Counting calories works - but be patient

TBargar101

I stepped on a scale last July and was surprised by what it said was my weight - 172lbs! At my height, that was about 30 lbs more than I should weigh. I decided that I was going to do something about it - but I wasn't going to do one of the fad diets. I had done the south beach diet before. It worked very well, but the meals were expensive and time consuming to prepare. I didn't want to go through that again. I was already exercising regularly. So, understanding that losing weight was basically a matter of burning more calories than I consumed, I decided I just needed to keep track of calories. I looked online for calorie counters and tried one other before settling on My Fitness Pal. I have the app on my cell phone and tablet, and have been using it devotedly since July. I was down to 149 just before thanksgiving. The holidays made it hard to maintain the momentum, but my weight has been steady since then. My goal is the low 140's. I believe I'll be there in March. So, it has taken a while since when I started, but I haven't felt my diet has been overly restricted. The two things I've made sure to do in addition to counting calories is exercise devotedly and consume more than the recommended daily allowance of protien. I exercise every day of the week because I want to eat more than the 1420 recommended by the app for losing 1 lb per week. I'm currently doing about 200 minutes of cardio each week, on day's other than those when I lift weights. As for the elevated protien consumption, I do so to maintain muscle. This process has worked for me. I have lost the fat and maintained muscle tone, if not improved it. If you are going to count calories, be patient and devoted. It takes time to do it properly.