Why you SHOULDN'T count calories

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What's wrong with you people?! Read a health book, please! I'm randomly jumping in here to stop the slaughter of the person who mentioned that diet soda is bad. My explanation will come from memory of books I have read that have, yes, cited their sources. Why is a cup of regular coke better than diet coke? It's better because it does not contain harmful sugar substitutes that is in it's zero calorie counterpart. Example of a harmful sugar substitute, you ask? Sure! ASPARTAME.

Aspartame is bad for you and don't listen to anyone who tells you otherwise and hell yes, it is bad for you in any quantity. I don't even chew the bull sugar-free gum anymore and guess what?! Less gas, bloating, brain fog, diarrhea and all gone by eliminating gum with sorbitol and aspartame. How much you drink or chew will just slow down or speed up the "harmful" process. Aspartame,

One of my favorite books is the Truth About Beauty by Kat James. She cites all of her sources in that book (which include case studies not articles written by people with no credibility). It's a great read and you are free to purchase on amazon, if you like. There are also a ton of other books out there.

Aside from that, put down the diet soda for some time and stop chewing sugar free gum and watch the magic. It's all about how YOUR body responds to things. Again, I dropped the gum containing sorbitol and aspartame and I have not had the scary brain fog symptoms, gas, bloating and diarrhea. Try it and see.

There's a hugely popular book called "The Wheat Belly Diet." It cites tons of sources that claim that wheat (and other sources of gluten) is bad for you, toxic even.
When I eat gluten, I have an awful reaction. I gain ten pounds of bloat overnight, I get sores in my mouth and on my skin, I get headaches and gas and my already severe pain gets worse and my joints throb and I get awful heartburn and my crap smells worse than bad - toxic, even.
Obviously, I feel better when I don't eat it.
My husband, on the other hand, has none of those symptoms. Most people I know don't.
There are also a crap ton of studies and longstanding scientific evidence that show that a diet rich in whole grains (Gasp! Wheat!) lowers cholesterol, aids digestion, and has a myriad of other health benefits.
In other words, just because someone who wanted to get people to stop eating gluten found some research that they molded to suit their own opinions, and just because *I* feel better when I avoid it, doesn't mean that it's actually toxic. There is significantly more evidence (and significantly more people) that show that gluten is safe for the general population.
Aspartame, sucralose, whatever is the same. If you get sick from consuming it, don't do it. There are many more people who don't get sick from it, and there is more evidence that says it's generally safe than evidence to the contrary.

Stop with your logic, you bully!

It's a habit. Someone should probably smack me upside the head with a bottle of Coke Zero. Yum.

Hey I eat 1 ounce of 85% or higher Dark Chocolate everyday !!!!
You do have to know your calories in versus out ...
However not all calories are equal and metabolize differently the best way is having a proper balance to have the quick fuel for energy to get that metabolism burning and fuel activity, but not so much that the logs( fat) do not burn ..... If you keep pouring alcohol on the log while on fire the log will never burn.... You need to not only push past the point where your body is taking energy from converting stored fat, but also that it is tapping a little into the calories/energy from proteins ( the 10% used for longer more taxing workout situations) do this through strength training and your body's metabolism/fire will remain stoked while you sleep and the calories from protein are used as they are broke down and absorbed in the muscle healing process...
the very process of converting macro nutrients into fuel takes energy and it takes much more to convert complex carbohydrates than it does simple... SO by the very nature of what you eat your body is using more or less energy before you even step on the treadmill or lift a weight.... As most said when you eat healthy and add exercise you are most likely going to end up in a deficit anyway... but much harder to do consuming all junk....

Find your proper balance, Burn more than you consume, and try to maintain a neutral to alkaline PH and you will Lose, You will Maintain, and you will be healthier!!!!

and Still eat a little chocolate daily if you want to , but I suggest the good stuff 85% or higher cocoa !


p.s. I do think DIET sodas and drinks are a joke and personally do not think they are a good replacement to water and lemon, or unsweetened green tea... My only question is do people really like the taste, because I do not !

I have a friend who doesn't believe in calories - as in she doesn't believe they exist. She is the largest person I know.

If she's not counting calories, how does she know she's eating 2000+ calories?

All I know is, substituting a candy bar for a banana is not healthier for me. Because after I eat that banana, I'm still going to eat the candy bar. There's just no substitute for yummy foods.

^^ YEP!

Oh, I see! Sorry. :-)

What's wrong with you people?! Read a health book, please! I'm randomly jumping in here to stop the slaughter of the person who mentioned that diet soda is bad. My explanation will come from memory of books I have read that have, yes, cited their sources. Why is a cup of regular coke better than diet coke? It's better because it does not contain harmful sugar substitutes that is in it's zero calorie counterpart. Example of a harmful sugar substitute, you ask? Sure! ASPARTAME.

Aspartame is bad for you and don't listen to anyone who tells you otherwise and hell yes, it is bad for you in any quantity. I don't even chew the bull sugar-free gum anymore and guess what?! Less gas, bloating, brain fog, diarrhea and all gone by eliminating gum with sorbitol and aspartame. How much you drink or chew will just slow down or speed up the "harmful" process. Aspartame,

One of my favorite books is the Truth About Beauty by Kat James. She cites all of her sources in that book (which include case studies not articles written by people with no credibility). It's a great read and you are free to purchase on amazon, if you like. There are also a ton of other books out there.

Aside from that, put down the diet soda for some time and stop chewing sugar free gum and watch the magic. It's all about how YOUR body responds to things. Again, I dropped the gum containing sorbitol and aspartame and I have not had the scary brain fog symptoms, gas, bloating and diarrhea. Try it and see.

There's a hugely popular book called "The Wheat Belly Diet." It cites tons of sources that claim that wheat (and other sources of gluten) is bad for you, toxic even.
When I eat gluten, I have an awful reaction. I gain ten pounds of bloat overnight, I get sores in my mouth and on my skin, I get headaches and gas and my already severe pain gets worse and my joints throb and I get awful heartburn and my crap smells worse than bad - toxic, even.
Obviously, I feel better when I don't eat it.
My husband, on the other hand, has none of those symptoms. Most people I know don't.
There are also a crap ton of studies and longstanding scientific evidence that show that a diet rich in whole grains (Gasp! Wheat!) lowers cholesterol, aids digestion, and has a myriad of other health benefits.
In other words, just because someone who wanted to get people to stop eating gluten found some research that they molded to suit their own opinions, and just because *I* feel better when I avoid it, doesn't mean that it's actually toxic. There is significantly more evidence (and significantly more people) that show that gluten is safe for the general population.
Aspartame, sucralose, whatever is the same. If you get sick from consuming it, don't do it. There are many more people who don't get sick from it, and there is more evidence that says it's generally safe than evidence to the contrary.

Disturbing thing #1) This post.
Disturbing thing #2) People subsequently applauding this post.

I lost 30 lbs very quickly by limiting sugar and refined grains once about 10 years ago. The thing is, even though I was not counting calories, I likely was eating a low calorie diet, because healthy food often fills you up before you eat too much of it.

The problem for me was in maintaining. In order to eat well and keep it healthy, I was cooking everything from scratch ( that way I could have healthy whole grain waffles, low sugar cookies, etc). Although it was quite tasty, it worked me to death! I was exhausted from all the prep ( I had two toddlers at home as well at the time!). Also, I could not eat easily outside my own kitchen. Pot lucks, dinners out, dinners at grandma's, etc were very difficult because I often could not eat the food that was served and still stay on my eating plan. So it didn't take me long to gain all the weight back, plus 15 lbs more!

Personally, I find counting calories and moderation to be much more sustainable. After all, I want to be able to include treats from time to time! Although I have struggled some with maintenance this time around, I have managed to stay within a healthy weight range for over four years.

lol people are very defensive of their diet sodas lmao no ones taking them away just pointing out how unhealthy they are you are still free to drink them calm your hormones

Insight. Well done.

i semi count calories but you are right a 0cal diet coke is worse than a 150cal smoothie people get way to into the calorie counting and ignore over all nutrition its a tricky balence sometimes

Worse in what way?

For your over all health as well as weightloss

Sigh, ok, how is it worse for your health, assuming you are meeting your nutrient goals?

Is this discussion actually taking place on planet earth? We have actually sunk so far as to even consider that a 0cal diet coke is NOT worse for you than a 150cal smoothie (assuming that the smoothie was made with real food?). Has all this calorie counting made us disregard what is actually being put in our mouths? I heard Windex may have zero calories as well. Options galore!!!!

Did you not read the post you are responding to?

Not worse IF you are meeting your nutrient goals.

For example, let's say that 2 people want to lose weight. Both have eaten nutrient-dense meals that day consisting of adequate protein and the recommended number of fruits and vegetables for a total of 1700 calories. Both maintain at about 2000. It's 9 pm. Person A says "hmm, I want a little something other than water" and decides on a caffeine free diet soda or some flavored water. Person B says "hmm, I want a little something other than water, but I don't want that horrible calorie-free soda stuff, ick, bah," and makes a smoothie with (I forget, so will make up my own) a banana, some raspberries, some soy milk (I'm assuming person B is anti dairy), and a tablespoon of almond butter, plus some kale for a total calorie count of 350. [The OP said a 350 calorie smoothie, but make it 150 if you want and change the other numbers accordingly. Also, if you really want maybe person A munches some kale with her diet soda, since it's hardly impossible to eat the soda PLUS something else if you are actually hungry.]

I would say that person A is doing better at meeting her goals and there is no reason to say that person B is eating in a more healthy way.

Similarly (because I like overkill), let's say that person A has eaten nutrient-dense meals that day consisting of adequate protein and the recommended number of fruits and vegetables for a total of 1500 calories. Person B has eaten none of those terrible grains or potatoes and no dairy (of course), but also is low on protein and has had just a couple of salads with iceberg lettuce and raw carrots (she doesn't really like vegetables). She's had a total of 1150 calories. Both maintain at 2000. At 9 pm, person A wants a little something but wants to keep her 500 deficit and goes with the diet soda. Person B is hungry and sees she's low on calories and eats the smoothie. In that context, both are making the choice that is better for their individual goals, so arguably the more healthy choice.

And person A has the healthier diet, IMO, despite the dreaded diet soda, etc.

There also could be a reason why clean eating is called "clean" eating.

i semi count calories but you are right a 0cal diet coke is worse than a 150cal smoothie people get way to into the calorie counting and ignore over all nutrition its a tricky balence sometimes

Worse in what way?

For your over all health as well as weightloss

Sigh, ok, how is it worse for your health, assuming you are meeting your nutrient goals?

Is this discussion actually taking place on planet earth? We have actually sunk so far as to even consider that a 0cal diet coke is NOT worse for you than a 150cal smoothie (assuming that the smoothie was made with real food?). Has all this calorie counting made us disregard what is actually being put in our mouths? I heard Windex may have zero calories as well. Options galore!!!!

This is not an answer.

Not only is it not an answer, it's a ridiculous analogy comparing a known safe food stuff to a known toxin.
Reading comprehension seems poor as well.