New to Calorie Counting

andrewlimburg

Had temporary success over the years with low carb diets, but ultimately gained the weight back.

Hoping counting calories and exercise works better than counting carbs.

Any similar success stories out there?

AnnPT77

So far, I lost from class 1 obese to a healthy weight, and have maintained a healthy weight for 7+ years since, by calorie counting. I didn't need to do any particular named diet to accomplish that, just tried to get overall decent nutrition at reasonable calories eating food I enjoy. That worked fine for me.

Exercise is good for a body, and does burn some extra calories so we can eat more while losing at a sensible rate, but IMO it isn't the key thing for weight loss. I was quite active for a dozen years - training hard 6 days most weeks, even competing as an athlete - and stayed overweight/obese. I only lost weight when I finally got my eating in line with my total calorie expenditure (daily life as well as exercise).

Getting calorie intake a manageable amount below calorie expenditure - that's the foundation for weight loss. There are lots more practical factors on top of that foundation, but that's the fundamental ground-level issue.

MacLowCarbing

I had the opposite; I went from balanced/ADA diet recommendations to low carb/high fat. Found low carbing more sustainable a lifestlye for me that worked. Carbs, sugar, and even too many artificial sweeteners trigger my food addictions & binging and don't satiate me, I realized I can't do moderation. Or I would get tired of the counting because it's just too fussy for me lol and as soon as I stopped strictly tracking I would go over.

People who go off low carb and go back to old eating habits tend to put the weight back on (esp. if you're one of those people that carb triggers hunger pangs)... and on the flip side, people who count every calorie and macro and balance it all and lose weight can put it back on once they stop religiously tracking.

It's so important to consider your preferences, lifestyle, your own metabolism & health needs, etc. and find a way of eating that is sustainable... something you will be able to continue to do even after you achieve your goal weight. You may make some tweaks but overall it's gotta be a lifestyle because as soon as we go back to old habits, the weight will come back.

Good luck with calorie counting, hope you have found what you can stick to for life.

andrewlimburg

Thank you both for your sharing your experiences. Alot of go info to take in.