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.

Really interesting responses, honestly so fascinating hearing your experiences and thoughts on calorie counting!

Not all calories are equal in terms of the nutrition they provide and how full you feel after eating them but the total calories consumed will still impact weight loss or maintenance whether you count them or not.

Calorie counting IS the science though?

It works. All successful weight loss is due to a reduction in calories, whether it's advertised as such or not is irrelevant.

I use MyFitnessPal. I'm not paying for anything. I eat my own food. I am healthy. If I eat within my calorie allowance, I lose weight/maintain as I should. When I stop following it and eat like a hog, I get fatter. Its actually quite straightforward once you make peace with the fact that it's not a quick fix.

It’s about what you eat, not the calories (I could eat all my calories in carbs and still be hungry)

If you ate the correct amount of calories in carbs you would still lose weight, albeit you personally may experience hunger. It is about calories in - eat too many in any form and you will get fat. I eat carbs and I am slim because I don't overeat - but then, I am not scared of hunger between between meals, indeed I expect to feel hungry before I eat again. I don't get the obsession with avoiding hunger - it is a perfectly normal, healthy feeling to have before meals.

But the highly processed unhealthy foods are addictive too, so you get a double whammy effect - not only do you eat the whole pizza, you have some crisps afterwards whereas the single steak wouldn't have sent you diving into the snack cupboard.

All calories are not created equally for sure. And chances are you wouldn't manage to eat 3000 calories of roast chicken and vegetables. But if you did I think the end result would be the same, albeit you would probably have better skin than if you ate 3000 calories of pizza every day!

To be fair your OP was flawed too 😆😆

Generally speaking if calories in are greater than calories out you will gain weight. Very generally speaking.

The source of those calories will determine how many of them you can consume before tipping the balance. Eg a gram of fat has 9 calories, a gram of protein has 4, a gram of carbohydrate has 4. However protein causes satiety and fats are essential for many functions, so calorie counting alone may be counterproductive in someone who has disordered eating. If your diet consists of large volumes of high fat, high carb processed foods you’ll take in more calories overall.

Also there’s so many myths surrounding weight loss, such as starvation mode and your body hanging onto fat etc. Actually your metabolism is a fairly steady state and doesn’t adjust itself much at all.

Calorie counting works to some extent as it pushes you towards low calorie density. The way to lose weight is by filling yourself up on low-calorie foods with a lot of fibre/water like melon, strawberries, cucumber, tomatoes etc. Have you read the book ‘How not to diet’? It’s an interesting read especially if you’re interested in the science since it’s basically a huge meta-analysis.

I would be interested to read some of the research stating this as for me- and for most people I know who have successfully lost weight or who maintain a healthy weight- it is through calorie counting or eating lower calorie foods without calorie counting.

I agree that in order to stay full you need to be slightly aware of macros (or simply find foods that work for you and keep you full, which will generally have higher protein levels in).

I have only ever lost weight successfully through calorie counting and I am able to keep it off by roughly tracking my calories for 4-5 days of the week. Slimming world style wouldn’t work for me as I couldn’t do with the restrictions and I like to be able to have treats and booze.

So personally, I decided not to count calories and eat what I want to feel full from a healthy list of foods. I haven’t eaten any ultra processed food. I don’t stop eating due to will power, but because I feel full and satisfied.

I have lost nearly a stone in 1 month and I will continue eating this way for life as it’s so easy doesn’t require me to really think much about food. SW and WW (calorie counting) left me thinking about food all the time, which I now realise led me to a diet- overeating cycle. I wasn’t even over eating that much, just eating the wrong foods.

It’s quite a revelation not calorie counting for me (I appreciate that lots of you guys want to/ enjoy counting calories and we’re all different!)

[quote Ifyoubelieveyouwill]@OneofPansPeople yes that’s a good point! They do tend to have diarrhoea and are probably not digesting the calories

It’s interesting that most people on this thread still think calories in/calories out is key. I used to think this way too, but feel it’s a simplistic way of looking at weight loss/gain now.

Travelling to other countries which don’t have easy access to Western foods and seeing people eating portions of healthy food, they just don’t have the obesity problem we have. That seems key to me. Not whether we consume fat. But whether we consume processed foods and sugar, rather than calories[/quote]
I’m from a country lacking in western food, lots of people are fat because they eat too much ‘healthy’ food.

Calories in/out is basic physics.

It dies work, but the main objective is to get the person to wat healthy, so you get all your nutrients within you allowed calories. Actually, this is not easy at all. And the secret is portion control. I think that is what counting calories is for, to get people used to the normal portion size.
Obviously, your "allowed calories" are meant to be calcula0ted according to your metabolism, and forget about overdoing it and wating lettuce all day long, or your body will grab any ounce of food it can get and keep it!
To get to a good place, you need to gain muscle. So incorporate exercise within a healthy diet (with calorie deficiency, if you also want to lose weight). I think that is what WW does, isn't it?
I do calorie counting to get an idea of whether I have overdone it or not. I try to get all the nutrients I need within the number of calories, that for me is the tricky bit. Make sure you get enough protein and veg/ fruit without extra calories. I do use fresh products, full fat dairy ( minus milk which is semi), cook myself but watch portion size. I avoid all those protein shakes and fat free food, as I am not sure they are good for us indeed.

I agree that certain foods encourage over eating, and so make being overweight more likely.

But calorie counting absolutely works, it is just that eating less processed foods while you do it will likely make it easier. If I eat 1200 cals of chocolate a day, I will lose weight but still feel hungry. If I eat 1200 cals of protein, veg, etc I will lose weight and feel more satisfied.

Whichever diet you choose, it relies on calorie restriction to work, there’s no diet that can change the basic laws of physics.

Because people can work with short term goals and, if presented with an achievable short term option, will often take that over long term changes that mean they do not get to do the things they love as often as they would like. Which is, IMHO, the background to yo-yo dieting.

Saying to someone that they will get to and remain a healthy weight if they eat healthy foods in healthy portions and exercise a healthy amount - forever is stating the obvious, we all know this. However forever is a long time and facing a lifetime of not having that doughnut with morning coffee or not picking up a curry with sides to go with the Saturday binge is daunting.

So people make a plan, aim for a date, deny themselves on a short term basis because it is achievable and they don't have to face the prospect of altering or stopping the things they love forever.

The only way to lose weight and stay that way is to alter what you do permanently. If you don't you will yo-yo, so most people yo-yo. 🤷‍♀️

well calorie counting does work. And calorie counting doesn't necessarily lead to yo yo dieting. It would if you go on a diet, lose weight and then revert to eating too many calories/too much shit. It's that that leads to yo yo dieting.

I'm not lucky enough to be able to eat what I want, when I want. But I want to stay slim, so I always watch what I eat, and I weigh myself regularly. I would never eat a pizza because the calories, carbs, and general crap nutritional value isn't worth it for me. I would drink wine though.

Calorie counting does work. Even eating 4 mars bars a day and being within you calorie allowance would work. But most people want a balanced, healthy diet too.

OP, do what is best for you. Eat as you are at the moment. If you were to count the calories, and take your metabolism/ activity levels into account, it will come to a deficient, that is for sure.
It is effortlessly working for you, so keep up to it!

It’s all about methylation, baby! Get some folate down you!

(For some)

People need to stop associating carbs with processed foods and thinking protein is the only way to be full. If you eat 2000 calories of brown rice you will be full all day because that’s over 1.3kg cooked rice!

@SimonJT yep totally get that, but the sporty cohort is probably not at risk of obesity and I imagine if you’re a sports person, you have quite a lot of self discipline.

It’s a fact that a lot of people don’t have such self discipline and obesity is a growing health crisis in this country, so I think we might need a different strategy to telling people to eat fewer calories- if they’re eating the wrong foods.

It does work. You need to burn more than you eat. Simple.

@Ifyoubelieveyouwill

So personally, I decided not to count calories and eat what I want to feel full from a healthy list of foods. I haven’t eaten any ultra processed food. I don’t stop eating due to will power, but because I feel full and satisfied.

I have lost nearly a stone in 1 month and I will continue eating this way for life as it’s so easy doesn’t require me to really think much about food. SW and WW (calorie counting) left me thinking about food all the time, which I now realise led me to a diet- overeating cycle. I wasn’t even over eating that much, just eating the wrong foods.

It’s quite a revelation not calorie counting for me (I appreciate that lots of you guys want to/ enjoy counting calories and we’re all different!)

It is great that you have found something that works for you. It doesnt appeal to me because I don't want to have to restrict myself to a list of foods. I eat what I want, but in moderation. Portion control is what works for me. As long as you are not eating more calories that you need and are eating plenty of fruit and vegetables then it is whatever works for you.

Calorie counting worked very well for me. I don't have a long term weight problem though, I gained a lot of weight during pregnancy and struggled to lose it for two years afterwards as I'd completely lost sight of normal eating for me. I calorie counted, lost the weight, now maintain it by calorie counting Mon-thurs and having friday-sunday without worrying about it

Virtually all forms of weight loss plan / diet / whatever they're being marketed work by calorie counting.

Calorie deficit works. It's not a trick. Even maintaining a certain weight involves calorie counting to a certain degree.

Sorry, but if it didn't work for you that's because you stopped doing it.

Counting calories does work when part of a healthy diet thus if I eat a balanced diet of 1600 calories per day I will loose weight. The reason most people do not loose weight counting calories of home cooked meals is that they underestimate the amount of calories they are consuming during meals or forgetting about drinks and snacks

@maxelly I completely agree with you. Well summarised.

[quote Ifyoubelieveyouwill]@OneofPansPeople I couldn’t eat 2 steaks, but I could eat a whole pizza. That’s my point[/quote]
But if you don't....and had half a pizza and a salad...ta daaaa, probable calorie deficit!