Dietitians say counting calories bad
gooz71
Posts: 97 Member
I see many dietitians (on TikTok) say counting calories is a really bad idea and can cause an eating disorder. I do find that when I count calories I’m hyper focused on food but feel in control like I’m doing something about my weight. BUT when I’m counting calories I also feel out of control and want to binge. I want to count calories but worried it’s giving me an eating disorder, but if I don’t count then I don’t know if I’m in a deficit to lose. Feeling stuck
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Replies
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If you are wanting to binge then you are likely eating at an unreasonable deficit.
And if exercising too, chances are using the program wrong.
Are you exercising, and how much deficit did you select, and how much weight do you have to lose to healthy weight?
And what is your eating goal? If you give 1 number and exercising you are using it incorrectly.
Sure they are dietitians? that's a very specific term in the US.
How many have you looked for that say counting calories is useful and how to do it?
Or only listening to half the opinions?12 -
It’s giving me plenty of calories for the day I just find when I hit that number I want to keep eating. It’s a love hate relationship (counting calories). I guess I could try to search for dietitians who promote calorie counting and get their perspective. I guess most of them focus on intuitive eating that I saw.1
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I see many dietitians (on TikTok) say counting calories is a really bad idea and can cause an eating disorder. I do find that when I count calories I’m hyper focused on food but feel in control like I’m doing something about my weight. BUT when I’m counting calories I also feel out of control and want to binge. I want to count calories but worried it’s giving me an eating disorder, but if I don’t count then I don’t know if I’m in a deficit to lose. Feeling stuck
Calorie counting in itself is not 'bad', it's a tool. But some people's personalities or background aren't compatible with calorie counting. For example: a friend of mine with an eating disorder history has been explicitly forbidden by her team to count calories. Instead, she has to 'eyeball' her portions with certain guidelines: e.g. a protein portion the size of her hand etc.
You could just count calories for a while to teach yourself what portions look like and what foods are higher and lower calorie.
Counting calories isn't the only way, even though many of us here have had success with it.22 -
Ohh boy, we have just had a debate about counting calories on a different thread, that went kind of hot. I stated 'counting calories is a waste of time' and I received some backlash some even felt insulted. I still believe it is in itself not enough. It is a great tool to track calorie intake to achive calorie deficit, and if one's calorie deficit is sustainable on the long run it should be off great benefit. What is more important than calorie deficit/calorie counting is the type of calorie one takes in. It can mean the difference between a successful diet or frustration.3
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For the masses, counting calories isn't a threat to cause an eating disorder. It may serve as a trigger for those already predisposed to disordered thinking and behaviors ... the opposite cause and effect relationship spouted by those dieticians.
Tracking intake and keeping the caloric intake within a range to support weight management goals is a safe, helpful tool for the majority. For those with situations that make counting calories a trigger, there are other approaches that get to managing caloric intake. Then there is professional medical help for those with eating disorders.12 -
"Dietitians say counting calories bad"
Accountants say people doing their own tax return bad.
Painters say people doing their own decorating bad.
Restauranters says people cooking at home bad.
More seriously.....
On an individual level of course calorie counting can be problematic but it's not that counting itself is inherently bad.
Can I suggest that instead of thinking it's a binary choice between counting everything and intuitive eating you consider that there is a whole middle ground that shouldn't be ignored?
e.g. people who read food labels and consider calories as part of their buying choices, mindful eaters, meal plans or other proxies for counting etc.42 -
My personal thoughts are that calorie counting never causes an eating disorder. The eating disorder exists on some level and calorie counting is simply the focal point for that person. However, any tool that is part of weight loss can be a focal point of an eating disorder. This includes the scale, the mirror, other forms of measurement, any form of portion control, food type control (healthy or clean eating), pills, exercise, and probably a bunch of other stuff that I am missing. Anything that is healthy in one person's hand can be unhealthy for a person who is in a bad place.
For me weight management is important but I am not panicked over any of it and I am not compulsive about any of it. I do not dwell on it. I consider it a very small part of my day. After more than 2.5 years of logging I do feel a nagging if I do not log within about 90 minutes of eating but I can and have ignored it and done it later. I feel a nagging for most of the new habits I have formed if they are delayed or interrupted. I believe that is an appropriate amount of pressure. I should feel nagged. I should not be in a state of high anxiety.
People need to stop saying stuff like this and just point a person towards a screening site or their healthcare professional.
A hammer is a tool that can be used to perform many useful tasks. It can also be used to intentionally self harm and harm others.
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I’m simply chiming in to say that if you’re getting nutritional advice from TikTok, it’s probably less than optimal quality advice.
Is that tactful enough?
Sign me,
Grumpy Old Woman Who’s Had it Up to HERE With Inane Social Media81 -
^^
Phew! Glad someone’s been brave enough to say that, so I don’t have to! 😊30 -
springlering62 wrote: »I’m simply chiming in to say that if you’re getting nutritional advice from TikTok, it’s probably less than optimal quality advice.
Is that tactful enough?
Sign me,
Grumpy Old Woman Who’s Had it Up to HERE With Inane Social Media
Heh, you beat me to it!14 -
springlering62 wrote: »I’m simply chiming in to say that if you’re getting nutritional advice from TikTok, it’s probably less than optimal quality advice.
Is that tactful enough?
Sign me,
Grumpy Old Woman Who’s Had it Up to HERE With Inane Social Media
Not grumpy, just stating a pretty well informed and sensible opinion, as far as I can see!14 -
So on calorie counting itself, it's useful for some, not useful for some. I think for most it probably can at least be useful shortterm if one is open to learning -- if you don't already exercise mindfulness about what you eat, even just writing down or taking a photo of absolutely everything you eat can be a wake-up call, and logging can help you see how many cals are in different foods. At this point I pretty much know how caloric items/dishes are going to be, but at first people are often surprised at how many or few cals are in different food items.
If you have a history of eating disorder, I'd talk to someone about it first, especially if it seems to encourage disordered tendencies for you. If not, but you are tending to react unhealthfully -- eating more than you otherwise would or focusing only on how low you can get cals or ignoring things you would otherwise care about (like nutrition), then maybe think about why or open a discussion. I think for most calorie counting does not cause people to focus only on cals and abandon concern about healthy eating (at least if they had that concern pre calorie counting).
But no, it's not for everyone, and there are other ways to control cals without counting. This is all individual.2 -
I see many dietitians (on TikTok) say counting calories is a really bad idea and can cause an eating disorder. I do find that when I count calories I’m hyper focused on food but feel in control like I’m doing something about my weight. BUT when I’m counting calories I also feel out of control and want to binge. I want to count calories but worried it’s giving me an eating disorder, but if I don’t count then I don’t know if I’m in a deficit to lose. Feeling stuck
Counting calories is a tool. It can be used for good or bad things, depending on your intentions. A knife used to cut a steak into pieces is good. A knife used to stab someone in the chest is... not 😉10 -
The problem with calorie counting is when you buy processed foods that have no nutrition information on it, then you are unable to track. Or not as precisely as you should.
Also when you make recipes it can be a hassle to calculate portions and macros.
But otherwise it's a good tool and it helps me when i'm cutting.
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Ohh boy, we have just had a debate about counting calories on a different thread, that went kind of hot. I stated 'counting calories is a waste of time' and I received some backlash some even felt insulted. I still believe it is in itself not enough. It is a great tool to track calorie intake to achive calorie deficit, and if one's calorie deficit is sustainable on the long run it should be off great benefit. What is more important than calorie deficit/calorie counting is the type of calorie one takes in. It can mean the difference between a successful diet or frustration.
@bubus05 It got hot because of how very incorrect the “advise” you were giving was (which was proven by multiple people on that thread).
For health, you should obviously try to get enough protein and fat. For losing weight, calorie deficit is all that matters. Carbs aren’t evil. IF you have a health condition where you have to limit certain macros, then yes, you should track those more carefully (a couple of examples: diabetes or kidney disease).
As said above, for most of us, counting calories works. Most of us don’t have an actual eating disorder. If you do, you are probably underweight and shouldn’t count calories because it will likely trigger more unhealthy eating behaviors.
OP, based on some of your other threads, I’m going to ask if you have ever talked to a professional. If not, maybe talking to a therapist would be helpful.13 -
I count calories. It's the only tool that works for me, in conjunction with a 16:8 eating pattern. I am not obsessive about it - I won't, for example, weigh an apple, eat the apple and then weigh the core to discover precisely to the calorie what I consumed. I am much more careful about measuring calorie-dense foods.
I also know what foods fill me up and curb my hunger and I try to stick to those. I know that refined carbs tend to make me ravenous and crave more of them so I avoid them most of the time. Every so often I will have them, and allow for the fact I will likely go over my calorie allotment for that day. It's fine, I just adjust in the surrounding days.11 -
Some people may be more susceptible to disordered eating habits than others.
But in general, who is saying it is bad? Is it people/companies with a product to sell? It is 'bad' for marketing because it is free. Why buy a program or pay a coach to tell me HOW to eat when I can track calories, on my own, for free?I see many dietitians (on TikTok) say counting calories is a really bad idea and can cause an eating disorder. I do find that when I count calories I’m hyper focused on food but feel in control like I’m doing something about my weight. BUT when I’m counting calories I also feel out of control and want to binge. I want to count calories but worried it’s giving me an eating disorder, but if I don’t count then I don’t know if I’m in a deficit to lose. Feeling stuck
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There may be individual people for whom counting calories isn't a good idea (like those with EDs), but to conclude that it's a bad idea for everyone on that basis? That's exactly the kind of unhelpful and uneducated advice I'd expect to get from TikTok.15
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springlering62 wrote: »I’m simply chiming in to say that if you’re getting nutritional advice from TikTok, it’s probably less than optimal quality advice.
Is that tactful enough?
Sign me,
Grumpy Old Woman Who’s Had it Up to HERE With Inane Social Media
Yes, getting nutritional advice from TikTok is like getting advice on if the world is flat from YouTube.11 -
I think I might be glad I do not know what TikTok is.
-Unhip20 -
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I think I might be glad I do not know what TikTok is.
-Unhip
Usually it's short clips of people dancing, eating weird things, or dogs being cute . . . but apparently people are now also using it to dispense nutritional advice.
I don't know how something can be both "completely unexpected" and "inevitable," but this does it.7 -
Ohh boy, we have just had a debate about counting calories on a different thread, that went kind of hot. I stated 'counting calories is a waste of time' and I received some backlash some even felt insulted. I still believe it is in itself not enough. It is a great tool to track calorie intake to achive calorie deficit, and if one's calorie deficit is sustainable on the long run it should be off great benefit. What is more important than calorie deficit/calorie counting is the type of calorie one takes in. It can mean the difference between a successful diet or frustration.
I saw no indication on that thread that anyone, with the possible exception of you, felt insulted. When people disagree with you, that does not mean they feel insulted.
Sounds like you are confusing two concepts - *counting calories* and *satiety*.
Focusing on eating foods that fill you up does make losing weight more sustainable. While one can focus on one's satiating foods without counting calories, many of us have found that counting calories helps us identify the foods that bring the most satiety bang for the calorie buck.12 -
janejellyroll wrote: »I think I might be glad I do not know what TikTok is.
-Unhip
Usually it's short clips of people dancing, eating weird things, or dogs being cute . . . but apparently people are now also using it to dispense nutritional advice.
I don't know how something can be both "completely unexpected" and "inevitable," but this does it.
To quantify "short clips" - 15 seconds or less. So, long enough to enjoy animals being cute, but no so much for dispensing quality dietary advice.7 -
kshama2001 wrote: »Ohh boy, we have just had a debate about counting calories on a different thread, that went kind of hot. I stated 'counting calories is a waste of time' and I received some backlash some even felt insulted. I still believe it is in itself not enough. It is a great tool to track calorie intake to achive calorie deficit, and if one's calorie deficit is sustainable on the long run it should be off great benefit. What is more important than calorie deficit/calorie counting is the type of calorie one takes in. It can mean the difference between a successful diet or frustration.
I saw no indication on that thread that anyone, with the possible exception of you, felt insulted. When people disagree with you, that does not mean they feel insulted.
Sounds like you are confusing two concepts - *counting calories* and *satiety*.
Focusing on eating foods that fill you up does make losing weight more sustainable. While one can focus on one's satiating foods without counting calories, many of us have found that counting calories helps us identify the foods that bring the most satiety bang for the calorie buck.
Exactly. This whole conversation is like someone arguing that we shouldn't pay attention to how much money we spend because it's possible to track spending and still blow your entire paycheck at the casino.
Well, yeah. But the point of tracking spending is to understand where your money is going so you can make better choices for your personal financial situation. Counting calories is the same type of tool.13 -
kshama2001 wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »I think I might be glad I do not know what TikTok is.
-Unhip
Usually it's short clips of people dancing, eating weird things, or dogs being cute . . . but apparently people are now also using it to dispense nutritional advice.
I don't know how something can be both "completely unexpected" and "inevitable," but this does it.
To quantify "short clips" - 15 seconds or less. So, long enough to enjoy animals being cute, but no so much for dispensing quality dietary advice.
I like the animals being cute part, but I mean, I can get that from Facebook. Seems like a terrible place to get any kind of advice on any subject though4 -
My personal thoughts are that calorie counting never causes an eating disorder. The eating disorder exists on some level and calorie counting is simply the focal point for that person. However, any tool that is part of weight loss can be a focal point of an eating disorder ... Anything that is healthy in one person's hand can be unhealthy for a person who is in a bad place.On an individual level of course calorie counting can be problematic but it's not that counting itself is inherently bad.
^^ Lots of wisdom in these two quotes ^^
I think that it would be helpful to understand that mental illness comes from within, and you can't point to someone's unhealthy compulsions and say THAT's what caused their mental illness. It's nonsense.11 -
Dogmom1978 wrote: »Ohh boy, we have just had a debate about counting calories on a different thread, that went kind of hot. I stated 'counting calories is a waste of time' and I received some backlash some even felt insulted. I still believe it is in itself not enough. It is a great tool to track calorie intake to achive calorie deficit, and if one's calorie deficit is sustainable on the long run it should be off great benefit. What is more important than calorie deficit/calorie counting is the type of calorie one takes in. It can mean the difference between a successful diet or frustration.
@bubus05 It got hot because of how very incorrect the “advise” you were giving was (which was proven by multiple people on that thread).
For health, you should obviously try to get enough protein and fat. For losing weight, calorie deficit is all that matters. Carbs aren’t evil. IF you have a health condition where you have to limit certain macros, then yes, you should track those more carefully (a couple of examples: diabetes or kidney disease).
As said above, for most of us, counting calories works. Most of us don’t have an actual eating disorder. If you do, you are probably underweight and shouldn’t count calories because it will likely trigger more unhealthy eating behaviors.
OP, based on some of your other threads, I’m going to ask if you have ever talked to a professional. If not, maybe talking to a therapist would be helpful.
No I have never talked to a professional however that doesn't mean I can't read or listen to professionals. By the way there is no need to be personal about this I consider everyone a friend here after all we are all interested in how diets work or dont work that's some common ground isn't it.
I pointed out a calorie deficit or calorie extra intake for that matter will influence one's metabolism, this is proven by multiple studies and experts, therefore equally as important-as calorie counting- if not more so is what one will consume. How am I wrong?2 -
@bubus05 you seem to have misread the part where I said “OP have you considered talking to a professional”. That is in part based on other posts they have made and was NOT directed at you.
You are wrong because what are you referring to is a very minor fluctuation in ones metabolism that will even out over time. I’m not about to relist everything already laid out from the other thread, but there was some great information there that you might want to reread if you really want to understand why myself and many others disagreed with you. In particular, annpt77 did a fantastic job explaining the problems with the advise you were offering.5 -
Dogmom1978 wrote: »Ohh boy, we have just had a debate about counting calories on a different thread, that went kind of hot. I stated 'counting calories is a waste of time' and I received some backlash some even felt insulted. I still believe it is in itself not enough. It is a great tool to track calorie intake to achive calorie deficit, and if one's calorie deficit is sustainable on the long run it should be off great benefit. What is more important than calorie deficit/calorie counting is the type of calorie one takes in. It can mean the difference between a successful diet or frustration.
@bubus05 It got hot because of how very incorrect the “advise” you were giving was (which was proven by multiple people on that thread).
For health, you should obviously try to get enough protein and fat. For losing weight, calorie deficit is all that matters. Carbs aren’t evil. IF you have a health condition where you have to limit certain macros, then yes, you should track those more carefully (a couple of examples: diabetes or kidney disease).
As said above, for most of us, counting calories works. Most of us don’t have an actual eating disorder. If you do, you are probably underweight and shouldn’t count calories because it will likely trigger more unhealthy eating behaviors.
OP, based on some of your other threads, I’m going to ask if you have ever talked to a professional. If not, maybe talking to a therapist would be helpful.
No I have never talked to a professional however that doesn't mean I can't read or listen to professionals. By the way there is no need to be personal about this I consider everyone a friend here after all we are all interested in how diets work or dont work that's some common ground isn't it.
I pointed out a calorie deficit or calorie extra intake for that matter will influence one's metabolism, this is proven by multiple studies and experts, therefore equally as important-as calorie counting- if not more so is what one will consume. How am I wrong?
I admire your tenacity, @bubus05 ... but as of this minute, you have 23 total posts on MFP, and 210 disagrees. That's plain amazing to me. Now I'm not saying that proves or disproves anything about your beliefs, but you've definitely found yourself a hot topic. You must understand by now that people here are going to challenge you every time you bring it up.11
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