Do you guys really count calories?

Options
1234689

Replies

  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Options
    After a while of tracking, when you look at food....all you see are calorie numbers, grams of protein, sodium levels...etc...

    Not to go full geek here but....It's like seeing the Matrix for what it really is.

    I measure everything that I don't already know and weigh everything I don't already know. I can fill a bowl up to the same spot everytime after I've measured something once or twice.

    Actually, I find that logging and thinking about what I'm eating makes me more mindful of food so everything tastes BETTER. I enjoy food more. I enjoy cooking just as much.

    It's very zen.
  • jjinteso
    jjinteso Posts: 2,060 Member
    Options
    You know how hard it is to get a second date with someone when you bring a scale and tablespoon on the first one???
  • doubglass
    doubglass Posts: 314 Member
    Options
    I used to weigh and measure. Now I can pretty much eyeball everything. Since I have a smartypants phone I can log everything right before I eat.
  • __freckles__
    __freckles__ Posts: 1,238 Member
    Options
    In my life I could probably count the times I've actually kept track of my calories for a day on one hand. But I know a lot of people here do it. So how do you do it? Do you actually weigh everything out and keep a list of everything you eat throughout the day? The two times I did it on MFP I kind of just guessed at the amounts I ate.

    I'm asking because I'll soon be at my normal weight. I'm just starting to weightlift (which I LOVE btw). I want to burn more fat but retain the muscle I have. So...do I need to count calories and how many should I eat? I'm 5'8 soon to be 145 lbs and 28% body fat. Would like to set a first goal of 24% body fat. I do weightlifting 3 times per week for about 45 minutes each session.

    Help is appreciated!

    That seems like a pretty odd question to pose on a site that features software that tracks your calories. Perhaps you came to the message board inadvertently, without realizing what this site is about? I would guess that almost everyone on here "counts" their calories, ranging from measuring everything out and putting it into the food diary to estimating portions and putting it into the food diary. The software calculates the calories for you.

    I actually joined the site for the forums - not the calorie counter. I've learned so much great information from these threads! Thank you to those of you who took the time to answer my question!
  • Prephred
    Prephred Posts: 140 Member
    Options

    This! I weigh everything even at work and if I want something - I find out how many calories etc are in it and then if I REALLY want it and think the 'cost' is worth it - I have it ! Having said that - mostly when I find out how much something is going to 'cost' me I weigh it up against how long I will have to run or workout in the gym and decide that I don't quite want it enough!

    Ha ha, thought I was the only one that treated my food like a budget and figured the costs for each thing I want. If I want to join friends for BBQ, I consider the cost of each thing available and make my choices based on that. Sort of like buying my food twice, but it is working for me. I don't really consider it counting calories, just selecting lower 'cost' items based on my food diary.

    I actually quit eating corn bread muffins and some other stuff because I decided that for that corn bread muffin, I could have an extra BBQ spare rib. Glad to hear I am not the only one doing this. My friends think I am nuts.. lol
  • missymoo256
    missymoo256 Posts: 1 Member
    Options
    i look at how much i'v eaten out the packet and add it as that, like an 1/8 of a box of cornflakes and a 1/4 of a bottle of milk
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
    Options

    This! I weigh everything even at work and if I want something - I find out how many calories etc are in it and then if I REALLY want it and think the 'cost' is worth it - I have it ! Having said that - mostly when I find out how much something is going to 'cost' me I weigh it up against how long I will have to run or workout in the gym and decide that I don't quite want it enough!
    Running has been my secret weapon. I ran 118 miles in August; that's a lot of ribs. But as someone told me not long ago, you can't outrun your fork.
  • ToBeAStrongerMan
    ToBeAStrongerMan Posts: 36 Member
    Options
    I count everything.... But its fairly easy cause my diet is very consistent, and most of the ingredients I used are already cut up and stored in separate containers... I just weigh it,chuck it in, shake it up and eat it :P
  • nagatron
    nagatron Posts: 10 Member
    Options
    After a while of tracking, when you look at food....all you see are calorie numbers, grams of protein, sodium levels...etc...

    thats the truth right there.
  • BinaryPulsar
    BinaryPulsar Posts: 8,927 Member
    Options
    I do count my calories rather casually. I don't weigh and only occasionally measure some things. Although, I'm thinking about getting a food scale. I just measure or guess based on my understanding of volume. Then I add it to the food diary, usually using the stuff that's there. So, I have a rough estimate of my day and stay within a range. It works fine for me, so no problems for me. I weight lift. I think logging food in order to keep track of protein is important. I log everything on most days. I only don't log if I have a day in which I go to a party and eat food and don't know how to log it, or a restaurant, etc. Or if I don't have computer access, but even then I will write it it down and estimate, then when I log it later, it's usually pretty accurate to my estimates. Recently I went on vacation and didn't log for a week, but I still ate the same amounts of food.
  • ARoseinDecember
    ARoseinDecember Posts: 29
    Options
    Do you actually weigh everything out and keep a list of everything you eat throughout the day?

    Yes! Isn't that what MFP is for?
  • greenmonstergirl
    greenmonstergirl Posts: 619 Member
    Options
    yes
  • CLynch309
    CLynch309 Posts: 34 Member
    Options
    I have never been able to guesstimate accurately. I weighed and measured for a long time, then stopped - thinking that I could just "eyeball it" from that point on, and I gained the weight back. When I weigh and measure, I succeed. Period. So I continue to weigh and measure. Is it a pain in the posterior? You bet. Is it worth it? Well, I used to be a size 14 and wear clothes with elastic waists. Now I'm a size 2 and I can wear virtually anything I want. I used to worry about my cholesterol numbers and having to take meds for the rest of my life. Now, my doctor smiles at my numbers and says, nope, no meds. Yeah. It's worth it.
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
    Options
    After a while of tracking, when you look at food....all you see are calorie numbers, grams of protein, sodium levels...etc...

    thats the truth right there.
    That is counting without logging, which is what I do most days. I eat the same things so often that I can put together a day I am sure is below goal but not way below with reasonable accuracy; good enough now that I am maintaining. I mix some of those with some above and some about even as needed by watching scale and belt. I would like to get better at intuitive eating, which is an entirely different thing IMO.
  • sklebar
    sklebar Posts: 117 Member
    Options
    Yup, I even look it up on the internet on my iphone just to confirm numbers of calories and it works. My weight is no longer yo-yoing, though I'm having a little trouble maintaining, as I'm losing rather than maintaining. The interesting thing is I honestly believe my metabolism has been boosted from watching what I eat and I don't even like sweets or bread anymore. It grosses me out. In fact, really lovely cooking with vegetables and healthy, whole foods really changed my perspective. Myfitnesspal is awesome and the best way to do things.. I don't worry because I count everything, except for my americano coffees, which is just silly, but other than that. Everything else goes on there. I even will clock my red wine bottle and watch exactly how much I have.. :) Silly, I know, but I am happier doing this, feeling and looking great, than the opposite.
  • fleetzz
    fleetzz Posts: 962 Member
    Options
    This is what I do---works!
    i'm not currently counting calories but I have done in the past, and will do again if I go on a cut. (currently bulking)

    I know it can seem like a huge amount of work, but if you get yourself into a routine it actually doesn't take much time or effort, especially with MFP... without MFP it'll be difficult and time consuming. Also, the first couple of weeks of using MFP it'll take a lot more effort, but after a short time it becomes much easier as all your regular foods are right there in your diary (as my foods and my meals), you just click and log, it's much quicker.

    What I do when tracking my calories, I have a kitchen scale and a pad of post-it notes in the kitchen. I put my plate on the scale, zero it, then add one kind of food, write down how many grams, zero it, add another food, write down the grams, etc until all the food's on my plate. I eat it. I make sure I don't lose my post-it note. Later (usually before my last meal of the day), I log all the food off my post-its onto MFP and then plan a meal based on my calories/macros I have left over. Having done this for a while, I'm quite good at planning my last meal like this. For days when I want to eat junk or other special occasions, I plan my earlier meals to be high protein, low carb, low fat, so I have room for a high fat, high carb meal later on.

    It seems like a lot of work and effort but when you get in the swing of it, especially with all your regular and favourite foods in your my foods and my meals section, it really gets easier.
  • fleetzz
    fleetzz Posts: 962 Member
    Options
    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
    You know how hard it is to get a second date with someone when you bring a scale and tablespoon on the first one???
  • SToast
    SToast Posts: 255 Member
    Options
    I weigh and measure. I got an inexpensive food scale from amazon and it was a great use of $10. Takes all the guess work out of it. If I'm being honest with myself I count every single calorie. Even that piece of hard candy I find in my sons car seat and eat because the sugar is calling me. Eeww right? We've all got ours...
  • Wildflower0106
    Wildflower0106 Posts: 247 Member
    Options
    In my life I could probably count the times I've actually kept track of my calories for a day on one hand. But I know a lot of people here do it. So how do you do it? Do you actually weigh everything out and keep a list of everything you eat throughout the day? The two times I did it on MFP I kind of just guessed at the amounts I ate.

    I'm asking because I'll soon be at my normal weight. I'm just starting to weightlift (which I LOVE btw). I want to burn more fat but retain the muscle I have. So...do I need to count calories and how many should I eat? I'm 5'8 soon to be 145 lbs and 28% body fat. Would like to set a first goal of 24% body fat. I do weightlifting 3 times per week for about 45 minutes each session.

    Help is appreciated!


    That seems like a pretty odd question to pose on a site that features software that tracks your calories. Perhaps you came to the message board inadvertently, without realizing what this site is about? I would guess that almost everyone on here "counts" their calories, ranging from measuring everything out and putting it into the food diary to estimating portions and putting it into the food diary. The software calculates the calories for you.

    Calorie counting is only one of many tools available on this site. The name of the web site is myFITNESSpal, I keep track of my workouts and FITNESS goals here and also track my measurements. I have not logged for almost two years. This site is about different things for different people.

Categories