Does counting calories really work?

BurnWithBarn2015

yes it works

allaboutthefood

yes it works. You are just paying WW to do it for you, you can save money and do it yourself. Best of luck

ElvenToad

21 months ago I was super morbidly obese at 268lbs. I was so desperate to lose weight that I actually considered paying for WW not knowing what I was doing or anything about nutrition at all. Being the ultra cheapskate that I am, I googled "calorie counting" and found myfitnesspal. For nothing but the cost of a food scale $15, and a Fitbit zip $50 in that time I have lost 120lbs just by counting calories every single day. Weighing and accurately logging my food has been literally a lifesaver for me. I eat whatever foods I want that fit into my calorie goal, and do my best to hit my macros. I now weigh 148lbs. So yes, it works and I am living proof of that.

Psychgrrl

Yep! I lost over 85 pounds counting calories. I say over 85 because I stopped weighing myself as I was so disgusted.

LadyLots2Lose

I'm also a former WW member and left in 2014 for similar reasons to @kj26boys. I was sick of spending AU$35.00 a month to do the online program and while it did work for me initially I found that it didn't match my goals in the end. The WW goal that was set works on BMI rather than body composition so, my goal with WW was 65kg. I had a body composition scan done in September 2014 that indicated that my lean muscle mass was 55kg so the WW goal was way too low if my aim was to get to a healthy body fat percentage for a female. Even if I could get to the WW goal I'd be struggling to stay there and that's when I realised that was exactly what keeps the money rolling in for WW and many other weight loss programs. They have a vested interest in keeping you from reaching your goal.

I initially joined MFP because the app (and website) gave me a breakdown on where I was spending my calories (a feature that WW didn't have at the time). One of the big adjustments I had to make in my post WW journey was changing my mindset on fruit and vegetables. I was so used to padding out my meals with 'free' foods that I had lost sight of how many calories I was actually consuming.

I agree with @GuitarJerry "a calorie is a calorie" and as a system of measurement it is absolute rather than subjective. The balance of those calories is what is important in this journey though. In an absolute (calorie in < calorie out) world you could live on cake and lose weight if you exercised enough but, this journey rarely works that way in reality because how our bodies are fuelled matters.

Apart from the MFP app and site being free the big bonus is that you've got more control over your journey. There's no one weighing in on what your goal should be or how you get there. There's no hidden agendas and no sliding scale on success. Sure, there was support, great advice from other members and good tips but, you can get that from their magazine and the message boards here. I'm definitely in the 'save your money' camp on this one.

GaleHawkins

ElvenToad wrote: »

21 months ago I was super morbidly obese at 268lbs. I was so desperate to lose weight that I actually considered paying for WW not knowing what I was doing or anything about nutrition at all. Being the ultra cheapskate that I am, I googled "calorie counting" and found myfitnesspal. For nothing but the cost of a food scale $15, and a Fitbit zip $50 in that time I have lost 120lbs just by counting calories every single day. Weighing and accurately logging my food has been literally a lifesaver for me. I eat whatever foods I want that fit into my calorie goal, and do my best to hit my macros. I now weigh 148lbs. So yes, it works and I am living proof of that.

Awesome success story and you lost at a very safe rate it seems. Best of continued success in 2016.

ElvenToad

Thank you Gale! To you as well

cindytw

I tried a brief stint at WW and quit very quickly! I was starving all the time, could not stay in points and realized by double-logging there and here on MFP that it was allowing me a frighteningly low calorie range! It says that you can eat what you want but really that isn't true if you don't eat low fat high fiber. The points per calorie vary by what you eat. One day it gave me 900 calories because of my choices! That's insane! So here I am on MFP, and when I do log and I do the right things it does work!

PinkPixiexox

It really, really works

Soopatt

It works. There are so many negative things said about calorie counting by charlatans that many people get put off as they are told by the scammers that weighing and tracking your food is a ridiculous amount of hard work. I used to think that too, before joining this site. Controlling my intake has never been as easy as it is now and knowing that there are no surprises gives me enormous peace of mind.

It takes me seconds to weigh and log a meal as I dish it up (put plate on scale, add items one at a time and weigh and log as you go, using the *tare* function - or zero it before each item) and the recipe builder is really easy to use for combination meals.

No more guessing.

Eat to your deficit and eat back half your exercise calories. You can't go wrong!

The forums are great for the support and help you would have got in person at WW.

FatMoojor

Yes it works and it is the only way to lose weight. Every single diet (that actually works) is just CI < CO. A lot of them put a fancy façade on this but it's just CI < CO to lose weight.

twentytwelve12

Yes it does. It has worked for me. Ever since I stopped counting calories I gained weight. Now I'm going back to counting again to lose some more weight.

thin1dayplease

As many others have said... WW uses just a different method of calorie counting. I can say that calorie counting 100% works for me!! Its made so simple with this app

Ann262

I could have wrote the same post as KJ26boys! I also just cancelled my WW subscription because of all their changes. I had great success with them in 1999/2000 but ever since they have become more interested in selling more stuff and fake food than really helping with nutrition. Having said that, I don't think a calorie is a calorie is a calories. Sure, I suppose if you stay within you target calorie consumption, you will lose weight. I would argue that if you don't hit your healthy targets, you will crave more food, be hungry and end up giving in and failing. I find that if I really focus on getting my fruits and veggies and lean proteins and good carbs while staying within my calorie target, I am more satisfied, have more energy and find it all easier. If I start the day with a donut, I have a hard time staying within my target because I wasted 200 calories on nothing. We need good food, we have to learn to budget properly.

KANGOOJUMPS

nope

EvgeniZyntx

WW is calories counting lite (and expensive).
Yes, calorie counting works.

kensqt4life71

motivccess wrote: »

no...but not eating too many does... cheers

That is so very true please take the advice

NealNH

Yes it definitely works. My wife and I combined have lost 100 pounds and both rarely have trouble with hunger despite the reduced calories. For me choosing foods that are less calorie dense like veggies allows me to get plenty on my plate which helps. Also choosing lean meats or fish (or legumes and grains) again lets you have more volume and stay within your calorie goal. I feel learning to work with these real foods instead of pre-packaged allows me to learn what a portion looks like so on those occasions when we do go out to eat we know when it is time to share an item. All the best to you in your journey.

shadowfax_c11

I've lost 38 pounds since March, just by counting calories. Still eat all of my favorite junk food as well as plenty of fresh fruits and veggies.

It does work. Will it work for you? That is up to you.