Anyone else who doesn't count calories?
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SharonCMach wrote: »I don't track or count calories, I eat real food so I don't have to. It's been working out great so far.
Yeah, I got fat on "real food", 100% home made from scratch.0 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »I only logged when I was losing my initial weight...I always viewed it somewhat akin to training wheels on a bike. It was a great learning tool, but eventually you just want to ride.
I have since maintained and done a deliberate bulk without logging and am currently cutting without logging.ibamosaserreinas wrote: »I am honestly curious about why you would bother with MFP if you weren't tracking? Is it just for the forums or articles? I guess the weight graph tracker?
1 - I have been very successful...just because I no longer log doesn't mean I can't be of assistance to others
2 - yes...the forums are fairly entertaining
3 - it keeps me involved in the world of fitness and nutrition at large
4 - I've been here going on 3 years and have quite a few fitness centric friends...when you're into fitness and nutrition, it's nice to have others to converse with as I only have a handful of individuals in my "real world" to do that with.
This is true for me as well. I do not count calories and don't log meals either, but having MFP was helpful. Found a lot of info here, motivational stories to keep me going when I feel low, so as long as I am mindful at what I eat and try to keep the habit of exercising, I'm doing okay.0 -
Trying a week of not logging because it's starting to get on my nerves. Hopefully I can monitor it over a month or so and if my weight remains stable I'll give it up for good.0
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on a calorie counting website... asking who counts calories.
<scratches head>0 -
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I have not tracked consistently (other then adding protein in my head to make sure I get a minimum) for about a year now IIRC. I have been maintaining my weight within a 5lb range during that time.
I just try to focus on protein heavy meals/snacks and be mindful of what I am eating.0 -
I don't either. I quit a while ago and have maintained. If I start gaining weight I'll start counting again. But I don't want to count for the rest of my life so i'm trying to give it a go by just attempting to do portion control and be smart about what i'm eating and how much of it I am. But calorie counting was vital to my success in losing weight and i'd do it again in a heart beat if I started gaining. But I admit, it did make me a little neurotic and obsessive.0
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
it's an odd question to ask on a counting calorie site- you knew what I meant.
And I get there there are people on here who don't. But you have to admit to come on here asking who doesn't is kind of weird.0 -
I did mainly to see what I was (or in my case, wasn't) eating. It can help you if you are over eating (and under eating--that's what I was doing). It's also a great tool to see where your calories are coming from (protein, carbs, fat, sugar, etc.)--which is what I use it for. It is also a good tool to help you manage your macros and make any needed changes to what (and how much) you are eating. I even had a night of eating cake and a (real) Coke and still lost what I wanted to lose.0
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For me counting calories is really boring and it makes it feel like I'd be on a permanent diet all my life. I just eat whenever I'm hungry, but the key for me was to eat until I feel satisfied and not until I felt full. I'm not afraid to waste part of a meal If I feel that my body is satisfied with what it already got
I also weigh myself everyday to keep on top of things. So far I've stayed in my ideal weight range for months doing what I'm doing.
Your way is my way of weighting. Counting is required so we know what we eat but I tend to have very few food choices since I eat the same thing over and over so I generally know my calories. When I pick up a new to me food I do check out the label. I mentally track my carbs mainly and protein to a lesser extent. Also I walk a min of a 1/4 mile daily but do not track my daily calories from work activities. I have stopped eating by the clock but eat until I a full when hungry.
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SharonCMach wrote: »I don't track or count calories, I eat real food so I don't have to. It's been working out great so far.
@SharonCMach Couple questions and comments for you…
1) What is 'real food'?
2) Since when does 'real food' not have any calories?
3) You can gain weight eating ANY food if you are eating above maintenance.
4) Fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and grains are all 'real foods' and one can most certainly gain weight eating any of them in excess; in fact, as easy as one can gain weight when eating Poptarts in excess, *gasp*. Calories don't magically disappear because food is "unprocessed" or "whole."0 -
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
it's an odd question to ask on a counting calorie site- you knew what I meant.
And I get there there are people on here who don't. But you have to admit to come on here asking who doesn't is kind of weird.
Weird? I don't know. I think that people have questions they would like to ask of others that don't weigh/measure/track and how they stay within a calorie goal and keep losing or maintaining weight.
Sidesteel started a thread with some really good tips for those that for whatever reason find that calorie counting is not working for them. I picked a few things that I will use as I transition over to not weighing or measuring everything that goes in my mouth.
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
it's an odd question to ask on a counting calorie site- you knew what I meant.
And I get there there are people on here who don't. But you have to admit to come on here asking who doesn't is kind of weird.
Weird? I don't know. I think that people have questions they would like to ask of others that don't weigh/measure/track and how they stay within a calorie goal and keep losing or maintaining weight.
yes it is weird to come to a calorie counting site seeking advise on how to not count calories and maintain. Yes it is weird.
All the people who don't track on a calorie counting site, if you've never tracked...why are you here?
For recipies? nutritional advise? training? community?
here are some places to visit. Or stay here where we are tracking calories...
runners world,
bodybuilding
muscle and fitness,
low carb life
keto your world
go to those websites.
someone asking on bodybuilding.com if you can get massive doing only body weight and they don't like lifting and don't want to do it for whatever reason would be negged and run off the boards on a rail for trolling.
Those who say its obsessive or too hard or they are dieting forever...might possibly be doing it wrong.
So yes it is a Odd and Weird question to ask on a calorie tracking site. But there are always some strange birds that will find a way to flock together. maybe there should be a tab here just for this group...People who visit MPF but don't track and we can wander in and marvel at the collective weirdness.
/rant
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sarahlifts wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
it's an odd question to ask on a counting calorie site- you knew what I meant.
And I get there there are people on here who don't. But you have to admit to come on here asking who doesn't is kind of weird.
Weird? I don't know. I think that people have questions they would like to ask of others that don't weigh/measure/track and how they stay within a calorie goal and keep losing or maintaining weight.
yes it is weird to come to a calorie counting site seeking advise on how to not count calories and maintain. Yes it is weird.
All the people who don't track on a calorie counting site, if you've never tracked...why are you here?
For recipies? nutritional advise? training? community?
here are some places to visit. Or stay here where we are tracking calories...
runners world,
bodybuilding
muscle and fitness,
low carb life
keto your world
go to those websites.
someone asking on bodybuilding.com if you can get massive doing only body weight and they don't like lifting and don't want to do it for whatever reason would be negged and run off the boards on a rail for trolling.
Those who say its obsessive or too hard or they are dieting forever...might possibly be doing it wrong.
So yes it is a Odd and Weird question to ask on a calorie tracking site. But there are always some strange birds that will find a way to flock together. maybe there should be a tab here just for this group...People who visit MPF but don't track and we can wander in and marvel at the collective weirdness.
/rant
I dunno. There are 2 on this page alone that the consensus would say have absolutely figured this game out, and no longer NEED to count. And suggesting that they, and their fantastic knowledge and experience, would be better suited at other sites would be detrimental to the quality of guidance provided here.0 -
mantium999 wrote: »sarahlifts wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
it's an odd question to ask on a counting calorie site- you knew what I meant.
And I get there there are people on here who don't. But you have to admit to come on here asking who doesn't is kind of weird.
Weird? I don't know. I think that people have questions they would like to ask of others that don't weigh/measure/track and how they stay within a calorie goal and keep losing or maintaining weight.
yes it is weird to come to a calorie counting site seeking advise on how to not count calories and maintain. Yes it is weird.
All the people who don't track on a calorie counting site, if you've never tracked...why are you here?
For recipies? nutritional advise? training? community?
here are some places to visit. Or stay here where we are tracking calories...
runners world,
bodybuilding
muscle and fitness,
low carb life
keto your world
go to those websites.
someone asking on bodybuilding.com if you can get massive doing only body weight and they don't like lifting and don't want to do it for whatever reason would be negged and run off the boards on a rail for trolling.
Those who say its obsessive or too hard or they are dieting forever...might possibly be doing it wrong.
So yes it is a Odd and Weird question to ask on a calorie tracking site. But there are always some strange birds that will find a way to flock together. maybe there should be a tab here just for this group...People who visit MPF but don't track and we can wander in and marvel at the collective weirdness.
/rant
I dunno. There are 2 on this page alone that the consensus would say have absolutely figured this game out, and no longer NEED to count. And suggesting that they, and their fantastic knowledge and experience, would be better suited at other sites would be detrimental to the quality of guidance provided here.
Agreed! This place would be a sadder place without their kind of knowledge.
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sarahlifts wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
it's an odd question to ask on a counting calorie site- you knew what I meant.
And I get there there are people on here who don't. But you have to admit to come on here asking who doesn't is kind of weird.
Weird? I don't know. I think that people have questions they would like to ask of others that don't weigh/measure/track and how they stay within a calorie goal and keep losing or maintaining weight.
yes it is weird to come to a calorie counting site seeking advise on how to not count calories and maintain. Yes it is weird.
All the people who don't track on a calorie counting site, if you've never tracked...why are you here?
For recipies? nutritional advise? training? community?
here are some places to visit. Or stay here where we are tracking calories...
runners world,
bodybuilding
muscle and fitness,
low carb life
keto your world
go to those websites.
someone asking on bodybuilding.com if you can get massive doing only body weight and they don't like lifting and don't want to do it for whatever reason would be negged and run off the boards on a rail for trolling.
Those who say its obsessive or too hard or they are dieting forever...might possibly be doing it wrong.
So yes it is a Odd and Weird question to ask on a calorie tracking site. But there are always some strange birds that will find a way to flock together. maybe there should be a tab here just for this group...People who visit MPF but don't track and we can wander in and marvel at the collective weirdness.
/rant
I used to track. I currently do not need to/want to. I may track again at some point for a period when I have to cut down to my weight class. There is much more to this site than calorie counting - you are on one of them now...the forums.
I have no need, nor desire to go to those websites, other than for a possible article or two that I stumble across via FB or google-fu.
Re your comment "Those who say its obsessive or too hard or they are dieting forever...might possibly be doing it wrong." - or.....maybe, we are just doing it right as it applies to us.
I find your last paragraph myopic and really rather silly.0 -
sarahlifts wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
it's an odd question to ask on a counting calorie site- you knew what I meant.
And I get there there are people on here who don't. But you have to admit to come on here asking who doesn't is kind of weird.
Weird? I don't know. I think that people have questions they would like to ask of others that don't weigh/measure/track and how they stay within a calorie goal and keep losing or maintaining weight.
yes it is weird to come to a calorie counting site seeking advise on how to not count calories and maintain. Yes it is weird.
All the people who don't track on a calorie counting site, if you've never tracked...why are you here?
You are making an assumption when you say "never tracked". I used to track diligently and I learned a lot from it. I also learned that I greatly dislike it for myself.
I'm here because I like discussion. Most (not all) of my clients track their intake and I monitor their intake and provide calorie and macronutrient adjustments to that as part of my job.
here are some places to visit. Or stay here where we are tracking calories...
runners world,
bodybuilding
muscle and fitness,
low carb life
keto your world
go to those websites.
No thank you. Although I used to hang around bodybuilding.com quite a bit. It's been a while.
someone asking on bodybuilding.com if you can get massive doing only body weight and they don't like lifting and don't want to do it for whatever reason would be negged and run off the boards on a rail for trolling.
That probably depends on the sub forum they are in and how they present their position on things.
Those who say its obsessive or too hard or they are dieting forever...might possibly be doing it wrong.
I assure you that I know a great deal about properly tracking calorie and macronutrient intake and I also assure you that there are people who just don't adhere well to tracking intake and there are also people who develop a poor relationship with food when they track for long term.
To be very clear here, I'm not suggesting that it's bad for everyone to track. Far from it. It's a great method for many people. It's just not a great method for ALL people.
So yes it is a Odd and Weird question to ask on a calorie tracking site. But there are always some strange birds that will find a way to flock together. maybe there should be a tab here just for this group...People who visit MPF but don't track and we can wander in and marvel at the collective weirdness.
/rant
I find your rant ridiculous.0 -
sarahlifts wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
it's an odd question to ask on a counting calorie site- you knew what I meant.
And I get there there are people on here who don't. But you have to admit to come on here asking who doesn't is kind of weird.
Weird? I don't know. I think that people have questions they would like to ask of others that don't weigh/measure/track and how they stay within a calorie goal and keep losing or maintaining weight.
yes it is weird to come to a calorie counting site seeking advise on how to not count calories and maintain. Yes it is weird.
All the people who don't track on a calorie counting site, if you've never tracked...why are you here?
For recipies? nutritional advise? training? community?
here are some places to visit. Or stay here where we are tracking calories...
runners world,
bodybuilding
muscle and fitness,
low carb life
keto your world
go to those websites.
someone asking on bodybuilding.com if you can get massive doing only body weight and they don't like lifting and don't want to do it for whatever reason would be negged and run off the boards on a rail for trolling.
Those who say its obsessive or too hard or they are dieting forever...might possibly be doing it wrong.
So yes it is a Odd and Weird question to ask on a calorie tracking site. But there are always some strange birds that will find a way to flock together. maybe there should be a tab here just for this group...People who visit MPF but don't track and we can wander in and marvel at the collective weirdness.
/rant
In response to your rant to me...
I did...have...and still do track. At this point I am using this site to help me transition to not tracking every little morsel that goes in my mouth.
I started to do a rant but decided...I will leave it at my above statement.
One question though...if you think it is so weird then why respond to a thread where some asked about "not counting"?
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You know what? I was hungry. Never mind.0
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sarahlifts wrote: »Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
it's an odd question to ask on a counting calorie site- you knew what I meant.
And I get there there are people on here who don't. But you have to admit to come on here asking who doesn't is kind of weird.
Weird? I don't know. I think that people have questions they would like to ask of others that don't weigh/measure/track and how they stay within a calorie goal and keep losing or maintaining weight.
yes it is weird to come to a calorie counting site seeking advise on how to not count calories and maintain. Yes it is weird.
All the people who don't track on a calorie counting site, if you've never tracked...why are you here?
For recipies? nutritional advise? training? community?
here are some places to visit. Or stay here where we are tracking calories...
runners world,
bodybuilding
muscle and fitness,
low carb life
keto your world
go to those websites.
someone asking on bodybuilding.com if you can get massive doing only body weight and they don't like lifting and don't want to do it for whatever reason would be negged and run off the boards on a rail for trolling.
Those who say its obsessive or too hard or they are dieting forever...might possibly be doing it wrong.
So yes it is a Odd and Weird question to ask on a calorie tracking site. But there are always some strange birds that will find a way to flock together. maybe there should be a tab here just for this group...People who visit MPF but don't track and we can wander in and marvel at the collective weirdness.
/rant
I don't know...that last paragraph bothers me.
I am going to try really hard not to turn this in to a rant.
I tracked for a year...lost 80lbs. Woke up one morning and realized that I had let it consume me. Threw in the towel and gained 40lbs back. I know that if I don't find another way to lose the weight the same thing will happen again.
This time around I am taking a more relaxed approach.
I still calculate calories and servings for my recipes so that I have an idea how many calories I am eating.
I have started not weight low calorie foods or foods that I eat quite often but I do log an estimate so that I can make sure that I am eating balanced meals.
I also read quite a bit about the fitness aspect. Fitness isn't derived from ONLY counting and tracking. I was totally new to exercise and resistance training when I came here.
If you find me a strange bird...well...doesn't really affect my life. If you want to wander in and marvel at my weirdness...let me know ahead of time...I'll save you a place in line.
We are not all alike...I am grateful for that...it makes life so much more interesting.
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Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »
it's an odd question to ask on a counting calorie site- you knew what I meant.
And I get there there are people on here who don't. But you have to admit to come on here asking who doesn't is kind of weird.
Not really. People come to this site for other reasons, myself included since I don't count calories either. This is also a fitness and nutritional site as well so I come here to keep current on the latest workouts and learn about new foods.0 -
Different things work for different people, if you do a little home work up front logging really isn't necessary. I've always been a mass monster maintaining my weight in the 230-240 range while keeping my body fat under 20% so not as tight a line to walk as some. I'm currently dropping down to 190-200 so I'm logging until I get use to eating like a bird, lol.0
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A huge part of what I like to call my 'rehabilitation' on mfp was getting back to not counting calories while maintaining my weight. I don't post on my wall because i don't want to derail 'friends who are counting but this is a forum and no one should bully others who post about not counting calories on a calorie counting site. Mfp can't be your strategy forever. You must have a plan to eat within your limits consistently. Mfp can keep you on the weight loss/regain ladder if you don't watch it. Either way I am happy to see that others have graduated to not counting calories because obviously not focusing on diet and food everyday has to be apart of the end goal for most of us I assume.0
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I track but I'm not super accurate. I actually over estimate most my meals to be on the safe side. I have still lost over 15 pounds the last 42 days, and believe me, I do not eat only 1200 calories a day. lol
I do however excersise allot and I walk everywhere ( live in the city of Chicago ).0 -
I don't track calories. My husband is the cook here, and he cooks by improvisation and taste. I don't feel I can ask him to totally change the way he works in the kitchen.
Sometimes I will enter in simple meals that I make that are easily tracked. But I don't like guessing our home cooked meals because wild estimation annoys me more than a blank diary.
I track my exercise here.
If I needed to lose weight, I doubt this would work, but I hover within a few pounds of my ideal (115 lbs, almost 5'4" female).0 -
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