Counting Calories Doesn't Work

Commander_Keen

I didn't even finish reading it all since I already found a couple of completely wrong sentences (scientifically speaking).

Which ones, did you find incorrect.

Derp_Diggler

In for the ensuing trainwreck

Calliope610

Saying that counting calories doesn't work for weight management is kinda like saying balancing my checkbook doesn't work for financial management.

jenny11011

great summary!

nicmatts

Cutting back on carbs is the only way I am able to cut back on calories, but not for the reason you'd think. Obviously if you eat less of any macronutrient, you'll eat fewer calories unless you increase a different macro. But for me, eating fewer carbs means I'm less hungry. I can eat an 1,800 calorie diet with a higher carb ratio and be starving all the time, or I can eat the same number of calories with less carbs and more fat and protein and feel fine.

I wouldn't begin to say that this is true for everyone, but it works for me.

Acg67

I didn't even finish reading it all since I already found a couple of completely wrong sentences (scientifically speaking).

Which ones, did you find incorrect.

El oh el

"And of everything we eat, highly refined and rapidly digestible carbohydrates produce the most insulin.

By this way of thinking, the increasing amount and processing of carbohydrates in the American diet has increased insulin levels, put fat cells into storage overdrive and elicited obesity-promoting biological responses in a large number of people. Like an infection that raises the body temperature set point, high consumption of refined carbohydrates — chips, crackers, cakes, soft drinks, sugary breakfast cereals and even white rice and bread — has increased body weights throughout the population."

DivineChoices

Actually, this article makes a lot of sense, and is probably right on almost every point. It's an interesting hypothesis -- initially, overeating causes fat gain. But then, that fat demands more energy to sustain, leaving less energy for the rest of your body's systems, causing increased hunger and (often) overeating. It's a vicious feedback cycle.

That being said, counting calories will work, but if it's the only thing you do it's going to be a long, hard road on the way to poor health. I think most of us implicitly understand that we're keeping calories in check while ALSO focusing on choosing healthy foods, cutting down on processed ones, exercising, etc etc.

This is what I was thinking when I was reading it, that some points made sense. Idk if there is science behind the points to back them up. But one thing that really stood out to me is when they reported that, "Only one in six overweight and obese adults in a nationwide survey reports ever having maintained a 10 percent weight loss for at least a year. (Even this relatively modest accomplishment may be exaggerated, because people tend to overestimate their successes in self-reported surveys.)" That begs the question of what those other 5 people where doing to KEEP the weight off. Or were they one of the people that didn't contemplate moving over to maintenance mode. Furthermore, if they started obese and only lose 10% of their body weight, did they fall off the wagon in that year? Cause I've "dieted" about a 100 times since I was 14 and I've ALWAYS fallen off the wagon. That doesn't mean that if I had kept up with it, that it wouldn't have worked.

I think what they should be looking at is WHY so many overweight or obese people have trouble staying on a plan? I'm MORBIDLY OBESE and so far, calorie counting is simple, but takes lots of planning and some days its hard to get it all done. Some days I go over. Some days I gain weight, but you gotta keep trucking on. I used to be one of those obese people that couldn't maintain a 10% weight loss because I stopped trying. Doesn't mean it wasn't working.

jenny11011

Actually, this article makes a lot of sense, and is probably right on almost every point. It's an interesting hypothesis -- initially, overeating causes fat gain. But then, that fat demands more energy to sustain, leaving less energy for the rest of your body's systems, causing increased hunger and (often) overeating. It's a vicious feedback cycle.

That being said, counting calories will work, but if it's the only thing you do it's going to be a long, hard road on the way to poor health. I think most of us implicitly understand that we're keeping calories in check while ALSO focusing on choosing healthy foods, cutting down on processed ones, exercising, etc etc.

Excellent summary!

ndj1979

lol that news to me ….

at the end of the day, whether you count calories or not, you are going to need a negative energy balance to lose weight. I like to track my calories so I can keep track of my macros and know how much I am consuming on a weekly basis, but that is just me…I pretty much know how much I need toe at to lose weigh, and could probably maintain without counting, but I like to have the data in MFP to refer back to …

_Zardoz_

Just book marking for the oncoming storm

ndj1979

I found this gem interesting..

"With reduced consumption of refined grains, concentrated sugar and potato products and a few other sensible lifestyle choices, our internal body weight control system should be able to do the rest."

but what about the rest of us that eat carbs and sugar AND lose weight…?????????? I guess we are just outliers….

WanderingPomme

bump n grind for later

ChrisM8971

Maybe its more about the fact that Calorie counting alone doesn't sell as many books as sensationalism

yopeeps025

I stopped reading the article because it is kinda true. The more you weigh more calories needed to meet maintenance but weight can speed your metabolism up in calorie deficit.

Acg67

Since insulin is evil, why aren't they recommending low protein since protein is highly insulinogenic as well?

PennyVonDread

Lol lies, there have been no metabolic ward trials that controlled caloric intake?

"UNFORTUNATELY, existing research cannot provide a definitive test of our hypothesis. Several prominent clinical trials reported no difference in weight loss when comparing diets purportedly differing in protein, carbohydrate and fat. However, these trials had major limitations; at the end, subjects reported that they had not met the targets for complying with the prescribed diets. We wouldn’t discard a potentially lifesaving cancer treatment based on negative findings, if the research subjects didn’t take the drug as intended."

Yeah. No evidence means its all speculation, and all medical professionals take that with a grain of salt. Everyone has a theory about how/why the body does *fill in blank*. The problem is, there are phenomenal possibilities of uncontrolled variables in a human body, especially in any given group of studied bodies. So basically the whole article is just obesity scare propaganda until we get any actual information on the topics covered and any studies testing their formulated hypotheses. They really discredited themselves with that paragraph.

mikejo28

Well, I am sort of a porkmeister, and if I eat less than 2300 cal's per day, I automatically lose weight each day!
So calories can work.
I just have about 3 - 4 - 5 microwave dinners at 400 cal each, each day.
I like to just stock the fridge only with "TV dinners", like Costco Teryaki Bowls, that are $1 on sale, and 400 cals, and sort of balanced. These are sort of high carbs. Any balanced microwave dinner will work, as long as the sodium is < 1/4 of 1500 mg, < 400 mg, the CDC daily allowed, and the fat is not high.
I am just starting this, so it should work. 3-4 per day.
The fact that these dins are not divisible into snacks is why this works - there is way less temptation to get a huge bowl of some snack food and eat it all day. And microwaving them makes you stop and think that you are really eating.
-
I lost 50 lbs in 1994 or so using this method. With little or no exercise. It was painless, I felt full, and it worked !
Mike

PennyVonDread

I found this gem interesting..

"With reduced consumption of refined grains, concentrated sugar and potato products and a few other sensible lifestyle choices, our internal body weight control system should be able to do the rest."

but what about the rest of us that eat carbs and sugar AND lose weight…?????????? I guess we are just outliers….

That's the thing, though. There already have been studies done which confirm any "diet" (or whatever word you choose if you avoid that term) that someone sticks to will "work" in the sense that you'll see weightloss/fat loss. It's not any specific diet per se, but to the surprise of absolutely nobody, it seems to just be that when people are mindful of what they eat, they tend to make better choices and eat less overall.

DanaDark

Stupidest article I have read in a good while. -.-

QuietBloom

Since insulin is evil, why aren't they recommending low protein since protein is highly insulinogenic as well?

Because then we would be on to them. Because they would have to admit that you can't eat ANYthing, in order to support their insulin hypothesis.

As for those nodding their heads up and down and saying "Yes! This makes sense!" I will leave them with this: