Do I HAVE to count calories?

lw0123
lw0123 Posts: 9
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm just beginning to try to lose weight, and I think that counting calories might just be more effort/more destructive or discouraging...thoughts?
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Replies

  • steve0820
    steve0820 Posts: 510 Member
    I'm just beginning to try to lose weight, and I think that counting calories might just be more effort/more destructive or discouraging...thoughts?

    Unless you have a real grasped on how YOUR body works with food and or exercises, then yes you will probably have to count cals to maximize your weight loss. Is it necessary, no, not at all, I've never counted anything in my life up until a couple months ago, just because I wanted to make a real go at a "bulk".

    The one things about counting calories, is that you can let it consume you, just like the weight on the scale.
  • Stefgoju
    Stefgoju Posts: 43 Member
    A good ground rule is to count them for 21 days in my opinion. That's how long it takes to form it into a habit. If by then you still find it too much of a chore (and it sometimes is) then you can drop it, the good thing is that after 21 days it becomes automatic or you got a better grasp at what you are eating.

    Another way I think helped is to track every new thing incorporated in your diet, by doing so you are more aware of what macro's and kcals you are getting in your body.
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
    do you have to? NO, is it effective? YES. I say give it a try for 30 days, log everything and weigh and measure all portions. You will lose weight if you follow what MFP says. If after 30 days you still feel it is not worth it, then go back to whatever you were doing before. I have been counting calories for over 2 years and it is just something you do after awhile. You will not even think about it. before I eat i grab my phone and log. Good luck to you.
  • aqualeo1
    aqualeo1 Posts: 331 Member
    It's more effort but well worth it. What's discouraging is going for weeks thinking you are eating healthy and not seeing any weight loss because you are unaware of what you are actually consuming.
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    You don't HAVE to do anything. I count calories because it works and it takes the mystery out of weight loss and maintenance. Once it becomes habit it's easy. Try MFP for awhile and see how it works. It's kind of like a game for me, personally. I enjoy it. Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • MamaRiss
    MamaRiss Posts: 481 Member
    For me it was easier to start by cutting one item. For me it was soda, I had been up to a liter of Coke every day, so that one change has helped a lot. A couple weeks later I started weighing and logging everything. Preplanning my foods for the day, as well as preplanning a workout has been a great way to keep me on track. I'm not perfect yet, I tend to not get enough protien, and too much sugar, but it's working, and I am seeing results much faster than I anticipated. I have a move coming up in a month, and after that I'm going to start focusing on getting my Macros in line. Stay in your comfort zone for a couple weeks, then start stepping it up as you start feeling more confident with the lifestyle changes you make
  • lw0123
    lw0123 Posts: 9
    Thanks for the advice! I was more worried about it becoming too consuming, as I am young and have watched a few friends struggle with eating disorders.
  • NOMORECARS
    NOMORECARS Posts: 156
    I'm just beginning to try to lose weight, and I think that counting calories might just be more effort/more destructive or discouraging...thoughts?

    You DO NOT NEED TO COUNT CALORIES. Eat as much as you can possibly stuff into yourself, just be sure that everything you eat is FOOD. You will be healthy beyond belief in several months. p.s. Doritos and Pepsi is not food. Stay out of bakeries, bakeries do not sell food. Candy stores do not sell food. 90% of your local supermarket shelves are filled with substances which are not food. People can never become obese by eating food.
  • lw0123
    lw0123 Posts: 9
    that's great advice - thanks!
  • Railr0aderTony
    Railr0aderTony Posts: 6,803 Member
    I'm just beginning to try to lose weight, and I think that counting calories might just be more effort/more destructive or discouraging...thoughts?

    You DO NOT NEED TO COUNT CALORIES. Eat as much as you can possibly stuff into yourself, just be sure that everything you eat is FOOD. You will be healthy beyond belief in several months. p.s. Doritos and Pepsi is not food. Stay out of bakeries, bakeries do not sell food. Candy stores do not sell food. 90% of your local supermarket shelves are filled with substances which are not food. People can never become obese by eating food.

    ^^^^ this is so wrong, Doritos are food, bread is food and you can get just as fat on Organic, grass fed, hand massaged while singing heal the word beef as you can McDonalds.

    my-reaction-after-getting-no-sleep-on-sunday-working-a-hour-night-shift-in-a-warehouse-then-hear-job-33395.gif
  • aqualeo1
    aqualeo1 Posts: 331 Member
    I'm just beginning to try to lose weight, and I think that counting calories might just be more effort/more destructive or discouraging...thoughts?

    You DO NOT NEED TO COUNT CALORIES. Eat as much as you can possibly stuff into yourself, just be sure that everything you eat is FOOD. You will be healthy beyond belief in several months. p.s. Doritos and Pepsi is not food. Stay out of bakeries, bakeries do not sell food. Candy stores do not sell food. 90% of your local supermarket shelves are filled with substances which are not food. People can never become obese by eating food.

    Just no
  • lw0123
    lw0123 Posts: 9
    I just took his advice as cutting out all junk food and eating healthy portions of healthy food :)
  • steve0820
    steve0820 Posts: 510 Member
    I just took his advice as cutting out all junk food and eating healthy portions of healthy food :)

    Yeah I hope that's what he meant. Because a surplus of the healthiest food in the world, will still make your gain weight if you're "in" a surplus, no matter the food.
  • Lettee4
    Lettee4 Posts: 81 Member
    i didnt count calories for the first 9 months of my lifestyle change and i lost heaps of weight, but then it came to a point where i needed to start counting calories. just do whatever works best for you.
  • aqualeo1
    aqualeo1 Posts: 331 Member
    I just took his advice as cutting out all junk food and eating healthy portions of healthy food :)

    That's because you have some sense. You don't need to cut out all "junk" entirely though. That's why counting calories is helpful because you can see where you can fit in a treat and don't have to feel guilty.
  • mxmkenney
    mxmkenney Posts: 486 Member
    I'm just beginning to try to lose weight, and I think that counting calories might just be more effort/more destructive or discouraging...thoughts?

    You DO NOT NEED TO COUNT CALORIES. Eat as much as you can possibly stuff into yourself, just be sure that everything you eat is FOOD. You will be healthy beyond belief in several months. p.s. Doritos and Pepsi is not food. Stay out of bakeries, bakeries do not sell food. Candy stores do not sell food. 90% of your local supermarket shelves are filled with substances which are not food. People can never become obese by eating food.

    Seriously? No, this is WRONG. YES, you should be eating REAL food, but not "as much as you can possibly stuff into yourself". It is absurd to think you will not gain weight by eating unlimited amounts of anything. It is STILL calories in verses calories out!
  • JessiBelleW
    JessiBelleW Posts: 836 Member
    No you don't have to count calories. However this website is aimed at those who are counting calories and will not be such an effective /useful tool if you are using another weight loss method.

    I think that healthy portions of healthy food is what he meant too, but you will have to take a close look at how you do it:

    I consider nuts, avocado, butter, olive oil, cream, potatoes, brown rice, oats, beef, pancakes, yogurt and chicken to be healthy foods. However it would be easy to eat more calories than I burn eating these foods. So I think if you go with Billbrytan's method you will need to figure out portions for each food. Ie high calorie foods eat 1/4 cup only = a handful, low calorie foods eat as much as you like.
  • Snow3y
    Snow3y Posts: 1,412 Member
    Count macros, not calories :) Yes, it's even more work than counting mere calories, but the results are worth it :) There's no lying to your body, if you eat crap you'll look crap. If you're lazy to work for it, you'll never get it.
  • eileen0515
    eileen0515 Posts: 408 Member
    Well I am a huge cheerleader for counting calories. Seventy pounds down, yeah I'm a fan!
  • lw0123
    lw0123 Posts: 9
    I don't know what counting macros is haha?
  • Snow3y
    Snow3y Posts: 1,412 Member
    I don't know what counting macros is haha?

    Macros = Protein, carbs and fats.. These each add up to calories :) If you want to read more detail about it, go through to www.iifym.com or www.macrofit.com :)
  • Snow3y
    Snow3y Posts: 1,412 Member
    I'm just beginning to try to lose weight, and I think that counting calories might just be more effort/more destructive or discouraging...thoughts?

    You DO NOT NEED TO COUNT CALORIES. Eat as much as you can possibly stuff into yourself, just be sure that everything you eat is FOOD. You will be healthy beyond belief in several months. p.s. Doritos and Pepsi is not food. Stay out of bakeries, bakeries do not sell food. Candy stores do not sell food. 90% of your local supermarket shelves are filled with substances which are not food. People can never become obese by eating food.

    You sir, are reversing on a steep hill.... :/
  • Taterpoof
    Taterpoof Posts: 416 Member
    I counted for a few months and formed a habit like the other guy said so I stopped. Some people do great counting calories, but others like myself get tired of it and it just becomes another chore in life. You will probably get better and faster results if you count, but I don't really care how fast I lose fat so I'm happy not counting. =)
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    I'm just beginning to try to lose weight, and I think that counting calories might just be more effort/more destructive or discouraging...thoughts?

    You DO NOT NEED TO COUNT CALORIES. Eat as much as you can possibly stuff into yourself, just be sure that everything you eat is FOOD. You will be healthy beyond belief in several months. p.s. Doritos and Pepsi is not food. Stay out of bakeries, bakeries do not sell food. Candy stores do not sell food. 90% of your local supermarket shelves are filled with substances which are not food. People can never become obese by eating food.

    ^ Profile says this "expert" just joined. Please ignore this nonsense, OP. I guess it would work if you were morbidly obese and had been consuming nothing but crap all your life. Then, any healthy changes you make will work for awhile. I, myself, have always eaten "healthy food" and avoided the junk described above. It didn't stop me from gaining weight. Too many calories of anything will cause you to gain. Eating as much "healthy food" as I could possibly stuff into my face would cause be to balloon out.

    P.S. You can have junk, as long as it's within your calorie limit. It just might not be the best thing nutritionally for you.
  • lw0123
    lw0123 Posts: 9
    I actually have been consuming a lot of junk lately haha...so I'm hoping to fix that. But I understand it's important to understand how much food you're eating, even if it's healthy.
  • eldamiano
    eldamiano Posts: 2,667 Member
    I'm just beginning to try to lose weight, and I think that counting calories might just be more effort/more destructive or discouraging...thoughts?

    Takes 5 minutes (if that per day)....
  • Skoster1
    Skoster1 Posts: 134 Member
    I lost virtually all my weight so far without counting, but I think the benefits are multiple:

    1. Develop real control over your eating
    2. Learn what works to keep you full without over eating
    3. Experiment with different macro ratios to learn how they impact you
    4. Maximize your dieting potential instead of wasting time and energy
    5. Learn about new foods you love because they fit your macro profile
    6. Prepare yourself for those last vanity pounds when the margin for error is narrower
    7. Impress your friends and co-workers by being able to eat stuff they wouldn't expect while still losing weight
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Count macros, not calories :) Yes, it's even more work than counting mere calories, but the results are worth it :) There's no lying to your body, if you eat crap you'll look crap. If you're lazy to work for it, you'll never get it.

    macros are for health...

    calorie deficet is for weight...

    My macros are set at 45/30/25...based on percentages...and if I ate that split on a 3000 calorie diet I would gain weight...
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I'm just beginning to try to lose weight, and I think that counting calories might just be more effort/more destructive or discouraging...thoughts?

    how can something that helps you lose weight/be healthier be "destructive"
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    I'm just beginning to try to lose weight, and I think that counting calories might just be more effort/more destructive or discouraging...thoughts?

    You DO NOT NEED TO COUNT CALORIES. Eat as much as you can possibly stuff into yourself, just be sure that everything you eat is FOOD. You will be healthy beyond belief in several months. p.s. Doritos and Pepsi is not food. Stay out of bakeries, bakeries do not sell food. Candy stores do not sell food. 90% of your local supermarket shelves are filled with substances which are not food. People can never become obese by eating food.

    wait, if I eat 1000 calories a day over maintenance on these magical "good" foods then I will not gain weight, really? What are some of these magical foods?

    OP please disregard this advice..

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