Five Reasons Why This Dietitian Hates Calorie-Tracking Apps
Replies
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I actually kinda like the "If you ate this way every day you'd weigh this much in 5 weeks". I know it is just a guess and isn't real life, but it is nice when I'm under my goal by a smidge and see for instance a number for 5 weeks from now that is in the 150s instead of the 160s. It's motivational to me and makes me smile.
Exactly! Most I would guess understand it is a "if" prediction. If nothing else it teaches what the right day feels or looks like, should you achieve one.0 -
As someone who gets very obsessive and has suffered from an eating disorder, I not only know where this person is coming from. I have experienced it. It isn't fun to get obsessed while you're tracking, and I'm honestly worried I might end up freaking out over calories. It's the worst, and it can exacerbate an eating disorder. I'm only doing it right because I would like to know what I'm eating, but I'm not sure how long I'll continue it. I don't want to do it the rest of my life, though. That's just... brutal.0
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I track calories after the fact but never count them. I listen to my body and had great results, plus its a pain in the butt if you are traveling all the time.0
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I actually kinda like the "If you ate this way every day you'd weigh this much in 5 weeks". I know it is just a guess and isn't real life, but it is nice when I'm under my goal by a smidge and see for instance a number for 5 weeks from now that is in the 150s instead of the 160s. It's motivational to me and makes me smile.
Thats the worst thing for me, never accurate. lol0 -
MFP is supposed to be used as a GUIDE. Not something to live by. Some people do, and that's okay! Because it gives them a peace of mind knowing that they are seeing at least a GENERAL idea of how much is going in. But, it is right about things absorbing/breaking down differently. That's why you have CHEAT DAYS! lol. And you all should be smart enough to know that fast food/food joints generally don't do that because it's supposed to be a TREAT. Not a lifestyle. You're not meant to go out to eat like that every night or 4 times a month. Some people thing it is, and if you're healthy doing that, then I'm glad and happy for you that you've caught the lucky end of the short stick! For obese people, you can't go out to eat 4 times a month, eat whatever you want, and expect to see a loss. That's why this handy little website/app is here, to guide you into making sensible decisions for food. Before you go out to eat, research your options! I would be perfectly happy having Hamburgers every night for a week with some fries, but I can't expect to see the scale or inches go down if I do. So I choose not to. You can still eat good food and be on the right path. You just gotta play around and see what fits your body and your needs. (I'm not so hardcore as I was when I first started this last year, quit for 6 months after losing 31lbs, and gained half of that back. NOW, I'm not as hardcore on tracking and measuring and the scale isn't moving) So, you do the math and do what works for you!!!0
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oh it was said by a DIETICIAN:huh: - that makes it right ....:huh:
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Dieticians - the leading industry source for criticism and demonizing nutritionists... because they dont pay dues to the Acadamy of Nutrition and Dietetics..
Dieticians hate pretty much anyone elses recc. unless its another RD or RDN.
Not saying there are not bad nutritionists out there, but theres bad dieticians out there too, ones quick to jump on whatever "food fad" is going on now ...
please tell me again how eggs are bad for my cholesterol oh blessed one with initials and a certificate..
(whoops - sorry my bitter was showing)0 -
Five reasons why this calorie-tracking individual hates dietitians:
1. They think that just because their clients are morons, everyone else must be, as well.
2. They think that just because their clients are liars, everyone else must be, as well.
3. They don't understand that sugar from an Oreo is the same as sugar from a banana.
4. They demonize food instead of focusing on the real problem.
5. They play the "obsession" card in a poorly-disguised attempt to discredit people who are actually able to manage their weight successfully with free calorie-tracking apps and without paying for the services of a dietitian.
# of lbs I've lost using a calorie-tracking app: 113
# of years I've kept it off: 3 and counting
# of dietitians whose help I've required: 0
Amount of weight I have lost without the services of a 'dietitian' 66 lbs. Why spend the money when I can do it myself for free with work and dedication. BTW this post is a Winner!0 -
I think all of those things CAN be or become issues, but aren't necessarily issues for everyone. Personally I think about 1/2 a brain takes care of most of those things.
The obsessive behavior is something to watch, particularly if it leads to or brings about a relapse of ED.0 -
Here's the thing, it works for people with half a brain. Staying within your calorie goal is one thing, but you also have to be aware of the things that you're eating. Everyone knows junk food is bad. Eat all junk food and stay within your calorie limit, then you *still know* that you ate terribly that day. The fat content and so on can tell you that. For many people, I think it's helpful because it's a visual. And if you enter as you go, it can help to eliminate over eating. Many people see 100 calorie snacks and say "oh, its only 100 calories" but throughout the day, they'll eat 2-4 of those 100 calorie snacks. Logging that on MFP helps to allow the person visually see that the calories add up.0
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This is the best response I've seen and the results described pretty much mirror my own experience, which is to pretty much say, absolutly nothing in any of this is absolute!0
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Guys, this may sound crazy, but just hear me out here--I think it may be possible that a person whose job depends on people not being able to manage their own health and diets isn't a 100% unbiased source on the usefulness of apps that help people to manage their own health and diets.0
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:bigsmile:Guys, this may sound crazy, but just hear me out here--I think it may be possible that a person whose job depends on people not being able to manage their own health and diets isn't a 100% unbiased source on the usefulness of apps that help people to manage their own health and diets.0 -
Dietitians have many purposes but for many of us, we can learn enough about food that we can use that knowledge to help us lose weight or achieve our goals without a dietitian.
I do feel like a great portion of the population has NO sound knowledge about food and what they put into their bodies. Often a dietitian is the person who will help teach them about it.
More often I get the sense that people just parrot whatever silliness (or sometimes sense) they got from their dietitian and not really bother learning the underlying reasons for it or how to check the accuracy. Also, based on anecdotal evidence and perhaps some bad examples, I get the sense that many dieticians don't like to get into the whys, since that might encourage people to question, and they prefer people just accept their word as truth. I'm, admittedly, a little cynical, in part because my mother got the most confusing, unhelpful advice from her hospital dietitians (not about weight loss, about a condition that required modifications of her diet to lower her consumption of iron).I remember when I was younger and playing soccer. The team hired a dietitian to come speak to us and one of the items I will never forget is "|Iced Tea is just as bad as soda" Most of us here already know this but if you think about it I'm sure there are a TON of people that will order an Iced Tea (i'm talking lipton or Nestea crap) instead of soda thinking they are doing their bodies a favor....
You mean because of sugar? I make iced tea (basically, make a pot of tea and cool it in the refrigerator), and think it's totally healthy. I'm not against added sugar--one teaspoon has only a few calories, after all--but don't add it myself since I don't like sweetened coffee or tea. And this is kind of what I mean, since I can see someone hearing that and not examining the reasons for it or that it matters how much sugar you imbibe overally, not just in one beverage, etc.0 -
this whole thing was enlightening to me b/c I had no idea people used tracking in this way -
I track what I eat \b/c I like to see the impact it has on my running/ race times and some of my health issues
I never viewed a calorie as a calorie and eat primarily veggies and fruit (with occasional nuts, whole grains and peanut butter ) - my junk food would be the occasional popcorn or a luna bar
Is it true that ppl actually do this - eat garbage and figure as long as they are within their goal they are ok? or force themselves to eat something if they are under goal?
I'm sure many people just count calories, but IME tracking actually makes it more likely that I am conscious of macros and micros (as another poster also said), in part because the information is there and tracking that kind of stuff is more interesting and fun for me than just eating less.
Also, remember that when a lot of people start they don't really know anything about how many calories they were eating, how much is in various foods, nutrition, etc. MFP is a great tool to teach about this stuff, but it would be overwhelming if you had to go from nothing to some complicated (or even not all that complicated) diet based on ideas about the proper break down of macros and the total number of various micros right away. Thus, it's great the information is there for when people want it. That it IS complicated is why the dietitian approach is often "just do this!" or "here's a diet plan!" (Also, the whole "eat 6 meals" thing drives me bonkers, as does the don't eat after X or don't eat certain foods after X. You'd think that was all just women's magazine stuff, but I hear people say their dietitian said so, so it must be true.)
I wouldn't assume that what the author claims happens, happens, but certainly when people start eating 900 calories a day I don't think it's a bad thing if tracking helps them see they are eating too little and to consider whether to add more food. For me, tracking prevented me from going overboard with the restrictiveness of my diet, and I don't get obsessive because of tracking, it just makes eating healthy and even lower calorie than I used to more fun, just like apps can make me likely to run or bike more.0 -
Well, the funny thing about calorie counting? It kinda works.
*eyes ticker*0 -
Five reasons this guy doesn't give a @!#$ what that dietitian has to say !
More news at 11.0 -
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My dietitian loves the entire concept of My Fitness Pal. She says it's a great tool for logging food intake but questions the dietary recommendations. She actually set up all of my goals for me.0
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That's weird cause the only way I've been able to lose weight and keep it off is through MFP. The moment I stopped is when I slipped back into my old ways and gained back the weight I lost plus 20lbs :0/
Now I've lost 35lbs and I eat ice cream and brownies too! Who da thunk?!0 -
My school's dietitian openly recommends that people use MFP and has been instrumental in getting a lot of the on-campus dining options' calorie counts in the system. Pretty sure this dietitian doesn't speak for most.0
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I've never been able to make my weight budge until I joined MFP. I only initially made an account to track my calories because I wasn't eating enough. Just "going by what my body wants" has never been effective for me, and has either led to starving myself or binge-eating. And while I have a tendency to obsess about things, and have struggled with bad eating habits and starving myself in the past, I haven't had any of these problems since starting MFP. Dietitians might be fine for some people, but calorie counting properly with this site is the first time I've ever felt in control of my health and weight.0
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ahhh the good ole huffington post, rife with valid factual information
thanks to this article I will now quit tracking calories, never mind the 93 lbs I have lost doing so, and eating however I like....
but the internet has spoken, and it never lies....
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Five reasons why this calorie-tracking individual hates dietitians:
1. They think that just because their clients are morons, everyone else must be, as well.
2. They think that just because their clients are liars, everyone else must be, as well.
3. They don't understand that sugar from an Oreo is the same as sugar from a banana.
4. They demonize food instead of focusing on the real problem.
5. They play the "obsession" card in a poorly-disguised attempt to discredit people who are actually able to manage their weight successfully with free calorie-tracking apps and without paying for the services of a dietitian.
# of lbs I've lost using a calorie-tracking app: 113
# of years I've kept it off: 3 and counting
# of dietitians whose help I've required: 0
No more posts required.
^This.0 -
Dietitians have many purposes but for many of us, we can learn enough about food that we can use that knowledge to help us lose weight or achieve our goals without a dietitian.
I do feel like a great portion of the population has NO sound knowledge about food and what they put into their bodies. Often a dietitian is the person who will help teach them about it.
More often I get the sense that people just parrot whatever silliness (or sometimes sense) they got from their dietitian and not really bother learning the underlying reasons for it or how to check the accuracy. Also, based on anecdotal evidence and perhaps some bad examples, I get the sense that many dieticians don't like to get into the whys, since that might encourage people to question, and they prefer people just accept their word as truth. I'm, admittedly, a little cynical, in part because my mother got the most confusing, unhelpful advice from her hospital dietitians (not about weight loss, about a condition that required modifications of her diet to lower her consumption of iron).I remember when I was younger and playing soccer. The team hired a dietitian to come speak to us and one of the items I will never forget is "|Iced Tea is just as bad as soda" Most of us here already know this but if you think about it I'm sure there are a TON of people that will order an Iced Tea (i'm talking lipton or Nestea crap) instead of soda thinking they are doing their bodies a favor....
You mean because of sugar? I make iced tea (basically, make a pot of tea and cool it in the refrigerator), and think it's totally healthy. I'm not against added sugar--one teaspoon has only a few calories, after all--but don't add it myself since I don't like sweetened coffee or tea. And this is kind of what I mean, since I can see someone hearing that and not examining the reasons for it or that it matters how much sugar you imbibe overally, not just in one beverage, etc.
Yeah, I mean because of sugar. I know that there is a difference between American and Canadian version of Iced Teas. I'm speaking the crap that you can buy powdered at the grocery store and mix with water OR the stuff you can get at your local fast food joint and VOILA you have fountain drink.
Actual brewed tea and cooled in refrigerator is just fine. IMO
I agree I don't think that dietitians always have the best advise. Same can go for chiropractors, physiotherapists the list can go on. These are people that are supposed to know about their industry and you are "trusting" them with the information they are telling you. In their defense, everyone is different. To make something work for someone it has to be so intricate, so detailed and so personalized. These people dont have time for that. They are making their chunk of money from an hour of time with you and although they have a good meaning behind what they do not all the time can they be accurate in every situation. It all comes down to the "I can make more money if I have more clients but spend less time with them" or " I can spend more time on one person and make less money because more time = less clients" If that makes sense!
Edit: to apologize for my horrific grammar. Please forgive my laziness to correct it 0 -
The only one I really agree with is number five. Calorie counting can lead to obsessive, almost eating-disordered behaviors and mentalities for some people (you'll see it if you just spend five minutes on the boards here). "omg I ate a cookie and I'm 70 calories over my goal I've ruined all my hard work I'm such a fat failure!!!!!"
The rest of the list is silly to me. While I agree that you can't eat crap all day every day and expect good results, there's nothing wrong with including some junk in your diet as long as it fits your calorie (and hopefully macro) goals. And with the one about exercise, the author doesn't really seem to understand how MFP works...0 -
Five reasons this guy doesn't give a @!#$ what that dietitian has to say !
More news at 11.
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Five reasons why this calorie-tracking individual hates dietitians:
1. They think that just because their clients are morons, everyone else must be, as well.
2. They think that just because their clients are liars, everyone else must be, as well.
3. They don't understand that sugar from an Oreo is the same as sugar from a banana.
4. They demonize food instead of focusing on the real problem.
5. They play the "obsession" card in a poorly-disguised attempt to discredit people who are actually able to manage their weight successfully with free calorie-tracking apps and without paying for the services of a dietitian.
# of lbs I've lost using a calorie-tracking app: 113
# of years I've kept it off: 3 and counting
# of dietitians whose help I've required: 0
priceless0 -
wow, and here I was thinking that Bananas were healthy and nutritious and oreos weren't... go figure. I will go back to eating the oreos... ROFL, sugar is sugar ... who cares about the antioxidants, phytonutrients and fiber that are naturally in fruit and not in oreos?0
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Five reasons why this calorie-tracking individual hates dietitians:
1. They think that just because their clients are morons, everyone else must be, as well.
2. They think that just because their clients are liars, everyone else must be, as well.
3. They don't understand that sugar from an Oreo is the same as sugar from a banana.
4. They demonize food instead of focusing on the real problem.
5. They play the "obsession" card in a poorly-disguised attempt to discredit people who are actually able to manage their weight successfully with free calorie-tracking apps and without paying for the services of a dietitian.
# of lbs I've lost using a calorie-tracking app: 113
# of years I've kept it off: 3 and counting
# of dietitians whose help I've required: 0
No more posts required.
The thread ended here0 -
Calories from Oreos and calories from chicken breast aren't metabolized the same way after you eat them, and therefore the calories absorbed differ between the two foods (and between all foods). Yes, the tracker does measure other things too, but its primary measurement is calories taken in. Technically, you can eat your 1400 calories a day in total crap, and the calorie tracker doesn't know any better because to it, a calorie is a calorie and it will still congratulate you for being within your calorie range.
So the tracker measures other things but because one might ignore the rest of the data it gives you, lets just dismiss that extra information like it doesn't exist, in order to make a point. :yawn:0
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