How do you know with so many choices?!?

BethW01

So, here is my confusion....how do you know what you need to be doing to lose weight? There is counting macros, counting calories, low carb, keto, intermittent fasting and so on and so on....so how do you know what exactly should you be doing? There is too many ideas out there and it gets very frustrating for me cause I have no clue where to begin! Anyone else feel this way?

Poisonedpawn78

To lose weight you need a calorie deficit. Thats it.

Having your macros in the recommended places are for health reasons, medical reasons and muscle building reasons. Also certain macros help people feel less hungry so they might adjust to have more of these macros in their diet to stay full longer.

Low carb is not necessary. You need carbs to function and live. However as above, some people feel more full on fats and can swing a lower carb diet to maintain the deficit

Keto is not necessary. Requires a lot more reading to properly understand what you are getting into. There ARE sacrifices with this diet style. Even when in Ketosis you are burning 10% muscle despite what the woo and hype will tell you. There are also other health risks involved and some Doctors will not recommend this diet style.

Intermittent fasting is not necessary. But it MAY help you feel fuller by having bigger meals in a shorter window. If you are the kind of person who can skip a meal, usually a breakfast or a dinner and squeeze your food into a shorter window of the day (8 hour eating window) then this might help you control your hunger.


So to recap if you want to lose weight, its as simple as eating less, and figuring out which way will keep you feeling full.

TavistockToad

BethW01 wrote: »

So, here is my confusion....how do you know what you need to be doing to lose weight? There is counting macros, counting calories, low carb, keto, intermittent fasting and so on and so on....so how do you know what exactly should you be doing? There is too many ideas out there and it gets very frustrating for me cause I have no clue where to begin! Anyone else feel this way?

you just need a calorie deficit...

then choose the best style of eating that fits your tastes and lifestyle... IF, low fat, low carb etc etc!

rybo

It's relatively simple. Start tracking, using as best a starting point as you can. Don't worry about anything other than knowing your start point. If your weight goes up, reduce portions. If it goes down, awesome. If you are starving and can't sustain it, eat slightly more.

Once you have a grasp on that, look for ways to improve. Eat more vegetables. Identify calorie bombs that make adherence difficult. Experiment and find foods that keep you satiated. For some it's protein, others high fiber foods. Some even higher fats. Don't worry so much about following a named plan, create your own plan that is going to work much better.

chelllsea124

BethW01 wrote: »

So, here is my confusion....how do you know what you need to be doing to lose weight? There is counting macros, counting calories, low carb, keto, intermittent fasting and so on and so on....so how do you know what exactly should you be doing? There is too many ideas out there and it gets very frustrating for me cause I have no clue where to begin! Anyone else feel this way?

I felt the same exact way. I signed up for MFP premium and their suggestions have helped me A LOT. You can track alllllll of that and it's a big help.

rileysowner

As has been stated, all you need is a calorie deficit. That is where weight loss comes from.

Tracking macros has to do with performance, but I see people in a calorie deficit eating all sorts of macro breakdowns. Usually the choice has to do with what makes them as individuals feel fuller. BTW, Low carb and Keto are both macro plans and in themselves, unless a calorie deficit is established, will not result in weight loss.

Intermittent fasting is just a way of organizing means if you are talking about the type that has a smaller daily eating window, or a way of establishing a calorie deficit, if you are talking about fasting for 24 hours once or twice a week and eating normally the other days.

Basically, starting out, more information is not always better. It can lead to the sort of confusion you have right now. Set your goal in Myfitnesspal, log what you eat carefully and accurately, and you will lose because you are in a calorie deficit.

Lizzy622

Start at calorie deficit.

We are individuals and different methods work better for different people but it all boils down to eating less than you are consuming.

quiksylver296

amusedmonkey

Don't get distracted by all the choices. Calories is the base for all of these approaches, so start with that. If somewhere along the way you feel like lowering carbs would help you feel fuller, you could try that. If you feel scheduling your meals within a certain time window to be able to eat bigger meals and wait for shorter periods between them, no harm in trying it. Calories are the most important part of weight loss, everything else is simply approaches people use to make achieving a calorie deficit easier for them. Don't over-complicate things and just log your food for now until you are familiar with the process. You can make any adjustments you want later.

RodaRose

Buy a food scale -- you can get one for about 25 dollars in Walmart or Target. Log your food.
Also this: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

cwolfman13

BethW01 wrote: »

So, here is my confusion....how do you know what you need to be doing to lose weight? There is counting macros, counting calories, low carb, keto, intermittent fasting and so on and so on....so how do you know what exactly should you be doing? There is too many ideas out there and it gets very frustrating for me cause I have no clue where to begin! Anyone else feel this way?

A calorie deficit is all that is required to lose weight...the "choices" are just the many ways to help one achieve that end. In the end it comes down to calories.

A calorie is a unit of energy...you require a certain amount of energy to fuel your existence and then all of your other activity. When you consume a balance of energy, you maintain weight...when you consume a surplus of energy, that surplus is stored as body fat...it's your backup generator for when you can't provide your body with sufficient energy. When you consume less energy than your body requires, your backup generator kicks on and you burn body fat.

Macros are what make up your calories...1g carbs = 4 calories; 1g protein = 4 calories; 1g dietary fat = 9 calories. I'd get the calorie thing down before I really would worry about macros...macros aren't so much for weight loss as they are for body composition, fitness performance, etc.