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.

[quote Ifyoubelieveyouwill]@Iggi999 I agree it’s diets which are predominantly about restricting calories if you look at many of the posts on here.[/quote]
There's calorie restriction and then there's calorie restriction.

I can see how people eating say 1200 a day eventually give up and binge. However if you're bmr is 1500 and you're eating 1500 you're giving your body what it needs. I can eat loads on 1500 a day and don't feel restricted or hard done by.

@Nietzschethehiker

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.

Doctors are only given a very small amount of time on obesity during their training which, when you consider the health problems that can be involved with it, is a disgrace. Calories in/Calories out seems very simple doesn’t it - and it is. The science of obesity is far more complicated than calorie counting. It works while we are being “good” but human nature being what it is means that it can only ever be a short term measure. Also, slimming clubs do work but many participants are repeat offenders who are looking to be as successful as they were the first time they tried the diet. They also work on the low fat principle which is a fallacy in itself. Processed low fat foods turn into sugars and empty carbohydrates. It is sugar that is the real villain of the piece not fat and it is far better and tastier to have a little butter, say, than low fat Flora. The timing of food is important too. I have been intermittent fasting since last November and have lost two to three stones. No calorie counting but less food will equate to the same thing. I don’t feel hungry either. There is one other reason why straightforward calorie counting is not the only way too. I have a couple of medical conditions that make weight loss harder; one of which means that l will never have a normal range BMI - another outdated thing - although I would be within that range if I did not have this condition.

@Violinist64 yes it’s an outrage I think how little attention weight gain receives in the NHS when it costs so much to treat the health conditions associated with obesity.

Unlike many on here, I don’t think weight gain in our society is totally the responsibility of individuals. Some people have not had a good start in life when it comes to diet and exercise. Some people don’t have enough money to eat healthy (it is definitely more expensive than eating lower quality UPF).

Sugar is indeed the villain of the piece and I believe the reason we have an obesity crisis: when you start looking for it, you realise it’s everywhere! I think we need to wake up to this as a society and stop demonising (good) fat, which gives health benefits whereas sugar is empty calories.

@Ifyoubelieveyouwill

I did WW a while ago so agree I might be out of date, but then we had to count points. Which is basically calories.

No it's not.

*The science shows that people who diet by counting calories end up putting on more weight long term.
*
Nope. People who severely restrict calories put it back on, but restricting calories is not the same as counting calories.

The problem sugar = evil messaging is you get people avoiding fruit because of the fructose which is clearly ridiculous but quite widespread in some PCOS Facebook groups I’ve been in, for example

@FrangipaniBlue actually you’re right... I don’t know if it’s calories because when I was on WW they wouldn’t tell us how they calculated the points - it was v secretive When I did it, admittedly a few years ago (6/7?) they didn’t really teach anything about healthy eating. A lot of people were existing on WW ready meals. SW started off good, but then started bringing out a lot of branded foods (available in Iceland - not sure if it’s changed now)

@PattyPan that’s not good. People should differentiate between fruit and added sugar. I eat loads of fruit. But I avoid fruit juice as i feel it contains too much fruit and doesn’t have the benefit of the fibre which a piece of fruit has. I couldn’t eat 4 apples but I could easily down a glass of apple juice containing 4 apples.

You are right that it is about healthy choices though.

A pizza may be 1200 calories but it is almost entirely fat with a bit of carbs. 1200 calories of say chicken and veg has far more protein so keeps you fuller for longer and therefore you're less likely to reach for snacks.

That's the trouble with pure calorie counting, people eat crap still but reach for the snacks when hungry and in reality don't correctly count the calories in all the snacks, or they use MFP which isn't always accurate so actually they are eating more calories than they are tracking - hence it doesn't work!

SW & WW have free foods, but they're not really free are they because they still have calories in them!

It does work, any weight loss method works when you apply it, but when the weight is lost people go back to eating what they did before and wonder why they gain weight.
My mother who has been slim all of her life despite being prone to being fat weighs herself every single morning and if she has put on weight deals with it immediately instead of dealing with it after putting on 3 stone.
Being slim for most of us is a lifelong ongoing effort requiring self deprivation and constantly eating less.

Also I had a gastric band as I am not disciplied like my mother and just go back to binge eating. I am unable to actually put on weight with the band and if I eat too much I'm sick. TBH I find the whole thing pretty miserable. I like eating.

@Ifyoubelieveyouwill totally agree, I avoid fruit juice due to the lack of fibre too. I think when there’s a health condition involved, people can get really dogmatic because they’re desperate. I had to leave some groups because people were eating like cheese wrapped in bacon in ‘cloud bread’ every day and avoiding almost all plant sources of food because they were terrified of the carbs and would get really upset if you suggested that they might benefit from fibre and vitamins, it was quite sad.

Well, what about calorie counting and only eating your "allowed" calories? Couldn't we all agree that will work?

Obviously counting up to 3,000 calories a day will not lead to weight loss, but for most of us 1600 will? And surely most people are not going to waste those 1600 calories on doughnuts. If that's all your getting for the day, you quickly learn to make it last by eating a lot of protein and veg.

I may be thick but I still don't understand how it wouldn't work, as long as you actually follow it!!

I calorie count (or monitor) as a means to maintain my weight, and have never been overweight in my life? I'm not saying that makes me healthy, there are certain nutrients I know I should prioritise more, but I'm not fat, and that itself brings health benefits.

Well, I am another one it worked for. Lost 100lbs through controlling my calories and kept it all off for 12 years...even through pregnancy and years of fertility treatment. It's simple, calories in - calories out and lots of moving/exercise.

@MadameOvary81 well done for losing all that weight and keeping it off for so many years- amazing!

@GalesThisMorning yep that’s exactly the problem- a lot of people can’t sustain it and eventually stop calorie counting. After a period of restricting your calories, when you eat more, your body starts to store the excess as fat in case of another starvation period. As a sort of insurance. The science around this effect is pretty solid. People who diet on/off end up increasing their set weight point. This is what has happened to me. I’d have been better off never calorie counting because I messed up my metabolism. Of course it would be better if I stuck to calorie counting my whole life, but that’s not sustainable for me.

@Shehasadiamondinthesky that sounds really tough thanks for sharing your story

I think it's 'dieting' rather than calorie counting that's the problem.

I count calories roughly, not logging everything and all that but I know vaguely how many I eat, and always have done. I've been between 9-10 stone my whole adult life (barring pregnancy). I eat literally anything I want though, just not loads of it.

That's very different to someone who has ten stone to lose. There are possibly years of behaviours involved which led to the person becoming so overweight as well as damage done to the metabolism and possibly other Heath problems. For this person I may not be as simple just just say 'well count calories and you'll lose weight'. Sure they probably will, if they stick to it, but there are a lot more factors at play in this example.

I think you're missing the point, OP. Don't get me wrong - I'm no fan of calorie counting, because it's boooooring, time-consuming and requires giving too much headspace to what you're eating. However, it's no more doomed to failure than most other diets or 'ways of eating'. Most diets would work if people could stick to them long-term, but they can't.

I've lost weight in the past by calorie counting, low carb and low fat. The weight went back on after all three. Everyone wants to think their latest method is the best, and that it's a 'lifestyle change' that they will be able to embrace long-term. Re-branding diets as lifestyle changes or ways of eating doesn't actually make them any easier to stick to! Low carb, low fat, low calorie etc etc - it all requires a level of willpower that most of us don't have.

I have some amazingly self disciplined friends who stay slim by weighing regularly and reining themselves in when they go 2 or 3lb above their ideal weight. How I wish I'd learned to do this years ago.

@Chicchicchicchiclana yep I know people like this too. Do you think it’s learned behaviour from their family?

The most successful way of eating is the one you can stick to and maintain a healthy weight at. That will be different for everyone.

I agree with @mistermagpie. I've never been obese, I don't have tons of weight to lose, my behaviours and emotions around food are pretty stable, and I have never dieted before. Counting calories has given me an awareness of portion size and an awareness of what I need to be careful of as I go into my 40s. I just can't eat whatever I like anymore. I need to find a way to limit it and this seems healthier and more sustainable than no sugar or no carbs.

I guess we all find different things that work for different people

If anyone is really interested in how calorie counting can work with flexible dieting Google Macros Inc. I've no connection but the team knows their stuff. Their FB group is free and you can download a guide too for no charge.