Does calorie restriction/counting calories NOT work for anybody else?
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@amusedmonkey
Yes, bananas have more sugars as do many tropical fruits and little fiber. I hate bananas LOL so didn’t think of them.2 -
missylectro wrote: »
- Does calorie restriction/counting calories NOT work for anybody else?
- Does anybody else get triggered when counting calories?
- Did anybody else find that they lost the weight... but then weren't able to maintain it?
- Does anybody else find that when they don't allow themselves certain foods, their subconscious takes over and they overeat or (worse) develop an eating disorder like binge eating?
- Has anyone swung the weight loss pendulum in an extreme direction only for it to go to the opposite extreme?
- How did you find balance?
Thanks!
Speaking only for myself...- I don't always need to count calories, but I do always need to restrict them. Managing my intake = managing my weight = progress/success. Whether or not I need to count calories to manage my intake depends on the types of food I'm eating (some things I know the calorie counts of really well and can eyeball very closely, others I cannot).
- Triggered? Counting calories doesn't really trigger anything with me.
- Yes, always. But it's about where I'm at mentally/emotionally than anything else. There are times where I just don't prioritize managing my intake, and when that happens... I gain.
- No. I am a binger, but it's not because I'm not allowed certain foods. It's an emotional response to other things going on in my life. I am curious about whether not there are physiological responses to certain foods and/or the lack of certain nutrients, but I don't attribute my binging to my calorie restriction.
- No
- Balance isn't a thing, at least not for me. I don't have or do balance. Balance disowned me when I was a kid.
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Does calorie restriction/counting calories NOT work for anybody else?: When it comes to losing weight it works for me but not for maintaining it.
Does anybody else get triggered when counting calories? No
Did anybody else find that they lost the weight... but then weren't able to maintain it? Yeah I got to 110lbs which I thought i was okay with (Until I lowed it to 100) I tried maintaining and I gained.
Does anybody else find that when they don't allow themselves certain foods, their subconscious takes over and they overeat or (worse) develop an eating disorder like binge eating? I already have eating issues at the moment but I don't believe it was the food. I used to eat family sized bags of chips every day and when I cut it out I had cravings but It never gave me an ED or made it worse.
Has anyone swung the weight loss pendulum in an extreme direction only for it to go to the opposite extreme? No, I used to restrict to 0-400 calories a day on the low side but never went the opposite, I guess it's because I went back to healthier eating slowly.
How did you find balance? I still haven't it takes time for me to get into routine I'm still trying to eat 1,00 calories a day (which is hard because my stomach is so small and weak from restricting). Eventually I will find balance but you have to find what works and what doesn't and make sure your taking care of yourself.
I hope this helps
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missylectro wrote: »Does calorie restriction/counting calories NOT work for anybody else?
Does anybody else get triggered when counting calories?
Did anybody else find that they lost the weight... but then weren't able to maintain it?
Does anybody else find that when they don't allow themselves certain foods, their subconscious takes over and they overeat or (worse) develop an eating disorder like binge eating?
Has anyone swung the weight loss pendulum in an extreme direction only for it to go to the opposite extreme?
How did you find balance?
I want to hear from you in this thread or add me as a friend.
Thanks!
I just wanted to highlight what several posters have already mentioned - Calorie counting does not require not allowing certain foods and going to extremes. Many people aim for the most aggressive rate of loss, which isn't necessarily appropriate, and then find they have to eliminate foods and go to extremes to hit their goal. The answer to that is to pick realistic goals and have reasonable expectations. You're not going to consistently lose 2 lbs per week, you're not going to successfully white-knuckle it through a race to your goal weight and then just magically know how to eat to maintain it.
Pick a slower rate of loss, do only as much exercise as you can fit into your real life, be patient and allow for setbacks.
Having said that, calorie counting just doesn't agree with some people. Whether it triggers something, or they are stressed out by numbers, or they have an obsessive personality, or whatever other perfectly legitimate reason. They still lose weight by eating less calories than they burn, they just do it in a way that doesn't require them to actually fiddle with the numbers. That's why certain diets work for some people.
The key is finding a way to eat and an activity level that keeps you at the right calorie level reasonably easily and naturally. For me, that was losing weight super slow (1 or 2 lbs per month) by calorie counting, walking more, strength training, and eating more protein and fiber. Three years later, I still do all that, I just eat slightly more and am easily maintaining. Hope you find the way that's right for you soon :drinker:10 -
missylectro wrote: »Does calorie restriction/counting calories NOT work for anybody else?
Does anybody else get triggered when counting calories?
Did anybody else find that they lost the weight... but then weren't able to maintain it?
Does anybody else find that when they don't allow themselves certain foods, their subconscious takes over and they overeat or (worse) develop an eating disorder like binge eating?
Has anyone swung the weight loss pendulum in an extreme direction only for it to go to the opposite extreme?
How did you find balance?
I want to hear from you in this thread or add me as a friend.
Thanks!
Weight loss is not the cure. Weight loss is the first step. Calorie counting DOES work, but you have to be diligent.
I gained the weight back because I got lazy. I started eye-balling portions. I exercised a couple days less.
Elimination of favorite foods doesn't work for me.....never has. So instead I keep single portion packs in the house. No half-gallons of ice cream, no big bags of chips. I fit favorite foods into my day BUT they are accounted for. Mindless eating ( a cookie here, a handful of M&M's there).....not something I trust myself with.5 -
The thing I've had to find out about calorie counting is patience and adjustments. I log my weight loss every day even though it's advised not to in general, but I like to see my patterns. I know this weekend I will BLOATLORD it up with water weight from the garbage I will partake in. The only long-term weight tracking that matters to me is my weigh-in every Saturday morning I write down outside of MFP, generally I can get down 1 - 2 pounds per week depending on what happened. Sometimes I will make an adjustment to my weekday food plan and it can either go up or down, I consider this my "adjustment phase". Starting week three if my weight keeps going up or down, I fine tune or go back to the drawing board entirely.
For me it's been about two years of serious dieting and now I'm nervous increasing calories for strength training but I still am tracking and watching my intake. I'd highly recommend not getting so hung up on the now, and look at the data in a two to three week time span to see if what you are doing is working or not.
Good luck.0 -
Another "just to clarify" comment...
Calorie deficit works. Calorie counting and calorie deficit are not the same thing. I can count calories and still gain weight (ask me how I know) if I'm in a calorie surplus.
Also, all the numbers we use (BMR, TDEE, daily calorie goal, exercise calorie burns, calories eaten, etc) ARE ALL JUST ESTIMATES. Sometimes you have to go through some trial and error to figure out what estimates are correct for you.
If an estimate isn't right for you, that doesn't mean the concept "doesn't work".
Please make sure you understand the words/terms/phrases you are using and that are being discussed.7 -
It’s the only thing that’s ever worked for me.
That said, I do get a stressed-out feeling when I’m not doing well, like counting is a lot of pressure in an already pressured life. This can trigger stress eating, so I kind of relate.0 -
It didn't work for me. I've always restricted certain foods to 'sometimes' or even 'rarely' foods, even while gaining weight so that is a non-issue. But I quickly learned that counting calories, weighing food, logging every morsel was not my thing. It made the whole weight loss process time consuming and annoying for me. So I didn't do it. It's not the only way to lower calories. I lost the weight I wanted and have kept it off without it. Getting close to 3 years at goal now.2
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counting calories works if you eat at a deficit.
i do not feel deprived
when i stopped moving as much, i gained the weight back.
it doesn't trigger me
i just go one day at a time0 -
Ah yes, "triggered".
So OP, one time a guy was telling me about how his buddy got killed right in front of him in Afghanistan and he's never been the same since and I interrupted and started talking about the time I counted a calorie and it upset me.-1 -
counting calories has not worked for me. I have lost 10 to 15 pounds then regain and lose..over and over. However, I think it is helpful for anyone to count calories for a while to educate themselves on the truth of what they're eating.
For me, switching to a whole foods diet (nothing processed) , drinking a lot of water, and eating six times a day from all food groups... worked like a charm. I now have a good relationship with food, and I've lost all my weight .. it is amazing.
I think CC works for some people and is the focus of this site..but there are more than one way of achieving a goal. For me counting calories made eating work, a dreadful thing, and took the fun out of what should be a pleasure.5 -
elisa123gal wrote: »counting calories has not worked for me. I have lost 10 to 15 pounds then regain and lose..over and over. However, I think it is helpful for anyone to count calories for a while to educate themselves on the truth of what they're eating.
For me, switching to a whole foods diet (nothing processed) , drinking a lot of water, and eating six times a day from all food groups... worked like a charm. I now have a good relationship with food, and I've lost all my weight .. it is amazing.
I think CC works for some people and is the focus of this site..but there are more than one way of achieving a goal. For me counting calories made eating work, a dreadful thing, and took the fun out of what should be a pleasure.
I really am happy you found the best way of eating for you. But I still don't think it's fair to say "calorie counting doesn't work". Did you continue to accurately count calories and adhere to your maintenance calories during your regains? I think what people are basically saying is that they don't like the practice of counting calories to ensure they are in a deficit or maintenance, which is fine, but an entirely different thing IMO.8 -
missylectro wrote: »Does calorie restriction/counting calories NOT work for anybody else?
Does anybody else get triggered when counting calories?
Did anybody else find that they lost the weight... but then weren't able to maintain it?
Does anybody else find that when they don't allow themselves certain foods, their subconscious takes over and they overeat or (worse) develop an eating disorder like binge eating?
Has anyone swung the weight loss pendulum in an extreme direction only for it to go to the opposite extreme?
How did you find balance?
I want to hear from you in this thread or add me as a friend.
Thanks!
@missylectro it sounds like you are getting close to success. I spent a lifetime of dieting that did not work to fix my cravings leading to binging.
Finally in 2014 I swore to never try to lose weight ever again but just work to have better health markers and that has been working out well. A side effect the first year I lost most of my arthritis pain and 50 pounds of weight without trying and have maintained that loss for the last 3 years without trying and daily eating until I am full. I still get hungry but I just stop and eat until I am full or even stuffed.
Again I think from your questions you realize there has a better way for you.
Take advice from others with a grain of salt and try to listen to what your own body is telling you to try. I was 63 before I did that but now at 67 my health and health markers are better than 30 years ago.
Best of success.1 -
I see a lot of folks answered your specific questions. I'm going to answer more generally, based solely on my personal experience.
A lot of what concerns you--Cal. counting "not working," feeling deprived/going on a binge, etc.--are mistakes I made b/c I didn't know any better. For one thing, I probably RARELY at the NET minimum of 1200 cals, because I never ate back any of my exercise cals and tried to maintain a 2 lb/week loss. I avoided certain foods b/c I thought they might trigger overeating (when, in fact, avoiding them turns out to have been the cause of overeating).
Behind most of my mistakes was the sense of urgency I felt--I wanted to lose the weight as fast as possible. Now, meh, it will come off, and I'm not the least bit worried about the time frame. I'm expecting it to take about 2 years, b/c I do NOT want to fall back into old habits and I need the time to truly learn how to eat in a way that I can sustain for many years to come.
My question to myself at each decision point is, Can I sustain this? If the answer is no, I don't do it as part of my weight loss. For example, can I sustain exercising to earn more calories to eat? Nope; I'd resent it and find it too hard on my body, likely--bc I'd be overtraining. Can I limit chips to once every month/two months, whatever? Nope. I need to make them part of my weekly diet--I feel too deprived if I can't have them at least that often. Should I eat chicken a lot more? Nope; I'm not going to do that b/c I hate chicken and won't choose to eat it EVER if left to my own devices (I make it for my kids, though, and eat it then, sometimes).
The real goal of MFP is to help you find a way to create a calorie deficit that you can sustain for as long as you need to lose weight, and to learn the habits that will have you eating a relatively low amount for the rest of your life, too. Note I don't say, "having you eat a low amount." No; a healthy lifestyle means you will forever need to eat less than you eat now, but it also means you will be able to enjoy food and have fun and exercise and not feel like you are constantly struggling as we all struggle at the beginning of weight loss and occasionally at other times.
I would say that if you--or anyone--finds the transition to be a relentless struggle for months on end, something else is going on and needs to be addressed. It's not that hard to be a little bit hungry some of the time. It's not that hard to choose healthy options over less healthy ones, most of the time, while still enjoying ALL foods in moderation. It is VERY hard at first, but it should get easier with time.
I hope this helps; good luck.
This. All of this. @mkculs can you come live in my head a week or two? Please?4 -
missylectro wrote: »
"Balance isn't a thing, at least not for me. I don't have or do balance. Balance disowned me when I was a kid."
Word.0 -
I see a lot of folks answered your specific questions. I'm going to answer more generally, based solely on my personal experience.
A lot of what concerns you--Cal. counting "not working," feeling deprived/going on a binge, etc.--are mistakes I made b/c I didn't know any better. For one thing, I probably RARELY at the NET minimum of 1200 cals, because I never ate back any of my exercise cals and tried to maintain a 2 lb/week loss. I avoided certain foods b/c I thought they might trigger overeating (when, in fact, avoiding them turns out to have been the cause of overeating).
Behind most of my mistakes was the sense of urgency I felt--I wanted to lose the weight as fast as possible. Now, meh, it will come off, and I'm not the least bit worried about the time frame. I'm expecting it to take about 2 years, b/c I do NOT want to fall back into old habits and I need the time to truly learn how to eat in a way that I can sustain for many years to come.
My question to myself at each decision point is, Can I sustain this? If the answer is no, I don't do it as part of my weight loss. For example, can I sustain exercising to earn more calories to eat? Nope; I'd resent it and find it too hard on my body, likely--bc I'd be overtraining. Can I limit chips to once every month/two months, whatever? Nope. I need to make them part of my weekly diet--I feel too deprived if I can't have them at least that often. Should I eat chicken a lot more? Nope; I'm not going to do that b/c I hate chicken and won't choose to eat it EVER if left to my own devices (I make it for my kids, though, and eat it then, sometimes).
The real goal of MFP is to help you find a way to create a calorie deficit that you can sustain for as long as you need to lose weight, and to learn the habits that will have you eating a relatively low amount for the rest of your life, too. Note I don't say, "having you eat a low amount." No; a healthy lifestyle means you will forever need to eat less than you eat now, but it also means you will be able to enjoy food and have fun and exercise and not feel like you are constantly struggling as we all struggle at the beginning of weight loss and occasionally at other times.
I would say that if you--or anyone--finds the transition to be a relentless struggle for months on end, something else is going on and needs to be addressed. It's not that hard to be a little bit hungry some of the time. It's not that hard to choose healthy options over less healthy ones, most of the time, while still enjoying ALL foods in moderation. It is VERY hard at first, but it should get easier with time.
I hope this helps; good luck.
This. All of this. @mkculs can you come live in my head a week or two? Please?
Ha, Thanks. I hope it helps.0
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