i really hated it at first, but it is already second nature. i like it because it tells me when to stop. after my calorie count goes close to 1800, food doesnt exist for the rest of the day.
i dont do whole foods, i have just been doing smaller portions, no oil, no butter etc. i couldnt do something that is too restricting, and honestly, if i want a little butter on my toast, i dont want to feel guilty about it, i just adjust my other meals accordingly
excercise has been my favorite part of dieting, i hate it before i go, and i gripe about it, and pout and put it off until late, but after i get going i dont want to stop!
I go through phases with it. I tried low carb for the first time ever a few months ago - something I thought I'd never do - mainly because I couldn't mentally bear going back to the slog of calorie counting. (I guess the novelty of counting carbs was more interesting?) Didn't work great for me for weight loss, though it did help instill some lower-carb eating patterns that I've continued.
Counting calories is THE only way I've ever reliably lost weight. I mean, what I eat makes a big difference, but counting is the only way to ensure that I lose. That's what I cling to, at the end of the day. And I find that while I mentally resist it at the beginning, it gets easier and easier to do it quickly and with less effort. But I hear you.
It is so tedious and annoying sometimes to put the food in.
then it seems like calories disapear so quickly lol. (unless eating only veggies)
but at the same time its quite lovely. so simple and i do like it and i do know that even though i do gripe about it to every now and then this calorie counting thing is going to:
1. save my life
2. improve my life
3. prolong my life
So i have to look at the silver lining and be thankful. : )
No matter what plan you try, you will be counting/measuring something....Atkins counts carbs, WW counts calories, IP and SB count food intakes, WL surgery patients have to measure/count food portions. The interesting thing is the vast majority of healthy people do the exact same thing....they are constantly counting, measuring or watching food intakes.
I'm a calorie counter and know what you mean. I just look at it this way...either way it goes, I'll be counting something. Better to count calories than my increasing jeans sizes
I agree it's a little tedious at first especially when you are not used to it and you have to look up every single thing etc, but the more you do it, the more it becomes less of a bother and a part of your routine. Plus after a while you kind of know how many calories are innwhat quantity of the most common foods you eat and it becomes less tedious.
When I first starred this journey, I allowed myself to have fast food, whatever I liked as long as it was within my calorie limit for the day. So being the only way I found to lose weight without giving up my favorite things, I stuck with it. Eventually 3 years later, it's like a game to me. Like me vs the calories, can I come in under or will I let the calories win. I kind of enjoy it and feel weird when I don't do it. I'm on a break from plan whilst recovering from bowel surgery so I'm not counting right now. But it does become a part of your life and you begin to feel strange when you don't do it.
I learned to count calories by way of an exchange plan when I was 8 years old and joined Weight Watchers for the first time with my mother in 1972 (WW used exchange plans until the early to mid- nineties).
Exchange plans are a calorie counting method, because every food within an exchange category has approximately the same carb and calorie count. Fruit exchanges for example average about 70 calories (and range from about 50 to 75).
I've been doing exchange counting so long that it's become second nature, and I find it easier and more fun than "straight" calorie counting, because I can print off a chart and just check off boxes as I record what I'm eating (there are tons of websites that have free printable charts).
I make it a game/challenge because rather than have a set, limited chart. I have minimums and maximums and make an effort to hit my minimum number of exchanges in each category without going over my maximum (this is akin to the old WW option of optional or floating exchanges).
Just as an example my "minimum" for vegetable exchanges is 3 (a total of 75 calories since all veggie exchanges have about 20 to 30 calories). However, my maximun is 10 (250 calories total). I've never used all of my veggie exchanges, but getting in as many as I can has become a bit of a game. I try to make most of my optional exchanges/calories come from veggies and protein rather than from fat and carbs.
I've found that if I "hate" something, I don't do it, so to be successful I have to make it fun. I even have resorted to childish sticker charts to provide a tangible reward.
I love it, actually. I needed something like this to keep me in line. It's second nature now and I just do it automatically and keep a tally in my head as the day goes along.
I tried not counting one day and it drove me nuts! I need to keep SOME sort of mental tally going!
I view myself as a science experiment now. I like seeing how many calories I can eat, what they do for me and how I can get stronger/more fit from what I'm eating.
I don't hate it because I don't make a big deal of it. I eyeball and estimate. It seems I'm not far off the mark because my weight loss and maintenance have proceeded as predicted.
Yeah I'm not too into it. I only truly calorie counted for 2 days just to get an idea of what I've been doing and I was doing fine. I just look at things. If I'm eating something packaged that will tell me exactly how many calories are in it I'll look at it but I don't make a big deal out of it. I eat healthy food and eat good portion sizes and I'm consistently losing so I'll go with it.
For some people there is some sort of powerful mental connection that occurs in the process of writing (or typing) it down - like it builds that concrete memory in your brain that says, "I have had this much." I can't really explain it.
I eat pretty much the same thing every day and know how much each item is without looking. I STILL track it. For some reason, that really helps me, and each time I have failed or gained something back it was when I was not tracking.
There's so many tools out there that make it easy. Are you using one or just writing stuff down on paper?
Im on WW, so Im not counting calories, but points instead. I hated it at first. It was frustrating when I was used to eating what I want, when I want. What I love is that its taught me alot about accountability. I am very aware of every single thing I put in my mouth now. I can still enjoy myself, but within limits. Its also taught me alot about portion and serving sizes. I am still amazed at the sheer quantity of some foods I used to eat.
It stinks now, but eventually it becomes habit, and much less annoying.
Does anyone else HATE calorie counting?
