People that only care about calories.
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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.0 -
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!0 -
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.0
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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 50-30-200
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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.0 -
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.0
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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.0 -
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).0
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I only focus on counting calories and I have lost 38 lbs but I also try not to eat a lot of junk too0
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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.0 -
I am a calorie counter above and beyond anything. My goal is to do what I can with the tools that I have. That said, I try and keep my macros in line and watch my sodium. But, I don't sweat it, I am slowly getting better and I am making better choices all the time. I guess that's the biggest part, NOT beating yourself up (or letting anyone else get to you who feels the need to belittle you or your choices). So yeah, calories first, but not only.0
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For me, at least to begin with, starting with a healthy diet did a lot of the work with my macros. The only one I consistently am at is protein. Eating healthy made most everything fall into place. The one new thing I'm tracking is sodium. I used to eat a lot of processed food without regard for how much sodium was in it. I'm now watching it about as close as calories.0
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Calories are the main thing I pay attention to.
The only others are Sodium and Sugar. Both of which I normally consume too much of.0 -
I only really look at calories (as evident from my diary), but I don't eat "bad" food. I cook things from fresh and am pretty aware of what I eat anyway. I've never been into processed food or junk food. I've lost 8lb and feel great, so I'm not too concerned by the macros. However, there are many people out there who calorie count and eat ****! Not recommended!0
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I'm kind of an "exact" person in nature if that makes sense, so I'm pretty set on counting calories, measuring every meal I can and eyeballing what I can't, and I've lost more than I thought I would by doing so. But at the same time, I do try to manage the other types of intake like sodium or carbs or fat on the food diary's tracker. Sugar's something I don't particularly care about anymore on the food tracker here since I do eat/juice so many fruits anyway, but I try not to overdo certain categories, since so many of them can be stored as fat in a heartbeat.
I can see how counting calories doesn't help some people--I can't tell you how tired I am of hearing how diet coke is an easy crutch at 0 calories when its practically ALL artificial and hard for your body to digest and yet they still drink it without guilt and wonder why none of the weight's coming off. Some people rely on the number and that helps them sleep at night, and some people just watch the kind of food they put into their mouths. I think it all depends on the person, as common as that answer sounds. Some people don't digest sugars or fiber or what have you as well as other people, so that's another possibility why counting calories works for some and not others in terms of total weight loss. A balance between the two, I think is pretty much a good, healthy way to go.0 -
Someone said Candy Bar--and now I want one!0
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I just counted calories before coming back to MFP, didnt work well, I was hungry all the time. Now I watch the macros I feel better, my skin and hair are great, the weight is coming off and Im not hungry :happy:0
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I posted on a topic close to this one this morning, I have always taken a KISS approach to this. Keep It Simple Stupid, and have lost a few pounds. From the beginning I have only ever tracked 4 things
1. Calories
2. Carbohydrates
3. Protein
4. Fats
I have never tracked one single gram of Sugar or Sodium and I make sure I drink 1/2 my body weight in ounces of water daily. Beyond that I don't over think it....
Best of Luck0 -
I'm one of the people who just counts calories (and I don't really know what macros and micros are). When I started the weight loss nearly 18 months ago now I decided that the only way it would work for me and be sustainable into the future was to continue to eat all the things I like - just less of them. And the things I like do tend to be crisps, cakes, chocolate etc. Still, it is working for me. I've gone down from 86.6kg to 58.4kg0
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I mostly just count calories. I do try to get enough protein and eat plenty of veggies, but I don't stick to my macros very strictly.0
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