Abandoned calorie counting for something else?

I've been counting calories for the past 30+ years.

Not in detail all the time, but I'm constantly adding it up in my head.

Some years, when I exercised a lot, I counted to make sure I was eating enough ... a few years, I've needed to count to lose a bit ... and the rest of the time, I count to maintain.

SideSteel wrote: »

DietVanillaCoke wrote: »

If you go low carb you still need to reduce calories to lose the weight XD. You can't just magically eat more than you burn to lose weight. It doesn't work that way. If you eat 4000calories of veges and sit down all day and only burn 1700.. You're gonna gain weight. Same if you eat low carb. You need a calorie deficit ALWAYS. Some people find it easier to go low carb. I found that I was fuller for longer but i still needed to count my calories.

Correct however the original poster was asking about counting the calories.

You absolutely have to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight, as you mentioned. But it doesn't necessarily mean you have to count calories in order to achieve that.

Bingo.

savithny wrote: »

My relative was doing GREAT on Atkins. Boasting about how easy it was and he could eat everything he wanted.

And then he got a Costco membership and started buying Costco-size buckets of nuts and other atkins-approved snacks.

It turns out that calories matter, and it is absolutely possible to eat too many of them while low-carbing or Paleoing or any of those other "don't count calories just count carbs" plans.

Read sidesteel's reply above.

I very rarely count anymore. At this point I have a pretty good idea of when I'm eating at deficit, mantainance, excess, and can keep within a pretty healthy 5lb range doing this. I certainly don't eat "clean", but I do try to eat a pretty healthy, varied diet of "real food" - I.e. Vegetables, meat, wholegrain carbs, fruit, nuts + other things as and when I fancy them, in moderation. I occasionally weigh things I know to be calorie dense I.e. cheese to make sure I'm not accidentally eating 1000cal of it. Counting calories was great for me to get started, but ultimately I decided I didn't want to do it forever and a more intuitive approach has been working for me for about a year now since I stopped tracking.

Yes, I tried in desperation multiple times over the years to do an Atkins-type thing and just not even think about calories, but I could never endure the extreme carbohydrate deprivation for more than a few weeks. I mean, I felt like I had one foot in the grave and the other on maybe a pork rind, because, of course, bananas were verboten.

So that never worked for me and when I inevitably gave up, the feasting commenced at a fevered pitch and I naturally wound up bigger than before. And thus the cycle of angst and desperation continued until I stopped it with the help of a very wise doctor and MFP.

I don't mean to disparage Atkins, people do lose weight with that method and everyone has to find whatever works for them - I just wasn't tough enough to take it, haha. Anyway, I'm diabetic so I still count my carbs, but in a much more moderate way (under 120 g. daily), along with my calories. The plain fact is - I have never been able to make a significant improvement in my weight and my health without tracking my calories.

It's taken me a long time to come to terms with consistent tracking, but I think I'm there now. I had to accept that it's simply right for my mind and my body to carefully monitor and record my intake. It may not be right for everyone, but it is for me, and a big part of maturity is accepting the reality of our situation and facing up to the real solution. This is the real solution for me. And actually, I have finally come to quite enjoy it.

I've had success following the 21 day fix meal plan and not counting calories. Of course, you're still counting servings...but I found it less stressful.

I lost my first 30 pounds by logging the food I ate and limiting portions and limiting what I will vaguely refer to as "treats", all without counting calories or weighing or actually measuring (my measurements were more like "1 spoonful".) I got stuck and then had to count calories to lose a bit more. It is my ultimate goal to get back to logging without calorie counting. I'm not quite there yet but I have faith that it can happen

I tried IF alone, and only being loosely aware of calorie intake, but that was not enough for me. Apparently I really do need to track carefully, so I'm resigned to it now. MFP has made this much easier though. I continue to do IF, but combine that with counting calories, and I'm fairly successful at losing or maintaining that way.

A year and a half ago was the first time that I lost weight while actually counting calories. I had lost weight in the past (mainly following Tosca Reno's Eat Clean Diet) but I didn't count anything. In hindsight it was probably 1500 kcal and about 100-150g carbs. I find I can only restrict calories when carbs are limited. More carbs seems to drive me to eat more.

Oops, I take it back. I lost a bit over 10lbs doing Weight Watchers point system about 12 years ago too. No real calorie counting - just points. It was helpful to learn serving sizes better but I was hungry almost all of the time. It was not easy and I was not happy. Not sustainable for me.

I've lost weight in the past not counting calories when I was doing a 21 day eating clean diet a d lost 12lbs in a month without exercising. At the time I was 170 lbs at 5'2. I drank nothing but water. Made sure to eat 12 to 16 oz of steamed low calories veggies from frozen package and eat them with a grilled leg and thighs chicken , three times a day or switch it up with a 16 oz salad bag and a can of sardines ( using the oil as dressing). Now I just eat everything in smaller portion. For example I would eat .5 cup of steamed rice with a medium avocado and a handful of steamed greenbeans.

honeybee739 wrote: »

Has anyone completely quit counting calories and instead went low carb or clean eating where you supposedly dont have to track calories?

How did that work out for you?

I don't count calories. I eat very well and most people would say my diet is pretty "clean"...but keep in mind that you can still over consume calories eating "clean"...over the fall and through early winter I have put on about 10 Lbs eating pretty "clean" because I was injured and my activity level dropped and I didn't compensate with diet.

You can also over eat doing low carb...the notion that you can eat "clean" or low carb and just eat as much as you want is a falacy.

It all still comes down to calories whether you are actively counting them or not. All diets and diet programs work on that same principle.

chocolate_owl wrote: »

I go through stretches of not logging. If I'm cooking my meals from scratch with minimally processed ingredients, not having dessert regularly, limiting my alcohol, etc. I can maintain my weight easily.

I probably should have caveated my response above with something similar to this. I can only eat reasonably intuitively and lose weight if I drink very little, and avoid dessert almost entirely. These throw me off entirely. Mostly not a problem as I don't have much space in a deficit for these things (I know some do - personally, to feel full, I prefer to use my calories on other things). If I wanted to include these things on a regular basis and lose weight, I think I would have to go back to tracking At maintenance they fit in fine

Low carb and not counting calories would help me lose weight......however, that's just the first step. Low carb is not something I would pick as a lifestyle change - so it wouldn't work (for me) for maintenance.

There are behavioral change type diets where users should need less (or maybe no) calorie monitoring. One example is the No-S Diet. No snacks, no seconds, no sweets; except sometimes on days that begin with the letter "S" - Saturdays, Sundays and special days (birthdays, etc).