Do I still have to count calories if I eat healthy foods (Fruits, vegetables and protein)
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KingDolph340 wrote: »Has anybody lost weight just counting but eating whatever they felt like eating?
Oh yes, absolutely.
And on the flip side of the coin, people have gained weight eating a clean, mostly whole foods diet made up of lots of fruits and vegetables. I gained 15 lbs eating that way, because I ate too much.2 -
reyoflightphoto wrote: »KingDolph340 wrote: »Has anybody lost weight just counting but eating whatever they felt like eating?
Yes, but they most likely lost a lot of muscle in the process.
Probably not, unless what they felt like eating was out of the ordinary.There is a balance. You need protein. You need vitamins. You can lose weight eating 1200 calories of snickers all day. True story, but your health will go down in quality.
Agree that you need protein and vitamins. You'd have to have a pretty poor idea of "whatever you want to eat" to imagine that would preclude adequate protein and vitamins. For most it probably means a range of foods, and certainly plenty that include protein. (I think it's normal to eat vegetables too, but it is true that surveys suggest that many people do fall far short on that front, so I'd recommend that if you care about nutrition eating adequate vegetables and a balance of foods.)
Main reasons for muscle loss would probably be too few calories, especially as you get closer to goal, and a lack of exercise. Too few calories often is combined with inadequate protein for muscle maintenance, but the average diet (even the SAD) isn't actually low protein, so I doubt someone eating whatever they want in most cases would be low protein. I suppose if you are someone who just likes sweets that would happen, but such people aren't all that common (although I think those who tend to choose a very poor diet are more apt to assume that others are the same).2 -
If you want to be SURE you will lose weight then yes you need to count calories. You can overeat healthy food too... and a caloric surplus causes weight gain, and eating at maintenance causes weight to stay the same, and a caloric deficit causes weight loss.. no matter if what you're eating is healthy foods or not.
This is a good example...
I joined a gym and started working out and eating healthy and kept this up for 9 months but did not track calories just ate healthy and worked out regularly- here are my results:
Not much change, some toning but no weight loss.
Then I decided to start tracking my calories and eat in a caloric deficit. I ate the same healthy foods and did the same workouts but just made sure I kept my calories within my daily goal, here are my results after just 4 months:
Big difference right?? 17 pounds lost, definitely a lot less body fat.
Now what do you think? Do you need to track calories? Maybe not everyone does, but it sure helped me get much better results!12 -
jennybearlv wrote: »KingDolph340 wrote: »Has anybody lost weight just counting but eating whatever they felt like eating?
That would be me. I eat a terrible diet, but since I am eating less than I burn I lose weight. My diary is open if you want to look. I'm down 50 pounds since September. It's also worth mentioning that I gained most of my weight eating a vegetarian diet that was much cleaner than I eat now. Weight loss and gain is really about portion control for me. I do exercise most days of the week, which is not necessary, but allows me to fit in even more junk food.
People look at me like I'm crazy when I say I gained as a vegetarian.
OP, I gained as a low carb vegetarian. I have also lost weight eating anything I want and counting calories. Eating just fruits, vegetables, and lean meat is not a guarantee of weight loss. You can try not counting calories and it might work for you but if not count calories. If you want to eat "clean" then do it but if it makes you miserable don't do it. Whatever you do make sure it is sustainable.2 -
I would definitely eat healthy foods for optimal nutrition and health, but calories are what matter if you want to change your weight.
FYI macronutrients matter too. Maybe first just focus on eating mostly healthy and tracking calories, but eventually you'll want to start paying attention to you macros too. When you're ready.1 -
So this comment is directed at the OP. This app/program is based on counting calories, so it's unlikely you'd find any truly objective answers here. I've done a whole lot of research and found most of the weightless theories that OP is referring to. I've tried a few different methods over the years and can say that what you eat has as much effect on your weight as how much you eat.
If you're careful about what you eat, avoiding anything with either added fat, sugar, or salt (essentially anything processed) you can usually eat as much as you want and still manage to lose weight.
However, this can be extremely difficult to manage, as we are programmed to crave fat, sugar, and salt. There is an alternative method, which is more or less all things in moderation. Counting calories is the most straightforward way to accomplish this as foods with added fat, sugar, and salt tend to be very calorie dense.
Counting calories accomplishes two things. First, it forces moderation. You want that bucket of ice cream? Go for it. But that's all you can eat for the next 2 days. Second, tracking calories forces you to acknowledge what you eat. Suddenly, you realize how much more satisfied you feel eating a whole salad rather than one cookie.
Basically, there's more than one right answer to the problem of weight loss. You're best bet is to find what works for you, and stick with it! Hopefully I've managed to help out and best of luck!3 -
KingDolph340 wrote: »Has anybody lost weight just counting but eating whatever they felt like eating?
Um, it's not the act of counting that causes weight loss. It's actually tracking calories, and making sure you are consuming less than you burn.3 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »reyoflightphoto wrote: »KingDolph340 wrote: »Has anybody lost weight just counting but eating whatever they felt like eating?
Yes, but they most likely lost a lot of muscle in the process.
Probably not, unless what they felt like eating was out of the ordinary.There is a balance. You need protein. You need vitamins. You can lose weight eating 1200 calories of snickers all day. True story, but your health will go down in quality.
Agree that you need protein and vitamins. You'd have to have a pretty poor idea of "whatever you want to eat" to imagine that would preclude adequate protein and vitamins. For most it probably means a range of foods, and certainly plenty that include protein. (I think it's normal to eat vegetables too, but it is true that surveys suggest that many people do fall far short on that front, so I'd recommend that if you care about nutrition eating adequate vegetables and a balance of foods.)
Main reasons for muscle loss would probably be too few calories, especially as you get closer to goal, and a lack of exercise. Too few calories often is combined with inadequate protein for muscle maintenance, but the average diet (even the SAD) isn't actually low protein, so I doubt someone eating whatever they want in most cases would be low protein. I suppose if you are someone who just likes sweets that would happen, but such people aren't all that common (although I think those who tend to choose a very poor diet are more apt to assume that others are the same).
These guns agree with the above.
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I think everyone on MFP should print this out and look at it every day of your life because this is how MFP works. Right here. This. This. This. This.courtneyfabulous wrote: »If you want to be SURE you will lose weight then yes you need to count calories. You can overeat healthy food too... and a caloric surplus causes weight gain, and eating at maintenance causes weight to stay the same, and a caloric deficit causes weight loss.. no matter if what you're eating is healthy foods or not.
This is a good example...
I joined a gym and started working out and eating healthy and kept this up for 9 months but did not track calories just ate healthy and worked out regularly- here are my results:
Not much change, some toning but no weight loss.
Then I decided to start tracking my calories and eat in a caloric deficit. I ate the same healthy foods and did the same workouts but just made sure I kept my calories within my daily goal, here are my results after just 4 months:
Big difference right?? 17 pounds lost, definitely a lot less body fat.
Now what do you think? Do you need to track calories? Maybe not everyone does, but it sure helped me get much better results!
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Honestly it depends.
If you need to lose weight, that means you were/are eating at a surplus either now or in the recent past. Depends on if you're overweight and still gaining or just overweight/not gaining. If you have been at the same approximate weight for a while, not gaining, then eating less than you have been should allow you to lose weight. If you can change your intake by adjusting what you're eating and/or how much so that you are now eating at a deficit, even if you don't 'count calories' then you will lose weight. But for many people, estimating is kind of hard to do.
If your current habits still have you gaining, then not only do you need to cut back but you need to cut back to a significant degree. I mean if you are eating X now and maintaining, then any decrease should result in loss. But if you're eating Y and gaining, you need to figure out what X would be (to maintain) and eat less than that. So without counting, there is a lot of trial and error involved in this one.KingDolph340 wrote: »I really need to know cause I'm confused, I looked it up online and there are so many different answers on how to lose weight, some people say all u need is a calorie deficit, some say a calorie deficit is only short term and others say stop counting calories and eat healthy/exercise. I'm going to go with the "eat healthy " way but do I still have to count my calorie from healthy natural foods? I'm confused af
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That would be me.
That does not mean I eat 1500 calories of donuts. Technically I could, but I'd finish that and be hungry within a few hours and feel crappy from the sugar crash.
Think of your financial budget. If you have a certain amount of income, and need to pay rent/bills/buy food, you make sure those things are handled. Then if you have money remaining you might choose to go to the movies, or buy a CD, or plan a vacation. If you do the fun stuff first you may not have enough left for the necessary things. But in general there is nothing wrong with spending extra cash on wants. Calories are the same way. Make sure you take care of your body, plan calories for meals so you don't reach 4pm and find yourself hungry but out of calories. Preplan, and arrange your food choices so you get nutrients, stay satisfied, and can enjoy some wants.
Example for dinner tonight I'm having spaghetti squash w/ sauce (including turkey sausage crumbles for protein), brussel sprouts and garlic toast. I could have regular spaghetti, but then would not have calories for the toast and I like garlic toast...KingDolph340 wrote: »Has anybody lost weight just counting but eating whatever they felt like eating?
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KingDolph340 wrote: »Has anybody lost weight just counting but eating whatever they felt like eating?
Yes, because a calorie is a calorie no matter the type of food.
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Too much food will cause you to gain no matter where it comes from. I eat a wide variety of foods, some of which are considered "dirty", and I still lose or maintain....as long as I stay within my calorie allowance for the day.
My calorie allowance pretty well eliminates certain calorie bombs, because I like to eat small frequent meals throughout the day. I'm not going to blow the entire day's calories on a single meal.0 -
KingDolph340 wrote: »Has anybody lost weight just counting but eating whatever they felt like eating?
Two other things to consider in addition to "whatever they felt like eating" are:
1. In the quantities they felt like eating
2. In the frequency they felt like eating it
I still eat high calorie foods like pizza and ice cream, but less often and in smaller servings.4 -
kshama2001 wrote: »KingDolph340 wrote: »Has anybody lost weight just counting but eating whatever they felt like eating?
Two other things to consider in addition to "whatever they felt like eating" are:
1. In the quantities they felt like eating
2. In the frequency they felt like eating it
I still eat high calorie foods like pizza and ice cream, but less often and in smaller servings.
This is a key point. I do eat whatever I want, but I often have a serving that is smaller than my "ideal" and less often than I would like to have it.2 -
Some people can lose weight without counting, just by "eating healthy", because fruit, veg, protein and whole grains are more filling for a lot of people than foods which involve a lot of fat and sugar and are low in fibre and protein.
But this is only working because "eating healthy" also causes them to eat less in calorie terms.
Also, it doesn't work for everyone. Personally, I could get fat on any diet. I just love eating. Counting calories is the only way I'll ever reliably eat less than I burn.2 -
CattOfTheGarage wrote: »Some people can lose weight without counting, just by "eating healthy", because fruit, veg, protein and whole grains are more filling for a lot of people than foods which involve a lot of fat and sugar and are low in fibre and protein.
But this is only working because "eating healthy" also causes them to eat less in calorie terms.
Also, it doesn't work for everyone. Personally, I could get fat on any diet. I just love eating. Counting calories is the only way I'll ever reliably eat less than I burn.
This is the difference between my wife and I. She doesn't count, doesn't weigh anything and is in the healthy BMI range. When I did that I got to 330. Now I count, weigh and all that stuff and am losing fine, but I figure I'm going to have to use a scale for a long time, even after I'm at goal. Otherwise I will eat too much and gain again.5 -
I say try smaller portions and eating healthy give it a few months and see if you lose. Years ago I was able to do that without counting I just ate half of what I normally ate.
When or if you stall you can always start counting calories.
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Healthy food does not need to be boring food. Portion size plays a big part in a healthy diet also. If you're trying to lose weight, weigh everything and keep it varied.0
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You don't have to count calories to lose weight, but tracking your calories and making sure you are eating less than you burn works very well.
Just eating healthy foods will not cause you to lose weight. Dark chocolate and nuts are two healthy foods, but it would be easy to gain weight while eating chocolate covered almonds.
To lose weight without counting calories you need to develop actions that lead to that. Which is basically what healthy food diets are trying to get you to do. At home, eat from smaller plates and fill them 2/3 of the way with vegetables. Skip the bread and dessert. At restaurants you will typically receive twice or three times as much food as you need. Throw half of it away. Seek to be hungry. Don't allow yourself to get too hungry, but if you feel hungry before nearly every meal then you can be sure that you are losing weight. And be sure to exercise.0 -
KingDolph340 wrote: »Has anybody lost weight just counting but eating whatever they felt like eating?
Yup, the key is just to weight and keep calories at your deficit. If I cut out foods I like to eat I'd end up binging. There's no such thing as bad foods, just eating too much and going over calories!0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »KingDolph340 wrote: »I'm going to go with the "eat healthy " way but do I still have to count my calorie from healthy natural foods? I'm confused af
It depends and could change.
If you are eating a not very nutritious or filling diet now, it is likely that you will cut calories (even enough to lose weight) by changing what you eat and eating a "healthier" diet -- usually meaning more vegetables and lean meats and fish and legumes and whole grains, basically foods that tend to be filling. Also, if you tend to overeat foods like sweets or chips that many people can consume lots of, cutting them out or way down will also tend to reduce calories. The point is that this is NOT because calories don't matter or that you can't get fat on those foods. It's because you have found a way to cut calories without counting.
The problem is that often people are able to overeat on even so-called healthy foods, and the ability to do this increases as you become used to eating those foods. If you cut out a bunch of things you were eating it takes a while to find other things you are likely to overeat and if you aren't that used to lean meat and vegetables you might think they are impossible to overeat. They are not. Many of us who rarely ate packaged junk food or fast food, etc., still found it easy to overeat on whole foods in the context of a nutritionally dense diet. The more you already eat a pretty healthful diet and lots of veg, etc., the less likely it is that just "eating healthy" will be sufficient, IMO.
You don't have to count calories if you don't want to. Many people find it's easy to lose in other ways, and whether you like counting calories or not tends to vary by person. What you do have to do is find a way of eating that controls and reduces calories somewhat. For me, if I stick to 3 meals (usually homemade or otherwise where I don't have to worry that there are way more calories than I assume -- occasional dinner out is fine), no snacks, am active, and cut down on extras, I can lose, but that's in part because I have a good sense of how much I should be eating for that to be the case.
That said, it's easier for me and more efficient to count and tends to allow for more freedom in what I choose to eat--I'll see that I have room for some cheese or more oil or nuts or some ice cream, for example.
Another issue with the "just eat healthy" thing is that if for you it does mean cutting out foods you tend to overeat completely you may end up going totally nuts with them at some point. It often works better to figure out how to include them in your diet in moderation and not make them into some (inaccurate) thing to fear and avoid. It's all just food with different mixes of nutrients and calories.
All of this.
Although I do sort of have a different eating pattern than lemurcat, I find sticking to an eating pattern that works for me to be helpful.
When I was eating healthy, it wasn't enough, because I still overate. My eye for portion size is really skewed.1 -
KingDolph340 wrote: »Has anybody lost weight just counting but eating whatever they felt like eating?
Yep. Lost around 50lbs that way and improved all my health markers in the process as well. Maintaining now, doing the same thing. I focus on my calorie intake and then eat a varied and balanced diet full of all the foods I like.
The only thing that matters for weight loss is that you're at the correct calorie deficit for your weight loss goals.1
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