Carry on like this or track calories?
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caimay199
Posts: 39 Member
Hey guys,
I've just reached the 3 week mark of my new lifestyle, where I have been making healthy choices and strengthening my willpower muscle by just saying 'NO' to the junk and the sugar. It has gotten a lot easier. I feel like I'm moving away from the old me who would eat so much crap it's unreal. The healthy meals I make now, like chilli and brown rice, or red Thai chicken curry, taste so much better than any processed food I used to eat. I haven't had soda or chocolate or ice cream in at least a month, and my cravings for it have mostly gone. I'm 8lbs down.
While I have been writing down what I eat (with a few breaks here and there),I haven't been tracking my calorie intake and I'm wondering if I should now start.
I don't want to get in the habit of thinking it's okay to eat a muffin or some potato chips just because I can fit it into my daily allowance. On the other hand, right now I have no idea how much I'm eating each day, but I do know it varies quite a bit from 1600 to 2200. (of healthy food.) I feel that counting calories could be a way to be more consistent and ensure my weight loss stays consistent over the next few weeks. Or, am I just messing with a good thing?
My TDEE - 500 cals is 1800.
I've just reached the 3 week mark of my new lifestyle, where I have been making healthy choices and strengthening my willpower muscle by just saying 'NO' to the junk and the sugar. It has gotten a lot easier. I feel like I'm moving away from the old me who would eat so much crap it's unreal. The healthy meals I make now, like chilli and brown rice, or red Thai chicken curry, taste so much better than any processed food I used to eat. I haven't had soda or chocolate or ice cream in at least a month, and my cravings for it have mostly gone. I'm 8lbs down.
While I have been writing down what I eat (with a few breaks here and there),I haven't been tracking my calorie intake and I'm wondering if I should now start.
I don't want to get in the habit of thinking it's okay to eat a muffin or some potato chips just because I can fit it into my daily allowance. On the other hand, right now I have no idea how much I'm eating each day, but I do know it varies quite a bit from 1600 to 2200. (of healthy food.) I feel that counting calories could be a way to be more consistent and ensure my weight loss stays consistent over the next few weeks. Or, am I just messing with a good thing?
My TDEE - 500 cals is 1800.
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Replies
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MFP isa calorie counting website, they've made it easy. Give it a whirl!
Read the stickies at the top of the boards, loads of good info
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I don't want to get in the habit of thinking it's okay to eat a muffin or some potato chips just because I can fit it into my daily allowance.
I will never understand why people think you have to give up treats to be healthy and lose weight.
I am down 50+lbs and healthier than I have been since I was in the military following the 80/20 rule where 80% of my food is called "nutritious" by the masses...and 20% is the "junk". I call all of it food...and don't put a label on it.
But to answer your question yes you should track...you can get "fat" eating "healthy" too.
It's not about the types of food it is about the quantity of food.4 -
I will never understand why people think you have to give up treats to be healthy and lose weight.
Well, different strokes for different folks. I personally needed to get rid of all the foods that were keeping me fat otherwise I was never going to make a real change and take steps forward. I needed to free myself from the bad habits, not keep my bad habits but in 'small portions'. Continuing to eat muffins and potato chips and whatever else but just in small portions is not changing my lifestyle or the way I think about food. It's not changing the way I react to stressful events. It's not helping to change my tastebuds so that I appreciate the flavour of vegetables and lose the taste for sugar and salt. And I can guarantee that the 'small portion' of unhealthy, sugary or processed food that I allow myself will eventually turn into a large portion of it when I get stressed or anxious, because I haven't removed it and taught myself a different technique with how to manage those feelings.
If you can include those foods in your diet, more power to you. But it has never worked for me.3 -
I don't want to get in the habit of thinking it's okay to eat a muffin or some potato chips just because I can fit it into my daily allowance.
I will never understand why people think you have to give up treats to be healthy and lose weight.
I am down 50+lbs and healthier than I have been since I was in the military following the 80/20 rule where 80% of my food is called "nutritious" by the masses...and 20% is the "junk". I call all of it food...and don't put a label on it.
But to answer your question yes you should track...you can get "fat" eating "healthy" too.
It's not about the types of food it is about the quantity of food.
I don't understand why some people don't understand that some of us, for various reasons, prefer to eliminate or dramatically reduce certain "foods" from our diet.
Different approaches to this work for different people. Mine works for me; I don't impose it on others. OP needs to find out what works for her.
That being said, OP I would definitely track. Too many calories of anything leads to weight gain.6 -
I don't want to get in the habit of thinking it's okay to eat a muffin or some potato chips just because I can fit it into my daily allowance.
I will never understand why people think you have to give up treats to be healthy and lose weight.
I am down 50+lbs and healthier than I have been since I was in the military following the 80/20 rule where 80% of my food is called "nutritious" by the masses...and 20% is the "junk". I call all of it food...and don't put a label on it.
But to answer your question yes you should track...you can get "fat" eating "healthy" too.
It's not about the types of food it is about the quantity of food.
I don't understand why some people don't understand that some of us, for various reasons, prefer to eliminate or dramatically reduce certain "foods" from our diet.
Different approaches to this work for different people. Mine works for me; I don't impose it on others. OP needs to find out what works for her.
That being said, OP I would definitely track. Too many calories of anything leads to weight gain.
How am I imposing anything. I just stated an opinion. Imposing means I am forcing it...and I am not...but again I don't understand it. Because you can get just as fat on rice and chicken as you can on chips and burgers.
I will never understand why people think you have to give up treats to be healthy and lose weight.
Well, different strokes for different folks. I personally needed to get rid of all the foods that were keeping me fat otherwise I was never going to make a real change and take steps forward. I needed to free myself from the bad habits, not keep my bad habits but in 'small portions'. Continuing to eat muffins and potato chips and whatever else but just in small portions is not changing my lifestyle or the way I think about food. It's not changing the way I react to stressful events. It's not helping to change my tastebuds so that I appreciate the flavour of vegetables and lose the taste for sugar and salt. And I can guarantee that the 'small portion' of unhealthy, sugary or processed food that I allow myself will eventually turn into a large portion of it when I get stressed or anxious, because I haven't removed it and taught myself a different technique with how to manage those feelings.
If you can include those foods in your diet, more power to you. But it has never worked for me.
And you are correct on the different things work for different people. Glad you found something.
but you missed part of my post...track yes..."healthy" foods can and will get you fat too regardless...if you eat too much.1 -
Yes, I agree. I think tracking will help the weight loss if nothing else it will lose consistently because my numbers are more consistent. But given the fact that I've lost 8lbs in 3 weeks this way, I don't want to track a) it's not necessary at this stage (perhaps if I start stalling I should start tracking then) and b) if it makes me fall into the trap of eating junk just because I can make it fit into the numbers.
But....I'm tempted. I'm thinking of an approach whereby I count calories maybe every other day, or a week on / week off, or even count calories consistently but take a week off every 5-6 weeks. One of my personal goals is to establish a way of living forever, and I dont know if counting and adding up the calories will achieve that - I think I need to practice 'real world' eating as well, where I don't count calories but continue to make healthy choices and eat the right portion sizes.
1 -
Yes, I agree. I think tracking will help the weight loss if nothing else it will lose consistently because my numbers are more consistent. But given the fact that I've lost 8lbs in 3 weeks this way, I don't want to track a) it's not necessary at this stage (perhaps if I start stalling I should start tracking then) and b) if it makes me fall into the trap of eating junk just because I can make it fit into the numbers.
But....I'm tempted. I'm thinking of an approach whereby I count calories maybe every other day, or a week on / week off, or even count calories consistently but take a week off every 5-6 weeks. One of my personal goals is to establish a way of living forever, and I dont know if counting and adding up the calories will achieve that - I think I need to practice 'real world' eating as well, where I don't count calories but continue to make healthy choices and eat the right portion sizes.
not to dismiss your weight loss but often times the first 5-10lbs can be water weight...
try tracking a typical day at first to see what you are eating for calories and decide after that.
Or if the weight loss slows or stops...track.1 -
Congrats on thinking ahead to beyond your weight loss phase to how you intend to maintain for life.
Devil's advocate time!
Why is consistent weight loss better? If you achieve your weight loss progression over a period of months despite inconsistent weight loss week to week does it actually matter? As long as you aren't slipping back then IMHO it doesn't really matter.
Having said that my personal experience was that accurate food tracking (with a food scale) was very educational about where my calories were coming from and portion sizes (especially suggested serving sizes). But I couldn't see myself investing the time and effort long term so became a lazy logger. I tend to weigh the calorie dense foods but "guesstimate" less significant foods. I'm really not bothered if one apple weighs a little more than another.1 -
I've lost 1/2inch on my waist and hips, but your point about water weight is partly why I want to assess the past 3 weeks and decide if I should modify my approach or not. I did count my calories for the first few week (I wrote down exactly how much of stuff I ate and added it up at the end of the week) and it varied wildly. On one day I ate 1600 and another day I ate 2200. I may give it another 3 weeks and see what happens and continue to strengthen my good habits, and then reassess and see if it feels right to count calories after that. In the meantime, I might do what I did at first and write down exactly what I'm eating and how much and if I need to go back and check later on for reference, I can add it up.0
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I don't want to get in the habit of thinking it's okay to eat a muffin or some potato chips just because I can fit it into my daily allowance.
I will never understand why people think you have to give up treats to be healthy and lose weight.
I am down 50+lbs and healthier than I have been since I was in the military following the 80/20 rule where 80% of my food is called "nutritious" by the masses...and 20% is the "junk". I call all of it food...and don't put a label on it.
But to answer your question yes you should track...you can get "fat" eating "healthy" too.
It's not about the types of food it is about the quantity of food.
I don't understand why some people don't understand that some of us, for various reasons, prefer to eliminate or dramatically reduce certain "foods" from our diet.
Different approaches to this work for different people. Mine works for me; I don't impose it on others. OP needs to find out what works for her.
That being said, OP I would definitely track. Too many calories of anything leads to weight gain.
How am I imposing anything. I just stated an opinion. Imposing means I am forcing it...and I am not...but again I don't understand it. Because you can get just as fat on rice and chicken as you can on chips and burgers.
I will never understand why people think you have to give up treats to be healthy and lose weight.
Well, different strokes for different folks. I personally needed to get rid of all the foods that were keeping me fat otherwise I was never going to make a real change and take steps forward. I needed to free myself from the bad habits, not keep my bad habits but in 'small portions'. Continuing to eat muffins and potato chips and whatever else but just in small portions is not changing my lifestyle or the way I think about food. It's not changing the way I react to stressful events. It's not helping to change my tastebuds so that I appreciate the flavour of vegetables and lose the taste for sugar and salt. And I can guarantee that the 'small portion' of unhealthy, sugary or processed food that I allow myself will eventually turn into a large portion of it when I get stressed or anxious, because I haven't removed it and taught myself a different technique with how to manage those feelings.
If you can include those foods in your diet, more power to you. But it has never worked for me.
And you are correct on the different things work for different people. Glad you found something.
but you missed part of my post...track yes..."healthy" foods can and will get you fat too regardless...if you eat too much.
To be clear, I don't think you are imposing your views.
I find the snack aisle easier to overeat than, for example, chicken and rice. Others don't find this to be the case.
I'm sure that your 80 20 guideline is perfectly healthy. It just isn't the best approach for me......
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MFP makes all this so easy, no writing it down, just enter it. That said, counting calories is not the same as accurately weighing and measuring your food to determine your intake. Losing at first is easy, but as you get closer to your goal accuracy will be important. A food scale will help you with this. You might think it's tedious, but in the long run it will pay off. Trust what works for others, it has worked for me and opened my eyes to how easy it is to miscalculate your intake.
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Congrats on thinking ahead to beyond your weight loss phase to how you intend to maintain for life.
Devil's advocate time!
Why is consistent weight loss better? If you achieve your weight loss progression over a period of months despite inconsistent weight loss week to week does it actually matter? As long as you aren't slipping back then IMHO it doesn't really matter.
Having said that my personal experience was that accurate food tracking (with a food scale) was very educational about where my calories were coming from and portion sizes (especially suggested serving sizes). But I couldn't see myself investing the time and effort long term so became a lazy logger. I tend to weigh the calorie dense foods but "guesstimate" less significant foods. I'm really not bothered if one apple weighs a little more than another.
Hahaha - you know, that pretty much sums up my previous experiences with calorie counting. Comparing apple sizes. Measuring a tablespoon of ketchup before putting it on my plate. F***ing miserable.
I have found it good for my motivation to set weight loss goals - very short term. For example I have a dance competition in 3 weeks and would like to lose 6lbs by then. And then I would like to be 195lbs before my L.A. trip in August - I would be out of the 'obese category' and just overweight! I find it very motivational, but at the moment I have no idea if I'm eating the right amount to get me to those goals. But I'm also really pleased with the changes I have been making and how much more confident and in control I feel.
I think that I want to take some more time - even just another 3 or 4 weeks to continue as I have been and then spend some time tracking.
Side note: I also work out a lot and dance, and I want to make sure I'm fueling myself properly for those sessions and able to perform optimally. So that's another consideration for me. Some days I have had breakfast,lunch and a snack at 4pm and headed off for 3-4 hours of dance. Then I've gone straight home to bed without eating, when maybe if I had been counting calories I would have seen that I had 'enough' calories left for some Greek yogurt and berries and nuts. so it works both ways, ya know?0 -
Okay, I'm gonna track. I'll do it for the next 3 weeks and note down how it effects me both mentally and my weight.4
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