I see it as a diet, but not the best one. Through research I've discovered that losing weight should not be based on calories alone, or fats alone, or carbs alone, etc.
Many nutritionists agree. Due to the recent (10yrs) research, Weight Watchers did their overhaul and changed the points system, which now focuses on fats, fiber, carbs AND protein.
Calorie counting doesn't profess that "losing weight should be based on calories alone." Calorie counting doesn't suggest you should ignores fats, carbs, and proteins.
Some people may create a diet that focuses on calorie counting ignores macronutrients and only focuses on calories. Others may create a diet that balances macronutrients and fiber and focuses on calorie. Both are using calorie counting as one of the many tools in their weight loss toolbox.
Calorie counting is a method, or tool. What someone does with it is their own responsibility, not an inherent "better" or "worse" feature of the tool.
I see it as a diet, but not the best one. Through research I've discovered that losing weight should not be based on calories alone, or fats alone, or carbs alone, etc.
Many nutritionists agree. Due to the recent (10yrs) research, Weight Watchers did their overhaul and changed the points system, which now focuses on fats, fiber, carbs AND protein.
When you count calories you quickly learn where it's better to get your calories from. Fresh, unprocessed food is generally lower in calories, better for you and fills you up. Processed, low-nutrition food will not sustain you.
I generally focus on the calories alone in my diet, but I cannot eat too many processed things or I'll get ill. My diet is full of fresh, unprocessed things and I always strive to make nutritious meals because I feel better. Some days I get more protein than others, other days I have more carbs, but I figure it all evens out in the end and hey, I've lost almost 60 pounds so I must be doing something right.
The thing is, I didn't change my diet all that much. I always had a diet that mainly consisted of non-processed food. I always got sick if I had too much processed food and made sure to keep it to a minimum. So why was I 200 pounds? I ate WAY TOO MUCH. Calorie counting really opened my eyes. Sure, I was eating the right foods and whenever I had medical tests done I was always perfectly fine, just obese. It's really, really important to watch the amount.
All diets do this in some way. If you're limiting your carbs you're still eating less. If you're doing weight watchers you're still eating less. It doesn't matter what you choose, they all usually limit your intake somehow.
You can focus on the nutrients all you want, but if you eat too much you're not going to reach your goals.
I eat a lot of processed foods. I live alone and don't like to cook much, so dinner during the work week is almost always something microwaved (Lean Cuisine pasta dishes and personal size pizza, mostly). I have granola or a protein bar for breakfast and cheese and crackers for lunch. I eat almost no vegetables and not a lot of fruit. But I've lost 45 pounds in 4 months, my cholesterol is fine (I eat almost no red meat) and I don't have diabetes. I do have high blood pressure (but it's coming down) and kidney stones so I should eat less sodium than is found in processed foods, but that's a choice I'm making at the moment because my biggest health problem is obesity. I need to find a way to successfully reduce my calories - and trying to force myself to eat healthier foods that I don't like just doesn't work for me. And I'm really just too lazy to calculate my macros.
I think getting caught up in the semantics (is it a "diet"? no, it's a "lifestyle change!") is a distraction. I don't care what it's called - I COUNT calories, I'm LOSING weight, and that's the whole point. When I reach goal, I will STILL count calories and maintain my weight. That's the whole point.
I'm another one who considers it a tool in my arsenal for losing weight & getting into better health, just like exercise.
I didn't like to say I was dieting when I first started trying to lose weight because that didn't seem quite right. I wasn't going to ban anything from my diet, I was just going to eat smaller portions and less often, and so because I associated dieting with restricting things, saying I was dieting didn't really seem to fit.
Similar to Esofia, I now say that I'm losing weight, and I normally throw in that I'm trying to eat less. I can't say eat healthier because I'm still not a great lover of veggies and I still love to eat out, but it's making better choices when I do and eating less overall that makes a difference for me in losing weight.
I can definitely relate to this. When I tried (and failed) at south beach, that was definitely a "diet" as there were foods I could and couldn't eat and I saw it as a temporary way of eating to lead me to my goal weight, then I would just sort of figure out maintenance from there. (obviously didn't work out so well for me, ha!) NO WAY I would quit eating bread, pasta, etc. forever. Maybe some people can (and do), but not me.
While I HAVE made some changes to my "diet" (or as I prefer, "my permanent way of eating"), I don't have any officially "banned" foods. There are certain things I choose not to eat anymore because my awareness of their caloric/nutritional content just doesn't make them "worth it" to me. And yes, I do eat, overall, "healthier", (more fruits & veggies, whole grains, etc.) but I will never be a tofu and spinach type of person, lol.
So whether or not you want to call calorie counting a "diet" or a "lifestyle change" or a "tool" whatever really doesn't matter to me. It works for me and that's the important thing.
Last edited by NorthernExposure; 11-07-2011 at 10:47 AM.
