Counting Calories vs. Not Counting Calories

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IronPlayground
IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Over the past several months, I've taken the time to read several people's opinions on the subject of calorie counting. The majority of those people are very strict one way or the other.

The pro-calorie counters' main argument is that weight loss is as simple as calories in/calories out. Knowing your daily intake and consistently being at a caloric deficit will help you achieve your weight loss goal. Throw in tracking macros and micros with the addition of exercise and now you are well on your way to body recomposition.

The anti-calorie counters' main argument is the counting calories is not a sustainable practice. They also state that just counting calories takes away from other important aspects of health such as proper macro and micro intake. They also claim that well over 50% of people who count calories eventually fail and gain back all and then some of the weight they lost. They attribute this to not learning how to eat. Their claim is that if you only eat nutritious foods, then there would be no need to count calories.

My belief is that they are both right. I think that knowing what your intake should be each day to lose, gain, or maintain is important information. I think knowing the proper amount of macros and micros for your activity level is important. I believe that 80% of your daily intake should be from nutritious foods, but that you should be able to enjoy discretionary foods for the purpose of not bingeing or for just plain old enjoyment.

If you choose to only eat nutritious foods and avoid all foods that some people label as "junk", then there might not be any reason to count calories. Yes, you can still gain weight by eating too many calories of only nutritious foods. However, it's much more difficult to do so.

Here is my biggest pro in favor of counting calories. The stress that comes from social settings can be much more extreme if you are in an environment where you haven't prepared the food and there isn't a nutrition chart available. Knowing your calorie limits can help people enjoy social settings more and not avoid them all together.

For me, being able to eat 80% nutritious foods and 20% discretionary by counting calories and hitting macro/micro goals is a good approach. I feel it can help you learn how to eat and fit certain foods into your day with much less stress.

Replies

  • cameronwheeler
    cameronwheeler Posts: 89
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    To me calorie counting is where everyone should start. When I first started losing weight i just calorie counted. Then i became more educated. I started reading the labels more, then counting grams of fat and overall just choosing healthier.

    If it wasn't for the calorie counting, I wouldn't be where i'm at right now. As of now, i dont add to my diary on My fitness pal, i just use the weigh in. Because now i'm able to keep track of calorie counting in my head vs doing it on here.
  • sorcha1977
    sorcha1977 Posts: 133 Member
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    I remember losing weight a few years ago and not worrying about it. I noticed my clothes getting bigger and just kept buying smaller sizes. I didn't count calories, just tried to eat better, and I walked for an hour almost every night - no HRM or tracking. I ended up losing around 40 pounds, and the only way I knew that was because I went to the doctor for a cold and got weighed.

    Now that I'm counting calories, tracking exercise, and weighing myself every week, I'm not losing as much weight despite eating even better than I did a few years ago. I'm also way more stressed about it, which probably isn't helping at all.

    I'm tempted to stop tracking and just go back to eating healthy, whatever I want whenever I want, and walking or swimming for an hour almost every day. I'm going to toss my scale and just go by the way my clothes fit. I've had it with this. I'm not going to stop eating healthy and exercising; I'm just ready to be done with the constant number crunching and stressing. I know the approximate number of calories in pretty much everything I eat (or I can look at the label), so it's not like I'm going to go completely off the cliff. Tracking is good when you're first starting out, but I've been doing this for over a year.
  • Sherbog
    Sherbog Posts: 1,072 Member
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    To me calorie counting is where everyone should start. When I first started losing weight i just calorie counted. Then i became more educated. I started reading the labels more, then counting grams of fat and overall just choosing healthier.

    If it wasn't for the calorie counting, I wouldn't be where i'm at right now. As of now, i dont add to my diary on My fitness pal, i just use the weigh in. Because now i'm able to keep track of calorie counting in my head vs doing it on here.

    I totally agree! I had to count calories and weigh my portions in the beginning. Now I can guess within 50 or so calories what I consumed.

    Shirley in sunny Oregon.
  • leaellenj
    leaellenj Posts: 38
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    I think calorie counting is KEY when you are first starting out. Most people don't know what a portion size is, or how many calories are in those portions, they don't know what ingredients are turning otherwise acceptable meals into calorie BOMBS. It really does help you learn.

    For me, I don't track my cals every day. I've been studying my food for enough years now that I've got a good grasp on how many calories I'm eating each day. I do still continue to measure my food out though, and when I make a new recipe I'll calculate it and see where I can make some healthier swaps.

    I know people who count every calorie, every day, for years and that works for them. For me it is too obsessive. When I fall of the wagon and put on a couple pounds, I'll track for a few weeks to get myself back on target, and I'll track a few days here and there periodically just to keep me in line with my goals. But I can't be too restricted.
  • etoiles_argentees
    etoiles_argentees Posts: 2,827 Member
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    I don't count calories, some days I need less, some days more. Which is why I use nutritiondata so often. I've stayed pretty much the same weight my whole life though, so I do understand why counting is good for others.
  • LilMissDB
    LilMissDB Posts: 133
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    To me calorie counting is where everyone should start.

    I agree. Partly for educational purposes so people get to see how many calories the foods they are eating have and partly because as a whole, those who choose to 'diet' without calorie counting tend to eat far too little making the plan very unsustainable. Those people usually don't appreciate that they could actually eat more than that, not be absolutely starving and still lose weight.
  • Velum_cado
    Velum_cado Posts: 1,608 Member
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    I counted calories for a while and think it was a valuable exercise.

    I had lost 80 lbs when I joined MFP and decided to give calorie counting a go. I ate more or less the same things I ate before, and kept losing weight at roughly the same rate, but I started to get obsessed with the numbers. I have a bit of a past with disordered eating and I found myself trying to make each day a bit lower than the day before. If I'd net under 1000 calories, that was a victory.

    That's when I decided I needed to stop. I decided to focus on eating healthily and sensibly and have carried on losing weight.

    But it was valuable in that I'm better able to guess how many calories are in something now, I just don't have the numbers staring me in the face, giving me something to "beat". That's also weigh myself only every 4-6 weeks for the same reason.
  • DHURD38
    DHURD38 Posts: 5
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    Regarding the 80% and 20% thing, 80% and 20% of what? What unit are we talking here? Is it calories, in which case you are still counting calories to know what your 80/20 number is. Or is it the number of items you eat, such as tomatoes, carrots, beets, etc.? How do you calculate that?

    I see both sides of the argument but personally, counting calories works for me. Ensuring i'm at a defecit each day or week is the only way i've seen my scale budge. Plus its more realistic for me to stay within a certain caloric goal and indulge in everything in moderation than to track the macro/micro thing; that's too much for me to think about so I know I won't do it.
  • wednesdaypennington
    wednesdaypennington Posts: 4
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    I am new to my journey of getting healthy. I would say weight loss but its so much more than that. I started by counting calories just because I didn't even realize how much I was intaking. I honestly didn't even kno what a portion size was until I started counting calories and I think its like that for most people even if you don't continue to count calories just track yourself for a week with not cutting back and just see what you consume on a daily basis and it might shock you I know it shocked me!! I am learning whats good for me now I am way more aware of what I am putting in my body and that's what I needed to do to get my self on the right path for my life not everything works for everyone that's why there is so many ways to achieve the same thing the ultimate goal for anyone should be to be healthy not to just lose weight. Just after my first week of exersicing and eating right I could see a difference I am able to play with my kids more and not want to sit out because im just tired easily. I have more energy that ever before the three cups of coffee it used to take to wake me up in the morning I don't even need. I only drink one now and most of the tilme I don't even finish it. Counting calories is something I would recommend for anyone just till they learn what they are eating. then its up to you continue the good habits that you learn along the way.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    It really depends on your approach. I started calorie counting to re-learn how to eat...learn what a portion looks like on my plate and in my hands, etc. Tracking macros as well as my vitamins and minerals has helped me immensely in getting my proper nutrition...what kind of foods I need to be eating day in and day out and how much of those foods I need to meet my goals. I took all of what I learned with me to maintenance. I logged for a short time at maintenance just to learn what those calories looked like from a meal and snack standpoint...but then no more.

    I did start counting again about a month ago because I thought I might try to drop a couple points, but I've since gone back to maintenance...'cuz I was maintaining anyways and not meeting my deficit goals because I'm training my *kitten* off right now and I'm hungry. I'm putting my focus back on my fitness and just general nutrition at this point. I might try another cut once my racing season is over...but then again, I've actually had some nice results just eating maintenance and getting my fitness on.

    I think it all depends on how you approach it. If you think you're going to count consistently forever, I think you're fooling yourself. I think this is a good training ground, but at some point you need to actually learn what your body needs and then take the training wheels off unless you're actively trying to cut or bulk.
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
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    So 80% and 20% of what? What is the qualifier? Is it calories, number of tomatoes one eats in a day? How do you calculate 80/20 of something. You gotta know what the something is.

    80% of your calories from nutritious foods and 20% discretionary.
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,841 Member
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    My Dad taught me as a kid, with anything you are trying to tackle it is always best to write it out. I didn't fully understand what he meant, but the reality of things is, people know LOTS of things are bad for them or are bad choices but end up making those bad choices anyway. They become oblivious to the effects and outcomes of those choices. The idea that you can write out (journal) your expereinces helps keep accountability, and that is true for almost all people. It is too easy to slip in a bit of choclate, not pay attention to portion sizes, or skip a day of exercise without a plan and tracking. That is completely apparent with the obesity stats we see in the world today. Writing it out SHOWS the person EXACTLY what is going in and what is being expended.

    That said, with being diligent over time people can become less dependient on daily trakcing IF they are concistent and do well are sticking with the plan in their mind. However, most people I talk to tend to slip and need to get back on counting and logging again.
  • ironanimal
    ironanimal Posts: 5,922 Member
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    It's a helpful tool if you use it correctly, and treat it as such. It is not the be all, end all answer to health, but it does help to put things in perspective.

    I'm sure a lot of people can walk away after counting for a while knowing that they used to eat way too much, and have a better idea of what is about right.

    There's also a lot of people that become incredibly anal/obsessive about it, to the point where deliberation over a 100 calorie snack can make or break their day.
  • TNTPete
    TNTPete Posts: 701 Member
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    I have to say I think counting is benefical but allowing yourself a percentage per your standard of less than nutritional inputs is fine. It really is about what helps you lose/maintain/etc your weight. I have a saying that it isn't about what you take out of your diet it is what you put into it. So the more Good stuff you put in the LESS room there is for the bad stuff. You don't have to stop eating it just slowly move it out.
  • cwsikes
    cwsikes Posts: 86
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    I started working out/watching what I eat in January 2010 and since then have gone off and on between tracking and no tracking but I've never tracked for more than a few weeks at a time. The times I did track though I think gave me a good idea of what I should be eating on a regular basis.

    With that said, even when I don't track I can become slightly obsessive about what I am eating and if I've worked out enough for what I'm eating. It's like I'm counting even if I'm not tracking explicitly. I've also realized in the past week that I've been the exact same weight for the past 2 years now which is basically my goal weight. It's making me think I should really let go of the obsessing, not tracking but still counting calorie behavior.
  • etoiles_argentees
    etoiles_argentees Posts: 2,827 Member
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    Just reposting one of my previous posts, people. Food is not a cure all.

    and once again...
    From The Way To Cook, written by Julia Child and published in 1989.

    "Because of media hype and woefully inadequate information, too many people nowadays are deathly afraid of their food, and what does fear of food do to the digestive system? ... I, for one, would much rather swoon over a few thin slices of prime beefsteak, or one small serving of chocolate mousse, or a sliver of foie gras than indulge to the full on such nonentities as fat-free gelatin puddings."

    "The pleasures of the table — that lovely old-fashioned phrase — depict food as an art form, as a delightful part of civilized life. In spite of food fads, fitness programs, and health concerns, we must never lose sight of a beautifully conceived meal."


    and....

    “Life itself is the proper binge.” ― Julia Child
  • EvanKeel
    EvanKeel Posts: 1,904 Member
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    I first decided to lose weight when I looked at an old wedding photo. You wouldn't think that being 80lbs overweight could possibly sneak up on a person, but it did. Maybe I'm just unusually gifted at denial.

    It's the denial about the amounts that I was eating that was the problem. For that reason alone, I think anyone with similar issues should log their food for at least a few months. It's not foolproof. You can always find a way/reason to lie to yourself about what you're eating if you want to, but if that's the case then you're probably just not ready to start losing weight. And that's fine. Everyone needs to find their pace.

    If someone becomes comfortable once they get a realistic idea about their intake such that they can make decisions without being so precise about their logging (e.g. I know that this much chicken and rice is about that many calories) then great. I can't. It's too easy for me to lie to myself doing that.

    EDIT: Related to this, my husband is doing the Dash diet to help with high blood pressure. There's something about the way it's organized that annoys the crap out of me. When you start looking at food groups and servings, as opposed to macro/micro nutrients and weights I start to twitch.
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
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    I took a two month hiatus from logging just to see if I could maintain my weight without "counting calories." The thing about keeping a food diary and being honest with it is that act itself, of weighing, measuring, calculating, helped me develop the habit of eating proper portions and being more reasonable with my treats.
  • sorcha1977
    sorcha1977 Posts: 133 Member
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    I remember losing weight a few years ago and not worrying about it. I noticed my clothes getting bigger and just kept buying smaller sizes. I didn't count calories, just tried to eat better, and I walked for an hour almost every night - no HRM or tracking. I ended up losing around 40 pounds, and the only way I knew that was because I went to the doctor for a cold and got weighed.

    Now that I'm counting calories, tracking exercise, and weighing myself every week, I'm not losing as much weight despite eating even better than I did a few years ago. I'm also way more stressed about it, which probably isn't helping at all.

    I'm tempted to stop tracking and just go back to eating healthy, whatever I want whenever I want, and walking or swimming for an hour almost every day. I'm going to toss my scale and just go by the way my clothes fit. I've had it with this. I'm not going to stop eating healthy and exercising; I'm just ready to be done with the constant number crunching and stressing. I know the approximate number of calories in pretty much everything I eat (or I can look at the label), so it's not like I'm going to go completely off the cliff. Tracking is good when you're first starting out, but I've been doing this for over a year.

    To add to this, every time we go on vacation, I lose weight. I don't track, and I don't feel like I exercise more than I do at home, but I always lose weight. On our last trip to San Francisco, I ate all day (lots of local fruits and veggies with lean meats and greens), but I also had some desserts and junk food too. We walked probably an hour or so every day. I don't really count standing around at a museum for three hours as exercise, but I guess you could argue that standing burns calories.

    Anyway, even though I feel like I ate a TON, I lost three pounds. I kept weighing myself after we got home, just to make sure it wasn't some freak water weight drop, and it stuck. The same thing happens when we go to Chicago. I drop 2-3 pounds in a week without fail, even though I don't touch my MFP app. I'm positive I'm eating somewhere between my weight loss and maintenance range (closer to maintenance) by an approximation in my head, so you'd think I'd maintain, but I always lose.

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