0
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Just to give an advantage of calorie counting versus non-counting
calorie counting: hmm, I feel like eating some ice cream this evening... let's check my food diary... hmm, 200 cals under goal. *looks at ice cream tub* *works out how many grams of ice cream = 200 cals* *measures and eats ice cream* *logs ice cream in diary, meets calorie goal* *continues to lose weight at the desired rate*
non-calorie counting: hmm, I feel like eating some ice cream this evening... but I've eaten quite a lot of food today, and I don't feel that hungry, it's probably not a good idea to eat any ice cream right now. *ice cream stays in the freezer* *weight loss still happens but it's harder to sustain long term due to feeling deprived of ice cream and other yummy things*
this is why calorie counting > not calorie counting0 -
Just to give an advantage of calorie counting versus non-counting
calorie counting: hmm, I feel like eating some ice cream this evening... let's check my food diary... hmm, 200 cals under goal. *looks at ice cream tub* *works out how many grams of ice cream = 200 cals* *measures and eats ice cream* *logs ice cream in diary, meets calorie goal* *continues to lose weight at the desired rate*
non-calorie counting: hmm, I feel like eating some ice cream this evening... but I've eaten quite a lot of food today, and I don't feel that hungry, it's probably not a good idea to eat any ice cream right now. *ice cream stays in the freezer* *weight loss still happens but it's harder to sustain long term due to feeling deprived of ice cream and other yummy things*
this is why calorie counting > not calorie counting
Added to that: "Oh screw it, I'll eat it anyway." *eats* *guilt* *guilt* *guilt* *angry at self* *cry* *eat more* *angry* *cry* (for many people)0 -
While it's certainly not necessary for everyone to count their calories in order to lose weight, I personally found MFP a great tool to understand just exactly how much I eat. I have been only logging for 37 days, but each day I lurk in the forums, I learn new things about nutrition and staying healthy. My favorite discovery is that I can really eat everything I love, as long as it's portioned correctly.
I have never been overweight until 4 years ago, never had weight fluctuations, nothing. So the excess weight that slowly crept up over these last few years really caught me by surprise and I couldn't understand why my trousers didn't fit, considering I thought I hadn't changed my eating habits all that much. What I now found is that I was slightly overeating and spending less energy as the years went by.
I could have done like the OP said, used common sense and lose weight that way. Cutting portions is fairly easy BUT I imagine that losing weight in a healthy way AND maintaining it after we reach out goal is not. At least, not for me. I don't want to keep dropping weight without understanding exactly how my body works and what it needs to stay healthy. I also don't want to gain it all afterwards because I never bothered to learn more about the food I eat.
But most importantly, had not been for this app, I would probably still be too focused on the weight itself, instead of my body measurements. Now I'm not really worried about the scale these days, I'm just happy to see my body changing and becoming stronger each day.0 -
Congratulations on your weight loss. I agree with everything you've said -- counting calories, especially long term, is not a natural way to eat and live. You've given common sense guidelines.
I don't intend to count calories forever, either. I've lost about 50 pounds in the last year and am slacking off now with logging since I've reached "normal." I understand what I need to do and a lot of it has to do with your guidelines.
However, I'm still a sweet-aholic and find it easy to fool myself. I eat for entertainment and to relieve stress, can graze through a box of donuts with no problem, and still want to grab high calorie fast food instead of making something better at home. Counting calories forces me to be aware of what I'm putting in my mouth. It's a reality check. I've lost the weight but mentally I still can slip into those habits.
I'm glad you understood where I was coming from. Some people took my thread to as an outlet to bash others who rely on calorie counting to lose weight. That is not my intention. I should have been more clear in the first post. My apologies. Yes, calorie counting is good to get you started or back on track. However, weight loss is a lot like riding a bike. You start off with training wheels (calorie counting) to gain a balance and to keep from falling off. Once you move on to big boy/girl status, you learn what works for your body, thus naturally doing it without as much emphasis on counting calories. Some people have become so accustomed to it that it helps them to feel better. I can't knock them for that, and I encourage them to do what has brought them the most success. As said earlier, I'm trying to connect with people who've lost weight without calorie counting. IF THIS IS YOU, PLEASE SHARE YOUR STORY
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I see a lot of people on this site talk about counting calories. Honestly, I've managed to lose a good chunk of weight and drop 2 or 3 shirt sizes and I never counted calories or weighed my food. I portion according to judging by the eye. I feel like counting calories is complicated and to be honest is not a natural way to eat and live. I can see the mathematical ideology behind it and it does work for a good amount of people. However, if you are one of those people who rather judge it by eye, use common sense. Don't eat until you are full. Eat half a plate serving and drink water or tea. Fill up on veggies with minimal dressing, fruits, and a healthy balance of protein and smart low carb choices. Exercising at least three times a week along with walking and other physical activities will drop the weight.
Any questions on how I've done this, feel free to inbox me.
I think this is great and you are far more talented (and disciplined) than I am!
I guess for most of us it boils down to examining the reasons why we are overweight in the first place. Personally I felt like I was doing nothing different. I was once that special snowflake we all love to hate, complaining about how the weight kept piling on and I was the victim here. It took accurately weighing and logging for me to educate myself.
A few things-
What "one portion" looks like, I was routinely filling my bowl with cereal. That would be about three servings. I had to recalibrate my sense of what one serving of cereal looked like in the bowl. Turns out it looked so pathetic I started eating more eggs!
Convenience calories still count. Hey you know those times there was just one cookie left in the box and even though you weren't dying for a cookie you thought 'why leave the whole box? I'll get rid of this and tidy up" Yeah that's still 140 calories or whatever it is. The logging gives me the discipline and rationalises why I won't just pop that cookie right into my mouth.
What 100g of pasta looks like and how many calories are in it vs the same for say... green peas or carrots or sweet potato. If I'm hungry I know I can go out and graze pretty much all day if I just stick to certain foods.
Plus logging your intake and almost rationing your calories makes you think about whether you're actually hungry rather than mindlessly chowing down on birthday cake just because your coworker turned 35, for example.
I know for a lot of folks this is intuitive but for me I'd really lost sight of a lot of things. Namely how frequently I was eating without realising it. How much I was eating and how much of that was just stuff I had underestimated the calories for.
Thats why I'm on here using this site- because for those of us without your skills it is necessary and it really works because it holds us accountable without running the risk of our subjectivity/ human fallibility coming into it.0 -
I'm sorry, but how exactly are you expecting to find people who've lost weight without counting calories in a calorie count app forum?As said earlier, I'm trying to connect with people who've lost weight without calorie counting. IF THIS IS YOU, PLEASE SHARE YOUR STORY
I'm not criticizing your method to lose weight, I just don't get the logic behind your post. It's like going to McDonnald's and ask if there are any people there not eating their food.0 -
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I'm sorry, but how exactly are you expecting to find people who've lost weight without counting calories in a calorie count app forum?As said earlier, I'm trying to connect with people who've lost weight without calorie counting. IF THIS IS YOU, PLEASE SHARE YOUR STORY
I'm not criticizing your method to lose weight, I just don't get the logic behind your post. It's like going to McDonnald's and ask if there are any people there not eating their food.
I came across MPF late last year. I was looking up motivation articles for losing weight and this was a top site for that. I hesitated to create a profile but I decided to b/c of the amount of people on here and what tools it gave us to lose weight. I've been tracking my food for two years, off of MFP on my own cell phone, backed up to my Gmail account. I document everything I eat. I document my weight. I document my inches lost and/or gained. Contrary to the popular belief here, not everyone uses all functionality the site offers. I guess I'm one of a kind then.0 -
I often don't 'count' calories per say. I eyeball & use guesstimates a lot for quite a few things. However, whilst I can fully understand the notion of moderation/portion control. It obviously wasn't working for me or I'd never have gained weight in the first place!
OP are you suggesting that by not 'counting calories' that you don't actually look at the calorie content on foods? Even 'healthy/low fat' items (most are labelled this but bs) can have a surprising number when you look. For a lot of people especially ones tracking when initially starting to lose weight, or those close to goal. Its sometimes ALL about the numbers.0 -
OP posts on a board for people that use a calorie counting app, boasting about never having counted calories.
-insert popcorn.gif-
A lot of people use the app to keep track of their macronutrient ratios, too, btw.
This is what I was thinking.0 -
Congratulations on your weight loss. I agree with everything you've said -- counting calories, especially long term, is not a natural way to eat and live. You've given common sense guidelines.
I don't intend to count calories forever, either. I've lost about 50 pounds in the last year and am slacking off now with logging since I've reached "normal." I understand what I need to do and a lot of it has to do with your guidelines.
However, I'm still a sweet-aholic and find it easy to fool myself. I eat for entertainment and to relieve stress, can graze through a box of donuts with no problem, and still want to grab high calorie fast food instead of making something better at home. Counting calories forces me to be aware of what I'm putting in my mouth. It's a reality check. I've lost the weight but mentally I still can slip into those habits.
I'm glad you understood where I was coming from. Some people took my thread to as an outlet to bash others who rely on calorie counting to lose weight. That is not my intention. I should have been more clear in the first post. My apologies. Yes, calorie counting is good to get you started or back on track. However, weight loss is a lot like riding a bike. You start off with training wheels (calorie counting) to gain a balance and to keep from falling off. Once you move on to big boy/girl status, you learn what works for your body, thus naturally doing it without as much emphasis on counting calories. Some people have become so accustomed to it that it helps them to feel better. I can't knock them for that, and I encourage them to do what has brought them the most success. As said earlier, I'm trying to connect with people who've lost weight without calorie counting. IF THIS IS YOU, PLEASE SHARE YOUR STORY
I thought you were just sharing your experience. MFP has lots of tools. We can use the ones that help -- we don't have to use all of them. Many people with different lifestyles show up here.
I'm actually trying to transition to your guidelines. My problem is my lack of discipline. The calorie counting unfortunately is a control for me. I need to keep working on time management (making meals ahead of time so I don't grab junk) and my attitudes. Like anything we have to want to do what's good for us to take the first steps or keep up with it. My attitude is more important than anything.0 -
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I'm sorry, but how exactly are you expecting to find people who've lost weight without counting calories in a calorie count app forum?As said earlier, I'm trying to connect with people who've lost weight without calorie counting. IF THIS IS YOU, PLEASE SHARE YOUR STORY
I'm not criticizing your method to lose weight, I just don't get the logic behind your post. It's like going to McDonnald's and ask if there are any people there not eating their food.
I came across MPF late last year. I was looking up motivation articles for losing weight and this was a top site for that. I hesitated to create a profile but I decided to b/c of the amount of people on here and what tools it gave us to lose weight. I've been tracking my food for two years, off of MFP on my own cell phone, backed up to my Gmail account. I document everything I eat. I document my weight. I document my inches lost and/or gained. Contrary to the popular belief here, not everyone uses all functionality the site offers. I guess I'm one of a kind then.
I'm sorry but I'm not completely sure I understand. If you've by your own admission been tracking daily everything you consume. Then I'd say that's still pretty much a form of counting calories and having a fair idea of the number you consume daily. So you are still basically counting calories. You just aren't doing it accurately. Well done on the 80lb loss btw.0 -
I'm happy it worked for you. Judging by the eye is how I got fat. I have bad eye judgement.I portion according to judging by the eye.
MFP is a calorie-counting site.0 -
OP posts on a board for people that use a calorie counting app, boasting about never having counted calories.
-insert popcorn.gif-
A lot of people use the app to keep track of their macronutrient ratios, too, btw.
Not boasting, just trying to get acquainted with people that lost without calorie counting. I am sure I am not the only one to do it this way. I was a person that never thought I could do it alone. I did it alone. I attempted to use a nutritionist and even with her advice and journal logs for how I should do it, I wasn't feeling it. I simply took control of my life by making common sense choices on how much food I should be eating, when I should be eating, and how much I should be moving my body to produce a change. I'm pretty sure people did it this way long before calorie counting apps existed.
My point being that this is a board for a calorie counting app.
Lots of people here count calories.
We may not be your market.0 -
Looking at your profile you're a young guy with alot of weight to lose. That's why you've been successful so far. As you get closer to goal weight everything changes. Eating just a little too much, or too little will put you into a stall. Also as you get older and have a tendency to move less, the weight just sticks there. Alot of people on here are impatient counting calories, and can't wait to quit. Other posts have people that are back "because they stopped counting" and the weight came back. I've yo-yo'd the same 30lbs for 30 years. I am not going back. I plan to keep my intake under control forever if need be. Wishing you the best with your re-education--let us know how it goes.0
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I'm glad you understood where I was coming from. Some people took my thread to as an outlet to bash others who rely on calorie counting to lose weight. That is not my intention. I should have been more clear in the first post. My apologies. Yes, calorie counting is good to get you started or back on track. However, weight loss is a lot like riding a bike. You start off with training wheels (calorie counting) to gain a balance and to keep from falling off. Once you move on to big boy/girl status, you learn what works for your body, thus naturally doing it without as much emphasis on counting calories. Some people have become so accustomed to it that it helps them to feel better. I can't knock them for that, and I encourage them to do what has brought them the most success. As said earlier, I'm trying to connect with people who've lost weight without calorie counting. IF THIS IS YOU, PLEASE SHARE YOUR STORY
Please don't take this the wrong way, but from what you've shared so far, you started with heck of a lot more weight to lose than I did. That means that making little changes like moving more, switching from fried to baked foods, etc, can make a huge impact on your weight loss. I started with 45 lbs to lose and have about 20 lbs left to go, and doing the math - I just don't have a huge disparity between my TDEE and BMR to play around with, so calorie counting really is something I need to do. Not because I need it to make myself feel better or because I haven't graduated to big girl status, but simply because of the math. I'm damn good at eyeballing portion sizes as well, but a few small miscalculations per day add up and would directly affect how much weight I lose that week, or if I lose at all. You might want to take that into account when you make sweeping generalizations about peoples' reasoning in their approach to weight loss.0 -
Just to give an advantage of calorie counting versus non-counting
calorie counting: hmm, I feel like eating some ice cream this evening... let's check my food diary... hmm, 200 cals under goal. *looks at ice cream tub* *works out how many grams of ice cream = 200 cals* *measures and eats ice cream* *logs ice cream in diary, meets calorie goal* *continues to lose weight at the desired rate*
non-calorie counting: hmm, I feel like eating some ice cream this evening... but I've eaten quite a lot of food today, and I don't feel that hungry, it's probably not a good idea to eat any ice cream right now. *ice cream stays in the freezer* *weight loss still happens but it's harder to sustain long term due to feeling deprived of ice cream and other yummy things*
this is why calorie counting > not calorie counting
SO MUCH THIS.0 -
I see a lot of people on this site talk about counting calories.
Yeah. You're gonna see that on a calorie-counting website. ????
I don't find calorie counting to be stressful at all. But maybe that's just me. Or the thousands of other successful members here. Congrats on your weight loss!0 -
Ofcourse its possible. I've done it in the past and everyone I know who has lost weight haven't counted cals as well..
Difference this time for me is that I eat more. Never would have realized that I could eat more if I didn't weigh and log calories. And also macros. That wasn't a factor back then.
I wont do this forever hopefully as I'm getting pretty good with keeping track in my head. I really don't like how it affects every aspect of my life. Kind of irritating to me and I know others in my life think so...even though they don't express it. Lol..,,,0
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