When to stop counting calories?

Options
1…34689…13

Replies

  • mysticeagle4
    mysticeagle4 Posts: 2 Member
    Options
    I AM IN THE PROCESS OF LOSING WEIGHT STILL. BUT ITS A MATTER OF PORTION SIZE MORE OR LESS. i MEAN YOUR MIND PROBABLY KNOWS ALREADY HOW MUCH MOST CALORIES IS. yOU HAVE TO JUST HAVE SMALLER PORTIONS. YOU CAN EAT JUNK FOUND BUT YOU CAN NOT EAT TO MUCH IN ONE DAY OR IF YOU DO YOU NEED TO SPLIT THAT MEAL INTO 2 PORTIONS. LIKE WHEN YOU GO FAST FOOD GET A SMALL DRINK AND FRY NOT A LARGE.

    SO ON AN SO FORTH. MOST MEALS YOU EAT OUT ARE TO BIG AND MOST PLACES YOU CAN EAT HALF THE AMOUNT AND TAKE IT HOME. or JUST ORDER HALF OF WHAT YOU DID. EXAMPLE IF YOU WANT AND ENTREE AND CHILLI'S OR TGIFRIDAYS ETC.... AS FOR A TO GO BOX WHEN YOU GET YOUR FOOD TAKE HALF PUT IN THE BOX AND SET ASIDE.

    TRY NOT TO DRINK SODA EVERYDAY OR COFFEE BECAUSE THOSE CAN ADD UP QUICKLY. YOU DON'T HAVE TO COUNT EVERYTHING. ITS JUST ABOUT SMALLER PORTIONS. i HOPE THIS HELPS IF SOMEONE HASNT ALREADY SAID IT!
  • shellgirl144
    shellgirl144 Posts: 33
    Options
    I've already accepted the fact that I'm going to use MFP to count calories and macros the rest of my life. Without it, I know I'll NEVER be able to eyeball calories well enough to maintain, or take in optimal macronutrient intake and calorie intake. I find MFP not only extremely effective, but very very easy to use. Entering food takes only a couple minutes a day, and it's not a big deal to me, but everybody is different.




    Me, too! I'm good with always having to enter my food. I might be good with math, but when it comes to estimating calories...forget it! :laugh:
  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
    Options
    I plan to stop counting calories about 50 years from now.
  • LoseYouself
    LoseYouself Posts: 249 Member
    Options
    deleted.
  • LoseYouself
    LoseYouself Posts: 249 Member
    Options
    After a couple of years on maintenance I allow myself a day or two of not logging each week, but that's all.

    You've worked so hard to lose the weight, don't get lazy now.

    Guesstimating is what gets you to have to come here in the first place.

    Do the work, reap the rewards. Don't and, well, as has been posted, factual evidence about regaining weight does not look favorable for you. Maybe you will get lucky, but why take that chance, especially with a tendency toward binge eating and the easy availability of too many indulgences?

    This.

    Great reply!
  • krayzieroach
    krayzieroach Posts: 17
    Options
    i stopped counting and have been fluctuating up and down as i was when i was counting :drinker:
  • Ianultrarunner
    Ianultrarunner Posts: 184 Member
    Options
    I promise you, if you stop, you'll gain it all back
    Wow, that was very unhelpful. Maybe you could elaborate on what seems to be a rather negative comment?
  • wild_wild_life
    wild_wild_life Posts: 1,334 Member
    Options
    I promise you, if you stop, you'll gain it all back
    Wow, that was very unhelpful. Maybe you could elaborate on what seems to be a rather negative comment?

    I imagine a clap of thunder and a "muah ha ha ha" accompanying that post . . .
  • Binkie1955
    Binkie1955 Posts: 329 Member
    Options
    I don't count calories. I just count grams of carbohydrates. why would you count calories? their kind of irrelevant.
  • rezn8
    rezn8 Posts: 263 Member
    Options
    What's wrong with keeping track. You can have your once in a while binge/bad day when you know you've been completely on track for most others.
  • daisysmamu
    daisysmamu Posts: 29 Member
    Options
    Agree. I used MFP religiously for a while, lost some weight, then thought I could ease up and didn't need to do the food diary thing anymore. Wrong, wrong, wrong. I'm back again, re-starting my diary, adding some techy things to help get me motivated again, and go for it again. I decided long ago, I don't have a weight problem, I have a food problem - I love food! (Combine that with a husband of like mind, who does the shopping, and likes to bring home "goodies.") So I, personally, need the constant control something like MFP provides.
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
    Options
    A couple of books you might want to read:

    Mindful Eating

    Intuitive Eating

    There are ways of experiencing your food and hunger without attaching numbers to them. Basically the idea is to only eat when you can really taste it and experience the fullness in your belly (as opposed to eating while driving or watching TV). Enjoy your food. Taste it and relax. However, don't just pile your food in your mouth without any thought.

    I stopped calorie counting a long time ago. It was really great for me to learn about my food at the time, but all the planning that I was putting into my food only made me think about food even more and I just felt so darn hungry all the time. Now that I only think about food at meal times, rather than spending hours looking up calorie counts, recipes, etc, it is a lot more comfortable. I know about how much I should be eating.

    Of course, everyone wants to know how this affects my weight. Do I have as much control over it? Well... did I ever really have control over it? I have had a history of thyroid problems, so sometimes, yes, I can control it, and sometimes, no matter how few of calories I eat or how much I work out I feel like a slug and don't lose an ounce. So my answer is yes... you have the same control over your weight whether or not you read labels and look up your food and log it. If it tastes greasy, there's probably a lot of calories. If it tastes sweet, it's probably loaded with calories. If it tastes like vegetables... well... you can probably chow down.

    Just eat slow and let your food hit your belly before you start chomping down on the next treat. It's ok to have a dessert. Is it ok to have 5 servings in a row? Not if you want to be healthy. Take the time to enjoy your food one morsel at a time, and you should be able to tell if you're full or still hungry or whatnot.
  • margaretturk
    margaretturk Posts: 5,066 Member
    Options
    I have maintained my 25 pound weight loss for 10 months. I lost 13 before MRP and 12 after. I find MFP extremely helpful. It has helped me from overindulging. Also my friends at MFP help keep me on track with their hard work and with their working through their struggles with becoming healthy. Thank you to all. :drinker:
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
    Options
    I don't count calories. I just count grams of carbohydrates. why would you count calories? their kind of irrelevant.

    not sure if serious.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Options
    I promise you, if you stop, you'll gain it all back
    I didn't. I followed the basic principles of the way I chose to eat. I'd log if I started eating a new food, or if the scale crept up. But no, I didn't log for 10 years. And did NOT gain it all back.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    Options
    I don't count calories. I just count grams of carbohydrates. why would you count calories? their kind of irrelevant.

    not sure if serious.
    What the difference?
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
    Options
    I don't count calories. I just count grams of carbohydrates. why would you count calories? their kind of irrelevant.

    not sure if serious.
    What the difference?

    Because this person believes that the number of carbohydrate grams is important, but the number of calories is irrelevant which is ridiculous.
  • IronMan_DuhamNC
    IronMan_DuhamNC Posts: 52
    Options
    I don't understand. if you counted calories and properly proportioned your food the whole way down ,you should be able to look at the foods your eating and know instantly if you're following a proper diet. By your own admission, you have not learned what you needed. Maintaining is simple. 33% carbs, 33% fats, and 33% Protein, combined with exercise. Find your new BMR+Exercise+Daily activity= Daily Goal. It no longer has to be difficult eat only until you're full no more.
  • pamfm
    pamfm Posts: 93 Member
    Options
    It sounds like you still need to count for a while, but you need to get out of the mindset of staying UNDER a calorie goal. Aim for within +/-100 calories each day (but don't freak out when you're off. Pay attention to what you're eating, how much an ounce of a food looks like, and feels like...
    When you get more comfortable, try just writing down your food and exercise for a week, and then log it all later to see how close you got to averaging your goals for the week. This will help you learn to remember caloric values on your own, and "count" calories without logging.
    I personally only log calories occasionally to see if I'm still within my target range, and especially if I experience a change in my routine (start eating something I rarely used to have, start waking up earlier and thus getting snacky, etc.). I have lost and/or maintained off and on for over a year, depending entirely on my activity level (I eat enough to maintain if I'm being lazy and not working out).

Categories