Why calorie counting is ridiculous
Replies
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Everyone read the book the Calorie Myth
then we will all be up to speed enough to discuss this with clarity
http://www.amazon.com/The-Calorie-Myth-Exercise-Weight/dp/0062267337
No thanks, I'm good.
Calorie counting is a myth that's working perfectly for me.
that myth helped me lose forty pounds….
That same myth has helped me intentionally lose and then gain 20-30 pounds...with a surprising degree of accuracy based on years of daily food and weight logs. What a strange coincidence for such an apparently flawed system, huh?
yea, for a jacked up system it sure seems to work well ….0 -
foods are much different today then the 70s. Much more processing, chemicals and such.
That doesn't line up with what others have said in this thread regarding their experience in the 70s.0 -
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She is entitled to her opinion. The 70's were quite different. We didn't have a fast food restaurant on every corner. We didn't have the donut shops with "hot" signs to draw people in. I was a nutrition educator for WIC for several years and a typical 24 hr recall for clients (peri and post-natal clients, and children 5 and under) were breakfast at McDonald's, lunch at Burger King and dinner from KFC, with sweet tea, soda, or Sunny Delite to wash it down. Although we didn't add up calories, we looked at the overall fat and sugar content, and the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables and the lack of whole grains. (Which if corrected would reduce the number of calories greatly!0
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"Personal Trainer of the year 2010".
lol. She couldn't even get an amateur fitness competitor into shape if she tried.0 -
She must not know about bodybuilding0
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I don't think its ridiculous but I do know those who have lost weight, and kept it off and do not calorie count.
So with that being said I'm a firm believer in doing what is best for you.0 -
She is entitled to her opinion. The 70's were quite different. We didn't have a fast food restaurant on every corner. We didn't have the donut shops with "hot" signs to draw people in. I was a nutrition educator for WIC for several years and a typical 24 hr recall for clients (peri and post-natal clients, and children 5 and under) were breakfast at McDonald's, lunch at Burger King and dinner from KFC, with sweet tea, soda, or Sunny Delite to wash it down. Although we didn't add up calories, we looked at the overall fat and sugar content, and the lack of fresh fruits and vegetables and the lack of whole grains. (Which if corrected would reduce the number of calories greatly!
Throughout the 70s and 80s, I lived ~30 miles away from the nearest McD, BK, or KFC. That said, I consumed a ridiculous amount of poptarts, butter and jelly sandwiches, chocolate milk, fruity pebbles, sweet tea, soda, and my mom cooked all kinds of delicious fried foods. My diet today looks slightly different.
I was also remarkably active in the 70s and 80s and didn't have a weight problem despite my diet. Probably just more coincidences.0 -
foods are much different today then the 70s. Much more processing, chemicals and such.
That doesn't line up with what others have said in this thread regarding their experience in the 70s.
The OP's article referred to pre 1970's, and while it’s true that fast food and premade meals were just beginning to really take over the dinner table at that time. Processed foods were in full swing. Bologna and other packaged “lunch meats”, Dinty Moore canned beef stew, La Choy canned Chinese dinners, deviled ham, potted meat, canned hot dog chili, hot dogs, panake mix, Bisquick, Hamburger Helper, breakfast cereals, white bread, white flour, white rice, pasta, … these are just a few of the things I remember having frequently when I was kid.
The Pillsbury Dough Boy dates back to 1965.
Personally, I ate WAY more whole natural foods while I was gaining weight than when I was alive in the 60's and 70's.0 -
"It will wreck your metabolic homeostasis.
Further proof that you really don't need to count calories to maintain a healthy weight is that we are the only species on the planet who counts them."
Umm last time I checked that isn't proof of anything. That's just her opinion, not backed up by any research.0 -
I don't think its ridiculous but I do know those who have lost weight, and kept it off and do not calorie count.
So with that being said I'm a firm believer in doing what is best for you.
And I bet whether they were counting or not a deficit was still being created.0 -
I don't care if you count or not. That is up to you. But, you can't deny that you must be in a caloric deficit. Either by eating a little less, being more active, or a combo of the both. She can shove it!0
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"It will wreck your metabolic homeostasis.
Further proof that you really don't need to count calories to maintain a healthy weight is that we are the only species on the planet who counts them."
Umm last time I checked that isn't proof of anything. That's just her opinion, not backed up by any research.
Exactly. How many other species on the planet can count calories anyway?! I'm done.0 -
I just have to ask the obvious question... Why are you on MFP??0
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"It will wreck your metabolic homeostasis.
Further proof that you really don't need to count calories to maintain a healthy weight is that we are the only species on the planet who counts them."
Umm last time I checked that isn't proof of anything. That's just her opinion, not backed up by any research.
Exactly. How many other species on the planet can count calories anyway?! I'm done.
As far as I know we're the only species on the planet that drives cars. Therefore cars are ridiculous. Hell, let's take it all the way, cars don't even actually exist.0 -
WTH is a horsebox?
I think she rode in on a broken horsebox...0 -
Further proof that you really don't need to count calories to maintain a healthy weight is that we are the only species on the planet who counts them."
This line is funny. Other than a few trained chimps and apes, can any other species count anything. Of course counting calories is not necessary, that doesn't make it ridiculous or unhelpful.0 -
Everyone read the book the Calorie Myth
then we will all be up to speed enough to discuss this with clarity
http://www.amazon.com/The-Calorie-Myth-Exercise-Weight/dp/0062267337
I think my ticker offers concrete evidence that the calorie-counting model of weight loss does work. Why should I read a book that is plainly not consistent with my reality?
you must be living in the fourth dimension…also known as the 'calorie counting works dimension' ….In the other three dimensions calorie counting is a myth….
I think you are right. Perhaps all the drama on MFP is because this website transcends space and time, accessing other realities? Realities where a calorie ISN'T a calorie and tea CANNOT hydrate you because it is colored brown???0 -
Probably people are also forgetting about the Swanson Frozen Dinners which hit the market around the 50s (at least they were shown on 50s TV shows so I assume they were common then). I would bet though if you looked at an original TV dinner and one today the portions would be rather different. Portion explosion to draw in value seekers has been a big part of this. If I can sell you a 40oz soda for $1 and the guy next door is only selling you a 20oz soda for the same price people are drawn toward the value. I am getting 20oz for free!! This has caused a market where bigger portions for the price is what sells. Rather than simply competing on price reductions, sell that 20oz for $.50. The margin is actually higher on the 40oz than on the 20oz in that case due to the real costs of materials, the soda itself is the cheapest part.
Between portions explosion, an ever increasing sedentary lifestyle, and increased added sugars increasing caloric density of food it is no wonder there is an obesity epidemic. But simply moving to whole foods isn't going to change that, people need to learn what a proper portion really looks like. They also need to get out more and move. When I was in elementary school we used to walk 2 miles to school and back each day, now the grocery which is 1 mile from my house I always drive to it.
Our biggest problem today isn't the food we eat it is how much of it we eat. Our lifestyles do not support the caloric intake we have. If you gave a farmer from the 20s the exact same meal that many obese people eat today, they would still be hungry and would be losing weight. You could say that industrialization is the largest factor in the obesity problem.0 -
Probably people are also forgetting about the Swanson Frozen Dinners which hit the market around the 50s (at least they were shown on 50s TV shows so I assume they were common then). I would bet though if you looked at an original TV dinner and one today the portions would be rather different.
This is true. As a child, those meals were never filling - I needed at least two of them. Now I can eat one and be satisfied.0 -
Probably people are also forgetting about the Swanson Frozen Dinners which hit the market around the 50s (at least they were shown on 50s TV shows so I assume they were common then). I would bet though if you looked at an original TV dinner and one today the portions would be rather different.
OMG, yes! I did forget about these,whch is surprising, since Swanson salisbury steaks was one of my favorite foods as a child. And yes, "TV dinners" were common. Dinners designed specifically so you could eat them while sitting in the front of the TV. What a great idea.0 -
Probably people are also forgetting about the Swanson Frozen Dinners which hit the market around the 50s (at least they were shown on 50s TV shows so I assume they were common then). I would bet though if you looked at an original TV dinner and one today the portions would be rather different. Portion explosion to draw in value seekers has been a big part of this. If I can sell you a 40oz soda for $1 and the guy next door is only selling you a 20oz soda for the same price people are drawn toward the value. I am getting 20oz for free!! This has caused a market where bigger portions for the price is what sells. Rather than simply competing on price reductions, sell that 20oz for $.50. The margin is actually higher on the 40oz than on the 20oz in that case due to the real costs of materials, the soda itself is the cheapest part.
Between portions explosion, an ever increasing sedentary lifestyle, and increased added sugars increasing caloric density of food it is no wonder there is an obesity epidemic. But simply moving to whole foods isn't going to change that, people need to learn what a proper portion really looks like. They also need to get out more and move. When I was in elementary school we used to walk 2 miles to school and back each day, now the grocery which is 1 mile from my house I always drive to it.
Our biggest problem today isn't the food we eat it is how much of it we eat. Our lifestyles do not support the caloric intake we have. If you gave a farmer from the 20s the exact same meal that many obese people eat today, they would still be hungry and would be losing weight. You could say that industrialization is the largest factor in the obesity problem.
Good points.
(However, I've watched my carton of ice cream shrink from a half gallon, to 1.75 quarts, to 1.5 quarts. Amazingly, that didn't change how much I ate.)
ETA: And I had completely forgotten about the chinese dinners in a can...La Choy...mmmm...served with those dry crunchy noodles and smothered in soy sauce. I doubt I have eaten a more "processed" meal in my life.
Also, my grandfather drove a truck for Banquet (another frozen meal purveyor) for ~40 years. My family didn't eat many of those when I was a kid though since my father was absolutely sick of eating them by then.0 -
Original Text:
"If you're a regular reader of my emails you'll know that I'm not the biggest fan of calorie counting as a weight loss method. In fact, that's an understatement. It's drives me freakin' mental.
Why?
Because it's the most non commonsensical, ridiculous, scientifically proven-to-be-wrong idea ever and yet virtually the entire world, including a huuuuuuge percentage of 'weight loss professionals' are advocating it as the way to go for a slimmer, healthier body.
ARRRGGHHHHHHHH!
And you know what really makes me mad about the calories in vs. calories out theory?
It actually MAKES PEOPLE FATTER. And more depressed and miserable. And it makes them blame themselves for failing when it's not their fault.
Let's look at the facts. Not even the scientific facts. Just the plain old glaringly obvious ones.
Pre 1970s, no one counted calories.
Pre 1970s, barely anyone even knew what a calorie was.
Then, low and behold, some bright spark set off a myth that if you just eat less than you burn off, you'll lose weight.
Now, short term this may be true in SOME (not all) people. But telling someone who is overweight to eat less and exercise more is like telling someone who is depressed to frown less and smile more. It demonstrates a complete and utter lack of any understanding of the intricate marvel that is the human metabolism, or, in the case of depression, biochemistry.
Every single organism in the world seeks to maintain internal balance (aka, homeostasis). We don't have to think about our blood sugar dropping low or getting too low, it gets regulated automatically. Of course, things can get broken, and in the case of blood sugar, that's what diabetes is. But when things get broken in the body, it's more often than not as a result of what we subject it to. I'll get to this in a sec...
Incidentally, the introduction of the calories in vs calories out counting frenzy coincided with the unprecedented rise in obesity.
So how come all those pre-1970 non-calorie counters went millions of years without getting obese?
They just ate natural food.
You see, it's NOT a case of quantity, and stupid little calories.
It's a case of QUALITY.
Think of it like the time I accidentally put unleaded in my friend's diesel horsebox. £5 of unleaded I put in.
It wrecked the entire engine.
A little bit of **** food in your body has EXACTLY the same effect.
So all those manufacturers creating food substitutes like chocolate bars and crisps and telling you to 'treat yourself' and have it all in moderation... remember it's not about the quantity.. it will have the same damaging effect on your metabolism as unleaded had on that horsebox.
It will wreck your metabolic homeostasis.
Further proof that you really don't need to count calories to maintain a healthy weight is that we are the only species on the planet who counts them.
Have you noticed how animals in the wild rarely get excessively overweight? Even though they're not counting calories? It's only our domesticated pets who get overfed on processed pet food who struggle to stay in shape.
Can you imagine tribes in the middle of Africa whipping out their calculators mid-hunt to ensure the wild boar they're eyeing up won't take them over their daily quota?
It literally drives me bonkers when I hear 'reputable' weight loss organisations encouraging people to off set their highly processed, toxic food substitutes with a jog.
It's a bit like telling someone to offset the 12 *kitten* they just smoked with a bike ride.
It ain't gonna work!!
As you can tell, this really gets my goat. It wouldn't so much if it actually helped, but it does the exact opposite for the vast majority of people and we've been brainwashed with it so intensively for so long now that people have a real hard time giving up the idea.
Calories do count but there is absolutely no need to count them.
If you have fat you want to lose think nutrition and food quality, NOT calories and quantity.
In my experience of working with thousands of people, counting calories merely takes your attention away from your passion and purpose and away from eating the natural foods that were intended for us and help us thrive.
Char"
[/quote
Well said Char! I agree although I am with those monstrously adding and subtracting as though my life depended on it even though I know that if I eat healthy and exercise as I used to do I will have no issues being at a healthy weight....my issue is ....I like to eat S*** food....we are hooked like a fish on the line of a tasty worm...brought on by our gov food and drug administration and their kickbacks from the drug companies making pills to "cure" us of all our issues...when in fact ....if we got back to eating 75% fruit and veggies and WHOLE grains that aren't sprayed with "agent orange" and a 25% lean protein diet....we wouldn't have these issues....we have laid back on our behinds and watched them poison our bodies and our minds until we are literally poisoning ourselves into the grave! The diet foods on the market are not going to help us!!! they are processed evil foods that have Satan in their corner saying eat more eat more ...its ok cuz I am fat free....sugar freee,,,salt freee ...calorie freeee ...lies all lies....thank you for posting and making me think a lil harder today!!0 -
Probably people are also forgetting about the Swanson Frozen Dinners which hit the market around the 50s (at least they were shown on 50s TV shows so I assume they were common then). I would bet though if you looked at an original TV dinner and one today the portions would be rather different. Portion explosion to draw in value seekers has been a big part of this. If I can sell you a 40oz soda for $1 and the guy next door is only selling you a 20oz soda for the same price people are drawn toward the value. I am getting 20oz for free!! This has caused a market where bigger portions for the price is what sells. Rather than simply competing on price reductions, sell that 20oz for $.50. The margin is actually higher on the 40oz than on the 20oz in that case due to the real costs of materials, the soda itself is the cheapest part.
Between portions explosion, an ever increasing sedentary lifestyle, and increased added sugars increasing caloric density of food it is no wonder there is an obesity epidemic. But simply moving to whole foods isn't going to change that, people need to learn what a proper portion really looks like. They also need to get out more and move. When I was in elementary school we used to walk 2 miles to school and back each day, now the grocery which is 1 mile from my house I always drive to it.
Our biggest problem today isn't the food we eat it is how much of it we eat. Our lifestyles do not support the caloric intake we have. If you gave a farmer from the 20s the exact same meal that many obese people eat today, they would still be hungry and would be losing weight. You could say that industrialization is the largest factor in the obesity problem.
Good points.
(However, I've watched my carton of ice cream shrink from a half gallon, to 1.75 quarts, to 1.5 quarts. Amazingly, that didn't change how much I ate.)
ETA: And I had completely forgotten about the chinese dinners in a can...La Choy...mmmm...served with those dry crunchy noodles and smothered in soy sauce. I doubt I have eaten a more "processed" meal in my life.
Also, my grandfather drove a truck for Banquet (another frozen meal purveyor) for ~40 years. My family didn't eat many of those when I was a kid though since my father was absolutely sick of eating them by then.
Crap. Now I'm hungry for La Choy. You need to add an extra package of chicken though...they never put in enough.0 -
Everyone read the book the Calorie Myth
then we will all be up to speed enough to discuss this with clarity
http://www.amazon.com/The-Calorie-Myth-Exercise-Weight/dp/0062267337
I think my ticker offers concrete evidence that the calorie-counting model of weight loss does work. Why should I read a book that is plainly not consistent with my reality?
you must be living in the fourth dimension…also known as the 'calorie counting works dimension' ….In the other three dimensions calorie counting is a myth….
I think you are right. Perhaps all the drama on MFP is because this website transcends space and time, accessing other realities? Realities where a calorie ISN'T a calorie and tea CANNOT hydrate you because it is colored brown???
Mind=blown0 -
Probably people are also forgetting about the Swanson Frozen Dinners which hit the market around the 50s (at least they were shown on 50s TV shows so I assume they were common then). I would bet though if you looked at an original TV dinner and one today the portions would be rather different. Portion explosion to draw in value seekers has been a big part of this. If I can sell you a 40oz soda for $1 and the guy next door is only selling you a 20oz soda for the same price people are drawn toward the value. I am getting 20oz for free!! This has caused a market where bigger portions for the price is what sells. Rather than simply competing on price reductions, sell that 20oz for $.50. The margin is actually higher on the 40oz than on the 20oz in that case due to the real costs of materials, the soda itself is the cheapest part.
Between portions explosion, an ever increasing sedentary lifestyle, and increased added sugars increasing caloric density of food it is no wonder there is an obesity epidemic. But simply moving to whole foods isn't going to change that, people need to learn what a proper portion really looks like. They also need to get out more and move. When I was in elementary school we used to walk 2 miles to school and back each day, now the grocery which is 1 mile from my house I always drive to it.
Our biggest problem today isn't the food we eat it is how much of it we eat. Our lifestyles do not support the caloric intake we have. If you gave a farmer from the 20s the exact same meal that many obese people eat today, they would still be hungry and would be losing weight. You could say that industrialization is the largest factor in the obesity problem.
Good points.
(However, I've watched my carton of ice cream shrink from a half gallon, to 1.75 quarts, to 1.5 quarts. Amazingly, that didn't change how much I ate.)
ETA: And I had completely forgotten about the chinese dinners in a can...La Choy...mmmm...served with those dry crunchy noodles and smothered in soy sauce. I doubt I have eaten a more "processed" meal in my life.
Also, my grandfather drove a truck for Banquet (another frozen meal purveyor) for ~40 years. My family didn't eat many of those when I was a kid though since my father was absolutely sick of eating them by then.
Crap. Now I'm hungry for La Choy. You need to add an extra package of chicken though...they never put in enough.
True story.
I doubt I'd be able to hit my protein macro while eating La Choy. Fortunately back then, I didn't even know what a protein macro was.0 -
Everyone read the book the Calorie Myth
then we will all be up to speed enough to discuss this with clarity
http://www.amazon.com/The-Calorie-Myth-Exercise-Weight/dp/0062267337
I think my ticker offers concrete evidence that the calorie-counting model of weight loss does work. Why should I read a book that is plainly not consistent with my reality?
you must be living in the fourth dimension…also known as the 'calorie counting works dimension' ….In the other three dimensions calorie counting is a myth….
I think you are right. Perhaps all the drama on MFP is because this website transcends space and time, accessing other realities? Realities where a calorie ISN'T a calorie and tea CANNOT hydrate you because it is colored brown???
Is this the same place where fat will magically fall off if the tea is green?0 -
Everyone read the book the Calorie Myth
then we will all be up to speed enough to discuss this with clarity
http://www.amazon.com/The-Calorie-Myth-Exercise-Weight/dp/0062267337
I think my ticker offers concrete evidence that the calorie-counting model of weight loss does work. Why should I read a book that is plainly not consistent with my reality?
you must be living in the fourth dimension…also known as the 'calorie counting works dimension' ….In the other three dimensions calorie counting is a myth….
I think you are right. Perhaps all the drama on MFP is because this website transcends space and time, accessing other realities? Realities where a calorie ISN'T a calorie and tea CANNOT hydrate you because it is colored brown???
Is this the same place where fat will magically fall off if the tea is green?
I think the CIA is staging a cover-up, but it makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?0 -
Everyone read the book the Calorie Myth
then we will all be up to speed enough to discuss this with clarity
http://www.amazon.com/The-Calorie-Myth-Exercise-Weight/dp/0062267337
I think my ticker offers concrete evidence that the calorie-counting model of weight loss does work. Why should I read a book that is plainly not consistent with my reality?
you must be living in the fourth dimension…also known as the 'calorie counting works dimension' ….In the other three dimensions calorie counting is a myth….
I think you are right. Perhaps all the drama on MFP is because this website transcends space and time, accessing other realities? Realities where a calorie ISN'T a calorie and tea CANNOT hydrate you because it is colored brown???
Is this the same place where fat will magically fall off if the tea is green?
I think the CIA is staging a cover-up, but it makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?
The FDA is entirely funded by kickbacks from the green tea producers...
...or something like that.
Anyhow, obesity is entirely the product of governmental intervention and not the consequence of individual responsibility.0 -
Everyone read the book the Calorie Myth
then we will all be up to speed enough to discuss this with clarity
http://www.amazon.com/The-Calorie-Myth-Exercise-Weight/dp/0062267337
I think my ticker offers concrete evidence that the calorie-counting model of weight loss does work. Why should I read a book that is plainly not consistent with my reality?
you must be living in the fourth dimension…also known as the 'calorie counting works dimension' ….In the other three dimensions calorie counting is a myth….
I think you are right. Perhaps all the drama on MFP is because this website transcends space and time, accessing other realities? Realities where a calorie ISN'T a calorie and tea CANNOT hydrate you because it is colored brown???
Is this the same place where fat will magically fall off if the tea is green?
I think the CIA is staging a cover-up, but it makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?
The FDA is entirely funded by kickbacks from the green tea producers...
...or something like that.
Anyhow, obesity is entirely the product of governmental intervention and not the consequence of individual responsibility.
...on Planet Oz.0
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