When to stop counting calories?
Replies
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I weight most of my food and log everything that I eat. Even if it's 10 servings of fudge cake and I'm over my goals by 2000 calories. I still log it. It keeps me accountable and when I look over it each month and see where I have gone (up or down) I adjust it to a new mindset. I have my really bad days where I do the above and then once a season, I take a full week off of here and just live. Most of the time, I have an overall gain or loss of two pounds. I try my hardest to keep my weight within a five pound range.0
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Lots of folks have lost weight counting carbs and ignoring calories.
Because this person believes that the number of carbohydrate grams is important, but the number of calories is irrelevant which is ridiculous.
What the difference?I don't count calories. I just count grams of carbohydrates. why would you count calories? their kind of irrelevant.
not sure if serious.0 -
I think the negative poster (and probably most negative posters) was projecting his/her own inability to control weight without logging every calorie. I don't log every day and I plan for logging to become less frequent and possibly stop altogether at some point. I kept a healthy weight for decades without logging. When I gained, it was from unhealthy habits I can pretty readily identify. I can understand that it could be very difficult for people who never had healthy eating habits to succeed without logging, but this absolute statement is wrong.
I imagine a clap of thunder and a "muah ha ha ha" accompanying that post .
Wow, that was very unhelpful. Maybe you could elaborate on what seems to be a rather negative comment?I promise you, if you stop, you'll gain it all back0 -
Because they are eating a number of calories that you could compute with reasonable accuracy based on their carbs, because of whatever diet they are on. So by counting carbs exactly, they are counting calories roughly but with enough accuracy to stay in deficit.
Lots of folks have lost weight counting carbs and ignoring calories.
Because this person believes that the number of carbohydrate grams is important, but the number of calories is irrelevant which is ridiculous.
What the difference?I don't count calories. I just count grams of carbohydrates. why would you count calories? their kind of irrelevant.
not sure if serious.0 -
And if they choose to do it with carbs, so be it.
Because they are eating a number of calories that you could compute with reasonable accuracy based on their carbs, because of whatever diet they are on. So by counting carbs exactly, they are counting calories roughly but with enough accuracy to stay in deficit.
Lots of folks have lost weight counting carbs and ignoring calories.
Because this person believes that the number of carbohydrate grams is important, but the number of calories is irrelevant which is ridiculous.
What the difference?I don't count calories. I just count grams of carbohydrates. why would you count calories? their kind of irrelevant.
not sure if serious.
I was in maintenance for 10 years without counting anything, just stuck to some principles I adopted. Works for me! (and now I'm tweaking for menopause, but have still only gained 5LBs of my original weight loss.) just not sure why the other poster is questioning his seriousness.0 -
Lots of folks have lost weight counting carbs and ignoring calories.
Because this person believes that the number of carbohydrate grams is important, but the number of calories is irrelevant which is ridiculous.
What the difference?I don't count calories. I just count grams of carbohydrates. why would you count calories? their kind of irrelevant.
not sure if serious.
Because they're eating at a deficit. To say the calories are irrelevant is ridiculous. If I ate 2500 calories in steak and asparagus or 2500 in bread and pizza I'd gain weight. There is no way around that. You may think your success can be attributed to a reduction in carbs, but by restricting them you are just creating a deficit. You know, that thing you need to be in to lose weight.
Edited to remove rude comments about the OP intelligence.0 -
Yep.It's all a diet. Folks just conceptualize it differently, and if it helps him maintain after, I dont see what the big deal is.
Lots of folks have lost weight counting carbs and ignoring calories.
Because this person believes that the number of carbohydrate grams is important, but the number of calories is irrelevant which is ridiculous.
What the difference?I don't count calories. I just count grams of carbohydrates. why would you count calories? their kind of irrelevant.
not sure if serious.
Because they're eating at a deficit. To say the calories are irrelevant is ridiculous. If I ate 2500 calories in steak and asparagus or 2500 in bread and pizza I'd gain weight. There is no way around that. You may think your success can be attributed to a reduction in carbs, but by restricting them you are just creating a deficit. You know, that thing you need to be in to lose weight.0 -
Yep.It's all a diet. Folks just conceptualize it differently, and if it helps him maintain after, I dont see what the big deal is.
Lots of folks have lost weight counting carbs and ignoring calories.
Because this person believes that the number of carbohydrate grams is important, but the number of calories is irrelevant which is ridiculous.
What the difference?I don't count calories. I just count grams of carbohydrates. why would you count calories? their kind of irrelevant.
not sure if serious.
Because they're eating at a deficit. To say the calories are irrelevant is ridiculous. If I ate 2500 calories in steak and asparagus or 2500 in bread and pizza I'd gain weight. There is no way around that. You may think your success can be attributed to a reduction in carbs, but by restricting them you are just creating a deficit. You know, that thing you need to be in to lose weight.
Because he's describing counting carbs as if the success can be attributed to a particular number of carb grams, when in reality calories are very relevant. Just because the poster fails to realize it, doesn't make it not so. Saying calories is irrelevant is incorrect.0 -
Maintaining the weight loss is the hard part...hence I never plan to stop!Alright, so for the past two days I have eaten whatever junk food has come my way. I work in a cafe so that means frappucino's, scones, panini's, cookies, brownies, definitely not low cal stuff. However I'm actually under my goal weight and realized I need to gain back a few pounds. I know this is not the healthiest way to do it, it's just what happened this past weekend. I let myself be free with food for the first time in the past year since losing all the weight.
But now, as I've finished this binge and feel fulfilled in a sense, I realize I don't want to keep counting.
I want to live.
The problem is, I don't know if I really know how. I know how to gain weight, obviously. I know how to lose weight. But maintaining is a foreign concept to me. Even as I've tried to maintain using this website, it doesn't really work. Because I keep having that mindset when I look at the number I feel like it needs to be lower. I realize that's not a happy mindset and I want to change that. My basic question is, how did the people who lost all the weight successfully maintain after?
I gotta believe there's enough will out there to be able to do it without counting for the rest of your life. Because while this is an extremely effective tool, I don't want to see myself relying on it forever.0 -
OMW I do too. Like I love MFP but it literally does not have to power to help you log food that you have eaten for example at a theme park or a zoo! Or certain foods like reeces candy bar not cups. I had allowed 2 squares per day so it worked for me sorry for getting off track a little but I could live without mfp. JJust saying I have gone down to 135-140 pounds from 155-160 without it!!! I am still willing to record it and there are days I had to play ketchup but its worth it because it keeps you active in your awareness of how much food your consuming:)0
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If someone is nearsighted they wear glasses or contacts for life to correct their imperfect vision. Counting calories is a way to correct an inability to intuitively eat the right amount for your body.0
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I don't think mfp turns us into those effortless, carefree people, but rather lets us hide among them.
Yes. lol I'll take it, though....it's still a better alternative than some others. : )0 -
When do you stop watching your money? If you feel like you can handle life without watching how much you spend and on what, you may also be able to live life at maintenance by the same kind of methods.
For me, I've had to closely watch my money and I've had to closely watch my calories. I can't seem to just get a "feel" for how either should be used without a written statement of both. Some of us, just have no idea how to budget calories or money without being ever watchful over both.
I plan to count calories and dollars for the rest of my life.0 -
I've dieted in the past, regained my weight and then some. I don't even know how many calories my body needs to maintain at the weight I want to reach, so yes, I will be logging. I see that as part of my future, without as much time and thought, but as a tool to gage my daily intake.0
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Congratulations on getting down first off,
I think the first thing I noticed with your post was "I want to live" I used to have this thinking, and that's what kept me overweight for so long, I get that counting calories can sometimes get stagnant and denying yourself downright sucks somedays. But your post sounds like a yo-yo dieter in the making, so here's this, you can eat whatever you want, however much you want, for however long you want.
But be prepared for your future and accept now that if you do this, if you let go, you're gonna be back in the same boat you were in at the start of your journey, maybe even bigger, and gonna have to do this again, I saw your ticker, 30lbs is no small feat, are you really willing to have to shed 30, 40, 50+ Lbs every other year for the rest of your life?0 -
????Bump0
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I've been on maintenance for nine months now. My weight doesn't vary more than 2.5 pounds. My BMI is 19 and I feel wonderfully fit and strong. Why would I quit using a tool, a free and effective tool, mind you and try yo go it alone? I get important nutrition that was. I thought maintence would would be boring but it's nice. It's a routine like brushing your teach. I aren't hadvtogive up much time To log keeps me honesr. Now that I have more calories to play, how straight will my kine be.0
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What this is saying is "since you can't correct your eye sight, it applies to anything else". You do realise that your brain is pretty different from more "static" organs? Your whole life you keep processing crazy amounts of information, you learn new things, your brain stores vasts amounts of information.If someone is nearsighted they wear glasses or contacts for life to correct their imperfect vision. Counting calories is a way to correct an inability to intuitively eat the right amount for your body.
You're also saying that what you have learned during your lifestyle change does count for nothing, which leads me to my question; haven't you paid attention at all to what you have been weighing, measuring in other ways, logging? Not analysed in the least the nutritional values of your foods over the course of months or years even?
"A way to correct an inability to intuitively eat the right amount for your body" has no basis in science, it's just your own perception - and you most certainly aren't crediting your brain what it deserves througout your whole statement.
Edit: typo and this: Some people go to the eye doctor for laser surgery. I wouldn't do that to my own eyes, but we have lots of opinions.0 -
Diet is forever, if you want to keep your goal, keep your eye on your calories. Or you will get back to where you started. I know I need my MFP forever
Just accept it as a new way of life. 0 -
To me, MFP is not the lifestyle, it's just the tool.
Sometimes I like to use different tools to get the job done.
Sure, some may consider it the best tool for the job under any circumstances.
I don't. Occasionally I need a kick up the behind so it's good for that. More often though, I really don't want to be calculating allowances and giving myself guilt trips about empty calories.
To the PP who said eyeballing instead of weighing is what got us here in the first place - not true for me. I got here by knowingly being greedy and lazy. With a full understanding of the facts.
We're all individuals and make our lives as complicated or as simple as we see the need for.0 -
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.
^^^ This
If you think about it, we're all experts at what doesn't work (that's why many of us a here in the first place) and I don't plan on ever hitting 235lbs again.0 -
It was my lack of awareness which allowed me to pack on the pounds. Counting calories has been a tremendous help & I plan to continue for a long time. If it isn't broken then don't fix it.0
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Snipped from OP.But now, as I've finished this binge and feel fulfilled in a sense, I realize I don't want to keep counting.
I want to live.
The problem is, I don't know if I really know how. I know how to gain weight, obviously. I know how to lose weight. But maintaining is a foreign concept to me.
If you are in for a lifestyle change, you will have adapted successfully to a new way of living your life.
If you have dieted, you are risking going back to old habits.
If you keep logging for a while, whilst entering maintenance mode, and find that you are successful at not only losing weight but maintaining as well, you keep doing the same thing.
If you change something in a worse direction, you will gain weight and so it is time to correct things.
If you are in maintenance mode and stumble upon food you don't know the energy contents of, by all means look it up and pay attention; that is a very smart thing to do.
This is very logical and very simple. Do your empirical research on yourself. I guess many in this thread don't trust their own eyes nor their experience. I don't mean to offend anyone, but I really don't see how everyone has "successfully changed their lifestyle" only to have the scale go up again. The lifestyle change can't have been very successful then.0 -
Indeed. And we've become experts at what we should have done before yet didn't do, until we decided we should choose the new healthy lifestyle during our lifestyle change, during which we've become experts. At that point we are double-experts and have the choice to pick the healthy-expert mode rather than the unhealthy-expert mode.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.
^^^ This
If you think about it, we're all experts at what doesn't work (that's why many of us a here in the first place) and I don't plan on ever hitting 235lbs again.
Being aware of what not to do for the rest of our life isn't the same as being forced to count calories for the rest of our lives. We just have to do what worked during our losing weight and our entering maintenance mode successfully.0 -
That is accurate for me also. I knew I was making bad choices and over indulging but kept pushing off starting a diet. I was a successful yo yo dieter for decades, slowly going up 10-15 over the course of a year or two and then losing it all with a New Year's crash diet. Then one time I didn't stay on it and started accepting a higher weight as reasonable. When I let that weight creep up even further, I let myself slide further. I kept thinking that I will buckle down one of these days and get it back under control. I started a few feeble attempts and fell into the trap of "just a few more indulgences" and "after the holidays" and other lame excuse for not doing it. But I did finally decide I had enough of being overweight and buckled down.To the PP who said eyeballing instead of weighing is what got us here in the first place - not true for me. I got here by knowingly being greedy and lazy. With a full understanding of the facts.
I am 54 and was last at a healthy weight in my early 40s, chubby in my late 40s and fat in my early 50s. I do know how to eat without getting overweight. I just chose gluttony for a while. It was so hard to get back to this weight again that I am highly motivated to be more vigilant and not let myself slide. I use calorie counting to help me by logging the odd day here and there to get a sense of what common meal choices I can make to offset others or to meet a goal when I am losing.0 -
Counting them is irrelevant to him, and to many. Perhaps that's what he meant. Many folks successfully lose weight and keep it off while never counting a calorie.
Yep.It's all a diet. Folks just conceptualize it differently, and if it helps him maintain after, I dont see what the big deal is.
Lots of folks have lost weight counting carbs and ignoring calories.
Because this person believes that the number of carbohydrate grams is important, but the number of calories is irrelevant which is ridiculous.
What the difference?I don't count calories. I just count grams of carbohydrates. why would you count calories? their kind of irrelevant.
not sure if serious.
Because they're eating at a deficit. To say the calories are irrelevant is ridiculous. If I ate 2500 calories in steak and asparagus or 2500 in bread and pizza I'd gain weight. There is no way around that. You may think your success can be attributed to a reduction in carbs, but by restricting them you are just creating a deficit. You know, that thing you need to be in to lose weight.
Because he's describing counting carbs as if the success can be attributed to a particular number of carb grams, when in reality calories are very relevant. Just because the poster fails to realize it, doesn't make it not so. Saying calories is irrelevant is incorrect.0 -
That is accurate for me also. I knew I was making bad choices and over indulging but kept pushing off starting a diet. I was a successful yo yo dieter for decades, slowly going up 10-15 over the course of a year or two and then losing it all with a New Year's crash diet. Then one time I didn't stay on it and started accepting a higher weight as reasonable. When I let that weight creep up even further, I let myself slide further. I kept thinking that I will buckle down one of these days and get it back under control. I started a few feeble attempts and fell into the trap of "just a few more indulgences" and "after the holidays" and other lame excuse for not doing it. But I did finally decide I had enough of being overweight and buckled down.To the PP who said eyeballing instead of weighing is what got us here in the first place - not true for me. I got here by knowingly being greedy and lazy. With a full understanding of the facts.
I am 54 and was last at a healthy weight in my early 40s, chubby in my late 40s and fat in my early 50s. I do know how to eat without getting overweight. I just chose gluttony for a while. It was so hard to get back to this weight again that I am highly motivated to be more vigilant and not let myself slide. I use calorie counting to help me by logging the odd day here and there to get a sense of what common meal choices I can make to offset others or to meet a goal when I am losing.
I have found that the commitment and dedication I had while losing the weight was not easy to maintain over time (I've been on maintenance for two years now.) Because once I was back in a good place with my weight, then there was always a "special occasion", a holiday, and just plain tiredness that would lead to the "just this time" or "after this vacation" type of thinking. Lately I've been realizing that I still equate "eating without paying attention" to relaxing as in, "I'm going to enjoy myself on this vacation and get back on track afterwards." I've found that I equate "eating a lot of rich food" with "having fun." Which meant that "not letting myself eat a lot of rich food" equalled "not having fun." At this point in my life, I may always need to log what I eat and to pay attention but I don't have to see that as meaning I didn't have any fun either.0 -
You can stop counting the calories you eat without getting fat, when you can stop counting the money you spend without going broke.0
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I love analogies. I use them all the time to make proven complex concepts easier to understand. But you can't use an analogy to prove a concept. It is effective; you will get a lot of heads nodding using a totally irrelevant reference.You can stop counting the calories you eat without getting fat, when you can stop counting the money you spend without going broke.
BTW, when I was in my 20s, single and starting my career, I did not keep an accurate count of what I spent. I just did it roughly in my head and erred on the side of safety. I turned 30 with no debt and a decent amount of money in the bank. Then I got married to a CPA who tracks every dime. Now we are in debt up to our eyeballs (yeah, the house and kids might have something to do with that).0 -
So many insightful comments on this. I left after loosing 30 pounds and came back for the 10 I re gained:) For me I am pretty carefree about it really, but when the pounds creep on I need to be held accountable and log. For some it might need to be a daily thing.
I just caution if the number on the scale is taking too much of your brain power, taking you away from friends and family, take a breather. Keep your account but take a break. Come back and use the tool when you need it. It is a fantastic tool, but it is that, a tool. It should not take over your life.
Part of getting thin for me is to ENJOY LIFE! I love MFP but there will be times I am off running about and take a break. That to me is part of maintaining.
Fabulous success stories on this thread, well done all.0
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