Five Reasons Why This Dietitian Hates Calorie-Tracking Apps

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  • mstripes
    mstripes Posts: 151 Member
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    I actually kinda like the "If you ate this way every day you'd weigh this much in 5 weeks". I know it is just a guess and isn't real life, but it is nice when I'm under my goal by a smidge and see for instance a number for 5 weeks from now that is in the 150s instead of the 160s. It's motivational to me and makes me smile. :)

    Exactly! Most I would guess understand it is a "if" prediction. If nothing else it teaches what the right day feels or looks like, should you achieve one.
  • lewdug
    lewdug Posts: 17
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    As someone who gets very obsessive and has suffered from an eating disorder, I not only know where this person is coming from. I have experienced it. It isn't fun to get obsessed while you're tracking, and I'm honestly worried I might end up freaking out over calories. It's the worst, and it can exacerbate an eating disorder. I'm only doing it right because I would like to know what I'm eating, but I'm not sure how long I'll continue it. I don't want to do it the rest of my life, though. That's just... brutal.
  • Leonidas_meets_Spartacus
    Leonidas_meets_Spartacus Posts: 6,198 Member
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    I track calories after the fact but never count them. I listen to my body and had great results, plus its a pain in the butt if you are traveling all the time.
  • Leonidas_meets_Spartacus
    Leonidas_meets_Spartacus Posts: 6,198 Member
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    I actually kinda like the "If you ate this way every day you'd weigh this much in 5 weeks". I know it is just a guess and isn't real life, but it is nice when I'm under my goal by a smidge and see for instance a number for 5 weeks from now that is in the 150s instead of the 160s. It's motivational to me and makes me smile. :)

    Thats the worst thing for me, never accurate. lol
  • amosmoses88
    amosmoses88 Posts: 163 Member
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    MFP is supposed to be used as a GUIDE. Not something to live by. Some people do, and that's okay! Because it gives them a peace of mind knowing that they are seeing at least a GENERAL idea of how much is going in. But, it is right about things absorbing/breaking down differently. That's why you have CHEAT DAYS! lol. And you all should be smart enough to know that fast food/food joints generally don't do that because it's supposed to be a TREAT. Not a lifestyle. You're not meant to go out to eat like that every night or 4 times a month. Some people thing it is, and if you're healthy doing that, then I'm glad and happy for you that you've caught the lucky end of the short stick! For obese people, you can't go out to eat 4 times a month, eat whatever you want, and expect to see a loss. That's why this handy little website/app is here, to guide you into making sensible decisions for food. Before you go out to eat, research your options! I would be perfectly happy having Hamburgers every night for a week with some fries, but I can't expect to see the scale or inches go down if I do. So I choose not to. You can still eat good food and be on the right path. You just gotta play around and see what fits your body and your needs. (I'm not so hardcore as I was when I first started this last year, quit for 6 months after losing 31lbs, and gained half of that back. NOW, I'm not as hardcore on tracking and measuring and the scale isn't moving) So, you do the math and do what works for you!!!
  • bethlaf
    bethlaf Posts: 954 Member
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    oh it was said by a DIETICIAN:huh: - that makes it right ....:huh:
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    Dieticians - the leading industry source for criticism and demonizing nutritionists... because they dont pay dues to the Acadamy of Nutrition and Dietetics..
    Dieticians hate pretty much anyone elses recc. unless its another RD or RDN.
    Not saying there are not bad nutritionists out there, but theres bad dieticians out there too, ones quick to jump on whatever "food fad" is going on now ...
    please tell me again how eggs are bad for my cholesterol oh blessed one with initials and a certificate..

    (whoops - sorry my bitter was showing)
  • anaconda469
    anaconda469 Posts: 3,463 Member
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    Five reasons why this calorie-tracking individual hates dietitians:

    1. They think that just because their clients are morons, everyone else must be, as well.

    2. They think that just because their clients are liars, everyone else must be, as well.

    3. They don't understand that sugar from an Oreo is the same as sugar from a banana.

    4. They demonize food instead of focusing on the real problem.

    5. They play the "obsession" card in a poorly-disguised attempt to discredit people who are actually able to manage their weight successfully with free calorie-tracking apps and without paying for the services of a dietitian.

    # of lbs I've lost using a calorie-tracking app: 113
    # of years I've kept it off: 3 and counting
    # of dietitians whose help I've required: 0

    Amount of weight I have lost without the services of a 'dietitian' 66 lbs. Why spend the money when I can do it myself for free with work and dedication. BTW this post is a Winner!
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    I think all of those things CAN be or become issues, but aren't necessarily issues for everyone. Personally I think about 1/2 a brain takes care of most of those things.

    The obsessive behavior is something to watch, particularly if it leads to or brings about a relapse of ED.
  • theskinnyvixen
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    Here's the thing, it works for people with half a brain. Staying within your calorie goal is one thing, but you also have to be aware of the things that you're eating. Everyone knows junk food is bad. Eat all junk food and stay within your calorie limit, then you *still know* that you ate terribly that day. The fat content and so on can tell you that. For many people, I think it's helpful because it's a visual. And if you enter as you go, it can help to eliminate over eating. Many people see 100 calorie snacks and say "oh, its only 100 calories" but throughout the day, they'll eat 2-4 of those 100 calorie snacks. Logging that on MFP helps to allow the person visually see that the calories add up.
  • jmadams111
    jmadams111 Posts: 145 Member
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    This is the best response I've seen and the results described pretty much mirror my own experience, which is to pretty much say, absolutly nothing in any of this is absolute!
  • MissLCWolff
    MissLCWolff Posts: 69 Member
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    Guys, this may sound crazy, but just hear me out here--I think it may be possible that a person whose job depends on people not being able to manage their own health and diets isn't a 100% unbiased source on the usefulness of apps that help people to manage their own health and diets.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Guys, this may sound crazy, but just hear me out here--I think it may be possible that a person whose job depends on people not being able to manage their own health and diets isn't a 100% unbiased source on the usefulness of apps that help people to manage their own health and diets.
    :bigsmile:
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Dietitians have many purposes but for many of us, we can learn enough about food that we can use that knowledge to help us lose weight or achieve our goals without a dietitian.

    I do feel like a great portion of the population has NO sound knowledge about food and what they put into their bodies. Often a dietitian is the person who will help teach them about it.

    More often I get the sense that people just parrot whatever silliness (or sometimes sense) they got from their dietitian and not really bother learning the underlying reasons for it or how to check the accuracy. Also, based on anecdotal evidence and perhaps some bad examples, I get the sense that many dieticians don't like to get into the whys, since that might encourage people to question, and they prefer people just accept their word as truth. I'm, admittedly, a little cynical, in part because my mother got the most confusing, unhelpful advice from her hospital dietitians (not about weight loss, about a condition that required modifications of her diet to lower her consumption of iron).
    I remember when I was younger and playing soccer. The team hired a dietitian to come speak to us and one of the items I will never forget is "|Iced Tea is just as bad as soda" Most of us here already know this but if you think about it I'm sure there are a TON of people that will order an Iced Tea (i'm talking lipton or Nestea crap) instead of soda thinking they are doing their bodies a favor....

    You mean because of sugar? I make iced tea (basically, make a pot of tea and cool it in the refrigerator), and think it's totally healthy. I'm not against added sugar--one teaspoon has only a few calories, after all--but don't add it myself since I don't like sweetened coffee or tea. And this is kind of what I mean, since I can see someone hearing that and not examining the reasons for it or that it matters how much sugar you imbibe overally, not just in one beverage, etc.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    this whole thing was enlightening to me b/c I had no idea people used tracking in this way -
    I track what I eat \b/c I like to see the impact it has on my running/ race times and some of my health issues
    I never viewed a calorie as a calorie and eat primarily veggies and fruit (with occasional nuts, whole grains and peanut butter ) - my junk food would be the occasional popcorn or a luna bar

    Is it true that ppl actually do this - eat garbage and figure as long as they are within their goal they are ok? or force themselves to eat something if they are under goal?

    I'm sure many people just count calories, but IME tracking actually makes it more likely that I am conscious of macros and micros (as another poster also said), in part because the information is there and tracking that kind of stuff is more interesting and fun for me than just eating less.

    Also, remember that when a lot of people start they don't really know anything about how many calories they were eating, how much is in various foods, nutrition, etc. MFP is a great tool to teach about this stuff, but it would be overwhelming if you had to go from nothing to some complicated (or even not all that complicated) diet based on ideas about the proper break down of macros and the total number of various micros right away. Thus, it's great the information is there for when people want it. That it IS complicated is why the dietitian approach is often "just do this!" or "here's a diet plan!" (Also, the whole "eat 6 meals" thing drives me bonkers, as does the don't eat after X or don't eat certain foods after X. You'd think that was all just women's magazine stuff, but I hear people say their dietitian said so, so it must be true.)

    I wouldn't assume that what the author claims happens, happens, but certainly when people start eating 900 calories a day I don't think it's a bad thing if tracking helps them see they are eating too little and to consider whether to add more food. For me, tracking prevented me from going overboard with the restrictiveness of my diet, and I don't get obsessive because of tracking, it just makes eating healthy and even lower calorie than I used to more fun, just like apps can make me likely to run or bike more.
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
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    Well, the funny thing about calorie counting? It kinda works.
    *eyes ticker*
  • littlebutlean
    littlebutlean Posts: 2,159 Member
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    Five reasons this guy doesn't give a @!#$ what that dietitian has to say !

    More news at 11.
  • Cycle4Life99
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    My dietitian loves the entire concept of My Fitness Pal. She says it's a great tool for logging food intake but questions the dietary recommendations. She actually set up all of my goals for me.
  • feliscatus84
    feliscatus84 Posts: 80 Member
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    That's weird cause the only way I've been able to lose weight and keep it off is through MFP. The moment I stopped is when I slipped back into my old ways and gained back the weight I lost plus 20lbs :0/

    Now I've lost 35lbs and I eat ice cream and brownies too! Who da thunk?!
  • wistera
    wistera Posts: 22 Member
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    My school's dietitian openly recommends that people use MFP and has been instrumental in getting a lot of the on-campus dining options' calorie counts in the system. Pretty sure this dietitian doesn't speak for most.