It "Doesn't Work"

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2

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  • celadontea
    celadontea Posts: 335 Member
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    A lot of what the advertisement shows is true when it comes to guessing. The best bet is a food scale and I saw that I was also making the same mistakes. However, some people have a visual knack for already being able to see the portion size vs the actual weight. And once you get used to weighing it is a bit easier to guess when it comes to your own common foods.
  • HomeatWDW
    HomeatWDW Posts: 121 Member
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    Not only do they sell their services, but they also sell "certification" so you can pay them to sell those services too. The infographic reminds me of infomercials that desperately try to create a need where none exists.
  • upoffthemat
    upoffthemat Posts: 679 Member
    edited April 2016
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    The ad is exactly right in the fact that counting calories by eyeballing and using sizes like medium, small, etc can lead to wrong calorie count. It isn't actually saying CICO is wrong, it is saying people aren't accurate in what they log... something said about 100 times a day on these boards.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    DrifterBear wrote: »
    I started pointing out all the BS, but why bother. Unfortunately a lot of people will buy whatever they're selling.

    There's really only one phrase you have to point out to refute most of that whole thing.
    Law of large numbers.
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    You don't need to be able to count perfectly for it to work. You just need to be consistent and learn to adjust.

    This!

    The infographic could just be a large advertisement for using a food scale. But concepts like some people digest more or less food than others is similar to that your metabolism isn't always what it's predicted to be at. Or a sedentary person who walks 1000 steps a day might have a different TDEE than someone who walks 3000 steps a day. At the end of the day, be as accurate you can be, and your numbers should tell you what your real TDEE is. If you are losing weight, it's probably working. If you aren't, try reducing how much you eat etc. You are an experiment of one, keep good records, stick with something for 4-6 weeks before making changes, and keep trying. It actually keeps weight loss more interesting to me. Rather than just "eat broccoli for the next year". Fiddling with my numbers gives me something to improve on.
  • raindawg
    raindawg Posts: 348 Member
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    I just say "it works for me" And that's all I got to say about that....(run forest run....)
  • DoreenaV1975
    DoreenaV1975 Posts: 567 Member
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    chnphillips wrote: »
    Mouse_Potato wrote: »
    Boiling an egg adds calories? Color me skeptical.

    Right? Since when do cooking utensils add calories? These fattening pots, pans, knives, and blenders gotta go.

    Fun fact: I notice that when I heat up my corn tortillas, they shrink...
    I've weighed before and after, and they weigh less after...

    But I still log the before weight.
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,339 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    You don't need to be able to count perfectly for it to work. You just need to be consistent and learn to adjust.

    +1
  • laurelh8
    laurelh8 Posts: 38 Member
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    DoreenaV1975 wrote: »
    chnphillips wrote: »
    Mouse_Potato wrote: »
    Boiling an egg adds calories? Color me skeptical.

    Right? Since when do cooking utensils add calories? These fattening pots, pans, knives, and blenders gotta go.

    Fun fact: I notice that when I heat up my corn tortillas, they shrink...
    I've weighed before and after, and they weigh less after...

    But I still log the before weight.


    Same thing with my English muffin. It weighs less after I toast it; I'm assuming from moisture lost. I still use the precooked weight.
  • jen_bush
    jen_bush Posts: 679 Member
    edited April 2016
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    It doesn't work, that's why it's worked for millions of people. It doesn't work if you lie to yourself about what you actually eat and blindly log lowest calories in the log and highest one for the burning. The delusions are what don't work, not calories.
  • nutmegoreo
    nutmegoreo Posts: 15,532 Member
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    Mouse_Potato wrote: »
    Boiling an egg adds calories? Color me skeptical.

    It's saying that it increases the number of calories absorbed.
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    You don't need to be able to count perfectly for it to work. You just need to be consistent and learn to adjust.

    I'm with you on this one. Measure best you can and adjust up or down based on results. If you are consistent overtime, your number may be off, but the result is still the same.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    besaro wrote: »
    they left out a key component, weighing food.

    This. Seriously... and using accurate entries for 'raw' or 'cooked'.

    Dumb article.
  • jen_bush
    jen_bush Posts: 679 Member
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    + Never trust a bold article that ends with a product they're selling - 95% it's BS
  • DoreenaV1975
    DoreenaV1975 Posts: 567 Member
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    laurelh8 wrote: »
    DoreenaV1975 wrote: »
    chnphillips wrote: »
    Mouse_Potato wrote: »
    Boiling an egg adds calories? Color me skeptical.

    Right? Since when do cooking utensils add calories? These fattening pots, pans, knives, and blenders gotta go.

    Fun fact: I notice that when I heat up my corn tortillas, they shrink...
    I've weighed before and after, and they weigh less after...

    But I still log the before weight.


    Same thing with my English muffin. It weighs less after I toast it; I'm assuming from moisture lost. I still use the precooked weight.

    Oooohhhh I didn't know that! Another "fun fact" thanks for sharing!
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
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    Yes individual foods may be higher or lower than the average, but if you eat enough aren't you going to get closer to the average.

    If an apple average is 50 calories but some are as low as 30 or as high as 70 calories, after eating a few apples, are you not going to get close to the average.
  • vingogly
    vingogly Posts: 1,785 Member
    edited April 2016
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    The article in question isn't saying calorie counting doesn't work, it's saying that there are sizable inaccuracies for the reasons listed. Which I agree with 100%. As I've said a number of times, what I've learned in the process of losing nearly 80 lbs is that consistency and honesty are what matter, not getting scientific accuracy in the numbers. Besides, your bathroom scale is probably as inaccurate as the database numbers for food.

    I think a lot of people sweat too much over the small stuff here. If you always count an apple as 50 calories and that's too low by 50 calories, your weight loss will be 50 calories lower per apple eaten than the numbers suggest. As Merkavar says, it all averages out in the end.

    So yes, some of the inaccuracies they're pointing out are real ... but in my opinion, it doesn't matter. MFP isn't a scientific laboratory, it's a classroom for learners.

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