Hi all! I'm just starting on a lifestyle change to whole foods, and I need to lose about 40 lbs. I'm wondering how (or if) you count calories on this plan? I'm typically not a calorie counter (maybe why I have to lose 40 lbs... ha!), but I'm curious how you make sure you aren't eating too much of a good thing... Thanks for your help!
The way i look at it. Wholefoods is not an "eating plan", it is a "style of eating". So while you might eat whole foods to be healthy. To lose weight you have to have some kind of plan. Mine happens to be calorie counting...just to keep myself in check. I could never just eat whole foods and expect to get to my goal weight. I eat whole foods, exercise, and count those calories. Eating whole foods is just a peice of the plan.
For some people, changing their diet plan to a whole foods diet will help them lose at least some weight. For most of us though, you have to practice some form of portion control, calorie restriction, etc. How you do that is really up to you. Certain whole foods items are very caloric such as nuts which have to be limited in some form.
If you want to lose weight you need to eat less calories. Eat less ,move more and you lose weight. Thats the short form . No matter what plan you choose counting calories works.
Oh I could easily, easily gain weight eating strictly whole/healthy foods. They've got calories too. I need the accountability - portion control that counting calories provides.
I have to agree with everyone above... have an eating plan with natural foods as the foundation, because you can gain weight eating healthy food. Last night I ate my first cherimoya (so delicious!) but then I found out it was almost 500 calories!!!
I had no idea cherimoya were so caloric! I guess that is why they are so creamy and yummy. They are my favorite fruit, but I rarely find them (luckily, I guess ).
My experience echoes the above. My diet is pretty much always whole-foods oriented, but if I don't count calories, I tend to gain weight.
New and wondering about calories...
).