Well... it kind of casts doubt on calorie counting. Apparently, there was a study published in JAMA which says that an emphasis on vegetables and such is more important than calorie counting.

ARTICLE


At the end though, they say that it's not that caloric intake doesn't matter, but that by virtue of eating more vegetables one eats less calories anyway...

Just food for thought.

Personally, calorie counting really works for me, and I pretty much avoid refined/processed foods because they end up making me hungrier in the end.
Thoughts?

I agree that eating a lot of vegetables and whole foods will fill you up with fewer calories. I don't think they are saying not to be aware of how many calories you are consuming, but more that you should make those calories nutrient dense so you get more bang for your buck.

I don't think calorie counting is bad as long as you are not going hungry because you reached your preconceived calorie level.

I've seen a lot of people make posts on this forum where they say "I'm counting calories" as an explanation of what they're doing to lose weight, as if they think it's all they need to do. I think that's the problem with calorie counting. The reason why they overeat in the first place is (probably) because of poor diet. Cutting calories while eating junk food doesn't work, because junk food isn't filling, so you'll be starving and just give up. Junk food also slows down your metabolism, which means you'll have to cut calories even more to get a deficit.

Calorie counting in combination with a good diet is ok, but I don't think it's really important. I think most people, if they eat healthy, will naturally feel full before they overeat.

Both of you made great points. Thanks for posting!

Just thought I'd share the article to see what people thought.

I don't really count calories but I know I eat about 12-1300 a day... I eat a consistent diet and get loads of veggies so i dont feel hungry.

I've been having luck doing less daily calorie counting/tracking but sticking with meals that I've prepped (95% of the time). Each meal portion I have come up with has roughly 400-500 calories so I can grab one without having to worry about logging what I consume each day. It's kind of like Eat, Fit, Go but way cheaper. If I go out to eat I just try and pick what looks the healthiest, enjoy it and move on vs. obsessing about what I think the calories were in the meal which totally ruins the enjoyment. I tend to become a bit obsessive when I log, and then I end up crashing on "pig out island" and destroying my diet.

I eat the same thing for breakfast every day (coffee and Kind bar) because I'm lazy and always rushing around, and then I grab one of my prepped meals for lunch each day, and for dinner I either eat a prepped meal if I'm alone or making something unhealthy that the kids/husband love, or I cook dinner for the family from a list of meals that are "approved" by me and portion out my plate based on the prep quantities.

Each one of my prepped meals has a serving of grain (quinoa or brown rice), lean meat and lots of veggies. I'm always adding new varieties to my list of options, swap out veggies each time I make them, and that's keeping me happy with variety. I make a faux chipotle bowl, a chicken sausage combo, a pizza chicken combo, a bbq chicken combo, etc. I'm trying hard to make this doable for life.....

And I also have left room for a glass of wine or some Halo Top or a handful of nuts each evening or buffer if I went out to eat.