Is counting calories disordered eating? Shouldn’t we be able to not overeat?
Options
Replies
-
We all wish it was that easy.0
-
I got obese while eating mostly home cooked meals and healthy food. And one of the most frustrating things about being obese was people assuming I ate junk food (and didn't exercise) . I really, really dislike these kinds of assumptions and generalisations about obese people.
Calorie counting is the only thing that has worked for me so far. Will I still do it after my weight loss journey? I will have to test and find out, but I've done it for 6 months and will certainly still be doing it for another 6 months.
7 -
asellitti6523 wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »asellitti6523 wrote: »I'm not a big fan of counting/measuring out calories over the long haul when it comes to lifestyle changes. I think in the beginning of a weight loss journey it's important to measure everything out and learn serving sizes of the foods you eat on a consistent basis and the amount of calories in those servings. But after a month or two you will be able to better guesstimate calories and portions having gone through the educational/enlightening process of measuring everything out. I'm a big believer in making any weight loss/lifestyle change as simple as possible because the more simple and less variables there are the more likely you are to stick it out for the long run. Changing up your nutrition after months or even years of poor eating habits/choices is hard enough as it is. Obsessing about calories and macros to the point that it makes you a nervous wreck is essentially trading a physical health concern for a mental/psychological one. What is doubly concerning about this is for many people overeating/poor food choices came as some from of coping mechanism to deal with stress and mental health issues so it's just another way to get stuck in a vicious cycle.
That is precisely why I've been counting for 7 years and don't see myself stopping in the foreseeable future. I find counting simpler than having to obsess about what I can or cannot eat. I tend to restrict more "just in case" when I'm not counting and I find that exhausting. Everything is fair game if the numbers are right, and it requires fewer rules/less rigid rules. The only decision I have to make is "is this food worth the calories today?" when I feel like having a high calorie food, and the rest of the processes is self-driving.
Maybe I believe in oversimplification but I just think doing things like eating more whole foods and avoiding processed foods, not drinking calories often, and reducing the intake of refined sugar and simple carbs will naturally put the vast majority of people trying to lose weight at a caloric deficit without having to track every single day. The reason I don't worry about overeating taking this approach is because eating more whole foods and less processed foods loaded with sugar is going to keep me satisfied with a lower volume of food consumed. This is not to say I never have an alcoholic beverage or occasionally eat sweets or processed foods but I don't obsess about it because I know the majority of the time I am eating relatively clean. Your point about why you track calories to keep yourself accountable and to not obsess about what you eat is well taken and I fully subscribe to the notion that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to a healthy lifestyle. Thank you for your thought provoking reply.
After 7 years on MFP I can tell you that people doing what you are saying get very frustrated because many times they GAIN weight and don't understand why. Eating "healthy" does not equal a calorie deficit, which is what is needed to lose weight. You can create that deficit anyway you choose, but it's got to be there. People with a lot to lose may start off cutting soft drinks and sugar and lose, but people with less to lose have to hug that deficit.11 -
snowflake954 wrote: »asellitti6523 wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »asellitti6523 wrote: »I'm not a big fan of counting/measuring out calories over the long haul when it comes to lifestyle changes. I think in the beginning of a weight loss journey it's important to measure everything out and learn serving sizes of the foods you eat on a consistent basis and the amount of calories in those servings. But after a month or two you will be able to better guesstimate calories and portions having gone through the educational/enlightening process of measuring everything out. I'm a big believer in making any weight loss/lifestyle change as simple as possible because the more simple and less variables there are the more likely you are to stick it out for the long run. Changing up your nutrition after months or even years of poor eating habits/choices is hard enough as it is. Obsessing about calories and macros to the point that it makes you a nervous wreck is essentially trading a physical health concern for a mental/psychological one. What is doubly concerning about this is for many people overeating/poor food choices came as some from of coping mechanism to deal with stress and mental health issues so it's just another way to get stuck in a vicious cycle.
That is precisely why I've been counting for 7 years and don't see myself stopping in the foreseeable future. I find counting simpler than having to obsess about what I can or cannot eat. I tend to restrict more "just in case" when I'm not counting and I find that exhausting. Everything is fair game if the numbers are right, and it requires fewer rules/less rigid rules. The only decision I have to make is "is this food worth the calories today?" when I feel like having a high calorie food, and the rest of the processes is self-driving.
Maybe I believe in oversimplification but I just think doing things like eating more whole foods and avoiding processed foods, not drinking calories often, and reducing the intake of refined sugar and simple carbs will naturally put the vast majority of people trying to lose weight at a caloric deficit without having to track every single day. The reason I don't worry about overeating taking this approach is because eating more whole foods and less processed foods loaded with sugar is going to keep me satisfied with a lower volume of food consumed. This is not to say I never have an alcoholic beverage or occasionally eat sweets or processed foods but I don't obsess about it because I know the majority of the time I am eating relatively clean. Your point about why you track calories to keep yourself accountable and to not obsess about what you eat is well taken and I fully subscribe to the notion that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to a healthy lifestyle. Thank you for your thought provoking reply.
After 7 years on MFP I can tell you that people doing what you are saying get very frustrated because many times they GAIN weight and don't understand why. Eating "healthy" does not equal a calorie deficit, which is what is needed to lose weight. You can create that deficit anyway you choose, but it's got to be there. People with a lot to lose may start off cutting soft drinks and sugar and lose, but people with less to lose have to hug that deficit.
I can also tell you, what people "think" of as "healthy" WTF that is, is sometimes off the rails. One example, nuts are "healthy", but very calorie dense. Dealt with a lady at my work in the same boat. "I'm eating healthy! Why am I gaining weight?!?!" as she eats an entire bag of almonds. I think learning what is in the foods as far as calories in great thing! Even a time of weighing, measuring, and tracking. It is a "TOOL" to teach people what things look like. Sustainable for years? I don't think for the "average" person.
As far as binge eating, I will not call it a disorder. First, while I have worked with psych patients, I am not a psych specialist. Second, to blame it purely on psychology, I think, does not give the human survival mechanisms enough credit. Are there psychological reasons people eat? Yes. Though, it seems that "comfort" food helps to dampen the stress response in the brain. Physiological? Yes. If we look inside hunter gatherer groups, they will binge. Generally on high energy dense foods if they can. 5-7lbs of fatty meat. Quarts of raw honey at a time. Is there something psychologically broken? Volume eaters, are they binge eating?
**edit** As far as people saying they eat when they are "bored". Well, don't get bored. If you are able, un mechanize as much as you can. Wash dishes by hand, clean your own floors, mow and maintain your own yards...ect. For a people that are always "bored" we sure give our task to machines. Im not saying give up your cars and washing machines, but do what you can. Some people have kids and long jobs, so those things help hem have time. As a boss once told me. "if you have time to lean, you have time to clean." jmho5 -
asellitti6523 wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »asellitti6523 wrote: »I'm not a big fan of counting/measuring out calories over the long haul when it comes to lifestyle changes. I think in the beginning of a weight loss journey it's important to measure everything out and learn serving sizes of the foods you eat on a consistent basis and the amount of calories in those servings. But after a month or two you will be able to better guesstimate calories and portions having gone through the educational/enlightening process of measuring everything out. I'm a big believer in making any weight loss/lifestyle change as simple as possible because the more simple and less variables there are the more likely you are to stick it out for the long run. Changing up your nutrition after months or even years of poor eating habits/choices is hard enough as it is. Obsessing about calories and macros to the point that it makes you a nervous wreck is essentially trading a physical health concern for a mental/psychological one. What is doubly concerning about this is for many people overeating/poor food choices came as some from of coping mechanism to deal with stress and mental health issues so it's just another way to get stuck in a vicious cycle.
That is precisely why I've been counting for 7 years and don't see myself stopping in the foreseeable future. I find counting simpler than having to obsess about what I can or cannot eat. I tend to restrict more "just in case" when I'm not counting and I find that exhausting. Everything is fair game if the numbers are right, and it requires fewer rules/less rigid rules. The only decision I have to make is "is this food worth the calories today?" when I feel like having a high calorie food, and the rest of the processes is self-driving.
Maybe I believe in oversimplification but I just think doing things like eating more whole foods and avoiding processed foods, not drinking calories often, and reducing the intake of refined sugar and simple carbs will naturally put the vast majority of people trying to lose weight at a caloric deficit without having to track every single day.
Not for a lot of us, no. I gained weight eating that way (which I have for most of my life).
I can maintain and even lose without counting cals (counting cals makes me less stressed when losing), but it takes a lot more mindfulness about portion sizes and when I eat. It also works because I know a lot about foods, including which of those foods I include in my diet because they are nutrient dense (and delicious!) are also high cal. Those are things I do whether counting or not, but if I start to slip and eat more than I need, counting is a good way to force myself to be more mindful, and often a fun way to make mindfulness about something else (like am I hitting all my nutrients -- I track at Cron -- or how much of my diet is vegetables or some such).
Sometimes I think people assume "cooking from whole foods" inherently means "cooking quite low cal meals" or even "mostly eating pretty bland meals," and for people who have mostly been doing that for a long time (including when overweight), that's not the case, and I wouldn't want it to be.
Anyway, I mostly prefer not counting cals at maintenance, but I think it's silly to claim everyone SHOULD do that or counting cals longer than a brief period = disordered or is inherently unnecessary or more stressful.
I also think that some have baggage with counting cals (that it involved feeling restricted or trying to fit in unsatiating foods or involved stressing about cals or very low cal levels). For whatever reason, I've never had that experience at all -- the first time I counted caused me to realize I was overrestricting when not counting, and to loosen up.5 -
asellitti6523 wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »asellitti6523 wrote: »I'm not a big fan of counting/measuring out calories over the long haul when it comes to lifestyle changes. I think in the beginning of a weight loss journey it's important to measure everything out and learn serving sizes of the foods you eat on a consistent basis and the amount of calories in those servings. But after a month or two you will be able to better guesstimate calories and portions having gone through the educational/enlightening process of measuring everything out. I'm a big believer in making any weight loss/lifestyle change as simple as possible because the more simple and less variables there are the more likely you are to stick it out for the long run. Changing up your nutrition after months or even years of poor eating habits/choices is hard enough as it is. Obsessing about calories and macros to the point that it makes you a nervous wreck is essentially trading a physical health concern for a mental/psychological one. What is doubly concerning about this is for many people overeating/poor food choices came as some from of coping mechanism to deal with stress and mental health issues so it's just another way to get stuck in a vicious cycle.
That is precisely why I've been counting for 7 years and don't see myself stopping in the foreseeable future. I find counting simpler than having to obsess about what I can or cannot eat. I tend to restrict more "just in case" when I'm not counting and I find that exhausting. Everything is fair game if the numbers are right, and it requires fewer rules/less rigid rules. The only decision I have to make is "is this food worth the calories today?" when I feel like having a high calorie food, and the rest of the processes is self-driving.
Maybe I believe in oversimplification but I just think doing things like eating more whole foods and avoiding processed foods, not drinking calories often, and reducing the intake of refined sugar and simple carbs will naturally put the vast majority of people trying to lose weight at a caloric deficit without having to track every single day.
Not for a lot of us, no. I gained weight eating that way (which I have for most of my life).
I can maintain and even lose without counting cals (counting cals makes me less stressed when losing), but it takes a lot more mindfulness about portion sizes and when I eat. It also works because I know a lot about foods, including which of those foods I include in my diet because they are nutrient dense (and delicious!) are also high cal. Those are things I do whether counting or not, but if I start to slip and eat more than I need, counting is a good way to force myself to be more mindful, and often a fun way to make mindfulness about something else (like am I hitting all my nutrients -- I track at Cron -- or how much of my diet is vegetables or some such).
Sometimes I think people assume "cooking from whole foods" inherently means "cooking quite low cal meals" or even "mostly eating pretty bland meals," and for people who have mostly been doing that for a long time (including when overweight), that's not the case, and I wouldn't want it to be.
Anyway, I mostly prefer not counting cals at maintenance, but I think it's silly to claim everyone SHOULD do that or counting cals longer than a brief period = disordered or is inherently unnecessary or more stressful.
I also think that some have baggage with counting cals (that it involved feeling restricted or trying to fit in unsatiating foods or involved stressing about cals or very low cal levels). For whatever reason, I've never had that experience at all -- the first time I counted caused me to realize I was overrestricting when not counting, and to loosen up.
My main meal today was cauliflower cooked in tahini sauce + grilled chicken. Minimally processed, no added sugar, high fiber, high protein, highly nutritious. I can tell you from experience that this "whole food" took more effort to fit in than most processed foods and fast foods I eat sometimes (unless I settle for a tiny unsatisfying portion).6 -
asellitti6523 wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »asellitti6523 wrote: »I'm not a big fan of counting/measuring out calories over the long haul when it comes to lifestyle changes. I think in the beginning of a weight loss journey it's important to measure everything out and learn serving sizes of the foods you eat on a consistent basis and the amount of calories in those servings. But after a month or two you will be able to better guesstimate calories and portions having gone through the educational/enlightening process of measuring everything out. I'm a big believer in making any weight loss/lifestyle change as simple as possible because the more simple and less variables there are the more likely you are to stick it out for the long run. Changing up your nutrition after months or even years of poor eating habits/choices is hard enough as it is. Obsessing about calories and macros to the point that it makes you a nervous wreck is essentially trading a physical health concern for a mental/psychological one. What is doubly concerning about this is for many people overeating/poor food choices came as some from of coping mechanism to deal with stress and mental health issues so it's just another way to get stuck in a vicious cycle.
That is precisely why I've been counting for 7 years and don't see myself stopping in the foreseeable future. I find counting simpler than having to obsess about what I can or cannot eat. I tend to restrict more "just in case" when I'm not counting and I find that exhausting. Everything is fair game if the numbers are right, and it requires fewer rules/less rigid rules. The only decision I have to make is "is this food worth the calories today?" when I feel like having a high calorie food, and the rest of the processes is self-driving.
Maybe I believe in oversimplification but I just think doing things like eating more whole foods and avoiding processed foods, not drinking calories often, and reducing the intake of refined sugar and simple carbs will naturally put the vast majority of people trying to lose weight at a caloric deficit without having to track every single day. The reason I don't worry about overeating taking this approach is because eating more whole foods and less processed foods loaded with sugar is going to keep me satisfied with a lower volume of food consumed. This is not to say I never have an alcoholic beverage or occasionally eat sweets or processed foods but I don't obsess about it because I know the majority of the time I am eating relatively clean. Your point about why you track calories to keep yourself accountable and to not obsess about what you eat is well taken and I fully subscribe to the notion that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to a healthy lifestyle. Thank you for your thought provoking reply.
I don't think you're necessarily over-simplifying, but I think you're over-generalizing your own experience to other people. I don't know that those strategies would "put the vast majority of people trying to lose weight at a calorie deficit" that they could stick with as a practical matter. I'm doubtful.
I think there's a bit of a honeymoon that people who've had some other (less satiating) way of eating experience when they switch to eating mostly so-called "clean" "whole foods" (quote marks because both of those terms are so diversely defined as to be nearly meaningless IMO).
If that romance continues into a long and happy weight loss and maintenance, that can certainly be a helpful tool for losing and maintaining weight.
As others have said, some of us (including me) got fat in the first place eating mostly those kinds of foods routinely. (I was one of those whole-grain hippie kinda people, starting back at least in the 1970s, and raised in a family where those kinds of foods were pretty standard - less whole grain in childhood, but beaucoup whole veggies and fruits and such.) Eventually, with a sedentary job and lifestyle, I got obese eating mostly that way. It was easy.
In my mid-40s, I rather suddenly started being very active, working out quite intensely most days most weeks, even competing as an athlete (and often finishing in the pack, though only rarely placing). I still stayed obese, despite that level of exercise. It's only a few hundred calories a day: Easy to eat that much more.
I think that for people who newly discover being active as part of the weight loss process, that, too, can have a honeymoon effect, as their TDEE gets higher, their fitness improves so they get more NEAT without much pushing for it, etc.
If someone starts from very inactive, with a very non-satiating diet, I think that can make those things seem more powerful than they will universally be. If that power, for them, means they don't need to calorie count if they don't want to, I think that's pretty wonderful.
If someone has problems with counting (obession, stress, resentment, thinks it's time-consuming, whatever), then that's a great reason to want to find another way to lose or maintain, and I encourage them and wish them success.
But, as you say, we're all individuals. For me, I've amply proven I can eat too much of "clean" "whole foods" and get/stay fat, even in a context with plenty of exercise; and I have a temperament and lifestyle that makes counting easy logistically and psychologically. As some others have said, I feel less stress when counting (which I've been doing for nearly 5 years now), because I know where I stand so I can relax and have that extra peanut butter or cheese (or not) - even cake or beer
- as an informed decision, instead of agonizing about it.
As a side benefit - and maybe this is semi-unique to me as a vegetarian - logging makes me much more confident that I'm getting the nutrition I need to thrive. I can't just eat X servings of chicken or whatever and assume I'll get enough protein/fats; I need to look at the full range of my eating, if I want to balance nutrition with appropriate energy intake to stay at a healthy weight.
For me, there's a lot of benefit in the 10-15 minutes a day it takes to log, and really no down-side. I can't think why I (just me, not you or others) would even want to stop.
7 -
I didn't read all the replies, but I asked myself this question and my answer is that we've been taught about so much "lack" in the past- i.e. people not having enough food and starving, the dust bowl, the Great Depression (in American history), that it can seem quite foolish to EITHER not "stock up" on food when it is bountiful, or to eat "regularly*" as there is no reason to believe there will be a food shortage in the future.
I am positive that my overeating came from a sense of lack and sense of needing to finish everything on the plate when eating out- it wasn't that I didn't want a "normal," healthy and fit-looking body, but there was a deep pleasure that was derived from a sense of safety in stockpiling food and in knowing that, as far as the uncertain future was concerned, I would not be hungry for some time.
I do believe that my eating tendencies were the result of both a "difficult" childhood- being exposed to difficult aspects of life earlier than others. It was also genetic in that my mother, father, and grandmothers are overweight. It seems I followed their own habits instead of sticking to a healthier path. I believe that when you are full or more than full that your brain is more distracted and it seems to be easier to not face difficult aspects of life- the unknown.
I DO believe that no one should feel the sort of nervous tension that would cause them to consume more food than is necessary regarding their circumstances. Unfortunately, I was subject to such nervous tensions while growing up, and as a result I am learning so much to lead myself out of the darkness and into a fit lifestyle.5 -
My body doesn't do a very good job of letting me know what a normal amount of food is or being satisfied. Knowing there's an amount I can measure to in order to be a healthy weight takes the guessing and feelings out of the equation.
I wish I could be normal, too, but I am glad I have learned one way to manage my weight reliably.3 -
I think western society as a whole has moved towards disordered eating being 'the norm'. People who had poor/disordered eating patterns gave birth to people who inherited those poor/disordered eating habits and in turn passed them on to their kids.
I think logging food is a way of managing/treating this systemic disordered eating rather that being a problem in and of itself.1 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »2,300 years ago Socrates recorded that he was overweight and resolved to dance more.
Normal is that in times of abundance, we eat too much. It is our individual obligation to be aware of our own intake and stop when our intake is sufficient for our needs.
Since Socrates never wrote anything (at least not anything that has survived), I question your sources.
http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/socrates.html
"...Socrates was a bit on the ugly side and overweight."
Did he dance to overcome it? Perhaps that is more anecdotal.3 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »asellitti6523 wrote: »amusedmonkey wrote: »asellitti6523 wrote: »I'm not a big fan of counting/measuring out calories over the long haul when it comes to lifestyle changes. I think in the beginning of a weight loss journey it's important to measure everything out and learn serving sizes of the foods you eat on a consistent basis and the amount of calories in those servings. But after a month or two you will be able to better guesstimate calories and portions having gone through the educational/enlightening process of measuring everything out. I'm a big believer in making any weight loss/lifestyle change as simple as possible because the more simple and less variables there are the more likely you are to stick it out for the long run. Changing up your nutrition after months or even years of poor eating habits/choices is hard enough as it is. Obsessing about calories and macros to the point that it makes you a nervous wreck is essentially trading a physical health concern for a mental/psychological one. What is doubly concerning about this is for many people overeating/poor food choices came as some from of coping mechanism to deal with stress and mental health issues so it's just another way to get stuck in a vicious cycle.
That is precisely why I've been counting for 7 years and don't see myself stopping in the foreseeable future. I find counting simpler than having to obsess about what I can or cannot eat. I tend to restrict more "just in case" when I'm not counting and I find that exhausting. Everything is fair game if the numbers are right, and it requires fewer rules/less rigid rules. The only decision I have to make is "is this food worth the calories today?" when I feel like having a high calorie food, and the rest of the processes is self-driving.
Maybe I believe in oversimplification but I just think doing things like eating more whole foods and avoiding processed foods, not drinking calories often, and reducing the intake of refined sugar and simple carbs will naturally put the vast majority of people trying to lose weight at a caloric deficit without having to track every single day.
Not for a lot of us, no. I gained weight eating that way (which I have for most of my life).
I can maintain and even lose without counting cals (counting cals makes me less stressed when losing), but it takes a lot more mindfulness about portion sizes and when I eat. It also works because I know a lot about foods, including which of those foods I include in my diet because they are nutrient dense (and delicious!) are also high cal. Those are things I do whether counting or not, but if I start to slip and eat more than I need, counting is a good way to force myself to be more mindful, and often a fun way to make mindfulness about something else (like am I hitting all my nutrients -- I track at Cron -- or how much of my diet is vegetables or some such).
Sometimes I think people assume "cooking from whole foods" inherently means "cooking quite low cal meals" or even "mostly eating pretty bland meals," and for people who have mostly been doing that for a long time (including when overweight), that's not the case, and I wouldn't want it to be.
Anyway, I mostly prefer not counting cals at maintenance, but I think it's silly to claim everyone SHOULD do that or counting cals longer than a brief period = disordered or is inherently unnecessary or more stressful.
I also think that some have baggage with counting cals (that it involved feeling restricted or trying to fit in unsatiating foods or involved stressing about cals or very low cal levels). For whatever reason, I've never had that experience at all -- the first time I counted caused me to realize I was overrestricting when not counting, and to loosen up.
My main meal today was cauliflower cooked in tahini sauce + grilled chicken. Minimally processed, no added sugar, high fiber, high protein, highly nutritious. I can tell you from experience that this "whole food" took more effort to fit in than most processed foods and fast foods I eat sometimes (unless I settle for a tiny unsatisfying portion).
Yes, I cook quite a few meals that are minimally processed, whole foods type meals and some of them are calorie bombs. If it was all about ease of meeting calorie goals, I could do it much easier with Lean Cuisines and sugarfree Jello.
I eat the food I like because I *like it* not because it makes it automatically easier to hit my calorie goal.3 -
lynn_glenmont wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »2,300 years ago Socrates recorded that he was overweight and resolved to dance more.
Normal is that in times of abundance, we eat too much. It is our individual obligation to be aware of our own intake and stop when our intake is sufficient for our needs.
Since Socrates never wrote anything (at least not anything that has survived), I question your sources.
http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/socrates.html
"...Socrates was a bit on the ugly side and overweight."
Did he dance to overcome it? Perhaps that is more anecdotal.
The comment was on a source that would refer to what Socrates recorded because, truly, we have nothing directly written by Socrates. It isn't even an out there theory in history to question if there was a real person called Socrates, or if instead he was invented by his famous students, either whole cloth, or amalgamations, or just a dialogue device in their own writings.2 -
I think evolutionary pressures/advantages would have not made it any advantage to be able to self regulate to prevent overeating when food was available over most of human history, and it might well have been an advantage to be able to do so. So it doesn't surprise me that most people don't naturally self regulate well during a permanent time of abundance (where even cultural checks have been removed).
I would agree that SOME people probably do tend to have an off switch (no, don't want more) that works better than others (and some studies seem to suggest that with basically whole foods (or the mashed up equivalent) toddlers or young kids have that, although I'm not sure how totally reliable those are). I'd argue that the cap on "natural off switch that works well" is about the third or less not overweight in the US, and that since some portion of those do use strategies to regulate their eating (my sister is assumed to be naturally thin and has never been overweight but does not just eat whatever she feels like but eats mindfully and is intentionally active).
We do see some lines of evidence across multiple species (both humans and rodent) that there are probably some mechanisms of sensing and having some response to weight. Loading a rodent's body with a metal weight implanted internally causes spontaneous changes in calorie flux that leads towards maintaining the "normal" weight for that rodent. Humans seem better able to maintain their weight loss, when below their typical set point by wearing weighted clothing / vests.
I think the tendency in nature for humans might just be the time cost trade offs involved. Rather than a mainly purely negative feedback, I would think it becomes hard to become overweight because the reward for more and more food shrinks, while the use of time probably increases stress pretty fast - wandering around looking for more grubs, more fruit, and more game at some point probably becomes socially isolating.
I suppose that might be another end of it in modern society that isn't discussed much in literature. Processed food isn't just convenience, it also facilitates low sociability.1 -
The SANE eating plan is organized around just that concept - that weight should regulate just like body temperature or insulin levels and it's a non calorie counting plan.
https://sanesolution.com/about/0 -
magnusthenerd wrote: »lynn_glenmont wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »2,300 years ago Socrates recorded that he was overweight and resolved to dance more.
Normal is that in times of abundance, we eat too much. It is our individual obligation to be aware of our own intake and stop when our intake is sufficient for our needs.
Since Socrates never wrote anything (at least not anything that has survived), I question your sources.
http://www.historyguide.org/ancient/socrates.html
"...Socrates was a bit on the ugly side and overweight."
Did he dance to overcome it? Perhaps that is more anecdotal.
The comment was on a source that would refer to what Socrates recorded because, truly, we have nothing directly written by Socrates. It isn't even an out there theory in history to question if there was a real person called Socrates, or if instead he was invented by his famous students, either whole cloth, or amalgamations, or just a dialogue device in their own writings.
Referencing a lecture from a philosophy profession... Socrates did not write anything down because he believed it negatively affects memory and our pursuit of wisdom. A very unwise belief in my opinion.0 -
fastfoodietofitcutie wrote: »I wish I could just eat like a “normal” person and not count calories.
I wish I didn't have to go to work, but that doesn't make working a disorder.10 -
Can't say as I could recommend the eating plan of someone who markets it with such dishonesty towards other options like counting calories. Bailor's books on the subject blatantly misrepresent CICO and conflate it with calorie counting.tcunbeliever wrote: »The SANE eating plan is organized around just that concept - that weight should regulate just like body temperature or insulin levels and it's a non calorie counting plan.
https://sanesolution.com/about/
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
- 911 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions