Counting Calories
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IronLizerd
Posts: 43 Member
Question: So I started eating clean and have been going strong for a few days but I stopped counting calories because it was giving me anxiety (yea i know it sounds silly). I'm very proud of the way I've been eating but i am not sure if i should start counting again. Is it worth it?? Also do you count? What are your experiences?
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I think if you're feeling good about the way you're eating, and your weight/size/whatever metric you use to measure progress is going in the right direction, then why do something that makes you anxious? If you find your progress stops or reverses, you can always count again for a day or two just to assess where you're going wrong.
For me personally, I find counting important when I'm trying to do anything other than maintain weight; but that's not true for everyone.0 -
Thanks! I appreciate the advice!0
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Thanks! I appreciate the advice!0
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When I started eating clean, which included no flour/sugar, I lost about 5-6 lbs without counting calories at all. Then I stopped losing weight and started counting calories. I realized that lots of the healthy clean foods I was eating, like fruit, raw nuts, avocados, and coconut oil, all really add up and I was just not in a calorie deficit. Try it for a while and track your weight and see how you do. It is a lot harder to overeat when you're eating fruits and veggies! Just watch out for the more calorie dense foods.0
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Hi! It is very important that you start counting your calories again! A calorie is a calorie. The types of food you eat are not important for body composition. You can eat junk food all the time and lose fat as long as you are in a caloric deficit. That's what I do. My diet consists of mainly candy. You can overeat "clean foods" and definitely pack on fat. So start counting your calories!! and dont worry, you are in control of what you eat
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tiffanycho wrote: »Hi! It is very important that you start counting your calories again! A calorie is a calorie. The types of food you eat are not important for body composition. You can eat junk food all the time and lose fat as long as you are in a caloric deficit. That's what I do. My diet consists of mainly candy. You can overeat "clean foods" and definitely pack on fat. So start counting your calories!! and don't worry, you are in control of what you eat
Hi I'm new to the group. I don't want to be controversial or anything but I'm not sure that the above post is very helpful for the OP.
Yes, for overweight people looking to lose weight a calorie is a calorie. Eat less= weigh less= simple. But for people who have less to lose macronutrients become far more important. Eating junk food will never get the body that I assume the OP is aiming for. This is because high fat and sugar levels will ensure that your body retains fat in all the wrong places. If a person is aiming to tone up they need to eat plenty of protein to repair muscles. Plus, eating junk food is far more likely to lead to a plateau even if you are in calorie deficit. Your body will be running off the high sugar levels in your food and burning it up, instead of burning fat. Simple sugars are the easiest form of energy for your body to access, therefore you will continue to run off simple sugars rather than the effort of burning fat...
To be fair, I'm not a nutrition expert/personal trainer/ in any way qualified to tell anyone what to do. Just from stuff I've read I really wouldn't recommend eating junk food and calorie counting. I think it's far better for a person's emotional and physical health to eat healthily and stop calorie counting. I mean, if calorie counting is giving you anxiety it's obviously not good for you. Far better to eat lots of healthy, nutritious food (which will make workouts more dynamic) and not obsess over numbers.
Also, our bodies are not machines. As much as we may want to rely on the maths sometimes it just doesn't add up!
Just my two cents. Sorry for writing so much and being a pain.0
