Check out this "expert" advise! "Counting calories is bad!"

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  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
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    Maybe if you get stressed by counting/using simple maths you need to do something with your life so you can see what stress really is.

    why is it one way or another, never both. Do a study and find a group doesn't find a method helpful, must mean it's not helpful for anyone. That makes perfect sense.

    There will never be one method to suit all people. There just seems to be this swing back and forth, carbs are bad, protein is bad, carbs are good, counting is bad, carbs are bad again, back and forth, around in circles.

  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    edited February 2015
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    Merkavar wrote: »
    Maybe if you get stressed by counting/using simple maths you need to do something with your life so you can see what stress really is.

    why is it one way or another, never both. Do a study and find a group doesn't find a method helpful, must mean it's not helpful for anyone. That makes perfect sense.

    There will never be one method to suit all people. There just seems to be this swing back and forth, carbs are bad, protein is bad, carbs are good, counting is bad, carbs are bad again, back and forth, around in circles.

    Hahahahaaa, this is gold! So true.

    Know what I find stressful? Not fitting into my favorite pair of skinny jeans. Not knowing if that slice of cheesecake is going straight to my @ss or not. Looking like crap in a bikini, or watching the scale number climb.

    Taking three whole minutes per meal to log what I've eaten and make sure I'm under goal?!? *Gasp!* Why isn't my hair falling out from the stress??!!??
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Fox News? And that first sentence? Yeah, not even buying that.
  • Mediocrates55
    Mediocrates55 Posts: 326 Member
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    Well, *kitten*. I've been doing it wrong. Guess this 50 pounds was just a fluke.
    *sigh*
    Someone pass me a cleanse and a timed meal plan, please.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    edited February 2015
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    natacha305 wrote: »
    ive always believed that counting calories is not THE ONLY way to loose. look up Jonathan Bailor's Book " The Calorie Myth"

    basically our bodies do not work like simple math (calories in, calories out) we cant put a number of how much food we should eat. All of us are different and burn calories differently. this one system of eating 1200 per day cant work for everyone.

    I Urge you all just to watch his short video, i eat all the food i love and im not limited to "eating clean" I wasnt put on this earth to never eat things that actually taste good, i add butter and FLAVOR to my food, i just choose my foods wisely.

    I definitely believe that we should eat more to loose more, not eat less and exercise more? that doesnt make sense. If we are exercising more we must fuel our bodies more.

    http://sanesolution.com/

    He makes a good point but I actually follow Mark Sission from www.Marksdailyapple.com he encourages eating a high fat diet which is what I do and it works... and im not starving. feel free to add me.

    I count calories and I eat 2100 calories for weight loss. No one is forcing anyone to eat only 1200 calories a day or to choose to lose 2lb/week. Our bodies ARE all just running off of basic math, and that is why calculators are estimates and the calorie goal is to be adjusted based off of your activity level and real-world results.

    I'd rather keep eating as I do now, meaning eating in moderation, and be aware of how different types of food affect my caloric balance so taht I can be prepared to change how much I eat when my activity levels change or weight changes.

    The reason you've lost weight eating a LCHF diet is because you are engaging in calorie restriction without meaning to. That's how I lost weight "eating clean" years ago, but it didn't stick. Also had to work out 6-7hrs a week, when I didn't I'd gain back ~15lbs of the 45+ I'd lost.

    ETA I also eat all the food I love, but I'm not limited to eating low carb. i LOVE carbs. Your method is simply a different type of restriction based on macros and food type as opposed to good vs bad/evil vs not-evil/healthy vs not healthy.

    Also find it amusing that your calorie goal is still pretty low (and painfully low carb).... and that you are still tracking calories. In the end it's all about calories for weight loss, and you have days where your average is super low, some days it's more reasonable or excessive, so it all balances out to being below your maintenance needs. You aren't losing because of waht you do and don't eat.
  • Barbs2222
    Barbs2222 Posts: 433 Member
    edited February 2015
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    Lol, don't count your calories. Don't look at the food you put in your mouth. Right, ug! Oh and btw don't bother counting your steps or monitoring your heart rate either. Yeah, heaven forbid we take control of our health. Fox news wouldn't have any advertisers left then, would they? Huffington Post for that matter either.
  • rebekahzinn1
    rebekahzinn1 Posts: 65 Member
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    It's important to know that there are many ways to lose weight successfully. Calorie counting works for a lot of people. It doesn't work for me because the controling and regimented aspect of it triggers me to binge (clinical binge eating, not just overeating). I have lost 120 pounds, with only a few of those pounds lost (and regained) thanks to calorie counting. It has taken years of changing habits, learning portion control, and behavior modification, but now I have a much better sense of when I have eaten "too much" or "too little" depending on my needs for fuel. Isn't that what we all want eventually? To not have to be "on a diet" for the rest of our lives?
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    rebekahzinn1 wrote: »
    It's important to know that there are many ways to lose weight successfully. Calorie counting works for a lot of people. It doesn't work for me because the controling and regimented aspect of it triggers me to binge (clinical binge eating, not just overeating). I have lost 120 pounds, with only a few of those pounds lost (and regained) thanks to calorie counting. It has taken years of changing habits, learning portion control, and behavior modification, but now I have a much better sense of when I have eaten "too much" or "too little" depending on my needs for fuel. Isn't that what we all want eventually? To not have to be "on a diet" for the rest of our lives?

    I've never been on a diet in the sense of cutting out foods to be able to lose weight, but yes my goal is not to always be in a state of trying to lose weight. I do have plans to go on bulk/cut cycles though, so regularly tracking my caloric intake is far more beneficial to me than trying to re-learn every time how I should feel when I've consumed enough. This just takes all the guesswork, guilt, etc out of it. I can eat what I want within my goals and I'm golden!
  • mosspadron
    mosspadron Posts: 15 Member
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    I started counting calories 10 days ago and I've had zero stress from counting calories so far. It's done the complete opposite for me. Every day I'm under my daily calorie needs and I see the numbers it makes me feel happy that I was able to achieve my goal. It's good to visually see progress every day you are able to stay under your calorie needs.
  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
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    Yes counting calories is bad.........for the "diet" industry. It doesn't require you to buy someones cherry-picked pseudoscience book, it doesn't promise magic in pill or bottle etc.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    emily_stew wrote: »
    FoxNews and HuffPo? Is this real life?

    The right and the left agree on something! amazing!
  • Alyssa_Is_LosingIt
    Alyssa_Is_LosingIt Posts: 4,696 Member
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    Merkavar wrote: »
    Maybe if you get stressed by counting/using simple maths you need to do something with your life so you can see what stress really is.

    LOL, yes this! I'm an accountant - not only is calorie counting helping me lose weight, it is keeping my mind sharp as well.

    Win/win.
  • MoiAussi93
    MoiAussi93 Posts: 1,948 Member
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    Counting calories is just one method. It is very good for some people and terrible for others.

    There are people who become obsessed and get stressed. I see it here all the time...people freak out if they go to a restaurant that doesn't list calories on the menu (which is basically all non-chain restaurants!). The spend time worrying about whether their zero calorie cooking spray is still zero calories if they spray for two seconds instead of one. This is not healthy behavior. However, just because some people are obsessive doesn't mean that the counting is to blame. People like this would just obsess over something else if they weren't counting calories.

    I do think everyone should try to once in a while take a step back and assess whether they are getting close to the line where counting goes from being helpful to harmful.

  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    ana3067 wrote: »
    calorie counting made women more stressed.
    Lemme guess, they were eating <1200 calories? Eating lettuce and broccoli all day? Gotta love that they don't even mention which study - just "a study." Try eating 10-20% below your maintenance needs only, sure doesnt' cause all that much stress. Nor does eating things you love, just less of it.

    I lost weight by "eating clean" and not tracking cals. Also had to work out 7+hrs a week. That's more cumbersome than just tracking my intake, yo. This way I don't have to cut out calorie-dense foods in order to eat intuitively, which is the only way eating intuitively has worked for me. And I'd rather track eating food I love than not track avoiding food I love.

    And I lost without counting, measuring, weighing, by eliminating a few calorie dense, nutrient poor foods that tend to cause blood sugar swings and cravings. I ate lots of YUMMY foods, and still do. Over time what I craved changed. WIN!

    There's more than one way up a mountain. And then once there, there's more than one way to maintain.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    ana3067 wrote: »
    rebekahzinn1 wrote: »
    It's important to know that there are many ways to lose weight successfully. Calorie counting works for a lot of people. It doesn't work for me because the controling and regimented aspect of it triggers me to binge (clinical binge eating, not just overeating). I have lost 120 pounds, with only a few of those pounds lost (and regained) thanks to calorie counting. It has taken years of changing habits, learning portion control, and behavior modification, but now I have a much better sense of when I have eaten "too much" or "too little" depending on my needs for fuel. Isn't that what we all want eventually? To not have to be "on a diet" for the rest of our lives?

    I've never been on a diet in the sense of cutting out foods to be able to lose weight, but yes my goal is not to always be in a state of trying to lose weight. I do have plans to go on bulk/cut cycles though, so regularly tracking my caloric intake is far more beneficial to me than trying to re-learn every time how I should feel when I've consumed enough. This just takes all the guesswork, guilt, etc out of it. I can eat what I want within my goals and I'm golden!
    eh? Haven't you talked at length about your experiences eliminating foods and the subsequent binges and over eating etc? That wasn't dieting?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    I agree with the stress and anxiety it can cause when I see those red numbers that tell you you've gone over for the day....
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
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    Calorie counting has taught me to prioritize nourishment over luxury. I don't keep soda in the house anymore (1 or 2 20oz bottles per week satisfies my soda craving, whereas I used to go through a 12-pack of cans per week), no more daily flavored lattes from Dunkin Donuts (I only have those on especially busy days, like working at the nursing home or after heavy house cleaning), no more impulses to stop at the office candy drawer every time I walk by, no more combo meals at the drive-thru. I finish every day full and satisfied WITHOUT any guilt or extra baggage. If those things are bad, I'll gladly send any dissenters my oversized undergarments to choke on once I shrink out of them.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    edited February 2015
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    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    calorie counting made women more stressed.
    Lemme guess, they were eating <1200 calories? Eating lettuce and broccoli all day? Gotta love that they don't even mention which study - just "a study." Try eating 10-20% below your maintenance needs only, sure doesnt' cause all that much stress. Nor does eating things you love, just less of it.

    I lost weight by "eating clean" and not tracking cals. Also had to work out 7+hrs a week. That's more cumbersome than just tracking my intake, yo. This way I don't have to cut out calorie-dense foods in order to eat intuitively, which is the only way eating intuitively has worked for me. And I'd rather track eating food I love than not track avoiding food I love.

    And I lost without counting, measuring, weighing, by eliminating a few calorie dense, nutrient poor foods that tend to cause blood sugar swings and cravings. I ate lots of YUMMY foods, and still do. Over time what I craved changed. WIN!

    There's more than one way up a mountain. And then once there, there's more than one way to maintain.

    I also lost that way, i.e. eating clean, as I clearly said. Required cutting out plenty of food that I love - chocolate, I had to significantly reduce my cheese intake, no muffins, donuts, candy, cake, no butter, I was an oil-nazi, no cereal, wound up developing a poor relationship with food, became stressed out over it, would get angry at my parents for buying bags of chips and leaving them out in the open, constantly questioned if eating rice cakes or yogurt was actually okay, etc. Over time (four years) what I craved did not change, and I did eventually start binging. Now that I practice moderation and have all of these foods in my house, I crave them the same as I did before, only now those cravings are pretty much just passing thoughts instead of consuming me, and I don't eat 3 boxes of chocolate or an entire box of sugary cereal and an entire box of cookies etc in a single day. My cereal lasts me easily 3+ months, I still have christmas chocolate left over. I also crave "good" food too - raspberries, cheese, peas, pomegranates, sometimes steak.... cravings aren't anything that I view as good or bad, they just are. So I eat what I enjoy, eat reasonable portions of it all, and can still eat things that are high in sugar without being compelled to eat huge servings.

    Considering I made this post based on the link that is bashing calorie counting and it was not directed at you, and that I did not say "this is the only way to lose weight" but simply "I tried it the other way and it was way more of a PITA than tracking calories is," there was pretty much no reason for my post (or should I say posts) to be singled out. I realize that you dislike me, and I'm going to assume that you dislike my philosophy and/or how vocal I am about how people should not feel compelled to omit food they like in order to lose weight simply on erroneous beliefs that it is the only way to lose weight or that they will not be healthy otherwise, but those are really not very good reasons to try and tease something out of my posts or seemingly stir something up.

    But eh
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  • 2snakeswoman
    2snakeswoman Posts: 655 Member
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    I believe that the women who get stressed from counting calories really don't want to know and don't want to change. I was one of them.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    rebekahzinn1 wrote: »
    It's important to know that there are many ways to lose weight successfully. Calorie counting works for a lot of people. It doesn't work for me because the controling and regimented aspect of it triggers me to binge (clinical binge eating, not just overeating). I have lost 120 pounds, with only a few of those pounds lost (and regained) thanks to calorie counting. It has taken years of changing habits, learning portion control, and behavior modification, but now I have a much better sense of when I have eaten "too much" or "too little" depending on my needs for fuel. Isn't that what we all want eventually? To not have to be "on a diet" for the rest of our lives?

    I've never been on a diet in the sense of cutting out foods to be able to lose weight, but yes my goal is not to always be in a state of trying to lose weight. I do have plans to go on bulk/cut cycles though, so regularly tracking my caloric intake is far more beneficial to me than trying to re-learn every time how I should feel when I've consumed enough. This just takes all the guesswork, guilt, etc out of it. I can eat what I want within my goals and I'm golden!
    eh? Haven't you talked at length about your experiences eliminating foods and the subsequent binges and over eating etc? That wasn't dieting?

    I've never done this while using MFP, which is what I meant. Which should be kind of obvious if you are aware of my past experience with "eating clean," although I never considered that dieting while I did it. I just assumed that one had to not eat x foods and that I had to exercise. The word "diet," much like the concept of "calories," wasn't actually in my vocabulary at that time even though I'm sure I'd been exposed to both. Honestly if someone had asked me what calories and dieting were 4 years ago, I'd probably have been stumped. I didn't even really know what calories were until I was inspired to try out the IIFYM lifestyle.

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