Listening to my Body & Not Counting Calories

jenneal89

I have noticed that now I have started counting calories, eating healthier and excercising more my body will tell me when it needs fuel and when it can do without. This is something new to me as I used to have both no "hunger feeling" nor did I have a "satisfied" feeling.

The main reason for me to log and keep counting is indeed discipline, accountability, and just the sheer realization of the amount of crap we put in our bodies if we eat processed foods. That was a real eye opener for me.

I would never advice anyone to go against their feelings, if you feel this is right for you then you should. There are many ways that lead to the same result, and everyone is different.

Exactly! Same for me. I'm so much better off since that I've been logging my food and exercise for a while. It's like when you live at home you don't really understand how expensive those $50 jeans are until you start paying your own bills. Same for exercise and nutrition! Do I really want that king sized chocolate bar knowing its going to take me at least an hour of hard work to burn it off? No. I don't even have those kinds of cravings anymore. And it's helped me realise just how important portion size is

gsager

Okay so I have found the ability to log food and carefully count my calories on this sigh has actually NOT been beneficial to me, is anyone else in the same situation?
So instead, I have decided to get into the habit of listening to my body and eating for FUEL rather than to balance out my calorie numbers, So i was wondering if there's anyone who does the same, and if anyone has any tips to help get where I want to be!

Good Luck everyone! x

Listening to my body was how I got overweight.

danasings

Honestly, logging every day keeps me accountable. I am a visual person, and seeing in numbers what I'm putting in my mouth nutritionally has helped me so much. My diet isn't perfect by any means, but I have improved it, tweaked it, and I have found a macro balance that works for me. My energy has improved, my weight is still going down slowly but steadily, and I don't feel deprived.

But you need to decide for yourself what you are willing to do on a daily basis for your health and fitness. If logging isn't right for you, then try something else. The road to fitness and good health isn't linear...you need to try out different things and change things that aren't working. Best of luck to you!!

D3vAnge1

We count calories for discipline. Most of us are overweight because we like to eat or we like foods that don't supply what our bodies need. Some have a slight addiction to sugar and have trouble stopping with it. We have trouble noticing when were full or knowing when were emotionally eating. If you have a weight problem it may be from one of these reasons.

This.

I tried the "listening to my body" stuff for years, and I just gained. Diligently tracking taught me how to control myself.

The heart is a treacherous thing..."The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Iow, never trust your "feelings" you'll likely be mislead.

170to110

wow thankyou guys, i would just like to say that the two months ive spent thrououghly tracking my calories has made me very aware, and i've vastly improved my diet, i just want to move on from the couting because i need to be listening to my body. Counting calories didnt make me eat less, it actually forced me to eat more than i wanted, just because the app told me i HAD to.

SideSteel

wow thankyou guys, i would just like to say that the two months ive spent thrououghly tracking my calories has made me very aware, and i've vastly improved my diet, i just want to move on from the couting because i need to be listening to my body. Counting calories didnt make me eat less, it actually forced me to eat more than i wanted, just because the app told me i HAD to.

Is there a reason that counting calories and listening to your body are mutually exclusive for you?

Clovergirl17

My body is pretty much the little kid having a temper tantrum in the candy aisle of Walmart, screaming, "BUT I WANT IT!!!!!!!!!!!" :laugh:

Lol. That's soo me!

Back to OP, personally I think it would only work if you were eating really clean and not ingesting much sugar, unhealthy fats, etc. Much easier to control what you're taking in when its things like salmon and brocolli. Listening to my body as I eat chewy chocolate chip cookies I'm sure would be dangerous and I refuse to live in a world without chewy cholocate chip cookies, so I log.

Oh man...I am with you all the way! I also refuse to live in a world without chewy chocolate chip cookies. I had worked for about a year here on MFP and lost 38 pounds...then fell off the wagon and gained all but 9 pounds back. I have really important goals for myself, so I don't have time to screw around anymore. Personally I think one of my biggest downfalls was my idea of a 'free day' on weigh in days. Those will be gone. I know that MFP works, I just have to make myself do it. I know from personal experience that I can't just 'listen' to my body, but my body will tell me to eat pizza and pretzel M&M's for every meal :P It's definitely a process, but if I'm going to get older anyway, I might as well do it getting healthier!

RealMattHopkins

My body is insatiable, more or less. If I listened to my body, I'd be 400lbs.

I am finding the calorie counting to be extremely beneficial in helping guide me along to get the best bang for my 1800 caloric bucks and am beginning to realize I will spend my entire life counting calories now, even when I get to a place where it's time to do maintenance.

clobercow

Many of us low carb dieters discover that counting calories is not necessary. Even more so for us who practice intermittent fasting.

I just eat until I'm satisfied and I lose weight. The fasting part also comes naturally since I don't get hungry much, if ever. It's easy once my diet helps me get my hormones in control.

abigailmariecs

I just got off a 2.5 month stint of not counting calories. The first month was bad while I did not gain anything I also did not lose anything. The second month, though I did not count or log calorie I did measure and use serving sizes for everything. If I was still hungry after one serving size, I would wait 20 minutes and if still hungry I would measure another serving and eat that. Half of that time I would find that I was not really hungry but my brain needed time to catch up to my stomach. That being said I only lost .5 lb the month that I measured everything. I am back to logging food because I miss the 3-6 lb loss every month that was happening when I did log food. I hope it works better for you but I would highly recommend at least measuring out portion sizes to start with even if you are not going to log it.

TauTheBull

I dont count anymore but know roughly how much I am eating because of a couple years of counting. I lost 100 lbs without counting and just listening to my hunger cues.

It can be done if you dont mistaken thirst for hunger or are constantly eating out of habit.

170to110

I will be completely honest but I feel battered about what a lot of people are saying, i'm not 'out of whack' im four stone lighter, i use the gym everyday and i am in the prime if my life. I'm not a friggin newbie who thinks counting calories is too much effort, i lost 23lbs WITHOUT couting calories, and the 2 months I have been I've lost 3lbs. If you lot want to be talking about the realism of numbers then take that into account. Thanks for the 'support' guys, or rather shaming me and making assumptions. Means a lot.

meeka472

I log my food to keep track of what I'm eating. Now that I've reached my goal I am no longer focused on the actual calorie number. But I do think that there is usefulness in knowing what you've eaten and keeping yourself accountable. As others have said, if I were to completely listen to my body I would be eating a bunch of high carb/high sugar/low fiber foods. When I log I can actually see how well I'm fueling my body and make tweaks throughout the day if needed.

LorinaLynn

If what you were doing worked better for you, then why does it matter what people here think? Of course people on a calorie counting site are going to be in favor of counting calories. Just like you won't get much support for eating bacon on a vegan site.

VelociMama

If what you were doing worked better for you, then why does it matter what people here think? Of course people on a calorie counting site are going to be in favor of counting calories. Just like you won't get much support for eating bacon on a vegan site.

Exactly.

OP, please stop taking things so personally. I don't see where anyone bashed you or ridiculed you at all. Some just disagreed with your methods. Calm down.

dittmarml

I will be completely honest but I feel battered about what a lot of people are saying, i'm not 'out of whack' im four stone lighter, i use the gym everyday and i am in the prime if my life. I'm not a friggin newbie who thinks counting calories is too much effort, i lost 23lbs WITHOUT couting calories, and the 2 months I have been I've lost 3lbs. If you lot want to be talking about the realism of numbers then take that into account. Thanks for the 'support' guys, or rather shaming me and making assumptions. Means a lot.

I was the person who said "out of whack" and I made it clear that this statement was predicated on assumptions about length of time eating an unhealthy diet - and that those assumptions might not be true.

By "out of whack" - a description that is not clear, I'll grant you - I was referring to hormonal imbalances which can develop as a result of high fat, sodium and sugar intake, which is what your diary often indicates. When this occurs (and again, I have no way of knowing) it can make it difficult to lose weight.

I am glad that you have lost weight and I hope you continue on the journey. My suggestion about changes to your diet, and movement toward healthier foods, however, stands.

Matt_Wild

Simply listening will not work for 99% of people. When I diet I don't generally ever feel anywhere near full (when I bulk I pack away 6000 calories a day) and so would simply put on weight.

For me its like travelling. You don't get in a car in in Alaska and say hmmm $100 will get us to Mexico if we drive. You work out the petrol needs. Your body is the same - you have to fuel it as required.