Thread: Why Calorie Counting?

Why did you choose calorie counting over using a slimming club? I am going backwards and forwards between Calorie Counting and Slimming World, but realise I need to stick to just one to lose weight and incorporate the habits into my life.

The reason I thought about a slimming club is that I need ideas for what to eat and how much to eat as I will pick on high cal snacks as I run out of ideas.

At least with SWorld, meals are planned and counted for you. I guess I am a bit lazy at the moment where food is concerned, I am hoping this will change when I lose a bit of weight and start to feel happier in myself.

i just want this process of losing weight to be easy for me to adjust into my life.

I've never attended slimming clubs & always gone for CC. There have been a few times when I have failed because I had no structure or sense of community support.

That is where MiniMins has really helped me. That & having a much more structured day. Working means I have to have breakfast and lunch at set times and then when I get home, I have dinner then a treat later on. Before when I was a student, I had the whole day to do with what I pleased & food temptations were all around me!

I'm not slating slimming clubs, but I feel that with CC, you can eat whatever you want within reason which works on the same principle as slimming clubs without having to pay a premium.

I was on Slimming World in 2007 and lost 2 stone so this obviously worked for me but it did wear off and i never stuck to it as theres nly so many green and red days you can take.

WW, well i stuck to this for a bout a month, what a hassle, really working out points and stuff. not for me.

Calorie counting youc an eat what you want as long as you stick to your calorie intake, SIMPLES! and look i have lost 2.5 stone, got to work! Even though it has sowed down but im todl this is expected! UNFORTUNATLY!

I find slimming clubs abit expensive, so i thought i'll give CC a go and if it works then great! If not then i'll have to fish out for the slimming clubs. During CC i saw i did lose a good amount, thats why i stuck to it. I thinks its the best as you can eat what you like aslong as you stick to your calorie intake.

Well, I think calorie counting is stripping things back to basics - it's the underlying principle that fuels all weight loss, I think, although the Atkinsers may disagree!

I chose calorie counting over slimming clubs/programmes because I like my independence and it keeps me free to do my own thing, make my own choices, and enjoy whatever food I like within my calorie budget. The thrifty housewife in me also turned up her nose at the idea of forking out hefty sums to line the pockets of the diet industry when it's the diet industry that arguably has a vested interest in keeping people yo-yo'ing and fat and miserable and coming back for more.

With cal counting you have a technique that, with practice, can become second nature and can guide you for the rest of your life. You no longer have to rigorously count, you just know the rough values in foods and it helps you get that handle on what's a reasonable, healthy portion size, and how you should be eating.

I do think you need to combine cal counting with more nutritional analysis of the actual foods you consume, for best results, though. Not all cals are created equal, after all, so if you're savvy about the benefits of fibre and protein, and clued up regarding the sugar pitfalls, you'll be more likely to put together a satisfying, healthy eating plan that you can stick with for the long term - and one that gives great results.

Good luck whichever route you choose!

Okay, I like the simplicity of calorie counting, I think I will give it a go for a month and see how I go. I have been loosely following it for 4 days and have lost 2lb.

So tomorrow I officially start CC. I have a pocket calorie book that is great, but where do you go to get calories from branded foods? Also do you log your calories in a book or online- using what?

Looking forward to this, finally shifting those pounds!

I was doing SW and I don't think the meals are planned and counted for you at all, you still make your own choices of foods to eat at every meal, except alot of foods are kind of 'out of bounds' if you ask me. Ok, so you can eat oven chips for example, you just have to syn them, but then you have to stick with 'free foods' for the rest of the day IYKWIM?
Counting cals allows you to eat anything you want as long as you stay in your calorie allowance.
If you know the SW diet, why don't you use their principles and fill up on low-cal high density foods and cut down the high-cal snacks a bit? Then you are CC but feeling full on little cals, it helps me stay on track anyways.
Make a list of all the foods you like to eat regulary, in a wee book/food diary, and then look before you eat it just to make sure you actually want to use X amount of cals on whatever it is, and if it's really worth it. Also, look out for lower cal substitutes of your fave foods, or just cut down on them. For example I love nescafe cappuccinos, but the skinny ones are rotten, so I use half a sachet of the regular one and add a wee bit of coffee and milk to it so I still get the flavour but half the cals and fat -genius
I also find now when cal counting I'm not as obsessed as when on SW as I was always thinking 'I can eat as much as I want!' Or constantly having to plan meals and have lots of 'free foods' in the house, I was never out of tescos lol!
Now I eat whatever food I want just as long as I read the label and think 'is it worth it?'
Best wishes!! xx

I've found Calorie Counting good so far, simply because you actually learn about the foods you're eating. I can pretty much look at any food in a supermarket now, know what the good and bad points are and how it will fit in to my diet. As someone said, it's a basic diet principal and something you can carry on forever, not just when you're on a strict diet.

I am going to stick with CC and come here for inspiration and support. I can slowly see the weight coming off- thanks for all the replies!

Excellent news! Glad you're having results with CC. I like what Iris said about stripping things back to basis. I also find slimming worlds can be expensive at times, and think I'd only really go for further support. But any support you need can always be found on here

Ive done WW and SW and hate classes, wont go to them but manage to follow the diets fine on my own. If youre motivated enough to CC on your own you could do any diet on your own. Dont let the cost of classes put you off anything

I did slimming world a few years back and it didnt really fit my lifestyle, then did ww for a couple of years and it did work and suit me but i kind of got stuck in a rut, as you can with any diet,so for a change i went back to good old fashioned basic calorie counitng and for now it suits me fine.
The example i always use is chicken biriyani!! On ww it costs me 21 points, leaving me only 2 for the rest of the day. On my current calorie allowance it uses half on my daily allowance leaving me lots of choice for the rest of the day!!

Calorie counting is simply the most versitile. I have never tried SW and I actually gain weight on WW. Lipotrim helped me lose 4st in 9 weeks and a further 7 stone by low carbing, but I craved fruit which I couldn't have on low carbing so I regained 6 stone of the 11 stone I lost, not from the fruit but from wanting more and more stuff I had deprived myself of.

Nothing is forbidden with calorie counting, but obviously you want to keep within an allowance, or if you go over you can make up for it the next day.

It is likely to be the most sustainable method and because it is teaching you to tackle food demons, and learn about portion control, the weight once lost is more likely to stay off. The diet industry is huge and unless people who lose weight are able to completely retrain their eating habits, they are just likely to yo-yo diet. Calorie counting, together with using energy by walking or swimming when you are physically able to, is just about the best method. I would suggest though to see a GP or dietician if you can to get pointers as to what is considered a healthy eating plan for the calorie allowance you are going to have, as good nutrition is important. Take a good quality multivit and mineral tablet too.

Good luck and let us know how you are doing, and ask questions on here as everyone is friendly.