Or jsut eat only healthy foods?
The nutritionist at the gym said she does not tell people to count. She said only eat the good stuff drink plenty of water and keep up on the exercise routine. '
Do you agree? This is hard for me since I lost weight before on weight Watchers and counted and weighed everything...
Amy
I count. Calories count. Healthy doesn't mean you cannot gain weight if you eat too much of it. I weight my meat and grain portions and measure my fats with measuring spoons. I do count calories for veggies but I don't not weigh and measure those as rigorously as for other things.
Unless you are really really good at eyeballing and judging what a real portion is, I would say its best to measure. but YMMV. So many of us have distorted ideas of what a real portion is in this super sized society... me included, so I measure.
I do count calories, because it's the best way for me to keep an eye on portion sizes. There are a lot of REALLY healthy foods that also pack a wallop calorie-wise, and I don't trust myself to just eyeball everything accurately right now. My aim is to move to less counting once I hit maintenance mode - but for now, entering everything in Fitday keeps me on track.
"Just eat the good stuff" is a bit of a loose term for me, if you're looking to lose a significant amount of weight. Nuts are great, but it's so easy to eat too many. Avocado is a great source of healthy fat, but the calories in a whole avocado are pretty outrageous....and it's very easy to eat a whole avocado. Focusing on healthy foods is wonderful, but calories are calories, and it's still possible to gain weight on a whole foods diet.
That said, I do have a day or two from time to time where entering everything isn't feasible - and I don't panic on those days or anything. I've already learned a lot about portions and calories using Fitday, and so am starting to get more comfortable estimating when I need to.
Also, its easier for me to count calories and include little non-whole indulgences once in a while - saying "eat good food all the time" would be way too prohibitive for me. This way, I eat mostly good food, but counting lets me have a little something that isn't as healthy, and still stay on plan.
Yep. I am addicted to Fitday. As others have said, "healthy" does not mean "calorie free" and in the past, that's been a hard concept for me to understand
For me, Fitday really helps. It's like a confessional for food. I look at a naughty binge item and think "Do I really want to admit to Fitday that I ate a WHOLE BOX of Girl Scout Cookies?!" No way! I grab an orange instead...
I don't count calories every day but I know the calories of things I eat. I will often count my calories for a week or so to get a general feel for how well I do.
My weight loss has also slowed down a lot and I'm sure if I was more diliigent at counting calories, then it would be a lot better.
I count calories, but don't do it to perfection. If I'm having steamed broccoli and cauliflower--or any other very low calorie food--I just estimate and eat until I'm full. If I'm having an entree which is higher in calories, I will count that and make sure I eat the correct serving size so I know I'm right. I also don't really care if my apple is 80 or 100 calories. But I do care if my bread is 90 or 120 calories. Is that weird?
I'm like you Allison, I don't count them to a T. I don't bother measuring my veggies. I always estimate up. So I'm not exactly sure if I've eaten 50 calories worth or 60 or 70. No big deal in my book. Although I do always measure out my cereal, but not the milk. And I couldn't agree more about the bread.
I really like fitday for counting my calories, but I feel like I have to tweak it a bit sometimes (so what is says is the same as the nutritional information on the package.) I try to measure things, but sometimes it's necessary to eyeball things. I don't carry a measuring cup and ruler in my purse.
So naturally my next question is how many calories do you eat?
I hear so many different recommendations..For me and my weight with my goal I have heard anywhere from 1200-2600..Now that is a BIG difference..So how do i REALLY know..
You hear if you dont eat enough your body holds onto everything..SO how do yiou determine?
I am pretty active. Work out at least 5x a week including strength and cardio...
Amy
So naturally my next question is how many calories do you eat?
I hear so many different recommendations..For me and my weight with my goal I have heard anywhere from 1200-2600..Now that is a BIG difference..So how do i REALLY know..
You hear if you dont eat enough your body holds onto everything..SO how do yiou determine?
I am pretty active. Work out at least 5x a week including strength and cardio...
Amy
Look at the calories in what you are eating NOW and then reduce from there until you are comfortable (not hungry all the time) and still losing weight. There is no perfect answer.
I use fitday and count, and like Allison and Robin, I'm not always exact with things. But this is the reason I count: several times in the last 5 years I have been very committed to losing weight. I upped my exercise a bit, began eating less, and tried to stick to healthy choices (not exclusively, but for the most part). Well, guess what? Not only did I not lose, I gained! The problem is, I think I'm good at telling how much I'm eating, but the reality is I'm not. I guesstimate some things, but there are other things I measure EVERY SINGLE TIME - my salad dressing, my cereal, my yogurt, my hummus, etc. I have so many measuring cups, I have a separate drawer for them. DH thinks I'm wacky. But I have lost almost 10 lbs. so I know it's working.
Good luck ... and join the calorie counters on the March thread. There is a great group of supportive calorie counters on that thread -- some are eating 1200 a day, others 14-1600 or more. You just have to figure out what works.
I count everything, but I don't limit some foods, like green vegies. If I want 3 cups of broccoli, that's fine. Even after almost 6 years (yikes has it really been that long???) of changing the way I eat, I still measure dressings, peanut butter, goopy food like yogurt and cottage cheese, grains, and weigh my protein portions. I couln't maintain without my measuring spoons, cups, and food scale! I use fitday every couple of days. Basically, I eat the same set of meals so I know what I'm consuming during the day as long as the portions are correct.
If you have a LOT of weight to lose and have been eating pretty much anything you want in huge quantities, you will lose weight just by cutting out the junk. That will work for a while. Eventually you'll need to learn to either count calories or limit portion sizes to continue your weight loss.
Do you count calories?
So many of us have distorted ideas of what a real portion is in this super sized society... me included, so I measure.
has it really been that long???) of changing the way I eat, I still measure dressings, peanut butter, goopy food like yogurt and cottage cheese, grains, and weigh my protein portions. I couln't maintain without my measuring spoons, cups, and food scale! I use fitday every couple of days. Basically, I eat the same set of meals so I know what I'm consuming during the day as long as the portions are correct.