Anyone not counting?

amymeenieminymo

I would really like to begin my second journey of weightloss by not counting calories, just making smart choices, only eating when hungry (ie not when bored or something is yummy) and trying to get at least 30 mins of exercise 4-5 times a week.

Now don't get me wrong, I think counting calories is great, I did it for 4 years (started on this site in 2008) and lost 50 pounds. It was awesome.....however I have since gained it all back (not fault of the site, I was under a lot of stress this year and yes, I was lazy and ate badly).

I've tried all year to get back on track, I'd do great for a few weeks, lose a few pounds and then crash and gain it back. I am currently at my heaviest weight ever, weighing in at 3.5 pounds more than my original weight 4 years ago. The counting calories worked great for me the first time but its just not working this time. I feel so restricted, despite allowing cheat meals, I just hated being starving at 4pm and knowing I could not eat until at least 6 or 7 and I didn't have enough calories left for a snack, for example. I feel like when I am counting, I think about food all. the .time.

I'm just scared....after 4 years of knowing how many calories I was consuming and burning, and seeing the 1 pound or more loss each week, I am scared to go at it freestyle. Has this worked for anyone?

lucylue21

i have donet aht before and i still lsot weight but not as quickly. i take little mini vacations rom mfp and not log my food. i still get on the webisght but not to log my food. then when i am back from my mini trip i weight myself and usually have lost a pound or two over a week.

mrmanmeat

You did it before, it worked.

You gained it back.


Why wouldn't you do it again?

Alice230

I can't say it won't work for you but,I failed miserably when I did this. Sure you start off great but,then you let yourself go more and more because there is accountability. You can eat something just eat fruit if you get hungry after you don't have any calories. Or exercise more and earn more calories but,you have to be accountable for your decisions and that's what this site does for you and the scale too.

BreakOnThru

I'm currently not counting. I pretty much know to focus on quality now, and same as you said, eating when hungry, fueling after workouts, etc. Logging every meal and snack right now is just not worth the time for me. I do log my workouts, though. Gives me a good sense of what I'm burning. When I'm out or planning to eat out, MFP is also great for checking nutritional info to make better choices. I'm still astounded by what I find sometimes. In short, it's a great tool--use it the way it suits you best. Good luck on your journey!

fabi8081

I don't mean this in a condescending way, Only as advice from a fellow fattie. If free style worked for you, you wouldn't have gained the weight back. You would have kept it off. I think if your calorie count is not enough for you try upping a few calories, but I definitley think you should count your calories.

LauraHasABabyJack

I'm not counting and I've lost ten pounds over the last couple months. I might eventually but for now I'm trying to focus on daily exercise and making overall better food choices. I totally understand the obsessing over food when you're counting and it always just makes me feel worse.

NoAdditives

I'm pregnant right now so I'm not logging my foods. My plan was to check how I was doing every once in a while, but I've only done that once or twice in about 45 days. I met my maintenance calorie amount and didn't go over so I figure I'm doing well. I have only gained about 10 pounds for my entire pregnancy and I'm almost 30 weeks along, which is pretty awesome, especially considering how much this baby is growing! So for me, the healthy eating habits I adopted have stuck and it seems like I don't need to log often, or at all.

Once I get back to trying to lose weight I'll probably log a couple of days a week, but with two kids and a baby I doubt I'll be up for the strictness I had before. I've found that exercise is more important for my weight loss than a strict diet anyway, so I'm not too worried about how I'll do.

If you don't want to log every single thing, don't worry about it. Try listening to your body, eating healthy foods and getting some exercise. See how things go for about a month. If you like your results, keep doing what feels right. If you don't like your results try logging only 3-4 days a week to make sure you're staying on track.

christybrooker

Counting calories is the only way I can stop myself from eating bad things. Thinking about food all the time is perfectly natural. All other animals spend the majority of their time hunting, foraging, storing food and eating. I plan everyday and often prepare tomorrows meals today so I'm ready and prepared with good stuff. Or I spend half of a day off shopping and making stuff I can eat for the next week. I think focusing on how my body feels and my health is a great way to spend my time.

LorinaLynn

I don't want to be a slave to counting, but I know counting works for me. At this point, I'm logging my food just as much to make sure I'm eating enough. "Eating only when hungry" doesn't work for me, because I can easily skip meals if I'm not paying attention. I got busy yesterday and didn't have lunch. I was busy this morning and didn't have breakfast. I don't want to get into that habit.

But I don't log at all on weekends or holidays. I'm now on maintenance, and I'll see how that goes. I'm hoping I'm training my mind, eyes and stomach to recognize what the right amount of food is for me.

paticksmama07

I also lost a lot of weight by not counting so to speak but I always had a rough idea of the calories I was taking in and working off so I still was counting. I think that counting calories holds us all accountable and it is merely a tool for yourself to know exactly what the food you are putting in your mouth is costing you. My calorie intake got so out of control that I had to start from the bottom again which was doing what I know allowed me the most success, counting my calories on a daily basis. After I reach goal I am sure I will not need to log my calories but you never know.

I just came to the realization that in order to lose a significant amount of weight I have to do the work. I have to eat right. I can't overeat. I have to drink my water and I have to workout. It took me two years to mentally get prepared to start fighting for myself and my health and I I am in it for the painful long haul. It is a journey, it is a struggle to start putting yourself first. Putting yourself before that cupcake, that ice cream and that second glass of wine but at the end of the day I know that I must choose me, my body and my health.

I have tried to compromise with my weightloss and the only thing that works for me is tough love, hard work and a lot of tears to get here. I ask myself what is the alternative for you? High blood pressure? Diabetes? Heart attack? Young children with no mother? I can't go back to my unhealthy eating habits. I choose me on a daily basis.

I hope this helps and that I didn't run off on a huge tangent. Losing weight is a process! I am confident that you will get to your goal and you will find what works best for you and only you. Good luck to you in your journey!

Tammylyn117

I think when you don't have some way to keep track of the food you are consuming, it is hard to see where and when you are making a bad choice. I have gone to a restraunt and ordered something that I thought would be a choice, then come home and look it up on here, and realize I just screwed up. I know next time not to make that same mistake. There are tons and tons of other reasons to track your food intake and calories. I know it can be a pain, believe me, but when you have a bad week, you can go back and look at your food journals and know where you made your mistakes.

NoAdditives

Counting calories is the only way I can stop myself from eating bad things. Thinking about food all the time is perfectly natural. All other animals spend the majority of their time hunting, foraging, storing food and eating. I plan everyday and often prepare tomorrows meals today so I'm ready and prepared with good stuff. Or I spend half of a day off shopping and making stuff I can eat for the next week. I think focusing on how my body feels and my health is a great way to spend my time.

From a psychological standpoint, it's not normal or healthy to think about any single thing all the time. Humans don't have to think about food constantly, we don't have to worry about where our food is coming from, etc. Planning is one thing, but feeling controlled by thoughts of food, calorie amounts, etc. is not healthy.

Jewels211

I do use MFP to keep an eye on the calories so I can make adjustments if I'm packed too many calorie-dense foods into one day or something, but I basically count servings more than calories. I eat only healthy choices of things--very lean beef or pork, chicken or turkey breast, beans, lower fat cheeses, etc., only 100% whole grain breads & pasta, try to eat more fresh veggies than not, etc. I get a serving of protein with every meal and make sure I eat 5 to 7 servings of veggies a day, as well as a serving or two of fruits and grains, each. I find if I stick to that, the calories just naturally fall into a healthy range (unless as I said I go too heavy on calorie-dense stuff, like eat lasagna or pizza and a bean dish on the same day or something). MFP also makes sure I don't have too many days with too few calories, but again, if I stick with my guidelines, that doesn't usually happen, anyway.

christybrooker

Counting calories is the only way I can stop myself from eating bad things. Thinking about food all the time is perfectly natural. All other animals spend the majority of their time hunting, foraging, storing food and eating. I plan everyday and often prepare tomorrows meals today so I'm ready and prepared with good stuff. Or I spend half of a day off shopping and making stuff I can eat for the next week. I think focusing on how my body feels and my health is a great way to spend my time.

From a psychological standpoint, it's not normal or healthy to think about any single thing all the time. Humans don't have to think about food constantly, we don't have to worry about where our food is coming from, etc. Planning is one thing, but feeling controlled by thoughts of food, calorie amounts, etc. is not healthy.

Oh goodness! I don't think about food all the time! Ha ha! I'm definitely called out on that exaggeration aren't I? I spend time planning, that was my point. And I have to think about it a lot more when I'm counting calories for obvious reasons.

amymeenieminymo

Counting calories is the only way I can stop myself from eating bad things. Thinking about food all the time is perfectly natural. All other animals spend the majority of their time hunting, foraging, storing food and eating. I plan everyday and often prepare tomorrows meals today so I'm ready and prepared with good stuff. Or I spend half of a day off shopping and making stuff I can eat for the next week. I think focusing on how my body feels and my health is a great way to spend my time.

From a psychological standpoint, it's not normal or healthy to think about any single thing all the time. Humans don't have to think about food constantly, we don't have to worry about where our food is coming from, etc. Planning is one thing, but feeling controlled by thoughts of food, calorie amounts, etc. is not healthy.

Oh goodness! I don't think about food all the time! Ha ha! I'm definitely called out on that exaggeration aren't I? I spend time planning, that was my point. And I have to think about it a lot more when I'm counting calories for obvious reasons.

My thinking about food all the time isn't in the planning sense, it's in the "I just finished breakfast, how long till lunch" aspect. It's like I am literally getting through my day from one meal to the next, I don't think that's healthy.

I also notice I have become more of an emotional eater since I've been logging. In the past I never really ate for comfort or entertainment, but when logging, I feel so restricted through out the week, food is the first thing I want once sad, upset or stressed, and its been a major source of entertainment on the weekends.

amymeenieminymo

I don't mean this in a condescending way, Only as advice from a fellow fattie. If free style worked for you, you wouldn't have gained the weight back. You would have kept it off. I think if your calorie count is not enough for you try upping a few calories, but I definitley think you should count your calories.

If I had been doing freestyle weightloss all this time that I've been gaining back, then I wouldn't need to ask if it works. I haven't been doing it.....this past year I have been attempting to log and like I said, I'd do good for a little while and then have a big set back. I'd either log all day long and do well and then completely blow it by eating badly at night, or I would completely not log but I would also not make healthy choices and not work out.

After logging for 4 years, I have a good idea how many calories my usual meals are, and I do plan on still educating myself on what I am eating. I know that my breakfast should be *around *300 or less, my lunch should be around 400-500 and dinner should be around 500-600 plus healthy snacks through out the day. I just think not purposefully logging each meal will help my sanity a little, and if I am starving I will allow myself to eat a small healthy snack without freaking out that even the healthy snack put me over by 100 calories.

I appreciate everyones advice, I was just hoping to connect with a few people that are doing things a little less rigid and have had success. I think a year is plenty long enough to try something, and just because it worked for me before does not mean I should keep trying and keep trying that particular way when it's not working, especially considering that it's having adverse affects in that I get more frustrated and keep gaining.

ladysixstring

I don't count calories at all and I've lost almost 40lbs. I cut out all grains, sugars and legumes and base every meal off a fat and a protein with green veggies. I also only eat dairy, starches and fruits in small amounts. Fat and protein are really satiating, so when your diet is based off those macros your hunger is in check and you won't go around having cravings and you naturally eat around your BMR with a small deficit. You also wont experience spikes and crashes in blood sugar which cause cravings. Pretty much if you eat this way you'll have amazing willpower.