Is calorie counting really a lifetime/long term solution?
Replies
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I've never viewed calorie counting and keeping a diary as a life long solution to anything. It's a means to an end. It's a training/teaching tool. I liken it to training wheels on a bike...eventually, you want to ditch them and just ride.
IMO, thinking that calorie counting is the "lifestyle change" is missing the boat. Developing healthful habits...eating more healthfully...exercising regularly...being more active in general, etc...these are the lifestyle changes and healthful habits that ultimately sustain you long term. Being healthy and fit and at a healthy weight are bi-products of living that kind of lifestyle.
Calorie counting was extremely helpful to me in helping me understand things from an energy standpoint and it helped make me aware of what I needed depending on my goals. It also helped me better understand portion control..and by and large it taught me that it's a whole hell of a lot easier to hit your calorie targets when you're eating a healthy diet and moving.
Basically I took everything I learned calorie counting for 9 months and put it into practice for maintenance. 2 years + later and I"m doing just fine without logging. This doesn't mean I'm not aware...I have a rough tally I keep in my head...I still use my food scale for a lot of things...I cook and or otherwise prepare my meals using primarily whole food ingredients...eating out is an occasional thing...I exercise regularly....outside of my office, I'm as active as possible...etc, etc, etc. These things are the lifestyle changes I made, calorie counting just helped me get there.0 -
TimothyFish wrote: »I don't see calorie counting as a sustainable solution. I think people need to check their weight occasionally (once a week?) and make sure they aren't allowing their weight to creep up. The problem I see with calorie counting is that it causes me to eat more. Granted, there were some days when I wasn't counting that I would eat much more than I should've eaten, but I find that when I reach the end of a day and have calories left over, I go find something to eat. If I weren't counting calories, I would stop eating sooner and that would help make up for those days when I ate too much.
That makes no sense to me. But whatevs.
To put it another way, if I know I have more calories to reach my limit, I'll eat right up to my limit. But otherwise, I wouldn't eat as much right before going to bed and those calories I didn't eat would balance out at another time during the week.0 -
TimothyFish wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »I don't see calorie counting as a sustainable solution. I think people need to check their weight occasionally (once a week?) and make sure they aren't allowing their weight to creep up. The problem I see with calorie counting is that it causes me to eat more. Granted, there were some days when I wasn't counting that I would eat much more than I should've eaten, but I find that when I reach the end of a day and have calories left over, I go find something to eat. If I weren't counting calories, I would stop eating sooner and that would help make up for those days when I ate too much.
That makes no sense to me. But whatevs.
To put it another way, if I know I have more calories to reach my limit, I'll eat right up to my limit. But otherwise, I wouldn't eat as much right before going to bed and those calories I didn't eat would balance out at another time during the week.
Okay then don't eat right up to your limit.0 -
TimothyFish wrote: »beemerphile1 wrote: »Don't confuse calorie counting with calorie/food logging.
One can learn their needs/limits, learn the basic calorie contents of foods, and then keep a loose tally in their head throughout the day. That person is calorie counting but may not be logging.
To me, not calorie counting means that if you weigh and see you're a little heavier than you'd like, you skip desert for a few days. You don't have to know how much you've cut your calories by, because you're just trimming back a little and the scale will tell you if it is working or not. If you're in the habit of eating the amount you should every day anyway, then the amount you need to cut back is likely to be the amount you over ate due to some holiday or some party or not putting in as much exercise as normal.
You know what though, Tim? You're 6'5" tall, and an extra few grams of something here or there isn't going to mess you up too badly.
So for you, naturally, eyeballing things will work.
When you're shorter? Especially when you're really short? If you're off every day by just a few grams when you're dishing up your yogurt, it'll start adding up AND you're already eating a very small amount to begin with. You don't have margins to mess around with bits here and there to eyeball things if your eye is off.
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I presume people are thinking that it's somehow "bad" to be dependent on a tool like calorie counting long term.
But hey, we're all dependent on oxygen to breathe. Do you feel bad for people who can't breathe without air?0 -
mamapeach910 wrote: »You know what though, Tim? You're 6'5" tall, and an extra few grams of something here or there isn't going to mess you up too badly.
So for you, naturally, eyeballing things will work.
When you're shorter? Especially when you're really short? If you're off every day by just a few grams when you're dishing up your yogurt, it'll start adding up AND you're already eating a very small amount to begin with. You don't have margins to mess around with bits here and there to eyeball things if your eye is off.
From a 5'1" woman, this is truth right here.
A 6'5" man can eat entire portions at a restaurant and probably maintain without too much trouble. A 5'1" woman can't.0 -
mamapeach910 wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »beemerphile1 wrote: »Don't confuse calorie counting with calorie/food logging.
One can learn their needs/limits, learn the basic calorie contents of foods, and then keep a loose tally in their head throughout the day. That person is calorie counting but may not be logging.
To me, not calorie counting means that if you weigh and see you're a little heavier than you'd like, you skip desert for a few days. You don't have to know how much you've cut your calories by, because you're just trimming back a little and the scale will tell you if it is working or not. If you're in the habit of eating the amount you should every day anyway, then the amount you need to cut back is likely to be the amount you over ate due to some holiday or some party or not putting in as much exercise as normal.
You know what though, Tim? You're 6'5" tall, and an extra few grams of something here or there isn't going to mess you up too badly.
So for you, naturally, eyeballing things will work.
When you're shorter? Especially when you're really short? If you're off every day by just a few grams when you're dishing up your yogurt, it'll start adding up AND you're already eating a very small amount to begin with. You don't have margins to mess around with bits here and there to eyeball things if your eye is off.
That's the problem - the margin of error for some of is TINY and therefore we must be precise. Yet another reason to feel sorry for us poor short people. If you feel bad enough, I'm starting a Gofundme for a new step stool.0 -
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mamapeach910 wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »beemerphile1 wrote: »Don't confuse calorie counting with calorie/food logging.
One can learn their needs/limits, learn the basic calorie contents of foods, and then keep a loose tally in their head throughout the day. That person is calorie counting but may not be logging.
To me, not calorie counting means that if you weigh and see you're a little heavier than you'd like, you skip desert for a few days. You don't have to know how much you've cut your calories by, because you're just trimming back a little and the scale will tell you if it is working or not. If you're in the habit of eating the amount you should every day anyway, then the amount you need to cut back is likely to be the amount you over ate due to some holiday or some party or not putting in as much exercise as normal.
You know what though, Tim? You're 6'5" tall, and an extra few grams of something here or there isn't going to mess you up too badly.
So for you, naturally, eyeballing things will work.
When you're shorter? Especially when you're really short? If you're off every day by just a few grams when you're dishing up your yogurt, it'll start adding up AND you're already eating a very small amount to begin with. You don't have margins to mess around with bits here and there to eyeball things if your eye is off.
That's the problem - the margin of error for some of is TINY and therefore we must be precise. Yet another reason to feel sorry for us poor short people. If you feel bad enough, I'm starting a Gofundme for a new step stool.
Speaking as a "vertically challenged" woman, I want to get in on this!0 -
mamapeach910 wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »beemerphile1 wrote: »Don't confuse calorie counting with calorie/food logging.
One can learn their needs/limits, learn the basic calorie contents of foods, and then keep a loose tally in their head throughout the day. That person is calorie counting but may not be logging.
To me, not calorie counting means that if you weigh and see you're a little heavier than you'd like, you skip desert for a few days. You don't have to know how much you've cut your calories by, because you're just trimming back a little and the scale will tell you if it is working or not. If you're in the habit of eating the amount you should every day anyway, then the amount you need to cut back is likely to be the amount you over ate due to some holiday or some party or not putting in as much exercise as normal.
You know what though, Tim? You're 6'5" tall, and an extra few grams of something here or there isn't going to mess you up too badly.
So for you, naturally, eyeballing things will work.
When you're shorter? Especially when you're really short? If you're off every day by just a few grams when you're dishing up your yogurt, it'll start adding up AND you're already eating a very small amount to begin with. You don't have margins to mess around with bits here and there to eyeball things if your eye is off.
That's the problem - the margin of error for some of is TINY and therefore we must be precise. Yet another reason to feel sorry for us poor short people. If you feel bad enough, I'm starting a Gofundme for a new step stool.
Speaking as a "vertically challenged" woman, I want to get in on this!
I'm thinking it's going to cost around $5,000.0 -
TimothyFish wrote: »I don't see calorie counting as a sustainable solution. I think people need to check their weight occasionally (once a week?) and make sure they aren't allowing their weight to creep up. The problem I see with calorie counting is that it causes me to eat more. Granted, there were some days when I wasn't counting that I would eat much more than I should've eaten, but I find that when I reach the end of a day and have calories left over, I go find something to eat. If I weren't counting calories, I would stop eating sooner and that would help make up for those days when I ate too much.
That makes no sense to me. But whatevs.
Yeah. "It causes me to" and "I decide to take advantage of it by" are two pretty different things.
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I've only been calorie counting for 7mths, somehow i managed to live through 40 years without putting on weight! So for me it's still new, interesting and exciting lol
Weighing and logging my food takes up so little time and energy, I cant see why i would want to stop.
Maybe my tune will change in another 5 years or so...
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I've lost 70lbs by calorie counting with virtually no exercise. I eat whatever I want, just a lot less than I used to. I've had great success just sticking to my calories and macros without depriving myself of the things I love, like my homemade pizza.
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TimothyFish wrote: »Is it so awful to feel bad for a person who has to count calories forever? I don't see how saying that is insulting.
I don't see anything awful about that at all. I too feel sorry for people who have to count calories forever. For that matter, I feel sorry for people who weight their food. Is that sorrow misplaced? Could be. Some people get pleasure out of journaling and recording everything that happens in their lives. I don't. But saying that I feel sorry for them isn't an insult, it just expresses that I would find it very difficult if I was forced to do the same thing.
Oh for goodness sake, where does this have do do anything come from? Nobody has to do anything. It all comes down to choice. Weighing food and/or logging is a tool, and if a tool is working why get rid of it?
Why do you feel sorry for someone who is choosing to use a different set of tools than you to maintain their goals? I don't understand why it even matters.I'm just trying to figure out how saying "I feel bad that a person has to XYZ" is a bad thing. I'm not trying to be argumentative or contrary. People seem very offended by that phrasing. I recognize that I am not a very emotion-driven person so I'm trying to understand.
I know lots of people who lose weight and maintain without ever literally counting a calorie or weighing food or logging anything, and it does not affect me one way or the other. They simply use a different set of tools than I do.
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TimothyFish wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »I don't see calorie counting as a sustainable solution. I think people need to check their weight occasionally (once a week?) and make sure they aren't allowing their weight to creep up. The problem I see with calorie counting is that it causes me to eat more. Granted, there were some days when I wasn't counting that I would eat much more than I should've eaten, but I find that when I reach the end of a day and have calories left over, I go find something to eat. If I weren't counting calories, I would stop eating sooner and that would help make up for those days when I ate too much.
That makes no sense to me. But whatevs.
To put it another way, if I know I have more calories to reach my limit, I'll eat right up to my limit. But otherwise, I wouldn't eat as much right before going to bed and those calories I didn't eat would balance out at another time during the week.
Eating up to your limit is not over-eating. It is eating up to your limit. That's why there is a limit - to know when to stop. If you don't stop at your limit, it is not the fault of "calorie counting" - it is the fault of YOU. Period.
Many times I eat within 40 or 50 calories of my limit. Sometimes I am 100 or more under...or over. In general, it all averages out to be "right around" my limit. Right now that means I'll be losing weight most weeks. When I'm in maintenance that means I'll be maintaining. Not rocket science here.
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Hi,
I am always so insecure about what method for weight loss I should apply, especially as I have got issues with emotional eating/binge eating. I have tried intuitive eating several times and always failed and also other methods like eating certain foods only or restricting eating to certain times...so far the calorie counting was working best for me. However, I am insecure as many therapists and weight loss experts and also especially the intuitive eating authors and community account calorie counting responsible for most binge eating problems. What do you think and what is your experience? Is calorie counting a lifetime solution? I am almost ready to think so and give it a go (and of course at the meantime try to work on my binge eating as well)....I just need some supporters that can tell me "yes" you can decide for calorie couning and NOT feel deprived but free by doing it and relying on it forever!
Many thanks for your answers,
Tata
Hi Tara! I am a person who has struggled with weight for 42 of my 50 years. I am a mental health therapist with a specialty in eating disorders practice in multiple settings at multiple levels of care. I have also lost 117 lbs in the last 18 months. With that in mind, I will tell you, YES. You will be counting calories and nutrients forever, and YES, you can do it without feeling deprived, but feel free and healthy. You will also always need accountability and support through friends and family. You can do it, sweetheart! Good Luck!!0 -
I don't know whether I will necessarily need to explicitly calorie count for the rest of my life. I'm only 21 so I don't know whether another 60+ years of calorie counting will be doable for me, but for the forseeable future, I think I'll stick with it.
I'd like to think that by the time I choose to stop with explicitly tracking calories, if I ever do, I'll have developed good habits and a better idea of reasonable portion sizes. I'll probably continue to measure out my food - I live alone so the measuring has really helped me avoid tearing through the food I've bought too quickly. As it stands right now, I have a bad habit of making far more food than I necessarily need, so tracking what I eat is showing me that it's perfectly possible for me to eat smaller portions without ending up feeling hungry. Volumetrics has been a big help in this too - I try and choose foods that have a low amount of calories relative to their volume (not weight) and so I can go longer without feeling hungry.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »I've never viewed calorie counting and keeping a diary as a life long solution to anything. It's a means to an end. It's a training/teaching tool. I liken it to training wheels on a bike...eventually, you want to ditch them and just ride.
IMO, thinking that calorie counting is the "lifestyle change" is missing the boat. Developing healthful habits...eating more healthfully...exercising regularly...being more active in general, etc...these are the lifestyle changes and healthful habits that ultimately sustain you long term. Being healthy and fit and at a healthy weight are bi-products of living that kind of lifestyle.
Calorie counting was extremely helpful to me in helping me understand things from an energy standpoint and it helped make me aware of what I needed depending on my goals. It also helped me better understand portion control..and by and large it taught me that it's a whole hell of a lot easier to hit your calorie targets when you're eating a healthy diet and moving.
Basically I took everything I learned calorie counting for 9 months and put it into practice for maintenance. 2 years + later and I"m doing just fine without logging. This doesn't mean I'm not aware...I have a rough tally I keep in my head...I still use my food scale for a lot of things...I cook and or otherwise prepare my meals using primarily whole food ingredients...eating out is an occasional thing...I exercise regularly....outside of my office, I'm as active as possible...etc, etc, etc. These things are the lifestyle changes I made, calorie counting just helped me get there.
Tracking calories is one of the tools I use to keep me successful at maintenance, just like my daily weigh-ins and the IF protocol I follow. For me-the 'lifestyle change' is now knowing what tools I have available to me, and using them to keep my weight where I want it to be 0 -
About 10 minutes if it's a new recipe. 30 seconds if it's something I already made before. Small price to pay as most waste way more time than that online doing other crap.0 -
I'm guessing I spend 10 minutes or less logging most days. I eat the same things a lot so I just copy over meals and adjust any measurement differences.0
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TimothyFish wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »I don't see calorie counting as a sustainable solution. I think people need to check their weight occasionally (once a week?) and make sure they aren't allowing their weight to creep up. The problem I see with calorie counting is that it causes me to eat more. Granted, there were some days when I wasn't counting that I would eat much more than I should've eaten, but I find that when I reach the end of a day and have calories left over, I go find something to eat. If I weren't counting calories, I would stop eating sooner and that would help make up for those days when I ate too much.
That makes no sense to me. But whatevs.
To put it another way, if I know I have more calories to reach my limit, I'll eat right up to my limit. But otherwise, I wouldn't eat as much right before going to bed and those calories I didn't eat would balance out at another time during the week.
Eating up to your limit is not over-eating. It is eating up to your limit. That's why there is a limit - to know when to stop. If you don't stop at your limit, it is not the fault of "calorie counting" - it is the fault of YOU. Period.
Many times I eat within 40 or 50 calories of my limit. Sometimes I am 100 or more under...or over. In general, it all averages out to be "right around" my limit. Right now that means I'll be losing weight most weeks. When I'm in maintenance that means I'll be maintaining. Not rocket science here.
My point is that if my limit is my maintenance, then if I eat up to my limit on one day and then go past my limit on another day then I'm overeating. But if I hadn't been thinking about how many calories I had left in the day, I would've stopped eating sooner on one day and then the day when I ate over my maintenance wouldn't be a problem. For me, looking at that limit causes me to eat up to the limit. If that isn't true for you, great. I'm just explaining why there is a better way than being focused on how many calories we should be eating.0 -
Well let's see..I am on year..about 17 counting calories... I have had some short breaks, but always have had to come back to it. It baffles my friends that I can eat donuts or candy bars and still maintain good weight (yes I eat healthier choices as well). Counting does work for the long haul... though it is a bit tedious at times. My only hiccup is that I am always wanting just a bit more from the apps I use to track. MFP is by far my favorite though 0
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mamapeach910 wrote: »TimothyFish wrote: »beemerphile1 wrote: »Don't confuse calorie counting with calorie/food logging.
One can learn their needs/limits, learn the basic calorie contents of foods, and then keep a loose tally in their head throughout the day. That person is calorie counting but may not be logging.
To me, not calorie counting means that if you weigh and see you're a little heavier than you'd like, you skip desert for a few days. You don't have to know how much you've cut your calories by, because you're just trimming back a little and the scale will tell you if it is working or not. If you're in the habit of eating the amount you should every day anyway, then the amount you need to cut back is likely to be the amount you over ate due to some holiday or some party or not putting in as much exercise as normal.
You know what though, Tim? You're 6'5" tall, and an extra few grams of something here or there isn't going to mess you up too badly.
So for you, naturally, eyeballing things will work.
When you're shorter? Especially when you're really short? If you're off every day by just a few grams when you're dishing up your yogurt, it'll start adding up AND you're already eating a very small amount to begin with. You don't have margins to mess around with bits here and there to eyeball things if your eye is off.
That doesn't make sense. While tall people carry their weight better than short people, it takes the same number of calories for a tall person to gain or lose weight as it does a short person. Consider, if a tall person skips working out one day, they have to eat less by hundreds more calories than a short person has to in order to keep from going over the limit. The one advantage that tall people have is that portion sizes in restaurants are better matched to tall people than to short people. I could eat a Big Mac and fries three meals a day and not gain weight, but if I ate more than that, I would gain just as much weight as a short person who overate by the same amount.0 -
The only way it makes sense is in terms of ratios. A 240 pound man's gaining a pound can be seen as different from a 100 pound woman's gaining a pound.
But, yeah, those few extra grams of yogurt add up to pounds just as quickly for a large man as a small woman.0 -
It baffles my friends that I can eat donuts or candy bars and still maintain good weight (yes I eat healthier choices as well). Counting does work for the long haul... though it is a bit tedious at times.
My philosophy for my weight loss (31 pounds since mid-Jan) is everything in moderation. I log practically everything that crosses my lips, including the occasional cupcake or dessert. Heck, I *still* have Oreos with my lunch every day, but only one serving. As long as I'm below my goal caloric intake for the day, I'm happy...0 -
I used my fitness pal to count calories and nutrition and lost what I wanted to: 17 lbs. I stopped using the program unless my weight crept up (I weighed myself every morning). Then I would use the program aiming at 1400 calories until I was back to my goal weight. BUT Then the batteries wore out on my scale........... So now I'm back on my fitness and need to lose 12 lbs to get back to where I was. SIGH Good news is that in 2.5 weeks I've lost 5 lbs. YEAH!!!0
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I want in on that step stool GoFundMe!
As for the margin of error issue, well.. someone who is six inches taller than I am has a <25 BMI at 34 pound more than my frame will carry. The BMR for x+34 v. x 1422, to my 1,173. That's a pretty significant margin, just for BMR. Sure, the same number of excess calories adds up to a weight gain, but with an added burn rate of 250 calories per day, a woman 6 inches taller than I am has a margin of error equal to almost 20% my intake.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »The only way it makes sense is in terms of ratios. A 240 pound man's gaining a pound can be seen as different from a 100 pound woman's gaining a pound.
But, yeah, those few extra grams of yogurt add up to pounds just as quickly for a large man as a small woman.
What's the TDEE for a 6'5" man?
What's the TDEE for a 5'1" woman?
Do you mean to tell me that a few grams of yogurt will have the same impact on both of their intakes? Proportionally? Absolutely not. When you're talking someone who has 2200 calories for maintenance vs. someone who has 1350, that's a major difference.
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