Why calorie counting is ridiculous

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Replies

  • It seems to me she is forgetting that people are WAY less active today than they were "pre-1970s". Technology is wonderful but it has made us lazier. Sure the people hunting the wild boar are not going to worry about the calories, but that is because they probably don't spend 9 hours a day glued to a computer. That's my take...

    Yep!
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
    CALORIE COUNTING IS RIDICULOUS!
  • shira324
    shira324 Posts: 156 Member
    Great, another fitness coach spouting nonsense. I wish there was a minimum intelligence requirement for becoming a fitness coach.

    THIS. I'm often tempting to remind people on MFP (and in the real world) that fitness coaches and personal trainers are NOT doctors. They are not perfect, they're not gods. They have specialized training, yes, and they can be enormously helpful motivators, but that doesn't make them smarter than everyone else.
  • roxylola
    roxylola Posts: 540 Member
    what a mug if she got spun the line that £5 unleaded wrecked a whole diesel engine, that size of tank the fuel would probably just burn off with no effect whatsoever! In larger amounts, it's not good and it won't run well if at all on it but drain off the tank and you are good. Sorry but if she believes that she will believe anything
  • jkwolly
    jkwolly Posts: 3,049 Member
    This entire website is full of people who are a testament to how wrong she is.
    This!
  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
    TL:DR translation: "I have no idea what the *kitten* I'm talking about, so please feel free to ignore me."
  • JTick
    JTick Posts: 2,131 Member
    :huh:

    Hm. So I guess I'm some weird enigma where even though I'm 81 lbs lighter, I'm somehow fatter than I used to be.

    BTW, I'm not a clean eater. At all. I have to actually remind myself to eat some veggies sometimes. :laugh:
  • ImpishVanity
    ImpishVanity Posts: 224 Member
    I don't care how good of quality of gas you put in your horsebox, too much is too much is too much. So even "good" calories from all natural sources can be too much if you overeat.

    Animals in the wild spend 90% of their time in activity - actively searching for, gathering or hunting down their food. As did those hunters with the boar. Often animals, and earlier humans for that matter, went DAYS without food at all. That is simply not the case today. Food is readily available with minimal effort. Those with active jobs have an easier time staying in shape than those who have computer or other sedentary jobs.

    While I agree we should probably incorporate more whole foods in our diets, I don't think it's bad to eat anything you want in moderation. And the way to moderate that is to count calories in versus calories out to make sure your body is getting the right number of calories to fuel itself and still help you lose weight.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,879 Member
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b5C3uqA1yRI
    It's a long video, but to break it down: Yo-yoing between very low cal diets and "normal" unrestricted eating can cause you to gain more body fat back than you did pre-diet.

    The problem is that people don't really learn anything while they're trimming down...they get to some arbitrary goal weight and they're "done"...they've crossed some finish line or sorts.

    You can't go back to "normal" unrestricted eating...the only difference between my cut and maintenance is a few hundred calories...that's it. I just don't see how people don't get this. If you go back to "normal" eating then of course you're going to put the weight back on, and then some. There has to be a new "normal"...which is what "lifestyle change" is all about...but that is apparently lost a about 95% of people who have issues maintaining weight after they've lost it.

    Reaching your goal weight is just the beginning...you haven't arrived at the finish line...you've just arrived at the starting line of a very long race called, "maintenance." That's where the real work happens...too bad so many people fail to realize this.

    I'm sure this chick will put her weight back on too...because she sound like a moron and obviously doesn't really get it.
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
    "Don't count calories, it'll make you fatter! However, if you purchase The Biggest Loser protein shakes, snacks, and workout DVDs, all of your wildest dreams will come true."
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I don't care whether she thinks it's ridiculous. I think the Biggest Loser is ridiculous. Also I think alternative medicine is ridiculous, and a few posts down she's supporting that. Also she's selling products (the ad for her cookbook is at the bottom of the article) so there's that.







    I may be grouchy this morning.
  • well its working for me, i don't plan to count forever but I find it a huge help in curbing my over eating especially when im bored...after a month ive found it goes hand in hand, im given 2100 cal/day for what i want and ive only lost 12 lbs in the first month but its working and going the right direction, and in order to stay within those 2100 cal i cant eat crap food unless i want crap food for breakfast and water for the rest of the day. im sure if i was within 5 lbs of my ideal weight for age/height i might need to go all crazy to loose them last few lbs but the bulk of my weight like many is probably just over eating, or choosing the wrong foods or eating food you thought were a "healthier" choice only to find out not true (Wendy's cesar salad being on par with a baconator for example)
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
    It seems to me she is forgetting that people are WAY less active today than they were "pre-1970s". Technology is wonderful but it has made us lazier. Sure the people hunting the wild boar are not going to worry about the calories, but that is because they probably don't spend 9 hours a day glued to a computer. That's my take...

    Nailed it! :happy:

    Exatly my thought. Pre-1970s, if you wanted to play football, you went down the street, grabbed every kid you could find, and played football in a vacant lot (or the street, itself, if you were daring). You didn't sit on your butt and play Madden NFL on your game console.

    Add in the fact that it's easier to have food (of any quality) in your hand while you're sitting around versus while you're off doing stuff, and you have an additional intake they didn't have before. So kids get used to eating more than they should as a child and the habit just continues.
  • SapiensPisces
    SapiensPisces Posts: 1,001 Member
    well its working for me, i don't plan to count forever but I find it a huge help in curbing my over eating especially when im bored...after a month ive found it goes hand in hand, im given 2100 cal/day for what i want and ive only lost 12 lbs in the first month but its working and going the right direction, and in order to stay within those 2100 cal i cant eat crap food unless i want crap food for breakfast and water for the rest of the day. im sure if i was within 5 lbs of my ideal weight for age/height i might need to go all crazy to loose them last few lbs but the bulk of my weight like many is probably just over eating, or choosing the wrong foods or eating food you thought were a "healthier" choice only to find out not true (Wendy's cesar salad being on par with a baconator for example)

    12 lbs lost in a month is really good progress. Keep at it!
  • graceire
    graceire Posts: 323 Member
    There's a whole lot of correlation being mistaken for causation going on in that (utterly ridiculous) blog.

    Also, can't stand Biggest Loser. Despise is not too strong an adjective in this case.
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
    TL:DR translation: "I have no idea what the *kitten* I'm talking about, so please feel free to ignore me."

    Funny, that's exactly how I read it. I think I got to "calorie counting makes people fatter and sad." Then stopped.
  • Blue801
    Blue801 Posts: 442
    :ohwell:
  • AccioFitness
    AccioFitness Posts: 244 Member
    TL:DR translation: "I have no idea what the *kitten* I'm talking about, so please feel free to ignore me."

    Yup.
  • Cranquistador
    Cranquistador Posts: 39,744 Member
    hurr
  • wheird
    wheird Posts: 7,963 Member
    In for ignoring the scientific facts! :laugh: