Can you be successful in counting ONLY calories and not worrying about the carbs, fat, protein, fiber, sodium etc?
In one word - NO.
In a few more , I personally could not be successful ONLY counting my calories. Where my calories come from MATTER. A LOT. I can't stay within my calorie budget eating garbage and lose weight. I couldn't STICK to anything for any length of time if I weren't eating "good, clean" foods. And if I can't stick to it, then I can't be successful. I count calories, but make them good, nutritious SATISFYING ones. Ones that keep me full the longest - protein and tons of fiber. Ones that don't leave me with cravings. So, what I don't eat, foods that leave me wanting more of it, that I have little control with (sugar, flour, rice, pasta, etc.) is just as important as what I DO eat. I also need to eat lots of volume - think vegetables. I need to stretch my calories. I choose them very wisely. I couldn't do any of that by *just* counting my calories. Nuh-uh. No way.
Last edited by rockinrobin; 01-01-2009 at 09:24 AM.
I think a lot of people that start out only counting calories eventually start looking at macros out of necessity. When you are trying to fit in Big Macs or ice cream and such into your day, and you realize how much of your daily allotment comes from that, you start saying "How can I best maximize my calories to keep me satisfied all day?"
When you track on a site like fitday or daily plate, you also will just notice where the majority of your calories come from because of how the sites are designed.
You can look at a day where you were super hungry and see that maybe that day you ate a lot of 100 calorie snack packs, or 80% carbs. Or take a day where you were satisfied and see lots of fiber, healthy fats and veggies. When you track food properly, you begin to notice this and how it affects you.
When you are first starting, sometimes just counting the calories is all you can manage to get started -- and that's fine -- but to truly understand your body and weight loss, the macros are important.
I do count calories but do consider where they come from. I could eat 1200 calories of jelly beans and be within my calorie allowance, but I shudder to think what that would do to my body.
I agree with fiberlover--people often start out only counting calories, but later on want to see what else is going on. For instance, after a few months I was feeling really tired and worn out, and folks on 3FC said maybe I should look at my protein intake. Sure enough, I was rather low, considering I was exercising 5-6 days a week.
So if you're just starting out, I'd say don't worry too much for now. Try to get into a healthy range for weight loss.
I agree that you can lose weight by counting calories alone BUT where those calories come from will determine how hungry or satisfied you feel. When I started out, it was such a daunthing task that all I could manage was counting calories. I was (and still am) tracking on fitday and this really helped me realize where my calories were coming from. 100 calorie packs and jelly beans calories add up fast with minimal nutritional value and will leave you still hungry.
I'd say start with counting and tracking your calories on fitday or dailyplate. Over time you will see where your calories are coming from and can adjust accordingly.
Yes, you can be successful but you will discover in short order, if you are staying true to calorie counting--to find the most "bang for your buck" for the calories. For instance, if you are eating one package of onion rings and a coke for lunch, you will be hungry an hour later. If instead you opted for a Subway Salad with a yogurt for the same amount of calories, you will be okay until dinner.
There has also been discussion here that not all calories are created equal. I agree with this 100%. Calories from different foods react differently in your body depending on the components of the food itself.
I started out by focusing on calories only. As time went on I became curious - I noted that I felt satisfied on some days, ravenous on others - lost more some weeks, gained in others. I began inspecting my macronutrient ratios and discovered that by playing with that as well that I could optimize my general feeling of well being and weight loss.
Of course, I needed to master the art of calorie counting first. I didn't start off knowing much and likely would have overwhelmed myself trying to do everything at once. It took time and experimenting.
For me, I knew right off the bat that counting calories alone would not be sufficient enough. Like an alcoholic who goes cold turkey, I knew that I needed to remove the offending foods from my life, at least initially. I knew it couldn't work any other way. I do know that is not for everyone though. I also knew right off the bat that I could never allow myself to get hungry and I knew I needed the volume. I actually researched and found out what foods would best help me to meet those needs. Hence, the proteins and fiber and veggies and the such.
I will say that my eating most certainly did evolve and improve as I went along. I kept learning along the way. Finding what worked - and what didn't. In fact, I'm still learning.
I was never concerned with percentages though. I pretty much knew that by doing all the above things, that the percentages would fall into place.
I am one of those who is just learning (or re learning I should say) that what all these smart chicks are saying is true.
I have been a calorie counter for a while now, and have always felt “good” about staying (for the most part) in my calorie range. And in doing so, I have lost weight – BUT the thing is that I don’t feel good. I always feel bloated, and tired, my energy level is non-existent. I get stressed and anxious easily. I don’t sleep well. My hair and skin don’t look good. My levels of concentration are so low… I am not a healthy person. And I know the reason for that is not because I am going over my daily calories… the reason is because of the foods (and the empty calories) I am eating.
I have been an on again off again dieter most of my life. I KNOW what needs to be done in order to lose weight and be healthy… but for some reason I let myself ignore the facts, the truths about how to live a healthy lifestyle, and convinced myself that because I was eating the right amount of calories and losing weight that I was doing well... I wasn’t letting myself see that the foods I was eating were not what my body needs to be strong, and healthy, and active. It is a struggle changing what I eat (again) but I am determined to do this right this time.
The bottom line is that it is not just about calories; it is about making the right choices in the foods you eat.
For me, I knew right off the bat that counting calories alone would not be sufficient enough. Like an alcoholic who goes cold turkey, I knew that I needed to remove the offending foods from my life, at least initially. I knew it couldn't work any other way. I do know that is not for everyone though. I also knew right off the bat that I could never allow myself to get hungry and I knew I needed the volume. I actually researched and found out what foods would best help me to meet those needs. Hence, the proteins and fiber and veggies and the such.
I will say that my eating most certainly did evolve and improve as I went along. I kept learning along the way. Finding what worked - and what didn't. In fact, I'm still learning.
I was never concerned with percentages though. I pretty much knew that by doing all the above things, that the percentages would fall into place.
I agree. I immediately removed what I knew were 'problem' foods for me. The obvious: candy, chips, fast food - you get the idea. It had to be cut out cold turkey for me as well at first - or I wouldn't have been able to continue.
Where we differ was that I had no understanding of the concept of Volumetrics or the idea that plenty of lean protein and good fat would result in satiation. I had a basic understanding of nutrition and as time went on I educated myself much more thoroughly.
I remember reading quite a few of your posts (I've mentioned before that YOU inspired me, yes?) and tweaked my eating from there. Thanks for the learns teach!
If you think you'd be overwhelmed by working on more than "just calories," then you certainly can start there, realizing that eventually you're going to be paying closer attention, and taking more things into account. It's sort of like when you learn to play a musical instrument like an organ - you start out only learning to play the melody (with only your left hand) and learn to add in the chords with the right hand a little later on.
The nice part about using Calorie King or similar calorie calculator programs, the macronutrients are figured out for you. Many of them will put the USDA recommendations side by side with your diet for the day (and sometimes you can look at weeks and months also). As a result, you can see where you're exceeding or not meeting the RDA for many nutrients. So if you see that you're eating 3 times the RDA for sodium (just as an example), you might start thinking about reducing your salt intake.
I like to "force" balance onto myself by using an exchange program (not saying anyone else needs or would want to do this). Because all of the exchanges are very close in calories, I've always considered it a form of calorie counting, with the advantage (or disadvantage, depending on your point of view) of providing a bit more structure in ensuring that no food group is neglected - and the disadvantage of being a little less precise. However, I've decided this year that even though I'm using the exchange plan (I use a paper worksheet journal page) that I'm going to be logging my food at the end of the day into my online food log on Spark People. This way, I'll have the advantage of knowing the "exact numbers" for calorie and other nutrient counts. I know that you can do this just with calorie counting alone, but I like the convenience of remembering "2 fruits, 5 vegetables, 2 dairy....."
I'm not at all saying you should or need to do what I'm doing. I'm just saying that you don't have to start worrying about a lot of things now, that you will probably come to care about later.
With that all being said, if you're a huge junk food junkie, it's important to remember that every bit of improvement you can make towards eating healthier, will not only help with weight loss, but with feeling less hungry and feeling better generally, but you don't have to take it all on at once. Just deal with what you're comfortable dealing with, and then think about making it more complicated only when it doesn't seem so complicated anymore.
I agree with the others - you can start there, but sooner or later, you will need to look at what type of calories you are eating.
Luckily, software can do that analysis for you so it isn't hard at all.
For me, I ate way too many carbs and not enough healthy fats and protein. This led to carb binges. By balancing my calories at EVERY meal (and snack), I eliminated my binge behavior. It was hard to add in fats - too many old "tapes" played in my head about low fat diets. But, thankfully, I listened to the wise folk around here, and striking a 40/30/30 balance has proved to be a winning strategy.
Last edited by CountingDown; 01-01-2009 at 03:41 PM.
You can only count calories, but if you eat (as an example) 1500 calories worth of junk, you'll feel awful - run down, tired, etc. Eventually I suspect most people give up on these diets because they feel so awful and they believe that eating "too little" is what makes them feel so bad. So they then say that they "can't" diet becuase it makes them sick.
If you are going to lose weight and keep it off for life, you HAVE to learn something about nutrition and how to eat healthily within your calorie range. Otherwise, nothing will stick.
Where we differ was that I had no understanding of the concept of Volumetrics or the idea that plenty of lean protein and good fat would result in satiation. I had a basic understanding of nutrition and as time went on I educated myself much more thoroughly.
Oh believe me, I didn't know oodles when I first started out, but yes, I did know that I would need to limit certain foods and get in plenty of volume, protien and fiber.
I remember reading quite a few of your posts (I've mentioned before that YOU inspired me, yes?) and tweaked my eating from there. Thanks for the learns teach!
It pleases me to no end to know that I have inspired and helped you in anyway. Thank you so much for saying so.
Counting ONLY calories
, I personally could not be successful ONLY counting my calories. Where my calories come from MATTER. A LOT. I can't stay within my calorie budget eating garbage and lose weight. I couldn't STICK to anything for any length of time if I weren't eating "good, clean" foods. And if I can't stick to it, then I can't be successful. I count calories, but make them good, nutritious SATISFYING ones. Ones that keep me full the longest - protein and tons of fiber. Ones that don't leave me with cravings. So, what I don't eat, foods that leave me wanting more of it, that I have little control with (sugar, flour, rice, pasta, etc.) is just as important as what I DO eat. I also need to eat lots of volume - think vegetables. I need to stretch my calories. I choose them very wisely. I couldn't do any of that by *just* counting my calories. Nuh-uh. No way.
