Counting calories CAN be pointless

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Replies

  • MissMissle
    MissMissle Posts: 293 Member


    You`re 19 years old and active. My suggestion is, print what you said out and laminate it for safe keeping. But also, record you weight and measurements along with it. Then measure weight and compare every 10 years. It will be lots of fun!

    ^This... such a sad hard truth. God I miss eating velveeta every night...
  • MzOnree
    MzOnree Posts: 124 Member
    I saw where you live. I used to live in Uniontown! I miss Ohio.

    You are young and when you get older you will count calories. Give it time and you shall see, lol!
  • jasonmh630
    jasonmh630 Posts: 2,850 Member
    That's an ignorant statement, mam. You're 19 and very active, so you may not have to count calories a lot. Doesn't mean it's pointless. For me, who has a sedentary office job, calorie counting is invaluable.
  • cosmiqrust
    cosmiqrust Posts: 214 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?

    You`re 19 years old and active. My suggestion is, print what you said out and laminate it for safe keeping. But also, record you weight and measurements along with it. Then measure weight and compare every 10 years. It will be lots of fun!
    more like every two years for added fun and neurosis. :sick:
  • paperpudding
    paperpudding Posts: 9,304 Member
    I saw where you live. I used to live in Uniontown! I miss Ohio.

    You are young and when you get older you will count calories. Give it time and you shall see, lol!

    She may, she may not.

    Many people do stay within a healthy weight range without counting calories.
    I am not one of them hence why I count mine - but doesn't mean nobody is.
  • PrissyPisces
    PrissyPisces Posts: 117 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.

    Which is the reason I am also counting calories, because my "judgement" lead me to size 18/20 jeans. I'm also quite lazy, but that's not to be discussed....:huh: :laugh:

    I hope it works out for you, hun. I'm not hating on the way you do things. Some people DO say they exercise a lot to keep the weight off, and it works for them. If you DO happen to overeat a bit and gain, I'm sure you know what to do to get the extra pounds off. I also understand that just because you said you don't want to count calories, doesn't mean you're going to eat a bunch of cake and disregard the nutritional value of your food.

    I KNOW that this wouldn't work for me, though. :laugh: Best of luck to you! :flowerforyou:
  • maria_antoinette
    maria_antoinette Posts: 239 Member
    Definitely not for everyone.. Although I must say.. When trying to lose weight for whatever reason at whatever time in my life. I have noticed that WHEN I ACTUALLY COUNT them, i pick up calories that otherwise might not be counted and therefore reasons why different diets did not work.. Any diet or any lifestyle works when you dont go OVER to much in calories .. you know? Calorie Counting therefore.. for me personally is awesome.. and basically after years i know how much everything has and that has also taught me what each food brings to the table... because i have to look at the nutrients etc.... ESPECIALLY THE EMPTY calories which bring nothing... so just the process of counting calories TEACHES you all about the foods you are eating and portion size etc.. its been 30 years since i weighed like i did in highschool - which was TOOO much to talk about....and i really think that its because i learned things about food by counting calories.. ( do i do it all the time.. NO WAY.. to much work ).. did it teach me.. ( OMG YES )!!! to me its about RESEARCH and just knowing what you are putting in your body and learning...
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    That's like saying a hammer is completely pointless in your tool box when you really need a screwdriver.

    No- it doesn't make the hammer pointless- it just means it's not the right tool at that time for you.

    Lack of need for something does not mean it is a useless item.
  • baba_helly
    baba_helly Posts: 810 Member


    You`re 19 years old and active. My suggestion is, print what you said out and laminate it for safe keeping. But also, record you weight and measurements along with it. Then measure weight and compare every 10 years. It will be lots of fun!

    ^This... such a sad hard truth. God I miss eating velveeta every night...

    Off topic and random but I just wanted to say your horse is stunning!! :flowerforyou:
  • Thinnest_1
    Thinnest_1 Posts: 5
    Well the people who dont understand why they arnt losing weight tend to be the same people who are dont coumt calories

    A coincidence?

    I think not
  • muggzie399
    muggzie399 Posts: 116 Member
    Do you know how many people there are out here who are MORE active than you?
  • kdeaux1959
    kdeaux1959 Posts: 2,675 Member
    Calorie counting is a tool. I have many tools in my toolbox. If I'm driving a nail, I reach for a hammer but leave my screwdriver in the toolbox. Is it because the screwdriver is a bad tool? No. It is because I don't need it right then. On the other hand, the time will come when I do need that screwdriver. When I need it, I'll use it.

    If you can accomplish your goals without counting calories, don't count them. If you find yourself losing control of your waistline, just know that tool is in the toolbox and this is a great place to learn how to use it wisely.
  • blue696
    blue696 Posts: 94 Member
    Nope! I work out as much as you do and still gained weight because I wasn't counting or eating right. I dont think its important to be 100% accurate if you are maintaining, but it is important to have an idea so you don't gain weight
  • blue696
    blue696 Posts: 94 Member
    I also forgot to add I am 20 years old and not much older than you so this stuff can happen at an early age
  • gods_andmonsters
    gods_andmonsters Posts: 2
    I think calorie counting can be a good place to start, but after years of doing it I sometimes wish I could go back to what it was like to *not* know the calorie content of everything I eat.

    I still don't know how to eat like a normal person! I mean, I know how to plan out and eat a well balanced diet for a day, but just naturally eating right when I'm hungry, indulging occasionally but not too often or too little, I still can't do it.
  • DebTavares
    DebTavares Posts: 170 Member
    Well the people who dont understand why they arnt losing weight tend to be the same people who are dont coumt calories

    A coincidence?

    I think not

    No. People who count calories don't always lose weight either, often because of underestimating calories in or overestimating calories out. You have to eat less than you burn, that's it. There are a number of ways of achieving this, with calorie counting being one of those valuable tools.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    At 19 I lost 30 pounds not counting calories. It was easy. Then I gained it all back and more in 6 months.
  • musicjunkie67
    musicjunkie67 Posts: 3
    Have been counting my calories since I started my diet 1st July - allowing 1800-2000 calories per day. So far have lost 10lbs with which I am very pleased. Counting calories has really helped me achieve this, lots further to go yet but it's a good start.
  • EmmaEVille13
    EmmaEVille13 Posts: 69 Member
    You can't out lift or outrun a bad diet. I stopped counting calories and gained a lot of my weight back.

    ^^^^

    This !
  • Aikigoth
    Aikigoth Posts: 40 Member
    Short answer: No, it is not pointless. And before you decided to go to paleo, vegetarian, vegan and low-glyemic sites and ask them the same question- no, their diet choices aren't pointless either.

    Long answer: Humanity has survived on everything from seal meat & blubber to nearly animal-free diets. And we do well. We have top athletes that are vegan, paleo, calorie counters and whatever else you want to pick on. Those diets work for those people- they make them happy. But, oddly it is common for people under 30 (hey, that includes me too) to tote that there is only 'one way'.

    Calorie counting is a great tool. Most people don't eat a 100% homemade diet. One box of yogurt at the store can have X2 the sugar than another and you might not know. For people looking to lose, gain or maintain weight it can be a helpful tool. True, if you aren't trying to lose weight you might not weight all your vegetables or measure out each tbsp of oil- you might just eyeball it.

    There is no one 'best diet' or 'best exercise'. There is also no one best martial carrot, chocolate chip cookie recipe or car brand. Yes, some are better than others....but if you want nuts in your cookies then great, have at it. Just don't try to tell me mine are horrible or pointless.
  • sjaplo
    sjaplo Posts: 974 Member
    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.

    There is soooo much ignorance in this post.
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,067 Member
    Calorie counting is a tool. I have many tools in my toolbox. If I'm driving a nail, I reach for a hammer but leave my screwdriver in the toolbox. Is it because the screwdriver is a bad tool? No. It is because I don't need it right then. On the other hand, the time will come when I do need that screwdriver. When I need it, I'll use it.

    If you can accomplish your goals without counting calories, don't count them. If you find yourself losing control of your waistline, just know that tool is in the toolbox and this is a great place to learn how to use it wisely.
    maybe calorie counting thinks you're a tool. ever think of that?

    eta; in all srsness this guy nailed it

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