FORGET counting calories!

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.

Ah, so if I eat 250 extra calories my body will burn them off for me too? Only when it hits the magic 1000 calories over will the weight start to add on. Got it.

Interesting how you read what I wrote. Short answer: no.

You do realize how easy it is to go over by 250 calories right?

Yes, it may be hard to believe, but many of us are as knowledgable as you are when it comes to the hard maths re: weight gain/loss, calories tracking etc.

The OP is asking if her counting is causing her stress and binge-eating. She is not asking for advice re: specific calories. Mental health is a BIG part of health, and my (and others') advice is focusing on this aspect.

Good for you for counting and losing and maintaining etc. But please remember, our replies is to the OP, not to debate about the best way to lose or maintain weight in general.

dsalveson

I work out 1-3 hours a day most days out of the week, yet I’m 100% confident that if my strategy was simply to eat salmon, raw nuts, sweet potato, avocado, tomatoes, fruit, etc. only until my “body tells me to stop”, I would be grossly overweight.

If you excluded that salmon, and made the raw nuts an occasional thing, and kept your avocados to 1/day max, you would certainly not be grossly overweight.

Sure, not if I lived off leaves, but she's making the claim that if you exercise and avoid processed foods then there is no need to count calories, and that is simply not true. If that does work it's on an off chance and therefore should not be recommended as a weight loss strategy.

MelodyandBarbells

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.

Ah, so if I eat 250 extra calories my body will burn them off for me too? Only when it hits the magic 1000 calories over will the weight start to add on. Got it.

Interesting how you read what I wrote. Short answer: no.

You do realize how easy it is to go over by 250 calories right?

Yes, it may be hard to believe, but many of us are as knowledgable as you are when it comes to the hard maths re: weight gain/loss, calories tracking etc.

The OP is asking if her counting is causing her stress and binge-eating. She is not asking for advice re: specific calories. Mental health is a BIG part of health, and my (and others') advice is focusing on this aspect.

Good for you for counting and losing and maintaining etc. But please remember, our replies is to the OP, not to debate about the best way to lose or maintain weight in general.

The OP is not askING anything. It's a zombie thread, only good for kicks and giggles

LiftAllThePizzas

I work out 1-3 hours a day most days out of the week, yet I’m 100% confident that if my strategy was simply to eat salmon, raw nuts, sweet potato, avocado, tomatoes, fruit, etc. only until my “body tells me to stop”, I would be grossly overweight.

If you excluded that salmon, and made the raw nuts an occasional thing, and kept your avocados to 1/day max, you would certainly not be grossly overweight.

Some of us like food and don't see an ultra-restrictive tasteless deprivation diet as "success" in any way, shape, or form.

Brett_Mason

This is the best post in this thread. Eat high nutrient low fat foods. ie fruits and veggies. You can eat until you're miserable and lose weight. I dare you to eat as much as you can. Try it.

thepezzle

I stopped counting calories at -30 lbs for the most part. I only count if it's something I'm genuinely curious about to get an idea of a good portion size and how much energy I might need.

I will likely resume counting as I get closer to my goal weight and out of obesity classification.