How many people do just calories in/calories out?

innerhottie

I have South Beached (worked), counted Points (worked sometimes), and countless other programs...

Just curious, how many of you just count calories in and out?
Does it work for you?

clambert1273

I do and yes - it works every time. Just have to keep with it

allanakern

that's literally the only way.

trinatrina1984

Yes I do and yes it does, it is the only way - other fad diets just disguise it with fancy nonsense.

sagrew

That's mostly what I do, but also try and limit sugars and fats for overall health reasons.

_runnerbean_

Yes, I do. I eat what I want as long as it's within my calories. I try to keep a vague eye on my macros (percentage of protein etc) but if I want a chocolate I eat it and log it. That being said, I try to eat healthily most days as I feel hungry if I don't eat enough protein.

maryseb63

Has been working for me for a year. And intend counting till I can't count no more It works if you are consistent with it.

Phoenix_Down

No matter what program you do to lose weight, it is based on the principle of limiting your caloric intake. Calories are a unit of energy. If you create a deficit, whether you count or not, it will result in weight loss. I prefer counting because it is the most accurate way to pinpoint intake and make adjustments properly then trusting diet programs to do it for me. I've spent $0 on dieting other then a digital food scale and lost 53 lbs calorie counting.

clambert1273

_runnerbean_ wrote: »

Yes, I do. I eat what I want as long as it's within my calories. I try to keep a vague eye on my macros (percentage of protein etc) but if I want a chocolate I eat it and log it. That being said, I try to eat healthily most days as I feel hungry if I don't eat enough protein.

LOL of course I want chocolate now... :P guess I know what I am eating later lol

williams969

I do. Works. Always. Except when I "lie" to myself (i.e. not logging accurately, I'm a terrible "guesstimator"). But that doesn't mean calorie counting doesn't work--just means I'm not working it correctly.

Unknown

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potluck965

As far as I'm concerned, it's the only way to fly, but it demands total honesty and accountability.

_runnerbean_

clambert1273 wrote: »

_runnerbean_ wrote: »

Yes, I do. I eat what I want as long as it's within my calories. I try to keep a vague eye on my macros (percentage of protein etc) but if I want a chocolate I eat it and log it. That being said, I try to eat healthily most days as I feel hungry if I don't eat enough protein.

LOL of course I want chocolate now... :P guess I know what I am eating later lol

Did I say chocolate? I meant to say a salad;)

clambert1273

oh you can't try that now.. it's out there... no take backs... lol

Ninkyou

I count. Kinda the point of MFP's food diary and all that.

I've lost 58 lbs successfully and gained a healthy 25 lbs pregnancy weight by counting calories. And I'll continue counting calories so that I can keep being successful in whatever direction of the scale I go.

skylark94

I do. I too have tried and always failed at "diets". Now I keep it simple. I eat about 500 calories per day less than I burn. When I stay on task, log, and exercise, it works. I did manage to regain 15 pounds when I stopped logging for about a year, so I am back into the routine now and losing fat again. I burn about 2100 calories per day (I use a Fitbit) and consume around 1600.

AliluniqueLaura

I am on 1200 calories. I have premeasured cereal for breakfast. If I know I am having alfredo sauce for dinner I always choose my middle of the day food more carefully. Buy a food scale. I was very surprised that I was so off on measurements, I cheated myself out of a lot of cheese. Exercise will give you more calories. Remember, this isn't a depravation diet, this is teaching us to enjoy any food responsibly.

GiveMeCoffee

Over 120 lbs lost, went from a tight size 24 to comfy size 8 jeans... I would say it works, it's helped teach me portion size, moderation, and fitting in ice cream

Halbared

I make sure the macros are a certain ratio. So it's a combo of calories, 16/8 and macros for me. IIFYM etc.

lisamls

I thought that was the only way to lose weight. The calories you consume should be lower than the calories you expend. For health reasons, I do try to eat whole foods, but right now, I am focusing more on my calories in and out.

NoelFigart1

I do.

But to say that I ignore nutrition would be foolish. I try to fuel my body with the good stuff -- lots of veggies, tasty meat, fruits...

I'm just not fanatic about it.

ShondaBihari

I do and it works. Dieting is completely restricting yourself of things most (if not all, lol) food you enjoy and most are likely to fail. With In vs Out you can enjoy things in moderation.

sazdosanjh

I do, but my diet has evolved over 4/5 years to exclude junk and include fresh fruit and veg. Now I'm making green smoothies, it's fast becoming a habit and it's takes a chunk out of my calorie count. The thing that makes all this work is never feeling hungry and taking months/years to substitute one food for another, one at a time.

roseypdx

I began strictly counting back in August and lost 25 pounds. I thought I knew what I needed to do and stopped tracking in December - well a few pounds found there way back and I am sold - need to track. Within just 2 weeks of doing this I am back to where I was and am back on track to lose the last 20 pounds I need to lose...

kommodevaran

Not just calories in/out, but no diets with names either
Calories first though Portion control (*)
I aim to get enough protein and fat. Five-a-day (fruit and vegetables). Eat meals, no grazing anymore. Vegetables, fat and protein at every meal. Variety, whole foods, as fresh and unprocessed as possible (I like to process them myself lol). Built-in treats every day that I really prefer to the cheap junk I used to eat, but I will occasionally eat pizza, chocolate, ice cream etc with friends.

cwolfman13

Of course it works...a calorie is a unit of energy...weight control is all about energy balance...you consume more energy than is required, that energy has to go somewhere. That somewhere is your fat stores...your energy reserves. You consume less energy than is required your body has to make up the difference by dipping into those energy reserves (i.e. fat stores). When you consume a balance of energy you maintain. Yes...it's that simple.

The difficult part is figuring out what your actual needs are...and then of course theres the act of consistency and ultimately establishing healthful habits that you take with you for the rest of your life in order to maintain and sustain a healthy weight.

flatlndr

For weight loss, since January 2014, it's been 100%, "calories in, calories out" for me. As far as whether it has worked, see my before/current photos. Within my CI/CO bounds, I also balance my macro and micro nutrients for better health, on top of my weight loss goals.

innerhottie

Wow... thanks for all of the replies.
I am heading back to the gym (I had gallbladder surgery in late November), but prior to that, I was doing about an hour and a half to two hours of cardio a day.

clambert1273

innerhottie wrote: »

Wow... thanks for all of the replies.
I am heading back to the gym (I had gallbladder surgery in late November), but prior to that, I was doing about an hour and a half to two hours of cardio a day.

lol god that just sounds like punishment and torture to me lol but I despise cardio with every fiber of my being lol

cerad2

allanakern wrote: »

that's literally the only way.

The only way for what?

Tanya949

Calories in/out works every time, as long as you follow it. That means logging everything you eat. I eat whatever I want, although the more junky foods I eat the more hungry I am, so I eat more nutrient dense foods (protein, veggies etc) and I don't feel as hungry on the same amount of calories. You have to find what works for you food/nutrition wise, but in the end eating less than you burn will always result in weight loss.