Thoughts on this TIME mag article?

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time.com/4071440/calorie-counter

We're all here to count calories. Just curious for thoughts about this article that say it's counter-productive
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  • fourtherecord
    fourtherecord Posts: 103 Member
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    Its not a link?
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
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    evastar wrote: »
    time.com/4071440/calorie-counter

    We're all here to count calories. Just curious for thoughts about this article that say it's counter-productive

    I like your avatar a lot. <3

  • upoffthemat
    upoffthemat Posts: 679 Member
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    I would say that it is dangerous. The facts are that to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you eat. We all know that nutrition matters as well, but to lose weight calories are still the very basic phyical equation that matters.
  • DeadsAndDoritos
    DeadsAndDoritos Posts: 267 Member
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    I think it is complete BS!
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
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    Article is from October 2015.

    Quick skim...calorie data on packaging is inaccurate (up to 20% off) and calories out is nearly impossible to accurately gauge. So counting calories is a waste of time since we can't get perfect data.

    Agree that it isn't going to be completely accurate, that's why so many here recommend weighing food and eating back less than 100% of the calories theoretically burned in exercise. Doesn't mean it is a waste of time...plenty of success here.

    Followed by the insulin theory of weight gain which has been recently refuted. You can find the study in the debate forum I think.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    edited May 2016
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    Hmmm, let me see, lost over -160# counting calories, maintaining @ 130# for 30 months, umm, yeah it works fine for me. So yeah, like sucampeN said, BS
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    ilex70 wrote: »
    Article is from October 2015.

    Quick skim...calorie data on packaging is inaccurate (up to 20% off) and calories out is nearly impossible to accurately gauge. So counting calories is a waste of time since we can't get perfect data.

    Agree that it isn't going to be completely accurate, that's why so many here recommend weighing food and eating back less than 100% of the calories theoretically burned in exercise. Doesn't mean it is a waste of time...plenty of success here.

    Followed by the insulin theory of weight gain which has been recently refuted. You can find the study in the debate forum I think.

    It hasn't even only been recently refuted, it's never really been taken too seriously to begin with.
  • AspenDan
    AspenDan Posts: 703 Member
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    ilex70 wrote: »
    Article is from October 2015.

    Quick skim...calorie data on packaging is inaccurate (up to 20% off) and calories out is nearly impossible to accurately gauge. So counting calories is a waste of time since we can't get perfect data.

    Thanks for the synopsis..it's so true, and frustrating how we really don't know how many calories we're burning, or even how many we're eating..

    But the fact is, this is a huge, really long, tedium game of trial and error...you have to try your new system for weeks or months just to see if it even works..

    With all that being said, I did lose 100lb somehow, and all that not knowing for sure still didn't prevent a hugely positive change in my life..so it was all worth it, and I'm sure the next 40lb will be too, no matter how inadequately informed I feel.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,906 Member
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    When I eat the calories given to me by MFP, weigh and log my food, exercise, and eat back some (but not all) of my exercise calories, my average weight loss over time matches the weekly weight loss goal I set.
  • evastar
    evastar Posts: 32 Member
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    ilex70 wrote: »
    Article is from October 2015.

    Followed by the insulin theory of weight gain which has been recently refuted. You can find the study in the debate forum I think.

    Interesting. Didn't know that was refuted, will check it out. I also read similar articles that are more recent, regarding the gain-back of weight by past winners of Biggest Loser. Our body works so hard to keep us at the highest weight we've been, they think. Very interesting stuff.

    Article: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html?referer=
  • bpetrosky
    bpetrosky Posts: 3,911 Member
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    They lost me at Lustig.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    edited May 2016
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    evastar wrote: »
    ilex70 wrote: »
    Article is from October 2015.

    Followed by the insulin theory of weight gain which has been recently refuted. You can find the study in the debate forum I think.

    Interesting. Didn't know that was refuted, will check it out. I also read similar articles that are more recent, regarding the gain-back of weight by past winners of Biggest Loser. Our body works so hard to keep us at the highest weight we've been, they think. Very interesting stuff.

    Article: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/05/02/health/biggest-loser-weight-loss.html?referer=


    There are quite a few post here about this article. I read the whole article. One question I have is were the contestants of BL keeping track of CICO after the show ended. It did not say in the article. That is pretty important to know. If they went back to eating more calories than they were burning, they would gain. For some of us on maintenance, monitoring is crucial to our success. They knew they were gaining back weight, and they knew how they lost the weight. Were they eating @ maintenance, below, or above?
  • ljashley1952
    ljashley1952 Posts: 273 Member
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    It makes a lot of sense to me because simply counting calories IS inaccurate and it doesn't address the variations in biochemistry. There are so many factors, biochemistry and genetics, physical activity, wide differences in calculating both food and exercise. I've read that they are finding that we need nearly twice as much exercise as previously thought to burn a single calorie. These inaccuracies make dealing with diet/exercise frustrating at best. I am learning to be less concerned about raw numbers and use them only as guidelines rather than gospel. I'm looking at how my clothing fits and how I look in the mirror. If I'm satisfied with how I look and my clothes fit well, I don't really care if I'm not on my exact target goal.
  • evastar
    evastar Posts: 32 Member
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    bpetrosky wrote: »
    They lost me at Lustig.

    Please explain. Is there something about this Lustig character people aren't liking? I'm unfamiliar
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    It's accurate enough for the purpose of losing weight. I lost 50 pounds counting calories.
  • endlessfall16
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
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    There's some truth in that article but not everything. I take what works and dismiss what doesn't. Count calories and eat "right" foods to effectively curb hunger. Best of both worlds.
  • MultipleHigh5s
    MultipleHigh5s Posts: 49 Member
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    Buy my book, it will tell you about magic food to make you thin!
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    It makes a lot of sense to me because simply counting calories IS inaccurate and it doesn't address the variations in biochemistry. There are so many factors, biochemistry and genetics, physical activity, wide differences in calculating both food and exercise. I've read that they are finding that we need nearly twice as much exercise as previously thought to burn a single calorie. These inaccuracies make dealing with diet/exercise frustrating at best. I am learning to be less concerned about raw numbers and use them only as guidelines rather than gospel. I'm looking at how my clothing fits and how I look in the mirror. If I'm satisfied with how I look and my clothes fit well, I don't really care if I'm not on my exact target goal.

    No to all of that.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/you-are-not-different.html/

    The law of large numbers applies here. With any sufficiently big set of data, variance matters less and less. Meaning, unless you only pay attention to your calorie intake once in a blue moon, consistency and adjusting beats all that stuff.
  • stevencloser
    stevencloser Posts: 8,911 Member
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    evastar wrote: »
    bpetrosky wrote: »
    They lost me at Lustig.

    Please explain. Is there something about this Lustig character people aren't liking? I'm unfamiliar

    Lustig is one of the about 5 people who subscribe to the idea that sugar is the root of all evil in the world.