Tell me It's ok to keep it simple
DonnasJourney0805
Posts: 75 Member
Do most of you just do calories in vs calories out... Without overthinking it by just making healthier choices and staying in your calorie limit. I hear so many worrying about macros such as carbs. Coming off of WW where I'm used to counting points...
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Replies
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That's what I do. Nothing off limits. Fit what I want into my calorie goals. I personally lean towards savory foods and fats for satiety.7
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I make healthier choices and stay within my calorie limit. I monitor my protein and fiber grams to make sure I'm getting enough. That's about it.10
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No need to worry about macros unless you are struggling to stay in your calories and want to try shifting around the macros as possible solution. Most people are going to have reasonable macros without worrying about them and what a good macro breakdown is even for those who watch them is going to be a personal choice based on what you like to eat and how you feel, as well as specific goals.6
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For losing weight, macros don't matter. You can 100 % ignore them. I do, and have lost close to 90 pounds. The only thing I look at is calories in and calories out, and there are many thousands of people here and elsewhere who do the same and have lost a lot of weight. There is no proof, evidence, or even strong anecdotal data that keto, diet shakes, grapefruit diets, or ANYTHING ELSE besides calorie control and exercise has any impact on weight loss. If you cut carbs, you'll temporarily lose a few pounds of water weight, but that's it, and it isn't fat loss. Now you have the received and PROVEN wisdom - go forth and prosper!9
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When I was losing I got by just focusing on calories. Now I'm in maintenance and focusing on recomp I am careful with macros. Get the calorie thing down first and find what foods you do and dont like, what fits your goals, and most importantly what keeps you satiated. Then tweak from there.8
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It's okay to keep it simple
More than okay. 8 -
It's fine. Weight management is about calories, directly only calories. Even "healthier choices" is optional for weight loss, strictly speaking (but can be a good idea for other reasons).
As lemur said, shifting what you eat, as you gain experience, may be helpful in order to feel fuller/happier/more energetic on the reduced calories, but for weight loss, what matters the calories eaten being fewer than the calories burned (through daily life and just being alive, in addition to any exercise), on average, over long periods of time.
Individual people, as a sort of extended party trick, have lost weight eating only foods purchasable at a convenience store, mostly Twinkies, or only foods from McDonald's (for clarity: that was 3 different people!). A person could lose weight eating only white sugar** (until their health failed from poor nutrition, or they caved and ate some food).
Personally, I do pay attention to nutrition (macros and such), but for reasons of health, energy, performance, etc. Most people have some aspirations to good health, but getting to a healthy weight is the first, best thing to do, for most of us, to improve odds of good health. Later, if you decide you want to, you can pay more attention to nutrition. Everything doesn't have to happen all at once.
Best wishes!
**ETA: No one should eat only sugar. It's an intentionally absurd example. I hope no one even *wants* to do that. Yuck. And it would be wrong.9 -
Calories in and out works. The reason I follow carbs so close is my type two diabetes and attempt to lose belly fat. When my blood gluecose is above 100 I don't lose. for me it is all about carbs in and carbs out.3
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Yes! Eating “healthy” might make me feel more satisfied because I can bulk up meals with vegetables, and I know eating protein for breakfast keeps me more satisfied than carbs, but some days I am struggling, and I just want to eat a 100 calorie popcorn and make a low-cal flat bread pizza thing. Not a veggie in sight, but I’m within my calorie limit, and I have worked hard to see this as a success, not a failure because I’m not eating “healthy.” I have even stayed in my calorie limit drinking a lot but really keeping other food in check and even then I am proud of myself. Do not let perfect be the enemy of good.6
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I try to keep things as simple as possible as well. I don't stress too much about macros although I try to eat more protein just because it makes me FEEL better, not because I think it's the only way to lose weight.
Over time you will learn and figure out what things work best for you. I don't like considering any food to be off limits because it depresses me and makes me feel deprived which leads into a cycle of quitting and having to start over again.
Best of luck to you!2 -
Yep. And the days when I go over, like last Thursday, I log it and go on.
I strive for more protein I my diet and am getting my macros back in order from my Thursday food fest. 😋
More protein and high fiber help keep me feeling full. Throw in a little healthy fat and I’m good to go. Also supports my fitness goals. Working on a slow recomp and trying to build muscle.
I lost about 120 pounds using CI/CO and MFP (and a food scale) Kept it off for years, using MFP (and a food scale).
The math works. Weight loss isn’t linear. But if you stick with it, you’ll see results. Patience is key.3 -
Simple absolutely works. Coming off WW, you may find it odd at first to count calories for fruits and veggies and other zero point foods (my friend did).
Get a food scale, weigh in grams, be careful when selecting database entries, pick a reasonable weight loss goal, eat back (accurate) exercise calories.
That's worked for loads of folks here!6 -
It totally works. Complicated things are usually needlessly complicated make you believe only complicated works and to make money. This is free, and simple. And to some extend teaches new habits.
I kind of track macros only because I might crash if I eat too little carbs.1 -
Hey Donna, Welcome back to MFP. I am pretty certain that you are the Donna I chatted with yesterday in the facebook MFP group. I think you will see the difference in the depth of the responses here, onsite. Another note I'll add to that that I stated yesterday is that I recently convinced my WW following husband to convert to MFP. He did have some early conversion frustrations (less than me because I had dabbled in MFP from time to time over the years while a WW member). Then yesterday, he was on the phone with a longtime friend from WW and he was preaching MFP to her. Curious how things can change.
In the facebook group, you were talking about the difficulty of tracking to track WW point and track calories at the same time. The problem I have had with that, and main reason I gave up on WW points, is the overly punitive nature of eating certain things. Cases I can recount are the high point values given to reasonable fat consumption. Using a tsp of butter or a TB of olive oil is healthy and fine. A body does need fat too. But the WW point system had evolved to such that those selections were discouraged. Then at the other end, "fruits are free" (actually you get admonished for using the "free" term. There are "zero points" and not "free"). As I mentioned to you, I was staff 12 years and have way too many stories. I had a member eating whole "free" watermelons and angry about there lack of loss. Another case of punitive system was my single 210 calorie chocolate chip cookie which came back as 10 WW points. At the time, my daily WW points was in the 20's. That single reasonable to eat cookie over a third of my daily points. WW's response was to "eat the cookie but then eat zero point chicken breast to compensate". That was not a solution that worked for me. I want my healthy fats, I want me healthy treats. I don't want to be forced to eat chicken breast and beans when I might rather have grilled thighs, with salad, oil and balsamic vinegar.
Anyhow, I am rambling, but am glad you made it here into the community forums. As for WW vs MFP, if you want to attend WW for the accountability of the scale, there were plenty of time periods that I did this while tracking on MFP. But my meeting room answer to "what did you do this week" was "I don't think you want me to answer" :P. Tracking WW and MFP at the same time (which I have done as an interesting study) is a lot of work and not a lot of value if your goal is weigh loss and not data to analyze.10 -
I just count calories and am not dead yet. Been doing this now since August 2019 and have lost 8 and a half stone.
I eat what I believe to be a pretty balanced diet, getting my 5 a day, which is often nearer 10 a day, as well as a good portion of protein and I do like my porridge. I keep off the sugar and unhealthy fats unless I am having one of my occasional treat days as these are trigger foods for me.
So it does work.
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DonnasJourney0805 wrote: »Do most of you just do calories in vs calories out... Without overthinking it by just making healthier choices and staying in your calorie limit. I hear so many worrying about macros such as carbs. Coming off of WW where I'm used to counting points...
Macros don't really matter for weight loss...macros are what your calories are comprised of, and that's it. While dieting, it isn't a bad idea to get in a bit more protein than recommended minimums to help preserve lean mass...also, if you're doing a good amount of strenuous exercise, more protein will aid in repair of broken down tissue...but as weight loss, and weight management in general go, macros aren't particularly important.
Most people really diving into their macros typically have more advanced body composition and sport/performance goals vs just losing excess weight. You have to remember, there are all kinds here...it is My Fitness Pal, not My Weight loss Pal.
I don't log anything...I'm pretty active and "sporty"...but I'm only vaguely aware of what my macros might be. Most people eating a balanced and nutritious diet are also going to have reasonable macro ratios.2 -
My head spins when some on here start talking macros...calculating their TDEE... multiplying pounds of fat to figure out water usage...protein intake.. on and on..
So.. yes.. keep it all simple... It is portion control and moving more.. common sense stuff. It isn't a mystery.. you are not stuck being overweight because of some mystical reason.. and it doesn't take much to get it off..except.. to eat less and move more on a consistent basis over a long period of time.
Losing weight for me is as simple as paying attention and making good decisions.1 -
DonnasJourney0805 wrote: »Do most of you just do calories in vs calories out... Without overthinking it by just making healthier choices and staying in your calorie limit. I hear so many worrying about macros such as carbs. Coming off of WW where I'm used to counting points...
I try to keep within general buckets, but have never really paid much attention to macros.
I succeeded with CICO and pushing hard to increase strength and endurance.0 -
I agree, keep it simple; CICO is all that matters for weight loss. I do currently look at macros because if left to my own devices I could easily eat >50% of my calories in cheese (=fat) and I have worked out that I feel and function better if I am eating more carbs and less fat. But I lost weight on my cheese+ diet, simply by keeping within my calorie goals..2
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