Where has your best weight loss results come from?

Alphafitnesskw

glassyo

Calorie counting only

CICO is king.

But, since I started off on weight watchers, it was points.

cwolfman13

Other than the handful of pounds I put on in the winter and lose in the spring, I've only lost a significant amount of weight once...40 Lbs in 2012/2013. I can't rally answer one specific thing in your list...I counted calories, I ate less, I adopted a diet that somewhat resembles a "Mediterranean diet", and started regular exercise.

I haven't physically counted calories in years...I'm currently dropping the 20ish Lbs I put on during pandemic times and I'm just eating a bit less and maintaining my normal regular exercise that I've been doing for almost a decade. My dietary approach hasn't changed much at all over the last 9-10 years. Basically I just cut back on snacks, deserts, and alcohol when I want to cut some weight.

Regardless of method, weight management comes down to calories in vs calories out. Every single diet plan in the world works on that principle.

Alphafitnesskw

glassyo wrote: »

CICO is king.

But, since I started off on weight watchers, it was points.

Awesome answers and views 🙌🏻

Sounds like a Doucette fan CICO 😎😜

I myself have lost around 100lbs (47kg) and it was also a mix of Counting macros, eating less and exercise..

I think the eaiest way is to cut back on food.. because counting does need attention.. and that scale has to be with you all the time 🤣 i've taken my scale to restaurants before haha..

Im currently counting macros but i have a strict body building program. So i need to know my protien intake and total calories.

Keep up the great job guys 💪🏼✊🏻

sijomial

My "best" is context dependant so I won't vote:

Best for significant weight loss to get to goal weight = calorie counting.
Best for small adjustments to stay in my goal weight range = just eating less.
Best for enjoyment = just exercising more.

In reality there has to be a big element of harmony between all three aspects (although I don't have to count to maintain, I'm calorie aware).

ReenieHJ

Calorie counting only

Mostly calorie counting which involves eating less than I used to and exercising more to keep everything flowing smoother(plus it allows me extra calories if I want them)

I know one summer I lost 50# because I was sicker than a dog, with gastritis and couldn't eat anything. So definitely less calories that time.

goldengirlatheart

Calorie counting only

I worked really hard at the gym every day, and counted calories. I did "zig zag" calories, with an average every week, but daily was different. Did that for about 8 months and lost alot of weight. It worked well for me. I got pregnant and gained alot of weight, so I'm back to trying to lose again, so I'm going to do what I did before and hopefully it works again.

rosiekin

Calorie counting only

I lost over 90lb by calorie counting, and have been maintaining my weight by doing the same since 2014/2015. I exercise regularly, occasionally pay lip service to macros BUT I'm now definitely a strong supporter of CICO.

AnnPT77

I don't want to vote because I would say calorie counting if I had to say just one, but I don't think it's really that simple. Well, it is, but it isn't.

Calorie counting - Yeah, that's how I lost weight, technically. It doesn't mean that's the only important thing. No one loses weight without getting calorie intake lower than calorie output, but it's not essential to count them. Worked well for me, though, since I'm a data geek.

Counting Macros - Nutrition is very important to me. Logging food makes nutrient tracking easy, almost automagic. I have a protein minimum and a fat minimum. I also have other nutritional goals, chiefly 5+ minimum and ideally 1+ daily 80g servings of varied, colorful veggies/fruits.

Vegetarian diet - I've been vegetarian for 47+ years, thin to fat to obese and back to thin again. So, yeah, I lost weight on a vegetarian diet . . . but vegetarianism is no guarantee of weight loss, obviously.

Just eating less - That comes with the territory, doesn't it? If I start out eating to sustain an obese bodyweight, then eat to lose weight, then after that maintain . . . I must be eating less than at the start now, vs. when I was maintaining a bodyweight almost 50% higher?

Just exercising more - I wouldn't be able to eat as much if I weren't active, and I like food, so I want to eat as much of it as I can, but stay at a healthy weight. Fortunately, I was very active for around 15 years while staying obese, so I have a high TDEE for my size even before exercise, and exercise adds more yummy calories to my day. I don't normally exercise on purpose just for calories, and didn't much change my exercise routine to lose weight.

All the variables matter, y'know? (I really don't like this poll feature . . . .)

Oh, and, by the way, these (below) are great for some people, but not relevant to me. I guess there are keto vegetarians, but it would make me miserable, and it wasn't necessary. Carnivore won't work for me for obvious reasons. Mediterranean is fine, and I could do that, already eat a lot of those foods, but I didn't need extra structure, personally.

Ketogenic
Mediterranean diet
Carnivore diet

If you meant to put in all the major trendy methods, you left out intermittent fasting.

Bridgie3

best diets I've been on (losing 10kg or more)
severe personal trauma - up to 12 kg in a week, easy
The 'flatmate is in jail, get to smoke his giant bag of cabbage, & beef cup-a-soup circa 1990 - about 10kg
The 'hot friend from auckland is coming to visit in a month' diet of circa 1992 - 2 squares chocolate, one orange, and 1/2 a normal portion of dinner - about 10kg
More recently the 'diabetic thirst, all I want is to drink milk' diet of more recent times, dropped about 12kg in a month.

Fasting for up to 2 weeks? almost completely useless. Lose 7kg but put back 3 at the end.
Calorie counting: depends. Hard to maintain but good to teach a person how many calories are in food.
Intermittent fasting (recent) - less hunger, slow weight loss, but feel well on it.
High fat low carb (recent) - helping with sickness but slow weight loss (doing it with intermittent fasting.)

Lietchi

Well, I'll be nitpicky and say that I don't really like the options given.

Calorie counting in itself doesn't really lead to weight-loss. Heck, some people use calorie counting to gain weight or maintain it.

I lost weight:
- eating less
- but previous experiences had taught me that I'm not good at eating less intuitively so calorie counting was my way to quantify how much I was eating
- with the aim to be in a calorie deficit, I realised quite early on that working on the calories out part of the CICO equation made it easier - by moving more (not necessarily exercise per se) I could eat more and still lose weight. Calorie counting my food intake was then complemented by 'counting' my calories out by using a fitness tracker watch.

yirara

My option is not included: calorie counting to make sure I'm in a calorie deficit. I mean I can count all I want, if the number equals my maintenance calories then nothing happens, if too high I'll gain weight. And the whole different types of eating things is a red herring as well. I eat a mixed diet, probably what's considered normal in large parts of Europe: lots of carbs from bread, one warm meal per day with starches veggies and possibly meat or fish. And desserts. There need to be space for snacks and desserts. And exercise because it's fun and allows for more snacks and desserts.

Sinisterbarbie1

Most people don’t want to hear this, but calorie counting that includes cutting out alcohol. It is incredible how many more healthy things one can eat during a day and stay full so as not to end up getting hungry after dark (when one is typically also drinking) if one is not saving up calories for alcohol. And I am not even talking about the bottle of wine + level of consumption that people wrote about during COVID … saving 200 calories for a 6 oz pour of wine will leave you hungry and weak on a 1200 c regime and if you don’t write down everything before dinner and lock the pantry ….Well …..

Walkywalkerson

I didn't vote because my weightloss was a combination of different approaches and I'm still experimenting with the last pounds.
Calorie counting is a boring necessity to keep me accountable.
I throw in a bit of intermittent fasting a few days a week too to keep me within my calories and reduce cravings.
I don't follow any 'diets' that cut out food groups or count points or any of that malarkey.
I eat what I want, log it and move on.
Adding healthier habits instead of giving things up works for me.
Nothing is 'forbidden'
Life happens.

HoneyBadger302

I really need to be able to select 2 options as my BEST weight loss came when I was strictly counting macros PLUS calories (calories before macros).

Generally I do pretty well on calories alone, but I have done BEST with a combination of the two. Unfortunately it ended up being a pretty expensive and time intensive way of eating, so it wasn't very sustainable.

amfmmama

Calorie counting only

Counting calories is definitely the way I lose, but exercising keeps my going. I tend to want to eat better when I work out.