calorie counting =weight loss???

tiarajj08

I'm curious to know has anyone lost weight just by calorie counting???? I developed a habit of moving lol so I will just like to know if that can actually happen? Share stories!!!

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echmainfit619

I've lost weight (29 pounds so far) by counting calories and staying at or under the daily calorie limit calculated by MFP. I've followed no other "diet" or regimen and eat whatever foods I like.

arditarose

Many of us have. That is how you lose weight...you have to eat less than you burn, and it's very difficult to do through exercise only. You can take a look at the Success section too. Some really great stories on there.

shadow2soul

I'm confused by what you mean by "just by calorie counting"?

I count calories to lose weight. Sure I'm more active now, but that has the nice positive of being able to eat more and still lose weight. I did lose some weight with just counting calories during my recovery from my last c-section, but as soon as I got the "ok" from my doctor I started working out again.

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itsmethao

I've never counted calories before and I'm about 5 days in, eating 1200-1500 calories per day with daily moderate exercise. My TDEE is 1460 calories at BMR. I really do hope I'm doing this correctly because my goal is losing 45 lbs.

TimothyFish

No, counting calories does not equal weight loss. Eating at a calorie deficit equals weight loss. Counting calories is just a method by which you can tell whether you are eating less than you burn or not.

suruda

I do count calories and try to stay around 1200...I find that because I count calories, I choose healthier foods that have lower calories and allow me to eat more. It's the classic 100 calorie apple vs. 100 calories of chocolate or chips. I have lost weight succesffully this round (25 lbs since Jan) and in the past by eating at a calorie deficit.

lenacooper103

By counting calories and eating at a caloric deficit I've lost 17lbs, though I didn't record myself at my highest weight so MFP only sees it as 11. Still awesome progress in 90 days. You can do it!

Nerdycurls

I think it's more complicated than that.

Weight loss can be much more complicated than we think. Everyone's physiology is different. Consider if a person has health issues, is going through stress, recovering from an injury, etc.-- counting cals is going to yield different results for them versus a person with good health. At the end of the day, you have to raise your resting metabolic rate. No amount of huffing and puffing on the treadmill combined with caloric restriction is going to guarantee weight loss, because you aren't going to continue burning the same amount of calories once you get off the treadmill. It's a slow, steady process.

Counting calories helps me, but I have to factor in my PCOS and stress in order to gauge how successful I will be at any given time.

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PrizePopple

MrM27 wrote: »

Nerdycurls wrote: »

I think it's more complicated than that.

Weight loss can be much more complicated than we think. Everyone's physiology is different. Consider if a person has health issues, is going through stress, recovering from an injury, etc.-- counting cals is going to yield different results for them versus a person with good health. At the end of the day, you have to raise your resting metabolic rate. No amount of huffing and puffing on the treadmill combined with caloric restriction is going to guarantee weight loss, because you aren't going to continue burning the same amount of calories once you get off the treadmill. It's a slow, steady process.

Counting calories helps me, but I have to factor in my PCOS and stress in order to gauge how successful I will be at any given time.

CICO works for everyone. Metabolic issues throw a wrench into the CI equation but it still doesn't negate the fact that in order to lose weight you need a caloric deficit. If you have PCOS then that needs to be addressed by your doctor then work on your deficit. There are plenty of members on MFP that also have PCOS and have had plenty of success.

I have PCOS and I'm down 42 pounds from my start weight (I lost 5 pounds before starting back on MFP). I'm also losing without being medicated at all for my condition. My thyroid is also slowly failing (Hasimoto's) so that doesn't help matters, and my endocrinologist has told me it's only a matter of time before I have no choice but to be medicated for that. For the moment though I'm doing okay by counting calories, which means I weigh pretty much everything that goes into my face, and moving more. By moving more I mean I go out for walks, and maybe do some cardio here and there but nothing outrageous. I burn more than I eat, but I eat enough to fuel my body properly, end of story.

BWBTrish

Lost 90ish so far with counting
Yes! it works

Merkavar

tiarajj08 wrote: »

I'm curious to know has anyone lost weight just by calorie counting???? I developed a habit of moving lol so I will just like to know if that can actually happen? Share stories!!!

Counting alone does nothing, just like monitoring you bank account doesn't make you save money.

Counting calories and remaining in a deficit is what you need.

How much is 44 kg in pounds? 96ish pounds lost.

SLLRunner

I weigh and log all my food, log all exercise and most of my exercise calories back, and I eat within my maintenance calories. I did the same thing while losing weight too, except I ate within a deficit.

So, yes, it has worked for me as well.

forgtmenot

Everyone who has ever lost weight (minus those with an illness) did it through eating less calories than they expend. I'm sure not every one of those people counted calories, but it is much easier to create a caloric deficit if you know what you're expending/taking in, rather than just hoping that you are at a deficit.

To answer your question: this is my second time on mfp and I've only ever lost weight (deliberately) on mfp. Nothing else has ever worked. I lost weight last time and am losing this time.

tiarajj08

This may sounds stupid, but what is calorie deficiency? I eat within my calorie intake which is 1300 calories a day and I don't go over. even if I exercise I do not eat those extra calories that they put back on the intake. but I don't understand what you mean when you say calories deficit???

Whitezombiegirl

Calorie counting and no deliberate exercise - lost 18lbs. (had 20lbs to lose)

Calorie defecit is eating less calories than you burn in a day. MFP calorie goal has a defecit built in. Some people like to calculate thier own based on other online calculators, which is what I do too. Generally you need a defecit of 500 cals a day to lose 1lb per week. (iirc). I eat a defecit of about 300 a day because I'm very petite in height and frame.

Merkavar

tiarajj08 wrote: »

This may sounds stupid, but what is calorie deficiency? I eat within my calorie intake which is 1300 calories a day and I don't go over. even if I exercise I do not eat those extra calories that they put back on the intake. but I don't understand what you mean when you say calories deficit???

Say you need to eat 2000 to maintain your weight. You eating at 1300 is a 700 deficit.

To lose 1 pound you need to create a 500 calorie deficit each day. 1 pound of fat is equivalent to 3500 calories.

If your losing weight your in a deficit.

Francl27

It works as long as you know how to count properly and what a serving size is.

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NoIdea101NoIdea

Have you thought about getting some sort of device that will tell you how many calories you burn a day? I wear a fitbit, which tells me how many I'm burning a day. So, I make sure I eat less than that; so for example if it were to tell me I had burned 2000 calories, I would eat 1500 calories worth of food. That would mean I would still have 500 calories to go before I hit 2000, and so 500 calories is my deficit.

If I were to burn 2000 calories and then eat 2000 calories I would maintain my weight. If I were to burn 2000 calories but eat 2500 calorie, I would gain weight.

1lb is made up of 3500 calories; so if you ate at the deficit of 500 calories per day, you would lose 1lb per week.

This is a very, very simplified version of the basic process; I've seen so many arguments on these boards about how 'a calorie isn't equal to another calorie' and 'carbs will make you store more fat' or you're going to fail unless you cut out sugar altogether', so I'm not trying to start or get involved in that kind of malark. And your weight is constantly fluctuating base don water retention and such things. But, very, very simply, this is why people count calories.

feisty_bucket

"What gets measured gets managed."

ruggedshutter

My loses have slowed over the past few weeks just because I have been so busy lately with my business that I haven't had much time to work out. I'm still under my maintenance calories and I'm still losing, just not as fast as I was before.

beemerphile1

Counting alone isn't sufficient. If I ate 10,000 calories and counted every one of them I would be obese in a short time.

Counting calories is just a tool to insure you are eating at your deficit goal.

AgentOrangeJuice

beemerphile1 wrote: »

Counting alone isn't sufficient. If I ate 10,000 calories and counted every one of them I would be obese in a short time.

Counting calories is just a tool to insure you are eating at your deficit goal.

+1

Asher_Ethan

Counting calories works! Lost 11 pounds since February... I would love to loose 20 more by Summer 2016 but I'm not in a rush so I have mine set to loose .5 pounds a week so I can eat more. It's great.

Hollywood_Porky

I lost the first 35+ pounds by changing my diet. Removed added sugars and processed foods. Ate salads and lean meats - or seafood. No sweets unless it was a fruit. I was eating 3 large Haas avocados a day plus salads with lean meats. Morning was eggs and avocado. I would have to say the last 20# required being more cognizant of Calories In - but I was extremely active throughout. Never felt deprived. Feel reborn. You can't outrun a bad diet.

Will never go back to what I did. All that I do is a program. Quantity/Quality of the Calorie plus Programmed Training - it's the only way to fly.

FunkyTobias

tedboosalis7 wrote: »

You can't outrun a bad diet.

You keep using that phrase. I do not think it means what you think it means.

lemurcat12

I'm not sure I understand the question: what do you mean by just calorie counting? Not exercising or not following a special diet or something else?