Journey to Stop Counting Calories
RufflesMcGee
Posts: 7 Member
DAY 1: Hi I'm Kelly. Im 26, 5'5", and currently 247 lbs. I've been on MFP on and off for a couple of years but only stuck to it recently (a little over a month). I'm down 12 lbs which is fantastic. Im writing this today to stop calorie counting. Which I know that's ONE of the main components of MFP but the numbers are just getting to me. I may not log my food for a couple of weeks and I wanted to see how the results would end up after these "calorie free" weeks. I realized now it's not about what calories you eat it's actually what you eat(healthy foods) helps you lose the weight. It's taken me over 10 years to now get that through my thick skull. Anyone want to come along with the journey with me?
[Post edited by MFP mod]
[Post edited by MFP mod]
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Replies
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I got some bad news for ya. Not only do you have to count calories but you also have to weigh everything. Ideal weight range is 137.5 - 151 lbs. So the good news is that one year from now, if you take my advise, you will hit your ideal weight15
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Unfortunately your body doesn't care if you eat too many calories of salad or chocolate. It's still too many calories, and will stop you achieving your goals.
There are plenty of people who eat 100% healthy, nutritious food and are still overweight or obese. If only it were that simple! I'd personally reevaluate your plan17 -
RufflesMcGee wrote: »DAY 1: Hi I'm Kelly. Im 26, 5'5", and currently 247 lbs. I've been on MFP on and off for a couple of years but only stuck to it recently (a little over a month). I'm down 12 lbs which is fantastic. Im writing this today to stop calorie counting. Which I know that's ONE of the main components of MFP but the numbers are just getting to me. I may not log my food for a couple of weeks and I wanted to see how the results would end up after these "calorie free" weeks. I realized now it's not about what calories you eat it's actually what you eat(healthy foods) helps you lose the weight. It's taken me over 10 years to now get that through my thick skull. Anyone want to come along with the journey with me?
Sorry to break it to you but it actually does come down to how many calories you eat, in order to lose weight. You don’t have to count them if you don’t want, but it’s very possible to over eat “healthy foods” and not lose or even gain weight.
Lots of people don’t log, but unless you’re in a calorie deficit you won’t lose weight. I hope you find a sustainable plan that enables you to achieve your goals.12 -
RufflesMcGee wrote: »DAY 1: Hi I'm Kelly. Im 26, 5'5", and currently 247 lbs. I've been on MFP on and off for a couple of years but only stuck to it recently (a little over a month). I'm down 12 lbs which is fantastic. Im writing this today to stop calorie counting. Which I know that's ONE of the main components of MFP but the numbers are just getting to me. I may not log my food for a couple of weeks and I wanted to see how the results would end up after these "calorie free" weeks. I realized now it's not about what calories you eat it's actually what you eat(healthy foods) helps you lose the weight. It's taken me over 10 years to now get that through my thick skull. Anyone want to come along with the journey with me?
Good luck. If you somehow happen to end up in a consistent caloric deficit through your eating plan, you'll lose weight. If not, you won't. While an overall balanced, nutritious diet is always a good idea, you lose weight by eating less calories than you expend. Period. You don't need to count calories to lose weight, but you do have to be in a deficit.9 -
yep. Calories still count, even if you don't decide to count them.
I managed to put on 5% body fat in 6 months doing 100% paleo. You see, I am small and don't have a huge calorie budget, so nuts and dried fruit easily put me into a surplus during that time of not logging. Now saying that, I have still been able to lose weight without tracking during other times, because the foods I was choosing and my activity level kept me in a caloric deficit.11 -
Wow, you have learned the very wrong lesson indeed. It is easy to gain weight eating only healthy food. One of the reasons you log your food is so that you pay attention to what you are eating. If not, you might decide to order a salad from a restaurant not realizing how bad it is for you. Just because there is lettuce doesn't mean there are not all kinds of other yummy elements that skyrocket the calories, bad fats, cholesterol, and sodium. Shoot I make my own dressing because even the "light" dressings chew up too many calories if I want to eat a large salad. I know this because I log and unwanted calorie wells stick out like a sore thumb.6
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No. That's how I got fat in the first place! I'm going to keep logging. 42 lbs. down thanks to mfp and 58 to go.7
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RufflesMcGee wrote: »I realized now it's not about what calories you eat it's actually what you eat(healthy foods) helps you lose the weight.
I'm sorry, but this is not true. You can overeat on healthy food and you can lose weight eating only fast food, chocolate and ice cream. It's all about calories in < calories out.
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I really wish you best of luck and hope you are one of these people who can create a deficit without counting by paying attention to choices. Unfortunately, I became obese while eating predominantly healthy and a lot of vegetables. It always is about the calories, but some people can reduce their calories without counting them while others can't.
To make weight loss permanent, it's best to think in terms of forming long term habits instead of changes you are not likely to sustain. For me, counting calories is one of these habits. It keeps me level-headed about my choices and amounts regardless if I'm losing, maintaining, or deliberately gaining. Do you think eating nothing but foods you consider healthy is something that sounds sustainable and enjoyable to you? Can you enjoy the rest of your life eating this way? If the answer is yes, then that's the right choice for you, and even then, you may or may not need to make tweaks because simply limiting your choices to a list of foods you approve of doesn't guarantee successful weight management unless you're lucky.10 -
@RufflesMcGee Wishing you all the best on your weight loss journey.
Your statement is only partly true. WHAT you eat, contributes to overall good health, but HOW MUCH you eat still matters for weight loss.
If you eat junk in tiny portions you'll lose weight, and if you eat excessive quantities of "healthy" foods you'll gain weight.
You might also wish to consider the effects of exercise. If you consume more food than you need, this can be balanced by increasing your activity level in order to still lose weight.
More food without increasing exercise = weight gain.
More exercise without increasing food = weight loss1 -
Yeah..um...good luck with that.8
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I got fat eating highly nutritious home cooked food.
Also got slim eating the same way.
It's almost as if there's something else at play here - calorie balance perhaps?
I don't log my food and haven't done for quite a while, but I am calorie aware. You certainly don't need to log food and count calories but you are setting yourself up for failure if you think the calories you eat don't add up just because they are from "healthy" food and you don't count them.
Don't waste your 20's chasing a rainbow.11 -
Presumably, you weren’t logging on your way up, I know I wasn’t. Seems like a good way to risk regaining. If you stall or hit a plateau, what’s your plan for working through it if you don’t have reliable data?
I wish you well, eat the right portions of the food you’re eating to maintain the deficit.1 -
johnnylakis wrote: »I got some bad news for ya. Not only do you have to count calories but you also have to weigh everything. Ideal weight range is 137.5 - 151 lbs. So the good news is that one year from now, if you take my advise, you will hit your ideal weight
How did people lose weight before counting calories and weighing became popular? People still lose weight by not weighing and counting. There is a thread just recently started here where many people have lost a lot of weight that don't own a scale.
My son has lost 25lbs. He doesn't count calories nor does he weigh food. He did it by cutting back and getting more active. He doesn't go back for seconds...doesn't eat as many high calories snacks...
I still look at calories and log but I seldom weigh food unless it is a new food or it is calorie dense. Like the OP...I am working my way to portion control. I just know that I can not count and weigh for the rest of my life. So it is time for me to start working on controlling my weight by other means.7 -
johnnylakis wrote: »I got some bad news for ya. Not only do you have to count calories but you also have to weigh everything. Ideal weight range is 137.5 - 151 lbs. So the good news is that one year from now, if you take my advise, you will hit your ideal weight
How did people lose weight before counting calories and weighing became popular? People still lose weight by not weighing and counting. There is a thread just recently started here where many people have lost a lot of weight that don't own a scale.
My son has lost 25lbs. He doesn't count calories nor does he weigh food. He did it by cutting back and getting more active. He doesn't go back for seconds...doesn't eat as many high calories snacks...
I still look at calories and log but I seldom weigh food unless it is a new food or it is calorie dense. Like the OP...I am working my way to portion control. I just know that I can not count and weigh for the rest of my life. So it is time for me to start working on controlling my weight by other means.
I lost a lot of weight in the past not counting just cutting out snacks and eating light meals. Then I gained it back because I really didn't know how to eat properly to maintain it. I did this a few times. When I started tracking, I figured out I was actually eating an unhealthy low number of calories with poor macros. This time I lost the weight (60+ lbs) and have been on maintenance for just over a month without gaining any back yet. Still tracking, but eating what I want and just limiting to make it fit. I think odds of it working out long term are better if you count.5 -
johnnylakis wrote: »I got some bad news for ya. Not only do you have to count calories but you also have to weigh everything. Ideal weight range is 137.5 - 151 lbs. So the good news is that one year from now, if you take my advise, you will hit your ideal weight
How did people lose weight before counting calories and weighing became popular? People still lose weight by not weighing and counting. There is a thread just recently started here where many people have lost a lot of weight that don't own a scale.
My son has lost 25lbs. He doesn't count calories nor does he weigh food. He did it by cutting back and getting more active. He doesn't go back for seconds...doesn't eat as many high calories snacks...
I still look at calories and log but I seldom weigh food unless it is a new food or it is calorie dense. Like the OP...I am working my way to portion control. I just know that I can not count and weigh for the rest of my life. So it is time for me to start working on controlling my weight by other means.
I think that you've probably read the statistics about how many people lose weight and regain it. Of course there are some who are successful who don't track. It is one thing to lose 25 or 30 lbs. and then be at a normal weight. The difference in what the person was eating when overweight is not as drastic as someone who needs to lose 100 lbs. (like the OP). I lost weight in the past a few times (probably about 10-15 lbs.) but I wasn't obese then. It was vanity weight. When I first started on MFP last July I had 100 lbs. to lose. I wasn't planning on actually following MFP. I was just going to log what I ate--I didn't believe in CICO, and ate a healthy diet, but I wasn't losing. After just one week of logging my food intake at the time, it was obvious to me that I was eating probably 3000 calories per day which was why I gained 60-70 lbs. in 6 years. (My TDEE at my goal weight will be about 1600, so I was eating double what I should have been). Once I had that realization it was very easy for me to cut back. I didn't need the extra calories--in fact it was making me sick with digestive problems (that diminished once I started eating 1500 calories less. The problems disappeared completely once I'd lost 20 lbs.).
I'm not an expert, and this is just my opinion. I think that once I crossed the threshhold from overweight to obese, with 100 lbs. above a normal weight, I had lost all sense of being able to determine intuitively what was the right amount of food or portions. That was not the case when I was 15 lbs. or 30 lbs. overweight.
The OP can try guessing and estimating, but I know for me, counting calories helped and helps me stay on track. I have to do it with my brain.4 -
johnnylakis wrote: »I got some bad news for ya. Not only do you have to count calories but you also have to weigh everything. Ideal weight range is 137.5 - 151 lbs. So the good news is that one year from now, if you take my advise, you will hit your ideal weight
How did people lose weight before counting calories and weighing became popular? People still lose weight by not weighing and counting. There is a thread just recently started here where many people have lost a lot of weight that don't own a scale.
My son has lost 25lbs. He doesn't count calories nor does he weigh food. He did it by cutting back and getting more active. He doesn't go back for seconds...doesn't eat as many high calories snacks...
I still look at calories and log but I seldom weigh food unless it is a new food or it is calorie dense. Like the OP...I am working my way to portion control. I just know that I can not count and weigh for the rest of my life. So it is time for me to start working on controlling my weight by other means.
You're putting words in the OP's mouth. OP says nothing about portion control. OP says, "I realized now it's not about what calories you eat it's actually what you eat(healthy foods) helps you lose the weight." You can eat "healthy foods," however you define that, in appropriate portions, or you can eat them in portions that are too large, and gain weight.4 -
Sooo...the one thing that's actually worked for you....is the main thing you want to give up?8
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If you are getting too obsessive about the numbers then by all means try and be calorie and portion aware without logging.
Every time I've stopped logging I've gained a little back so it's not for me. Be careful too, I stopped logging to take a break and still fighting to get my logging consistency back many months on and as a result haven't really lost anything in the last 4 months.2 -
Good luck with that. If you don't count the calories you won't know if you are eating more then you should....but of course you're welcome to try it but you'd have to regularly weigh in. If you don't lose weight you will know the score.0
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