Counting calories? Is it neccessary?

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reesegrace1
reesegrace1 Posts: 66 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Is it neccessary to count calories to lose weight?
I once lost 95 lbs. counting calories & exercising, but i was a stay at home mom then, but over time gained it all back. Now i work and since counting calories is time consuming, can i just cut back on portions, & watch whai i eat, make better choices to lose weight, i really am not wanting to do the calorie counting again, and i am not into doing weight watcher points or anything like that.

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  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    Counting calories is just a tool and method of weight management. Of course it isn't necessary...people all over lose weight without counting calories.

    It happens to be a good and practical tool for some...for others, not so much.
  • Urun4me
    Urun4me Posts: 37 Member
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    The act of counting calories doesn't make you lose weight, so no it isn't necessary, but it does allow you to actually know how many calories you're consuming which is a vital element of weight loss.

    I don't count calories because I know I wouldn't be able to continue with it. But I eat paleo-vegan(ish), have a very rough idea of calorie counts in my go to foods, and exercise almost every day, so it's pretty difficult to not be in a calorie deficit at 245 lbs.

    My guess is that just eating less of the same types of foods would be pretty difficult without counting calories, but everyone is different.

    Also, are you still gaining weight? If so, decreasing your portions could put you into or close to maintenance, not weight loss.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,948 Member
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    reesegrace1 wrote: »
    Is it neccessary to count calories to lose weight?

    It is necessary to be in an energy deficit to lose fat. Some can do it without counting, some can not...
  • janetm67
    janetm67 Posts: 6 Member
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    Do what works for you. If you can lose weight without counting calories go for it. I'm pretty good with counting calories but last week was on vacation and trying to count calories with restaurants where they don't list counts is nearly impossible so I chose lighter options on the menu and ate about half of the meal, exercised and still lost weight. Figure out what works for you and go for it!
  • Buttermello
    Buttermello Posts: 127 Member
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    Try it! I personally do best when I weigh and measure everything because I am not good at eyeballing portions.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    It's just a tool to allow you to control your calorie balance - not the only one. Don't confuse the tool with the process. You can also be calorie aware without counting but lose some accuracy.

    Try whatever method appeals to you. If that doesn't work then surely investing a few minutes a day in logging is worth it? Logging doesn't have to be incrediby accurate. Consistency and the common sense to make adjustments based on results also works.

    PS - I haven't logged my food in ages but I can maintain or lose slowly without logging but I am calorie aware and weigh myself daily to watch my weight trend and adjust as required.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,070 Member
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    I'm so old that I was alive and aware during a time period before apps and the internet, when it wasn't practical to count calories (1960s/70s). (A little calorie book had just recently come out that listed like 5% of common foods in it: Not practical.)

    Back then, people still went on diets, and lost weight. They just ate less, or they followed diets that had prescribed meals of specific foods in specific amounts. If they didn't use a detailed eating plan, they had to experiment to figure out how much less to eat to achieve X amount of weight loss. They could still lose weight.

    Those methods will still work.

    Wishing you much success, whatever method you choose!
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,249 Member
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    reesegrace1 wrote: »
    Is it necessary to count calories to lose weight?

    Back in the late '90s I lost about 30 lbs just by cutting out between meal snacks, desserts & soft drinks while walking about 45 minutes daily on my treadmill. Like you I gained it back over time until I started regularly logging my food.

    All I can suggest is try the method you have in mind and keep an eye on the results. If you're consistent and losing weight it's working. Keep in mind though, that keeping the wight off in the long term (as we've both discovered) is the hard part.......
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    edited February 2020
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    Give it a try and see what happens. Nothing to lose. (Except weight) Lots of people lose weight without counting calories, so yes it is possible. I have not been very successful at it personally.
  • nighthawk584
    nighthawk584 Posts: 1,992 Member
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    besides being as accurate as possible with calories, I do it to keep track of macros too. It is a great tool and I will be using it for life. It's not that big of deal and works great for my needs. You do what you feel comfortable with. You can always count calories if the other doesn't work out.
  • JadeMC42
    JadeMC42 Posts: 25 Member
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    Granted I am just giving advice based on what has worked for me. Your body is a machine, it burns X amount of calories resting per day (amount depends on age, heart rate, activity level etc) the only way to lose weight is to burn more than you put in. My heartrate is low and it takes a lot of work to get into my calorie burning HR zone (enough to actually change my daily intake ratio anyway). So is it necessary to count every one, no but for me, if I do not, I know I will over eat and my weight will just plateau. For best and fastest results I would strongly suggest using this app (or another) to log ALL food and drink that you intake. Everyone is different though, this is just what works for me.
  • HotFrieZ
    HotFrieZ Posts: 35 Member
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    The biggest thing I find logging helps me with is mindless eating. It's very easy to grab a handful of nuts here, a few pretzels there, and before you know it you added 500 calories to your day. If I don't log, I tend to get sloppy with those little bites. But no you don't need to log. I would suggest 3 meals a day, making half your plate fruit or veggies at each meal, healthy snacks when necessary and lots of water. And I love exercise so just move when you can. Walking is great exercise.
  • HotFrieZ
    HotFrieZ Posts: 35 Member
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    One thing I like about counting is I can still eat some "junk food" here and there and still not be overeating for the day. If I didn't count, I think it would be harder to fit that stuff in.
  • corinasue1143
    corinasue1143 Posts: 7,467 Member
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    Even if you don’t actually log your food, MFP is great for looking up the things you really don’t have any idea how many calories they contain. For example, I just bought fresh jackfruit for the first time the other day.
    Just saying, you can really use MFP, even without logging.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,070 Member
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    Just for fun, here's what my high school home economics book (copyright 1960), from the "impractical to calorie count" era, said about how to avoid overweight:

    axwz2xyy0u2n.jpg
    14efj46g0rt6.jpg

    Radical, huh? ;) (Gotta love those illustrations! :lol: )

    OP, that would still be one kind of way to manage weight without counting, if that's your wish.

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