You Are Not Special. Calorie-Counting Works For You Too

[Dreamliner]

Now, there are reasons why people are convinced that they are exceptions to the rule and that calorie-counting doesn't work for them. Primarily, people generally VASTLY underestimate the calories they consume, upwards of 74% according to one study! I've worked with people who forget ENTIRE meals when they keep food journals. Secondarily, people tend to grossly overestimate the amount of calories they burn through activity. Take a 160 pound man and tell him to walk for an hour at a leisurely pace ... and he'll burn a whopping 183 calories, an amount easily undone with two additional bites per meal.

Based on my experience, people underestimate calories consumed for two reasons: (1) lack of awareness and (2) outright deception.

An example of the former would be the husband I interviewed last night. He was keen to provide a synopsis of his daily food intake and peppered his account with reassurances like, "When I eat out I'll have a hamburger ... but not with fries", and, "When I do salad bar, I don't add the high-calorie dressing." Sounded good until he confessed, "Oh, yeah. I do drink sodas and Gatorade throughout the day. It's hot as hell this summer!"

An example of the latter would be his wife. Her meals consist of poultry, fish, veggies and clear soups. She adamantly maintained that she is not a snacker. Yet, during the course of the interview twice she hopped up, went to the kitchen and brought back a bag of pecans which she proceeded to shell and eat by the handfuls.

Establish a calorie deficit and you WILL lose bodyfat. Establish an aggressive calorie deficit and you will lose bodyfat fairly rapidly. And these will occur irrespective of the amount of activity you get, although certainly it's beneficial to be active and to get in a little strength-training.

[Dreamliner]

Consider this a companion thread to "How Few Calories ...". To the question, how low do I have to go on calories to establish a true calorie deficit ? Answer: lower than you think.

And as an example here I go back to the husband I interviewed last night. Undoubtedly, cutting out the sodas and other sugary drinks he downs mindlessly will lop off hundreds of calories a day. But we still don't know if that will establish a true calorie deficit. For him, it might merely mean that he's cutting calories from, say, 3,000 to 2,400 a day, an amount still hundreds of calories higher than his BMR.

[your_perfect_enemy]

Accurately keeping a food diary was extremely eye opening for me and it adds up really quick. I have been drinking a glass of OJ when I make my sandwich before work and a glass of 1/2 Gatorade 1/2 water after runs and that's probably 10% of my daily calories I really didn't give much thought to. I didn't do the diary very long because I'm lazy about things like that, but I pretty much replicated the same meal every day during the week so it doesnt vary too much. I would highly reccomend doing one acurately for at least a week for anyone especially people trying to lose weight.

The woman whose cube is next to mine at work drinks at least 3 Dr. Peppers a day just while she's here and complains about all the weight she's put on. I've tried to explain to her how many calories are in them and she just refuses to accept it.

I can attest to the losing body fat with aggressive calorie deficit. My BMR came out to 2040ish so I just went with 2000 and am aiming for 1200 supplemented by alternating most days of weightlifting and running. I'm not doing great at staying under 1200, but by aiming so low I still get a pretty good calorie deficit even if I go over my target by 200-300.

I will also say I'm more muscular than I have ever been so I think losing muscle mass on a calorie deficit thing is greatly overblown.

[Dreamliner]

Good points, enemy. And under the category 'Outright Deception', it seems that people are determined to find an easy way of losing weight that doesn't require any discipline or circumspection on their part.

I always look forward to being able to say to my trainees, "I know you're going to be successful because you're not lying to yourself.'

I couldn't ask for a better ally than you. Yes, eating the same foods over and over again works because it is easier to quantify caloric intake. It's almost akin to taking a photograph of your meal plate and remembering what it's supposed to look like.

And yes, fear of muscle loss is exaggerated and may even provide a justification for not establishing the sort of calorie deficit necessary for significant and steady fat loss.

[finorman]

I don't post very often as I don't want to butt in on conversations, but I use this App on my iPhone called Lose it! and it really has helped me to keep track and realize how many empty calories we all sometimes consume. I hope this helps someone.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by finorman

I don't post very often as I don't want to butt in on conversations, but I use this App on my iPhone called Lose it! and it really has helped me to keep track and realize how many empty calories we all sometimes consume. I hope this helps someone.

Good tip. It's amazing how quickly it adds up.

And don't be shy! Look forward to future observations from you.

[Dreamliner]

And before we get too much farther. I'm not suggesting that not everyone actually has to count calories at all to lose weight as there are other ways to stringently regulate calorie-intake. I find the best candidates for the non-counting approach to be people like:

(1) Those who eat the same number of meals everyday and rarely if ever snack. For these people, reducing portion-size may be all that is needed, switching from larger to smaller plates, for example, and no seconds. Of course even this approach is subject to fine-tuning for reasons previously mentioned.

(2) Those who eat 5,6 or more meals a day. For these people, simply reducing the number of feedings WITHOUT compensating during remaining meals may be all that is necessary. I have one trainee who was eating 7,8 times a day. She cut back to 3,4 feedings a day, is eating mindfully, same meals over and over again, and is losing weight steadily.

[el_lagarto]

people need to get down with the fact that it is ok to be hungry, particularly considering how intense the food/emotions dynamic is. people think they eat b/c they are hungry, when in the world we live in, true hunger is nearly absent.

listen to your body and ignore your brain.

be hungry, it wont kill you.

[el_lagarto]

people need to get down with the fact that it is ok to be hungry, particularly considering how intense the food/emotions dynamic is. people think they eat b/c they are hungry, when in the world we live in, true hunger is nearly absent.

listen to your body and ignore your brain.

be hungry, it wont kill you.

[chrisleakfan4life]

I aim for 1200 calories and if i get it great, however i use a "calorie zone" which is 1200-1400 calories and nothing more than 1400 calories or i have to punish myself by cutting calories each and every day.


Counting calories is the #1 way to lose weight, you don't need to run a mile every day or turn into Arnold Schwarzenegger at the gym, sure it would help a little but as its been preached on here, you can't out exercise a bad diet.

[Dreamliner]

You guys are preaching to the choir. It's good to be hungry!

[gatorsfan530]

See, I'm kind on the fence on this one. For me, it's mostly dealing with portion sizes (and yes, calories are a factor there) and the types of food I consume. I don't keep a food log, but I do like paying attention to the nutrition facts.

A couple of other things: I do snack, and I don't have any issue admitting that. However, again, the I try to be smart of what those snacks actually are. Usually, it may be a piece of fruit or a fiber bar. Also, I do consider the timing of my meals/snacks.

There's no doubt the calorie reduction is the key, and I've done a better job of that this summer. Though, occasionally I have a bad day or two . I do like going for leisurely walks, as burning some calories are better than burning no calories, and it's still a work in progress.

Maybe it's me, but I just don't seem to fully embrace this mentality just yet. So far (and not trying to sound arrogant here), I've done fairly well with how I'm doing things as I've lost some weight over the last few months. Of course, this is a good discussion

[gatorsfan530]

Originally Posted by your_perfect_enemy

Accurately keeping a food diary was extremely eye opening for me and it adds up really quick. I have been drinking a glass of OJ when I make my sandwich before work and a glass of 1/2 Gatorade 1/2 water after runs and that's probably 10% of my daily calories I really didn't give much thought to. I didn't do the diary very long because I'm lazy about things like that, but I pretty much replicated the same meal every day during the week so it doesnt vary too much. I would highly reccomend doing one acurately for at least a week for anyone especially people trying to lose weight.

The woman whose cube is next to mine at work drinks at least 3 Dr. Peppers a day just while she's here and complains about all the weight she's put on. I've tried to explain to her how many calories are in them and she just refuses to accept it.

I can attest to the losing body fat with aggressive calorie deficit. My BMR came out to 2040ish so I just went with 2000 and am aiming for 1200 supplemented by alternating most days of weightlifting and running. I'm not doing great at staying under 1200, but by aiming so low I still get a pretty good calorie deficit even if I go over my target by 200-300.

I will also say I'm more muscular than I have ever been so I think losing muscle mass on a calorie deficit thing is greatly overblown.

I'm not going to lie, I do drink a fair amount of Gatorade, but a lot of water as well. Regarding the woman at work, I agree 100% about the Dr. Peppers. I've pretty much done away with soda (may have a small amount occasionally), but dang, 3 DP's is a lot!!

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by gatorsfan530

See, I'm kind on the fence on this one. For me, it's mostly dealing with portion sizes (and yes, calories are a factor there) and the types of food I consume. I don't keep a food log, but I do like paying attention to the nutrition facts.

A couple of other things: I do snack, and I don't have any issue admitting that. However, again, the I try to be smart of what those snacks actually are. Usually, it may be a piece of fruit or a fiber bar. Also, I do consider the timing of my meals/snacks.

There's no doubt the calorie reduction is the key, and I've done a better job of that this summer. Though, occasionally I have a bad day or two . I do like going for leisurely walks, as burning some calories are better than burning no calories, and it's still a work in progress.

Maybe it's me, but I just don't seem to fully embrace this mentality just yet. So far (and not trying to sound arrogant here), I've done fairly well with how I'm doing things as I've lost some weight over the last few months. Of course, this is a good discussion

Happy for your results. And don't get me wrong. I'm not encouraging some sort of compulsion or Spartan existence. If you're happy with where you are, more power to you.

I'm hammering at the 'calorie deniers' here.

[chrisleakfan4life]

I love my Soda, especially diet mountain dew and Vanilla coke zero.

I try to limit myself to 2-3 a day.

Sent from my iPhone using GatorCountry

[exiledgator]

Originally Posted by finorman

I don't post very often as I don't want to butt in on conversations, but I use this App on my iPhone called Lose it! and it really has helped me to keep track and realize how many empty calories we all sometimes consume. I hope this helps someone.

+1.

My wife and I both use My Fitness Pal. It's a free app available for Idevices and Android.

This is the most detailed calorie counting experiment I've even run. It's easy as your phone is always on you (at least mine is ).

My goal is to not miss a calorie for a month, then put it away. I figure that after a month, knowing portions should be a little more 'second nature'. So far it's been pretty eye opening.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by exiledgator

+1.

My wife and I both use My Fitness Pal. It's a free app available for Idevices and Android.

This is the most detailed calorie counting experiment I've even run. It's easy as your phone is always on you (at least mine is ).

My goal is to not miss a calorie for a month, then put it away. I figure that after a month, knowing portions should be a little more 'second nature'. So far it's been pretty eye opening.

Therein lies the beauty of METICULOUS calorie-counting. You get it dialed-in so you don't have to do it forever.

But just a word of friendly advice: if, six months from now, someone asks you, "Do you count calories ?" Your first inclination might be to answer, "No." But it would be better for them to know that you found it necessary to count them in the beginning ... so that you no longer have to.

[jdrgator]

Originally Posted by Dreamliner

Therein lies the beauty of METICULOUS calorie-counting. You get it dialed-in so you don't have to do it forever.

But just a word of friendly advice: if, six months from now, someone asks you, "Do you count calories ?" Your first inclination might be to answer, "No." But it would be better for them to know that you found it necessary to count them in the beginning ... so that you no longer have to.

There is an upside and a downside. Getting dialed in can really be beneficial since you get to know your body and food very well and gain some measure of control. But if you don't stay at least somewhat vigilant, it is just as easy to lose track of caloric intake, particularly from those hidden cals.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by jdrgator

There is an upside and a downside. Getting dialed in can really be beneficial since you get to know your body and food very well and gain some measure of control. But if you don't stay at least somewhat vigilant, it is just as easy to lose track of caloric intake, particularly from those hidden cals.

It could be losing vigilance. It could also be just lying to one's self.

[jdrgator]

Originally Posted by Dreamliner

It could be losing vigilance. It could also be just lying to one's self.

That too!