counting calories outdated?

numberscolors

"Counting Calories? Your Weight-Loss Plan May Be Outdated"

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/health/19brody.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

good calories vs. bad calories? hmmm...

read and discuss!

szczepj

I think counting calories is still important but it's just as important to eat the healthier foods. (I'm working towards doing this slowly, low-budget college student doing the best she can here!)

DontThinkJustRun

I'll be honest I only scanned it, but sorry everything in MODERATION is ok. I've lost 130 lbs via a all processed foods, some processed food and no process foods and it really didn't make a difference what I was eating as long as my calories out exceeded my calories in. Yes I noticed the ability to increase my cals slightly and still lose while eating cleaner foods but it was negligable.

numberscolors

yeah, i'm inclined to believe that calories vs. calories out is THE way to lose weight over the long term and that cutting out (completely) any foods you enjoy is just a set up for failure.

numberscolors

yeah, i'm inclined to believe that calories vs. calories out is THE way to lose weight over the long term and that cutting out (completely) any foods you enjoy is just a set up for failure.

Laceylala

My opinion: That this article is written to catch the eye of a specific group of people...the obese.. who are forever looking for ways to lose weight. (As one I can testify to having been one of the ones "just starting out", this article would have really caught my eye back then). Of course we all know that eating better foods is healthier for you. It seems in my mind that the article is just really trying to get people to think about eating healthier, which will in the end lead to figuring out the whole deficit thing

Does that make sense to anyone else, or just to me? LOL.

Seanb_us

Very interesting!

bcattoes

I can't say I'm surprised by any of it. I've never counted calories before joining this site and I've never had a problem losing weight. Eat healthy, stop eating when you are full, and exercise. It's really just common sense.

I did LOVE this though:

"Alcohol intake had an interesting relationship to weight changes. No significant effect was found among those who increased their intake to one glass of wine a day, but increases in other forms of alcohol were likely to bring added pounds."

So if one glass has no affect, then neither would two, right?? (1+1=2 so, no affect + no affect = no affect). Or three! My 2 - 3 glasses of nightly wine have finally be vindicated!! :drinker:

CakeFit21

this was my favorite part:

And despite conventional advice to eat less fat, weight loss was greatest among people who ate more yogurt and nuts, including peanut butter, over each four-year period.

Nuts are high in vegetable fat, and previous small studies have shown that eating peanut butter can help people lose weight and keep it off, probably because it slows the return of hunger.

bcattoes

I'll be honest I only scanned it, but sorry everything in MODERATION is ok. I've lost 130 lbs via a all processed foods, some processed food and no process foods and it really didn't make a difference what I was eating as long as my calories out exceeded my calories in. Yes I noticed the ability to increase my cals slightly and still lose while eating cleaner foods but it was negligable.

The article is talking about a study of over 100,000 participants and stating the study results (i.e. what worked for the majority of those participants). It's not telling anyone what is right or wrong for them. But knowing what works for a majority can be very helpful when deciding what might work for one.

DontThinkJustRun

^fair enough, I admitted I only scanned the article so take my opinion for what's it's worth.

Autumn1206

I think you have to balance calorie counting with healthy eating. I had this conversation with my dad not too long ago. If you're alotted 1200 cals per day, and you don't eat all day so that you can blow your calories on a calorie rich dinner, then you're not going to lose weight that way. I love your math, by the way Bcattoes

Seanb_us

I can't say I'm surprised by any of it. I've never counted calories before joining this site and I've never had a problem losing weight. Eat healthy, stop eating when you are full, and exercise. It's really just common sense.

I did LOVE this though:

"Alcohol intake had an interesting relationship to weight changes. No significant effect was found among those who increased their intake to one glass of wine a day, but increases in other forms of alcohol were likely to bring added pounds."

So if one glass has no affect, then neither would two, right?? (1+1=2 so, no affect + no affect = no affect). Or three! My 2 - 3 glasses of nightly wine have finally be vindicated!! :drinker:

Love the way you think!

tiffwhit16

The following quote from the article bothered me a little:

"But looking for a magic bullet hasn’t solved the problem of obesity.”

I can see calling diet pills or lipo a magic bullet...but counting calories is a challenge. At least, it has been for me. I am trying to make healthier choices. And, I get a little better at that each day. But, I wouldn't say that counting calories is "a magic bullet" by any means. It goes without saying that if you are choosing foods with less calories, chances are you are choosing healthier foods. (Ex. instead of chips, I eat an apple with a little peanut butter.)

I agree with whoever said that cancelling out a certain type of food that you love is just setting yourself up for failure.

kklindsey

My opinon has always been calories in vs calories out, period. And the example I always give is this. If you get 1600 calories a day and you want to eat 4 king size Snickers for your calories you WILL lose weight. What you will find though is that you are still hungry after your four snickers and you will feel like crap and you won't be very healthy. Obviously if you feel awful and are still hungry the odds that you will eat more than your 1600 calories a day are high which will lead to failure.

I am not a big fruit and veggie fan and I don't eat the healthiest but I stick to my calories in/out religiously and try to pick foods that will keep me fullest longest and give me some good nutritional value while satisfying my emotional eating needs when I need to.

It's a juggling game and it works out differently for everyone. You have to find the right combination of foods that keeps you sane and losing/maintaining.

corpus_validum

My opinon has always been calories in vs calories out, period.

My opinion is even that's not an absolute rule for everyone. Like everything else, the answer is..."it depends."

It depends on which end of the fat loss spectrum you're on. If you're just in the beginning stages, starting from obese levels, then yes, you should primarily focus on calories in vs calories out like you can from this site. That's Fat Loss 1A. A good, basic starting point.

But as you progress or start off from a healthier level and want to get as fit as possible (i.e. low body fat %) naturally, then the quality of your inputs and the quality of your outputs really matters. That's Fat Loss 101. It takes a lot more nutritional education and discipline as well as intense physical activity to achieve results at this end of the fat loss journey.

I read the NY Times article recently and what I got out of it is that the quality of your caloric input does really matter according to studies cited. I don't disagree.

00trayn

I actually just posted a blog on this, linked to below. I think it's definitely a valid point and I've found more success in losing the last 10 lbs by eating better foods rather than smaller quantities of processed or not so good foods. All of the items the articles mentions as contributing to people losing weight are ones that are in my regular diet (peanut butter, yogurt, fruits, veggies and whole grains). I still have a treat every once in a while, but on a daily basis, it's definitely going to be harder to lose weight eating smaller quantities of crap.