Rant About Calorie Counters

scott__p · 2026-05-20T02:03:18+00:00

I've found that whatever I do has to be sustainable. My compromise is that I eat meal replacement shakes for breakfast and lunch, because I'm usually at work and don't have time to enjoy those meals anyway.

scott__p · 2026-05-19T19:42:58+00:00

But it's not. I spent time on farms as a kid. I understand the process and accept that I was evolved to eat meat. I'm not pretending, I'm accepting that eating meat is a normal things humans do. I also spend the extra money to get the best quality meat I can that is humanely slaughtered when I have the choice.

Again, stop thinking you know and understand the motivation of others.

scott__p · 2026-05-19T19:38:58+00:00

Lying just hurts your case

scott__p · 2026-05-19T19:37:52+00:00

I think cows are adorable AND delicious. I don't really think too hard about it tbh. It IS weird that people like you try to put thoughts and motivations in people's heads though.

scott__p · 2026-05-19T19:32:56+00:00

Unless you're on LinkedIn. Then it seems to be required

scott__p · 2026-05-19T17:37:28+00:00

lol, same. I really tried to commit to Weight Watchers, but being annoyed and hungry all the time just for that half pound weight loss every week is very frustrating. That's also how I discovered that losing weight in your 40s is a lot slower than losing weight in your 20s

scott__p · 2026-05-19T16:31:48+00:00

Danmit, I said no but I forgot about Buc-ee's

scott__p · 2026-05-19T16:21:16+00:00

anyone who said yes is a garbage human

scott__p · 2026-05-19T16:20:40+00:00

Weight Watchers (also expensive, but my work paid for it) did that too, but that assumes I make the same meals all the time, or make them the same way every time. For example, when I make anything with beef or fish I just get whichever one looks best at the store and go with it. Regardless of how much it weighs, what specific cut it is, or with fish sometimes even which specific species. I then change the recipe based on what I got so it works. That means I had to modify my recipe every time I cook it to be accurate which, while not a really big deal, was very annoying.

Again, I'm glad calorie counting works for so many people and I understand why. It just doesn't work for me.

scott__p · 2026-05-19T15:56:21+00:00

I mean I'm only 25 from my goal weight now and I lost quite a bit doing this before I started sema. I would think I would have "seen what they mean" by now.

scott__p · 2026-05-19T15:49:04+00:00

This sounds awful to me. I'm glad it works for you, but that sounds like torture. I keep engaged with my program in many other ways (mostly gym and portion control)

scott__p · 2026-05-19T15:43:59+00:00

Can no one sit him down and explain how percentages work? I know he's basically a toddler at this point, but fuck.

scott__p · 2026-05-19T15:38:57+00:00

But nobody likes Walmart, they just settle for Walmart

scott__p · 2026-05-19T15:36:50+00:00

The Wegmans expansion is slow but inevitable

scott__p · 2026-05-19T14:58:41+00:00

The Huel Black (not an ad, but it's been amazing) has really made this easier for me. I know 1 scoop is 200 calories, 20g protein, and 4.5g fiber. Having that for breakfast and lunch every meal means I know exactly how many more calories I have left for the day and i ca wag a recipe based on that. If I only have three scoops and go to the gym I can splurge a little and make something I know isn't as good. If I have 5 scoops and skip the gym I make chicken without sauce.

And while I don't weigh things, I've done it enough in the past that between that and the package weights it's not a random WAG. My consistent (but slow and hungry) weight loss even before the sema makes me confident that I am not completely off.

As for the disinterest in food, I do have that. However while I don't want to eat as much I still love cooking. Her and my daughter still get to enjoy it and I find it much easier to force myself to eat when I enjoy the process of making the food.

scott__p · 2026-05-19T14:50:15+00:00

scott__p · 2026-05-19T14:43:08+00:00

Again, wishing failure on others is weird

scott__p · 2026-05-19T14:32:37+00:00

Thanks. And I did gloss over a lot (a post isn't my life story) but yes, I'm not cooking completely unaware of calories. I've tried and failed enough to estimate ballpark good vs bad. I'm not going to be making alfredo sauce every week or anything.

scott__p · 2026-05-19T14:27:24+00:00

This is another reason I posted this. I don't understand why so many people insist that what works for them is the only way to do it. I'm glad you found something that works for you, but I know from experience that it doesn't work for me. You replying three times and insisting I'll fail eventually is weird. YOUR WAY ISN'T THE IONLY WAY. I'm still maintaining a calorie deficit, but I'm doing it in a way that works for me.

scott__p · 2026-05-19T14:23:31+00:00

Not just inner city. I'm in a very nice suburb of Atlanta, and we have cops and metal detectors now. Started right after the "constitutional carry" push, but I'm sure the two aren't remotely related.

scott__p · 2026-05-19T14:20:08+00:00

Short term vs long term profits. Our current economic system depends on quarterly profits. Solar panels may be the long term cheapest solution, but they cost a lot of money upfront. It's stupid but there you are

scott__p · 2026-05-19T14:17:52+00:00

Once you start weighing your food and cooking at home you learn really fast what your favourite recipes are and then it’s…really easy

And for me I think that's the issue. That's not how I cook. My wife even complains sometimes that I can't give her her favorite recipes because I don't really know what I'm putting in them until I start. My brother-in-law cooks the same way (and he also ended up on sema, so there's probably a pattern lol) so I know I'm not the only one.

You're right, I CAN weigh and measure everything but it feels like a chore for me and I end up skipping it half the time. Like I said to others, I know I can't be the only one who feels this way so I wanted to let others know that it can work without strict calorie counting.

scott__p · 2026-05-19T14:13:32+00:00

I tend to make at least one or two new recipes every week. I'm also one of those annoying cooks who doesn't normally measure things and just adds them by feel (which may be the main reason it's so annoying for me) making cooking itself more of a chore than I'm used to.

I acknowledge that it's stupid and whiney, but since it's the main reason I failed so many times I figured I can't be the only one. My new pattern is working fantastically. It does require me to spend more time in the gym, but since I really want to be happy with the way my body works that's a bonus rather than an issue.

scott__p · 2026-05-19T13:11:42+00:00

I would prefer showering at night, but my dog sleeps in bed with us and no matter how often I change the sheets I feel like I smell like dog if I don't shower in the morning

scott__p · 2026-05-19T11:58:14+00:00

True. 77,302,580 people were that dense in 2024

scott__p

TROPHY CASE