couting calories vs. following a clean meal plan?

divid
divid Posts: 68 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Alright..contemplating an experiment and looking for thoughts. Thinking of not measuring calories for a week and only eating the food listed on my meal plan im supposed to eat..which I know is at a good calorie range and is all good clean food. The problem when I use counting calories is I always find room for "oh, if i budget my calories i can eat crappy food here..and here..and here". Its a mental thing and its hard to stop..so im thinking of trying the other way. Thoughts?

Replies

  • spinnybecky
    spinnybecky Posts: 28
    Counting calories is the only thing that really works for me. I am very good at eating a healthy diet, and I've made deals with myself that as long as I eat only whole foods, I don't have to measure or count anything. But I've found that I have the ability to overeat ANYTHING, even clean, healthy food. And then I get grumpy because I don't have any indulgences, so I just eat MORE of the healthy food to make up for that. (For example...wishing I could bake some cookies, I have sat down with a package of medjool dates and raw almonds, stuffed the almonds into each date and probably eaten 10 of them in a sitting...easily approaching 700-800 calories). I find that I do better eating an 80 - 90% clean diet, allowing a few indulgences, and counting everything. But then again, that's just what I've learned about myself and how my own brain works!
  • divid
    divid Posts: 68 Member
    thanks!
  • SandraJN
    SandraJN Posts: 305 Member
    I don't eat any processed or junk food, I am a complete from scratch cook who buys food from sustainable farmers. And I am obese. Eating well is good for you and I would recommend you continue doing so, but I am a prime example of how getting fat really is a matter of more calories in then are used.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    I tried your approach. Amazingly, I still had a problem with eating too much healthy food.

    So I went back to counting calories. It's a process of finding what works, psychologically. It's good that you are able to interpret how you are thinking about food.

    I've been in maintenance for five years, and I don't track food anymore, but it took some doing. I would stop and start on the calorie counting depending on if I was seeing an uptick in my weight. Now I know what to eat and can maintain.
  • dmkoenig
    dmkoenig Posts: 299 Member
    Weight management and proper nutrition are two entirely different things, although they are both necessary components for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I rarely eat junk food (okay a few girl scout cookies now and again) and exercise a lot but the extra 15-20 pounds have stayed on me for years. My biggest problem is that I eat way too much even though it is all good. So the calorie counting gives you awareness of volume which is a key dimension to weight loss. And if you are getting your proper nutrition and have a few caolries to spare, eating a little junk now and again is not going to be a problem...
  • divid
    divid Posts: 68 Member
    Im thinking what I should do is follow the plan im supposed to and then log what I ate at the end of the day. The plan my trainer gave me will be the correct calories and everything .. but when i log on mfp i end up moving around meals and calories... even if i plan out for the next day what i will eat.. ill end up saying "well ill skip meal 3 and 4 and then i can eat crap" .. so this way.. i eat whats on the list and ill log it after im done to keep track but no fluctuating? I dont know, worth a shot I suppose.
  • divid
    divid Posts: 68 Member
    I'm always eating a good amount of calories, but not the right calories. Obviously a diet of good food would make me feel and look different than a diet of unhealthy food even if they equal the same calories. I just need to fix how i think about it and was thinking this could help me.
  • dmkoenig
    dmkoenig Posts: 299 Member
    I tend to think about overall healthy lifestyle as my main objective, rather than "just" calorie management or "just" eating the right foods; to me both have to be in place. If you are eating junk in a much larger amount than you know you should (even if it is within your calorie limit) you're still missing the boat. If you feel you want to deviate from plan because boneless chicken breast is on sale this week or because you have some sort of craving you want to satisfy that's fine but you still should be making choices around whether you are achieving the nutrition requirement.

    If you don't think you have the wherewithall to responsibly eat junk in smaller quantities then it seems the simplest thing to do is just religiously follow the plan that your trainer provided since he/she has the expertise and has spent the time to customize it for your needs...
  • anifani4
    anifani4 Posts: 457 Member
    I think it's worth a try and I'm sending you a PM so at the end of the week I hope you'll let me know how it worked out. I also have the same problem and have thought of doing the same thing.

    If I've done a good job all day and log my supper, and see I have calories left .... I think..ok,now is the time to have sweets. I know it's not the best thing for me, but I haven't found the mental game to change this yet. Or, it gets late and I start to feel hungry and say to myself.... calories left, have a snack. but I eat too much and can't control it as well when I'm tired.

    Ani
  • efirkey
    efirkey Posts: 298 Member
    If you eat really clean including a lot of vegetables you should find it hard to eat more than your allotted calories. There are clean foods that have high calories like nuts so you still need to be aware of what you are eating.
  • tmauck4472
    tmauck4472 Posts: 1,785 Member
    I do both, eat clean and count calories.
  • megiifym
    megiifym Posts: 2
    I used to count calories and never go over 1200 a day... so unhealthy! I personally recommend eating clean! Eat when you get up and small meals every 2.5 to 3 hours... sleep 8 hours a night... drink lots of water! Listen to your body... if you're not hungry don't eat (Unless you havent eaten in the past three hours). If you are hungry in between meals have a snack such as 0% greek yogurt or and apple and almonds, a hard boiled egg, veggies and hummus etc. Honestly it is about the calories but it is about the quality of calories.. you are going to get a completely different body on 1500 calories worth of processed junk vs 1500 calories of clean, healthy, filling foods! If you are still scared of going over and gaining weight I suggest eating clean for a day and listening to your body.. write down everything you eat, and at the end of the day THEN you can enter it into myfitnesspal and see how it compares.. hope that helps!
  • divid
    divid Posts: 68 Member
    thanks guys, glad to hear your opinions =)

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