Will I lose fat with this?

ddache

I have to be honest, I`ve tired calorie counting, Im no good at it.
I try to eat healthy as much as possible and 99% of all my meals are made from scratch. Still,right now, my diet is not where I want it to be. I eat too much of one thing, too little of other. Unfortunately I dont see this changing,in a few months maybe, but right now its impossible. I dont drink any kind of soda, in fact, I mostly drink water and coffee, maybe a cup of tea, all with out sugar. Most nights I dont eat after 8. I eat sweets here and there, occasional potato chips.

I am doing T25 and C25K (running) combo.
Doing T25 five days and running 3 days a week.
I want to lose around 20lbs. This is all fat. Stored in my belly, back (especially lower back), and a bit in my arms and legs.
I have 155lbs and want to get to 125.
I already finished one round of T25 (alpha, bet and gamma) and gained a lot of muscles and lost 6lbs (which I gained back over the holidays ).

Anyways, do you think I can lose the fat with this exercise combo, even if I make a lot of changes in my diet?
Thanks.

Laurend224

Weight loss comes from eating less than you burn. It's easier to moderate your calorie intake (for me anyway) than it is to exercise off a calorie surplus.
How are you going to know if you are in a calorie deficit, without counting your calories?

healthygreek

You will only lose the fat with a calorie deficit. No getting around it.
Put your mind to it and you WILL do it!

malibu927

Without calorie counting, probably not. Even eating "healthy" foods, you can still overeat and gain weight.

queenliz99

I used to be like you and exercise like a crazy woman but never could lose those last 20 pounds. I did this for almost 20 years. When I seriously started counting my intake(with a food scale) did I actually reach my goal. You can not out exercise a bad diet.

PeachyCarol

What the ladies above me said. You can't outrun your fork. Exercise might give you more calories to play with, but it's still possible that you're eating too much to see weight loss with it. Fat loss is all about eating less than you burn. You might not like calorie counting, but the only way to know that you're eating less than you're burning is to count calories. If you put your mind to it, you can do it!

wizzybeth

It's not that you can't or that calorie counting doesn't work for you...it's that you don't want to do it.
If you don't want to calorie count, join weight watchers. The Points system works and is pretty easy to follow but it's just a modified form of calorie counting.

At any rate you have to track your intake so you know how much you're eating.

It is more of a pain when you cook from scratch ...you have to total up the nutrition info for all the ingredients and divide by servings...you could hunt up recipes that have that figured out for you. The Internet is your friend! Lots of recipes display the nutrition info but you have to follow the recipe exactly..then if you use the same recipes frequently you will already have the info you need.

Don't cripple yourself with can't. It's easy...just a little time consumimg. It doesn't take talent. Just time, effort, and a sincere dedication to your health.

ncfitbit

MFP makes it SO easy to count calories and the more you do it the easier it gets. (I like to save my favorite food combos as meals so I don't have to search for them as long and then I just adjust the amounts). For me, it's well worth the 5-10 minutes/day it takes me to enter food and whether I'm at goal or above it, I know exactly what I need to tweak if things aren't going the way I want them to. Otherwise, you're just guessing and to me that's way more frustrating than counting calories. Good luck!

Of_Monsters_and_Meat

If you suck at counting calories, then how could you possibly know if you are eating to much?
Fix that part first, buy a food scale if that helps.

jazzine1

wizzybeth wrote: »

It's not that you can't or that calorie counting doesn't work for you...it's that you don't want to do it.
If you don't want to calorie count, join weight watchers. The Points system works and is pretty easy to follow but it's just a modified form of calorie counting.

At any rate you have to track your intake so you know how much you're eating.

It is more of a pain when you cook from scratch ...you have to total up the nutrition info for all the ingredients and divide by servings...you could hunt up recipes that have that figured out for you. The Internet is your friend! Lots of recipes display the nutrition info but you have to follow the recipe exactly..then if you use the same recipes frequently you will already have the info you need.

Don't cripple yourself with can't. It's easy...just a little time consuming. It doesn't take talent. Just time, effort, and a sincere dedication to your health.

You are so right on. It is a bit time consuming, I'm sure we all can agree to that, but it is so well worth it. After a while it just becomes second nature. I've been logging calories for only 26 days now, I brought a digital scale like everyone suggested early on and I love using it. You need to weigh everything because eyeballing it is just not going to be accurate.

NoelFigart1

If counting calories is way too much of a drag, you might want to check out The No-S Diet.

It was always glacially slow, but it was definitely a way to contain calories without the pain in the butt of tracking.

Wiseandcurious

What are you really asking, what will probably happen or what may happen? To hear consolation or to hear advice?

Are you really asking if it is *possible* to lose fat this way? Sure, anything is possible. a few people will/have told you so, you go away happy and keep doing what you have been doing without really knowing if it's right or wrong. You may lose it, you may very well not lose it, heck, you might even gain.

Now if the question is if this path *will* lead to fat loss with the greatest certainty, well no. Eating at an appropriate deficit (established with logging and some experimenting) will. There are vegan fat people there are fat athletes, eating clean and doing sport will probably make you healthier, but it does not guatantee weight/fat loss.

ddache

Ok, maybe I need to add a bit more information.

For me this is not for weight loss. Its not about being skinny, or looking "good". I like the way I look now. I just really want to lose the fat.

Before I got pregnant I worked out 5 days a week and I had what I think was balanced diet. During the pregnancy I was sick a lot, and was tiered all the time (I had to quit work bc I could not keep up) so I ate the only thing that helped which was potato chips. And my activity level dropped to walks around the neighborhood. I see this as the reason why I gained weight. I do not overeat.

I said I dont like my diet but that does not mean that I eat a lot. It means that I instead of eating wholegrain I eat white bread, if you see what I mean.

Counting calories is hard bc when I cook its a mess. Im a vegetarian, my husband eats everything, and my daughter had special dietary needs so when Im in the kitchen its hard to keep what`s what. Even with meal planning (which I do). Off course I try, but so far with out success. Finding recipes online with calories already calculated is a good idea, I will try that. Thanks Wizzybeth.


Thanks for you answers, Ill try to do better with counting calories.

Capt_Apollo

ddache wrote: »

I have to be honest, I`ve tired calorie counting, Im no good at it.

get good at it

PeachyCarol

ddache wrote: »

Ok, maybe I need to add a bit more information.

For me this is not for weight loss. Its not about being skinny, or looking "good". I like the way I look now. I just really want to lose the fat.

Before I got pregnant I worked out 5 days a week and I had what I think was balanced diet. During the pregnancy I was sick a lot, and was tiered all the time (I had to quit work bc I could not keep up) so I ate the only thing that helped which was potato chips. And my activity level dropped to walks around the neighborhood. I see this as the reason why I gained weight. I do not overeat.

I said I dont like my diet but that does not mean that I eat a lot. It means that I instead of eating wholegrain I eat white bread, if you see what I mean.

Counting calories is hard bc when I cook its a mess. Im a vegetarian, my husband eats everything, and my daughter had special dietary needs so when Im in the kitchen its hard to keep what`s what. Even with meal planning (which I do). Off course I try, but so far with out success. Finding recipes online with calories already calculated is a good idea, I will try that. Thanks Wizzybeth.


Thanks for you answers, Ill try to do better with counting calories.

I'm a vegetarian too, my husband isn't, and my kids have special diets. I cook meals at different times and reheat.

When I'm cooking for me, I weigh and measure everything and log my recipe in the site's recipe builder. It calculates the calories for me so it makes logging easy.

I usually prepare things like a lentil loaf, a lentil stew, or chickpea patties, portion them out, and freeze them. I can take something out of the freezer and reheat it while I cook a fresh veggie side to go with it. That way, meal prep for myself is really quick.

ew_david

You cannot out-exercise a bad diet. Trust me, I've tried.

LavenderLeaves

mamapeach910 wrote: »

I usually prepare things like a lentil loaf, a lentil stew, or chickpea patties, portion them out, and freeze them. I can take something out of the freezer and reheat it while I cook a fresh veggie side to go with it. That way, meal prep for myself is really quick.

This lentil loaf sounds delicious.

OP, like everyone said, if you want to lose the fat, you really just have to buckle down and learn to count calories. It's hard but you gotta do it. If it's just a matter of toning up but you're happy at you're current weight, maybe weight lifting?

PeachyCarol

LavenderLeaves wrote: »

This lentil loaf sounds delicious.

thesimpleveganista.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-ultimate-vegetable-lentil-loaf.html

I add finely chopped mushrooms to mine, cut the oil, and use garbanzo bean flour in place of the oat flour. I also add about a tablespoon of soy sauce.

The0dora07

Abs are made in the kitchen You have to figure out how much you should eat, then count calories and weigh your food. Portion (and Self) control is key to everything but especially dieting. The key is 80% diet, 20% exercise..there is no trick to avoid that

LavenderLeaves

mamapeach910 wrote: »

LavenderLeaves wrote: »

This lentil loaf sounds delicious.

thesimpleveganista.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-ultimate-vegetable-lentil-loaf.html

I add finely chopped mushrooms to mine, cut the oil, and use garbanzo bean flour in place of the oat flour. I also add about a tablespoon of soy sauce.

Garbonzo bean flour is a thing?! Omg. Now I need it. You're a goddess. Thank you!

PeachyCarol

LavenderLeaves wrote: »

mamapeach910 wrote: »

LavenderLeaves wrote: »

This lentil loaf sounds delicious.

thesimpleveganista.blogspot.com/2012/11/the-ultimate-vegetable-lentil-loaf.html

I add finely chopped mushrooms to mine, cut the oil, and use garbanzo bean flour in place of the oat flour. I also add about a tablespoon of soy sauce.

Garbonzo bean flour is a thing?! Omg. Now I need it. You're a goddess. Thank you!

You're welcome! The garbanzo bean flour is usually with the Bob's Red Mill stuff in the supermarket.

Jerseygrrl

ddache wrote: »

Counting calories is hard bc when I cook its a mess. Im a vegetarian, my husband eats everything, and my daughter had special dietary needs so when Im in the kitchen its hard to keep what`s what. Even with meal planning (which I do). Off course I try, but so far with out success.

When I first started on MFP, I was overwhelmed with the idea of calorie counting, and I did poorly at it. When I got serious about making a change, I tried a new approach. I began by counting my breakfast, only. I still logged the rest of my food, but didn't worry about being spot on. Once I got that hang of that - planned meals and using the same meals and portions repeatedly - I moved on to lunch. Then, finally, dinner.

For me, it works to keep my meals during the week pretty monotonous. It's not always exciting, but it works. Weekends I am much freer, in part because I have more time to "weigh and measure."

This may not be the answer for you, but maybe you can think of a different approach to logging your food. Perhaps baby steps are easier than trying to dive in to the deep end.

Best of luck.

P.S. I did three rounds of T25 and LOVED it. I am on to InsanityMax30, which I also love.

ddache

mamapeach910 wrote: »

I usually prepare things like a lentil loaf, a lentil stew, or chickpea patties, portion them out, and freeze them. I can take something out of the freezer and reheat it while I cook a fresh veggie side to go with it. That way, meal prep for myself is really quick.

This is a good idea. I could cook them separately, at night, so I can focus on the other things Im preparing when cooking. Thanks!

LavenderLeaves wrote: »

OP, like everyone said, if you want to lose the fat, you really just have to buckle down and learn to count calories. It's hard but you gotta do it. If it's just a matter of toning up but you're happy at you're current weight, maybe weight lifting?

I dont see myself lifting weights. Maybe in the future

Jeresygrrl, that`s brilliant advice! I can do that, easily. Thanks!

ddache

Found a way that is working. I take photos of my meals. And I cook simple and familiar recipes. Eating leftovers also help because I already know the nutrition value of the meal.
Where there is a will there is a way
I am losing weight. And since cutting dairy out of my diet I feel amazing.