Do you calorie count and why?

[ralphiebabs12]

Just curious really. Do you count calories?

I tracked my calories for a month or two a few years back out of curiosity. I don't now, I do a lot more home cooking and I think it would take me ages! Generally I stick to a philosophy of eat when I'm hungry, until I'm full. I'll tend to eat something if I'm craving it (although I guess it helps that I generally crave healthier things!) This is in reason of course, if I craved a big dominoes pizza every night I wouldn't eat a big dominoes pizza every night mainly because there's not a dominoes for miles

I've seen some say they count calories for a while until they get a general idea how many calories are in each food, then they guess.

Just curious for other's opinions and insights

On week 3 of calorie counting. On 1400 with nutracheck. Feel like this method is the best for me. Got 7 stone to lose, so far lost 9 pound.

I’m using MFP at the moment and keeping to around 1300 a day. It’s only been 9 days, I’ve not really been hungry and lost 1.5lb so far. It’s discipline that’s key for me I think. Due to 12 months WFH I’ve gained more than a stone due to having free and easy access to the cupboards that I don’t have in the office. Exercise is difficult for me due to mobility issues so I have to cut down the ‘treats’. It’s quite eye opening to me to see where most of the calories come from. Day 1 50% were from snacks, that soon stopped.

@Tanfastic that's great! We are the same age but you are more active than me

[quote Bairnsmum05]@Tanfastic that's great! We are the same age but you are more active than me [/quote]

Prob not as I have an office job so struggle to get steps in at all during the day. I only do the workout (step workout) to get more steps in 😂

@Serena1977

On week 3 of calorie counting. On 1400 with nutracheck. Feel like this method is the best for me. Got 7 stone to lose, so far lost 9 pound.

That's amazing, congratulations!

@TowandaForever

Do people mind saying how many calories they eat a day if they calorie count? I'm new to this.

It doesn't matter what other people do, you need to find the right number for you. Don't just start at 800, 1200, 1600 or whatever but do some research - there are lots of weight loss calculators online if you look for one.

If you're calorie counting to lose weight, you absolutely need to do some strengthening exercises and weightlifting of some kind too to keep muscle mass and lose fat instead.

Slow steady weight loss while looking after yourself is better than the sharp programme I leapt into last year.

I have done strict calorie counting in the past - starting on 1500 then reducing to 1250 and 1000 as I neared my goal weight. It has the benefit of working, in my experience, as long as you stick to it.

Nowadays I prefer to base my weightloss approach on healthy eating, so eating a lot of foods that are naturally low in calories such as fruit, veg and lean meat. I'm avoiding processed foods so getting precise calorie values would involve a lot of weighing and measuring, which I don't really want to do. If you don't mind eating processed foods it's much easier to calorie count because you can just look at the packet.

I do have a general awareness of how many calories are in different things, though, which informs my food choices in the background. I always score well on those 'how many calories in a KitKat' type quizzes!

I have only been doing it for 3 weeks since I realised quite how much weight I had piled on over lockdown. I’m aiming for a 750 calorie deficit every day, by doing between 20-60 minutes exercise every day (except one rest day) and so I can have between 1400-1800 a day depending on how much exercise I’ve done. All tracked on Fitbit as that ties up with my exercise too.
It’s the only way I ever lose weight, I did it once before after I’d had the DC and lost a couple of stone. I’m aiming for 2lb a week

I’ve counted mine for decades. First in my 20’s when I lost 3 stone, and then after that I have just always done it mentally. I put the weight back on, lost it again, put it back on, and have just lost 3.5 stone in lockdown.

Basically the answer is I have to stick to around 1600 a day because I am short, PCOS, prone to fat, and I don’t exercise very much. Maintenance has always been my issue.

Currently eating 1250 a day as I’m on my last 7lbs and need it off!

Also as others have said, don’t just cut your calories by 1000 and hope for the best. You need a long game and somewhere to go when weight loss slows down. That’s why you cut them incrementally.

14 stone would equate to about 1400 a day, and that would give you a loss of maybe 1lb a week. When you get to 13.5, you cut to 1350 a day. If you just slash it drastically, your body gets used to the deficit and either clings to the weight or panics and you get ill.

You need a deficit of 500 a day to lose 1lb a week generally. And as long as your week adds up, you can do what you will with them. So that’s how 5/2 works, people just split them and eat less on their 2 days, more on their 5 day (or whatever combo works for you), but over the week the total will be the same.

For the same reason I track how much money I spend.

My basic mantra for keeping the basics of life in check is spend less than you earn, eat less than you burn.

I wouldn't spend money when I felt like it and just hope the books balance at the end of the month. The same is for food entering my body.

Agree with @OneRingToRuleThemAll

It's a basic way of ensuring that you eat less/same as the number of calories expended.

I eat between 1200-1400 and I'm sedentary (and old).

I'm slim, but only just. If I guess calories, everything goes pear-shaped (literally) pretty quickly.

Yes, on 1500 calories a day for weight loss. Working well so far.

Very rarely, I tend to only do it if I creep above nine stone, which doesn't happen very often.

Nope. I don’t now but had many years of stressful calorie counting

I now monitor the type of food I eat. Ie. No ultra processed junk food (including refining starch) and hey presto, no need to calorie count. I’m 46, BMI of 20

You can’t overeat good food 🤷‍♀️

Yes. I generally eat about 1000 cals per day. I generally don't add on the calories in drinks, and exercise a little each day also.

I'm on week 4 of this and have lost 12lb so far. I am aiming for another 4 stone that will put me at the weight I haven't been for many years.(10 stone) Fingers crossed!

IsAnybodyListening just a warning from a yo yo dieter here, you will find that 1000 is working for you now but in a months time your body will be used to getting by on 1000 and you’ll need to drop more cals to get the same result. 1000 is already so low, there’s no way to go except lower and your body will have to start burning muscle and bone mass to power itself. It’s not great as when you do start eating again your body will have less muscle to burn those extra cals and you’ll gain fat and the weight may well come back on. Slow and steady with calorie counting or else it’s a fine line between that and starvation.

I eat around 1200 sometimes a bit less. I walk a lot too I aim for about 20,000 steps a day. I'm losing weight well.

No, I don’t. I’ve only ever heard of anyone doing it on MN, not in real life.

I use MFP, have done on and off for 10 years or so, but for the last 18m I have recorded everything.
Mainly because portion sizes are an issue for me- I can (and have) literally eaten and eaten until I make myself sick. It's not even really self control- it's unconscious.
I lost 2.5 stone and am maintaining- usually I'm in the red (over calories) but it doesn't actually bother me because I'm very active these days.

It was super helpful when the doctor asked me to keep a food diary to track Sx too!

I do. It has helped me realise what size portions I should be having, stopped serving myself the same size dinners as DH (who is 6ft and a runner) it seems preposterous now I was eating the same as him. And wasting 500 or so calories on a massive bowl of cereal or mindlessly eating biscuits.

I really like it as I don’t feel like I’m on a diet. Within reason I can eat what I want, I just have to allow for it by having a lighter lunch or dinner.

I’ve lost 22lb since the start of January.

I do, I know other people in RL who do too, my fitness pal has been around for years.

I stick to 1240 during the week and don't log anything at weekends (I started again in Jan though so was stricter in Jan/Feb)

I do it because left to my own devices I eat too much and slowly gain weight (1.5 stone in lockdown). It helps motivate me, and I lose 1-2lb a week when I use MFP.

I also use Nutracheck, the barcode scanner is worth it alone. I'm set for 1400 a day, but my weight loss goal is vanity pounds and I'm weak, so often go over. It mostly keeps my 'hand in' the game of sensible eating, it's crazy how quickly a meal can turn into a calorie bomb if I'm not careful.

I lost two stone doing low (not no) carb, but my weight loss stalled for a couple of months, so I decided to add in calorie counting too to see if that made any difference (1300 per day), and the scales have started dropping again :) I use the Carb Manager app, which is really easy to use and doesn't feel like a chore. I usually eat the same breakfasts and lunches anyway so I have them saved as 'meals' that I can just click on to add rather that having to add individual ingredients.

I'm calorie counting at the moment to try to lose lockdown pounds. I'm currently on 1500 a day, and trying to eat healthily most of the time rather than eating low-cal rubbishy foods.

It's so much easier than it used to be now that calorie values of everything are online! You used to have to buy a little book from the newsagents with all the calories of popular foods in

I don't have any cooking facilities (other than a micro) where I live, which bizarrely makes it a bit easier - no calculating any home cooked foods.