FORGET counting calories!

LolBroScience

there are tons of unprocessed foods that will make you fat if you over eat them. Counting calories and weighing food is an extremely useful tool for many who have goals that are outside of being average

Fixed that for you.

Also interested in learning what these unprocessed foods you are speaking of are... I would bet it would be very difficult to eat them in the amount needed to gain weight on but happy to be proven wrong.

Fixed that for YOU.

kgeyser

I think that as long as you are eating the right foods, you don't need to count calories. Humans, like all animals, wont overeat, or undereat, in their natural environments. As long as you are eating the whole natural foods that humans have been eating for thousands of years, your body will count calories naturally. The only reason people need to consciously count is when they eat artificially concentrated foods not found in our natural environment.

Totally this.

Its not normal to have to count calories to lose or maintain weight and you won't put on weight if you eat a healthy balanced diet, excersise and don't overeat. Yes, it certainly does work for people who need to lose weight but many people have an unhealthy relationship with food which leads to overeating in the first place. Avoid using processed foods as a crutch and you won't need to count calories.

there are tons of unprocessed foods that will make you fat if you over eat them. Counting calories and weighing food is an extremely useful tool for many many people who can't control their eating

Fixed that for you.

Also interested in learning what these unprocessed foods you are speaking of are... I would bet it would be very difficult to eat them in the amount needed to gain weight on but happy to be proven wrong.

If people really couldn't control their eating, counting calories and weighing food wouldn't do squat - they would still overeat. Not everyone gains weight from overeating, there's that whole other "calories out" side of the equation that can trip people up as well. I'm not sure why you seem so offended that other people count calories and weigh their food, you've brought it up in several threads I've seen as if it should be treated as some sort of character flaw.

MelodyandBarbells

there are tons of unprocessed foods that will make you fat if you don't count them. Counting calories and weighing food is an extremely useful tool for many many people

Name some unprocessed plant foods that would make you fat.

Coconuts, potato, avocado, almonds, peanuts,

OK, hands up those of you who got fat by eating coconuts, potatos, avocados, almonds, peanuts, bananas, grapes, steak, nuts and seeds alone?

But I didn't eat pizza icecream cake and blizzards alone either, if that's what you're getting at. By the same token, those items don't make you fat, either. Ding ding ding ding ding!!

LolBroScience

Also interested in learning what these unprocessed foods you are speaking of are... I would bet it would be very difficult to eat them in the amount needed to gain weight on but happy to be proven wrong.

I could easily eat enough steak and potatoes to push me into a caloric surplus every single day. Probably in a single meal.

eso2012

The counting and deprivation is NOT doing you any good, I can tell. Quite a few of us had reached that stage after successful weight loss / increased workout....while you are already at a good weight/range, you are spending a LOT of energy (mind and body) to maintain it.

I was/am in the same boat. Here my suggestions - ease up on the cal count. Do it but don't worry about going over unless it is like 1000 cals a day consistently!

Mix up your workout. Try something totally new. Consistency in working out is good, consistency as in doing the same old same old is not. You may see some changes both in terms of your body and your weight.

I don't know if you still need to lose etc Body composition is not the same as the number on the scale. I am struggling with wrapping my head around that myself - you know, the "magic number" I would like to see on the scale - but I know I am preaching the right thing

eso2012

The counting and deprivation is NOT doing you any good, I can tell. Quite a few of us had reached that stage after successful weight loss / increased workout....while you are already at a good weight/range, you are spending a LOT of energy (mind and body) to maintain it.

I was/am in the same boat. Here my suggestions - ease up on the cal count. Do it but don't worry about going over unless it is like 1000 cals a day consistently!

50 calories over maintenance a day is a net gain of 5 pounds a year

According to a certain formula, yes. But human bodies adjust. Unless you are 100% sure about exactly how much you are burning (24/7) and exactly how your body is taking in (to the 1 cals), those 50 +/- is really a generic guideline. If someone is stressing out over 50 calories a day (that's like 8/10 of a spartan apple), the stress-induced hormonal change can easily counteract the maths.

Linnaea27

there are tons of unprocessed foods that will make you fat if you don't count them. Counting calories and weighing food is an extremely useful tool for many many people

Name some unprocessed plant foods that would make you fat.

Miracle-Gro

No. Miracle-Gro is prcoessed. You can find unprocessed plant foods in your toilet.

Bahahahaha!!!! This thread is highly entertaining!!!!

LiftAllThePizzas

Also interested in learning what these unprocessed foods you are speaking of are... I would bet it would be very difficult to eat them in the amount needed to gain weight on but happy to be proven wrong.

I could easily eat enough steak and potatoes to push me into a caloric surplus every single day. Probably in a single meal.

Me too. And corn. And cashews. And milk. And rice. And bananas.

LiftAllThePizzas

there are tons of unprocessed foods that will make you fat if you don't count them. Counting calories and weighing food is an extremely useful tool for many many people

Name some unprocessed plant foods that would make you fat.

Coconuts, potato, avocado, almonds, peanuts,

OK, hands up those of you who got fat by eating coconuts, potatos, avocados, almonds, peanuts, bananas, grapes, steak, nuts and seeds alone?

Ok, hands up those of you who want to eat nothing but unprocessed plants for the rest of your life?

If there were only some simple method that would allow people to enjoy all the rich and yummy types of foods that they like, and do so without it compromising their health.

Something as easy as 1-2-3.

Wouldn't that be great?

tycho_mx

there are tons of unprocessed foods that will make you fat if you don't count them. Counting calories and weighing food is an extremely useful tool for many many people

Name some unprocessed plant foods that would make you fat.

Coconuts, potato, avocado, almonds, peanuts,

OK, hands up those of you who got fat by eating coconuts, potatos, avocados, almonds, peanuts, bananas, grapes, steak, nuts and seeds or any other unprocessed food alone?

Be honest now. No eating of cake, ice cream, bread, McDonalds etc etc at the same time of course.

This is absolutely idiotic. I can't keep nut mix in substantial amounts around the house. They are my bane. I'll eat 4 cups easily over a day. The effects of all the fiber are not always funny in the tummy, though.

My mom jokingly said that when I left Mexico the per-capita consumption of avocado went down. I used to consume 2 a day. And polish half a bunch to a bunch of bananas. I haven't bought roasted peanuts in about a year. A 750 gram container lasted 3 days.

Brown rice coconut curry with chicken breast... I ate half a pot during a vacation two months ago (MFP vacation as well). That was about 1500 g of food (6 cups). There was no processed sugar, no flour. Just brown rice (1 cup), 2 double chicken breasts, and a can of coconut milk and spices. So yeah...

Some people have issues with ice cream, and cake. I never liked dairy - as a 4 year old I shunned ice cream. But dried fruit and nuts? That stuff needs to be seriously metered around my house. My dietary issues (and the reason MFP and similar counters are crucial to me) are not related as much to the quality of my diet, but the quantities. Sure, it's easier to stay on-line when you can eat higher amounts of low-calorie-density foods, like salad.

Our weight management issues are NOT the same, therefore, the solutions are not the same for all of us. Speaking about silliness, going to a calorie management and database resource such as MFP and disparaging that approach expecting support is confounding. Aren't enough resources out there for you guys that don't need to count calories, just stay away from the evil processed foods?

angel5561

Is this the mfp debate team meeting ? :ohwell: :embarassed: :laugh:

Natmarie73

I think that as long as you are eating the right foods, you don't need to count calories. Humans, like all animals, wont overeat, or undereat, in their natural environments. As long as you are eating the whole natural foods that humans have been eating for thousands of years, your body will count calories naturally. The only reason people need to consciously count is when they eat artificially concentrated foods not found in our natural environment.

Totally this.

Its not normal to have to count calories to lose or maintain weight and you won't put on weight if you eat a healthy balanced diet, excersise and don't overeat. Yes, it certainly does work for people who need to lose weight but many people have an unhealthy relationship with food which leads to overeating in the first place. Avoid using processed foods as a crutch and you won't need to count calories.

there are tons of unprocessed foods that will make you fat if you over eat them. Counting calories and weighing food is an extremely useful tool for many many people who can't control their eating

Fixed that for you.

Also interested in learning what these unprocessed foods you are speaking of are... I would bet it would be very difficult to eat them in the amount needed to gain weight on but happy to be proven wrong.

Some salmon and sweet potato for lunch.
Peanut butter sandwich for my 2nd lunch
Top sirloin or skirt steak, potatoes, avocado, tomato, asparagus for dinner.

That's not including breakfast and the fact that I would still be starving if that's what I ate in 1 day.

But do you honestly think that diet would make you fat? I would be very suprised especially if you are working out and excersising. You might be eating a lot of calories but unless you kept eating after you were full and stopped all your excersise you will not gain weight. You don't need to count the calories to tell you this.

you said eating unprocessed foods won't make you fat, but they can.

you ask for answers and when you get them, you ignore them. that makes a lot of sense

No I didn't. I said and I quote

you won't put on weight if you eat a healthy balanced diet, excersise and don't overeat.

and

many people have an unhealthy relationship with food which leads to overeating in the first place. Avoid using processed foods as a crutch and you won't need to count calories

and requoted

there are tons of unprocessed foods that will make you fat if you over eat them. Counting calories and weighing food is an extremely useful tool for many many people who can't control their eating

and

Also interested in learning what these unprocessed foods you are speaking of are... I would bet it would be very difficult to eat them in the amount needed to gain weight on but happy to be proven wrong.

In summary, I am making 2 points:

1) If you listen to your body and stop eating when you feel full you won't need to count calories because your body knows exactly how many calories it needs to function and your brain will produce leptin when you have eaten enough calories to fuel your body. Thus, unless your hunger hormones are completely screwed up by obesity you won't need to count calories to maintain weight.

2) It is much harder if not impossible to overeat enough calories in unprocessed healthy foods to cause weight gain than it is when eating junk foods. Especially if you are paying attention to your body. I don't know of too many people who wish to binge on nuts, seeds, bananas or apples to the extent that they would become obese from it. And I don't know a single person who got fat by overeating healthy fruits, vegetables and meat.

If people really couldn't control their eating, counting calories and weighing food wouldn't do squat - they would still overeat. Not everyone gains weight from overeating, there's that whole other "calories out" side of the equation that can trip people up as well. I'm not sure why you seem so offended that other people count calories and weigh their food, you've brought it up in several threads I've seen as if it should be treated as some sort of character flaw.

Exactly! People still do overeat even while counting calories and weighing their food . How many threads do you see here where some one has gone over their calorie limit, or gone on a binge etc? And no, I certainly don't see it as a character flaw - I count calories myself as I have stated before because I'm a chocolate addict (my character flaw) - but I am concerned when people tell others that it is the only way to lose weight, when cutting out all the crap food from your diet and filling up on fruit and vegetables will also help you lose weight.

Interesting internet article I read recently stated that obese people don't have a normal hormone reaction to food so in those cases then yes I would recommend counting and weighing, because their bodies will be giving them false information and they would just keep eating without feeling full. But like I said you don't become obese by having good eating habits.

http://www.hungerhormones.com/science.html

EHisCDN

This thread is pretty amusing to read, there's like 3 or 4 mini conversations going on.

And yes, people can get fat eating "healthy" "unprocessed" "whole" foods. I was raised in a house that ate minimal processed foods. We cooked from scratch. Guess what, I was overweight even as a kid. My problem was portion control, which is what calorie counting is good for.

tycho_mx

Also interested in learning what these unprocessed foods you are speaking of are... I would bet it would be very difficult to eat them in the amount needed to gain weight on but happy to be proven wrong.

In summary, I am making 2 points:

1) If you listen to your body and stop eating when you feel full you won't need to count calories because your body knows exactly how many calories it needs to function and your brain will produce leptin when you have eaten enough calories to fuel your body. Thus, unless your hunger hormones are completely screwed up by obesity you won't need to count calories to maintain weight.

2) It is much harder if not impossible to overeat enough calories in unprocessed healthy foods to cause weight gain than it is when eating junk foods. Especially if you are paying attention to your body. I don't know of too many people who wish to binge on nuts, seeds, bananas or apples to the extent that they would become obese from it. And I don't know a single person who got fat by overeating healthy fruits, vegetables and meat.


[/quote]

Partially right. Some people are like me. I am never really full - at least not immediately after eating. I'll find out that that other full plate of turkey breast wasn't great idea. I think you meant stop eating when you no longer feel hungry

2. Yes - less calorie dense foods make it easier to feel sated. This is not quite the same as processed/unprocessed, but sure, some processed foods are caloric bombs. But so are peanuts, nuts, their butters, and extra virgin olive oil, cold pressed. Your ignorance in knowing people that got fat thereof (and how do you establish a baseline? I am not fat. I still want to lose 10 lb) is merely anecdotal.

Conversely, you get crazy guys like the twinkie diet weight loss. I don't recommend that to anyone, but that professor lost substantial weight eating nothing but metered amounts of junk food. Probably wasn't feeling too great at the end, but he lost weight.

Some of the best functional dieting advice for me was from Matt Fitzgerald's racing weight. His advice is for athletes (and so the weight loss is fairly slow). He recommends a high-quality diet paired with caloric restriction. His books are good in the sense that all his advice is referenced with papers from peer-reviewed papers.

LiftAllThePizzas

In summary, I am making 2 points:

1) If you listen to your body and stop eating when you feel full you won't need to count calories because your body knows exactly how many calories it needs to function and your brain will produce leptin when you have eaten enough calories to fuel your body. Thus, unless your hunger hormones are completely screwed up by obesity you won't need to count calories to maintain weight.

No. I've done that before, and it had me about 50 lbs heavier than I am now and insulin resistant and with horrible bloodwork.

2) It is much harder if not impossible to overeat enough calories in unprocessed healthy foods to cause weight gain than it is when eating junk foods.

I don't WANT to eat nothing but "unprocessed healthy" foods for the rest of my life. I actually enjoy eating pizza, and ice cream, and cookies, and cake. And I can do so by counting. I find "never eating the things I like ever again as long as I live" to be a pretty radical, miserable, and frankly unimaginative and lazy "solution" to this situation, which requires a lot more effort and unpleasantness than the solution I'm using.

Your argument is just as absurd as saying that seat belts are unnatural, so everyone should just stop driving cars and walk everywhere because that's the only way to get safely from point A to point B. Why? To avoid wearing seat belts. Because it's unnatural. And you, personally, don't like seat belts. So everyone else should stop.

Yeah, no. Some of us actually like food and find counting calories to be WAY more than worth the very small effort that goes into it, and infinitely better than lifelong deprivation.