Why are people still counting calories when it doesn’t work

[Ifyoubelieveyouwill]

Just that really. I don’t understand why people are still counting calories when the science shows it doesn’t work and makes you gain more weight in the long term. As a 20 year yo-yo dieter I’m proof calorie counting leads to obesity over time.

Now the scientific evidence is conclusive that it’s the nutritional quality of food that matters for weight loss. Not the calories in/ calories out equation. I wonder why diets like WW and Noom are still so popular.

Have people just missed the memo? Not being goady, I’m just wondering whether people feel the short term weight loss is worth it.

@justanotherneighinparadise I think your post is spot on. My daily diet includes a mint magnum!

justanotherneighinparadise
I agree with you that it needs to be a sustainable change to better habits.

The yoyoing, restricting too much, putting it back on again aren't problems with CICO though. That's an issue of individuals not making sustainable choices.

If someone chooses to take CICO to mean eat nothing but 500 calories a day and then yoyo, then that isn't a problem with the broad principle of CICO. The problem is that instead of looking at their calories and making long-term sustainable changes, they've chosen to crash diet.

You're right that deprivation, yoyoing and crash dieting can lead to binging, but the responsibility of those behaviours lies with the person making those choices. It doesn't mean CICO isn't a sensible broad principle.

Too often people will attack CICO as a method rather than accept their own agency. It's a similarly defensive position that's seen for BMI. BMI isn't an exact science, for the extremes it doesn't work, but for most people the ranges are quite fair. Despite this there's always people saying "ooh yeah but BMI is rubbish, rugby players are technically obese on it" when everyone knows that the person with a BMI of 30 isn't a rugby player, doesn't exercise, and is quite clearly overweight.

But if the method is widely accepted as a national dietary guideline but only works for a small percentage of people long term, then it doesn’t bloody work!

Of course if you eat no calories all day every day you would lose weight and eventually die. No one is saying that calories have no impact. But they are one paragraph of a novel. They are not an arbitrary guide that works for all. There is a place for calorie consideration but the key is find a way of eating that naturally limits your appetite so you’re not white-knuckling every day. That’s the key to a long term woe of eating that will get you, and keep you, at a healthy weight.

@Ifyoubelieveyouwill

Yes agree, but it’s much easier to eat a whole pizza, then snack later than it is to eat 2 steaks.

Nutritious food is filling and it’s more difficult to overeat.

Low fat food is not filling and difficult to sustain long term.

Your preference for the feelings you get after eating a whole pizza compared to the ones after chucking a steak in a pan for four minutes before tipping it out onto a plate of salad and a handful of chips does not mean calorie counting is a failure for everybody.

Your personal preference for high carb and high fat, calorifically dense and nutritionally light processed foods means you struggle with not having as much of them as you want to have, especially as the mood altering properties of such food mean you're happier with something that slips down easy. As do many people.

But that doesn't mean it's OK to proclaim to anybody listening that they might as well not bother unless they're going to have a gastrectomy, they'll never do it, they'll never keep it off, it'll make them fatter. Because that reinforces feelings of helplessness in others that they would be wasting their time to even try.

@YourEyesCanBeSoCruel

I have been between 8-9 stone my whole adult life. I maintain this by calorie counting, exercising and weighing myself regularly. This might not work for other people but it works for me.

This^ I am a Healthy size 8 to 10 . I maintain my weight by calorie counting. I too Weigh myself monthly.

Yo-yoing and falling off the wagon are problems with literally all diets, not just CICO. If this weren't the case, everyone would be doing the magic diet that people can actually stick to, and we wouldn't have an obesity crisis.

I don't disbelieve the idea that the 'weight set point' might make it almost impossible for very seriously obese people to lose weight long term. But that doesn't necessarily mean that calorie counting is any worse for averagely overweight people than most other diets.

Calorie counting and logging, daily, is the only way I have finally lost over 5 stone and kept it off for some years. I fully agree that it's hardly an exact science. I have no time for the idea that one should weigh an apple, eat it and then weigh the core to find out precisely how many grams one has consumed to calculate the calories. For one thing, it is totally impossible to calculate calorie expenditure with total accuracy, so what is the point of calculating consumption to the nearest half calorie?

But over the years I have found what works for me, and calorie counting is absolutely part of that.

@lazylinguist

Yo-yoing and falling off the wagon are problems with literally all diets, not just CICO. If this weren't the case, everyone would be doing the magic diet that people can actually stick to, and we wouldn't have an obesity crisis.

I don't disbelieve the idea that the 'weight set point' might make it almost impossible for very seriously obese people to lose weight long term. But that doesn't necessarily mean that calorie counting is any worse for averagely overweight people than most other diets.

Lots of people are doing a magic diet that everyone can stick to. That’s literally the whole point of the OP.

Really?? What is it @justanotherneighinparadise?? And please don't day low carbing, intermittent fasting or anything else super restrictive and hard. What is the easy magic diet that anyone can stick too because no one has told me about it yet!!

Also don't tell me it's just giving up processed food. I eat very little processed food and am here to tell you that it is entirely possible to wind up overweight on home cooking, cashews and dried fruit!! Calorie counting has made it very clear why I wasnt losing weight despite mainly snacking on cashews, dates and bananas and having avocado on homemade sourdough most most mornings! If you are not in a habit of eating tons of junk "clean eating" is not always a magic bullet either, unfortunately

@GalesThisMorning

Really?? What is it *@justanotherneighinparadise*?? And please don't day low carbing, intermittent fasting or anything else super restrictive and hard. What is the easy magic diet that anyone can stick too because no one has told me about it yet!!

It's eating less calories than you expend. That's it. All the other stuff is psychological massage basically.

Calorie counting is a useful tool in weight loss but it is not the whole story. Different foods affect hunger levels very differently IME. I have lost weight on a low carb diet but plateaued and had to combine this with less calories.

Recently, over the past 3 years I have lost 4 stones through counting calories, running and walking plus resistance exercises. They have all had an affect. Running has toned me, helped fitness, stamina and energy levels and really burnt a serious amount of calories. Walking adds to a calories burn and is very relaxing. Resistance exercises have helped with strength, flexibility and muscle tone. I don't think about food all the time. I enjoy exercise. I like a gap between eating meals.

I track it all on FitBit. It is a pretty quick and easy process. Because my food was basically good nutritiously before and the portions were just too big for my previous energy expenditure it reducing portions and adding in more salads and green veg was pretty simple. Success is its own motivator. I felt better and looked better.

However I have to say, sorry op, counting calories is very helpful for weight loss.

Ah well. That's what I'm doing. I've lost 10 pounds in 3 months of calorie counting and my bmi is now 24. It's a slog but its working. It's not magic - it is entirely based on using my willpower to make sensible decisions, and where's the fun in that?? But it works. It's sustainable. I can still eat bread, ice cream, pizza etc etc just not often.

I'd still like the magic diet please if anyone knows it!!

Basically, it is possible just to eat too much for your needs. Over eat with too big a portion on your plate. Especially if you eat quickly. Who hasn't felt over stuffed after a meal out? Calories help train us to give ourselves a better sized portion for our needs especially if you've a good idea how much you burn.

The magic diet is one that naturally curbs your appetite. It’s amazing. It requires no calorie counting as you’re rarely hungry and so don’t overeat.

It's a slog but its working

So you won’t stick to it.

*i can still eat bread, ice cream, pizza etc etc just not often.’

Me too! Just low carb versions which taste just as good if not completely indistinguishable from the high carb alternatives.

Everyone is different!

I have done slimming world before and that's helped me think more about what I'm eating. For example I never realised how many calories and sugar there is in pasta sauces!

Anyway it gave me good habits which I have continued even when I've stopped following the plan

I have weight to lose (11pounds) but that's only because I had a baby a few months ago

@justanotherneighinparadise are you going to tell me what the magic diet that curbs your appetite is, or do I have to guess?? I'm guessing for you its low carb. I would HATE low carb and wouldn't stick to it. I like fruit, I like oats, I like sweet potatoes. I'm not giving that up for the pleasure of unlimited bacon. It's not for me.

As for your comment that I won't stick to this diet - I don't need to. I'm not overweight. I'd like to get back into certain clothes but if I don't, that's fine. What I will take away is an awareness of portion size, an awareness of easy it is to eat excess calories if I'm not careful, an awareness of just how calorie dense baked goods are, and the importance of weighing myself regularly. I don't need to be skinny. I'm healthy, that's fine.

Then you’ve found the WOE that works for you and I hope you achieve your goal 👌

I should have also added that I can eat oats, I can eat fruit and I can eat sweet potato 👍

So what is your diet?? I am curious!!

Low carb! I think people have this really skewed idea of what the WOE is and get their heads in a middle thinking of Atkins.

*muddle

Ah. It is low carb. I would hate that, but it seems like it's working well for you. I have a wood fired pizza oven and make pizza once a week, which fits in my diet. As does pasta and a whole host of other things I would hate to give up!! Low carb would be completely unsustainable for me.

I hope you too meet your goals.