Counting Calories

[dersaemann]

Hello my petites,

Just wondering if anyone had successfully lost weight by not counting calories and eating intuitively instead. I feel like counting my calories is starting to become very taxing to my mental health and I was starting to become very obsessed with every gram of food I’m putting on in my body. I heard that counting calories is something we petite women have to really be on top of just because it is harder for us to lose weight. For context, I lift 4-5x wk and do 10K steps a day and try to hit my protein of 0.8 g per bw.

 

[cosmicnotes]

@dersaemann I feel you. Counting calories can be a great tool, and I have absolutely used it during focused periods of weight gain/loss, but it's not necessary to reach your weight goals and I totally understand that the mental drain is often not worth it.

To lose weight without tracking calories, I'd recommend trying to focus on what to put INTO your diet, not what to take out. Don't think "how can I cut out ice cream and cheese" as that's a scary mindset that can make you think you're depriving yourself. Instead, think "how can I eat MORE fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts/seeds, greek yogurt, tuna, chicken breast, salmon, beans, potatoes, egg whites, tofu, etc." Prioritize whole foods that will keep you fuller longer and finding replacements for calorie dense foods and oils. For example, swap sugary candy for fresh fruits, chips for trail mix or low calorie popcorn, white bread for whole grain tortillas, apple juice for apples, etc.

Also, your approach doesn't have to be all or nothing. Take baby steps and try taking meals you already enjoy and incorporating some low calorie high protein food options into them. There are unlimited blogs, cookbooks, and creators who focus on fast, delicious, and low calorie meals that could be helpful.

Other than that, finding a healthy balance that allows you to still eat what you enjoy and have a healthy relationship with food is key. Small changes over time add up. Crash diets and extreme restricting are more harmful than helpful. Instead, mindful eating, eating slower, and focusing on getting lots of protein is great. Those are just some tips that worked for me. Best of luck!!

 

[mbuyanga]

@cosmicnotes Just wanted you know that your comment is really helpful for me and I’m grateful for you writing it today, I needed exactly that. Thank you !

 

[dersaemann]

@cosmicnotes Thank you so much for this!! Luckily, I have the whole food thing down because I actually do not like eating junks as much (I guess the older you get and the healthier you eat you start to not like the taste of junks as much). I just want to eliminate calorie counting completely because it was becoming a bit stressful for me and incorporate portion control/slow eating instead

 

[godsbugaboo]

@dersaemann I lost weight without counting calories but I made changes that lowered my intake (quit drinking alcohol, cut back on eating out, was more mindful of why I was eating-hunger vs boredom/emotional, etc).

 

[alwaysfaithful18]

@dersaemann I have done both! 27F, 4’11

In Sept ‘22 I started at 159lbs. I did not count calories or macros, just started eating more nutritious and low carb food at the end of the day post-workout. Once I entered the healthy weight range, around 125 lbs, I wanted to keep up the weight loss so I began counting calories. Now I am 108 lbs.

All that to say, yes you can lose weight without counting calories. Maybe you should give it a try since counting is a stressor for you. Just remember that loss may be slower this way (nothing wrong with that) and you may need to make some adjustments over time.

 

[dersaemann]

@alwaysfaithful18 Right, i think that’s a reality I have to accept that weight loss will be slower for me. I’ve actually been doing calorie counting for 3 months now with a scale and though it’s been helping me It was also starting to become stressful too. I’m just scared of when i decide to stop it im not going to be able to achieve the weight loss I want for myself

 

[abastzar]

@dersaemann That's totally realistic to drop it if it's stressful. Being too good at calorie counting can end up being a slippery slope into disordered thinking that messes with your relationship with food and creates worse problems down the line than just losing weight more slowly.

It's a good call to recognize it's a source of stress and I think you'll find most people who say there is a benefit to calorie tracking also take breaks from it.

 

[floof]

@dersaemann Yes - but only after I counted calories for about 6 months so I had a truer idea of how to eyeball appropriate portions and calorie content of my favorite foods, AND when I started doing a Keto-ish diet that focused on prioritizing protein and drastically reducing carbs

 

[waggles]

@dersaemann Counting cals really spirals me out! I find myself so lost in the sauce, I’ve taken a break from it. I know how to eat to maintain but I’ve never tried losing without tracking. I’m starting slow and probably will cut a few things like oil, reg PB, salad dressings ect see if that makes a difference.

 

[bandarbo]

@dersaemann If you check my profile, I have a huge rant about counting calories -- it was the bane of my existence for the week and making me eat weirdly!

Over a decade ago I hired a nutritionist to help me both lose weight and get control of my hypoglycemia. She had me log meals and weigh my protein for a week so I could get a hang of how much portion sizes were. After that week, I was free to just eat according to her tips, and I lost 15 pounds in 4 months (also did cardio). Now, a bit older, I lost 10 pounds last year doing absolutely no change in diet, but purely going from being bedridden to able to walk again. Since those weeks with the nutritionist over 10 years ago, I've been eating mostly intuitively, and maintaining up until disability put a dent in my exercising.

I'm currently trying bring my waistline down. After that nightmare week of counting macros and logging calories recently, I'm back to just intuitively eating (but I'm also not looking to lose weight, I'm recomposing so trying to turn all this into muscle, even if it means gaining weight.)

 

[dersaemann]

@bandarbo Good for you!! Im not sure about my activity level but I do walk 10-12K steps every week while lifting 4x/wk. I eat pretty healthy bc I can’t afford to do take outs all the time (im a broke college student) so i really focus on eating fulfilling whole foods that are cheap and will last me for a wk. I just wanted to really stop counting my calories and maybe try incorporating portion control instead

 

[bandarbo]

@dersaemann Your lifestyle sounds amazing! That’s really all you can ask for. And portion control is exactly what I used 10 years ago to drop weight that quickly. Since you were much younger than me it should be easier for you. I totally support doing what works for you and you sound very healthy!

 

[seawolf1957]

@dersaemann I have! For me it was no drinking more than twice a week, high protein diet, and exercise almost daily. Was dropping about 1-3lbs a week. Some of it was probably water weight but after I came back from winter break (I’m in college) I had gained like 15 lbs! It was crazy. That weight came off fairly quickly and the rest has been good as well.

Other times I’ve just focused on getting my steps in and only eating while I’m hungry, while making some lower calorie food swaps. This is in addition to a 90 min workout of weights and cardio/sometimes abs about 3x a week minimum. I’m obviously not working out the whole 90 minutes tho haha.

Rn I’m loosely counting cause I’m injured and can only do weights but eventually I’ll likely go back to not counting. I am someone that could fixates and gets obsessed with things, I know that for myself too much counting would lead to an ED

 

[seven2014]

@dersaemann I lost 25 lb (5'3") without counting after the first few weeks. It was too overwhelming for me too. I would just expect it to be slower than if you were counting (I was losing something like 2 lbs a month when I stopped counting, and I know some people expect 1-2 lbs a week). But yes, it's possible if you trust the process and keep your expectations under control. I'm actually having more trouble intuitively maintaining since I got so used to that slight deficit, but that's probably because I was losing steadily for over a year.

 

[dawn16]

@dersaemann I spent many years fairly fit and slender without weighing my food. I was also working out 6 days a week strength training, doing Pilates and Orangetheory and walking a lot. I didn’t even track my daily steps. I think if you are fairly active and eat mainly whole foods you don’t need to track. Tracking should be mainly for people who have very specific goals or people who do not have an understanding of portion control.

 

[hurrix]

@dersaemann i lost the first 20 without rigid counting but i had a lot of rules instead to help me intuitively eat rather than impulsively eat

some of my rules were:

• absolutely no snacking, either hungry enough for a meal or not, and if not, wait until you are and make an actual meal
• no walking and eating or standing and eating, had to sit down and enjoy the meal
• only allowed to eat if actually hungry; not just bc it’s dinner time
• must pee clear before making a meal (to make sure i’m actually hungry, not just thirsty)
• must drink a full glass of water during preparation of meal
• every meal had to be at least 50% vegetables minimum
• must wait at least an hour after meal before having a dessert; rather than impulsively inhaling dessert immediately after
• tried to hit 10k steps every day, which was impossible tbh, i averaged about 7k bc id miss days, but still came out to burning about 200 cals which helped
• i had also quit drinking due to mental health
• i had also stopped eating out due to finances

after that initial loss i wanted to count bc i knew my margin was smaller for error

overall i still stand by my rules and it did make dieting easier later on; but i have a lot more food freedom with counting, i feel more comfortable eating dessert this way, less mystery etc

i’ve lost another 20 by counting

 

[lydiar04]

@dersaemann I just want to say that if it’s hurting your mental health, it’s 100% not worth it. What’s the point of a “perfect” body if you’re miserable.

 

[billclt16]

@dersaemann I lost 60 pounds without tracking anything. Started tracking after a plateau and have since lost 15 more, but plan to stop counting now that I have an idea of how much to eat to maintain my deficit.

 

[mew]

@dersaemann I just go low carb and no sugar. It works for me..