Ok, here's something I'm really interested to know: Who counts the number of calories they eat / has a daily set calorie limit and do you find it to be a complete pain?! I'm basing my diet around an 1800 calorie per day allowance to keep my weight stable, but I just wonder if I really need to. I'm just a bit too anxious to try the eat-what-you-want way
If you do stick to a daily calorie limit, have you just got to a point where you know what that daily amount looks like or do you have religiously count every calorie? I'm really interested to know if anybody is a freak like me but finds it doesn't get in the way of everything. And how do you know how many calories is right for you?
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Counting calories is NOT necessarily the only way to maintain or lose weight. If you did that, you'd never touch nuts, seeds, avocados or omega 3 oils and yet all are great ways of getting your "good fats" needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Not all fats are your enemy, even if they are very calorific.
Eat protein with complex carbohydrates, avoid sugar and eat a wide variety of different coloured fruits and vegetables. And exercise. Easy when you say it quickly, eh?
As for how many calories is right for you. there are ways of measuring your Base Metabolic rate to determine how many calories you ACTUALLY need to tick over each day but better people than I can come along and explain that.
On the upside, I lost the (relatively modest) amount of weight I wanted to. Also, by actually checking the calorie values of foods I normally eat, I learned a surprising amount. Things I thought were relatively low in calories weren't, and vice versa.
On the downside, I nearly went nuts. I spent all day obsessing about food, and whether I could have an extra Jaffa cake if I got off the train a stop early. I can absolutely understand how eating disorders start, by using calorie counting as a means of control. But it's very boring and time consuming! So I deleted the app at the end of the experiment and went back to eating 'normally'.
I did learn some things, mostly about portion size, and that you can eat pretty much as many vegetables as you want, but in my view calorie counting is no way to live, long term.
I've used an online calculator to find out how much I need to eat, given my body weight, age, general activity level and specific running/cycling level. I'm only about 48 kg so now I'm running about 50 miles a week I still only need just under the "average" women's 2,000 calories per day. I don't calorie count, but I do look at calorie-to-protein ratios, particularly on prepared foods (as in: 500 calories and only 10 g of protein for what's supposed to be a main meal - forget it!). I make sure I've got healthy "nibbling foods" in (fruit, carrots, nuts etc.) and mostly don't have much in the way of biscuits, cakes etc. in the house except for stuff I'll eat out on the long runs (malt loaf, fig rolls and so on), and occasional treats.
Interestingly I've found that as my running has increased, I've got less of a sweet tooth and go more for savory stuff.
summerrain, I used http://www.stevenscreek.com/goodies/calories.shtml. This allows for number of hours per day spent asleep, practically inactive (e.g. sitting reading) etc. My job is fairly sedentary, so it allows for that. And yes, eat when you're hungry, not if you're not. But if you're thirsty you can feel hungry - so try a (nonalcoholic!) drink first. And if you suddenly crave a particular type of food, you may be deficient in something - like when I suddenly craved margarine and butter - I presume I was low on essential fatty acids or fat soluble vitamins or something - after a month or so it tapered off.
Well, if you're not putting on weight/your clothes are not getting too tight, then you're not eating too much! Every individual is different, that's why I said it gives me a ballpark figure. Trust the wasitband in your trousers - it will tell you if you're eating too much.