Coutnin' calories for the rest of your life?

GoffGirl1029

Last night I went out to dinner with a friend I haven't seen or talked to for a couple of years. I only had 700-some calories left for the day I had spent the whole afternoon stressin', thinkin' what could I possibly get at this particular restaurant that wouldn't make me go over. I knew my options where next to none. I get there, and start lookin' over the menu and I just decided to eat what I wanted, without worryin' about calories. I ate and I'm sure I went over my remainin' calories, but I didn't stuff my face and I enjoyed my meal and the company.
Upon leavin' the place, I got to thinkin' about countin' calories and if it's really somethin' I can see myself doin' for a long time. The answer is NO. I will long enough to get the excess weight gone, but for me, this has been a journey in portion control and all over healthier eatin'. My goal is to have transitioned over to the clean eatin' lifestyle, and I don't feel like once I've mastered that, I'll even need to really worry so much about calories.
Anyone else out there feel like this? Or do you plan on continuin' to count calories/points/what have you for a long, long time? Any clean eaters out there that don't count calories and have lost/maintained weight?

imchicbad

I'm hopping one day to be so well trained that I won't have to. No I do not want to count calories forever. Not how I want to spend my life. HOWEVER until I reach my goal, learn about MY body and eating habits from a different prospective, I will continue to log . I want to get it through my head that I need to limit my portions, work out, and maintain a healthy life style, and not just diet. When it's second nature. I can let go. But if it doesn't work, I will come right back too it without hesitating. But as long as I can, for now I will and it might be helping someone else.

Athena53

When I was in my 20s I was a lot more conscious of the calorie count of everything. Now I have a general idea of the relative calorie count of what I eat and I rarely pay attention to the actual count except when looking at nutrition labels. I know fresh vegetables (other than the starchy ones such as beans and potatoes) are near zero, and that grilled is better than fried, tomato-based soups and sauces are better than cream-based ones, etc.

I'm very careful in restaurants because of the "super-size" portions. And yes, you CAN do dinner for 700 calories. Get a salad with no cheese or meat, dressing on the side, and dip your fork in the dressing before stabbing the veggies rather than pouring the dressing on. Instead of a main dish order an appetizer that's not fried or a non-cream based soup. Get a side of steamed veggies if you want. Skip the bread and dessert. Heck, you can even enjoy a glass of wine or a small scoop of sorbet.

No need to stress, and no need to give up and think you can't stay within your calorie limit.

rileysowner

After over 40 years of bad eating, I am thinking I will have to count for the rest of my life. Would it be nice for me to be able to stop, sure, but when I do I put weight on again. For the amount of time it takes me to count calories with an app like MFP, it is not an issue. As for eating out, one meal will not hurt one way or the other, and it would be easy enough to get a meal that is tasty and within 700 calories at pretty much any restaurant. I would just require making some careful choices and perhaps asking them to modify how they prepare things.

vicrandom

Applejack, is that you?

IMYarnCraz33

I'm hopping one day to be so well trained that I won't have to. No I do not want to count calories forever. Not how I want to spend my life. HOWEVER until I reach my goal, learn about MY body and eating habits from a different prospective, I will continue to log . I want to get it through my head that I need to limit my portions, work out, and maintain a healthy life style, and not just diet. When it's second nature. I can let go. But if it doesn't work, I will come right back too it without hesitating. But as long as I can, for now I will and it might be helping someone else.

^This!^
I don't want to count calories forever... but as the above says, until it's 2nd nature, I will continue to log. And if I slip up, then you bet your sweet *** I'd come back.

Brianna716

I've been using MFP on and off for a while. May 2012 I was at my high of 153, I managed to get in to the 140s before I stopped. August 2012 I was back up to 152. I was down to 145 within 2 months and stopped using MFP again. I didn't look at a scale again until January 2013 and I was down to 140- without counting calories! I didn't exercise and didn't pay all that much attention to what I ate. I must have changed my portion sizes though, how else would I have lost another 5 pounds?

So I think that once I'm at my goal weight I will be able to maintain without counting calories because MFP is helping me to make a lifestyle change and learn what proper portions are. I'm not on a fad diet and I will be able to maintain my new weight

dawn_eichert

For me personally, I know that I will need to at least keep an eye on calorie counting forever. I lost almost 40 pounds using MFP two-three years ago. Then got lazy and quit logging, watching it or even exercising (gee I got married too - corralation??) So now I am back, exercising, logging everything, reading all labels and cleaning up my eating habits and am down almost 12 in less than 2 months. Yes I will be on here forever and will keep track forever. I may not log everything everyday once I have maintained awhile but I won't leave again.

However, if you are sticking with eating clean, you may not need to track as closely once you have the total hang of it. I know on days that my planned meals follow eating clean, it isn't a concern. But for me, while I may try to do that as much as possible, it just isn't a norm that I can stick with between kids sports, my activities, etc....

Good Luck

norrisski

Last night I went out to dinner with a friend I haven't seen or talked to for a couple of years. I only had 700-some calories left for the day I had spent the whole afternoon stressin', thinkin' what could I possibly get at this particular restaurant that wouldn't make me go over. I knew my options where next to none. I get there, and start lookin' over the menu and I just decided to eat what I wanted, without worryin' about calories. I ate and I'm sure I went over my remainin' calories, but I didn't stuff my face and I enjoyed my meal and the company.
Upon leavin' the place, I got to thinkin' about countin' calories and if it's really somethin' I can see myself doin' for a long time. The answer is NO. I will long enough to get the excess weight gone, but for me, this has been a journey in portion control and all over healthier eatin'. My goal is to have transitioned over to the clean eatin' lifestyle, and I don't feel like once I've mastered that, I'll even need to really worry so much about calories.
Anyone else out there feel like this? Or do you plan on continuin' to count calories/points/what have you for a long, long time? Any clean eaters out there that don't count calories and have lost/maintained weight?

I plan on logging my food and exercise for the rest of my life. i have been down this weight loss too many times to quit now because everytime I quit thinking about it, all my efforts were for naught and the d**m weight returned. Well, I am 53 years old and don't plan on dying fat so yes I am logging everyday and counting calories forever more.

vytamindi

Applejack, is that you?

I read that in her voice, too!

As far as the topic goes, I don't even trust myself "eyeballing" portions (I'm always WAY off when I double check with my food scale), so not calorie counting is a far way off for now, at least.

ATOLLIT

I'm intending to get to my goal weight, carry on counting at maintenance for, say, 3 months, until I feel like I can keep eating sensibly at that level, and then stop I don't want to do it forever, but if I stop too soon I know I'll just go straight back to square 1.

EjaneK11

I don't want to count calories for the rest of my life. I am doing it to get my weight down and learn to exercising.

ciardasully

Sadly, I think I will need to log for the rest of my life too :-(

TheNewBlake

Yeah as soon as i can eat well i will probably ditch mfp i will just have smaller portions and excersize stuff i didnt do in my past i use to be skinny as a kid because i didnt eat much and always played outside riding my bike etc but then i stopped doing stuff and ate and ate

laserturkey

I plan to weigh and measure foods and to track calories for the rest of my life. Now that I'm old enough to have been around the block a few times, I know that is THE way for me to attain and maintain a healthy weight.

namluv

I have been on this rollercoaster weight ride too long to leave out the option I may do it for the rest of my life, if that's what I need to do to prevent a relapse I am all for lifetime.

strikerjb007

I don't think you have to do it for the rest of your life. It's just a tool to help you gain or lose weight. That's all. I keep track mostly because I tend to undereat. But nowadays, I feel like I really don't need to. Even going over 500 calories will not kill anyone.

cls_333

When I was in my 20s I was a lot more conscious of the calorie count of everything. Now I have a general idea of the relative calorie count of what I eat and I rarely pay attention to the actual count except when looking at nutrition labels. I know fresh vegetables (other than the starchy ones such as beans and potatoes) are near zero, and that grilled is better than fried, tomato-based soups and sauces are better than cream-based ones, etc.

I'm very careful in restaurants because of the "super-size" portions. And yes, you CAN do dinner for 700 calories. Get a salad with no cheese or meat, dressing on the side, and dip your fork in the dressing before stabbing the veggies rather than pouring the dressing on. Instead of a main dish order an appetizer that's not fried or a non-cream based soup. Get a side of steamed veggies if you want. Skip the bread and dessert. Heck, you can even enjoy a glass of wine or a small scoop of sorbet.

No need to stress, and no need to give up and think you can't stay within your calorie limit.

^^This exactly. I pretty much know after 1 year on MFP the calories in everything. I used to think "am I never going to be able to fit a cookine in my diet again?" I try to eat lots of fruits & veggies & good foods, stay away from processed, and go for the lower cal option on anything I can (tomato based sauce over cream based as noted above). I don't really count calories anymore & am maintaining. I will add though that I run close to 50 miles a week, which helps. But trust me, even doing that I can gain weight if I'm not careful.

lauristewart

I don't know how to keep the weight off w/o counting. It is so easy though, to do. The tools MFP gives you makes it so easy!! And yes, there will be days when you go over. That is life!! There are some of us who just can't do w/o it....others can. As soon as I quit logging, I gain weight. So I will be here forever! It works! I had lost about 20 lbs and gained most of it back by not logging, so am back at it!! 12 more to go!!!

Going4Lean

once you get used to controlling how much food you eat you wont need to count calories.

stumblinthrulife

I'll do it until I trust myself to make good food choices in proper portions without it.

JustThriveCo

Your body doesn't count calories, and neither should you! It only counts nutrients.

When you eat a calorie dense meal that is nutritionally bankrupt (Chinese food comes to mind), you're starving in an hour.

When you eat a low calorie meal that's nutritionally dense, on the other hand, your body is content for 3 to 4 hours (also the optimal time needed for digestion process to fully complete).

So, no way I will count calories!

The calculator here, though is a great place to keep honest about nutrients, exercise and other healthy habits.

Lyssa62

I plan on logging my food and exercise for the rest of my life. i have been down this weight loss too many times to quit now because everytime I quit thinking about it, all my efforts were for naught and the d**m weight returned. Well, I am 53 years old and don't plan on dying fat so yes I am logging everyday and counting calories forever more.

^^^ this is how it is for me too. I am now the most healthy I have ever been and at 50 the lowest weight I have ever been...if I want to keep this look I'm going to have to be in it for the long haul.

Barbellerella

I made the mistake before when I followed the paleo food lists thinking as long as I was eating these "clean" foods, the calories didn't matter. Well thats not true at all. I put on fat.

If you get to the point that you can eyeball your portions and you know your not eating above your TDEE then thats great, you will maintain fine on your own. But don't mistake yourself into thinking as long as you're eating "clean" you won't put any of the weight back on. Calories in vs out still matters.

LorinaLynn

I can go prolonged periods without logging, but I feel better and can perform better (running, lifting, etc.) when I track my food.

I think of it like managing my bank account. Sure, I can keep a tally in my head for a while, but if I still need to balance my check book manually.

I don't think of it as a way to limit my intake... just a way to make sure I'm eating right.

lauren3101

Can I ask why you don't like putting a 'g' at the end of your words? :laugh:

On a serious note, I am quite happy to count calories for the rest of my life if it means I get (and keep) the body I want, but once I hit maintenance I won't be as strict, as it were.

Confuzzled4ever

No..

if your goal is to change you life and change your eating habits you won't have to worry about counting calories, your choices in food will just be correct.

Calories in my view are just a way for us to realize what we are eating and how much of it is a proper portion. They are a tool we use to train our minds the proper way to eat. Once you've got it, counting them will be unnecessary becuase you'll make the right choices most of the time without needing to count.

Gosh I could never do this for the rest of my life. I can eat healthy and exercise and make good choices though.. but worrying about everything and logging it all.. no thanks!

cardinalsfootball

This current body was built by not counting calories. Even when trying to eat healthy (including daily green smoothies), I still gained 20 pounds last year before starting this diet again.

For me, I suspect I will have to count calories for the rest of my life if I don't want to gain weight. That is, unless I somehow decide that being morbidly obese again is my goal.

DebbieLyn63

After over 40 years of bad eating, I am thinking I will have to count for the rest of my life. Would it be nice for me to be able to stop, sure, but when I do I put weight on again. For the amount of time it takes me to count calories with an app like MFP, it is not an issue. As for eating out, one meal will not hurt one way or the other, and it would be easy enough to get a meal that is tasty and within 700 calories at pretty much any restaurant. I would just require making some careful choices and perhaps asking them to modify how they prepare things.

^^^ This. It took me to the wise old age of 49 to finally accept the reality that I will ALWAYS have to keep a calorie count to finish losing this weight and maintain it. If I were to only do this til I reached goal weight, then stopped and started eating what I wanted without knowing the cal count, then I would eventually gain back all the weight I worked so hard to lose. I'm not going down that road again, so for me-- Counting calories for Life! And it is definitely worth the effort.

MyOwnSunshine

Good luck with your plan!

All I know is that I've lost weight probably 15 times in my life -- more than 250 pounds total, not counting the current 100+ that I've lost. Every single time I've lost weight, I've stopped logging or counting or whatever helped me to lose and then put all the weight back on plus 10 pounds.

I'll be counting calories for life.

95% of all people who lose significant amounts of weight gain it back. I'm looking forward to counting calories and being the other 5% this time around.

Msmith1992

Hmm, This is a hard thing to say about counting calories.....I use to be 200 6 years ago. Then I was not working and worked outside of my home. I did the Bob green total body workout and lost 60 lbs over 9 months. I was very very active, working out 6 days a week to be able to loss that much weight. Now I have 6 years later and need to loss 20 years after having my baby. My baby boy is 3 months old now and is sleep through the night. I am 6 years older and in that 6 years went to school and got me degree and now I have a full time job... How to I loose the weight this time? I have been counting calories and am not loosing any weight. I do not have the energy of the time to loose it the same way I did last time, but I only have 20 lbs to loose. For me calories and your tracking them helps me keep my emotional eating under control. So I think it is a balance of keeping things in control...
Once you reach your goal and stop doing what you did to loose the weight, the weight will come back. So you need to reach your goal and then do what you can to keep it off. Because it will come back if you eat more calories then you burn.
So remember their is two sides of the equation. So if you eat more calories then he had for that day, no worries. Do more walking or activity the next day to help counter act what you ate the night before. Good luck finding the balance that works for you.