9 reasons why counting calories is dumb

9 reasons that article is stupid.

1. NUTRIENT LABELS CAN BE OFF BY 20%
>Implying I eat enough packaged foods for this to be relevant

2. YOU DON’T ESTIMATE WELL
>Implying I estimate my portion sizes

3. MEASURING CALORIE EXPENDITURE IS SIGNIFICANTLY INACCURATE
>Implying I log exercise

4. RESTING METABOLIC RATE VARIES DAY TO DAY
>implying this doesn't even out over time

5. WHEN YOU EAT FEWER CALORIES, YOUR BODY BURNS FEWER CALORIES
>Implying I don't already know about and compensate for adaptive thermogenesis

6. A CALORIE OF PROTEIN IS NOT THE SAME AS A CALORIE OF FAT OR CARBOHYDRATE
>Implying I don't count macros

7. CALORIE COUNTING ISN’T SUSTAINABLE
Sustainable for whom? It's sustainable for me and has been for a year.

8. NO STUDY HAS SHOWN LOW-CALORIE DIETS ARE EFFECTIVE FOR LONG-TERM WEIGHT LOSS
Is the author arguing calories in < calories out doesn't cause weight loss? :laugh:

9. PEOPLE DON’T GAIN WEIGHT BECAUSE THEY EAT TOO MANY CALORIES, THEY EAT TOO MANY CALORIES BECAUSE THEY’RE GAINING WEIGHT
Lol wut :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Now if only MFP let us green text.

I disagree with the majority of this article. I'd list the reasons but the second reply you got (justsomerandom) basically covers my thoughts on this.

No.

Now if only MFP let us green text.

LOL
Attack of the btards

Calories matter, simple as that.
As for a calorie of fat vs calorie of protein vs calorie of fibre... that's like saying a pound of feathers is less than a pound of brick. It is still a pound. A Calorie (Kcal) in this case is a defined unit of measurement - 1000 calories, where a calorie is defined as the amount of energy required to heat 1 gram of water by 1 degree celsius. So yeah, a Calorie of each of those things is still 1000 calories, each capable of heating 1g of water by 1 degree celsius.

The defined unit of measurement doesn't change based on the source.

I read a similar article why counting calories "doesn't work" and they say things like "a calorie isn't always a calorie" and "3500 calories does not equal a pound of fat"...so what? Counting calories isn't perfect. I sat on the couch on Saturday and stacked firewood on Sunday. I could never accurately calculate my calorie expenditure...

But to say that because it's imperfect and people are imperfect that the concept is "dumb" borders on irresponsible. We have to calculate something and calories are a decent measure. If I am low one day I assume I will be high another day. If I am always high I can reduce my targets.

But I believe anyone who says calorie counting doesn't work, was simply not able to stick with it.

A very firm believer of this:" A calorie from fat, carbohydrate, protein or alcohol are not close to the same. Each has a different effect on metabolic rate, hormones and satiety."

Of course I don't want to track my calories every day for the rest of my life, but I do think it is especially useful for people who end up getting off track and become completely unaware of how much they are eating. I could see it being especially true for people who are obese. They may not be counting it perfectly , but perhaps they become aware for the first time that they have been consuming a ridiculous amount of calories for their lifestyle.
I don't track every day. Usually just one week a month. Hormone wise I could eat gallons of ice cream, pasta and a lot of other things.
Otherwise I listen to my body and choose foods based on a general knowledge of what their calorie content is, which I learned from initially measuring and counting calories.

To each their own - its just an alternative perspective that might work for other people...

I've lost 55lbs without counting calories and just focusing on what types of food I eat - never hungry and never deprived - I use MFP every once in a while to make sure I'm hovering around the right macros.

Will be interesting to see what people have to say about Taubes being FoS when http://nusi.org/about-us/board-of-directors/#.UdrI1tLrxfA starts releasing their findings

The lolz keep coming . . .

The answer to weight management isn’t eating fewer calories, it’s in eating more quality food.

I think in reality it's both.

Interesting article. Lots of food for thought but I doubt it's going to go down well on what is essentially a calorie counting website...

Is having a gas gauge on your car dumb?

Calories are energy, too much and too little will cause you problems.