calorie counting in the long term

lexgem

Hi everyone!

I am pretty new at this (joined today, but have already lost 5 pounds before joining).
I haven't been formally counting my calories until now but I am committed to doing this in order to lose weight and also have a better balance in what I eat and where my calories are coming from. Until now I have just been trying to be more active and I have been more careful about what I eat.

Have you found, in the long term, that you become so used to counting calories that it's a second nature and you continue with it in the long run, or that you eventually just become more aware of things and don't formally count anymore but follow the good habits just without logging?

I am doing this weight loss journey with my husband. I don't mind counting calories but he really does not want to. Since we eat breakfast, dinner and some lunches together, do you think that my calorie counting and my being careful can be beneficial for both of us, or just for me?

I'm just curious what everyone thinks since you all have more experience than I do

Lex

TMcBooty

it will be benefitical but depending on the weight you both are and what you want to lose, the goals will be set up different.

Caldwellsa24

I am in the same boat with my boyfriend. He doesnt mind getting healthier but doesnt want to put the work of counting calories in. So i count mine, keep junk food out of the house and he has been losing weight and looking healthier since the beginning. We eat dinner together but not breakfast or lunch.

psychmz3

Since he doesn't want to, it doesn't sound like he is serious about this, no offense. You seem very dedicated and ready to change your life. The needs are different for the both of you though. You may require less than he does and since he'll be eating what you are eating(essentially), he won't be satisfied and have the urge to over indulge or worse, quit. Get him to sign up with this site and get into gear and be serious about this. Nothing beats having a partner to go through this with.

Good luck!

lunaephiliac

you can tell him that even if he doesn't want to count calories long-term, logging religiously for just a few days can really help him see what he's eating and what needs to change.
but if he still refuses, remember that men lose weight differently. my boyfriend and i started trying to lose weight at the same time and he lost 25 pounds this summer.
I lost five. so to each his own! you can't make him lose weight. Only he can.

supertracylynn

I've been counting calories, vaguely and formally, for 2 1/2 years. My hubby doesn't count, but because speculate out loud on calorie content, he overhears and becomes more informed. Some of his choices have changed for the better as a result :happy:
But mostly, I do it for me, I feel better when I'm counting and have these personal boundaries.

texancountess

It will only be somewhat beneficial to him. If he isn't watching his portions the same way that you are, then he will lose the benefit of the lower caloric intake. But, if you've switched from eating primarily junk food to eating healthier food, then yes it will help.

I've found that after just 2 months of watching what I eat more carefully that I've retrained my brain and stomach on portion sizes. Portions that at the beginning never seemed like they could be enough are perfect now. I recently went on a week long beach vacation and managed to lose weight by nothing more than eating the way I did at home.

Anyway, yes, the more you train yourself to eat smaller portions the more used to it you will get. Hope this helps!

engineman312

i think calorie counting and work outs are great first steps to a complete lifestyle change. personlly, i dont want to count calories until i'm 85, but i'd like to learn how to incorporate healthy eating and exercising into my life, and keeping it there.

lbares

I have had 3 kids, and had to lose 30-50 pounds after each. The only way I was able to do it efficiently, each time, was to calorie count. Tedious, but after 3 weeks, new habits are formed. Portions are better controlled. Looking back through the diaries, I can also see where an extra 100 calories may sneak into my diet everyday (the bad, seemingly harmless habits that can keep you from losing those last 10 pounds!) Of course, I don't calorie count forever, but it is something I come back to when weight begins to creep back on.

Men are tough. My husband just needs to increase his activity level and he loses weight easily. Yours may be the same. If he is not, and appears to be at weight loss plateau, see if he will do this calorie count thing for 2 weeks (easy if he has a smart phone!). Heck, maybe even just a couple of days will help with portion control, which is where I think most of us need more awareness.

This website is easy to use. Congrats on getting started!

Rikki444

I have found that it is now automatic for me. For the longest time I refused to be 'one of those people' who counted calories.... until my weight got stuck!.... for over a year.

When I started to 'count calories' I did so to 'maintain' the goal weight that I want to reach. That means that I am here for the long-haul! With this mentality, I am accustomed to the calories that I need to maintain/manage weight and not to 'lose'. I figured the 'losing' of the weight would be inevitable. What I am monitoring is that I don't over-eat or that I am not too low on my calories. It is happening slowly, but I was not wrong.... the weight is coming off.

As to your husband, if you are eating together.... same meals... you are doing the counting for him. He doesn't want to bother but you can count for him... right?

channa007

I plan on doing this forever. I'm not looking at it as a weight loss diet but a new lifestyle. I think that's one reason it's becoming second nature to me. Correcting the years of laziness forever.

ChristieisReady

Your creating healthy meals twice a day will certainly help him out. My husband refuses to count calories (and is a nutritional mess-- but healthy, the lucky duck), soI kind of o**** for him when I cook and hte rest of the time, well, it's his choice. He has been cutting down since I started on my weight loss journey, though.

As a side note, I find that now that I have BEEN formally counting calories for over a year, while keeping a running total in my head doesn't come naturally, I do find I am better able to gauge a healthy amount of food. This site has definitely improved my life.:flowerforyou:

jchester71

I have been using MFP since June, and it is really easy to stay up with it (especially if you have a smart phone). And when I was in college I needed to maintain my weight at a certain level, and than meant I counted calories faithfully for 4 years. It just becomes a habit (and there was not handy technology to help me then either).

As for your husband, he will benefit from your counting calories, if he eats with you. My wife has lost weight along with me, as our meals (I prepare them) have been normed to my diet. And don't be too discouraged by the people who say if your husband doesn't want to count calories that he is not serious about weight loss. My wife does not count calories (she has a chronic illness to manage and has enough meds etc to keep track of) but she is committed to doing what she can to lose weight.

lizziebeth1028

I found that once I started to log in my calories it became second nature to do so. It's really fascinating to find out exactly what you are consuming and what your calories are made up of! My boyfriend has since jumped on the healthy bandwagon but does not want to join MFP and count calories..he feels it will become too much of a chore. (I should mention that he is not overweight or trying to loose, he's just trying to make a conscience effort to eat healthier now that he's working out).

mageepilot

I have been on here since Feb and I can pretty much guess what calories are in most foods that I eat now and be close. Portion size is easier to eyeball also, but I keep measuring when I can because I think it's easy to start taking more as time goes on. I cook most nights and weekends and my husband has lost 10 pounds just eating healthier here, packing his lunch and walking with me in the evenings. He wasn't trying and isn't really overweight. But he did get healthier! I think your husband will too, just by your choices in shopping, cooking and if he will exercise a little with you. Good luck

infamousmk

It's becoming second nature for me - I think logging has helped me understand how the food I eat really affects me. My boyfriend isn't logging or counting his calories, but he is exposed to my calorie consciousness and has started making more healthy choices because of it.

lexgem

I believe he is committed but he just does not like the idea of counting calories. To be honest I didn't either until recently. But we have really changed our diet to heathier foods (more veggies, less red meats, more fish, more whole grains, better breakfasts, no or nearly no junk food, no more sodas, healthy snacks).
His one concession to the calorie counting is that he does check the calories for anything he'd eat as a snack and tries to stay in the 100-150 calorie range for a snack.
And he does exercise diligently.
He has been working out and the weight is coming off for him too (he is down 9 pounds)

I don't really want to calorie count for too long either just because of the fact that it's time-consuming to check everything for all that I eat. It's encouraging to me to hear that some of you work well monitoring for a few weeks and then starting again if you get "stuck" or if the pounds start creeping up again. It's encouraging to know that just thinking about foods over a few weeks can be enough to get better habits.
But who knows... maybe it isn't as time consuming as I think. Technology is a good thing. Until now I always imagined walking around with a calculator and a journal and it just gave me a headache. This site is incredibly easy to use so far.

billsica

I count everything that I eat. I can't trust myself to not be vigilant.
Well I do if I had a big party, but I guarantee on a day like that I'd be way over my calories.

If nothing else it slows down my eating.

1nsands

It's starting to become second nature to me... but as long as I need to lose pounds, I'm probably going to keep on logging it.

My husband and I were losing weight at the same time. When I started counting calories, he started paying attention as well... and then reached his goal weight. I'm still working on mine. He's not really counting calories formally anymore, he guesses for the most part just to make sure that he's getting enough for all the working out he's doing.

If it's going to benefit your husband, then you'll probably have to prepare the meals. Please be aware that he will need more calories than you. Men burn more than women. You can give him the same foods, with slightly larger portions. If you want to count his calories as well, then do so (out loud wouldn't hurt so that he gets the info anyway)... either he'll get into it, or he won't. But you will definitely benefit from counting.

kklindsey

I can only tell you my experience. I started losing weight in 2005. It took me 3 years to lose it all. i have been couting calories and logging all of my food since January of 2005 so that will be 7 years come this January. Any time I stopped logging I gained. It is too easy to underestimate a serving size, forget something you ate or forget the calorie count of things if you don't keep up with it. I don't mind logging and would rather know where I am with my weight and calories. I plan on doing it forever.

rodneyderrick

Many people on this site are professionals when it comes to losing weight. They log on for six months, drop thirty pounds, and then disappear. They'll return a few months later, and tell about how they back slid, but now they're back in the game for real. The reason I say this is because counting calories to lose weight is a little different than counting to maintain. Once a person counts to maintain their weight for a year or so, then I think they might be able to lose the application for good, because they'll have an understanding of how to eat to live.