Coutnin' calories for the rest of your life?

myfitnesslife75

No, there is no way I'm counting calories for the rest of my life. I'm trying it for today and I'm already frustrated with it! I have no problem exercising and do so willingly on a daily or alternate daily basis and switch things up often. BUT, when I "counted calories" today I was already "OVER" my limit by 59 by lunch time! And I'm still hungry! I did a half hour on the exercise bike so now I'm "allowed" 138 calories again. LOL! I'd like to live my life and make my own healthy decisions and not have some chart tell me what I can or can't eat or do. I'm in a healthy BMI right now and I plan to stay that way. I used to be borderline "obese" but I've lost weight on my own long before I even knew what counting calories was all about!

mwooderson

A test I'm going to use to see what I've learned from food choices and portion sizes is...I am going to log everything like I have been but not look at the calorie total at the bottom of the page. Then after 2 - 3 weeks go back and see how I did.

Athena53

Is the G on your keyboard broken? :huh:

No, they were having a sale on apostrophes!

belleunos

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!

For me it's about going clean. As this post states your body counts nutrients. not calories After watching Hungry for Change and reading the book Clean, I think just changing my diet for good is my answer. It has certainly helped with the weight loss and I feel better then I have in years. That being said I will continue to log until I reach my goal and probably for a little while during the maintenance period. Then I may still use it periodically for a reset if I start gaining.

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

Rhonnie

I do not feel I'll have to count calories forever. I am not one that has too much of an issue with portion control, it's more the mindless eating and/or skipping meals and such that I have problems with so I think occasionally I'll want/need to spend a week logging just to kind of keep tabs on myself and makes sure some new food habit hasn't snuck into my diet that is throwing my calories way off.

lilmisfit

Is the G on your keyboard broken? :huh:

No, they were having a sale on apostrophes!

:laugh:

crazytreelady

I don't think so... I lost weight before and after I found MFP..... I do not think it is hard to figure out that a piece of cheesecake is not going to be very good for you...

grrrlface

I've been on here long enough to know what I can and can't eat without going too far over calories. I am less strict than I used to be and I do occasionally slack off for times but I know mfp is always here to get me back in track if I need it!

At the moment, I need it. Let myself get lazy with food and exercise so I have become more serious with it again i still don't calorie count everyday, only when I need the encouragement to get back in it.

lambjoo

absolutely! I've thought about this and have done this as well. Problem is, I end up coming back to counting calories because I've gained some weight. I lose control of what i'm eating because I'm not held accountable for it. The one negative for me about counting calories is the feeling of failure every time I go over on my calories. I don't know how to get over it and continue eating healthy/within my calories limit.

THIS !!!

And because of it I will be counting forever or gaining when I don't

jakkidoodles

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.

Yup

JimLeonardRN

If its what I have to do to not be nearly 400 pounds again, Heck yeah! I will count every stinking calorie that passes my lips!

ahviendha

i don't think of calories as a daily goal but a weekly one. gives me a lot more flexibility and less stress.

aaaron00

Counting calories has helped me tremendously with losing weight.. since i started doing this my diet changed drastically and that's what i started noticing the changes. I realized just how much i had been overeating my entire life! I need to lose 15-20 more pounds then I will no longer count calories but have a general idea of portions and how much i should be eating.

Ed98043

Applejack, is that you?

All I heard in my head was Sarah Palin.

I'm not sure if I'll count calories every day for the rest of my life, but I know I'll have to eat restrictively and nip any gains in the bud by counting calories if/when the scale starts to creep up or my clothes start to get tight.

Shadowknight137

I probably won't, and once I reached at least 60kg - what I consider a safe weight for me - I'll probably be fine. I know what I need to eat to maintain my weight, anyway: about a KG of potatoes or a cup of uncooked rice with a pound of meat, some cheese and veggies. Probably with ice cream.

Dani76babi

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.

I really like this ^^

I plan on doing that, as soon as I feel comfortable with my choices and I have been at my goal weight for a while.

aliciab307

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

awesome! wtg

aliciab307

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'm still in my journey and I think everyone will have a difference response. We all became overweight different ways and not everyone has a bad relationship with food. For me, I dont believe I will have to count calories forever. In my journey I've found the foods i used to munch on aren't appealing and doesnt taste as good as it did before I changed my lifestyle. that part alone makes it so much easier to avoid unhealthy foods. i think a good thing to test out would be once at maintenance after a month or two and you've gotten the hang of portion control and eating healthily is normal you won't ever have to count calories again. I plan to do that and keep an eye on my weight every two weeks. If I see I've left my comfort zone (upward) then I'll go back to counting calories and figure out what happened.

jennifer907

I think about this often since I'm close to my goal. I think I will still log but then again I'm not sure because I tend to eat a lot of the same foods so I have them memorized. I truly don't mind logging, it's measuring everything that drives me insane, but I think if you ever stopped logging, you would for sure need to measure and make sure you're having proper portion sizes. So yeah, I guess I'm pretty sure measuring portions won't go away any time soon for me.

bigandysrunning

Here' my deal. I am slowly working my way off of MFP. I suspect I will always use it as a tool, but I don;t think it's realistic for me to think I will count calories for the rest of my life. I am trying to make this a lifestyle change, and I feel like if I always rely on the app, it's just using a crutch. This is for me, at least. If there is someone else out there who needs the structure, then hey, use the tools available to you and log away. I don't know that there is really a wrong or a right answer here. It's what works for you. we are all here to accomplish the same goal: to lose weight and get healthier. what works for me may not work for you, but in the end we're trying to do the same thing. For me, I'd rather use MFP as a tool to help me understand the larger picture, and learn how to eat healthier and in reasonable, realistic portions. I have learned through my time what works and what does not for my body, and how my body reacts to it all. I don't plan on just going cold turkey and just flat giving it all up, just like everything else I've done I am slowly easing my way out of it. I started by giving up logging on Sundays. I would just go in, enter my calories for the whole day and close out the day. MFP is still in my mind, but i'm not counting every calorie. I did that for over a month to make sure I didn't go crazy and my weight did not explode on the scale, then I incorporated Saturdays to the non-logging routine. same thing, ran it out for over a month to make sure I was still handling it ok. Today is my first non-logging Friday. as always, i'll be skipping the weekend and I'll be back on it on Monday. I keep weighing myself once a week and making sure I'm still on track and so far so good. I'll continue this until I fully work my way off but I'll never stop using the lessons I've learned using MFP. That's my opinion anyway...

Spamcat

Why the fus about counting cals? Not a bad thing if it keeps you close to wherwe you want to be. I love my food scale - it keeps me focused and that is liberating to me....... I do use a digital scale and that makes life so much easier

MellifluousGirl

I've been counting calories for over a year without a ton of success. But, after I read Dr. Fuhrman's book "Eat to Live" and began 'eating clean,' I lost 15 lbs in a month. I still enter my calories, but I can see how easy it would be to not have to. If we are aware that avocados & nuts are high-calorie foods (but have "good fats") then we eat a smaller portion. If we know that spinach is so low in calories and high in nutrients that we can eat bags of it without concern, we can bulk up on it. And, if we know how toxic doughnuts are, we can choose health instead. I think the key is to drink a lot of water, eat mostly green, move more, laugh more, and avoid fake foods like the plague.

vypeters

I will be counting forever. It's not the counting specifically, it's the awareness. I was never aware of how much I was eating, but I sure was eating a lot to get over 300 lbs. Logging keeps me aware and in check. If I do have a small regain, I can go back and look to see what has changed.

Remember: 95% of folks who lose a significant amount of weight see the pounds come back and bring friends. It's not because they lose the weight and decide to eat whatever they want again, typically it's because portions creep and treats escalate until they're back in old habits. Logging keeps you mindful.

That said, counting calories doesn't mean you can never go over. Being too strict is a good way to discourage yourself. Go over now and then in a special situation. Log it. Were you over 500 calories? Be under 100 for the next 5 days. If it only happens very rarely, just let it slide. Your eating isn't ruined by one meal!

drusilla126

I'm so anal about it now I probably won't let myself stop out of fear of going back to the way I was. I hate to think of the time I spend doing it added up over my lifetime but in the end it's worth it I guess.
I try to express to my mom and brother how eating extra is kind of a waste of money. It's like putting gas in your car and overfilling the tank and having to pay for gas that ends up on the ground unused.

CoachReddy

If you want to keep eating crappy food, you'll have to count calories your whole life to make sure you fit your macros

if you eat 80-90% whole foods, you won't have to count because you literally can't eat too many veggies.

It's an easier-in-the-short-term vs easier-in-the-long-term kind of cost/benefit analysis

wendybird5

I knew that whatever I chose to do to lose weight, I'd need to be able to maintain the rest of my life so I don't have any problem counting calories forever if it means keeping this weight off. But who knows. Maybe I'll finally get my mother's ability to just know the right amount to eat and not over do it. Otherwise, I'm in it for the long haul. As long as it works and I'm happy, it's all good.

mistesh

Counting calories for the rest of my life? I hope not. Eating a little less and exercising a little more may make up for a slowing metabolism. There's a great chapter entitled The New Science of Aging in Younger Next Year: Live Strong, Fit, and Sexy - Until You're 80 and Beyond by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge.

"In a paradox that you absolutely have to understand, endless calories and lack of exercise signal your body that you're heading into a famine that you may well not survive, and in response, your body and brain head into a low-grade form of depression." But continues, "Ironically, in nature, depression is normal. It's a critical survival strategy."

The writer, Henry Lodge, then gets specific on the human hibernation of once upon a time. "So, winter comes to the tundra. As the months drag on, you wear down to skin and bone. The fat you built up over the fall steadily melts off as you battle cold and famine. You are locked in a slow race with death as you wait for spring.

What is hard for us to grasp today is that this was a regular, normal part of our human experience, and that depression-as-ultimate-defense lies deep within our bones." In the case of the standard American retirement being a parallel to winter, "In nature, there is no reason to be sedentary except lack of food." But we modern-day civilized humans certainly don't lack food, so there is no excuse for not exercising.

Or looking at it in another way, no excuse to be alarmed about the prospect of starvation mode just because the afternoon snack is skipped!