Coutnin' calories for the rest of your life?

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  • JustThriveCo
    JustThriveCo Posts: 14
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    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
    Lyssa62 Posts: 930 Member
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    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
    Barbellerella Posts: 1,838 Member
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    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
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,248 Member
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    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
    lauren3101 Posts: 1,853 Member
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    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
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    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
    cardinalsfootball Posts: 167 Member
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    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
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
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    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
    MyOwnSunshine Posts: 1,312 Member
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    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
    Msmith1992 Posts: 2 Member
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    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.
  • penrbrown
    penrbrown Posts: 2,685 Member
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    I do not plan to count calories forever. The whole point of counting, for me, has been to learn what 'normal' portion sizes look like. Once I've lost the weight I will count to maintain for a few months until I start to get a feel for what 'normal' is at maintenance calories and then I intend to stop. I will weigh once a month to make sure I'm not gaining but other than that I intend to stop obsessing over the numbers and start just enjoying life. :)

    For me, this 'weight loss' thing is a lifestyle change but the counting calories part is just a tool to help me learn how to eat better and healthier.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
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    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.
    :laugh: I was completely distracted by the dropped g's too...

    But, yeah, I'll probably keep 'countin".....at least for the most part.
  • TripleJ3
    TripleJ3 Posts: 945 Member
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    I probably will to some extent. I would like to believe that one day I can just maintain on my own, but I also know as I get older that my calorie needs will change. I am sure I will eventually gain more than I like then go back to tracking to get things back to a manageable weight.

    While I have always been a health conscientious person, I know the older I get the more health issues will pop up and make it not just calories but macros even more important to keep in check. I am already in the habit of weighing food and exercise like its brushing my teeth, but I also know how easy it would be for me to just let it go, too. I can be a very live-in-the-moment enjoy-it-while-you-can person.

    I am ok with it. I see how my Mom and my Grandmother are aging and know what happens when you don't stay on top of your health. Hopefully I get to that point where I don't have to log everyday, just check in here and there thing.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,583 Member
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    Well, yes you have to at least try to count kinda fast in your head. There will be days where you'll go overboard, but in reality people who got to goal and dismissed keeping track of an approximate calorie intake, regain weight. People will say "but they went back to their bad habits". That's right, they went back to their bad habits of not being aware of how many calories they were taking in.
    I still count calories (not so much by logging it on MFP) but have a daily goal and do a quick account of how much of it I fill.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • alienrite
    alienrite Posts: 314 Member
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    I've lost in the past but carefully tracking portions (see Zone Diet) and have developed a decent eye for calories and portion size. Even still, I managed to gain weight because I can fool myself and fall into the trap "that one bad meal won't hurt because I know better and can correct". The truth is that I used to eat way more than one bad meal and MFP has helped control and keep myself honest. It is not a very difficult thing to log every meal and only takes me a minute or so. If it is the investment in myself that is necessary to manage my weight, it is easy and cheap and non-evasive. My other option is to yo-yo my weight and ultimately damage my health.
  • DebbieLyn63
    DebbieLyn63 Posts: 2,650 Member
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    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.

    LOL, I didn't even notice that, but had to go re-read the OP to see it. Maybe she doesn't like the letter G and prefers a ' instead. Too funny.
  • alexanderdgray
    alexanderdgray Posts: 8
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    The reason we have to count is because left to our own devices, we will eat more than we need to maintain our weight. I have accepted the fact that I will have to count calories from now on.

    That's why it is important to come to some form of this that you can live with -- that's where I see some people come in and say they can't do this if it means giving up certain foods, that's where "cheat" days come in.

    The realization I had this time around is that fewer calories is not always the answer--you have to make sure not only that you don't go over your daily totals, but don't come in too far under, either.

    If I want to eat more on a given day--there's the elliptical trainer, or even just taking a walk.

    And every once in a while--as in going out to dinner with a friend--it's OK to have what you want. Remember it takes 3500 calories to make up ONE pound--and it's highly unlikely that one day is going to blow out your goals.
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
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    Been doing it for the last 28 months. So I guess I will do it forever. But it is really not that difficult
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
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    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.

    LOL, I didn't even notice that, but had to go re-read the OP to see it. Maybe she doesn't like the letter G and prefers a ' instead. Too funny.
    G-is-for-Garbage.jpg
  • runnerchick69
    runnerchick69 Posts: 317 Member
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    I would like to say no but chances are I will for many years to come :smile: I know too many people who say they know calories just by looking and then complain they gain weight LOL Another reason too is because if I look at my count it will keep me pretty honest for the day. I do have one day a week where I don't count, I eat whatever I want and I don't stress about it. That one day is my break from everything and it has helped me keep the weight off for a few years now :happy:

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