What do you like best about Calorie counting?
 

Curious to see why people chose to this vs. doing a program like WW or food delivery?

I can eat whatever I want!

For me, it is the ONLY thing that sets my portion limits and holds me accountable. Without it - I'd keep eating and eating and eating......... My intuitive eating button is completely defective. I need something to tell me -STOP, you can't eat anymore - food allotment is up. It polices me, so to speak.

That coupled with the fact that I can make room for , budget for, anything that I want, once in awhile. Nothing is off limits to me.

Also - it's inexpensive, I can do it anywhere, it's easy to do and is something that I can do forever.

I was going to say that I can eat what I want and I don't have to spend an arm and a leg!!!

Nothing being off limits was what I liked about starting to do calorie counting. I had been doing WW, but it's expensive and i feel like I can do this and it's almost no cost, especially without having to buy special foods.

I joined mydailyplate and it actually said I needed more calories then I was eating with WW.

I don't do well with too much structure...if I tried to follow some kind of plan that had a set menu, chances are I'd just rebel. Calorie counting means I can do my own thing with boundaries.

I went with calorie counting because I remembered what I was taught in college way back in the seventies. There was a health course required for graduation and the concept of calories in and calories out was pounded into my head. Granted, I couldn't remember how many calories I should eat. :o I see times have changed with low carb, low fat, good carb, bad carb, good fat, bad fat, etc. and that confuses me, :?: so I just keep it simple. As time goes on and I learn more, I'll tweak things.

I went with calorie counting because I like knowing that I can pretty much work anything in if I want it badly enough. I rarely bother, but I don't feel like I can't have a specific food (thus wanting it more). I like to cook and I don't think even if I could afford to do a high end food delivery program that I'd like it. I'd most likely be thinking 'I would have done....'.

You may find differences between what WW allows and calorie counting. I've never done WW but I understand that some things are not counted (? veggies), and points are only approximate ranges with fiber sometimes lowering the value. If you feel that mydailyplate number is way off then pick a number in between and try it for a couple of weeks. Even though I eat a fair bit (compared to most) I've found most online calculators are way off once you start adding in exercise.

Flexibility! I am the mistress of my own domain. I am not restricted to any group of foods. I can have just about anything I want as long as I remain within my allotted calorie amount. And, when I do have a meal or a day where I do blow it out, no harm done. I just get back on track the next meal or day and all is well.

Plans like WW, JC, NS, food delivery are just out of my budget. I can buy fresh foods at the store and prepare my own healthy meals at a fraction of the cost. As far as meetings and support are concerned, that is nice, but I feel I get the same thing, here. :D

Similar to everyone else. If it was a lifestyle change that I was going to make - it had to be a plan that I could do forever. I don't do well with deprivation - horribly actually. I needed a plan that would
1. let me eat real food that I enjoyed
2. allow me to eat foods that I craved
3. teach me what healthy eating looks like
4. not let me cheat (so many plans have a lot of "wiggle room"
5. could work for a vegetarian that already loved eating healthy foods - just way too much of them

Calorie counting is the only thing that fit all of my criteria. I can do it anywhere, anytime, and - it works.

Flexible, reliable and free!

I don't like the idea of paying for a program for someone to tell me what to eat or for special foods. I like the flexibility of being able to choose from a variety of foods.

i second third fourth fifth etc. the fact that i can eat what i want in a controlled amount. That and i know what i'm getting myself into so i can work treats into my day without panic! LOVE dailyplate!!

I agree with everyone else. I don't think any food should be completely off limits. Calorie counting makes that possible. Eat what you want, within moderation and work out to make all your dreams a reality! :)

Bingo.

Any plan that required me to give up a certain food for a period of time, or required me to eat a lot of a certain food for a period of time, or required me to buy my food or supplements for a period of time ... wasn't going to work.

One, the minute you tell me I can't have something ... I want it.
The minute you tell me I must eat something ... I won't.

I needed a way of eating that was sustainable and that *I* had control over. With calorie counting I can eat whatever I want. I'm don't get panicky about going to a restaurant or a party because they won't have my special food there. I can adapt my eating to any situation and still be "on plan".

.

I agree!

what a great response! It's funny how when I decided I was going to do the calorie counting, it almost like I felt a "weight" lifted. Like I wasn't tied down to one thing and I actually felt a lot better! Not only will I save money by not buying special foods, but I can feel normal when I eat because nothing will be "forbidden"

Well, with calorie counting, I can figure out (through trial and error) how many calories a day MY body needs to eat...not what Fitday, Daily Plate, or some diet counselor tells me to. ;)

My reasons:

~Free-no contracts, things to buy, membership fees, meetings, etc.

~I can do this for LIFE

~There are no foods that are FORBIDDEN. I eat healthy, and make great food choices...but on plans like Atkins, South Beach, Fat Smash, or others where there are certain foods that are literally NOT allowed at certain times-I can't handle that. If someone tells me that I CAN'T have something, of course, it is going to make me want it. :lol:

~Maintenance. I can maintain this lifestyle after I get to goal, and do this forever, to keep the weight off.

I also like that calorie counting allows me to try different eating approaches within the same framework -- lower fat or lower carb, substitution or whole foods, Mediterranean, vegetarian, etc.

Free to choose.

Chocolate. Need I say more? ;)

Nope. :D


Mmmm.... Chocolate...

100 calories worth of chocolate is usually something that can be worked into any calorie counting plan! ;)

Same reasons that everyone has given! ;)

I also like that its made me very aware of the values of what I eat and that allows me to make smarter choices.

What I like most about calorie counting is that it works! :goodscale:

Other things that I like about it:

• It doesn't require complicated math; the whole WW points thing just always seemed to complicated to me.
• No guesswork--I figure out what I can eat for the day and eat it. No trying to figure out if I'm full or still hungry, no trying to trick myself into eating smaller portions.
• I don't have to give up carbs (although I have cut way back, especially on processed carbs).
• It really prepared me for maintenance by teaching me how to make good choices. I don't know how anyone on a diet that dictates what you can and can't eat (or worse, one that provides food for you) ever transitions into maintenance. You'd go from having your food chosen for you to being on your own with very little guidance; seems like a recipe for failure to me.

I enjoy that I can finally see how many calories I should be eating, and what that looks like in servings. I don't usually eat "fat-free" items, I just eat less of what I used to be eating.

You hit the nail on the head for me with this!!!!

I like the fact that calorie counting encourages me to learn to eat healthy, because even though no food is forbidden (very important!) I'll go hungry if I'm not eating right. Through calorie counting, I've learned to eat healthy and still incorporate things like chocolate, cheese, beer and wine into my lifestyle. That way, I'm never deprived and always feel satisfied.

For me, I like to be in control ... and calorie counting allows me to physically measure what I'm taking in. It increases my accountability. When all is said and done at the end of the day, I can't blame a shortcoming on the fact that WW wasn't specific enough on portion size, I can't blame my husband for wanting to go out to dinner... the only person I can blame or pat on the back is me. The buck stops here.

I'm not depriving myself of anything, I don't feel the need to binge! It's easy and costs nothing! It's also sustainable and after a while I just know what I should be eating and how much.

I really hope I'm not calorie counting my whole life, but it really teaches you what a healthy amount and mix of daily foods feels like.

I chose to calorie count because I know it works, especially along with exercise. All these other fad diets are like putting tape over a leak in the ceiling: sure, they work for some time, but eventually something's going to give and the tape (or diet) will fail you.

And I love bread! Atkins and all those other no carb diets are ridiculous. There are healthy carb choices. I found this Healthy Life bread that is only 35 calories a slice, and very low in carbs as well. I love it!

Anyway, we all know that you have to burn more calories than you consume in order to lose weight...so counting calories just makes the most sense!

i can't live on veggies alone, and won't. if i want something i will have it. i don't want to feel guilty by eating it. for instant tonight we picked up our granddaughters for a few days and went to burger king. i planned before we left and had a whopper jr, side salad, sm onion rings, was only 525 cals. fit perfect into my day. no points, no carbs, fits my life. i have to have something that fits my life. since this is a life style change.
that's why i like it. and do it.

I am making the switch to counting calories that I can actually slow my weight loss. I know, it sounds rediculous! LOL

I have been off and on Atkins since 4/2005 and here I sit, the same exact weight i originally started. I am not downing Atkins, I personally think it's a GREAT plan and I like how at the end you end up reintroducing a LOT back into your diet and you can eat very similiar to those doing a low calorie, healthy balanced diet. That being said, I didn't have the patients to work myself up through the diet that I was supposed to. I knew I could stay on induction lose so much weight SO fast, I would let myself mess up..and then it was just a vicious cycle. I couldnt have all the things I wnted and once I fell off the wagon, I could never pick myself back up, it was always a binge of everything I couldnt have and then back to square one. I just didn't have the will to say good bye to all of the things I so dearly wanted,. I didnt wasnt to wait to reintroduce them, I wanted what I wanted when I wanted it and I am paying for it now.

Watching my calores will hold me accountable b/c I know I can have anything I want. I know I can make room for a special meal one day without risking gaining 5 pounds of water by the next day like I did on Atkins. I feel like with this, I will be able to live. And plain in simple, I might want that food, but it will translate into me gaining and I have so much more say so than I thought I ever could. I think the ability to have what I want, but I use my own discression is what is going to make me succeed.

Sprry this is so long, I truly cannot wait to get started and change my life, for good this time :)

Ditto, ditto and ditto :D

I'm a "seat of my pants" flyer in the kitchen so it's much easier for me if I can add a little of this and throw in a little of that then simply stop adding when I hit the calorie ceiling.

I agree with everyone else. Flexibility being one of the things that first drew me to counting calories. The other thing being I FINALLY realized that whatever I did...I would have to do it FOR LIFE...in some form or another.

Did I want the UPS man bringing me my meals for the next 40-50 years?? Not really.

Will JC bring me a meal when my family goes to a restaurant??? Probly not.

Will the server graciously prepare my prepackaged meal that I brought to the restaurant when my family goes out for a meal? Yeah Right!!!

There are ways to budget my calorie alotment. A little lighter brakfast or lunch so I can have dessert with supper. I can put in extra gym time if I go "way overboard".

Also....I like that it has made me lable reader...and not just how many calories are in something. I compare brands, serving sizes, protiens, fiber, carbs and it has made me so much more aware of what I am eating...and made me really think about what I was eating.

I think in many ways being a calorie counter has made me more in control that anything else i have tried.

Maybe.....I am a "control freak after all :yikes: