Comments on: 3 Key Criteria for a Successful Diet Plan

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 23:44:31 +0000

Thanks Freda – Glad you are enjoying the blog.

By: Freda Tan

Freda Tan — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 15:32:50 +0000

This is great post,I’m surely bookmark this page and keep reading every post you made, thx!

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 20:05:56 +0000

Vtumilson – That’s exactly the point I was trying to make in this article. I think counting calories is a useful exercise in the beginning as it allows you to truly understand what and how much you are eating. However, any diet plan which relies on constant calorie counting is likely to lead to you becoming discouraged. It’s simply not practical to count the calories in everything you eat for the rest of your life. Once you have counted the calories in your meals for a few weeks you should have (to quote your phrase) ‘reprogrammed’ yourself and be able to understand the general level of calories in all the foods you eat. Thanks for stopping by.

By: vtumilson

vtumilson — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 02:09:04 +0000

I have to agree, that when you are making a ‘change’ to your eating plan, the best way to do that is to count and measure. It really opens your eyes on what you eat as well as how much. But once you have ‘reprogrammed’ your image of a true serving, the counting calories and measuring is more of an eyeball measurement and the counting becomes a natural ticker.

By: Tuscanystone

Tuscanystone — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:24:20 +0000

Like I said, it was something that worked for me, after many years of NOT counting and NOT being successful! I fought a long time at not counting because I thought I was very good at guessing and I really didnt want to get bogged down wiht the whole diet thing! It was only till someone ( fellow blogger in fact) convinced me to try that I saw the difference. It actually keeps you motivated and aware of your goals. You dont have to see it as a negative task. But, as you say, you are entitled to your opinion and different things work for different people.

I hope you dont mind me disagreeing

All the best

Tusc

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 19:59:01 +0000

Hey Tusc. With a topic as complex as weight loss there is never going to be one simple solution. For some people counting calories may be a very good way to help them lose weight. In fact I agree it is probably a necessary process for people who are just starting to learn about weight loss and need to develop an understanding of the calories in foods. However, I just don’t think many people could last on a weight loss program where they have to meticulously count all the calories they are consuming. Once you have gained this understanding of the calories in foods I don’t think you need to carry on counting. There’s two sides to every argument but this is my own opinion on the matter.

By: Tuscanystone

Tuscanystone — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 02:39:44 +0000

hey Tom, I have to disagree on the calorie counting too. For me, it has been the ONLY way to CONSISTENTLY lose weight. Before logging my calorie intake I was only guessing. And guessing isn’t accurate enough for someone like me. I’m petite……ok, I’m very short! So my calorie intake needs to be pretty low in comparison to most. And the calorie in/out thing is an EXACT science. ie you have to be eating less than 500 cals than you need per day in order to lose 1lb per week, so you really have to be exact about it! 150 calories over, like a handful of grapes and almonds (very healthy but too many calories for snacking during weight loss) can mean the difference between losing a pound or not! Sometimes its the difference between having butternut squash with yr chicken dinner or just sticking to the steamed green veg! Calorie counting makes you constantly aware of your food choices which, like I say, you usually just guess at. My advice to anyone that thinks they are eating healthily and NOT losing weight, is to check their calories! You will be surprised at just how many calories an apple or dozen nuts can add up to!

On a positive note, I certainly wouldnt be restricting calories per meal. If you have to eat something adhoc then you just count it in somewhere. Also, its actually not such a bind when you register with someone like fitday.com as your food history is there and you can just click around. Takes 5 minutes per day just to check your calories and portions.

Losing weight is a serious business. I played with it for a long time. And wondered why I didnt lose much weight! Now I HAVE to watch my calorie intake and calorie expenditure, on the treadmill etc.

But hey, this is MY problem, being petite with an average appetite and all………others may not have to be so strict!

ATB

Tusc

By: Tom

Tom — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:40:02 +0000

Yeah I agree onlineweightlossexpert.com. That’s the point I was trying to make. Whilst it is probably neccessary in the beginning to get an understanding of where you are eating too many calories I don’t think it should be a major part of any diet plan. I think yes, in the beginning you need that understanding. However, counting calories for every meal is virtually impossible.

By: onlineweightlossexpert.com

onlineweightlossexpert.com — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 19:34:34 +0000

Great article Tom. I agree with Asithi to some extent, knowing how much calories you eat per day helps know how to go about your weight does but that does not mean one should go through some tedious eating habits all in the name of calorie counting

By: Tom

Tom — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 22:16:38 +0000

I agree with you Asithi. Calorie counting is a valuable way for beginners to learn how many calories they are consuming. My point is that a diet plan which is so rigid that it says you must eat 200 calories for this meal, then 300 calories for this meal and 400 for this meal will quickly become frustrating because it is so impractical.

For example, I probably get through 1000-1200 calories whilst at work. I usually bring in the food I will be eating at work from home. However, sometimes I forget to take my packed lunch from the fridge on the way out and have to instead improvise by popping into the supermarket near my work. If I was counting the calories for every meal at work, then everytime I forgot my lunch it would be extremely frustrating to find some substitute meals with the exact same calories.

Using your finance example, counting calories is good to find the ‘calorie leak’ and identify where all those extra calories are coming in at the beginning. However, once you have found and addressed the leak you start to develop an understanding of the general amount of calories in foods and the general amounts you should be eating with each meal. Once you get to this stage counting calories is no longer necessary.

My opinion is that any diet plan which enforces strict calorie counting throughout will not be successful in the long term. Apart from what I have said above, placing too much emphasis on counting calories also means that no distinction is made between healthy calories and unhealthy calories. Whilst I am not completely against calorie counting I don’t think it should be used constantly throughout a diet plan.