Is Calorie Counting worth it?

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ssgardner51
ssgardner51 Posts: 1 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I'm trying to keep it under 1200 a day, but I've found if I eat a little something every 2.5 hours I don't have that 'I'm starving' feeling at dinner. How bout anybody else?

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  • LninYoDA1htownG
    LninYoDA1htownG Posts: 75 Member
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    I like not counting cuz I make sure every thing I put in me is low calorie if I'm counting and I have calories left then might as well have a bag o chips instead if fat burning super food but the people on here motivate me to stick to it
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    IS calorie counting worth it? Yes, absolutely. It's free and it works.

    Meal timing is personal preference. If that means eating every 2 1/2 hours for you, then by all means.

    Also, try to meet your 1200 calorie goal, not stay under. There's a reason it's a minimum. If you exercise, remember to eat at least a portion of those calories back as well.
  • bubbajoe1066
    bubbajoe1066 Posts: 95 Member
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    I'm counting every single bite.... pain in the hind end but its worth it... i keep under my daily calorie count and work off a few more by walking...so far i've lost 10 lbs in 2 weeks time..i think its worth counting
  • Rdsgoal16
    Rdsgoal16 Posts: 302 Member
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    yes, it is the key. I for one was amazed at some of my favorite foods calorie counts.
  • _runnerbean_
    _runnerbean_ Posts: 640 Member
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    It's definitely worth doing, even just for a few days. It helps you see which choices are healthy/unhealthy and where bad habits creep in. For me it's the number of snacks- those 100 calorie snacks do add up when you have 4 in a day!
  • schughes48
    schughes48 Posts: 112 Member
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    I think it's worth it. Sometimes I may miss a few calories here and there, but I hope I hope I burn them after a good workout.
  • Squatch3099
    Squatch3099 Posts: 87 Member
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    I say yes. I've been back and forth trying to just cut portion size but I find that I am not accurate on my calories unless I measure and weigh. It takes some getting used to and I found myself getting impatient when measuring stuff. Now I know most things by heart! I'm a walking calorie counter!
  • TaraTall
    TaraTall Posts: 339 Member
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    I think for MOST people, it certainly is. It helps with accountability and it shows you what you're actually consuming.
    That being said, it's not something EVERYONE needs.

    If you struggle with weight loss and dieting, I'd suggest it.
  • Escloflowne
    Escloflowne Posts: 2,038 Member
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    ssgardner51 wrote: »
    I'm trying to keep it under 1200 a day, but I've found if I eat a little something every 2.5 hours I don't have that 'I'm starving' feeling at dinner. How bout anybody else?


    Hmm I wonder why you're hungry....
  • Bonny132
    Bonny132 Posts: 3,617 Member
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    Is it worth it? Yes it is.
    But CICO is not everything, learning about nutrition and about how your body works will teach you how to keep fuller for longer, to stop the cravings and make better choices, whilst still be able to indulge in your favorite treats.
    What works for one person is not necessarily the answer to the next, listen to what your body tells you as well as following CICO and you'll do this.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Ninkyou wrote: »
    IS calorie counting worth it? Yes, absolutely. It's free and it works.

    Meal timing is personal preference. If that means eating every 2 1/2 hours for you, then by all means.

    Also, try to meet your 1200 calorie goal, not stay under. There's a reason it's a minimum. If you exercise, remember to eat at least a portion of those calories back as well.

    This^

    I have a fairly low goal too (54 YO) - I try to meet my calorie goal (make good choices) and exercise a little each day.

    Absolutely calorie counting is worth it. I'm overweight because my portions are too big, and mindless snacking. How else will I learn true portions, if I don't log. I can still have snacks, but calorie counting shows me the price.
  • XxJudge
    XxJudge Posts: 3 Member
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    I am now because I haven't tracked myself for a while and I started to overeat. So I am doing it more as an experiment to see what a normal day of calories looks like to maintain my weight. I also eat a highfat/lowcarb diet during the day so I don't really get hungry. I could go into 2pm without a meal and not get hungry. I've learned to fat adapt my body and learned to get into ketosis so sometimes I'll eat 2100 calories once I get home from work after not eating at work. Just depends on what I'm in the mood for. However my normal routine is late breakfast, early lunch, early dinner and late-night snack.
  • nm2bsc
    nm2bsc Posts: 111 Member
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    Its as useful as a vehicle gas tank gauge. Without it you'd be underestimating or overestimating how much fuel you need.
    You'd be running out of gas sometimes but most of the time you'd be getting more than you need and having to store it (fat reserves for body energy)
  • starryphoenix
    starryphoenix Posts: 381 Member
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    I eat 1500 calories and burn off 300 to make my net 1200 as many days as I can. You just have to find your balance. This is my balance, it works for me. Sometimes I burn more, it depends on how energetic I'm feeling. Sometimes when I end up having too many calories left over in the evening and I treat myself to a grilled cheese. It works for me.

    Calorie counting keeps me in check. If you look at my weight chart you'll see that I tend to get reckless when I stop logging everything. I'm dropping again now that I am logging again.
  • shadowconn
    shadowconn Posts: 141 Member
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    I have to. I have no idea how much I am eating otherwise. Like today's lunch. I had a slice of pizza and a connomon roll - both homemade from scratch. In the creation of these items, I was highly aware that if I put too many toppings and cheese on the pizza, it'll be 500 cals a slice. So I limited what I put on them. Each pizza got 9 deli pepperonis and half a cup of cheese. THen I cut them in 6's, making the per piece cal count like 200ish. While I was making the cinnomon rolls, again I was aware that if I cut these things large, I'd be looking at 500 cals a roll with icing. so I cut them smaller, making them under 300 with icing.

    Now, I just had one of each for lunch, making my lunch under 500 cals. If this had been a few months ago, I would have had 2 slices of pizza and 2 rolls - for a grand total of 1000 cals for lunch. There's a reason I was fat . .and this illustrates it.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
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    Yes.
    If you are totally honest and log everything you eat and drink. Weigh and measure your food.
    Estimating does not work for a lot of people, myself included.
  • humbled380
    humbled380 Posts: 251 Member
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    I count calories like crazy and yes left over calories do tempt you to eat a bag of chips, but that's where dedication to the end goal comes in! Some I have to tell myself is set a realistic goal that you know you can do then slowly work you way down

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