Do you need to count calories?

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  • TrailBlazerMN
    TrailBlazerMN Posts: 202
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    Couple that with the following article on adaptive thermogenesis:

    https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/a-calorie-is-sometimes-not-a-calorie
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    cute that you post this on a calorie counting site...

    not sure if you actually believe the article but I have counted calories to lose weight and continue to maintain...nothing wrong with it and nothing neurotic about it either...

    Perhaps you are in the wrong spot?
  • TrailBlazerMN
    TrailBlazerMN Posts: 202
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    I'm glad that counting calories and being so dedicated to logging food works for you but those who work with people with disordered eating have real life evidence that shows that's not always the best answer for the large majority of their clients. It depends on someone's goals. Yes, counting calories has it's place but there is a much bigger picture than just eating less calories as the second article would explain.
  • theshaleco
    theshaleco Posts: 39 Member
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    I don't think there is anything particularly wrong with the articles OP linked to. I think each individual person needs to find what works best for them, some people fight find that counting calories works, but other people might find they need to keep an eye on their sodium, fat or carb intake. It is good to have a variety of perspectives.
  • KnM0107
    KnM0107 Posts: 355 Member
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    SezxyStef wrote: »
    cute that you post this on a calorie counting site...

    not sure if you actually believe the article but I have counted calories to lose weight and continue to maintain...nothing wrong with it and nothing neurotic about it either...

    Perhaps you are in the wrong spot?

    and I have maintained without calorie counting...

    I don't think there is anything wrong with calorie counting, but mental health is more important. OCD and calorie counting doesn't always mix and I was diagnosed when I was 7. This isn't just a calorie counting site (well according to MFP anyway) and there are people who will benefit from alternatives to logging. Not every person is like you and people like me need support and information too. If I thought I had to log like you, I would have failed. Thankfully, not everyone has to log to be successful.

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Yet here you are on a calorie counting site.
  • TrailBlazerMN
    TrailBlazerMN Posts: 202
    edited March 2015
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    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Yet here you are on a calorie counting site.

    Did you read the articles?
  • TrailBlazerMN
    TrailBlazerMN Posts: 202
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    KnM0107 wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    cute that you post this on a calorie counting site...

    not sure if you actually believe the article but I have counted calories to lose weight and continue to maintain...nothing wrong with it and nothing neurotic about it either...

    Perhaps you are in the wrong spot?

    and I have maintained without calorie counting...

    I don't think there is anything wrong with calorie counting, but mental health is more important. OCD and calorie counting doesn't always mix and I was diagnosed when I was 7. This isn't just a calorie counting site (well according to MFP anyway) and there are people who will benefit from alternatives to logging. Not every person is like you and people like me need support and information too. If I thought I had to log like you, I would have failed. Thankfully, not everyone has to log to be successful.

    Best post I have ever seen on here.
  • galgenstrick
    galgenstrick Posts: 2,086 Member
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    I'm trying to reduce my weight a little by counting calories. I think it teaches you portion sizes and what foods to eat that make you feel satiated while not eating too much. But I don't plan to do it forever, who really wants to?!

    Once I get to my goal weight, I'm going to transition off of calorie counting, and having support on this forum for that is great. Humans didn't even know what a calorie was and never had problems with weight until relatively recently in the human timeline. Calorie counting is a cool tool, but not necessary.
  • dakotababy
    dakotababy Posts: 2,406 Member
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    I have found a weight loss trick that works, its free and has no physical side-effects (besides losing weight!) It is knowing how much of what is going into my mouth.

    I think counting calories is amazing, insightful and it works - as long as a person does not become obsessive over it (fear of eating foods without a label, fear of going over calorie allowance for the day, avoiding others just to stay in calorie goal, etc) I think it is a very effective tool for weight loss.

    It is a small price that I pay to keep my body healthy, something of which I plan to do for the rest of my life.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    TrailBlazerMN wrote: »
    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    Yet here you are on a calorie counting site.

    Did you read the articles?
    Yes I did
  • mumblemagic
    mumblemagic Posts: 1,090 Member
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    TrailBlazerMN wrote: »
    An awesome article by Dani Shugart:

    https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/calories-should-you-be-counting

    I would like to see some peer reviewed articles to back up the assertions on this website.
  • sun_fish
    sun_fish Posts: 864 Member
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    I counted calories to lose weight, in addition to weighing most of my food, but towards the end it began to cause problems for me. I found I had become obsessive about it and it was affecting my mindset and family. I slowly began to move away from weighing my food first, then began to remove logging. I lost my last 8 pounds doing this, and 6 weeks after hitting my goal weight stopped logging completely. I haven't logged for 5 months now.

    And yes, I still use MFP - a calorie counting site - to interact with others that have similar interests and goals.
  • AmbyrJayde
    AmbyrJayde Posts: 257 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I personally NEED to count calories. Otherwise my portions sneak up and I gain weight again. That article is silly.

    This article is a little harsh, so read at your own risk, but it goes over the adaptive thermo something or other that I forgot how to spell.

    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/

    TL;DR: CI vs CO is how to lose weight, and adaptive thermo-majigger is true but significant enough to actually STOP weight loss or cause weight gain.

    There have also been studies of convenience store, or fast food diets where people just cut their calories but still ate "crap" and lost the weight. (I don't feel like finding the link to this one, took me forever to find the thermo-majigger one.)

    Granted, calorie counting itself may not work for everyone. Especially those with legit eating disorders. But it will work for the vast majority. Just because something doesn't work of a minority doesn't mean everyone should shun it.

    EDIT: "Are you going to carry a measuring cup and a scale with you everywhere you go for the rest of your life?" For every meal I prepare myself? Abso-freakin-lutely. If I go out to eat? It's not gonna hurt me to miss counting that day. You can have your cake and eat it too.
  • CA_Underdog
    CA_Underdog Posts: 733 Member
    edited March 2015
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    AmbyrJayde wrote:
    There have also been studies of convenience store, or fast food diets where people just cut their calories but still ate "crap" and lost the weight. (I don't feel like finding the link to this one, took me forever to find the thermo-majigger one.)
    There are many examples of this, but one good one is the documentary "Fat Head". The maker ate the worst fast foods everyday (in moderation) and lost weight / improved their health.

    http://fathead-movie.com/content/MyFoodLog.htm
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I find that logging is the most efficient way for me to cut. I maintain just fine without logging.
  • TrailBlazerMN
    TrailBlazerMN Posts: 202
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    mumblemagic wrote: »
    TrailBlazerMN wrote: »
    An awesome article by Dani Shugart:

    https://www.t-nation.com/diet-fat-loss/calories-should-you-be-counting

    I would like to see some peer reviewed articles to back up the assertions on this website.

    References are at the bottom of both articles

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