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.

More calories in than out means weight gain
Less calories in then out means weight loss

You don't need to restrict what types of calories you have (i.e. carbs, processed foods, sugar, alcohol) in order to accomplish this as long as the maths adds up, you also don't need to enter ketosis though some find it works for them

Macronutrients and vitamins within your diet help your overall health and even your appetite but they do not directly effect your weight

The process of losing and gaining weight is very simple, very difficult for lots of people especially if you have an eating disorder or medical issues, but still simple

You just need to ensure your diet (as in not a temporary one) is sustainable and you stick to it

As a 20 year yo-yo dieter I’m proof calorie counting leads to obesity over time.

Are you though? As you don't have a control "you" to compare against, that's impossible to say. Without occasionally losing some weight through dieting, you might be twice or three times your current size. Comparing yourself to thin people who have never been on a diet is misleading, obviously they don't have your (and my) eating tendancies.

I’d find it much more restricting to only eat specific food groups or have a set list of foods that were ok. It doesn’t work for me to think about ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods and would think that requires quite a bit of willpower long term.

Calorie counting works well for me. It means I can satisfy cravings for any food type, which stops me getting fed up and binging on ‘bad’ foods after a few months.

But I guess it’s a very individual thing and depends on your mentality. Both are about calories though.

the scientific evidence is conclusive - that is just not true. The evidence does not say that one thing is true, it says there are some indications that some things are true in some circumstances for some people.

I have lost weight by calorie counting, and so far I have kept it off. When the scales go up a bit I go back to it, when my weight goes back down I ease off a bit. It works for me. The fact it doesn't work for you, doesn't mean it doesn't work for everyone. You are not the archetype of all human beings.

Calorie counting does work. The reason people pile the weight back on after they reach their goal is they stop calorie counting and go back to old habits. Of course, they're going to put on weight.

Any diet has to be a complete lifestyle choice based on your own body and needs. Apparently, women should eat around 2000 calories a day, but my maintenance calories work out at 1700, meaning to lose weight, I am on 1200 calories a day. When I get to my goal weight, I'll go up to 1700 to maintain but I won't go to 2000 that is suggested because I know I will gain at that weight.

Yo yo dieting isn’t good for health or weight, but that’s not because someone counted calories.

A healthy balanced diet should meet a person’s calorie needs. If a person is putting on weight, they are taking in an excess of calories.

If a person wants to loose weight, they can restrict their calorie intake by making smarter foods choices ( e.g more veg etc). In order not to yo yo, it’s important not to make too drastic a change, and to keep up patterns of healthy eating.

Why should we believe as post by a random poster on mumsnet of all places!??

You do you op….

There is a huge difference between calorie counting and yo-yo dieting. I have been religiously counting calories since late 2019 and have lost 5 stone so far. I am not on a low-calorie diet by any means. I count calories simply because I was eating way too much and paid no attention to my portion sizes.

I have approached this as a lifestyle change, and counting calories has simply meant that I now eat a 'normal' diet. I aim for 1700 calories a day so am in no way starving myself, and I have a very varied diet that includes all food groups and treats. I do not eat 'low-fat' food or highly processed 'diet' food, I just have three square meals a day.

I have lurked on the weight loss boards for a while and am horrified by how little people seem to be eating. It is not sustainable and just causes people to yo-yo for years.

I am not planning to reduce my calories any further as I continue to lose on the number of calories I eat, and I am happy in the knowledge that I can eat like this for the rest of my life as I can still eat out and enjoy myself. I just don't eat an entire cake in one sitting anymore.

As with anything, calorie counting works well as a tool for weight loss. For long-term results you need to focus on why you are overeating and work on fixing your relationship with food.

OP, have you looked properly at Noom before dismissing it as purely another calorie counting diet?

I started Noom a couple of weeks ago and it's really clear from the outset that it's not just about calorie counting. They seem to split it into two basic ideas:

1. choosing foods that you can eat more of for fewer calories and that are nutrient-rich and will leave you feeling fuller. It therefore encourages you to eat more veg/wholegrains and less saturated fat and white carbs (without using that terminology)
2. getting to understand the psychology behind why we overeat, comfort eat etc. and try to establish new thought processes/behaviours around food.

It also automatically ups your calorie guide for the day if you get more exercise

It seems pretty sound to me.

Counting calories worked for me. I gained a stone and a half after university just by eating badly, drinking too much and sliding into a sedentary lifestyle. A few years later, I lost it all over six months by counting calories; I used My Fitness Pal and cut down sensibly. I tried a bit of low carb at the same time, but it really aggravated by IBS. I found smaller but balanced portions and being strict about sugar worked well for me. I allowed myself one or two nice deserts every week, but no snacking on biscuits, sweets etc. I kept the weight off until I had an injury and the physio told me to eat more to gain more muscle to help my rehab. I then put on 3-4 of kgs, but I never went back to my peak weight, not even after having a baby. I don't calorie count now, and definitely didn't during pregnancy, but I have a rough idea of how much I should sensibly eat. And I'm still careful about sugar.

Just because it doesn't work for you, doesn't mean it won't work for anyone else.

What you are doing seems very similar to what I'm doing on WW op. I don't really understand your point, it seems...dismissive somehow?

I've lost a stone in a month on WW. I'm not usually a dieter but 2 babies in 2 years has seen the weight creep up and I've overindulged in reaction to severe restrictions with gestational diabetes. WW has a big list of free foods, as in, don't bother counting how much of it you eat. All the good, healthy stuff you need. The rest is of course calorie counting in a way, but the idea is to alter your habits. Plate up a ton of veg and add in some protein & reasonable carbs. Isn't that what you're doing? Noom seems similar, just relearning how to fill up without stupid calories.

I do eat an ice cream every day and am still losing easily. If I had to alter my habits so far the other way, then no I wouldn't sustain it. I have a day off every week, but have yet to go over my points or gain again, because I like the way I'm eating and can figure out the balance better now.

@justanotherneighinparadise Well that’s just not true. I eat more calories but less food now and yet have maintained my weight for over year.

Huh? I said calorie deficit (from food + exercise) is the only way to lose weight. I didn’t say anything about maintaining your weight.

The thing is, from what I can understand from your responses you are still talking about calorie counting, you just think it's easier to stay within your calorie goal by eating lots of protein and good fats.

You're not wrong in my experience, it is easier to stay under calories eating meat, fish, eggs and veg than eating bread, cakes, pastries and sweets.

But ultimately it's all calorie counting. You either stick to a calorie goal and are hungry a lot because you've blown half your allowance on a croissant with honey, or you stick to a calorie allowance and feel full because you had scrambled egg with a load of mushrooms, onions and peppers.

Ultimately you only lose weight if you eat less calories than you use, the difference is whether you're satiated but a bit bored of eggs and veg, or hungry but happy you ate cake

I agree with @JonahofArk . Often, the reason calorie controlled diets don’t always work is people want quick results and lower their calorie intake too far. This leads to hunger, binges and the yo-yo diet cycle. Worse, is that it leads to guilt that you can’t do it, that you’re greedy etc. Its nonsense, most people would be hungry on 1200 cals a day whether you’re eating pizza or steak. It can’t be sustained.

Slow and steady on as high an amount of cals as you can get away with plus some moving is the way forward. 80-90% of what you eat should be unprocessed with plenty of fibre and you can eat crap with the rest. It’s just not a fashionable diet as it can’t be branded or marketed.

I’ve banged the drum for all the fads, keto, SW, WW - which ever one got a couple of stone off at the time...none of them kept the weight off though except proper calorie counting.

[quote Ifyoubelieveyouwill]@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.[/quote]
This is the only thing you've said on this thread I can semi agree with.

Calorie counting does work.

But! To be successful in eating a healthy balanced diet you do need to have knowledge of which types of foods are nutritious and will keep you fuller for longer. The massive amounts of marketing of "low cal" options doesn't help in my opinion and the majority of those foods are a waste of calories.

Once armed with this knowledge, if you can't "stick to" a sensible calorie allowance daily, to me it shows more of a disorder around food consumption. OP if this is you, you should explore the causes of why you resort to this before making blanket statements like "calorie counting doesn't work".

I’m not being dismissive @LimpLettice and sorry I’d it came across that way. I know how hard it can be to change your eating habits. Admittedly my experience of WW was a while ago and it was not as you describe, there were a lot of members eating lower point WW products, ie ultra processed food- which I don’t think is healthy.

A lot of people start off too low (1,200 for example - way too low), which usually leads to binge eating later on in the day/week.

I sort of agree OP. I think the science is proving that you need a diverse diet to keep your gut healthy, which will help to keep your weight in check.

So when people diet and count calories, they often go for diet foods, like Muller yoghurts etc which have limited nutritional value, when they'd be far better off with some full fat live yoghurt with fresh fruit.

I lost 1.5 stone last year by eating healthily and not snacking. My calories were obviously fewer than I needed but I never really felt hungry because I was well-nourished.

I calorie count, because it helps keep me grounded. I gradually gained a few stone over 5 years of eating a bit too much and moving too little. I now count calories roughly, so that I can ensure I don’t eat too much and maintain a slight deficit to allow weight loss. This, combined with moving more, is helping me to slowly drop the weight again. I think it helps ensure a manageable, consistent, maintainable approach to maintaining a healthy weight. I can’t think of any better way to fix my situation and maintain it, other than being conscious of how many calories are in my meals.

I think it will be interesting to see how the evidence base evolves over the next few years. All calories are not equal- sugar and non complex carbs cause a different reaction in your body to other foods and makes you gain more weight.

It’s great that calorie counting works for so many of you. But for lots of overweight/ obese people the process of calorie counting does not work and leads to long term weight gain. While they restrict calories, they lose weight. But they fall off the wagon.

It is true that my healthier diet means I could be eating fewer calories. But I have no idea - because I’m not counting calories! The very act of not counting calories and instead being guided by my appetite is why it feels so much easier than all the other diets I’ve been on.

To the poster that said I’ve only been doing this a month, you’re quite right. I don’t have any authority to talk about this. I’m simply mentioning the science which is why I started this approach. It seems so logical and easy to me, I just curious as to why lots of people still count calories- and now you’ve all told me. So now I know!

I do believe we need a change in our obesity strategy. It isn’t working is it?

I sort of agree but I do think you have oversimplified it. I think solely calorie counting doesn't work long term. It's also not science that the only possible weight loss is calorie based as someone above said. I'm keto and have been for 3 years. Lost 8 stone and have maintained for 2 years, not a hugely longtime but due to how improved my blood tests are I can't return really.

I eat far more calories most days than most of my peers but I think predominantly it's about what we eat. If you calorie control but use those calories on processed foods and rubbish it's just not going to work. If you use those calories on "clean" foods you are likely to have gebuine success but it will not have as many health benefits.

I do think you can't really make sweeping statements without caveats because everyone is very different. I dislike the old SW and WW systems that allowed free foods and loads of processed rubbish like fruit Corner yoghurt but I don't know enough about them now to comment. They could be a lot healthier.

I do think the calories in/ calories out concept on its own has long been debunked. I'm sort of surprised anyone still believes it as a stand alone idea.

@FleetwoodRaincoat yes! SW was all about the muller light yoghurts. Saving up syns for unhealthy, processed treats.

I’m a size 6-8 and have been almost my entire adult life. I stay that way by knowing roughly how many calories my body needs on a daily basis, and sticking to that on average through the week, so while I might have a treat one day (Starbucks caramel coffee frappucino anyone?!) I’ll naturally cut back the next. If I ate an excess of calories - whether from doughnuts or bananas - I’d start to gain weight. I eat carbs at pretty much every meal, I just stick to the recommended portions. I also allow for one or two daily treats, as I know ignoring my sweet tooth leads to binging.

People don't just eat because they're hungry. If you've got an unhealthy relationship with food or a poor understanding of how much food your body needs then you need the calorie trackers to act as a sanity check.

If you've over eaten or under eaten for a long time it's the only way to retrain yourself

I used to be in AA and there was an even mix of fat and skinny. Alcohol abuse can lead to malabsorption, diahorrea, vomiting, and under eating so yes it can mean being thin but that's to do with a load of other things not calories