Just calories ok?

cara523

In my food diary, is it ok to track just calories or should I track other things as well? I started planning my day tracking lots of things but they never were all in the "green"- some I had too much of but other things I didnt have enough. It gave me a headache so hoping I can just track calories and call it a day?

ShmoozyQ

Yep, just tracking calories is fine. As long as your other numbers aren't hugely out of control (double, triple sodium) you're good to go. And MFP sets your protein really low, don't worry about going over on that.

Mokey41

Unless you have health issues that require you to track sugars, carbs or sodium then just focus on the calories.

cara523

thank you! You both just made my day!

cara523

nope! no issues like that...YET! thats why I need to be here before it gets to that! thank you!!

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

Just tracking calories will result in weight loss. Tracking macros/micros as well will result in weight loss as well as keeping you healthier and more energized. The macro I pay the most attention to is protein because I I'll feel awful without it and I need it to build muscle.

yuckidah

I do calories only - don't care about the other stuff (I'm low carb anyway) & really, let's be honest, weightloss comes down to the proverbial 'energy in vs energy out' so it makes little difference where that energy in/calories come from.
Do whatever works for you. Good luck

Nikki31104

That is all I ever track. I do look at the other numbers but I keep track of the calories. I do watch my salt intake though because that can make you really bloated.

haroon_awan

Macronutrient ratios and the quality of foods should be taken into account when counting calories. Simple, yet crude example:

If your goal is to eat under 2100: There is no point eating 2000 calories from McDonalds/Subway/cakes biscuits/Coke/Pepsi/alcohol if fat loss is your goal because this is a terrible diet.
***This version of counting calories is for certified morons.***

If your goal is to eat under 2100: Counting 2000 calories from non-processed, good quality proteins, fats, complex carbs, and hitting your macronutrient goals for the day is the right way to count calories.

There is a major difference.

amberlykay1014

I started just tracking calories because I didn't want to overload myself. Gradually, I decided to make more of an effort to lower my sugar and sodium levels, even though I don't have any health risks.

Do what works for you! Good luck!

Laddiegirl

I really just track calories but do keep an eye on if or how much I go over on fat and sodium because I know going over those two things by a lot often are going effect how much weight I really lose no matter how good I am with calories and exercise.

haroon_awan

How is that a terrible diet? It has protein, carbs, and fats.

Please, for the love of God and Heaven and all that is Holy, tell me you're joking.

Health is weight dependent. If you're over weight and lose weight you will get healthier. For example: who is healthier a man who weights 700lbs and eats "clean" or a man at a healthy weight who eats junk?

I didn't say person A or B was healthier, I said DIET B was better than DIET A.

As people lose weight, their insulin profile improves, triglycerides, cholesterol, blood pressure. This is NOT food choice dependent, it's WEIGHT DEPENDENT.

You're saying for example, insulin response is dependent on weight rather food? Again, are you serious? Yes, GENETICS are important, but FOOD choice is key.

AyaKara

I suggest keeping things that are easy to have too much of (sodium, sugar) so you can get used to knowing which foods have high amounts, then you can stop. I track sodium & cholesterol, but I'm at the point now where I know which foods to eat to keep those low. I could remove them if I wanted to. It's up to you!

Also, I suggest tracking carbs, protein, & fats. I know the poster above disagrees, but I think you should until you know the best combinations.

haroon_awan

I'm going to keep this simple:

Health and weight loss are directly proportional for the most part. Assuming you’re not dying of some type of immune disease. What are some of the greatest indicators of health? Blood pressure, triglycerides, cholesterol levels, insulin sensitivity, the ratio of LDL to HDL. You know what affects all these health indicators the most? WEIGHT. Lose weight and these health indicators will improve. What does weight loss have to do with the type of food you eat? NOTHING. Weight loss is about calories.

But how does one lose weight and achieve GOOD BODY COMPOSITION? By eating healthy *FOOD* according to your individual needs, hitting your macro goals and exercising.

Then people try to argue the “you need your vitamins and minerals.” Go read a label on “Lucky Charms” cereal then tell me about vitamins and minerals. 11% vitamin A, 12% calcium, 12% vitamin C, 31% iron, 122 calories, 1.1g fat, 25g carbs, 1.5g fiber, 2.1g protein. Eat 10 servings, that’s 1,220 calories. Add some lean protein, and you’re set. How many of you track your vitamins and minerals and make sure you get the right amounts? If you don’t and preach “you won’t get your vitamins and minerals eating junk” then my friend, you’re a hypocrite. You’re probably not getting them either. Many authorities agree, you probably will get all your vitamins and minerals if you eat a well-balanced diet. Truth is, they also agree that no one eats a well-balanced diet all the time. They recommend vitamin and mineral supplements.

I don't know what country you are in, but I am guessing that the percentage of vits/minerals you're quoting is the recommended daily guidelines governments set out. 9 times out of 10 those are poor guidelines and anyone who takes them seriously is quite simple minded. UK guidelines, for example, are ***general guidelines*** for the 65 million people that live in the country. They are not based on my needs.

Remember it’s healthier to be at a healthy weight and eat junk food than it is to be overweight and eat healthy food.

You fail to point out that the long term affects of "healthy" person A eating crap are going to affect his life.

I have studying to do, so this is my final say on the matter. I think some of what you've said is absolute nonsense so lets just agree to disagree.

cara523

oh boy....what did I start? Can we all just move on please? We should all be happy that we are getting healthy! Isnt that what the bottom line is? We all want to be healthy and happy and as long as that is the end result, we can all get their our own individual way. I apologize that my simple question caused such tension. I never meant for that to happen. Thank you for the information. :-)

SideSteel

oh boy....what did I start? Can we all just move on please? We should all be happy that we are getting healthy! Isnt that what the bottom line is? We all want to be healthy and happy and as long as that is the end result, we can all get their our own individual way. I apologize that my simple question caused such tension. I never meant for that to happen. Thank you for the information. :-)

1) it's not your fault.
2) Misinformation is bad and as such, these discussions can be important and valuable even though they can degenerate into fights sometimes.

And I should probably also answer your original post:

Yes you can just track calories however, macronutrients are still important. Assuming you eat rather balanced/mixed meals and you apply some common sense then you will probably do reasonably well. It might not be ideal but if it allows you to stick to your calorie deficit then it's certainly better than failure.

unmitigatedbadassery

Macronutrient ratios and the quality of foods should be taken into account when counting calories. Simple, yet crude example:

If your goal is to eat under 2100: There is no point eating 2000 calories from McDonalds/Subway/cakes biscuits/Coke/Pepsi/alcohol if fat loss is your goal because this is a terrible diet.
***This version of counting calories is for certified morons.***

If your goal is to eat under 2100: Counting 2000 calories from non-processed, good quality proteins, fats, complex carbs, and hitting your macronutrient goals for the day is the right way to count calories.

There is a major difference.

Well done. Quite eloquently put.

Crankstr

I like to pay attention to my macros

bathsheba_c

The calorie count is important for weight loss. The macro counts are important for understanding where your calories are coming from in order to ensure proper nutrition. The US government recommends 55% from carbs, 30% from fat, and 15% from protein, which is what MFP has set as its default.

Mathematically speaking, you cannot eat your target number of calories without going over in at least one of the macros. So don't let the red numbers scare you; they just help you know which macros you are getting most of your calories from. In general, it is better to be over in protein and in fiber than it is to be over in fat or in carbohydrates.

AllTehBeers

Macronutrient ratios and the quality of foods should be taken into account when counting calories. Simple, yet crude example:

If your goal is to eat under 2100: There is no point eating 2000 calories from McDonalds/Subway/cakes biscuits/Coke/Pepsi/alcohol if fat loss is your goal because this is a terrible diet.
***This version of counting calories is for certified morons.***

If your goal is to eat under 2100: Counting 2000 calories from non-processed, good quality proteins, fats, complex carbs, and hitting your macronutrient goals for the day is the right way to count calories.

There is a major difference.

I agree that eating crap all day every day is a poor diet. We are also talking about people who want to eat healthier. Most likely the diet you describe is in absolute form, as in, no one trying to live better is going to eat ALL crap.

I also think that for someone who is very over weight, the first and most important thing is to get their weight down. After they have become more informed and have found a grove in their weight loss, then they can focus on stuff like micros and macros.

I'm not agreeing or disagreeing with anyone's point of view, this is just how I believe the process is for some people.

AllTehBeers

The calorie count is important for weight loss. The macro counts are important for understanding where your calories are coming from in order to ensure proper nutrition. The US government recommends 55% from carbs, 30% from fat, and 15% from protein, which is what MFP has set as its default.

Mathematically speaking, you cannot eat your target number of calories without going over in at least one of the macros. So don't let the red numbers scare you; they just help you know which macros you are getting most of your calories from. In general, it is better to be over in protein and in fiber than it is to be over in fat or in carbohydrates.

If you set your own macros instead of using MFP defaults, you can have a better macro ratio for your individual needs and won't go over.

Sarauk2sf

oh boy....what did I start? Can we all just move on please? We should all be happy that we are getting healthy! Isnt that what the bottom line is? We all want to be healthy and happy and as long as that is the end result, we can all get their our own individual way. I apologize that my simple question caused such tension. I never meant for that to happen. Thank you for the information. :-)

1) it's not your fault.
2) Misinformation is bad and as such, these discussions can be important and valuable even though they can degenerate into fights sometimes.

And I should probably also answer your original post:

Yes you can just track calories however, macronutrients are still important. Assuming you eat rather balanced/mixed meals and you apply some common sense then you will probably do reasonably well. It might not be ideal but if it allows you to stick to your calorie deficit then it's certainly better than failure.

^^this.

Try to make sure your get enough protein and fats and that you have a balanced diet with a good amount of nutrient dense food. Most people, if they eat 'sensibly' should get a decent amount of what they need.

Sometimes it is easier to start with the basics - calories. and then start focusing on what the diet entails so you can make tweaks to get a more ideal macro/micro composition rather than trying to go 'whole hog' at the beginning. Adherence is key.

aorech

oh boy....what did I start? Can we all just move on please? We should all be happy that we are getting healthy! Isnt that what the bottom line is? We all want to be healthy and happy and as long as that is the end result, we can all get their our own individual way. I apologize that my simple question caused such tension. I never meant for that to happen. Thank you for the information. :-)

1) it's not your fault.
2) Misinformation is bad and as such, these discussions can be important and valuable even though they can degenerate into fights sometimes.

And I should probably also answer your original post:

Yes you can just track calories however, macronutrients are still important. Assuming you eat rather balanced/mixed meals and you apply some common sense then you will probably do reasonably well. It might not be ideal but if it allows you to stick to your calorie deficit then it's certainly better than failure.

^^this.

Try to make sure your get enough protein and fats and that you have a balanced diet with a good amount of nutrient dense food. Most people, if they eat 'sensibly' should get a decent amount of what they need.

Sometimes it is easier to start with the basics - calories. and then start focusing on what the diet entails so you can make tweaks to get a more ideal macro/micro composition rather than trying to go 'whole hog' at the beginning. Adherence is key.

agree with this!

neverstray

It's always a shame when someone gets results, but then thinks what they are doing is working for the wrong reasons and then uses those invalid reasons as evidence because they got results. It's like people who lose weight on the Twinkie diet. It has nothing to do with twinkies, but convincing them of that is impossible, because it worked. Lol.

cara523

great...now I want Twinkies! lol