Counting calories.. a necessity?

Armyantzzz

It's whatever works for you as an individual! Counting calories is just a mechanic to assist in eating right. For myself it allowed me to actually pay attention to what I was eating and the effect if had on me... a true matter of choice and accountability which may or may not lead to a greater awareness of our habits good and bad. It's not written in stone that one must count calories to suceed... One must find a way to lose weight if that is trully the intention. So whatever the mechanic ... it's the end result we all desire. Also, just counting calories is not the entire game.... being active assists your body in "burning" the foods that "fuel" us. :happy:

Velum_cado

For some people, it's a really helpful tool. I lost 80 lbs before I joined MFP and started counting calories. I've recently stopped counting because I realized I was just getting obsessed with the numbers rather than eating sensibly and healthily. Since stopping, I've continued to lose weight at roughly the same rate I was when I was counting, so not counting obviously works for me.

But the period of time I spent counting was valuable. It made me more aware of how many calories actually are in the things I eat, and I'm much better at estimating calories now. Just find what works best for you and do it.

pcastagner

Eating Paleo and counting calories are not mutually exclusive things (OP, I know you didn't say or imply this...the other poster in the thread is making it sound that way). I eat paleo,and I've been tracking everything from day one so that I can count calories and pay close attention to my macros.

In the past I've tried to diet by not tracking, and it was a major fail for me.

OP, If your way is working out great for you, continue on.

I didn't imply that at all, but many proponents of paleo actually claim this outright. The OP is not making the case that they are mutually exclusive. Of course if you eat paleo and at the same time do something scientifically justified, the one won't cancel out the other. That would be a ridiculous and self-contradictory claim.


When I did switch to counting calories, I found out that things like brown rice, legumes, bread and even beer are pretty freaking awesome and inexpensive ways to fuel your body. And if I just pair the bread or legumes with an extract from a nifty little fungus called Aspergilus niger, there are no noticeable side effects other than improved performance.

Francl27

I count calories so I know when I can have a little extra. I'd probably not eat enough if I didn't count, and end up binging or something... and would definitely not be able to maintain that long term.

wllwsmmr

I wished I could stop counting calories lol I can no longer see food without seeing calories...

Agree with the rest that it is not a necessity if you can eat til satisfaction and not full full! Though it MIGHT come in handy if you're looking to lose those last few pounds!

SideSteel

yes people are able to lose or gain weight without counting calories/macros. However, by doing so it is a whole lot easier to have a flexible approach to eating towards their goals. Achieving goals without unnecessarily cutting out entire food groups.

Also, many people who are overweight have issues determine what is actual hunger and when they are full. Others, have emotional eating issues, others are just numbers people and like to count (that's me)

And being that body composition changes will differ with different macronutrient ratios but same calories, if people are looking to fine tune their goals then I'd personally recommend tracking macros.

^ I agree with all of this.

SnazzyTraveller

I also find it tedious. It may be something that I COULD do long-term but I sure as heck don't want to. I do it a few times a week to know if I'm way under or way over how many calories/how much fat I should be consuming. In fact sometimes I find counting calories makes me eat a bit more because I can see how much more I "could" be eating and still be under for that day. I'd like to think I know which food my body needs, and I really should just stick to that more instead of constantly thinking about numbers.

bumblebums

Now I know most users of MFP count calories and pay careful attention to food intake (i.e. logging food, writing down what they eat), but I was wondering if this is really necessary..

It is impossible to intelligently analyze performance conditions when core data is missing. That's setting oneself up for long term failure because the best method of analysis available is observational. That's what got you to a point where you had to make a change. Doing the same and expecting a different result is not an optimal strategy.

I agree. Counting calories makes fat loss a reproducible experiment. I know exactly what I did, and another person could follow the same method and achieve similar results.

It may not be necessary to count calories to lose weight, but it is necessary to reduce your intake to below your expenditure. If you can accomplish that by the seat of your pants, good for you. I prefer more precise methods. I do want to emphasize also that it is not necessary to exclude entire food groups in order to lose fat or to become healthy. In fact, you are more likely to control your body's size long-term on a flexible diet rather than on an elimination diet.

tcraw15

I've done it before, but I'm not bothering right now. I've been losing weight so far by making an effort to eat reasonable portion sizes of fresh, whole foods + exercise. If I find that I reach a plateau, then I might start counting calories to see what's going on. For now, it doesn't seem necessary.

This is exactly how I feel. And now that some of you mention it, I may start tracking macros, or may just do so when I hit a plateau. I do appreciate everyone's input!

Bernadette60614

Sounds to me as if when you were counting calories obsessively you permanently changed your eating preferences and habits...making counting calories unnecessary since you now eat different foods.

melindasuefritz

YES COUNT CALORIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!
thats why theres a category for it here and what the sit e focuses on