When to stop counting calories?
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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 -
At this point this discussion is going nowhere or rather it isn't a discussion but simply announcements of points of view, so I'm bowing out after this last comment.
It is clear that the participants think very different things of what we are here to do. My task here is to generate a permanent lifestyle change, which includes permanent healthy nutrition choices and permanent regular exercise whilst being permanently content and balanced (regular sleep, calm mind, etc.), happy about my choices.
"Diet" isn't what I'm doing nor will I see "slip-ups" happen in the future - because I've built a solid, strong foundation during the phase in between unhealth and health. I'm expecting the transition phase to be highly challenging, but I'm prepared to do the work so I don't have to ever question these things again, once I'm in eternal maintenance mode.
I'd be happy to accept friends with this mindset, so send me a request if you like; we can never have too much support around us. Good luck to everyone on their own journeys!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.
^^ This. I don't want to 'have' to do anything my entire life, but I"m willing to IF that's what it takes. No reason to not just use it when you need it. IF you see 5lbs creep on, no one made you turn in your key to the city - just log again and correct it. Don't be in denial about it and come back 18 months later with 50lbs to lose.0 -
If you have lost weight why would you want to go back mfp is simple... staying fit and eating healthy is something you should maintain for a lifetime...you can always indulge on some junk food here and there but I personally wouldn't make it a habit.0
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You are making a lot of assumptions here. I haven't changed what I eat, I've changed the portions. I suspect if I went on some 'whole foods' or paleo or similar diet I would be able to stop counting calories. I could also not have to worry about running out of money if I never buy anything I want and only pay bills and nothing else. But I don't want to live like that. I'm not interested in a "lifestyle change" that involves giving up things I like for no good reason. It is more than worth counting to be able to enjoy reasonable portions of all teh foodz which I would otherwise be prone to overeat.
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 -
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.
Yep. Me too.0 -
It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle. I will always be counting calories. And I'm absolutely fine with that.
I think this is the issue for a lot of people...they equate the counting of calories to be the "lifestyle" change when in reality, they're diet (noun) and fitness regimen should be the lifestyle. MFP is an awesome tool for teaching you how to properly fuel your body...quanity and quality...but really, logging food in a diary for the rest of your life is not realistic IMHO. I would think that if people would actually take the time to actually learn how to fuel their bodies and listen to their bodies they wouldn't need to count calories forever.
Personally, I don't count anymore and have no issues maintaining. When people have issues it is largely due to the fact that they really haven't made a change in their lifestyle...they just go back to the same crap they were doing before...overeating junk food and failing to get their fitness on. When you carry over your healthy eating habits and fitness habits into maintenance mode, maintenance is actually really easy.0 -
It's up to you. I find that watching my intake of certain food groups like carbs, sugars, and fats is enough. If I'm making a concerted effort to lose weight, then I count, although even then I'm not 100% strict. I try to aim low to fact in inaccuracies made by me and the product labels.0
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I think this is the issue for a lot of people...they equate the counting of calories to be the "lifestyle" change when in reality, they're diet (noun) and fitness regimen should be the lifestyle. MFP is an awesome tool for teaching you how to properly fuel your body...quanity and quality...but really, logging food in a diary for the rest of your life is not realistic IMHO. I would think that if people would actually take the time to actually learn how to fuel their bodies and listen to their bodies they wouldn't need to count calories forever.
Personally, I don't count anymore and have no issues maintaining. When people have issues it is largely due to the fact that they really haven't made a change in their lifestyle...they just go back to the same crap they were doing before...overeating junk food and failing to get their fitness on. When you carry over your healthy eating habits and fitness habits into maintenance mode, maintenance is actually really easy.
I've said this before but this is the biggest thing I had to learn when I lost most of my weight. I didn't actively count calories, but was mindful of the calorie content, even loosely estimating and following my hunger and fullness cues.. I honestly think that a lot of people don't know how to do this or lost the ability to do this and it's a shame.
That said I've already witnessed the inaccuracies of labeling and this website's food diary,so to me it's just another tool, but certainly not something I'm 100% devoted to.0 -
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).
It's not irrelevant. There are of course plenty of people who stay thin without counting calories, and stay out of debt without counting what they spend. But if someone is heavier than they want to be (or spends more than they want to spend) there is no way to longterm success without tracking.
The amazing thing to me is that I know people who would never think of spending more money than they have in their bank account, but have no problem eating hundreds more calories than their bodies need.0 -
I plan on counting my calories for a LONG Time. Counting calories and owning a scale are the only things that have worked for me in my fifty years on this earth.0
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