Check out this "expert" advise! "Counting calories is bad!"
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emily_stew wrote: »FoxNews and HuffPo? Is this real life?
The right and the left agree on something! amazing!0 -
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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.
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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.calorie counting made women more stressed.
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.0 -
eh? Haven't you talked at length about your experiences eliminating foods and the subsequent binges and over eating etc? That wasn't dieting?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!0 -
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....0
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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.0
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
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.calorie counting made women more stressed.
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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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.0
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
eh? Haven't you talked at length about your experiences eliminating foods and the subsequent binges and over eating etc? That wasn't dieting?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!
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.0 -
If knowing the number of calories you consume somehow "stressful" in ANY way to you, then you've got bigger problems than weight that NO diet is EVERY gonna fix. Seek professional help immediately. You're gonna need it.
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christinev297 wrote: »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....
That is a feature I wish MFP would GET RID OF. I don't know how it makes everyone else feel, but for myself having experienced a poor relationship with food in the past... it can sometimes make me feel anxious. I bet it's way worse for those with EDs or ED history0 -
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.
And I urge you to stop the Shenanigans.
Physics doesn't bend to your personal whims and urges.
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
eh? Haven't you talked at length about your experiences eliminating foods and the subsequent binges and over eating etc? That wasn't dieting?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!
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.
Not obvious. Not in the slightest. Even your own posts in this thread are contradictory afaics.
You have MANY MANY posts where you suggest that elimination style dieting led you to a disordered relationship with food, disordered eating etc.. You have many posts here about how anything other than eating whatever the hell you want within a prescribed calorie allotment (as long as you get enough protein...) has led to weight gain and emotional woes, along with numerous posts where you're fabulously happy eating part of a donut, as long as said donut part fits your magical "IIFYM" macros. Posts about your upbringing, your mom and her influence on your relationship with food. So, no. Not much is obvious.
You meant you haven't eliminated foods since joining MFP. ok. I can go with that.
Again. Your posts along the way have suggested a very complicated past with food, an ED perhaps, binging, unhealthy relationships with food, and a new (current) very enthusiastic confidence that this time is THE time you've got it RIGHT suggest a complicated relationship with food. So no, nothing is "obvious" with respect to your posts, your photos etc.. I do agree that eating whatever you want while measuring, counting, and weighing your calories (and focusing on protein) IS the best for you at this stage of your journey, given your complicated past. And as always, I wish you the best on this journey and hope this time it works for the rest of your life.0 -
One study found that even without limitations, calorie counting made women more stressed. Nobody wants that. Plus, an increase in stress can cause a spike in cortisol, a hormone known to rev up appetite, increase cravings for fatty and sugary foods, and up belly fat storage.
Great, another "study" making generalizations about women0 -
SergeantSausage wrote: »If knowing the number of calories you consume somehow "stressful" in ANY way to you, then you've got bigger problems than weight that NO diet is EVERY gonna fix. Seek professional help immediately. You're gonna need it.
Not true. I'm not going as far into this as I did in a similar past thread, but, for the benefit of the people reading, whom you are accusing of being crazy:
- There is most definitely a learning curve to changing your eating and food preparation habits, shopping differently, reading labels. learning of any kind involves stress, by definition, it is a change from previous habits. this is alllll stressful
- Hypervigilance about food - macros, calories, portions - which is necessary for the activities involved in my previous point, is stressful. but necessary, because otherwise, it is easy, especially for a novice, to fall into default mode.
- Dealing with acting in a way that's contrary to social norms - e.g., with family, at work - is stressful
- Interpreting and coping with new hunger and satiety cues, is stressful
Eventually, it does get better and more automatic, but people who are struggling with all these adaptations are not crazy, or in need of professional help (necessarily). They're actually pretty normal.0 -
Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »
Same. Accounting here too.
Imagine how much stress these people be go through, the courage it must take, the sheer force of will power the must summon up when they go grocery shopping and have 15 different products.
They probably scan their food and then throw a big ball of money at the check out chick and run off, hoping they paid enough.
The OP post dud only mention women didn't it? Do you guys find articles like that really demeaning? Insulting?0 -
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SergeantSausage wrote: »If knowing the number of calories you consume somehow "stressful" in ANY way to you, then you've got bigger problems than weight that NO diet is EVERY gonna fix. Seek professional help immediately. You're gonna need it.
Not true. I'm not going as far into this as I did in a similar past thread, but, for the benefit of the people reading, whom you are accusing of being crazy:
- There is most definitely a learning curve to changing your eating and food preparation habits, shopping differently, reading labels. learning of any kind involves stress, by definition, it is a change from previous habits. this is alllll stressful
- Hypervigilance about food - macros, calories, portions - which is necessary for the activities involved in my previous point, is stressful. but necessary, because otherwise, it is easy, especially for a novice, to fall into default mode.
- Dealing with acting in a way that's contrary to social norms - e.g., with family, at work - is stressful
- Interpreting and coping with new hunger and satiety cues, is stressful
Eventually, it does get better and more automatic, but people who are struggling with all these adaptations are not crazy, or in need of professional help (necessarily). They're actually pretty normal.
My only learning curve was learning to look at hte nutritional info instead of the ingredients to determine my weight management goals, and to learn how to use the app and my food scale. All of these were very easy to learn. I have no food preparation habits, I do not shop differently (actually I do, I no longer restrict myself to the produce and meat section but now shop from the ENTIRE grocery store! My favourite section is the frozen section - frozen fruit, donuts, muffins, brownies, droooool). None of this has been stressful. You wanna talk stressful learning? How about 2-3 midterms back to back to back?
I'm not hypervigilant. I grab the food I want to eat and log it, then I weigh my food to a portion I want, and then change that in the app. I am completely freestyle for my morning and afternoon food consumption, so I can range between 800-1200 for breakfast and lunch. THen for my dinner and/or evening consumption I will look at how much protein I Have left and determine what to make based on that. If I go a bit over or under, no biggie, it all balances out via the weekly intake. I was over on protein and fat today so I'm probably gonna carb out tomorrow, which will be nice while I finish studying and can just snack on easy access food. The only effort that will be involved in thsi will be to weigh my portions and tweak it until it satisfies both what I have remaining and what I want to eat.
I don't act in a way that is contrary to social norms... can you elaborate? If I go to a restaurant and all they have is poutine, well... yeah I"m eating a poutine. Will I go over cals? Maybe. Does it really matter? No, because i"m not over every day.
I never had to cope with hunger and satiety cues. I feel the same hunger and satiety as when I was fat. The only time I had issues was when I first started and was running off of IIFYM calculations, which are generally too low. So duh, not eating enough = not normal/desirable hunger.
I think if you're having these many issues then you should probably take a look at your logging practices and see what is causing all of this, because I've honestly not had any serious issues with the act of logging outside of when my food scales kept dying and I never had batteries.0 -
robbackatya wrote: »Good article. Don't be afraid of different ways to lose weight. Calorie counting doesn't for some people and that's OK.
To lose weight and be in good shape you have to be commited to something.
That being said weighing and measuring every morsel of food would not be something I would want to do. I also wouldn't want to wear a watch to track every step I take. That is not taking control of your health in my opinion but your health taking control of you. Attaining weight loss and health is much simpler than that.
What if tracking my caloric intake IS the simpler option, and also the one that takes all the guesswork, guilt, and discomfort out of my life?0 -
I've never counting calories before, didn't have to (at least so far as my weight goes). I'm older, and for the last 10 years or so, the weight just kept creeping up on me, and the next thing you know, I'm just shy of being obese! I am not a believer in "diets" but I just couldn't figure out what was going so horribly wrong. My doctor told me about myfitnesspal. It was such an eye opener for me! I don't find it stressful at all. I have a tool, and information, and direction. I want to be able to enjoy however many years I have left to the fullest. Being healthy and feeling good is something I have to work at a little harder, but at least now I've got a plan, and so far it seems to be working. Stress? Hardly, I 'm feelin' pretty positive!0
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They said in the article it CAN backfire.
Which is true.
Calm down people it's just Fox News. If every single person in this thread knows better then there's nothing to worry about.0 -
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.
Totally agree with that lol! The diet industry is all smoke and mirrors and the latest buzzwords. It's snake oil selling at its finest!
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SergeantSausage wrote: »If knowing the number of calories you consume somehow "stressful" in ANY way to you, then you've got bigger problems than weight that NO diet is EVERY gonna fix. Seek professional help immediately. You're gonna need it.
Not true. I'm not going as far into this as I did in a similar past thread, but, for the benefit of the people reading, whom you are accusing of being crazy:
- There is most definitely a learning curve to changing your eating and food preparation habits, shopping differently, reading labels. learning of any kind involves stress, by definition, it is a change from previous habits. this is alllll stressful
- Hypervigilance about food - macros, calories, portions - which is necessary for the activities involved in my previous point, is stressful. but necessary, because otherwise, it is easy, especially for a novice, to fall into default mode.
- Dealing with acting in a way that's contrary to social norms - e.g., with family, at work - is stressful
- Interpreting and coping with new hunger and satiety cues, is stressful
Eventually, it does get better and more automatic, but people who are struggling with all these adaptations are not crazy, or in need of professional help (necessarily). They're actually pretty normal.
My only learning curve was learning to look at hte nutritional info instead of the ingredients to determine my weight management goals, and to learn how to use the app and my food scale. All of these were very easy to learn. I have no food preparation habits, I do not shop differently (actually I do, I no longer restrict myself to the produce and meat section but now shop from the ENTIRE grocery store! My favourite section is the frozen section - frozen fruit, donuts, muffins, brownies, droooool). None of this has been stressful. You wanna talk stressful learning? How about 2-3 midterms back to back to back?
I'm not hypervigilant. I grab the food I want to eat and log it, then I weigh my food to a portion I want, and then change that in the app. I am completely freestyle for my morning and afternoon food consumption, so I can range between 800-1200 for breakfast and lunch. THen for my dinner and/or evening consumption I will look at how much protein I Have left and determine what to make based on that. If I go a bit over or under, no biggie, it all balances out via the weekly intake. I was over on protein and fat today so I'm probably gonna carb out tomorrow, which will be nice while I finish studying and can just snack on easy access food. The only effort that will be involved in thsi will be to weigh my portions and tweak it until it satisfies both what I have remaining and what I want to eat.
I don't act in a way that is contrary to social norms... can you elaborate? If I go to a restaurant and all they have is poutine, well... yeah I"m eating a poutine. Will I go over cals? Maybe. Does it really matter? No, because i"m not over every day.
I never had to cope with hunger and satiety cues. I feel the same hunger and satiety as when I was fat. The only time I had issues was when I first started and was running off of IIFYM calculations, which are generally too low. So duh, not eating enough = not normal/desirable hunger.
I think if you're having these many issues then you should probably take a look at your logging practices and see what is causing all of this, because I've honestly not had any serious issues with the act of logging outside of when my food scales kept dying and I never had batteries.
Ana. FFS. I am not talking about myself. I have NO issues with eating or counting calories, at this point. I experienced some of these things when I FIRST started. Over FIVE years ago. Stop talking to me as if I have issues. It's extremely patronizing and a poor, low debate tactic*. Additionally, you are not in a position to condescend to me about my relationship with food. Sorry. The above summarizes what I've observed, as a participant on this and other calorie counting forums, and literature I've read.
I am also not particularly interested in your personal experience, because I've seen it in so many threads, I'm a little overexposed. It is not all about you.
You were in that other thread I mentioned. So there's only so much I want to repeat. But to clarify just a few points:
Norms = coworkers and family members pressuring dieters to eat "intuitively" - to eat what they eat, when they do. This is a real thing that many, many, many people deal with. People often encounter criticism about their new eating habits, or have to say "no thanks" and go through whatever hoops get people off their backs. I remember one thread here, where someone's boss was shoving pizza in their face and not taking no for an answer. They had an issue with that. There are thousands of moments like this on the board.
Learning to read labels = new for LOTS of people. Even if it's to see if they're meeting their protein macros. Shopping differently, cooking differently, same. It is learning, which means change, which means stress.
Vigilance is the definition of calorie counting. That's why it works.
*If you feel the need to resort to this kind of approach when speaking to people, maybe you need to re-evaluate that.0 -
The only thing that HAS worked for me is calorie counting! It has made me very aware of what I'm eating, how much exercise I'm truly getting, and where I'm taking in empty calories. For a fact I eat a much healthier and balanced diet when I'm counting that if left to my own devices. Everyone has a unique way that their body responds to food, so each person has to find the thing that works best for them.0
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'i cant do it therefore its bad for everyone'
yyyyeah ok. calorie counting makes me feel like i have the information i need to make better food choices. that makes me the opposite of anxious.0 -
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Well, does it have to be one or the other? Instead of a limit I have a weekly (sometimes monthly on heavy weeks) budget. I eat when I'm hungry, stop when I'm full, then go and record my foods. If my day happens to be over my preferred average, no big deal. Plenty of days to make up for that. A smaller meal tomorrow, 10 extra minutes of incline walking, and in extreme cases a fast day (which is a welcome break for me). Nothing radical is needed and nothing stressful, since I'm eating the things I want in quantities that satisfy me and only keeping the numbers for tracking purposes, in case I need to apply a quick fix.
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Alyssa_Is_LosingIt wrote: »
Same. Accounting here too.
Imagine how much stress these people be go through, the courage it must take, the sheer force of will power the must summon up when they go grocery shopping and have 15 different products.
They probably scan their food and then throw a big ball of money at the check out chick and run off, hoping they paid enough.
?
^ I think that is a bit insulting.
You don't find calorie counting stressful, neither do I - but that doesn't mean nobody does or that we need to make mocking disparaging comments about those who do.
As we all know, the only way to lose weight is to be in a calorie deficit - but calorie counting is not the only way to achieve that and many people successfully do it without calorie counting.
The only issue with the article to me is how it makes such sweeping generalisations about calorie counting bring unnecessary and bad for everyone
But then some posters on here are doing likewise about it being necessary and good for everyone
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