Counting calories CAN be pointless

AusteenaHayes
AusteenaHayes Posts: 91
in Food and Nutrition
Okay so this is my honest belief here. Counting calories should be used to guide people into a healthier lifestyle but it shouldn't be the ONLY way.

Like I run and workouts six, seven times a week. I typically run a good six or seven miles and do plenty of strength training. Anyone feel at time that counting calories is pointless, especially when you're as or almost as active as me?
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Replies

  • sodakat
    sodakat Posts: 1,126 Member
    No... it's not pointless if you want to lose weight, and that is my honest belief.
  • joepage612
    joepage612 Posts: 179 Member
    thats like saying balancing your checkbook is pointless. I guess it is if you have unlimted money.
  • Walter__
    Walter__ Posts: 518 Member
    No.

    Weight loss isn't the only goal.

    If I was as active as you but my goal was to maintain or gain weight, I would still track my calories to make sure I'm not undereating.
  • _Zardoz_
    _Zardoz_ Posts: 3,987 Member
    This won't end well
  • WillLift4Tats
    WillLift4Tats Posts: 1,699 Member
    No, it's not the ONLY way. But it does seem strange to start a thread about it on a calorie-counting website. :ohwell:
  • CogentLinkie
    CogentLinkie Posts: 26 Member
    You can't out lift or outrun a bad diet. I stopped counting calories and gained a lot of my weight back.
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    You should stick with it. If you hit your goals, cool. If not, cool.

    Good luck though, having a mission but no analyzable data isn't a good idea for long term success. :)
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    If you can get the results that you want without calorie counting then I think that's great. But it doesn't make calorie counting "pointless" for those of us who choose to/need to do it.
  • cardbucfan
    cardbucfan Posts: 10,571 Member
    I ended up on MFP because I thought like you. I worked out A LOT. Spin classes several times a week, lifting several times a week, other classes. People would say to me "you should be SO skinny (GRRR) as much as you work out!". Yeah, unfortunately, I LOVE to eat. And I would eat a lot of food. And guess what?! I gained weight! Started counting calories and discovered just how much I was eating and started making changes. Then I thought I knew what I was doing and when life got in the way I stopped really logging and BAM hello 15 lbs. that I thought were gone forever. So for me, counting calories IS the point.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    IMO, at a high level of activity, calorie counting can be even MORE important. For me, I want to make sure my body is fueled properly for my running and strength training, but also maintain a modest calorie deficit. If I didn't count calories, I run the risk of too few calories, leading to malnutrition and fatigue. Or, I could be eating too many, and I'm stalling my weight loss.

    So, I track my calories burned and make sure I eat those back. I can't ensure I'm doing this properly without counting.
  • tameko2
    tameko2 Posts: 31,634 Member
    You can't out lift or outrun a bad diet. I stopped counting calories and gained a lot of my weight back.

    I *hate* this saying. "A bad diet" is so subjective - you can absolutely out-lift/out-run what SOME people would call a bad diet, but you probably can't out-lift/out-run a 6000 calorie/day diet. Even if it was entirely food that people would consider good.

    I know that's what you were trying to say - I just hate that phrasing.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    Not every tool is right for every person at all times. Use the tools that are right for you where you are right now. If you don't need to count calories to reach your goals, then don't.

    However, this doesn't change the fact that any increase or decrease in your weight is the result of either a calorie surplus or deficit, respectively. This is true whether or not you track.
  • SheGlows
    SheGlows Posts: 520 Member
    Well, I managed to gain even more weight while CrossFitting 2x per day, 6 days per week. I don't do CrossFit anymore, regular weightlifting and some cardio instead, started counting calories, and have lost almost 20 lbs. So, for me anyways, counting calories is pretty darn important
  • ChrisM8971
    ChrisM8971 Posts: 1,067 Member
    Okay so this is my honest belief here. Counting calories should be used to guide people into a healthier lifestyle but it shouldn't be the ONLY way.

    Like I run and workouts six, seven times a week. I typically run a good six or seven miles and do plenty of strength training. Anyone feel at time that counting calories is pointless, especially when you're as or almost as active as me?

    Counting calories isnt the only way to lose weight otherwise nobody would ever have lost weight using any other method, however being very active isn't a reason not to count calories in my view because you can still gain weight

    Even more important if you are very active is counting the calories and watching macro's to ensure that you aren't creating to large a deficit and are getting sufficient protein to give you the best chance of preserving as much muscle as possible otherwise it could possible lead to problems in the future
  • dsalveson
    dsalveson Posts: 306 Member
    If you can reach your goals without counting calories then more power to you, but for most people simply leading an active life won't give you a free pass on calorie counting. Accurate calorie tracking is the most efficient way IMO
  • DebTavares
    DebTavares Posts: 170 Member
    Calorie counting is a valuable tool, is not pointless, and you don't need to do it to get results.
  • Barbellarella_
    Barbellarella_ Posts: 454 Member
    Not every tool is right for every person at all times. Use the tools that are right for you where you are right now. If you don't need to count calories to reach your goals, then don't.

    However, this doesn't change the fact that any increase or decrease in your weight is the result of either a calorie surplus or deficit, respectively. This is true whether or not you track.
    word.
  • delicious_cocktail
    delicious_cocktail Posts: 5,797 Member
    Counting calories was pointless until I got into my mid-twenties.

    At 19, your personal experience and anecdotal observations may not supply you a fair representative sample.

    But counting calories is not the only way. There are a thousand others.
  • skullshank
    skullshank Posts: 4,323 Member
    Anyone feel at time that counting calories is pointless, especially when you're as or almost as active as me?

    nope.

    im interested in my macros as well, and counting calories and all the nutritional value of everything i consume helps me reach them.

    hope you're getting enough to fuel your level of activity and not wither away to nothing.

    eta: ah....just saw that you're 19. give it another 10 years and see how you feel.
  • SunofaBeach14
    SunofaBeach14 Posts: 4,899 Member
    Ok. Of course, it's not always the right tool. It's a handy one though.
  • tfoxsail
    tfoxsail Posts: 16
    IMO, at a high level of activity, calorie counting can be even MORE important. For me, I want to make sure my body is fueled properly for my running and strength training, but also maintain a modest calorie deficit. If I didn't count calories, I run the risk of too few calories, leading to malnutrition and fatigue. Or, I could be eating too many, and I'm stalling my weight loss.

    So, I track my calories burned and make sure I eat those back. I can't ensure I'm doing this properly without counting.

    ^ This ^
  • Mr_Bad_Example
    Mr_Bad_Example Posts: 2,403 Member
    Okay so this is my honest belief here. Counting calories should be used to guide people into a healthier lifestyle but it shouldn't be the ONLY way.

    Like I run and workouts six, seven times a week. I typically run a good six or seven miles and do plenty of strength training. Anyone feel at time that counting calories is pointless, especially when you're as or almost as active as me?

    No. But then, you are The Most Active Woman In The World, so your experience may be different than most.

    ntkxz.jpg
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    OP, I agree with you. I don't think that it is pointless for everyone, but I definitely feel it's mostly pointless for me at this point. I'm so active that it really doesn't matter what I eat (using the knowledge of what I learned while losing weight).
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
    You can't out lift or outrun a bad diet. I stopped counting calories and gained a lot of my weight back.

    I *hate* this saying. "A bad diet" is so subjective - you can absolutely out-lift/out-run what SOME people would call a bad diet, but you probably can't out-lift/out-run a 6000 calorie/day diet. Even if it was entirely food that people would consider good.

    I know that's what you were trying to say - I just hate that phrasing.


    Agreed. I have a pretty 'bad' diet. but it's oh, so good.
  • royaldrea
    royaldrea Posts: 259 Member
    It's pointless if you consistently eat at a deficit or maintenance without thinking a lot about what you're eating, which is the case for many persons (pointless meaning unnecessary because you're already doing what you need to do in order to reach or maintain your goal size). If you have trouble eating at a deficit or at maintenance, then it's not pointless at all and is quite helpful, regardless of how active you are.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Exercise makes me hungry and makes me think it's okay to eat ALL the food and drink ALL the beer. I could totally be "very active" and still gain if I didn't count.
  • dedflwrs
    dedflwrs Posts: 251 Member
    "You can't compete with what you eat"
  • WillLift4Tats
    WillLift4Tats Posts: 1,699 Member
    Exercise makes me hungry and makes me think it's okay to eat ALL the food and drink ALL the beer. I could totally be "very active" and still gain if I didn't count.

    Definitely this. My appetite knows no bounds.
  • brennenjones
    brennenjones Posts: 16 Member
    Definitely not pointless. I've lost over 50 pounds counting calories and I also work out 6-7 days a week and am pretty active.

    Like others have said, you can't outrun a bad diet no matter how active you are.

    What's easier to do, to cut out 300 calories from a meal or to burn 300 calories at the gym?

    And that's the answer to your question basically although I understand what you're trying to say.
  • tycho_mx
    tycho_mx Posts: 426 Member
    Nope, not pointless if you're not getting the results you want "unmonitored".

    I am a fairly healthy individual -no chronic health issues. One or two colds/year. No GI diseases. No depression, etc. Only ongoing limiter in diet is lactose intolerance (blame bad genes :) ).

    And I am still struggling to lose about 5 lb to reach what I think is my "optimal" body composition for competing. I ride and race a bicycle 15-20 h / week. I clearly need to be more diligent with my dietary efforts - not just tracking, but eliminating the mindless eating. I am guilty of that too often, eating lots of suboptimal foods after a hard ride.

    At least tracking honestly provides a log of what I am doing and where I can improve. Simply tracking doesn't solve anything. Conversely, if you're happy with where you are, why go over the hassle of logging anything? It's just a tool. You don't buy a hammer if you don't need to push some nails in.

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