Why counting calories indefinitely perceived as bad thing?

Personally, I'm in the camp of not counting as a long term solution...I did for several months while I was losing weight and my feeling with that was that it was a teaching tool. I don't necessarily think it's a bad thing that someone feels the need to count into perpetuity, but I'd also say it's not really very realistic for the vast majority either and when you're talking about a large population of people, there probably need to be other tools in the tool box.

Counting into perpetuity for myself personally wasn't anything remotely realistic...I was far better off just learning good nutrition and taking mindfulness into maintenance. I have maintained for over 7.5 years more or less...I usually put on a few pounds over the winter months when my activity overall declines, but it comes off in the spring.

That said, I haven't ever really had any particular issues with food. I never had a weight problem in my entire life until I turned 30 and went from being a very active university student with no car and walked or biked everywhere to having a full time desk job...but even then, my appetite has always been pretty commensurate with my activity...I gained weight very slowly with putting on 40-50 Lbs over the course of 8 years or so. I don't have any particular issues keeping things under control by just being mindful of what I'm doing, and honestly as long as I'm exercising regularly it's pretty easy...but like I said, I've never had any particular issues with food...I'm not a stress eater (opposite) or a comfort eater or a "craver", etc. Pretty much my whole life I've eaten three squares and maybe a light snack or two.

You do you. If it's working for you, then keep it up. Why should someone's opinion of something so inconsequential for them matter? It's got huge consequences for people who do it. Besides, what's weird any more??

Yes, but generally I'll look up before going somewhere that others would comment about, as I've planned it out. Short notice food stops usually are places I have an idea and I can get better figures later and adjust for the day or next day. Or I turn things down just to keep it simple.
But generally I only have to do that during weight loss mode after winter.

I think if you learn other skills from the time spent logging, you can learn to not have to log forever.

Like what foods do you do well with, and what do you not?
If you know that pack of cookies needs only 3-5 for dessert that's great if you can limit to that.
If you know you eat the whole thing if it's there, that's great to know and have to avoid it probably.

If you know roughly the quantity of the normal dishes you eat that you can have, then per gram logging not needed, but know if you always push the limit and go over quantity, and how you can go under on other things to balance it out.

If you learn you can undereat for a few days leading up to a planned big night out, great lesson.
If you learn that a surprise overfeeding needs a few balanced days at deficit, great.

If you are having some new dishes or foods, a quick lookup for calorie estimate allows you an idea of where that falls in the day.

If you know that water weight can make the scale not a reliable sign for slowly creeping up unless using a trending app, and you need to measure where you gain fat first also - great.

If you learn an inactive week or weeks as seasons change requires eating less and how to roughly adjust, great.
(this is my issue every winter, big drop in exercise from way I was used to eating, getting sick at some point and not wanting to do diet then (feed a cold!) but even less workouts)

If these skills aren't learned during weight loss (which can be hard since doing a deficit and eating less of anything perhaps), then months at maintenance may be needed.

Even there life may change frequently enough the adjustments required and rough estimates of change may be frequent - it's easier to log constantly. Maybe not as accurately to get a handle on it, but still to some level.


I really think a big part of logging or not is slow changes to lifestyle effecting calories out that is not taken into account or maybe not even noticed. (or sudden, I really need to start logging going into every winter is my lesson this year).

And if your variety of food & dishes is very wide, compared to same frequent things it's easy to get a quantity level on that should be eaten.

The extreme of both those things easily causes the weight creep.

Like I've seen with some - winter with less ability to do workouts they enjoy (outside), combined with eating out more of new things they have no idea of calorie counts on. Some bad combos that probably benefit from constant logging with decent accuracy.

I know that went beyond the logging question, but it poured out things I'd been thinking about as evening daylight is gone and freezing temps coming more.

I’ve kept a normal BMI for going on four years now (following years of yo yo dieting) by logging calories. I intend to log for the rest of my life.

Statistically, losing weight long term is so rarely successful that you can find articles about how you shouldn’t even bother because it’s impossible. So obviously all the experts on this subject are brain damaged and you should do the exact opposite of their advice. Do what works instead and become a statistically impossibility with me.

I think it's viewed as obsessive, or inherently indicative of an eating disorder/body image issue. I can sort of understand that, but even if I was a millionaire I'd still have a budget and keep track of my money because financial stability is important to me and can be lost a lot easier than gained. Same goes for your health and nutrition. I know some people are able to eat intuitively, but it just doesn't work well for me.

and I think it's important to remember that all of us are different. The folks who I perceive are most likely to maintain successfully WITHOUT continuing to log calories are usually those who gained weight once. And then lost it.

The majority of us who have done this many times in our lives thru the years are probably much more likely to successfully maintain by continuing to practice those habits (including logging our calories) long term. I actually really enjoy prelogging my day and then seeing what extras I have left in the account to fit in more snacks!

We are all unique. Hopefully your BF will see that this is something which makes you a better and healthier person and support you long term vs criticize.

I had a lifetime of watching my weight yo-yo up and down. Good intentions faded and sooner or later I would begin again the habits that made me gain weight. Nine years ago I got serious about losing weight and keeping it off. I discovered MFP and decided that I would continue to log indefinitely to see if it made a difference. I don't weigh my food but I do try to log everything I eat. It doesn't take much time, because my diet isn't all that varied. What I discovered is that the simple act of logging what I eat makes me think twice before I eat as to whether I really want it or not and whether I have the calories left to eat it without having to make up for it later. Some days I eat over my goal, some under, but I do it consciously. For me, the results have shown that this works best for me. I've stayed within my 5 lb. window for years. I eat what I want, without feeling deprived, but within reason. YMMV

NovusDies wrote: »

If I had to have a mullet hairstyle, put on body paint, and use a giant rubber finger to log I WOULD DO IT. Weird? Who cares? Youtube videos whose sole mission is to get views not give out credible advice... who cares?

I do not intentionally make a public display of it or mention it anymore than needed but I am excited to log because it has changed my life so much. If you do not like to see me do it. Look at something else.

I am definitely in this camp. I so agree with "who cares... look at something else." Honestly, I don't give a *kitten* about what someone thinks about my logging. It is working well for me. I will continue to do me, lol. All of the above posters make some great points about what works for them.

@tanie9. " ...might have to track calories behind his back if we do move in together." I sincerely hope this is not the case. Imho, this is definitely not the way to start a life together. This is something, again imho, that your partner should embrace about you, cause it is working for you.

I remember hearing someone on the radio say that she didn't want to be one those who counted her almonds and she also said that she didn't mind being 50 lbs overweight. Well, I am one of those who counted my almonds to know the calories and when I wasn't, I was 50 lbs overweight. I chose counting the almonds and getting to goal weight and staying there for 12 years. At this point, I am more relax. I know about the number of almonds by how it fills my hand and so forth but I do log almost daily and I am so happy that I have. It's a habit like brushing my teeth.

No one thinks it's weird when diabetics daily monitor their glucose levels. It's just part of maintaining their health. I look at counting calories the same way. Sure, most people don't have to do it, but I know that I DO. I do better when I log calories and tend to backslide when I don't.

I don't care what other people think. If it works for me - physically, psychologically - it's fine.

I've been at a healthy weight for 5+ years now, after 3 previous *decades* of being obese (despite being active/athletic for the last dozen years of that).

I'm dramatically healthier (cholesterol, blood pressure, pain levels) now that I'm at a healthy weight. If weird is what it takes to be at a healthy weight, and get those benefits, I'm all in.

What others do is their choice.

I never hear anyone say that they should know how much money is in their bank account without ever accounting for what they spend or how much they're depositing and that it's "weird" for us to pay attention to that.

Back in the days when we had to work hard for every calorie and we sustained lean times as well as flush times, it makes sense that energy imbalance wasn't really a concern (except for the very real concern of TOO LITTLE energy). In our current unnatural state, I'm using tools to implement a balance between the energy I use and the energy that I'm consuming, something that increases my odds of long term health.

OP, as a side note, if you feel like making a life with this guy means that you have to hide stuff like this, I think that's really unfortunate. My husband has to pay attention to things that are easy for me and vice versa. That's how (some) good partnerships work. The goal should be to extend grace to each other and celebrate the little differences that make us unique, not make you want to hide stuff about yourself.