What are your feelings on calorie counting?
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I love it too. Started MFP 3 years ago, and I'm still close to 80 pounds under my starting weight. Coming from someone who loves food and has a crazy sweet tooth, that's saying a lot, I think.0
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I like it because there's only one rule, which is super easy.0
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Eating fewer calories than you burn is literally the only way to lose weight. Every so-called diet out there works by this principle, whether it will admit it or not. So why not cut out the middle man and just do what works?0
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I don't like it, but I'm lazy. I also don't like scrubbing toilets or taking a bath on lazy Sundays, but I'm an adult and sometimes the adulting has to happen. Calorie counting is part of that. Not counting certainly wasn't going well for me.
Seriously, my protein number is the #1 driver and second is carbs. Calories kind of take care of themselves.0 -
I count to an extent, but I try to focus on my Macros more instead - I feel those are an important aspect.0
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shadows2424 wrote: »I like it. To me its simple, relatively quick and keeps me accountable. I know theres a lot of debate about it where some hate it and feel its over complicating what should be a simple thing, eat less lose weight, while others feel its the only real way to be accurate. How do you feel about it?
It works for me.0 -
frankiesgirlie wrote: »For me MFP has demystified weight loss. It not any magic pill, or special combination of foods, or cutting out any certain food, or ancient Chinese secret tea. It is quite simply calories in vs calories out. The only thing to figure out is how to structure your allotted calories in a way you can live with forever.
Also, this.^^^0 -
my feelings are that it was a good teaching tool but i liken it to training wheels on a bike...good for learning, but ultimately, you take them off and just ride. i'm going on 3 years of maintenance without logging a thing.0
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I lost 90lbs calorie counting but i also chose more healthy foods than to simply say "X items fit under 1800 calories so i can eat it".0
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I love it because it's kind of like a game or a puzzle. Except for one thing. Eating out makes me CrAzY. Trying to guess all the ingredients to break down the meal into its individual components and then guessing as to the weight and the amount of oil, etc is a bit of a project. But it's worth it. I am meticulous on the days that I have control over everything and I play it very safe and always err on the side of overestimating on days I eat out. I also watch macros, so that adds to the fun on those days...0
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I had never really dieted before finding MFP, so I don't have any other basis for comparison, but for me, calorie counting is a simple and sustainable way to achieve and maintain my goals. Once I lurked on the forums and understood about TDEE and CICO, it was fairly simple to set reasonable goals that enabled me to lose weight without feeling deprived. Once I got a FitBit, I realized I was burning far more than MFP estimated for a 5'2 female over 40 with a desk job. I lost my weight with a net calorie goal of 1500 and then 1700 cals, and am currently maintaining my loss for about a year eating 2200 or so cals/day. I've logged in every day since I started (>1000 days) and logged almost every single meal I've eaten.
If I didn't use the numbers provided by MFP and my FitBit and instead tried to just eliminate certain foods or food groups, probably would have found that far too restrictive and would have given up long ago.
So yes, I am a calorie counting advocate.0 -
Works for me. Counting calories is why I have lost almost 130 lb and counting macros is why I have sustained my weight loss efforts and have continued to be healthy in the process.0
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It works.
Lost over 1/2 of my body weight, and have been sustaining my loss for a little over 2 years.
MFP and my fit bit are the two best tools I have for achieving and maintaining my loss.0 -
I think i like counting calories. I'm just getting started- what are macros ?0
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Calorie counting only teaches the counter to have a relationship with food on a basis of calorie intake. Meaning, they'd opt for unhealthy choices with low calories instead of healthy choices that will essentially fill them up longer. When I counted calories, I would consume the same old crap that made me gain weight in the first place. Junk food almost ALWAYS has one serving to be an okay amount of calories, but the serving does nothing nutritional in the body, and then you want more...cause you're still hungry. I think calorie counting should ONLY come after the person knows about nutrition. And, I honestly don't care about the "ALL IT IS IS CICO, NOTHING ELSE" people, because lets face it...a body full of nutrition works with you, and your weight loss. A body full of crap, works against you, and your weight loss. So, yes, calorie counting is beneficial when used with nutritious foods. But sites like MFP are taking advantage of the user by saying "eat anything, as long as it's in your calorie range, you'll lose weight." Except when the user pigs out on 500 calories worth of junk, feels hungry for the rest of the day, continues to pig out, and goes way over calorie goal. Then what? "I'll shrug it off and start again tomorrow...and again the next day...and so on." I only use MFP to read community posts, and log my weight. I'm losing weight MUCH faster than I ever did about obsessing over calories, and just eating healthier.0
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For the past 8 or so years I have always eaten pretty healthily (with the occasional candy/chips...), but before joining MFP I had absolutely no idea about appropriate portion sizes. Or the calorie needs of someone my height/weight and lifestyle... I wish more people knew how easy it is actually getting all this knowledge and making goals and meal plans for yourself, all by yourself.0
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whaddupw8loss wrote: »Calorie counting only teaches the counter to have a relationship with food on a basis of calorie intake. Meaning, they'd opt for unhealthy choices with low calories instead of healthy choices that will essentially fill them up longer. When I counted calories, I would consume the same old crap that made me gain weight in the first place. Junk food almost ALWAYS has one serving to be an okay amount of calories, but the serving does nothing nutritional in the body, and then you want more...cause you're still hungry. I think calorie counting should ONLY come after the person knows about nutrition. And, I honestly don't care about the "ALL IT IS IS CICO, NOTHING ELSE" people, because lets face it...a body full of nutrition works with you, and your weight loss. A body full of crap, works against you, and your weight loss. So, yes, calorie counting is beneficial when used with nutritious foods. But sites like MFP are taking advantage of the user by saying "eat anything, as long as it's in your calorie range, you'll lose weight." Except when the user pigs out on 500 calories worth of junk, feels hungry for the rest of the day, continues to pig out, and goes way over calorie goal. Then what? "I'll shrug it off and start again tomorrow...and again the next day...and so on." I only use MFP to read community posts, and log my weight. I'm losing weight MUCH faster than I ever did about obsessing over calories, and just eating healthier.
Maybe I'm not totally clueless about nutrition but it didn't take long to notice that if I ate too much junk, I was hungry, but if I had more meat and veggies, I wasn't hungry as much. Or do people REALLY not know that fruit, veggies, and meat are more filling than junk food? I seriously have a hard time believing that. My take is more that people are hoping that MFP will be a miracle solution where they don't have to change their bad diet to lose weight, but when they find out that it's not the case, they're not really willing to make the change, so they blame it on the system, when it's really just excuses and their own fault - we're in 2015 and it takes 2 minutes to google 'filling low calorie foods'.
It doesn't mean you can't lose weight by making better choices overall, but for some people, like me, just making better choices is not a long term solution (I've tried it, lost 30 pounds, gained it all back in 6 months because I was too deprived - with MFP I can fit treats without feeling deprived while still making better choices 80% of the time).
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I think i like counting calories. I'm just getting started- what are macros ?
"Macros" are the macronutrients: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Finding the right balance for you is helpful to maintain lean body mass, fuel your daily life, feel satiated, let your body processes work at their best, etc. Different people are happiest with different mixes: high carb, low carb, high fat, high protein, moderate everything, whatever. It does not matter for weight loss, only eating fewer calories than you burn matters for weight loss, but finding the right macro mix for you can make you feel better while losing.
"Micros" are micronutrients like vitamins, minerals, fiber, etc. and getting a good balance of these also can keep you healthy.0 -
whaddupw8loss wrote: »Calorie counting only teaches the counter to have a relationship with food on a basis of calorie intake. Meaning, they'd opt for unhealthy choices with low calories instead of healthy choices that will essentially fill them up longer. When I counted calories, I would consume the same old crap that made me gain weight in the first place. Junk food almost ALWAYS has one serving to be an okay amount of calories, but the serving does nothing nutritional in the body, and then you want more...cause you're still hungry. I think calorie counting should ONLY come after the person knows about nutrition. And, I honestly don't care about the "ALL IT IS IS CICO, NOTHING ELSE" people, because lets face it...a body full of nutrition works with you, and your weight loss. A body full of crap, works against you, and your weight loss. So, yes, calorie counting is beneficial when used with nutritious foods. But sites like MFP are taking advantage of the user by saying "eat anything, as long as it's in your calorie range, you'll lose weight." Except when the user pigs out on 500 calories worth of junk, feels hungry for the rest of the day, continues to pig out, and goes way over calorie goal. Then what? "I'll shrug it off and start again tomorrow...and again the next day...and so on." I only use MFP to read community posts, and log my weight. I'm losing weight MUCH faster than I ever did about obsessing over calories, and just eating healthier.
I disagree...calorie counting taught me a lot about basic nutrition and how to get proper nutrition and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
People will get out of it what they put into it just like anything else. Making blanket statements like you did is why we just can't have nice things...0
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