Re: I'm really tired of counting calories
Originally Posted by
Linda0818
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As soon as I stop counting calories and keeping my food log on a consistent basis, I gain it back.
In truth I can't see how you could make use of calorie counting as a healthy approach to eating and to life in general. Consider this:
When you go to the petrol station you fill your car with petrol/diesel. You know when it's full. You then drive around and the car uses that fuel. You haven't the faintest idea how the car is using that fuel. The usage varies constantly according to hundreds of factors inc speed, gear, road incline, surface conditions, air temperature and so on. All you know is that there is a fuel gauge that tells you when it's empty.
So, if you are counting the calories going into your body, tell me please, how do you know how many of those calories are being used by your body and in what time period? How do you know how many calories your body needs and at what times of the day?
My guess would be you haven't the foggiest idea and you just follow some book or published "standard" for the total number of calories a woman should have per day. It's worth thinking that through imo. Every woman is different from the outset, then every woman is eating different things and every woman is undertaking different activities throughout the day.
Calorie counting is an utter nonsense imo. You can only measure half of the picture, the amount going in, you can't measure the other half which is the amount of calories being used.
It is quite possible that you are actually starving your body of fuel throughout the day by restricting calories and that imo is NOT a good thing to do. That's also likely why you put weight back on when you stop counting. That fact alone is evidence that your eating regime is out of balance with your body.
My advice for all it's worth is to stop thinking in terms of weight and think instead in terms of health. No-one cares what you weigh, no-one ever asks you how much you weigh. What matters is that you are healthy and to a lesser extent what you look like to other people (though that is primarily their problem not yours).
The most important thing imo is to carefully analyse the foods you are eating, study the labels carefully and reject any food that is laden with sugars (whether added of not).
Sugars are very likely to be THE main culprit in your weight gain.
Some products will naturally have high sugar content BUT it is crucial to check whether the FIBRE content is also high. If it is, then it's ok to eat the product.
For example, a tin or carton of basic chopped tomatoes will contain about 2-3 teaspoons of sugar in it but will also have some grams of fibre. So generally ok to eat but be aware of the sugar content.
Freshly squeezed apple juice or orange juice on the other hand is bad. It has lots of natural sugar but being a juice has virtually NO FIBRE which is in the fruit skins and pith which have been removed. So don't drink these juices, you're just taking in high sugar content with no fibre to make it metabolise slowly.
Natural yoghurt is another classic. Seems healthy but actually it's full of sugar content and has absolutely ZERO fibre so just don't do it imo.
In the end you should definitely NOT need to live life counting calories and/or going on diets or attending money grabbing slimming clubs. Just be ruthless with your food choices and expect to be ambushed at every corner with seemingly good products that are actually laden with sugars.
I tell you the truth. I don't particularly eat to any special regime. I eat only when I feel peckish and I eat decent foods. I eat tortilla chips by the bags when I want a snack (no sugar just maize, sunflower oil and salt). Sugar content is 0.5g per 100g, fibre is 5g per 100g and fat is obviously high at 21g per 100g. Nevertheless, it is the lack of sugar that makes it ok.
Whilst I was working I was 15stone 6lbs and maintained that weight no matter how or what I ate. Once I left work and stopped eating according to the incorrect regime of breakfast, lunch, dinner, I started to lose weight naturally with absolutely zero effort on my part. I just ate when I felt like eating and found myself thus eating about 5 times a day but smaller things, like some cereal or toast or a sandwich or tortilla chips etc. I don't have white refined sugar in the house at all and I avoid sugars in all products that I buy unless they have decent fibre content.
Despite this I still buy occasional cakes in coffee shops, or pastries and yet I still lose weight.
Today I am 13st 5lbs and I stress again I have not been on a single diet and have not counted a single calorie. I am simply super cautious of the millions of ways the manufacturers pile and hide sugars in just about every food. By keeping the sugars away, my body isn't being screwed and neither is my brain being given false pleasure triggers.
By not having sugars I don't get the hunger pangs that lead to snacking.
I am not in any sense a truly healthy eater. I rarely drink a glass of water, I always drink cups of tea at home and lattes when I am out. I don't drink wine or beer much, only when out or when it's hot summer. Finally note that I am pretty much sedentary. I don't exercise, play sports, go walking etc. I spend hours sitting. Even so, the weight has dropped off and done so permanently to the extent I just don't worry or care what I eat. If there happen to be cream cakes available one day I'll eat one without a second thought.
Your body is a remarkable machine and IT WILL balance itself if you take care not to allow it to be poisoned with sugars. It's 100% more important to focus on the sugars and fibre content of what you eat than counting the calories.
I bet I could go through your kitchen cupboards and fridge and pick out a bunch of products that are bad. That's what you need to do imo. No fizzy drinks, no sweeteners, nothing with high sugars but no fibre.
Anyways, best of luck and hope it comes good for you.