"calorie counting will get you no where"

knittygirl52

Kate--

She is wrong, wrong, wrong. What you need to do as calorie counting is what she does naturally without thinking about it. She doesn't think it will work, only because she doesn't need to do it.

You note your emotional ties to food--that is where I have had the problem and what I have been working on. Frankly, I have done counseling, but what I learned in counseling you can also learn through reading (if you let it hit you between the eyes). There is a book by Judith Beck called "The Beck Diet Solution." I highly recommend it as it will help you to change your behavior, even when your emotions want to go another direction.

Then, too, take a look and see if there are triggers. For me it is sugar. Gotta keep it out of my life. I don't know when or how to stop once I start. Perhaps there are triggers in your life, too.

God bless you and good luck on your journey. One of the more important things you can learn is who to ignore! People who haven't walked this path don't understand what it is like.

Neconilis

...the body controls BOTH Calories IN and OUT no matter how much you try to win that battle.

So physiology is 'magic' and the human body will simply decide to use less calories for the same exact actions to keep/make people fat? Yeah, that makes sense. Also, I hear that if the gremlins that live in my car feel like it they can give me 50 MPG instead of the 28 that I get now.

cPT_Helice

How does ignoring all the science that goes on into the bio-chemical processing of energy except the 1st law of thermodynamics helping anyone? Its not. People need to stop talking about candy bar diets that are completely unsustainable and unhealthy.

And for the record, I don't know if you thought you could get away with a garbage statement like this because most on here are not in the field. But, I am. And that sentence doesn't even make sense, nevermind the fact that 1st law does not even come into play with what these people are discussing, at least not the way you just tried to use it. Are you a student? I think you have some serious reading to do.

tropaze

I'm sure she did, it's just her opinion. Don't let it get you down. Make sure you're FULLY committed to tracking everything, period. I actually am on my second try with MFP, the first time didn't work because of me. I psyched myself out, and now I'm doing it as I should (with a better/more positive outlook on it) and I'm loosing. They're right, part of it is numbers: watching your calories, making sure you're getting the right foods, etc. The other part if mental: not beating yourself up when there's a slip, staying positive, avoiding negativity when you can, see if you can find some friends who are supportive.

tawnajean

The thing that has worked the best for me is doing a mini-challenge with my friends. We've done "who can stay under their calorie goal the most days in a row" or "who can stay under calorie goal the most days in a month" I have a hard time exercising even though I know I need to to get results, so these challenges "make" me exercise so I can stay under goal. Also it "makes" me log out every night! I am lucky also that my hubby is doing mfp too, so we can support each other

auroranflash

well, you can always look at it the other way, not counting calories has brought us all to where we are today so apparently not knowing what you are consuming is not working either so something has to change.

Thank you for this statement! I was getting depressed and starting to feel defeated reading some of the comments on here.. and then I read your post.. WA-LA.. Thank you for bringing everything back into the light!

It's "Voila!" ... lol . It means 'There it is!' or 'There you have it!' Just FYI, not trying to be a nazi.
Calorie counting definitely does work. If you stop, and get distorted again with your calorie intake/portion size/food quality, you'll gain it back

Once you realize it's just math, the whole 'diet' phenomena that seems so elusive comes into perspective and you realize it is totally possible to lose weight, just by doing the math "calories in vs calories out" .... Voila!!

Unfortunately, most people hate math.... that's what MFP is for!

mandi108

In my opinion. and I in no way want to sound judgemental, counting calories will only work if you exercise along with it. And even then, some people don't notice much of a change in the actual number on the scale because they end up replacing the fat with muscle, which weighs more. I keep track of my weight but I pay more attention to my measurements. Inches can sometimes tell a lot more than weight. I can't tell you how much I wish I would have realized this when I first started out on this site. Don't let people get you down. Find what works for you and do it. Don't take no for an answer. Because at the end of the day it is all about you and how you feel and what you need. Remember that no matter what, this journey will take time to complete and stick with it. I think you'll be happy you did.

shesajoy

I just want to say how nice it is to see people here shooting down the negative nellies, and being encouraging and kind. I did WW years ago, and while I lost about 12 lbs, their message boards and groups were HORRIBLE! People were so mean to one another - they were all very cliquey. The support here is awesome to see.

Counting calories and exercising does work, obviously. Yes, you need to find the deeper reason you overeat in order to sustain it. It does have to be looked at as a lifestyle change, and not a diet, or you will go directly back to your old habits, if and when you lose the weight. I realized this morning that I had been eating THREE servings of shredded wheat, just be being mindless and not looking at the package to see how large a serving size actually is. And you know what, this morning, I was surprised to find that the actual one serving size DID fill me up, if I eat slowly and mindfully. Who knew?

Don't be discouraged. We can all do this, and obviously, we are not alone. I am 40 and I use this app, and my son is 22 and living in Japan, using the same app. Weight issues are universal.

blv0267

I understand your frustration. Maybe forget about the number on the scale for a bit and just eat healthy to be healthy?

Change your goal from losing weight to being healthy. Might change how you "feel" about the whole journey. And may help with emotional eating.

^^This.

fleshntears

I hear you on the emotional ties to food. I've had one ever since I could remember. I finally got to the point on monday after years of trying every diet imaginable and failing horribly. I have a wonderful support group with friends and family just nothing seemed to work.

So far in two days I have been doing great. Taking note one day I was sick. But I finally broke down and came to the realization that I am not going to let my depression and my connection to food hold me back any longer. I never thought calorie counting would work either and many of times I had tried it in the past it didn't. I've bounced back and forth between 265lbs for years. Then I finally bounced up to my highest at 275lbs. I looked at myself in the mirror and realized I no longer liked what I saw.

Speaking from experience its something that has to happen inside of you, you have to want to make it happen. Something has to happen to make you see that you no longer have to rely on food to get you through. Me I started doing this....whenever I feel that urge or need to eat I turn and do something else I love to do, I pull out a good book or put on some music and start to dance the pain away, I'll go for a walk or ride my bike if the weather is nice, or if I really can't get over the urge for the food I will grab something healthy like celery sticks, carrot sticks or one or two strawberries.

Its slow but the best thing to do is not get discouraged if you fall backwards a few times, just keep in the mind set that tomorrow I will not let myself slide I am bigger than this and I can do it. I'm struggling with it myself and if you need someone to talk to to help you through it by all means add me and I'll help you. Another good thing is to have someone help you or someone to talk to when those urges come on.

The key thing to remember is it will work if YOU want it too....just like with any other addiction or thing...it will only work if you want it to.

Good luck and again if you need someone to talk to by all means send me a message or email me @ fleshntears@aol.com I'll respond as soon as I can.

~Amanda

mandi108

If a 95% failure rate is any evidence, then counting calories doesn't work.

My question is, if this is how you feel, why are you a part of this website? Some of us (myself included) have enough negativity in our lives without finding it on the website we come to for support and motivation....... Just sayin'......

htimpaired

To the original poster- I apologize if this was mentioned somewhere in this thread, but I didn't want to spend time reading through tons of posts of people arguing over calorie counting.
I wanted to bring something up regarding what you identified with emotional eating. I used to do psychiatric assessments for bariatric patients looking to get the bypass surgery, and we screened for emotional eating. If someone did struggle with this habit, we would refer them to counseling to help them unlearn the unhealthy habits and change their relationship with food. The therapist that we refered them to used "The Beck Diet Solution" book by Judith Beck, who is the daughter of the founder of Cognitive behavioral therapy Aaron Beck. I don't know if it acutally has a DIET persay in the book, but the tools to address the emotional connection are very helpful. The idea of CBT is that you take a look at your automatic thoughts when hit with a triggering situation (like that roomate of yours) and underlying core beliefs, and how this leads to unhealthy behaviors of coping like overeating or comfort eating. I would recommend taking a look at it, I believe they also have a website where you could get some info on how CBT can help.

grinch031

...the body controls BOTH Calories IN and OUT no matter how much you try to win that battle.

So physiology is 'magic' and the human body will simply decide to use less calories for the same exact actions to keep/make people fat? Yeah, that makes sense. Also, I hear that if the gremlins that live in my car feel like it they can give me 50 MPG instead of the 28 that I get now.

Where did I say "same exact actions"? It is scientific fact that people who lose weight actually have slower metabolisms than people who are naturally at the lower weight. It is part of the 'starvation response' where your body is defending its fat storage because leptin levels have decreased to deficient levels. Also changes to Calories OUT can be subtle. You can feel unmotivated and lazy, but in reality its your body trying to reduce its caloric expenditure. Also people who are resistant to obesity (ie. teenagers who can eat seemingly unlimited amounts of food) will be highly motivated to be physically active whenever they over-eat as a way for their body to compensate.

So Cals IN and OUT are not indepedent variables. Both are highly influenced by the body.

VAgal123

Look up Samatha and 30 day challenge blog......5 min at home....easily doable everyday.....put out an SOS on here when you feel yourself wanting to eat poorly.....everyone here is so supportive. Just don't give up! Check out some of forums on eating more calories to lose weight..you may not be eating enough. Good luck!

Have you considered asking someone to hold you accountable? Maybe send them a text when you're feeling down, and you know that it could lead to emotional eating? Once you recognize the emotion(s) that can trigger the behavior, it becomes easier to prevent it.
Afterwards,think about how you were feeling, and promise yourself when it happens again you will call your accountability buddy and tell them that you might overeat. Especially if it's someone who understands how important your diet is to you (I wouldn't recommend your roommate ha...). Let go of the guilt! And just look at it as a challenge for the net time it happens.

I personally do this all the time with my mom, because she gives good support and encouragement and she is counting calories too so I know she understands ^_^

As far as exercising goes.. trust me I know how hard it can be to have time for it!! Sometimes I feel like my grades are suffering bc I spend a lot of free time going to the gym when I should be studying.. but what I've found are the best times to workout are when you have five or ten minutes here and there. Like, in the morning before breakfast do some ab workouts and push ups, whatever floats your boat. That takes no time at all! I think the only way to effectively lose weight AND stay motivated is by counting calories and exercising. I couldn't imagine just doing one or the other.

damifino

I am usually not ugly to anyone on this site and try to be very helpful. But if you believe these so called facts you are writing about then you are an idiot plain and simple and need to find another forum to post on. There is no place for that kind of negativity and just false information here.

Directed at Grinch031

TriciaCasasola

Wow im new here. This is my 1st day so not to good with it yet but Ive been reading some post and im excited. I had a major surgery last year and put on 30lbs. I thought it was hopeless but this whole calorie counting thing seems to be working for most of you:) im siked!

grinch031

How does ignoring all the science that goes on into the bio-chemical processing of energy except the 1st law of thermodynamics helping anyone? Its not. People need to stop talking about candy bar diets that are completely unsustainable and unhealthy.

And for the record, I don't know if you thought you could get away with a garbage statement like this because most on here are not in the field. But, I am. And that sentence doesn't even make sense, nevermind the fact that 1st law does not even come into play with what these people are discussing, at least not the way you just tried to use it. Are you a student? I think you have some serious reading to do.

What is garbage about my statement? If you aren't going to explain yourself, why make such criticism? What law of thermodynamics applies to the equation (Change_In_Energy_Store = Calories IN - Calories OUT)?

grinch031

I am usually not ugly to anyone on this site and try to be very helpful. But if you believe these so called facts you are writing about then you are an idiot plain and simple and need to find another forum to post on. There is no place for that kind of negativity and just false information here.

Directed at Grinch031

Again someone criticizing me with absolutely no counter-arguments.

Rebecca_42

Just comment on this whole calorie counting. I do know it is working for me. Even if it is just to make me aware of what I am eating. I have only be at this for a week today and have already lost 6 pounds. My Doctor explained it in a way that I had never heard before but makes sense. Example: If your body on stores 500 calories for muscle a meal and the rest is stored in fat. Then by skipping breakfast and lunch and eating all of your cal limit (1500 cal a day) then you have just stored 1000 calories of fat. Your body will not go into burning fat until you have went 24 hrs without storing any fat. So Do not try to use all of the calories at the end of the day or at one meal. Spread your calories thru the day. Make sure to eat all three meals. This just made a light bulb go off in my head when he said that. I was one to not eat much in the mornings if any at all. I ate lunch and then supper but my meals were heavy and more calories then I knew I was eating. They were somewhat healthy like whole wheat pasta and such. Now I think I am on the right track. Hope this helps!!!! Stay with it. It is worth it!!!!!!

thistimeismytime

I'm negative about rubbish posts that are unhelpful. Do you really think a candy bar diet is a good way to lose weight and improve health?

The problem is much of the content of this thread is not grounded in any science. Unwanted weight gain is not a psychological disorder, it is a physiological disorder caused by the modern foods most commonly consumed. I already said my solution, which is to eat foods better for the body (ie. more natural, less processed), and not just thinking in terms of calories. Even that isn't good enough, because once someone is obese, they are metabolically damaged such that the lower their weight becomes, the harder it is to maintain. But that's about the best they can do right now.

Um NOOOO I don't think a candy bar diet is a good idea...Duh!! But neither is beating down people who are trying to improve their lives and their bodies. Of course eating natural, unprocessed food is best, any 8 year old could tell us that!! And NO ONE, obese or not, is "damaged" beyond repair! Everyone is capable of change. You are helping nothing, and you need to do one thing to make the world a better place... GO....AWAY!!!!!!!

damifino

Grinch my counter argument is everyone on this site loosing and maintaining their weight with what you say is something that will not work and is doomed to fail.
And as far as loosing weight slowing your metabolism. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn so if you are exercising and toning and building muscle while doing your calorie counting then your metabolism will most definetly work better. I really believe you have no idea what you are talking about and are just on here trolling to get people pissed off and I am going to request that you be removed from the forums.

Danube73

This is my first post, as I've only been a MFP member for about a week. I apologize that I haven't yet read all the replies. However, I feel compelled to share that calorie counting has already made a tremendous difference for me. I've discovered that it's just like any sort of budgeting -- you prioritize, and you decide how to "spend" the calories you are allotted. I used to squander my daily calories on foods that had little to no nutritional benefit; now, I am mindful of how I distribute and allot my calories throughout the day. I'd much rather spend 100 calories on a banana than on a candy bar, for instance.

So yes, calorie counting is definitely extremely beneficial, because I think it makes us accountable for the wholesomeness (or lack thereof) of the calories we consume. In addition, I believe that a person's mindset needs to be fully ready to make the emotional changes necessary for the physiological ones to occur, if that makes sense. I know in my own life, I used to be terrible with budgeting money. Until I was emotionally ready to be better at budgeting, saving, and prioritizing, I didn't make any progress in my bank account. In the same way, until that switch "flipped" and my emotional response to food changed for good, I knew I would make little to no progress in my weight loss and my quest for a healthy lifestyle.

I have taken off 5 lbs. so far (much of that water retention, I'm sure) and I have never felt better. There is something so gratifying about "budgeting" my calories each day. I love filling out the food log, just like I now love filling out my checkbook ledger and being mindful of where my hard-earned money goes. Sorry if I'm driving that comparison in to the ground, but it has been in the forefront of my mind since I began this journey.

In the week I've been a member of MFP, I have been incredibly impressed with the intelligence, motivation, and support of the other members. Best of luck to you, OP... you definitely have a solid support system in the people here, myself included!

BrianSharpe

If a 95% failure rate is any evidence, then counting calories doesn't work.

Based on?

95% failure for "diets" yes, but for people who actually re-train their brains and exercise your assertion may be exaggerating things.

grinch031

Grinch my counter argument is everyone on this site loosing and maintaining their weight with what you say is something that will not work and is doomed to fail.
And as far as loosing weight slowing your metabolism. The more muscle you have the more calories you burn so if you are exercising and toning and building muscle while doing your calorie counting then your metabolism will most definetly work better. I really believe you have no idea what you are talking about and are just on here trolling to get people pissed off and I am going to request that you be removed from the forums.

Look now you're putting words in my mouth. I never said it won't work and is doomed to fail, what I'm basically saying is that people need to do it the right way and stop thinking that calories are the only thing that matters because of one simple physics equation. The more people understand about how it really works, the better chance they have of long term success.

I have been on here a few months and while I bump heads with people on the science behind dieting, I am by no means a troll. My opinions are completely relevant to the thread BTW.

You can go ahead and try to ban me for having a difference of opinion (how childish), but you are making judgements about me that are completely baseless.

VAgal123

This is the link to the blog...good luck!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/samantha1373/view/the-30-day-fitness-challenge-232493

SweetSammie

I like this approach because nothing is off limits.
In the past 2 weeks (I've been at this 11 days), I have eaten out way more than usual (off for spring break, things came up, etc.) Sometimes I splurged, sometimes I didn't.
If I splurge, I can either work out more, OR I can be really sensible on my other meals of the day.'
Luckily, I really enjoy healthy foods, so my splurges are often guacamole, or sour cream, or pizza (with veggies). Or bread with butter...

Yesterday I wanted wine with friends, so I walked for over an hour and kept my other meals really sensible.

I also like CHOCOLATE. Diana's Banana Babies are GREAT. Chocolate dipped bananas, 150 calories.
I think they are best if you let them sit 10-15 minutes before eating them, so the banana is creamy, cold and soft.

Hot chocolate is also GREAT. I found some Blue Diamond Hazelnut crackers, which I am going to put with a little nutella and banana slices, I'll let you know how they turn out.

Frozen yogurt is good, too. We have a place that sells theirs by weight (Orange Leaf), so if you ask, they will weigh JUST your yogurt, no toppings to make it easier to put in the diary. I try to have a TON of fresh strawberries on mine, that way I see the full bowl... but a bunch of what is IN my bowl is fruit.

This is the first time i have dieted and have not felt EXTREME guilt about having "non-diet" foods... I think because I am trying to make every thing I do sustainable.. things I would eat, workouts I would do for the rest of my life. I am also sort of a fan of having a REAL brownie if you really want one... because a lot of the time imitations don't cut it.

If I can, you can too!

grinch031

I'm negative about rubbish posts that are unhelpful. Do you really think a candy bar diet is a good way to lose weight and improve health?

The problem is much of the content of this thread is not grounded in any science. Unwanted weight gain is not a psychological disorder, it is a physiological disorder caused by the modern foods most commonly consumed. I already said my solution, which is to eat foods better for the body (ie. more natural, less processed), and not just thinking in terms of calories. Even that isn't good enough, because once someone is obese, they are metabolically damaged such that the lower their weight becomes, the harder it is to maintain. But that's about the best they can do right now.

Um NOOOO I don't think a candy bar diet is a good idea...Duh!! But neither is beating down people who are trying to improve their lives and their bodies. Of course eating natural, unprocessed food is best, any 8 year old could tell us that!! And NO ONE, obese or not, is "damaged" beyond repair! Everyone is capable of change. You are helping nothing, and you need to do one thing to make the world a better place... GO....AWAY!!!!!!!

How did I beat anyone down? I simply pointed out an opposing view relevant to the thread started by the OP.

dlwyatt82

...the body controls BOTH Calories IN and OUT no matter how much you try to win that battle.

So physiology is 'magic' and the human body will simply decide to use less calories for the same exact actions to keep/make people fat? Yeah, that makes sense. Also, I hear that if the gremlins that live in my car feel like it they can give me 50 MPG instead of the 28 that I get now.

Where did I say "same exact actions"? It is scientific fact that people who lose weight actually have slower metabolisms than people who are naturally at the lower weight. It is part of the 'starvation response' where your body is defending its fat storage because leptin levels have decreased to deficient levels. Also changes to Calories OUT can be subtle. You can feel unmotivated and lazy, but in reality its your body trying to reduce its caloric expenditure. Also people who are resistant to obesity (ie. teenagers who can eat seemingly unlimited amounts of food) will be highly motivated to be physically active whenever they over-eat as a way for their body to compensate.

So Cals IN and OUT are not indepedent variables. Both are highly influenced by the body.

And who cares? You still need to maintain a deficit to lose weight, regardless of where your metabolism is functioning. Those studies you're referring to only showed a very small difference between the TDEE of the people who lost weight when compared to the people who were light all along. I don't recall the exact figure, but it was somewhere around 5%. Whoopdee freakin doo.

Counting calories is a valuable tool for almost everyone who wants to lose weight. If you managed it without counting, congratulations, you get a gold star. You were still maintaining a caloric deficit, whether you tracked anything or not.

grinch031

...the body controls BOTH Calories IN and OUT no matter how much you try to win that battle.

So physiology is 'magic' and the human body will simply decide to use less calories for the same exact actions to keep/make people fat? Yeah, that makes sense. Also, I hear that if the gremlins that live in my car feel like it they can give me 50 MPG instead of the 28 that I get now.

Where did I say "same exact actions"? It is scientific fact that people who lose weight actually have slower metabolisms than people who are naturally at the lower weight. It is part of the 'starvation response' where your body is defending its fat storage because leptin levels have decreased to deficient levels. Also changes to Calories OUT can be subtle. You can feel unmotivated and lazy, but in reality its your body trying to reduce its caloric expenditure. Also people who are resistant to obesity (ie. teenagers who can eat seemingly unlimited amounts of food) will be highly motivated to be physically active whenever they over-eat as a way for their body to compensate.

So Cals IN and OUT are not indepedent variables. Both are highly influenced by the body.

And who cares? You still need to maintain a deficit to lose weight, regardless of where your metabolism is functioning. Those studies you're referring to only showed a very small difference between the TDEE of the people who lost weight when compared to the people who were light all along. I don't recall the exact figure, but it was somewhere around 5%. Whoopdee freakin doo.

Counting calories is a valuable tool for almost everyone who wants to lose weight. If you managed it without counting, congratulations, you get a gold star. You were still maintaining a caloric deficit, whether you tracked anything or not.

If maintaining a deficit is so easy, why are there dozens if not hundreds of people posting each day that they have stopped losing weight? Because creating a deficit for an extended period of time is difficult for a number of reasons, one important one is because the body adapts to it to restore energy balance any way it can. This is why we need to be mindful of what is going on hormonally.

mon696

:flowerforyou: Calorie counting has worked for me. It can't be a Monday-Friday thing either. A nutritious diet and exercise is the 'secret' to weight loss. Basically someone who posted here wants us to believe that once we are fat we will always be fat. Not true, don't be discouraged by them or your roommate. I've lost 114 pounds with no pills, shakes or surgery. Keep track of what you eat and what you do, be dilligent and don't give up.:flowerforyou:

Haters keep on hatin':explode:
I'm a lover so I'll keep on lovin'
Fighting on the internet is like a screen door on a submarine: pointless
:bigsmile: