Is calorie-counting different from dieting?

ayumi_
ayumi_ Posts: 50
in Health and Weight Loss
If so how?

I've been lurking these forums for a few weeks and I constantly see people telling others, "don't diet! make it a lifestyle change!" But you're all counting your calories? Not to be judgmental but I don't see how it's different from a diet. Is this just a stepping stone to a healthier lifestyle? Or do you plan to count calories forever?
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Replies

  • Samstan101
    Samstan101 Posts: 699 Member
    For me calorie counting is teaching me about portion size and the calories in certain foods (eg pasta - my idea of a portion had about double the calories in it than I thought). That's allowing me to make healthier choices. I don't think I'll count calories forever but it keeps me focussed whilst I'm getting to target. I do think there's certain foods that I'll weigh probably forever as its easy to eat a lot of extra calories without trying (complex carbs and high fat food in my case). Calorie counting is part of my lifestyle change but to eat the right things more often and to retrain my eating habits.
  • mwa2801
    mwa2801 Posts: 23
    Dieting sums up calories and exercise in my opinion. A diet gives it bad vibe, if you know what I mean. You're not "dieting", you're just exercising and watching what you eat. People who are maintaining their goal weight are doing exactly what us people trying to lose weight are doing, which is watching what we eat and exercising. The word "diet" just sounds bad all together. Just eat healthy, drink a lot of water, exercise and you will be on your way to losing weight.
  • ayumi_
    ayumi_ Posts: 50
    For me calorie counting is teaching me about portion size and the calories in certain foods (eg pasta - my idea of a portion had about double the calories in it than I thought). That's allowing me to make healthier choices. I don't think I'll count calories forever but it keeps me focussed whilst I'm getting to target. I do think there's certain foods that I'll weigh probably forever as its easy to eat a lot of extra calories without trying (complex carbs and high fat food in my case). Calorie counting is part of my lifestyle change but to eat the right things more often and to retrain my eating habits.
    When you used to eat overly large portions, didn't you feel really full? Wouldn't that alone be enough to tell you to maybe cut down on your portions?
  • Dewymorning
    Dewymorning Posts: 762 Member
    There is a difference between 'going on a diet' and 'changing your diet'.

    Calorie counting is just a tool I use to help me change my diet. It helps me to learn to control portions and how to eat so that I feel full and satisfied, can still have the occasional treat, but not feel restricted.

    "Going on a diet" often involves limiting the types of food one eats, or having rules about when to eat etc.

    In a sense, counting calories is really just record keeping. Our memory is not always that good.
  • Quieau
    Quieau Posts: 428 Member
    Some people here are "dieting" and some are not. For me, a diet is a temporary reduction of calories, or one or more of the macros that can't (or shouldn't be) sustained long term. There's a difference between counting calories and restricting them. Counting them gives you perspective and awareness and helps you make great choices.

    For me, I don't really restrict my calories, I just monitor them and make sure my output exceeds my input, whatever it is needed to be to keep me from being hungry. By not allowing myself to become starved, I avoid binging and bad decisions. My intake has changed very little since I started, but my output has changed everything.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    If your calorie counting causes you to eat less than you burn - then it's a diet in the sense of weight loss.

    But diet is really just the way you eat.

    Hence the reason many say make changes you can live with. Actually, many don't say that, they give out all these changes you should make to be "healthy" in their way.
    And for far too many - that's not sustainable, during the diet or afterwards.

    And yes, many will be calorie counting for a long time - they can't trust their bodies - never should anyway unless you are really knowledgeable about how it can fool you, and work around that.

    It obviously was listened to for weight going up, and sadly studies have shown despite weight loss it usually want to go back up anyway, if sizeable loss anyway.

    So they likely will need to count calories for a long time. And start getting good at portion control and estimates.
  • ayumi_
    ayumi_ Posts: 50

    And yes, many will be calorie counting for a long time - they can't trust their bodies - never should anyway unless you are really knowledgeable about how it can fool you, and work around that.

    Can you explain more about why they shouldn't trust their bodies, & how it can fool them?
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
    Depends how many calories you're counting. Many people are counting calories in a deficit to lose weight. Some people are counting calories to maintain weight and some people are counting calories to gain weight.
  • Peter_M68
    Peter_M68 Posts: 16 Member
    My first post :-)

    Good morning all, this is an interesting question. For me, I don't like to use the word "diet" - it somehow gives the impression that it is a short term activity and that when I have reached my "diet goal", I no longer need to "diet". It also seems that "dieting" became a great word to support the products being sold to help you lose weight. It is only in recent years that "healthy lifestyle" is being used more - the majority of adds for healthy food products still use "as part of a calorie controlled diet"!

    I do look at the calories in all of the food I eat now - one of my biggest gripes with MyFitnessPal is the inconsistencies I'm seeing across the foods logged (but that is for another day). My view is that if we are to use the term "diet", then calorie counting is part of that. It is not just about portion size as even low calorie food eaten in large quantities won't be that great for you. It's not just calories, I also look at the other content, such as fat, sodium and sugar.

    I'm still in the process of getting what I eat "just right" and I balance that out with activities that help me burn more calories than I consume. For me that is working and I know my lifestyle has changed because of it :-)
  • Debbjones
    Debbjones Posts: 278 Member
    (quoted from above)
    "When you used to eat overly large portions, didn't you feel really full? Wouldn't that alone be enough to tell you to maybe cut down on your portions?"


    No, the stomach stretches to contain the food consumed. If it were that simple and eating a adequate portion of food made people full, everyone would be thin! The problem with eating until you feel full is... most of the time you don't feel full until 30 to 60 minutes after you eat. That is why we strive for "portion" control. Even though I have been in maintenance mode for about 18 months, I still have problems every day (and night) with NEVER feeling full.

    Yes, calorie counting IS DIFFERENT from dieting. The definition of a diet is "to restrict oneself to small amounts or special kinds of food in order to lose weight." As defined a diet ceases once the weight is lost and goal weight is achieved. Then the dieter returns to an eating routine that is/was perceived as normal and acceptable and in most cases the weight lost returns. A life style change is just that, a change that remains constant, not to revert to a former state.

    Just saying... this is my experience and understanding...! :-)
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    If so how?

    I've been lurking these forums for a few weeks and I constantly see people telling others, "don't diet! make it a lifestyle change!" But you're all counting your calories? Not to be judgmental but I don't see how it's different from a diet. Is this just a stepping stone to a healthier lifestyle? Or do you plan to count calories forever?

    Yes calorie counting is a diet.

    A restrictive diet! If you are setting yourself a target amount of calories to stay under, stay at, or stay over. It's a diet and it's a restriction.

    That being said all diets are restrictive (whether it's vegan, kaleo, primal).

    And unless it's a style of eating which does not provide all of your nutrients and protects your lean mass and is sustainable then it can be an eating lifestyle (but how ever you wrap it up its a diet)????

    All you've got to do is choose the one that's right for you. I personally do not believe there's one diet which will suit everybodys needs. It can sometimes be a bit of trial an error.
  • hamelle2
    hamelle2 Posts: 297 Member
    I listen to weight loss hypnosis tapes and he refers to eating properly as a "slimming plan". I love that and now think of my diet in that way.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    If so how?

    I've been lurking these forums for a few weeks and I constantly see people telling others, "don't diet! make it a lifestyle change!" But you're all counting your calories? Not to be judgmental but I don't see how it's different from a diet. Is this just a stepping stone to a healthier lifestyle? Or do you plan to count calories forever?

    I'd draw a distinction between "diet" and "a diet", calorie counting has helped me to make more informed choices around my diet, which has helped me lose fat, increase endurance and CV capacity.

    That said I'm not particularly religious about measurement, and quite comfortable with a trend rather than spot figures. As long as I'm about right in a week I'm comfortable when individual days go over or wildly under goal.

    Equally it's about prioritising what's important. Is it weight loss, sports performance, general health or being able to fit the existing wardrobe?
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    The difference is in how you look at it. Are you changing your eating habits for life or are you just making temporary changes? The technique is incidental.
  • swaymyway
    swaymyway Posts: 428 Member
    Everyone will see it differently - for me they are different in the following ways.

    A diet is reducing what you eat for the sole reason of trying to lose weight, a diet is temporary and often faddy.

    Counting calories is being aware of exactly what you are eating, and allows you to eat how you like (whether it's a traditionally healthy diet or one that allows for treats and other foods most 'diets' would ban or make you feel guilty about eating) - just in moderation. Counting calories isn't just for people that want to lose weight, it's for people who want to get lean, bulk up, gain weight, athletes training, people recovering from eating disorders etc etc. Counting calories helps you have better and more healthy habits for life.
  • pyrowill
    pyrowill Posts: 1,163 Member
    I'd say the plain simple answer is yes, it is the same, both are restrictions. However calorie counting is more about being able to eat essentially whatever you want, just to be mindful of how much to eat. Which in the end is much less restrictive.
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
    For me the word diet involves restrictions, and that what a lot of us mean when we say "don't diet". I'm maintaining my weight the same way I lost it, by paying attention to my macros, which means I have to pay attention to all my food, including calories. I used to restrict foods "dieting", thinking it was the way to go, until I spent enough time on these forums to figure out TDEE and macros and what calorie level works best for my health, not just my weight. So yes, I'll continue to count because to me it doesn't make any sense not to do what has finally worked.

    However, any one of my friends on here would not say I'm on a diet at all. Yesterday was all pizza, sausages, wine and chocolate. And I logged all 3000 cals. (I was only over by a bit.) So yes, I count calories, but I'm sure not on a diet!
  • ClaudiaTheNice
    ClaudiaTheNice Posts: 74
    For me calorie counting is teaching me about portion size and the calories in certain foods (eg pasta - my idea of a portion had about double the calories in it than I thought). That's allowing me to make healthier choices. I don't think I'll count calories forever but it keeps me focussed whilst I'm getting to target. I do think there's certain foods that I'll weigh probably forever as its easy to eat a lot of extra calories without trying (complex carbs and high fat food in my case). Calorie counting is part of my lifestyle change but to eat the right things more often and to retrain my eating habits.
    When you used to eat overly large portions, didn't you feel really full? Wouldn't that alone be enough to tell you to maybe cut down on your portions?

    I would eat until there wasn't any food left, even if I was full, because that was how it was when I grew up. I had no control over how much food was put on my plate, but you ate everything on your plate and didn't leave the table until you did, because you had to be grateful for the food you were given and it somehow helped starving children in Africa).

    Counting calories for me is figuring out portion sizes, pure and simple. While a diet for me involves restricting something and that magically makes you lose weight. I've been on diets in the past with little or no success now it's about just not eating to much.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Absolutely, yes, calorie counting is dieting.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    I'd say the plain simple answer is yes, it is the same, both are restrictions. However calorie counting is more about being able to eat essentially whatever you want, just to be mindful of how much to eat. Which in the end is much less restrictive.

    Unless you're someone that struggles with portion control, then it's the most restrictive type of diet - different horses for different courses.

    You just got to find the style that works for you.

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