People that only care about calories.

hannahamay

This question is primarily directed towards the people who calorie count but don't worry about fat/sodium/sugar/ect. Have you lost weight on only counting calories? If so, do you think it's better to just count calories and not worry about the other factors of food that can hinder weight loss? I personally worry about both calories and nutrition because I'd rather eat a high calorie nutritiously dense meal than something low-calorie that's not as healthy. I'd just like to know your input!

cmriverside

Your way is better. You can lose weight eating a bad mix, but why would anyone want to? I think at first it is difficult to figure out all the macro and micronutrients, so a lot of people don't try. But once you see how freaking good you feel eating the right mix of foods, the shift is natural.

hannahamay

Your way is better. You can lose weight eating a bad mix, but why would anyone want to? I think at first it is difficult to figure out all the macro and micronutrients, so a lot of people don't try. But once you see how freaking good you feel eating the right mix of foods, the shift is natural.

I completely agree!

cmeade20

Originally I just counted calories, once I felt that had become habit I started focusing on nutrition as well. I lost weight just coutning cal however I feel I've had better progress since focusing on nutrtion not just in fat loss but I've noticed much better progress in my fitness abilities, had more energy and less acne and stomache issues.

Chrissie_R

when i started i focused mostly on just calories and i did lose weight but i'm now focusing more on nutrition which i guess is a healthier way to do it :-)

pkw58

I have done calories only but paying attention to only calories left me "hungry" and set up to fail.. Now that I focus on getting enough protein and not eating "empty calories" it has worked without any desire to not eat "healthy" my way. But I do know that people are successful on it, and who am I to judge?

rileysowner

All I did losing the first 50 pounds was pay attention to calories. The thing is eating food that is higher in protein and fiber, and lower in sugar tends to make it easier to be satisfied with the calories allowed. I just didn't really think about it. I still don't usually. For that matter I refuse to obsess over my macro profile or whether food is clean or not. Doing so, for me, is a recipe for failure.

hooah_mj

Sweetie(s) when I was that young it seriously did not matter
Your college years make you practically invincible to such considerations, or at least they should be.

By the time you're my age, you'll have to seriously reconsider things, but for now take heart that that hideous saying, "a calorie is a calorie" fully applies to you.

So my answer is yes...you can absolutely lose weight just counting calories (albeit time is a b*tch)

AllTehBeers

Originally I just counted calories, once I felt that had become habit I started focusing on nutrition as well. I lost weight just coutning cal however I feel I've had better progress since focusing on nutrtion not just in fat loss but I've noticed much better progress in my fitness abilities, had more energy and less acne and stomache issues.

This. Right now I'm still in the early stages so I focus a lot on calories but I've made changes that increase my nutrition just by making better choices. I eat more vegetables and fruit with my meals instead of crackers or chips. If I have room LEFT then I sneak in some chocolate or chips. That's not to say I don't enjoy some beer or pizza on the weekends but instead of half the pizza, I just eat one or two slices.

JLD81

I agree with a lot of other posts here. Yes, I believe that you can lose weight only watching calories. However, I think this is when we are the most moody, grouchy, mad for no reason, and SORE. I believe that watching calories is the most important place to START. As you progress, and realize how your food affects your workouts, sleep, hair, nails, skin, etc, then I think you realize that that candy bar for 250 calories is not the same as the whole wheat toast with almond butter.... Your body does not feel the same.

For beginners, I think they first need to get watching calories under their belt (no pun intended) before they can start focusing on everything else. Looking at everything at once is a daunting task. I think you need to get your feet wet with working out and eating the appropriate amount of calories first. Most people who START trying to lose weight have been eating fast food, highly processed, chemical filled crap. The number one problem with this is these foods are high calorie, high fat, and promote weight gain when not eaten in moderation. To try to come off that diet to watching calories, protein, sugar, sodium, and everything all at once would set most people up for failure right from the start. Once they get to the point where it's no longer a "diet" then they start to realize how food affects your mood, workouts, etc. This is also the point where food switches to "fuel" in our brains and the "diet" has switched to habit or lifestyle.

For me, the things I concentrate are calories, protein, sodium, and iron and potassium. Potassium is my biggest challenge because I take ADHD meds which tend to leech the potassium from your body. I have started adding some of the more natural protein and nutrition bars as snacks. I also have reached the point in my fitness where I don't just think about "man, if I eat that McDonald's cheeseburger I'm going to have to workout for an extra 45 minutes" to "man, if I eat that cheeseburger, I'm going to feel like crap for two days".

Also, I think this depends a lot on your support system, will power, and people around you. I, for one, work at an office that eats. A lot. All the time. For every occasion. Daily. lol One thing that makes it even easier for me, is that I have food allergies, so I can't eat the cupcakes, donuts, soul food, fast food, etc that they bring in. This fact made the starting days much easier, because you don't get the peer pressure when you tell them "i'm allergic" like you do when you say "that's not on my diet".

LorinaLynn

The first few months, I just paid attention to calories. As I started paying more attention to what the wise people of MFP had to say, I adopted an IIFYM (if it fits your macros) approach, and love the results.

pg3ibew

I just count calories. Don't know about or care about micros, macros, fats, protien, carbs or anything else. Count calories and work out. O am sure many will disagree, but to each their own.

I did, however, learn that certain foods are better than others. For example , I went to a lot of whole wheat instead of white. More veggies and things like that. But I have never paid attention to the other stuff.

gendril

Jep i used to just look at the calories but after a while i find that eating a much stricter diet without "fast" carbs i feel a lot more satiated after eating and for longer time. Also i dont feel tired because of insulin spikes.
So in short eating slow carbs (veggies etc.) and bumping protien / fat intake has helped me loosing weight.

moreORless50

was mainly calories i had such bad eating habits they still arnt as good as i want them to be but i am learning as i go about nutrition as well as calories some days are better than others i still have so much to learn being a vegaterian i do worry about getting enough protien and iron the food diary is great for showing me my bad habits :devil:

SopranogirlCa

I am focusing on both, I try to stay away from empty calories, foods with too much sugar and sodium and I am trying to increase fruits and veggies. No more processed foods for me (well, 80-90% of the time).... Sometimes, you just can't void them.

Eupho

I am a big fan of Optimum Nutrition.. (apart from wine :drinker: :flowerforyou: )

I try to eat as well-healthily as I can. The BEST things I can put in my body.

mearlie

Much of what I eat is because of necessity (I cannot eat dairy, gluten, soy, or legumes) and I am mostly concerned with calories. That said, I've always been one to "care" about nutrition, even when I wasn't counting calories so I have some decent eating habits.

Healthier choices also tend to be more filling and therefore more satisfying so I'm not hungry at the end of the day when I've consumed all my calories.

If you eat potato chips, you're not going to get full but you are going to use up a bunch of calories. Those calories are full of pretty empty carbs so your body will metabolize quickly and cause an insulin spike, which will lead to hunger. On the other hand, if you eat a salad with some chicken and a lower fat dressing, even if you have croutons (I can't- they are glutenous), you won't be hungry for awhile and the chicken and small amount of fat from the dressing will help keep you satisfied longer and control insulin. So for me, the healthier option is what I WANT when I'm counting calories so I'm not running around hungry all the time.

Robin_Bin

It depends on where you start. Some people eat mostly nutritious foods, but too much of the rich ones, for them portion control and calorie counting may be enough. For others, they may learn that they can eat the amount of calories, but it leaves them feeling hungry... often an indication of not enough fiber, hydration or bulky vegetables. And others are eating all "lite", "diet" foods and have trouble eating enough, which can also be fixed by adjusting to a more nutritious diet. It's hard to change everything at once, so you start with one thing, learn and adjust.

Without proper nutrition and exercise, you won't be fit and healthy, but the people on this site are starting at different places and with different goals. Some are more ready than others to take on additional steps. One thing I like about MFP is although you need to wade through things that don't apply, there is lots of good advice and support here.

JLD81

Much of what I eat is because of necessity (I cannot eat dairy, gluten, soy, or legumes) and I am mostly concerned with calories. That said, I've always been one to "care" about nutrition, even when I wasn't counting calories so I have some decent eating habits.

Healthier choices also tend to be more filling and therefore more satisfying so I'm not hungry at the end of the day when I've consumed all my calories.

If you eat potato chips, you're not going to get full but you are going to use up a bunch of calories. Those calories are full of pretty empty carbs so your body will metabolize quickly and cause an insulin spike, which will lead to hunger. On the other hand, if you eat a salad with some chicken and a lower fat dressing, even if you have croutons (I can't- they are glutenous), you won't be hungry for awhile and the chicken and small amount of fat from the dressing will help keep you satisfied longer and control insulin. So for me, the healthier option is what I WANT when I'm counting calories so I'm not running around hungry all the time.

You're diet restrictions sound about as fun as mine. At least you can have eggs. Eggs, milk, and peanuts are in EVERYTHING. And of course I am so kindly allergic to all three :P bleh.

thevikingninja

Well it kind of goes hand in hand. I only really focus on calories but typically if you are staying low cal, the foods also happen to be low fat. Since I can't afford to have high fat or carb foods without blowing my cals for the day on one meal it just works out.
I ignore sugar for the most part since I eat a lot more fruit than I used to so no matter what I'm probably over. It isn't candy or cakes so as long as it's the right type I don't mind going over. Sodium isn't much of a concern to me right now either I just try not to drink as much diet soda as I used to and usually that keeps it low enough.
Just avoid 'bad' foods that are greasy, fried, high carb, basically all the stuff that you avoid on a diet anyways and you should be fine.
I've lost over 60 pounds this way so I can't be totally wrong.

JLD81

It depends on where you start. Some people eat mostly nutritious foods, but too much of the rich ones, for them portion control and calorie counting may be enough. For others, they may learn that they can eat the amount of calories, but it leaves them feeling hungry... often an indication of not enough fiber, hydration or bulky vegetables. And others are eating all "lite", "diet" foods and have trouble eating enough, which can also be fixed by adjusting to a more nutritious diet. It's hard to change everything at once, so you start with one thing, learn and adjust.

Without proper nutrition and exercise, you won't be fit and healthy, but the people on this site are starting at different places and with different goals. Some are more ready than others to take on additional steps. One thing I like about MFP is although you need to wade through things that don't apply, there is lots of good advice and support here.

All of this is very well said. And very true. MFP also gives a lot of motivation for those who want to change by placing all fitness levels in one place and can help people challenge themselves based on what others like them have done.

Leeanne1974

At a weekend I do focus only on cals. Try to get around my target but as i tend to catch up on sleep I don't usually have a breakfast so if i fancy a bar of chocolate in the evening (like tonight) then I will do.
In the week I am far more careful and make sure I get my 5 portions of fruit and veg a day and stick to lower fat things, still aim for my target cals.

mearlie

Much of what I eat is because of necessity (I cannot eat dairy, gluten, soy, or legumes) and I am mostly concerned with calories. That said, I've always been one to "care" about nutrition, even when I wasn't counting calories so I have some decent eating habits.

Healthier choices also tend to be more filling and therefore more satisfying so I'm not hungry at the end of the day when I've consumed all my calories.

If you eat potato chips, you're not going to get full but you are going to use up a bunch of calories. Those calories are full of pretty empty carbs so your body will metabolize quickly and cause an insulin spike, which will lead to hunger. On the other hand, if you eat a salad with some chicken and a lower fat dressing, even if you have croutons (I can't- they are glutenous), you won't be hungry for awhile and the chicken and small amount of fat from the dressing will help keep you satisfied longer and control insulin. So for me, the healthier option is what I WANT when I'm counting calories so I'm not running around hungry all the time.

You're diet restrictions sound about as fun as mine. At least you can have eggs. Eggs, milk, and peanuts are in EVERYTHING. And of course I am so kindly allergic to all three :P bleh.

OMG. I'd shrivel and die without eggs!

JLD81

The plus side is that the only way I ever liked eggs was hard boiled, and only occasionally. The downer is that they are in EVERYTHING.

ValerieMartini2Olives

I used to care about logging every single macro, but now I just do calorie counting on my online version. However, I do check my phone app regularly to get an idea of what I should eat. I don't want to consume 2300 calories worth of carbs in a day. Gotta have some balance. Since I stopped logging macros, I'm still coming in right around where I should be. I have myself set at 45-35-20. For the week, I usually come in around 50-30-20

dakotababy

I have about 100lbs to lose. I figure (for now at least) that counting calories will be good enough. I do keep track of fat/carbs/sodium and sugar, but I do not count or aim for a certain amount.

I think this is working for now, as I have a lot to lose. Once I start plateauing more and more as I get smaller and smaller, I am sure everything will need to be changed, monitored, and counted.

zaph0d

I look at calories and macros primarily. Don't care about sodium. Don't care about sugar (just count overall carbs). I care about micros, but I don't really count them. I get enough via whole foods and my daily multivitamin.

Spartan_Maker

This question is primarily directed towards the people who calorie count but don't worry about fat/sodium/sugar/ect. Have you lost weight on only counting calories? If so, do you think it's better to just count calories and not worry about the other factors of food that can hinder weight loss? I personally worry about both calories and nutrition because I'd rather eat a high calorie nutritiously dense meal than something low-calorie that's not as healthy. I'd just like to know your input!

I lost 100 lbs. and 25% body fat in eight months by calorie counting, eating 1.7 g of protein per kg of body weight, taking a GMP certified multivitamin, and then eating whatever I want.

I exercised too, of course, but that's not material to your question.

joeamendiola

I mostly focus on calories, but I pay attention to everything. So far I'm down 15 lbs and I have about 60 lbs to go (at least).

adriadawn19

I only focus on counting calories and I have lost 38 lbs but I also try not to eat a lot of junk too

crimsoncat

1. Have you lost weight on only counting calories?
2. If so, do you think it's better to just count calories and not worry about the other factors of food that can hinder weight loss?

1. Yes, I have lost at least 10 pounds counting calories only. I do try to balance out my marcos (if I go over on carbs one day I try to go high in protein low in carbs the next), but it doesn't always happen.

2. I only count calories because managing everything gives me a headache. I'm a stress eater and the idea of trying to keep every single little number in the green both frustrates me and makes me feel like a failure. If I can keep that one number in the green (even by weekly average), I know I'm on track to at least maintain my loss. When I fall off the bandwagon, only needing to mess with one number makes me go "it's only one thing. Just do it!" Counting everything makes me feel overwhelmed and like no matter what I'm doing I'm failing. It's all psychological for me, but I know that about myself.

I would also add that counting calories has led me to improve my diet even if I don't care about macros. For example, I eat a TON more fruits and veggies now because I can have more for less calories than ice cream. I'm loving the quantity thing and I enjoy playing around with my diet.