Are you doing anything besides counting calories?

jnbeitler
jnbeitler Posts: 1 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
With the new paleo or sugar free or gluten free or both, etc., I am wondering if everyone here ( or anyone here) is doing both? Or are we just counting calories and eating what we want?

Curious to see everyone's responses.
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Replies

  • Maquillage_
    Maquillage_ Posts: 194 Member
    I count calories but I'm also trying to eat better and cleaner. I try to eat high protein - low carb, lots of veges and I'm trying to include more fruit and less sweets! I'm not following a specific diet, but just trying to lose weight and be healthier overall.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    I pay attention to macro nutrients as well as calories. I do not place arbitrary restrictions on the foods I eat or try to eat "clean" but that is an undefinable, meaningless term. Counting macros as well as calories can be an important factor in retaining lean mass. This helps ensure that the weight lost is mostly fat, rather then lean body mass.
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
    I watch my macros (for body composition and satiety) and micros (for overall health and also satiety).
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I try to build a diet around whole nutritious foods. Lots of vegetables, meats, dairy, seeds and nuts, legumes, some fruit, and some whole grains.

    Focusing on eating whole nutritious foods has been my goal for a very long time. Sure I still eat crap. It's just not the basis of my diet any more.

    It works for me.
  • threnjen
    threnjen Posts: 687 Member
    I count my calories and aim to hit my protein macro every day. I eat a lot of protein heavy, healthy-ish stuff because of that, but otherwise I eat what I want.
  • QueenBishOTUniverse
    QueenBishOTUniverse Posts: 14,121 Member
    Same as the rest of the responses so far. I cook my foods most of the week, eat out at restaurants a bit on the weekends and track my macros to make sure I'm hitting protein and fat goals. Past that, I don't worry about it. If it's food and it fits my goals, I'll eat it. I try to avoid eating dirty things like mud, but if a pepperoni slice falls on my kitchen floor, I'm eating it anyways, because you don't waste good pepperoni just because it's a little dirty. :tongue:
  • 999tigger
    999tigger Posts: 5,235 Member
    Learning how it all works.
    Acquiring the correct mindset.
    Preparing for various scenarios such as plateau, bing etc.
    Learning about nutrution.
    Eating more healthily including less saturated fat and sugar, but more fruit, veg, fibre and protein.
    Exercising and improving my cardio.
    Exercising and improving strength.
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    I try to build a diet around whole nutritious foods. Lots of vegetables, meats, dairy, seeds and nuts, legumes, some fruit, and some whole grains.

    Focusing on eating whole nutritious foods has been my goal for a very long time. Sure I still eat crap. It's just not the basis of my diet any more.

    It works for me.

    ^^This. I aim to nourish by body the best way I know how, and in a way that feels natural and normal for me. That will be different for everybody, but for me, that mean 80-90% of the time I'm eating all the yummy veggies and lean meats and getting enough fiber and fats. Then I have more than enough room for a weekly (or a small daily) "indulgence."

    I may or may not have eaten a giant brownie for lunch yesterday (and washed it down with a can of soda), lol. However, my macros and micros for the week have been reached, or on track to be reached, so I it works.
  • effondrement
    effondrement Posts: 37 Member
    I'm a calorie counter, and I don't believe in depriving myself of anything. That said, I'm also living on the world's smallest food budget (broke *kitten* college student here), so I tend to eat like crap most days. In addition to calorie counting, I also try to watch my protein macro, and I run a lot // waitress daily // lift weights 3-4 times a week.

    I've tried other "diets" in the past (atkins, weight watchers, south beach, paleo, gluten free, blah blah blah), and they are all great until life gets in the way and I'm sick of following rules. So for now I am very happy with my eat less move more approach, it's the only thing that's really had an effect and has stuck with me for longer than a month.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    With the new paleo or sugar free or gluten free or both, etc., I am wondering if everyone here ( or anyone here) is doing both? Or are we just counting calories and eating what we want?

    Curious to see everyone's responses.
    I eat what I want and count calories.

    Even with paleo,gluten free, or sugar fee, you still need to eat less calories than you burn or you won't lose weight.
  • MyaPapaya75
    MyaPapaya75 Posts: 3,143 Member
    I count cals..eat lower carb around 180grams per day...and walk a lot
  • kouzzzz
    kouzzzz Posts: 540 Member
    I don't count calories, I go by macros.
  • nickysbt
    nickysbt Posts: 21
    I keep track of my sugar and sodium intakes because I have a family history of both diabetes and high blood pressure. Starting to keep track of protein, but it's not something I really worry about unless I've had nothing but carbs all day. Other that that I just try to make sure I have a healthy relationship with food. I've seen too many of my relatives learn to hate food after starting to watch what they eat and I have no desire to join them. I don't want to be the person who complains loudly about cake at a birthday party. Life is too short to not enjoy cake.
  • FabMeliO
    FabMeliO Posts: 13 Member
    I'm counting calories, doing portion control basically and choosing the healthier choices of the foods I crave the most. I also started exercising more often and making small changes like using the stairs instead of the elevator, overall just eating less, healthier and staying active.
  • skinnyinnotime
    skinnyinnotime Posts: 4,078 Member
    I only log so I can track my macros, especially to make sure I meet protein goals
  • LeslieTSUK
    LeslieTSUK Posts: 215 Member
    I have 1 main meal a day around 2pm ish time if possible, I stick to 150 ish carbs, and no more than 10 sugars, but try to get sugars to 7 or less.

    Calories range from around 900 to 1200 depends on the protein and fat in rest, but i dont count them either, just the carbs/sugars

    But calories themselves for me personally is pointless, if i only counted calories and not carbs, my diabetes would end up a total mess again and i would go blind.

    Just pure luck that my lifestyle happens to stay within that calorie range most times now it seems.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I have 1 main meal a day around 2pm ish time if possible, I stick to 150 ish carbs, and no more than 10 sugars, but try to get sugars to 7 or less.

    Calories range from around 900 to 1200 depends on the protein and fat in rest, but i dont count them either, just the carbs/sugars

    But calories themselves for me personally is pointless, if i only counted calories and not carbs, my diabetes would end up a total mess again and i would go blind.

    Just pure luck that my lifestyle happens to stay within that calorie range most times now it seems.
    Wow. No offense, but trying to get down to a size 18, eating 900-1200 calories given your profile sounds unwise.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    I try to build a diet around whole nutritious foods. Lots of vegetables, meats, dairy, seeds and nuts, legumes, some fruit, and some whole grains.

    Focusing on eating whole nutritious foods has been my goal for a very long time. Sure I still eat crap. It's just not the basis of my diet any more.

    ^^ This is basically what I do, though with more whole grains. I've been cooking my meals from scratch most of the time since the early 1990s, though of course from time to time I'll pop a frozen pizza in the oven, or get take-out. And sometimes, "cooking" from scratch means opening the bag of pre-washed lettuce, grating some cheese and carrot onto it, cutting up a pepper, and tossing with a commercial salad dressing, with bread and butter on the side. Usually, though, it's a little more elaborate.
  • 7aneena
    7aneena Posts: 146 Member
    Do you guys use IIFYM to calculate your macros?
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    I track macros in order to calculate my caloric consumption. I avoid gluten (4+ years) for GI/IBS reasons, not for weight purposes.

    Any type of restriction/elimination diet should only be done for health purposes, not for weight loss purposes. ETA, this includes restricting macros. There really is no reason to restrict macros unless for health reasons such as diabetes, since it won't affect total weight loss.
  • baconslave
    baconslave Posts: 7,018 Member
    I count calories, but I'm also doing the low-carb/high-fat thing. I count carbs, keep them between 20 and 30g daily, eat moderate protein, and high fat. It kills cravings (I'm a MAJOR carb addict) and helped me re-train myself in keeping my portions the right size.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    Do you guys use IIFYM to calculate your macros?

    If you use IIFYM calculator, then estimate your caloric needs from a separate site like exrx.net or health-calc.com (subtract 20% from it) first. Use that as your custom calorie intake. IIFYM calculator is off for many people.

    But macros are subjective. I find that I do better (at least while losing weight) eating my lean body mass weight (~125-130) weight multiplied by 1.2 for protein. So 125 x 1.2 = 150. I was doing 130g but it just wasn't working for me. Yet I really don't think I need 170g of protein. For fats, I find that I need to eat at least 35% of my weigh for fat intake, although I often eat more. I'll go higher on carbs on workout days sometimes because I have more cals to eat (I do net method now), but sometimes I wind up eating more fat instead and my carbs don't go up that much.
  • mizztanjo
    mizztanjo Posts: 153 Member
    I follow the 21 Day Fix meal plan with the 1,200-1,499 calories per day plan. I don't eat grains, I cut out processed sugar %90 as well as dairy (I still eat cottage cheese and a few other dairy products), I only drink water & herbal/green tea, and I am vegetarian (altho I still eat seafood). Some may say it sounds hard and complicated but it really isn't! I eat a lot of eggs, eat fish, veggies, a bit of fruit, bit if cheese, nuts and seeds, salads....and on weekends I enjoy some wine and snack on things like snapea crisps or Beanito's & salsa.
    My weight maintains itself between 115-120, depending on the day/week. I feel very healthy & energetic, and have no more stomach issues like in the past.
    Hope that helps a bit :)
  • baconslave
    baconslave Posts: 7,018 Member


    Any type of restriction/elimination diet should only be done for health purposes, not for weight loss purposes.

    Whatever. I have no health problems other than being overweight. Which some might argue IS a health problem. Works perfectly for me. I eat no gluten or sugar by default since my carb count is low, but those foods are triggers for binging for me anyway. I also don't have problems keeping my hands off trigger foods either eating this way.

    People need to do what works for them. Period. :smile:
  • PrizePopple
    PrizePopple Posts: 3,133 Member
    I count my calories and try to keep my macros in check, but I pay close attention to my fiber as I have GI issues and my doctor has encouraged me to eat a higher fiber diet to keep me from relapsing. I should also technically keep my fat lower since I lack a gallbladder.
  • kelsully
    kelsully Posts: 1,008 Member
    With the new paleo or sugar free or gluten free or both, etc., I am wondering if everyone here ( or anyone here) is doing both? Or are we just counting calories and eating what we want?

    Curious to see everyone's responses.

    I counted calories for years with great success before going gluten and dairy free at the advice of a doctor. The reduction in headaches and hormonal swings is great since going gluten and dairy free but IN NO WAY is my diet more nutrient dense/more appropriate/more weight loss friendly by eliminating those things. I still look at the calories and make my decisions based on what my needs are with whatever I am training for at the time. I did not eat meat for over 10 years before starting to count calories so while that is a part of my life, no meat also had nothing to do with my size or weight.
  • jke78
    jke78 Posts: 59 Member
    I don't eat out at all, I try not to buy things that will tempt me, I cut out all the sodas, I use stevia when possible(and less sugar in the things I don't put stevia in), I have scheduled times to eat meals and snacks, and I am trying to eat things that have minimal processing(which is hard to do in redneck country).
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
    I try to build a diet around whole nutritious foods. Lots of vegetables, meats, dairy, seeds and nuts, legumes, some fruit, and some whole grains.

    Focusing on eating whole nutritious foods has been my goal for a very long time. Sure I still eat crap. It's just not the basis of my diet any more.

    ^^ This is basically what I do, though with more whole grains. I've been cooking my meals from scratch most of the time since the early 1990s, though of course from time to time I'll pop a frozen pizza in the oven, or get take-out. And sometimes, "cooking" from scratch means opening the bag of pre-washed lettuce, grating some cheese and carrot onto it, cutting up a pepper, and tossing with a commercial salad dressing, with bread and butter on the side. Usually, though, it's a little more elaborate.
    Sounds great. And yes, I ate quite a few more grains when I was younger... I'm finding it harder to maintain my weight now, with menopause, and for me, eating a lot of grains leaves me feeling bloated and hungry. So while I do eat some, it's not with every meal these days. But I maintained for the first 10 years by eating them several times a day. Whole grains.
  • DawnieB1977
    DawnieB1977 Posts: 4,248 Member
    Usually I just eat healthily and aim for high protein, but at the moment I'm doing carb cycling. I do 5 days low carb and 2 days high carb a week. I'm only doing it for a few weeks just to kick start my post partum weight loss. It's not a massive change from my usual eating, but just no slice of toast with my eggs and no fruit on low carb days.

    I also do loads of exercise.
  • ravenmiss
    ravenmiss Posts: 384 Member
    I try to hit my macros, especially protein and I exercise.

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