Why Do You Love Calorie Counting???
 

For some reason this weekend it just really hit me that this is really working :D Calorie counting works! I used to be one of those people who tried all the diets out there avoiding calorie counting because it's just too hard. How can you count every single thing you eat? But with all the computer programs (free programs!) out there it is so easy.

Here are my main reason for loving calorie counting:

1) It really feels like a life style change and not a diet.
2) Nothing is off limits, I try to eat healthy most of the time but I can have ice cream occasionally I just have to count it in with my calories for the day.
3) I don't feel left out when it comes to special events or eating out. I can do both with a little pre-planning.
4) I am losing weight steadly and I feel like I'm not even trying :dancer:

What else do you love????

I love DailyPlate - it makes all my logging so easy, and definitely helps me realize if I'm on-plan or not. I log in a zillion times a day, so there is no way for me to go off-plan without making a conscious decision to do so. And like you, I believe calorie counting works! It's not some fad diet; it's a simple formula of reducing the calories you eat by eating less and moving more. LOVE it.

I honestly feel better since I started counting, and that in itself is enough. I have a scale on the way in the mail and when it gets here I am sure i will love watching my weight drop in a real honest number. it honestly feels good just knowing that I am doing a better job on taking care of my body.

As Ever
Me

Because it's easy, it works, nothing is off limits, and it's free.

I also love the versatility, as others have mentioned. I find it to be simple, with the help of FitDay.

I love the fact there is little room for error. Calories are listed on all food products, you can find most national chain restaurants on-line or reasonably estimate foods from other restaurants.

If you diligently read labels and measure your food you can't really go wrong. This is really a learned behavior - the longer you do this the more intuitive it becomes.

I am a hard facts person - the numbers don't lie when you take the time to log.

Lori

I love it because I can customize it, to my liking. I also like it because it because I'm the type of person who likes to write down everything. And of course it works!!! ;)

i find it very simple.

Like the others have said. Nothing is off limits. I hate being told I can't eat something. As soon as that happens, I want it. I was on cholesterol meds once. It was on the side of the bottle that I couldn't have grapefruit. I started wanting grapefruit so badly! I can't eat nuts, seeds or corn for medical reasons.

However, that leaves everything else open for me. Fit Day, calorie counting and 3FC. It's all the best for me.

i love how you can see what nutrients you need and how easy the programs are to use.. theres nothing better then being in conrtoll

What everyone else said, AND, calorie counting is great for maintaining your weight loss, once you've lost all your weight. The transition from losing weight to maintaining weight is relatively seamless--it just requires figuring out how many calories you can have and what the best way to use them is. Then it becomes habitual, in the same way that counting calories for weight loss becomes habitual. Almost everyone down in maintainers, regardless of how they lost their weight, counts calories to maintain. That should tell us something. :)

What everyone else said and:
I feel that I am in control. I am learning to do this. I don't have someone telling me what to eat, or when to eat it.

And baffled really hit the home run. I can take weight off with a multitude of plans. But the downfall of those plans is that once I "go off" I slowly put the weight back on. This last time it took 8 years, but I gained back every ounce. I really feel that calorie counting is something I can do forever and really be successful - once and for all :)

I love it because:

~It WORKS. Almost all diet plans, whether you are doing Jenny Craig, Nutrisystem, Weight Watchers, or whatever-are based on calories ANYHOW.

~It is FREE. I don't need to join and pay a fee, or buy anyone's supplements, or sign any contract.

~I can eat what I like. If I don't like apples, I don't have to eat apples. There are a thousand other fruit choices in the market. I eat what fruits and vegetables I like, not what someone else puts on a plan.

~I can have a treat occasionally, and it is okay. I like a glass of wine, or a bit of dark chocolate now and then, and this way I can have it.

I agree with what everyone has said here. It is so easy, and I feel like I can keep this up for the rest of my life. Since I started, I always take a look at the nutrition label, even if I'm not actively trying to lose weight. I subconsciously make better choices.

I love it for many of theabove reasons, but mostly because it is the only thing that allows me to set limits for myself. It's my version of portion control. I love knowing exactly what's going into my mouth. I'm always aware of the calorie content. No excuses.

I agree with others response.. I never gave anything a chance..usually do for a week and bail out. Taking the chance and knowing others doing and succeeding this method.

Good thread,by the way! :)

Liliann

I love counting for lots of reasons - some of them have already been covered. I guess what I like best is that it makes me think about food in a different way - as a source of energy for my body, not as a friend/enemy/reward/punishment. I can figure out how many calories my body requires and make choices as to what foods I want to eat to get there - and like others have said, I can choose any foods I want. :carrot: :jeno: :cheese: :chockiss: :hun: :broc:

Another thing I love is that I can plan ahead for events where I want to eat more than I need by adjusting my intake down for a few days before. This means that in the long-run I can live a normal life, which is kinda the whole point, isn't it?

The freedom to choose whatever food you want is great, as has been mentioned many times already. The aspect I enjoy the most of that freedom is that it's made me more educated about food in general. I ask myself whether or not individual foods are really worth it, if I'm getting a good deal of nutrition and satisfaction for the number of calories they contain.

The learning process involved in calorie counting is my favorite part. Just reading labels and evaluating my logs makes me feel really proactive and in control of my own health. It's like a long term science experiment - one that I'm confident will help me to maintain my goal weight.

I am a very organized person and I like to be able to count and calculate to be sure I'm going in the right direction for real.

Because it works for me! Nothing is off limits - I just have to adjust for it.

Because it works for me! I hate being told I can't have something. I can have whatever I want - I just have to adjust for it.

I like this! You're right. If you're counting calories, labeling food 'good' or 'bad' and having a complicated emotional relationship with it isn't really helpful; you wind up instead choosing foods on the basis of their nutritional value, their fillingness and whether or not you really want them. It's a pathology all it's own, but it's more psychologically healthy than friend/enemy/reward/punishment/good/bad.

Hooray for calorie counting!

I love it because......

1) It's the only thing that's ever worked for me in finally taking all of my weight off.

2) Counting calories keeps me accountable for what I put into my mouth so I can KEEP the weight off.

3) Logging my food into fitday keeps me balanced because I'm able to see my cals/fats/carbs/protein ratios.

4) Logging my food also allows me to see where my nutrients are coming from and if I'm getting enough of them.

5) Counting calories has allowed me to eat healthier because if I know how many calories I've already had or how many more calories I still need, I can eat certain foods accordingly -and- it makes me more aware of what I'm eating, therefore I eat healthier foods.

I really enjoy calorie-counting. I've done it for 3 and a half years now and I still haven't grown tired of it.

:lol:

So true, and I've got it bad! They'll have to wrest my palm pilot food diary from my cold dead hand. :p

I love that it's based in simple everyday reality. Diet mysticism is the bane of our society's health. Bah! to it.

I love the accountability while still being able to eat things that I love.

I've learned so many healthier eating habits; I know what a true serving size is now.

All the wiggle room it gives! Even if you overeat or undereat one day, it all balances itself out, that's why I calorie cycle.

I totally agree with everyone. I have only been doing it officially for a couple of weeks, but I love it so far! It gives me freedom to eat what I want, within reason of course. I was doing South Beach, but I just got so tired of worrying what I could have or couldn't. I think those types of "diets" work for alot of people, but I needed something I didn't have to worry about so much. Plus calorie counting is easy and I use dailyplate to keep track of everything! It's something I believe I can do for life. ;)