I cannot get over the fact that you're 4 months pregnant here lol I'm so glad you're taking the opportunity to document the rest of your pregnancy journey and how to maintain health throughout!
I've been calorie counting (using myfitnesspal) since C started - got to my goal weight in those 2 years and now I'm maintaining. I am terrified of putting weight back on and don't really want to stop tracking - it works for me (I'm NOT an intuitive eater, I override fullness cues and just love big portions). I wish there was a way to track calories without tracking calories lol.
SAME!!! My portions are always too big bc I’m just always hungry and love eating but that made me gain weight bc I wasn’t working out as much as when I was younger but kept eating the same.
This is a very important video for those who may be struggling with restriction! I am an Ontario psychotherapist who specializes in working with individuals with disordered eating, body image and self esteem issues. Unfortunately restrictive eating and counting calories has become very common place these days, and the side effects can be quite harmful to our mental health. If you are looking for support and want to make a change, this is your sign! (You probably wouldn't have clicked on this video, if you weren't already thinking about it!!)
great video abby! i really love this series, after suffering from an ED partially caused by calorie counting, it’s great to learn how to stay healthy without doing so :)
💛🙏 this was a big motivation behind why I wanted to do it. Not every strategy will be healthy for every body. More than one way to do this fitness thing!
This is random but I have been so insecure about my nose and it’s side profile for years. I realized we have the same nose and yet I think you are drop dead gorgeous. Really helping my confidence girl.
I’ve really found calorie tracking to be helpful for understanding the nutrition to calorie ratio on certain foods and for portion sizes. I can eat things without tracking every little thing for the exact quantity now because I know roughly where I’m at. Now I know what foods will help me feel full without having empty calories that don’t actually provide nutritional value.
Really love these videos for those of us who have tried calorie counting and not been able to keep it up. I'm not super numbers-oriented, and I don't eat a lot of prepackaged food, so it felt like a personal shortcoming when I didn't have the energy or attention to look up the numbers, portion it out, and calculate everything. I like the idea of the hand portion control because it feels like I'm already using my body to think about my food, and that feels like the right first step.
Perfect timing on this video because 2 weeks ago I ditched calorie counting, restricting, and obsessing over food - putting myself in food prison. I have had many ED's in the past and a poor relationship with food and not enjoying life because of that extra 5 lbs. I couldn't get off no matter how low my calorie limit went. I am now much happier mentally, and will use the extra energy from food to help build muscle. Some will be fat, as my metabolism is so screwed up that just a few extra calories makes me put weight on, but I want to learn to live, enjoy life, and be free from the stress and anxiety of counting, weighing, and measuring.
Loved this, really looking forward to seeing more videos like these, it’s super refreshing to see a fitness influencer talk so realistically about food while still backing everything scientifically. Do you have any tips for being in a calorie deficit for fat loss, without having to track calories? Is this possible?
Wow. The timing. Thank you soo much for making this video and being so informing and helpful! I was literally just beginning my macro-counting-less journey a few days ago and here we are! Will definitely be utilizing your tips. Thanks again, Abby! I’ve been watching your videos since the beginning of my health and workout journey three years ago 💪🏼 Loving the growth journey I’ve gone on and seeing how amazing you’ve been doing too and where you’ve arrived to at this point 🙌🏼 You go, girl!
Also, I will add that for me, carbs are not my friend (at least not to my stomach) and so I’ve replaced fat as my energy source and consume more fats than I do carbs, with protein as my most important “target” to hit each day. I’m curious if you have any insight to that from the research and findings you’ve done
I think one tip that is also useful is doing one untracked day per week, trying to remain pretty consistent that day of course, not using it as an excuse to underest or vice versa. Instead use it as a day to reconnect with hunger cues. Then after a few weeks, go to two days, and so forth until eventually you’re tracking once every two weeks or month...
I think right off the bat, you almost need to track food and calories. At least for a while. This gives you a better understanding of roughly how much and of what macros you need to get whatever your result is, and learn about how your body responds, portion sizes, etc. There is no way a beginner, or someone with a terrible diet can just wing it right out of the gate and expect any kind of a reliable and repeatable result. However, it does get kind of tiring sometimes, and give some people something to obsess over. Or a system to "game". Which is a whole different issue.
I was hoping to find this comment. Calorie counting and macro counting can be necessary depending on your goals, when you don't know what you're eating and you don't understand nutrition well. You can't be eating "intuitively" when your intuition says give me all those Doritos and Fritos.
I love how you break everything down! So much easier to understand. I’ve tried to get into calorie counting, but my every day life is just way too hectic to stay consistent. So this bit of info was absolutely brilliant. Thank you!
Just ordered myself AND my husband who has probably the worst gut/intestinal everything problems in the world!! P.s. I was born on lakeshore, then moved Hamilton for 10 years and then oakville untill I move to Alberta when I was in my early 20s !!! I love that I watch someone so smart and knowledgeable from my old stomping grounds !! Thanks for the good rep and product!!
This is so helpful for me as I'm breastfeeding and so reducing calories is NOT ON THE TABLE but I think this will help me avoid over eating which is what I'm looking for
Thanks for this Abby, I have never been happy in my own skin, but am hopefully I too can stop calorie/macro counting. I have struggled with ED and body dysmorphia for so so long so here's hoping.
This is awesome and just what I needed; thank you for this video! Two years ago I used calorie counting and intermittent fasting to lose the weight I needed to lose, and I still stand by those methods, but honestly I got burnt out. Haven't been able to stick with calorie counting since then. Currently experimenting with exactly what you're talking about - using what I've learned to keep portions from getting out of control, but figuring out how to get away from obsessing over calories. So excited for this video series. ❤️💪
Loved this video! In case you are still curious...Cherry Tomatoes are round similar to cherries, Grape Tomatoes are oval similar to grapes! IMO Cherry Tomatoes are smaller and sweeter, harder to find, and more expensive. Grape Tomatoes are generally easy to find, affordable, but more sour tasting. I live in Florida and we've actually had success growing our own, super dope, satisfying lil crop. I wonder if I was the only Nerd 🤓 who keyed into the tomato question? xo julz
Last year i decided to lose weight and once i started noticing progress i started tracking. It eventually ended up causing me to have disordered eating habits and being obsessed with losing fat. Although im still counting calories i have changed my habits and i feel healthy again. But i want to stop tracking calories all together. Thank you for this video it was very helpful!
Awesome video! Always enjoy your videos, very transparent, and knowledgeable. Looking amazing as always! 🔥🔥 🙌 Looking forward to your next entertaining, knowledgeable video!😎👍
In a way I am thankful for my impulsive decisions. One day I just woke up and decided I have had enough of calorie counting even though weeks before I thought I’d do it for the rest of my life. Then it started bothering me. The prep, the hours of searching before going out to eat, the anxiety and the measuring. I started thinking about quitting bit I was afraid I was too obsessed already. Then ai just quit. I put away the scale and never went back. Thinking about or seeing other measuring their portions by the gram makes me cringe so hard but also sad a little bit. Now, I am still catching myself trying to count in my head often, and sometimes it does bother me that I don’t know how much I am eating. I also gained a few KGs, but I wouldn’t trade any of this and go back to counting.
just went to a nutrionist yesterday and having to eat more frequently per her recommendation is really stressing me out but gonna take it day by day. very helpful vid!!!
My problem with food is that I eat my stress... I also don't feel like working out in those moments so that doesn't help. I've lost 30kg three years ago, and now I just find myself yoyoing, gaining 1-6kg over the course of a stressful week, and taking months to lose them. It used to seem so simple (not easy!), but now it looks like it's impossible again...
🙏💛 be kind to yourself. Fitness comes in ebbs and flows and every chapter has its challenges. Acknowledging that you’re struggling is a first step. Continue listening to your body and work to build awareness around what’s changed in your routine. What helped you lose 30kg three years ago? What’s changed from then to now? The same strategies may not work at this stage of your journey and that’s okay but be aware of what is vs isn’t working is key.
This is super helpful for a person like me who tends to take measurements too seriously. I have a really hard time just listening to my body and letting it direct me to what it needs. I have a tendency to let numbers take control so I've never wanted to count calories knowing it would likely consume me, but I'm also trying to gain weight. What suggestions do you have for someone who wants to increase calorie intake without tracking?
I counted calories back then.. but i will never do it again!! Its totally normal to eat 2500 kalorien on one day and 1500 the next... with caloriecounting that is not possible (except if you count on a weekly scale) I feel so much better now and even lost weight after stopping counting calories
I will never stop counting calories. I do not have any full button. I will eat and eat and eat if I don't mind my calories. I think it is different for everyone and what works. I like to be aware of what I'm eating and how many calories it is. That's okay. I really appreciate you have found what works for you.
This is super helpful!! I find that I tend to under eat when I count calories. Can you do a video giving grocery shopping tips? I definitely need healthier shopping habits 😭
@abby- how do you feel about Intuitive Eating? What you touch on in this video is kind of like Intuitive Eating but doesn’t really touch on the meditative aspects of the practice. Have you considered this approach or done any research on it? Thank you and I am obsessed with your channel! You’ve helped me so much!
thanks for this video. this is exactly what i've been working on lately. stopping counting after years of it. i'm over it and it's not good for my mental health and i know how to eat healthy but it's hard not to automatically start adding calories in my head and freaking out because i'm over by 100 for the day. sigh
Are you back to gym workouts or is it just a once in a while approach? (: would love to hear about your routines at the moment, as I seem to have lost mine haha
Love your videos!! I just started my weight loss journey. Goal is to lose 10 lbs and start to live a better overall healthy lifestyle. But counting calories is so stressful. I went to bed hungry last night bc I met my macro goals and it mentally gets to you that you can’t eat more even if your body is telling you you’re hungry ☹️ for the specific goal of weight loss do you need to count calories?
I recently discovered your channel and i have ro say that i really enjoy the way you talk about food and health, i'll definetly come by often. I could relate to your experiences and it made me feel understood and not alone with that. I've been really struggling with food in the past 2 years and i used to intermittent fast until i feel really hungry in the evening to avoid unecessary snacking during the day. I'm constantly tired and know that i have to eat more or change my mindset of beeing scared to gain weight but it's hard to eat more when my all the calorie calculators i've used online say that my maintenance is at around 1500 calories a day and i already eat 1400 a day now. I used to eat 1000 to 1200 a day and run 3-5 miles a day and do weight lifting too, I feel stuck and bad for struggling with food meanwhile others have worse and manage that. I'm sorry for this long text but can anyone give me advice? Thank you for your time :)
Firstly great infomative vid. Secondly, Nooooooo apples are carbs now? Thirdly, yes please to more food anxiety vids. Science beating inner voices is always appreciated :)
Can someone please clear this up for me: Do I HAVE to consume protein soon after a workout?? Sometimes I feel like I’m just eating for the sake of it because I feel I have to get my protein in, when in fact I’m not actually that hungry until an hour or so after workout🤷🏻♀️
Yup either eat a good amount of protein before your workout or after. If you didn’t eat before your workout just make sure your next meal is high in protein. This will just help muscle protein synthesis!
I'm 16, 1.62 and 56kg wanting to have 49kg, I have been tracking all of my calories and macros, and idk what to do if I should uninstall the app or not, cuz I'm so worried cuz I dont wanna gain weight, then I see my carbs are high and try to force protein.... Today I ate 63% carbs and 28% protein and I got worried... Did ate healthy tho, but I'm also scared like, what if theres pizza or chocolate.. Idk what to do plz help me
How do you go about ensuring you get enough protein each day? I’m very numbers based too and I’m obsessed with getting 160g of protein per day and when I’m not using MFP I get super anxious and worry I’m losing out on gains!!
Hello! I’ve been reverse dieting for a year now and I was eating 2,500 calories every day. But due to vacations and work trips I stopped tracking calories and I’m pretty sure I was under eating for approximately a month. I was planning to start my cut phase but because I was not eating as much calories as before this past month I’m not sure if the cut will work. Should I eat my 2500 calories again for a few weeks and then cut, or should I start the cutting phase right away? Thank you, I love your videos!!
This is coming from kindness. It sounds like you have suffered from an ED and I'm sorry for that. I think the responsible thing to do would be to remove a lot of you content that discusses your diet or eating habits. At the very least preface all videos with your unhealthy relationship with food. People look at your content and trust your opinion when in reality you have had an unhealthy relationship with food. A major part of my ED recover was choosing to avoid content like this. I think it is irresponsible to share information that does not come from a medical professional. (I've never written a youtube comment before but i feel so strongly about this)
WHY should we still listen to you when you change your mind/ information/ diet/ attitude EVERY 3-6 months??? it‘s a process for you, ok but you praise it every time as if you knew the truth this time and then 3 months later boum - it was silly and disordered
It has been a long time since Abby started talking about intuitive eating, having bigger portions (for her case), eating all 3 macros, so your comment does not make a lot of sense. Nobody needs to listen or reproduce anything from anyone (cool thing that you were actually listening to what she was saying just to bash on the comments), but she is a fitness professional and by sharing her research, own experience and new discoveries she can (and does) help many people that are not too full of themselves, such as yourself, and are genuinely interested in learning and gathering information.
Abby is not a robot nor does she ever say that anything is the end all to anything. She is more likely to say if that works for your, go for it, but this is what is working for me right now. She changes as her lifestyle changes, same as anyone else, and helps the rest of us adjust accordingly. Home workouts happened during COVID shutdown and showing how her mentality has shifted as her goals have changed is human. She literally said that her mindset has shifted from needing to track every calorie to wanting to be more fully engaged in her life.
