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

[LeafUF]

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.

This is true to an extent but you still should have a pretty good idea of where you are at. Even counting meticulously is still most often just a guess. Hopefully, a good guess but still just a guess.

Once you know what a portion of something looks like and how many cals are in that portion it should be easy to mentally track what you are eating. The real problem I imagine is not stopping the calorie counting but discontinuing making the choices of portion size and foods you made while counting.

[Dreamliner]

The lesser the food variety one requires, the less the need to count calories, as soon as serving size can be quantified.

The easiest scenario to manage by far is only 2-3 meals a day, same four or five meals over and over again. It's almost as if you've taken a photograph of your meal plate so that you know what it's supposed to look like every time.

[jdrgator]

Originally Posted by LeafUF

This is true to an extent but you still should have a pretty good idea of where you are at. Even counting meticulously is still most often just a guess. Hopefully, a good guess but still just a guess.

Once you know what a portion of something looks like and how many cals are in that portion it should be easy to mentally track what you are eating. The real problem I imagine is not stopping the calorie counting but discontinuing making the choices of portion size and foods you made while counting.

One of the problems I had on my way up the weight chart was that not only did I stop counting cals and working out but my portion sizes increased and mindless snacking occurred. This was particularly true with dinner. And though I blame myself for allowing it, my wife started feeding me bigger portions, particularly of pasta and rice, which we eat a great deal. I'm Italian, she's Japanese, so they are staples. We also eat out quite a bit given our schedules so that hurt badly too!

When I got back into it and decided to lose the 100 lbs I gained over the past decade, I did a number of things before even getting back into the gym. I cut my dinner portions in half (of the carbs at least) and upped my salad intake. And I cut out all soda (including diet) and other unnecessary junk food, and we limit how much we eat out and where. This helped me step right back into gaining control over what I am putting in my body.

So yes, knowing portion size is important and I am much more attentive to it now, and I feel better all around.

p.s. It seems with me though that during periods of my life where if I stopped training regularly, my eating went to hell and the bad habits creeped in.

[exiledgator]

Originally Posted by jdrgator

One of the problems I had on my way up the weight chart was that not only did I stop counting cals and working out but my portion sizes increased and mindless snacking occurred. This was particularly true with dinner. And though I blame myself for allowing it, my wife started feeding me bigger portions, particularly of pasta and rice, which we eat a great deal. I'm Italian, she's Japanese, so they are staples. We also eat out quite a bit given our schedules so that hurt badly too!

When I got back into it and decided to lose the 100 lbs I gained over the past decade, I did a number of things before even getting back into the gym. I cut my dinner portions in half (of the carbs at least) and upped my salad intake. And I cut out all soda (including diet) and other unnecessary junk food, and we limit how much we eat out and where. This helped me step right back into gaining control over what I am putting in my body.

So yes, knowing portion size is important and I am much more attentive to it now, and I feel better all around.

p.s. It seems with me though that during periods of my life where if I stopped training regularly, my eating went to hell and the bad habits creeped in.

This is a biggy. I don't mean to continue the tangent but turning this on it's head is always huge for me:

That is to say, whenever I want to get back into working out and (on topic here) eating less/eating better, it all starts with exercise. I'll procrastinate and procrastinate until I get myself to lift or jump on the bike for a long ride. There's a mindset of not wanting to waste my efforts and more importantly, there's a lingering soreness in my muscles that is constantly reminding me of my new (old) goals.

Until I do that, I just can't get it started at the dinner table, try as I might... It's another reason I like weight training as a means of weight loss.

[LeafUF]

Its a mental thing. Many people are more aware of what they are eating when they are exercising. And so for some it seems they dont want to waste the work they put in at the gym by over eating.

Of course there are also those who workout and justify eating too much in turn negating any good their workouts have done.

[jdrgator]

Originally Posted by exiledgator

This is a biggy. I don't mean to continue the tangent but turning this on it's head is always huge for me:

That is to say, whenever I want to get back into working out and (on topic here) eating less/eating better, it all starts with exercise. I'll procrastinate and procrastinate until I get myself to lift or jump on the bike for a long ride. There's a mindset of not wanting to waste my efforts and more importantly, there's a lingering soreness in my muscles that is constantly reminding me of my new (old) goals.

Until I do that, I just can't get it started at the dinner table, try as I might... It's another reason I like weight training as a means of weight loss.

Normally it does with me too, but this time it was different. I had belonged to a Golds gym in my town but always had trouble getting there and basically stopped going completely in February (at best I was going 2x a week....at best). In May, my wife bought me PX90. Tried that out but our house just wasn't conducive. But then over the summer, I realized that I really needed to get back down, particularly for my health but also, I felt like crap and quite frankly, I looked unprofessional (and I am up in front of a hundred students each semester). So I started to at least get my eating back under control first while I figured out what I'd do about exercise.

Then my neighbor told me about this club run by an MD that is about a half mile from my house (which I didn't know existed but passed it daily, nonetheless). So I went over for a tour, joined it, actually I joined a special/comprehensive weight loss program that includes both nutritional classes (two hrs a week) and weightlifting/cardio (3 hrs a week). And though many of my fellow trainees are very new to exercise (i.e. at least weight training), I like the structure of it. And on the days they don't meet, I just go in and do my own thing. So now I've got both going.

It's certainly the first time in quite a few years that I've been this motivated.

[StrangeGator]

One of the great things about calorie counting early on in a weight-loss/fitness program is that you discover a few super low-calorie foods that you find very satisfying. Later on, when you're no longer in a calorie counting mode, but still trying to be careful, you have something you can count on to keep you going between meals, or as low-calorie side-dishes. The other thing you learn is how to portion-control your guiltiest pleasures. Min is burritos. By breaking down all the ingredients by calories, I've learned that it's much better to put a ridiculous amount of stuff on one burrito than to have two.

I lost 30 pounds in the first six or seven months of my diet and fitness program. I was counting calories relentlessly when I started. I haven't counted them in almost a year and I've maintained my weight for most of that time, but have recently knocked off another five to seven pounds that seems to be staying off. After a while, you just know what to eat and how much.

[DrTobiasFunke]

The benefits of calorie counting are also mental. I have been using an iphone app to count my calories and monitor my nutrition for the last 13 months. Using the app has helped to discipline me to eat a small enough number of calories to lose weight and to do it with a much better balanced diet because I now pay attention to how much fiber, protein, fat, etc. that I eat every day. More importantly, keeping track of everything that I eat has also forced me to think about everything that I eat. I have lost a little over 200 lbs now, but I know that I am going to have to count calories like this for the rest of my life. When I don't, it is harder for me to consistently make good choices in what I eat.

[Dreamliner]

You've lost over 200 pounds ?

[DrTobiasFunke]

Yes, I was 535 lbs on 7/24/2010 and am now 330 lbs. Still a ways to go.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by DrTobiasFunke

Yes, I was 535 lbs on 7/24/2010 and am now 330 lbs. Still a ways to go.

That's INCREDIBLE! So, if I could press you for a little information, how did you get so heavy ? Take us through the process if you will. How did you gain the weight ? How did you lose the weight ?

[DrTobiasFunke]

I have always been heavy, even as a child, and have constantly used food as a reward. I put on a lot more weight in graduate school and during the early part of my career which were both high stress & low activity. It kind of becomes a reinforcing cycle, the more weight that I put on, the more unhappy it made me, so the more I ate. What people who aren't in my situation don't recognize is that it impacts every aspect of your life, even beyond your health. In looking at my at my peak weight, people judged everything about me just from my appearance. Not only was I fat, but it was tough to find decent clothing. Finally, I had enough last year. I have a good marriage, a good career, and a good life but my weight made it impossible to enjoy them and limited things like travel, career advancement, even clothing choices.

To lose the weight, I spent 99 cents on an iphone app to track calories and set 1750 calories as my daily limit. I went to my family doctor for a physical (who I now check in with every 6 months). Once I got under 500 lbs, I started exercising. I had to start small because I could not stand more than 5 or 10 minutes without my back hurting or breaking out into a sweat so I simply walked laps in my house. After that, I found a video called "Walk Away the Pounds" which was a bit more strenuous. Gradually, I added more and more exercise. I now do strength training 3 days a week with dumb bells and do a vigorous 3 mile walk every morning. No fancy diets, surgeries, or anything like that, just counting calories, exercising, and avoiding junk food. At this point, I may well be the fittest 330 lber on the planet. All of my blood tests are normal, my cholesterol is good, and I feel better than I have felt in years.

Along the way, there have been a few hiccups. To celebrate my improved health, I arranged a two-week trip to Europe with my wife. Just before our trip, I developed an abdominal hernia which required surgery and, after becoming infected, a second surgery. This forced us to cancel our trip and limited my ability to exercise for a decent chunk of time. Previously, that would have been enough to send me into the loving arms of a half gallon of ice cream, but I stuck with it and am back to full strength now and back to working out.

Sorry for the long message. I just want someone who might be out there who finds themselves in the same predicament to know that they can get a handle on things and improve their lives. There is nothing special about me, I'm just a guy, and I didn't do anything special to start losing some weight and be much happier.

[TheRaid]

For me, two things are necessary: a way to track what I eat (and therefore count calories), and good food options readily available. I do well when I log everything. I do well when I have a healthy option. I do poorly when I get lazy and don't track. Even though I know visually what food portions I need, it is too easy to go for "just a little bit more". If I had to log it, I would not get that "more" part. I do poorly when I really need to eat something and am "starving" but do not have prepared portioned items to eat. combine the two deficiencies, and I start to lose all my momentum and get in my own trap by putting off "restarting" the disciplined process, procrastinating on exercise, and prcrastinating eating right.

I lost 70 lbs a few years ago and need to turn it around or I am going to need to lose it again.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by DrTobiasFunke

I have always been heavy, even as a child, and have constantly used food as a reward. I put on a lot more weight in graduate school and during the early part of my career which were both high stress & low activity. It kind of becomes a reinforcing cycle, the more weight that I put on, the more unhappy it made me, so the more I ate. What people who aren't in my situation don't recognize is that it impacts every aspect of your life, even beyond your health. In looking at my at my peak weight, people judged everything about me just from my appearance. Not only was I fat, but it was tough to find decent clothing. Finally, I had enough last year. I have a good marriage, a good career, and a good life but my weight made it impossible to enjoy them and limited things like travel, career advancement, even clothing choices.

To lose the weight, I spent 99 cents on an iphone app to track calories and set 1750 calories as my daily limit. I went to my family doctor for a physical (who I now check in with every 6 months). Once I got under 500 lbs, I started exercising. I had to start small because I could not stand more than 5 or 10 minutes without my back hurting or breaking out into a sweat so I simply walked laps in my house. After that, I found a video called "Walk Away the Pounds" which was a bit more strenuous. Gradually, I added more and more exercise. I now do strength training 3 days a week with dumb bells and do a vigorous 3 mile walk every morning. No fancy diets, surgeries, or anything like that, just counting calories, exercising, and avoiding junk food. At this point, I may well be the fittest 330 lber on the planet. All of my blood tests are normal, my cholesterol is good, and I feel better than I have felt in years.

Along the way, there have been a few hiccups. To celebrate my improved health, I arranged a two-week trip to Europe with my wife. Just before our trip, I developed an abdominal hernia which required surgery and, after becoming infected, a second surgery. This forced us to cancel our trip and limited my ability to exercise for a decent chunk of time. Previously, that would have been enough to send me into the loving arms of a half gallon of ice cream, but I stuck with it and am back to full strength now and back to working out.

Sorry for the long message. I just want someone who might be out there who finds themselves in the same predicament to know that they can get a handle on things and improve their lives. There is nothing special about me, I'm just a guy, and I didn't do anything special to start losing some weight and be much happier.

No need to apologize. Let this count as an awe-inspiring testament to what determination, along with calorie-counting can achieve. And you've helped me in that your experience serves to conform my own suspicions that, as a trainee, I should be cautious with my extra-heavy trainees on the exercise side. Your experience squares with the experience of a couple of my trainees who are just too heavy to perform sophisticated movements and need to get some weight off and gradually increase their walking for the time being.

Your experience further bolsters my conviction that the single best thing a person can do to improve his/her health markers is to lose weight, regardless of food choices.


I am DELIGHTED for your success and very much hope that you'll become a permanent fixture around here.

[DrTobiasFunke]

Dreamliner, I think that you are exactly right. I have been reading the information that you have been posting on here for a good while and it has helped me. As near as I can tell, the key for me is control and planning. By monitoring my calories and following a plan, I lose weight. I also plan for periods when I have taken a break. I knew Christmastime would be tough while visiting family. As a result, I decided to take a break for the weak and eat whatever I want during that time. The key was, I could only do it during that week and could only do so while I was outside of Texas (where I live). Two funny things happened: (1) it was very easy to go back to my normal calorie tracking norm after the week because that was my plan and (2) just knowing that I could eat something that I normally would not allow myself to eat was normally sufficient for me. I wound up not really departing from my healthier ways during that week anyway just out of habit.

I also think that people need to make up their own minds to deal with a weigh problem. I don't think that anyone can be shamed or pressured into losing a large amount of weight. I had more people encourage me nicely, say pretty cruel things about my weight behind my back, or even say those things right in my presence. None of them made me decide to lose weight. My wife and I spent thousands of dollars on a trip to the Baltics a few years ago where I had a lot of trouble walking around during the trip. That did not make me decide to lose weight. I went to a party at a friend's house who had no a/c and quickly found myself dripping with sweat and unable to continue to stand up, while other people at the party were perfectly fine. Believe it or not, that was the moment when I had enough: Friday, July 23, 2010. I have no idea why that was it.

[DrTobiasFunke]

TheRaid - That is exactly my experience, too. Logging my food is vital to me. It has also helped me to think of each day as independent of the others. It doesn't matter if I ate too many calories yesterday, if I can just eat right today that will be a good thing. It does not take long to string together a lot of good 1 days.

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by DrTobiasFunke

Dreamliner, I think that you are exactly right. I have been reading the information that you have been posting on here for a good while and it has helped me. As near as I can tell, the key for me is control and planning. By monitoring my calories and following a plan, I lose weight. I also plan for periods when I have taken a break. I knew Christmastime would be tough while visiting family. As a result, I decided to take a break for the weak and eat whatever I want during that time. The key was, I could only do it during that week and could only do so while I was outside of Texas (where I live). Two funny things happened: (1) it was very easy to go back to my normal calorie tracking norm after the week because that was my plan and (2) just knowing that I could eat something that I normally would not allow myself to eat was normally sufficient for me. I wound up not really departing from my healthier ways during that week anyway just out of habit.

I also think that people need to make up their own minds to deal with a weigh problem. I don't think that anyone can be shamed or pressured into losing a large amount of weight. I had more people encourage me nicely, say pretty cruel things about my weight behind my back, or even say those things right in my presence. None of them made me decide to lose weight. My wife and I spent thousands of dollars on a trip to the Baltics a few years ago where I had a lot of trouble walking around during the trip. That did not make me decide to lose weight. I went to a party at a friend's house who had no a/c and quickly found myself dripping with sweat and unable to continue to stand up, while other people at the party were perfectly fine. Believe it or not, that was the moment when I had enough: Friday, July 23, 2010. I have no idea why that was it.

You're doing everything right ranging from the calorie-counting (believing it will work and doing it) to programming in the sort of flexibility which enables you to break the cycle of frustration and failure and maintain trajectory.

[chrisleakfan4life]

The one thing that frustrates me is water weight. You may go out, have a few beers with some friends and go 500 calories over your limit.

The next day the scale says you weigh 3 pounds more.

Sent from my iPhone using GatorCountry

[chrisleakfan4life]

Originally Posted by DrTobiasFunke

TheRaid - That is exactly my experience, too. Logging my food is vital to me. It has also helped me to think of each day as independent of the others. It doesn't matter if I ate too many calories yesterday, if I can just eat right today that will be a good thing. It does not take long to string together a lot of good 1 days.

Valid points, if you have an off day, dont get down and make up for it the next day.

I partied on Fri and Sat but it was fun and ive had a great month losing weight. To make up for it im eating only 500 calories today(and yesterday) and will slowly work my way up to my normal calorie count of 1200 a day.

I view calorie counts like money, i.e thats how much i have to "spend" on food every day.

Sent from my iPhone using GatorCountry

[Dreamliner]

Originally Posted by chrisleakfan4life

The one thing that frustrates me is water weight. You may go out, have a few beers with some friends and go 500 calories over your limit.

The next day the scale says you weigh 3 pounds more.

Sent from my iPhone using GatorCountry

I know I sound like a broken record, but that's one reason I don't recommend weighing every day. You're living proof that it generally just produces frustration.