I don’t count calories

[outside]

I’m a firm believer of “one diet doesn’t fit all”. I see food as medicine: needs to be adjusted to each variable in a person.
That being said, I’m wondering if anyone agrees? If you do, how should I figure out how many calories I need?

 

[mdipon]

@outside There are calculators online to figure out how much you need depending on your goals. And it's incredibly difficult to know how much you're eating without counting calories. Even with measuring everything it can be tricky, so going by "intuition" is going to be way off for majority of people.

 

[dawn16]

@mdipon The trick is to be constantly monitoring your weight.

 

[bringmehome]

@mdipon Those calculators are going to be way off for many people since they are estimates, and we know that people's metabolisms vary a lot within the same height/weight. The only way to really know with any meaningful accuracy is to use a whole-body calorimeter, something only research institutions or incredibly wealthy people have access to.

I don't think it's bad for you to suggest them, as we all have to start somewhere, but I do think it's helpful to remember a caveat, as you did with the last part of your post.

In short, it's all tricky, and all of it includes trial and error and a bit of intuition. Those calorie estimates online just help you find a place to start.

 

[floz]

@outside If you have fitness goals, you should count.

Or you'll be the person who says

"i tried to gain (or lose) weight, but i just can't "

 

[dawn16]

@outside I don't either. Calorie counting is a lot of work and not suitable for everyone. If you have certain goals like you want to be sure you'll bulk or cut then it might be worthwhile. For myself I'm fine just to eat nutritious food and exercise.

 

[helenraiford1]

@outside When I tracked calories I did it in a mostly healthy way, I ate things I liked (candy, pizza, etc.) but in more limited quantities. After doing that I have a rough understanding of how much I can eat when bulking/cutting. There’s a lot of resources on calorie counting, you can use (body weight in lbs x 15) as a rule to find out maintenance calories, but that doesn’t really factor in exercise, so online calculators can prove to be better, as long as they aren’t telling you to eat under 1200 calorie or something around that area.

 

[zxczc]

@outside I don't either. I have a rough idea but there's no accuracy. I tried counting everything for my partner before I started working out as I cook at home and it was a drag. I appreciate there are many people that have amazing dedication to do this, but I'm not one of them!

 

[mothgirl]

@outside I was never really counting calories and my weight was remaining constant, I'm a pretty skinny person btw and I usually overeat, so it was normal to have a heartburn from overeating everyday after lunch.

I started counting calories 2 weeks ago to bulk up. Ironically, I feel like now I'm eating way less. We'll see how my weight changes.

 

[dawn16]

@outside I previously tracked calories & macros in cronomteter to get an understanding of how my typical diet stacked up. Now, I don’t count but eat mostly the same stuff every day, so I know I’m in the same range. I generally go by my weight now. I’m active every day, so when my weight is normal, cool, and I stick with mainly lean protein, but when I see it slipping too fast in a week, I load up on peanut butter.

 

[vellaswin]

@outside If you have the goal of gaining or losing 1 pound a week, keeping track of your calories is basically necessary.

If you don't have that goal, you don't need to keep track. You might as well just eat healthy food and get exercise.

 

[dawn16]

@outside I do. It's only an average, but if you are cutting it's good to know how many under you are eating.

 

[gianghomobile]

@outside Haven’t been, and now I’m getting a little bit of a fat belt around me lol

 

[bringmehome]

@outside I think there can be a good balance between tracking what you eat (just writing it down) and counting calories.

If you're wanting to ensure you're eating a healthy diet, you have to at least do the first one at some point--either ahead of time in meal planning, or as you go if you buy food out, etc.

But counting calories isn't for everyone, so if you don't find that helpful, perhaps just a casual food diary to ensure you're getting healthy food in roughly good quantities might be the answer?

 

[natty37]

@outside I don’t either. The greatest thing for me has been intermittent fasting but since I’m trying to gain muscle I am a bit skeptical if that is the way

 

[callmejoe]

@natty37 In the same boat. Been doing OMAD (dinner) for the past year and recently decided to start dedicating more focus on building muscle, albeit at a “slow and steady” rate instead of bulking. My diet is about 80% whole foods with some minimally processed items, like tofu. The main difference now is I have a protein target I aim for which has made a big difference. Still don’t count calories and probably never will, but at the same time I know what foods are super calorie dense (nuts, oils, etc) and eat them only in moderation. Best I’ve ever felt.

 

[returnofthelatterrain]

@outside You need enough food to feel good and look good regardless of the # of calories like you stated you don’t count so why start

 

[runningwithfire]

@outside It depends on the person. I have never been overweight and have always been healthy so I don't see the need to count my calories. That being said, I still pay attention to how many calories are in the things I buy to make sure it's going to be satisfying. But I rely more on portion control, I'm used to how full my plates need to be so they have enough food. Or I know that a small bowl of chips here and there is ok but not the whole bag lol.

 

[preacherskid1980]

@outside I have a fitness goal of losing body fat so i need to count calories. I first calculated my TDEE using this calculator and then ate 500 calories below that a day (bringing me around 1200) to lose 1lb a week. To track calories, I downloaded LoseIt and starting logging everything. Once i got more serious about it, i started weighing out my food on a scale and meal prepping on sundays. I also track my protein.

Other than being 90% vegan, i dont restrict myself at all. Ill eat dessert or pasta if it fits in my budget that day. And if i have a nice dinner with friends or family, i just aim to eat at my maintenance. Counting calories is the only thing that works for me because a lot of times my “intuition” of how much i should eat was wrong. Calorie counting is also a game changer when trying to build muscle/gain weight.

I don’t recommend calorie counting without supervision by a dietician if you have a history of ED. It can definitely get obsessive.

 

[huskmc]

@outside I had a few women in my past with EDs. Counting calories can be dangerous. Ironically veganism tends to attract some people with EDs. There are other ways to be mindful of your nutrition.