Counting

HHFlutist2024

I think everyone who has tried to lose weight, like me, has counted everything they can think of. Points, food groups, carbs, reps, pounds, minutes etc etc etc
I'm 62 years old and do you know I have never counted calories! So, I'm going to give it a go MyFitnessPal says I should have 1480 or less a day. Whoosh that sure doesn't seem like much. I was thinking more like 1,800. But I'm going to give it a shot for a couple days and see if I can live on that lol.

What do you count? What have you counted? I'm counting on everybody to help me in this new adventure. God bless!

tomcustombuilder

Those numbers are strictly a starting point so in 4-6 weeks you'll know if that is a correct number. Much depends on your day to day, week to week counting accuracy. Most people under estimate what they're really eating and drinking calorie wise. Older and sedentary and not a big person and yes I could see that number working. If you are shooting for a pound a week of loss that would have your maintenance calories at close to 2,000 which sounds about right.

You can also just track your calories with your current diet for a week and if your weight has been fairly consistent for awhile then this amount is your actual maintenance amount and you can lower from there. This method saves a lot of time however you need to eat and drink as you normally do for this method to work.

lisakatz2

I've been tracking my calories since March 20. I've lost 14 pounds. I believe it works. My calorie total for a pound-a-week weight loss is 1510. I feel it gives me enough room for occasional treats like waffles and cornbread without feeling deprived. I just balance everything out and don't go above my deficit. My macro ratio is 30% protein, 35% fat and 35% carbs. I eat higher carb one day a week to keep from feeling deprived.

In the beginning I thought tracking would increase my obsession with food, but it's done the opposite.
Because I'm mindful of eating more protein and fat than I have in the past I'm less hungry.

You have to give this much more than a couple of days "shot." Eating healthy is about habits, not motivation, and building new habits takes time.

Btw, I'm going to be 62 years old this coming October. It's never too late! I've yo-yo dieted for years, but finally, I believe I got this. Important to recognize that this is a lifestyle,

Corina1143

I'm an accountant. Yep, I've counted it all.
And got so mad when my numbers just didn't add up to what the sales people and pushers promised.

AnnPT77

When MFP told you to eat 1480 calories daily to lose weight, how fast did you tell it you wanted to lose weight? Maybe this wasn't you, but many people pick the fastest loss rate the settings offer, 2 pounds (1 kg) per week. If that's what you did, try reducing the speed of loss. That will give you more calories.

Another option, if you already picked a less aggressive loss rate: Add activity. That doesn't need to be some extreme, punitively intense exercise: Any kind of enjoyable movement increase burns calories. Log that activity in MFP, and it will give you more calories to eat on the day you're active. (Less intense exercise is less likely to spark counter-productive fatigue or appetite.)

Also, if MFP said 1480 calories it meant 1480 calories, not "1480 or less". It's a goal, not a maximum. Whatever calorie level your goal is, try to average pretty close to that on a weekly basis (or that plus the exercise calories).

Fast loss isn't necessarily the best course. Yes, we need to eat fewer calories than we burn in order to lose weight. But fast loss increases health risks, and is more difficult to stick with long enough to use a meaningful total amount of weight.

Sometimes a slower weight loss rate a person can stick with will get them to goal weight in less calendar time than a theoretically fast loss rate that causes deprivation-triggered overeating, breaks in the action, or giving up altogether because it becomes Just Too Hard.

Final thoughts: I agree with Tom that 4-6 weeks of trial will tell you whether that's the right calorie level or not. However, if that goal's too tough a thing at the start, you do have the option to cut down gradually as you review your diary, notice what keeps you full and happy, and modify your routine eating habits. Both what we eat, and the times of day we eat it, can make the process easier or harder. (Pick "easier"!) You can work your way down to a tolerable calorie level, revamping habits as you go, then run the 4-6 week trial to see what loss rate results.

Context: I joined MFP at 59, class 1 obese, severely hypothyroid (medicated). I'd been overweight to obese for around 30 years before that. In just under a year, I was at a healthy weight, and I've been at a healthy weight since, now age 68. I'm not a special unicorn. I'm a hedonistic aging hippie flake. If I can do this, I think you can do this.

I'm cheering for you to succeed, because in my experience the quality of life benefits are more than worth the effort. Best wishes!

HHFlutist2024

Great thoughts! Thanks for commenting. I didn't know if anybody would even read my post :-) let's get out there and have the best day we've ever had tomorrow!

myTycan

I need an accountability partner to help me stay on track with logging my food and staying within my calorie range.

lynn_glenmont

myTycan wrote: »

I need an accountability partner to help me stay on track with logging my food and staying within my calorie range.

@myTycan you're more likely to get a response if you start your own thread, rather than piggy-back on an unrelated post. I think the Introductions or Getting Started forum would also be more likely to get you a response, but that's just a guess on my part.

BoLynn73

Mostly just carbs and now I am going to try watching the calories. I would like to lose 10 more but am struggling to stay with it. I feel hungry and want food, but am trying to be good and not eat. My calorie intake is 1200 a day. If anyone can suggest best things to eat when my tummy starts growling that will not affect the calorie count too bad but helps with the hunger let me know please.

tomcustombuilder

BoLynn73 wrote: »

Mostly just carbs and now I am going to try watching the calories. I would like to lose 10 more but am struggling to stay with it. I feel hungry and want food, but am trying to be good and not eat. My calorie intake is 1200 a day. If anyone can suggest best things to eat when my tummy starts growling that will not affect the calorie count too bad but helps with the hunger let me know please.

lean protein like chicken breast. Many people also find good fats are satiating also along with fibrous veggies.

Processed carbs are the worst.