Your body still counts calories, even if you don’t…
NasMax
Posts: 138 Member
Why I think it's a good idea for a beginner to count calories initially, even if it's only for a few short weeks....
Look, I know it can seem overwhelming to start counting calories (even though myfitnesspal.com will track everything FOR you these days) and all the numbers seem so complex & confusing as hell.
I don’t think it’s for everyone… long term!
BUT, the reality is, your body counts EVERY single calorie.
If you consume MORE calories than your body needs, your body will count them up & tuck them away for a rainy day (rainy day = getting fat, but I wanted to say it in a nice way... umm too late)
If you consume LESS calories than your body needs, your body will count them, realize that it doesn't have enough energy from your food intake & will go hunting bear grills style for that good juicy fat mass to fuel your epic (or not so epic) daytime activities.
The reality is most people don't know the simple truth about fat loss (calories in vs calories out)..
..and once they do know… most people still don’t want to go through the super boring process of tracking everything that you consume (even though myfitnesspal.com does ALL of this for you)
People want results without the process (que the masses of ‘quick fix’ fitness junk people buy over & over and over again).
Unfortunately you can't get around the law of thermogenesis (calories in vs calories out), so we're left with two options:
1. Guesswork, random dieting & at best hoping that we're in a calorie deficit, or
2. Tracking and making sure we're in an ACTUAL calorie deficit.
My recommendation for most folks is usually this:
Track your intake for a few weeks (6-12 weeks) & get a feel for the amount of calories that are in the foods that you're consuming on a daily basis...
Form some good habits
See some results
Start looking & feeling better by default (if you're in a calorie deficit you WILL lose weight)
Then once you've got a good feel for your nutrition intake, stop tracking.... or maybe track once in a blue moon to make sure you're on track depending on how you're judging your happiness in relation to your body.
The point is this... it's extremely unlikely that you're going to succeed with random guesswork and just hoping for the best (just like ANYTHING else in life).
But once you've been in the trenches, had a cheeky peep behind the curtain & know how things really work, you'll be in a much better position to succeed.
Give it a go for a few weeks, you'll be surprised what you'll learn about yourself, about your (secret) eating habits & about nutrition...
..and remember, even if you're not tracking your intake, your body is!
Look, I know it can seem overwhelming to start counting calories (even though myfitnesspal.com will track everything FOR you these days) and all the numbers seem so complex & confusing as hell.
I don’t think it’s for everyone… long term!
BUT, the reality is, your body counts EVERY single calorie.
If you consume MORE calories than your body needs, your body will count them up & tuck them away for a rainy day (rainy day = getting fat, but I wanted to say it in a nice way... umm too late)
If you consume LESS calories than your body needs, your body will count them, realize that it doesn't have enough energy from your food intake & will go hunting bear grills style for that good juicy fat mass to fuel your epic (or not so epic) daytime activities.
The reality is most people don't know the simple truth about fat loss (calories in vs calories out)..
..and once they do know… most people still don’t want to go through the super boring process of tracking everything that you consume (even though myfitnesspal.com does ALL of this for you)
People want results without the process (que the masses of ‘quick fix’ fitness junk people buy over & over and over again).
Unfortunately you can't get around the law of thermogenesis (calories in vs calories out), so we're left with two options:
1. Guesswork, random dieting & at best hoping that we're in a calorie deficit, or
2. Tracking and making sure we're in an ACTUAL calorie deficit.
My recommendation for most folks is usually this:
Track your intake for a few weeks (6-12 weeks) & get a feel for the amount of calories that are in the foods that you're consuming on a daily basis...
Form some good habits
See some results
Start looking & feeling better by default (if you're in a calorie deficit you WILL lose weight)
Then once you've got a good feel for your nutrition intake, stop tracking.... or maybe track once in a blue moon to make sure you're on track depending on how you're judging your happiness in relation to your body.
The point is this... it's extremely unlikely that you're going to succeed with random guesswork and just hoping for the best (just like ANYTHING else in life).
But once you've been in the trenches, had a cheeky peep behind the curtain & know how things really work, you'll be in a much better position to succeed.
Give it a go for a few weeks, you'll be surprised what you'll learn about yourself, about your (secret) eating habits & about nutrition...
..and remember, even if you're not tracking your intake, your body is!
59
Replies
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1000 likes.3
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so true 1 -
Thank you and bravo, OP. This is a must read.1
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Agreed. I did exactly that. Tracked for 6-8 weeks starting from Feb. and then stopped. I have reached normal bmi .1
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Indeed. Good stuff!
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Great perspective. I tracked for about 2 1/2 months then stopped. I've continued to lose weight (140 lbs) for 2 years with no plateaus. I'm now within 10 pounds of my goal. I track for a few days now and then if I want to verify that I'm on track with calories & macros. I'm always spot on. This works for me because I eat a lot of similar meals every day and I'm good at estimating my portions, even when eating out. Disclaimer: This does not work for everyone.4
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Wow, this is exactly me - all I did was guesswork and had absolutely no clue how my "good eating" was really not so good....now I'm 3 days into tracking and has blown my mind how ignorant I've been to what I'm eating and having the audacity to complain I've not been able to shed weight. I am happy to hear this is not something I have to do forever though, I can be a bit ocd at times and was psyching myself out about having to do this forever. I guess it makes sense, I am a fairly predictable creature of habit so over time, now getting educated, should be able to hold my own. It's a difficult journey I'm discovering, however will be worth it in the end. This actually has made me feel a little less frustrated and a little more invigorated to stick at it. Thank you for posting this!5
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Great perspective. I tracked for about 2 1/2 months then stopped. I've continued to lose weight (140 lbs) for 2 years with no plateaus. I'm now within 10 pounds of my goal. I track for a few days now and then if I want to verify that I'm on track with calories & macros. I'm always spot on. This works for me because I eat a lot of similar meals every day and I'm good at estimating my portions, even when eating out. Disclaimer: This does not work for everyone.
That's awsome, and you're right it's not for everyone... long term!0 -
SashEdwards wrote: »Wow, this is exactly me - all I did was guesswork and had absolutely no clue how my "good eating" was really not so good....now I'm 3 days into tracking and has blown my mind how ignorant I've been to what I'm eating and having the audacity to complain I've not been able to shed weight. I am happy to hear this is not something I have to do forever though, I can be a bit ocd at times and was psyching myself out about having to do this forever. I guess it makes sense, I am a fairly predictable creature of habit so over time, now getting educated, should be able to hold my own. It's a difficult journey I'm discovering, however will be worth it in the end. This actually has made me feel a little less frustrated and a little more invigorated to stick at it. Thank you for posting this!
Great to hear! How's it going so far?
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I'm envious of those who can stay within a calorie range without logging. I have a sneaking suspicion I will have to log my calories 90% of the time for, like, ever. When I don't log, my calories creep up and up and up.4
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There is no law of thermogenesis.
Let's not make things up.
I understand what you are trying to say but it isn't a license for fantasy.
The truth is - while calories matter, it doesn't go down to every single calorie. For example, if you up your calories by a few cals, its just as likely your body will slightly up regulate activity because the cals are available - weight gain occurs when cals exceed that small up regulation.
Homeostasis, it's a thing.
The rest - it's good advice.
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The only thing that would have made your post even better would've been if it ended with this,
In all seriousness though, you have eloquently explained exactly how to change bad habits and make healthy changes. For a very long time, I equated losing weight with eating the right foods and could not fathom how it wasn't working. Only way to make a change in my experience is to actually understand how many calories you are consuming.0 -
HStheBusyBee wrote: »The only thing that would have made your post even better would've been if it ended with this,
hahaha!!!!
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HStheBusyBee wrote: »In all seriousness though, you have eloquently explained exactly how to change bad habits and make healthy changes. For a very long time, I equated losing weight with eating the right foods and could not fathom how it wasn't working. Only way to make a change in my experience is to actually understand how many calories you are consuming.
Makes a BIG difference, right?
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Your posts are so helpful since I have been parked with no weight loss for months. I just needs to lose 8-10 pounds max. I tracked for a while and didn't see results, then I quit tracking....and didn't see results. I have upped my exercise by trying to burn at least 2100 cal a day ( Im 45) but i know burning 2100 doesn't mean didly if I eat 2500. I just find the logging so tedious and I hate it since sometimes I am guessing....But everyone is swearing that logging food is the way to lose weight so will try it again....if anyone has any other tips (cutting sugar to so many grams per day etc) let me know. I take the stairs not the elevator, park far away, do spin class 2-3 days a week, body sculpting, walk my dog for an hour.....Im getting discouraged....Booooo...Thanks for your help in advance!!0
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Man I would pay like a million dollars for an Ironman like thing over my heart that told me how many calories i had left for the day3
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I'm envious of those who can stay within a calorie range without logging.
I have some idea on the calorie range of my foods but I find that it's not important to me. I could carve an 900 cal dinner for 4 nights and then what do I do on the other days that we visit the buffet or a family pot luck?
So I scrape the whole idea of counting and knowing. Eat well on good opportunities and eat light on other days! The original ideal approach. LOL.
1 -
Tracking, weighing is very important. Unfortunately I never weigh things and just estimate. I've still lost 20 pounds!1
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I think I'd be hopeless without my scales. My guesstimating sucks! I can just see myself adding a bit more of this or that if I didn't weigh it. Like an extra shake of cereal or a few more dollops of yogurt, icecream and peanut butter etc etc
My food scale stops me from cheating
4 -
Christine_72 wrote: »I think I'd be hopeless without my scales. My guesstimating sucks! I can just see myself adding a bit more of this or that if I didn't weigh it. Like an extra shake of cereal or a few more dollops of yogurt, icecream and peanut butter etc etc
My food scale stops me from cheating
x2 Portion creep is a very real thing for me.4 -
bubble_wrap0428 wrote: »Tracking, weighing is very important. Unfortunately I never weigh things and just estimate. I've still lost 20 pounds!
thats awsome, well done!
Any personal 'hacks' that you use?0 -
Your posts are so helpful since I have been parked with no weight loss for months. I just needs to lose 8-10 pounds max. I tracked for a while and didn't see results, then I quit tracking....and didn't see results. I have upped my exercise by trying to burn at least 2100 cal a day ( Im 45) but i know burning 2100 doesn't mean didly if I eat 2500. I just find the logging so tedious and I hate it since sometimes I am guessing....But everyone is swearing that logging food is the way to lose weight so will try it again....if anyone has any other tips (cutting sugar to so many grams per day etc) let me know. I take the stairs not the elevator, park far away, do spin class 2-3 days a week, body sculpting, walk my dog for an hour.....Im getting discouraged....Booooo...Thanks for your help in advance!!
Hey, send me a PM if you like, happy to help you get something set up to get started 0 -
Christine_72 wrote: »I think I'd be hopeless without my scales. My guesstimating sucks! I can just see myself adding a bit more of this or that if I didn't weigh it. Like an extra shake of cereal or a few more dollops of yogurt, icecream and peanut butter etc etc
My food scale stops me from cheating
I'm exactly the same as you, I'll probably do it forever... but, it's not for everybody0 -
endlessfall16 wrote: »I'm envious of those who can stay within a calorie range without logging.
I have some idea on the calorie range of my foods but I find that it's not important to me. I could carve an 900 cal dinner for 4 nights and then what do I do on the other days that we visit the buffet or a family pot luck?
So I scrape the whole idea of counting and knowing. Eat well on good opportunities and eat light on other days! The original ideal approach. LOL.
that's a pretty good, logical idea.. I like it!0
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