Why people can't lose even though they eat 'nothing'

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  • runner475
    runner475 Posts: 1,236 Member
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    Kruggeri wrote: »
    runner475 wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    strueblood wrote: »
    Alcohol is the anti weight loss drug. I have, in the past, ate very healthy and within my calories even counting the alcohol and it's next to impossible to loose weight. Not only that, if you catch a bit of a buzz you get hungry and choose what ever you want to eat without a care. Yea, trying to lose weight and cocktails doesn't work.

    This is not necessarily true. I have lost about 30 lbs and I have wine or beer (sometimes two) almost every single day. If you work it into your calories and track what you are eating and drinking there is nothing about drinking alcohol which would prohibit someone from losing weight.


    Drink Alcohol every Single Day and you can still continue to get rid of 30 lbs.
    You are lucky. I so wish my body reacted the same way.

    Calories In Calories Out.... really doesn't have that much to do with luck.

    Yes it does.
    You need to take into consideration pre-existing medical conditions too.

    Calories in Calories Out is great for someone with no medical conditions.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    runner475 wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    runner475 wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    strueblood wrote: »
    Alcohol is the anti weight loss drug. I have, in the past, ate very healthy and within my calories even counting the alcohol and it's next to impossible to loose weight. Not only that, if you catch a bit of a buzz you get hungry and choose what ever you want to eat without a care. Yea, trying to lose weight and cocktails doesn't work.

    This is not necessarily true. I have lost about 30 lbs and I have wine or beer (sometimes two) almost every single day. If you work it into your calories and track what you are eating and drinking there is nothing about drinking alcohol which would prohibit someone from losing weight.



    Drink Alcohol every Single Day and you can still continue to get rid of 30 lbs.
    You are lucky. I so wish my body reacted the same way.

    Calories In Calories Out.... really doesn't have that much to do with luck.

    Yes it does.
    You need to take into consideration pre-existing medical conditions too.

    Calories in Calories Out is great for someone with no medical conditions.

    Yes there are certain medical conditions which may make it necessary to avoid certain types of foods but it is also a generalization to say that CICO only works if there are no medical conditions...

  • liekewheeless
    liekewheeless Posts: 416 Member
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    I used to "not eat that much" while I kept gaining. My issue wasn't my everyday diet. I ate pretty decent, maybe a little too light. My problem was the binging on pastries and chocolate I did ones in a while (read twice a week). I would probably eat 2000 to 4000 calories worth of sweets in a sitting. Easy to do with sweets. That will derail most diets.
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
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    Kruggeri wrote: »
    runner475 wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    runner475 wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    strueblood wrote: »
    Alcohol is the anti weight loss drug. I have, in the past, ate very healthy and within my calories even counting the alcohol and it's next to impossible to loose weight. Not only that, if you catch a bit of a buzz you get hungry and choose what ever you want to eat without a care. Yea, trying to lose weight and cocktails doesn't work.

    This is not necessarily true. I have lost about 30 lbs and I have wine or beer (sometimes two) almost every single day. If you work it into your calories and track what you are eating and drinking there is nothing about drinking alcohol which would prohibit someone from losing weight.



    Drink Alcohol every Single Day and you can still continue to get rid of 30 lbs.
    You are lucky. I so wish my body reacted the same way.

    Calories In Calories Out.... really doesn't have that much to do with luck.

    Yes it does.
    You need to take into consideration pre-existing medical conditions too.

    Calories in Calories Out is great for someone with no medical conditions.

    Yes there are certain medical conditions which may make it necessary to avoid certain types of foods but it is also a generalization to say that CICO only works if there are no medical conditions...

    Re: alcohol, I notice that I bloat and hang onto the weight after beer and wine (I don't really drink liquor anymore). So the scale will be up by a couple of pounds for a few days. I've still lost while drinking occasionally.
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
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    irenehb wrote: »
    You only spent two days with her and not full days at that. She probably eats more when she is by herself and probably eats more than she lets on. I was an expert at hiding how much I actually ate.
    True but I think the OP was saying many people don't realise how many calories they consume via drinks. On an epsiode of secret eaters, a guy lost weight because he was still eating his usual food intake but switched to diet soda during the recorded week.

    I didn't switch to diet, but I did switch to tea with equal instead of soda when I ate out, and it's surprising how much that actually helped!
  • OneDimSim
    OneDimSim Posts: 188 Member
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    loving the post as it rings so true! I have one of the bariatric surgeries and it is so easy to "out eat" your surgery doing this very thing...snacking throughout the day on calorie dense foods and liquid (as i drink a short whole milk latte!! ;-)) - i also find drinking alcohol to be incompatible with weight loss and maintenance! I think many people have issues (more than those who do not) - i hate it, but it is the way it is.....
  • SteampunkSongbird
    SteampunkSongbird Posts: 826 Member
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    My weight gain was the result of too much regular soda, and massive portions of sweets (combined with major inactivity.) I would normally have one bar of chocolate a day, which doesn't sound like that much, but I got to the point where it was a 400g bar daily, all to myself! Easily 1000 cals for one snack! When I started changing my eating habits last year, I switched from normal Coke to Coke Zero, and I could hardly believe the calories I was saving. Before, I could easily drink 500-700 cals every day without even realising, while now I take in around 10 cals a day drinking the same volume.

    I have a few health issues, including hypothyroidism, and CICO has been working perfectly fine for me at a steady 1lb a week loss.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    runner475 wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    runner475 wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    strueblood wrote: »
    Alcohol is the anti weight loss drug. I have, in the past, ate very healthy and within my calories even counting the alcohol and it's next to impossible to loose weight. Not only that, if you catch a bit of a buzz you get hungry and choose what ever you want to eat without a care. Yea, trying to lose weight and cocktails doesn't work.

    This is not necessarily true. I have lost about 30 lbs and I have wine or beer (sometimes two) almost every single day. If you work it into your calories and track what you are eating and drinking there is nothing about drinking alcohol which would prohibit someone from losing weight.


    Drink Alcohol every Single Day and you can still continue to get rid of 30 lbs.
    You are lucky. I so wish my body reacted the same way.

    Calories In Calories Out.... really doesn't have that much to do with luck.

    Yes it does.
    You need to take into consideration pre-existing medical conditions too.

    Calories in Calories Out is great for someone with no medical conditions.

    Even if a medical condition alters how the body burns or absorbs calories, it is still calories in ... calories out.
  • tulips_and_tea
    tulips_and_tea Posts: 5,715 Member
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    Kruggeri wrote: »
    runner475 wrote: »
    Kruggeri wrote: »
    strueblood wrote: »
    Alcohol is the anti weight loss drug. I have, in the past, ate very healthy and within my calories even counting the alcohol and it's next to impossible to loose weight. Not only that, if you catch a bit of a buzz you get hungry and choose what ever you want to eat without a care. Yea, trying to lose weight and cocktails doesn't work.

    This is not necessarily true. I have lost about 30 lbs and I have wine or beer (sometimes two) almost every single day. If you work it into your calories and track what you are eating and drinking there is nothing about drinking alcohol which would prohibit someone from losing weight.


    Drink Alcohol every Single Day and you can still continue to get rid of 30 lbs.
    You are lucky. I so wish my body reacted the same way.

    Calories In Calories Out.... really doesn't have that much to do with luck.

    Exactly. I fit alcohol into my daily calorie allowance, but I think it works much better for people who don't over eat either while they are drinking or afterwards. Some people eat mindlessly. Personally, I get too full from the liquid, so I don't eat anything additional. I just keep track of what I drink and how much for calorie purposes.
  • chelsto
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    Eating out probably contributes to a lot of it and seems like her sugar intake might be a little too high.
  • flatlndr
    flatlndr Posts: 713 Member
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    Sounds familiar. My parents couldn't understand how my bowl of oatmeal was so huge, kept me full for hours, and theirs was so tiny, and they were hungry an hour later. We went through a comparison of the nutritional information. They were using sweetened instant oats. I was using plain oats, and cutting up fresh fruit. they were getting 1g of fiber, per serving; I get >10g in my serving. I was making it with milk (for the added protein), they were making it with water.
    So, I was probably getting double the volume, at the same calorie total, but added fiber and protein over their meal. They've since switched to plain oats plus fresh fruit, with a splash of milk.

    They thought they were eating "healthy", since they had oats. They learned how to do it better.

    We did that with a few other meals. I've mentioned MFP to them, but "that's too much work".

    But like the OP and others, as much as they say they eat "little", I noticed lots of empty calories throughout day day. I pointed a few out, but after a while, they lost interest. I was taking all the fun out of their food. Sigh, parents. ;)
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,741 Member
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    flatlndr wrote: »
    Sounds familiar. My parents couldn't understand how my bowl of oatmeal was so huge, kept me full for hours, and theirs was so tiny, and they were hungry an hour later. We went through a comparison of the nutritional information. They were using sweetened instant oats. I was using plain oats, and cutting up fresh fruit. they were getting 1g of fiber, per serving; I get >10g in my serving. I was making it with milk (for the added protein), they were making it with water.
    So, I was probably getting double the volume, at the same calorie total, but added fiber and protein over their meal. They've since switched to plain oats plus fresh fruit, with a splash of milk.

    They thought they were eating "healthy", since they had oats. They learned how to do it better.

    We did that with a few other meals. I've mentioned MFP to them, but "that's too much work".

    But like the OP and others, as much as they say they eat "little", I noticed lots of empty calories throughout day day. I pointed a few out, but after a while, they lost interest. I was taking all the fun out of their food. Sigh, parents. ;)

    Oh absolutely! I did something similar w/ my morning yogurt. For my first couple of years (pre-MFP when I was losing very very very slowly), I ate a Chobani, Muller, or Oikos fruit on the bottom Greek yogurt for breakfast. Not super bad IMO, but around 200 cal and 17g sugar, I believe it was. Now when I eat yogurt for breakfast, right at the same calorie count I have 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt with a lot of fruit (like 1/3 c blackberries, half a banana and some shredded coconut, 1/2 c of melon or nuked apples w/ cinnamon), 1/8 c oats mixed in overnight, and a sprinkling of ground flaxseed. Way bigger portion and much more satisfying, with less sugar and I feel like I'm going nuts on fruit instead of having a tiny blob of glorified jam substance at the bottom of my yogurt.
  • flatlndr
    flatlndr Posts: 713 Member
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    flatlndr wrote: »
    Sounds familiar. My parents couldn't understand how my bowl of oatmeal was so huge, kept me full for hours, and theirs was so tiny, and they were hungry an hour later. We went through a comparison of the nutritional information. They were using sweetened instant oats. I was using plain oats, and cutting up fresh fruit. they were getting 1g of fiber, per serving; I get >10g in my serving. I was making it with milk (for the added protein), they were making it with water.
    So, I was probably getting double the volume, at the same calorie total, but added fiber and protein over their meal. They've since switched to plain oats plus fresh fruit, with a splash of milk.

    They thought they were eating "healthy", since they had oats. They learned how to do it better.

    We did that with a few other meals. I've mentioned MFP to them, but "that's too much work".

    But like the OP and others, as much as they say they eat "little", I noticed lots of empty calories throughout day day. I pointed a few out, but after a while, they lost interest. I was taking all the fun out of their food. Sigh, parents. ;)

    Oh absolutely! I did something similar w/ my morning yogurt. For my first couple of years (pre-MFP when I was losing very very very slowly), I ate a Chobani, Muller, or Oikos fruit on the bottom Greek yogurt for breakfast. Not super bad IMO, but around 200 cal and 17g sugar, I believe it was. Now when I eat yogurt for breakfast, right at the same calorie count I have 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt with a lot of fruit (like 1/3 c blackberries, half a banana and some shredded coconut, 1/2 c of melon or nuked apples w/ cinnamon), 1/8 c oats mixed in overnight, and a sprinkling of ground flaxseed. Way bigger portion and much more satisfying, with less sugar and I feel like I'm going nuts on fruit instead of having a tiny blob of glorified jam substance at the bottom of my yogurt.

    Same here. Plain Greek yogurt plus fresh fruit and a bit of flaxseed ... for the win!