Calorie deficit
Options
ashleygroizard
Posts: 181 Member
Is it possible to be in a calorie deficit without counting calories?
5
Replies
-
I always find questions like this odd. Is it possible? Yes. Is it unlikely to sustain? Also yes. At the end of the day, counting calories will only benefit you in that you know exactly what you're eating and therefore can make informed decisions on how much to eat, and how to incorporate the treats you love. If you dont count calories its simply not possible to eyeball how many grams of chicken, rice, peanut butter, etc to reliable accuracy. I'd say in order to be in a deficit without counting calories, you'll need to account for the fact that your estimates are likely to be off, and therefore eat potentially less than is necessary. Wouldn't you rather eat 100 actual grams of chicken and an extra square of chocolate after, rather than trying to eyeball it out and accidentally eat 120 grams of chicken? It's easy to do.
When you weigh your food and count calories you give yourself the information to be able to add an extra cookie or serving of chips or whatever you enjoy when you're under target. More than likely if you dont count calories you'll eat more than you think and get discouraged about your weight loss journey.18 -
Yes, it is. Problem is, if you assure yourself that you'll be in a calorie deficit and then neglect to confirm the assertion, you have no way of knowing that you have been.10
-
?
People (and other animals) lose and have been losing weight without counting calories since life started existing. Losing weight is only possible through deficit in energy.
What are you asking exactly?6 -
ashleygroizard wrote: »Is it possible to be in a calorie deficit without counting calories?
Of course you can. Many people lose weight without counting calories as they use other methods for portion control. I lost half my weight this way but then became a calorie counter and I find it the most successful method. However, if you have an eating disorder counting calories can lead you down a very slippery slope.
My suggestion is to talk to your therapy team about your goals and work with them to find a suitable plan for you.14 -
I've done it but it wasn't sustainable. When I reached my goal, I didn't know how to quit losing so I started eating like I did before I started and I slowly gained it all back plus some more.4
-
Of course, yes. A calorie deficit can be achieved by any method that reduces calorie intake and/or increases movement. Calorie counting is merely a tool that helps manage the CI side which can make the process more reliable.3
-
ashleygroizard wrote: »Is it possible to be in a calorie deficit without counting calories?
How else would you know sure if you are in a deficit?
3 -
ashleygroizard wrote: »Is it possible to be in a calorie deficit without counting calories?
How else would you know sure if you are in a deficit?
By losing weight.13 -
ashleygroizard wrote: »Is it possible to be in a calorie deficit without counting calories?
How else would you know sure if you are in a deficit?
The scale. I don't count calories and lose weight just fine.12 -
ashleygroizard wrote: »Is it possible to be in a calorie deficit without counting calories?
How else would you know sure if you are in a deficit?
If you are losing weight...you're in a deficit. If you are losing too fast then you need to eat more. I don't know how old you are but I have been around long before the public use of the internet...no calorie counting apps. As a child no one had digital scales in their kitchen. Many people didn't even know what a calorie was...yet somehow they managed to lose weight. Their chances of success was about the same as it is today. Macros...forget it...where I came from people would have thought that you were calling them some weird name.
I also remember those tiny little books that listed some calories that women carried around in their purses.
10 -
Long term, sure.
But on any given day you’re engaging in guesswork.
Shrug. Have fun.
7 -
ashleygroizard wrote: »Is it possible to be in a calorie deficit without counting calories?
Of course! People would lose weight long before we even knew what a calorie was. The reason anyone loses weight, ever, is because they are in a deficit. People doing a specific diet who lose weight without actually counting calories do so because whatever other strategy they are using causes them to eat less calories. Whether it's eating high fat, or vegetarian, or using color-coded containers, or skipping breakfast, or not snacking, or counting points.
It is not uncommon for those recovering from EDs to need to lose weight without counting calories to avoid it being triggering. If you are considering that, I'm sure your treatment team could suggest alternate methods that would work within your plan, assuming they think any weight loss at all is warranted. :drinker:11 -
Certainly - several people lost and gained weight prior to calorie counting.
I would say to at least conduct a few days/weeks of the exercise of calories counting to set a firm foundation on say what 4 oz of chicken looks like. The issue with not counting is that this leads to undereating/overeating as there is nothing intuitive about eating at maintenance.1 -
Can you rephrase your question?
You could have an unhealthy diet of Eggs, Cheese sticks and Celery.
You could also do cardio for 4 hours too.
So to answer your question, the answer is yes, you would have to know what your eating, for example
Rabbit Food ( lettuces, mushrooms, celery, etc)3 -
Well, that's what most diets do. People on keto, weight watchers, Atkins, etc. are following a diet plan without necessarily counting calories. The point of the diet is to get you into deficit with or without counting.
It seems like it'd be hard to be in deficit without either counting or being on some pre defined meal plan though.2 -
-
ashleygroizard wrote: »
No. But it can help.3 -
ashleygroizard wrote: »
This is the same question as do I have to count calories to be in a calorie deficit. Calorie deficit = weight loss.5
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.4K Getting Started
- 259.6K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 387 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.2K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 913 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions