I’m new here. I just posted on the introduce yourself thread
I know counting points for a lot of people works wonderfully….including my DH! But…..being a math person (accounting background) it just irks me. I feel like I’m playing games…..”I can eat this 100 calorie yogurt for 1 point” etc. Calories feel much more honest to me. Does anyone else feel the same way? TIA.
I tried Flex and couldn't relate to what a point is. I now know it's 50 calories roughly but it makes me feel trapped especially when I was running out of them in a day.
I've never counted "points" and wouldn't know how to begin trying to do that. Calories are very straightforward and simple...I can eat anything, it's easy to know what I am eating and what it is "worth" and it's the way that works for me.
I am kind of a math person too. I would rather count calories. With all the calorie information on packages and looking up calories on the internet, calorie counting has never been easier. I feel like I am being more honest about what I am eating, counting calories, which is what I am doing now. I liked the old exchange program with WW better than the new point system. The exchange program made me eat all the food groups. With the points program milk and fruit rarely made it to my daily list.
I never understood the points either. Though it does work for some. Very well in fact. But I think it would just annoy me as well. How can sooo many different items be 1 point? What if something is 25 calories or 45 calories, they're both the same 1 point. Huh? It would drive me crazy. I'm too anal for that.
I'll stick with my calorie counting. I find it much more accurate and easier to deal with. Even when I guesstimate something, it still seems more precise then points.
Welcome to the forum and 3FC Topaz. You're gonna love it here. Lots of info and helpful, supportive people. And topaz is my birthstone. I love it.
I had greater success with counting points than calories. With calories, I was always obsessing over small calorie differences, was my apple 60 calories or 85, and I was always rechecking my math. I wouldn't make the best food choices, instead looking for the lowest calorie foods whether they were nutrient dense or not. If I went over my calorie goal for the day, even by just a few calories, I felt like I had failed, and would become easily frustrated.
But, then again, I am unable to be "responsibly anal." Points were a way to remind me not to sweat the small stuff. I think there's alot of individual personality and physiology difference that determines to what degree you have to monitor your intake.
I recently found that South Beach style eating really decreases my appetite, and I've been able to lose weight without counting anything. Unfortunately, my PMS/TOM hunger is still out of control, so in one week, I can easily undo all the progress I've made the rest of the month. I've pointed out my PMS difficulties to doctors before, but none had a solution until I saw a weight management doctor (a woman, which I think is the real difference) who said stacking my birth control pills (to eliminate or shorten periods) might very well give me binge control. Hm, who new?
I think I'll give it a try, and count calories or points during the "red zone" week and see if that helps. But as long as I'm losing well, I don't feel counting to be necessary. Though, I'm sure I will probably have to switch to more precise calorie counting the closer I am to goal.
Obviously, the only way to lose weight is to shift the calorie balance (intake less, output more), but counting isn't the only "honest" way to go about it. Whatever works that you can live with in the long term is what's best for you. The scale will tell you if you're method isn't working.
Kaploids for me the calorie counting IS an estimate. I don't agonize whether I'm eating a medium apple or a large apple. I ALWAYS estimate UP. So for me it's always gonna be a large apple. This way there's no way to go over and I have a tiny bit of wiggle room. Same goes with veggies, 1 cup or 1 1/2 cups - I'll always estimate it at 1 1/2 cups. That's what works for me. I don't feel the need to be 100% precise. I think that would be waaaay to difficult for me, it WOULD annoy me and I don't think I would stick with it.
I've tried the WW Points system and it has worked well for me in the past (40 lbs lost, BUT 50 gained back). I did notice though, that I wasn't eating a "healty" diet when I was counting points.
I've recently started calorie counting and I'm definitely a believer! If you use a computer program to keep track of your calories (FitDay, NutriDiary, CalorieKing) then it makes it much, much easier (and for me, fun!). The one I use also tells you how many grams of fat, protein and carbs you should eat each day to maintain a healthy balance. Like yesterday for instance, the nutrition information in my diary showed that I was low on proteins for the day, so I made sure my dinner was more protein heavy and less carbs.
Plus when you're counting calories, you really tend to go more for fruits and vegetables since they're lower in calories.
My goal is not only to lose weight, but to maintain a healthy lifestyle and teach my son to do the same. Calorie counting works for me!
I never understood the points either. But I think it would just annoy me as well. How can sooo many different items be 1 point? What if something is 25 calories or 45 calories, they're both the same 1 point. Huh? It would drive me crazy. I'm too anal for that.
Yeah, I have done WW in the past (several times actually) and I would always find myself trying to pack in the most food for the fewest points and try and "game" the system so I could pack lots of food in (needless to say it always failed for me and I only ever succeeded in cheating myself).
But it just IRRITATED me. The whole "pointing" concept still irks me too. Calorie counting I find *for me* to be so much more straightfoward and simple. And there is no wiggle room for me to try and "game" more of the same food in for less calories. Doesn't work like that. And as a result I don't cheat myself out of success.
Rockin Robin- your before and after pictures are amazing!!
Anne- my DH and I were just talking about this……fruits and veggies being low calorie. _But_ on 1200 calories a day I just don’t wana use any on fruit. I guess I don’t like it that much. We just came back from Panera and the side of fruit was 175 cals. I’ll eat it occasionally….but I’m just not a fruit fan I guess.
Charlotte- _Exactly_ I would try and “game” the system…..and at 15 or 30 lbs from goal (I’m not sure yet) I can game myself right out of weight loss. My DH can eat all his points in 80 calorie (1 point) bran fat free muffins and still lose. I sure can’t! Not that we should be eating all our points in muffins…..but its been known to happen at Sweet Tomatoes (home of the best bran fat free muffin ever!)
Thats the drawback I think with points. Using your 1 point muffins as an example if I'm allowed 30 points that would give me 2,400 calories. That is a lot and I wouldn't lose any weight. Right now I eat about 1,400 and add on for exercise so I usualy end up at around 1,600-1,700 to lose the 2lbs per week that is supposed to be healthy. Of course that's not how the system was designed to work but people try it anyway!
Now of course WW does suggest loosely that you eat so many veggies etc, but if you ask me the program doesn't focus on that enough. Sure there is the CORE program, but that's rough to stick to long term.
WW does work I've lost 40lbs with it or more in the past, but the problem was I was still eatting too much empty calories that encouraged cravings. (100 calories packs, lean pockets etc etc)
Now I track calories with Myfooddiary, which also helps be track the percentages of what kind of foods go into my mouth and helps encorage healthier choices.
What I did like about the points program is it does really help you see if something is WORTH eatting. For example If I only have 25 points do I really want to waste 10 of those on chicken nuggets?
In the end I like the closer calculations that calorie counting gives me and hey it's a heck of a lot cheaper then WWmeetings!
Counting points irks me
, Topaz!
