To count calories or to not count calories?

Vincisomethng
Vincisomethng Posts: 149 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I always see contradicting tips about this. Some people say to count your calories. You need to be calorie deficit to lose weight and counting calories keeps you on track. Others say to ditch counting calories because it can get stressful and even obsessive- just eat healthy. The thing is there are a lot of people that either went the counting calorie route or the ditching calorie route and either side ended up with success stories. I try to keep my food logs on here, but it's not something I can be really consistent on.
«1

Replies

  • sodakat
    sodakat Posts: 1,126 Member
    Well... MFP is a calorie counting website/app. So I don't think you can get too much help here if you aren't counting calories. Not saying reading posts won't be inspirational and all, but if you aren't following the MFP plan maybe you would do better at another website. Weight Watchers counts "points".

    FWIW, "eating healthy" may not result in weight loss.
  • PJPrimrose
    PJPrimrose Posts: 916 Member
    Eating too many calories in any food group will lead to excess weight and it's problems. So, yes, properly weight and chart your calories.
  • chloematilds
    chloematilds Posts: 111 Member
    if your goal is to lose weight, you def need.to make sure you are creating calorie deficit. if you just want to eat healthier, then your choices.of food matters more
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    You do need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. How you go about creating that deficit and tracking that deficit is up to you.
  • misschoppo
    misschoppo Posts: 463 Member
    You do need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. How you go about creating that deficit and tracking that deficit is up to you.


    ^ this.

    If you cannot log regularly/consistently then I guess that if you weighed yourself regularly and looked at your overall trend you would soon figure out if you are eating in a deficit or not & then you could adjust your diet accordingly but it would be a lot more accurate just to log your food in the first place and track your intake. If logging is really not something you want to do forever, you could always relax your logging once you have been weighing/measuring food for a while and are more confident in assessing portions by eye.
  • fredgiblet
    fredgiblet Posts: 241 Member
    It depends on how well you eat normally. Given free reign I eat a LOT, I like food, I like eating, I like liquid calories that rack up VERY quickly. If you're like that then counting calories is likely the only way you'll stay on track. If you naturally eat small amounts or have a good eye for serving sizes then you may not need to count.

    Personally I also find counting to be kind of fun, trying to fit what I want into the space I have available is a small challenge that I get to succeed at pretty much every day.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • velvet_violence
    velvet_violence Posts: 51
    I have to count but find when I eat better I'm naturally less able to take more calories in. At least at this point..... maybe someday I will be able to eat 10 hard boiled eggs at once. I know how fast I can inhale a 800 cal cheeseburger.
  • oneoddsock
    oneoddsock Posts: 321 Member
    I find that I lose weight better (more consistently, and faster) when I log carefully. I know some people find that they get a bit obsessed with logging, and if you fall into that category then perhaps it's better not to log.

    Different things work for different people, and like with most aspects of trying to manage your weight, you just need to keep trying things (for a decent period of time - maybe trying logging consistently for 4 weeks, then not logging at all for four weeks?) until you find what works for you.
  • Roaringgael
    Roaringgael Posts: 339 Member
    Personally I have to count.
    I have years and years and years of over eating - so I have no idea of what is normal.
    The counting helps me re educate myself,I may have to do it forever I don't really know.

    I have noticed of course that 'good' food is more filling, more nutritious and more satisfying and often not very high in calories.
    'bad' food is often less satisfying, high in calories and can leave me feeling hungry - however I still choose to eat it occasionally within my limits.
    This place keeps me on track. I use it my way.
    Other people do other things.
    I do what works for me.
  • yvie63
    yvie63 Posts: 193 Member
    Counting calories is the only thing that works for me. It makes me focus on everything I eat. and see where my weaknesses lie and where I can make changes by substituting lower calorie and healthier options. There are many weight loss programmes around but in the end you have to put less in your body than you burn up. The concept is easy but it requires effort. It gets easier as you go along and for me it has now become just something I do everyday, like cleaning my teeth.
  • Jclifford253
    Jclifford253 Posts: 18
    I have only been on this website for a little over a week so by no means am I an expert but I will tell you something that made me realize why I wasn't losing weight before I started counting calories. I started eating "healthier" and working out about 6 weeks ago. I wasn't really seeing much weight loss at that point. I was eating fruit, veggies, and lean protein. When I started logging my calories I noticed the 3 apples I was eating every day was almost half my caloric intake for the day. OMG.... I thought I was eating healthy. I have been eating at a calorie deficit for almost 2 weeks now and have seen some tremendous results.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I have only been on this website for a little over a week so by no means am I an expert but I will tell you something that made me realize why I wasn't losing weight before I started counting calories. I started eating "healthier" and working out about 6 weeks ago. I wasn't really seeing much weight loss at that point. I was eating fruit, veggies, and lean protein. When I started logging my calories I noticed the 3 apples I was eating every day was almost my caloric intake for the day. OMG.... I thought I was eating healthy. I have been eating at a calorie deficit for almost 2 weeks now and have seen some tremendous results.

    3 apples... really?

    In my limited experience, people who lose weight without counting calories don't eat much processed foods, cakes, ice creams, pizza, donuts, or candy deliciousness. I guess that's why so many people regain the weight after a while... it's not really sustainable for most people. I'd rather count calories and fit those things in.
  • Jclifford253
    Jclifford253 Posts: 18
    I have edited my post to state "half" my caloric intake, really important missed word. Sorry for the confusion.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
    regardless of what you do, you are going to need a calorie deficit to lose weight. If you find it easier to stay in a calorie deficit while counting calories, then count them; if you do not need to count calories to be in a calorie deficit, then do not count them …however, whatever you do you need a calorie deficit for weight loss.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    ......this is a calorie counting site
  • Charliebarleymo
    Charliebarleymo Posts: 97
    In my experience, if I don't log and count my calories, then I underestimate what I am eating, and therefore eat more than I should to lose weight. Even healthy food does not make you lose weight if you eat too much of it. Logging soon becomes a habit, and is really enlightening when you see what you are really consuming!
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
    regardless of what you do, you are going to need a calorie deficit to lose weight. If you find it easier to stay in a calorie deficit while counting calories, then count them; if you do not need to count calories to be in a calorie deficit, then do not count them …however, whatever you do you need a calorie deficit for weight loss.

    This.....^^^

    If you are having difficulty over eating at the moment I would suggest starting out counting so you know your actual calorie intake.

    If you find it easy to count calories stick with it, if you don't, at least you will have an idea of the amount of food you can eat to be in a deficit and try it for a while without counting.
  • darkangel45422
    darkangel45422 Posts: 234 Member
    It really does depend on you. I know when I first joined MFP I spent a good couple of months trying to diligently log all of my calories, but personally I found it very frustrating (how do you log that cafeteria meal from school, or that meal from a one-of restaurant in a small town that's not in the database and doesn't have nutritional info?) and kind of time consuming (I'd spend a LOT of time on MFP, half on playing with my log and then half on the forums cause I was already on the site). Eventually I just stopped.
    Now, I'm going to try just working on improving my lifestyle through eating healthier, concentrating on smaller portions and paying attention to whether or not I'm really hungry, trying to move more, etc. If I find after a few months that I'm not progressing the way I'm hoping to, I'll likely try logging my calories at least for a week or two to see if there is something there to explain it.

    Others are correct; calorie deficits are going to be important in your weight loss journey as you can overeat on even healthy foods. And counting can help you be aware of how many calories are in your food. But I think if counting's not going to be part of your life forever (because you don't want it to be), then it's important now to learn how to eat healthily in a way that will let you sustain your weight loss without counting. Whether you have to count sometimes or all the time during your weight loss to do so is up to you really, but if you don't want to count forever, I personally suggest finding ways to stay healthy without counting.
  • navygrrl
    navygrrl Posts: 517 Member
    I have tried all sorts of different diets/fads, and the only thing that has worked for me has been counting calories. I don't do well with diets that restrict any sorts of foods, and I normally last maybe 3 weeks doing any of that. I've only been doing this for two months, but it's something I can see myself maintaining for the rest of my life. I really love food, and counting calories allows me to enjoy all the foods, just not at the same portions as before. :)
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
    Calorie deficit is needed for weight loss. Many, many people (including myself) SUCK at estimating calories eaten. I need to weigh my food (in grams preferably) AND search the database for the correct database entry (a lot of entries are mathematically impossible and/or don't provide a weight. I'm not logging one small avocado, I'm logging 90g of avocado. Huge difference).
  • jeffininer
    jeffininer Posts: 204 Member
    I have to count calories because otherwise I'd eat way too much. I have a tendency to graze and not pay attention. Calorie counting keeps me accountable and keeps it in the fore front of my mind. Do I get obsessive? Yes. But that's only because i need to be in order to have success.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    You do need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. How you go about creating that deficit and tracking that deficit is up to you.
    This. I lost my weight without calorie counting. There were no apps when I lost.
  • bridgew24
    bridgew24 Posts: 143 Member
    I did several months of counting, and now I've gone several months without.
    I think counting is great to give you an idea of how many BAD calories are in certain things (this muffin is 400cal what?!!).
    I stepped on the scale for the first time after 2 months (and no gym as I've moved and been lazy as!), I was fearing the worst however I've only gained a kilo and a half.
    What I'm trying to say is counting is good for
    1) letting you know where you're wasting calories
    2) training your body to eat a certain amount of good calories and be satisfied by that

    If anything counting made me obsess too much over food and have more cravings as it was always on my mind.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    ......this is a calorie counting site
    Actually, it's a health and fitness site too.
  • melmckay99
    melmckay99 Posts: 358
    Counting calories on MFP is a great way to learn how to eat to achieve your goals, whatever they may be. For some, counting calories is sustainable and can become a part of their everyday life without affecting other aspects of themselves such as their sanity (for example). Others become obsessive, compulisive and/or anxious (such as myself) when trying to count calories for too long and always trying to be 'perfect' ineveitbly leads to failing. It made me feel insane and I still feel a bit insane from having gone through it. . I haven't logged, measured or weighed one crumb of food for about 2 months now and I can slowly feel myself getting back to 'normal' (whatever that may be!).

    All that to say, it's up to you to figure out what will work best for you. You can read and listen to all the advice you want, but it will be trial and error that will lead you to eventually find he 'right way' for you.
  • Vincisomethng
    Vincisomethng Posts: 149 Member
    Yeah, I never noticed. The reason I use this site is because it seems to be one of the most popular weight loss sites and there are other features on this site. I still know people that didn't count calories but still managed. What I'm asking if using the counting calorie feature is absolutely necessary.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    ......this is a calorie counting site
    Actually, it's a health and fitness site too.

    and a dating site.
  • Vincisomethng
    Vincisomethng Posts: 149 Member
    ......this is a calorie counting site
    Actually, it's a health and fitness site too.

    The reason I use this site is because it seems to be one of the most popular weight loss sites and there are other features on this site. I still know people that didn't count calories but still managed. What I'm asking if using the counting calorie feature is absolutely necessary. Though, through looking at all the replies, I have started logging in my food intake. Consistency is going to be quite a challenge for me, though.

Categories