Is Counting Calories Necessary?

[fitnessk]

Do you find it necessary to count calories. I know it can be frustrating to always be counting calories. I find that if I am eating the right foods and in good quantities that I do not need to worry so much about counting each calorie. It seems to come out at a good count at the end of the day.

[magickat]

I don't think it is necessary if you eat a balanced diet and do regular exercise, but I did find it an extremely effective way to lose weight when required.

[shaun]

Agree with you. I don't count calories, life is too short to count calories. I simply focus on eating nutrient dense food with lots of protein and good quality fats. Many of the foods I eat are rich in calories, so I don't need to worry about insufficient calorie intake.

[Popatar]

I agree with these guys to an extent. I recommend you count your calories for the first 2-4 weeks. After that you will remember the calories and macros in almost everything you eat. Within the past few years I have never recorded my calories, I do it all in my head believe it or not.

[kingusama92]

I think you should have a rough estimate of how much you are eating.

It's fine if you are a few under or a few over, I mean unless you are in a profession where it matters, it's fine to be off by a bit.

People who take it too seriously end up getting tired out in a few days. Counting until the very last calorie is absurd!

[Stitches]

Do it for 1-2 weeks. The point is to get an idea how much calories you are consuming so you have a rough idea of where you stand with each meal/day. After that just use the general estimation you got before to plan your meals.

Counting calories and nutrients every day is time consuming.

[Stefano13]

I use FitDay.com to track my calories. They have a huge database of foods, but I usually add my foods manually (based on their nutrition labels).it's helpful for some, but definitely not necessary. you can make gains or lose fat without doing so.

[kingusama92]

There are even some useful apps that allow you to count calories, if you wish to do so.

I have seen people that count calories have great results and people who don't count calories have great results.

If you can make that general estimate, you should be fine.

[btatro]

I do think it is necessary. You can estimate, but I have found after actually keeping track, that you can be WAY OFF! Make is easy for yourself. I downloaded spark people on my iPhone and can easily search for what I am eating and with one touch it tracks it for me. I was eating between 500 and 1000 more calories that I actually thought I was.

[Driven]

It depends on your goals and how important they are to you. If it's vital to you that you need to lose or gain a certain amount of weight in a certain amount of time, then counting calories will make it that much easier. If you have a basic idea of what you're caloric intake and output is, then counting the exact number of calories might not be necessary.