Counting calories CAN be pointless

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  • zericaaaaa
    zericaaaaa Posts: 313 Member
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    im actually in the process of learning that i can't outrun my diet some days haha. it depends on what you consider 'bad' though. for me, i personally can't sustain 800+ calorie burns every day to make up for eating burgers and pizza. you eat a 900 calorie cheeseburger and the next thing you know you're hungry again. i was eating 2000+ calories when i'm supposed to be eating around 1400 and trying to burn off the rest. i just ended up feeling like complete crap and i ate back all the calories i was burning. i was doing a little test run to see if i could still eat the foods i used to love and be successful and honestly its not even worth it. i was eating pizza hut and all kinds of fast foods but still logging everything i was doing. so unless you've been dieting for years and know whats in the foods you eat, calorie counting is pretty important. that little boneless chicken wing may seem harmless but its actually 270 calories for two of them stupid things. (at least the garlic parm ones from pizza hut are hahaha.) i believe one of the most common mistakes in weight loss is inaccurately logging food and exercise.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    "You can't compete with what you eat"

    love this
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
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    I never count calories and I've lost all the weight I wanted and made my goal. I'm not wasting my time counting calories. Is that the way people want to spend the one life they have? But I don't run either. That eventually busts your knees. All the baby boomers have had to get new knees. They were runners too. It's also not good for the heart.

    But yes, counting calories is just stupid. Doing it once or twice to see where you're at is fine.

    So out of curiosity, why are you on a calorie counting website?

    The awesome recipes, right?

    Perhaps just for the consistently vast intellectual depth of the forums?
  • yo_andi
    yo_andi Posts: 2,178 Member
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    Congrats on being like, totally like, active and all.
  • jequirity
    jequirity Posts: 37 Member
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    Perhaps just for the consistently vast intellectual depth of the forums?

    I know that is what I am here for.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
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    Your 19 yrs old....

    monica-vid-lil-girl-eye-roll-o.gif

    Pointless.......

    tumblr_mwwsz9s2nj1rziwwco1_500.gif
  • daw0518
    daw0518 Posts: 459 Member
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    No matter how active you are, you can still consume more than you're burning and gain weight. Some [most] people can't just eyeball it or guesstimate. Plus, as others have said, if you're very active it's especially important to know that you're eating properly to fuel your body. So no, I would say calorie counting isn't pointless at all, but whatever floats your boat.

    Personally, if I were as active as you are I would need MFP even more because without the accountability, I'm the kind of person who does a little bit of exercise & then thinks I can eat whatever I want without consequence, which isn't true.
  • SquashedChocolateFrog
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    I think for those who are naturally able to regulate their eating habits, and are able to intuitively decide how much to eat and recognise hunger as opposed to boredom etc. calorie counting isn't really necessary (although it can still be helpful if looking to build muscle or focus on macros and general health). However as this is a calorie counting site that seems to be predominantly aimed at weight loss, I'm guessing that most of us here (unless you're athletic and here for macro counting, muscle building purposes etc.) are the unlucky ones who have through whatever varied reasons formed a different relationship with food that means that we aren't always able to either respond or interpret to our bodies hunger signals or lack of - this is where calorie counting becomes so helpful to us trying to lose - it means that we can start to understand how much we should be giving our bodies, and when to stop.

    As someone (a 19 year old for what it's worth) that has lost weight, only to stop counting calories and mistakenly believe that because I was now skinny, I'd automatically be able to naturally regulate my eating like those who had been skinny forever, and gain it all back, I think I'm probably going to need to count calories, or at the very least monitor them forever, to ensure I can make sure that firstly, I don't continue to overeat and yo-yo all over the scales, and secondly, that when I am ready to stop losing weight and focus solely on my fitness and muscle goals, I'll be able to maximise my results.

    Personally I think that no matter how active I am, or fit I feel and look, I'm always going to want to eat like a fat person and calorie counting is the best way I can think of to moderate that. Obviously though this isn't the case for everyone and I'm sure there are MANY people that have successfully lost weight and maintained without counting a thing - in which case, you may want to give it up, although if I were as active as you - I'd still count to make sure that all the time I was putting into my workouts was really paying off - if I was putting that much effort in, I'd feel cheated if I didn't have the body to show for it!!
  • brennenjones
    brennenjones Posts: 16 Member
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    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.

    I don't know about a "bad diet" (whatever that is), but you most certainly *can* out train/run a "calorie surplus diet" such that it becomes a calorie deficit/neutral diet. A lot of people have been doing that for a very long time with excellent results.

    "Bad" may be a poor choice of word but I think most people get the point. That's why I also gave an example of cutting calories out of diet is easier then exercising and burning the same amount of calories at the gym.
  • Biggirllittledreams
    Biggirllittledreams Posts: 306 Member
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    I honestly think it comes down to the individual. When you grow up in a household overeating/without healthy eating habits, you grow so accustomed to your habits/lifestyle that you start to flat out ignore your hunger cues. If you are one of those individuals (i used to be), you could easily consume 4-6 thousand calories, and not even realize it as being so many.

    If you're somebody who is very aware of their hunger cues and whatnot, calorie counting would be pointless as long as you followed a intuitive plan of eating.

    SO, it all comes down to the person, and their habits/environment/etc.
  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
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    Subjective is subjective. For some people i some situations it's pointless. For other's it's crucial.

    I'm fairly active (active enough to be set at moderately active and then still have my activity tracker tossing calories at me every day) and yet I had 30 pounds to lose.
  • Biggirllittledreams
    Biggirllittledreams Posts: 306 Member
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    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.

    I don't know about a "bad diet" (whatever that is), but you most certainly *can* out train/run a "calorie surplus diet" such that it becomes a calorie deficit/neutral diet. A lot of people have been doing that for a very long time with excellent results.

    "Bad" may be a poor choice of word but I think most people get the point. That's why I also gave an example of cutting calories out of diet is easier then exercising and burning the same amount of calories at the gym.

    Going to the gym (in the long run) would be a more beneficial option here, assuming that you don't just go to the gym for cardio. If you're serious about weight loss, a combination of resistance training AND cardio would make a pretty nice difference in your calories expended, as more muscle mass means more calories being burned.

    If somebody builds a bit of muscle, the calories those muscles burn on a rather consistent basis would be much more significant than the mere calories burned running (again, making an assumption that you aren't talking about running marathons).
  • Birder155
    Birder155 Posts: 223 Member
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    I never count calories and I've lost all the weight I wanted and made my goal. I'm not wasting my time counting calories. Is that the way people want to spend the one life they have? But I don't run either. That eventually busts your knees. All the baby boomers have had to get new knees. They were runners too. It's also not good for the heart.

    But yes, counting calories is just stupid. Doing it once or twice to see where you're at is fine.

    As this is a calorie counting site, may I ask how you're using mfp? Is it for the forums or groups?
    Just curious, not being snarky.
  • Donald_Dozier_50
    Donald_Dozier_50 Posts: 395 Member
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    Counting calories is not a requirement for anyone, feel free not to and those of us that log in our foods daily will not care.
  • sculli123
    sculli123 Posts: 1,221 Member
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    No I think it's one tool in the tool box along with lifting weights, running, and other forms of exercise.
  • caracrawford1
    caracrawford1 Posts: 657 Member
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    No. for my last marathon I not only ran 6 miles a day but a 20 miler every other weekend and on the "off" weekends a 13-15 miler. Gained weight because I assumed I could eat whatever. I Learned my lesson. I'm active andtraining for another one and do not want to gain. So I count cals. But you do you. Let us know what the results are.
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
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    It's only pointless if you are not trying to lose, gain or maintain.
    For some people it's effortless. I hope to get back to that set point eventually :blushing:
  • vjohn04
    vjohn04 Posts: 2,276 Member
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    I love when people come to a calorie counting website to slam counting calories.
  • sculli123
    sculli123 Posts: 1,221 Member
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    I love when people come to a calorie counting website to slam counting calories.
    I love when people tell me "you're in shape you can eat whatever you want and can skip some workouts". Uhhhhh wrong! How do they think I got in shape in the first place?
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    A thread based upon the experiential wisdom of a 19 year old with the expected resulting comments.