Does anyone else think losing weight is easy?

cavia

I was surprised at how simple it was. Easy? Mmmmm, maybe easyish. I was hungry almost all the time. I was committed to losing the weight, though, and knew the deficit was only temporary.

enembe

I think it would be if I didn't love alcohol so much. I usually eat pretty healthy and have always had a weight complex since high school when I was tiny. Now, because of that, I always watch my weight and know how many calories are in everything lol

Liz_Mfp

I honestly think
this site and logging food
has a lot to do with it.

When I do the above, I lose weight very consistently.

Yes it's easy.

It's just not always a priority, evidently, or else we would all just stick to the plan and be done with it.
As you are
Congrats!!
:-)

Oishii

I've always thought weight loss is easy. I've done it dozens of times.

This is so very me! Stupidly, it never occurred to me that you had to work at maintenance. I learnt the very concept of maintenance from mfp. I've got 20lb of baby weight to lose now, but after that I plan never to need to lose again :drinker:

paulperryman

This time around it has been very easy, almost too easy. There has been several road blocks along my almost 8 month journey but for 6 months straight i averaged out to 4kilo's a month plus a considerable drop in health risks and clothing size.

I wouldn't say it is all easy tho, it takes alot of self control and will power to keep going and not stray from your goal and as others woulda said just cause you reached a goal doesn't mean you can just give up altogether, you have to continue working to maintain your new you

alisonlynn1976

Yes. The hard part was getting started. Once you establish a new lifestyle, you just keep doing it. It's not a struggle for me. It's slow, and I see how that frustrates people who want instant results.

francescajeanfox

I don't mind if you disagree, that's why we all have different opinions. I can take it. I'm glad you shared your point of view.

I like that we get a mixture of opinions!

bcattoes

I'm saying that green tea is a treatment ingredient. If your liver gets clogged up with unhealthy fat related to people who consume a high carbohydrate diet and who eat an abundance of processed foods or foods high in sugar. Then what? You don't like your body anymore.

Meaning that the fat is not burning, is depositing inside the body because there main filter (your liver) is full of toxines. So what I wanted to say here is and advice, not marketing.

Are you talking about fatty liver disease?

rml_16

It was a freaking breeze for me the first time. This time, if I eat more than 500 calories a day, I don't lose an ounce.

SNLover87

I have been consistently surprised throughout this process at how easy it's been for me. I've had a regular rate of loss of about 5-6 lbs a month (I don't really want to lose any faster than that, so it works), and I haven't had any setbacks (I'm almost 8 mts down now). The first couple of weeks were really the only hard part for me, retraining myself to eat less. But once I wasn't hungry anymore, I was good.

That being said, I think there's several reasons it's been easier for me than for others. One, I was already working out regularly before I started, and eating almost all home-cooked meals. Two, I'm single with no kids. No distractions to keep me from keeping up with it, and I was desperately in need of a project. I'm also an extremely organized person, so counting on MFP is super fun for me lol.

I've tried doing this other times in my life and I failed. The stars just seemed to align this time. It's a shame it's not that way for everyone.

obrientp

For me, losing weight was easy. But maintenance is hard.

Me too.

Me three, I'm really struggling with maintenance right now. i can't seem to find my groove.

lilbearzmom

I believe that in theory it's simple, and very black and white. However, that is without life getting in the way, emotions, and games your heart and head play with you. Then it can get hard. JMHO.

Kabiti

For me it was difficult for 15+ years. I probably tried and failed 10 times.
In 10 lbs I'll be at post- high school and pre- college weight (gained some that summer). 10 pounds more than that and I'll be at high school weight! 10 lbs more again (which I think is possible and healthy) and I'll be the lightest I've ever been in my adult life.

The difference for me was psychological. I used food as a coping mechanism. Once I fixed the bigger problem, it just started melting off. It's a little more effort now (2 months later) but that mental fix has given me a drive to get to where I ought to be. I'm doing great and I love who I am more than any other time in my life.

babyblues4

Well, all you guys just suck. LOL

I agree! :laugh:

Holly_Roman_Empire

Well, all you guys just suck. LOL

Yup this.

EmilyOfTheSun

The concept is easy....sticking to it is not always easy. Congrats on staying within your calorie goal and practicing self control! I need to get my willpower back!

escloflowneCHANGED

I found it very easy, the trick is to stick with your goals and it's incredibly simple.

Lonestar5775

You nailed it. Tracking is what it's all about. I am 55 and fairly sedentary but I lost 20 pounds (my goal) without ever feeling I was on a diet etc. Maintaining now for about 3 months. I love this site, especially the "friends" one can meet along the way!

Mbishop7684

It is simple not easy.

This site does make is very simple.

I agree with this. The concept is VERY simple. Calories in vs calories out. Eat less than your TDEE and you lose weight. But there's so much more! I worked out everyday since Monday (HIIT, spin and running), never went over calories, drank all of my water and I"m up 1lb. Easy? No. Simple concept? Yes.

*edited for punctuation

Bama56

i feel that loosing weight is only as difficult as you want to make it. if you are fully committed to it, then it is pretty simple. like everything else in life, you get out of it what you put into it.

kimjutjor

MFP and logging my food and exercise has made all the difference in the world to me. It has educated me on calories and nutrition -- vital information to healthy living that I just didn't have before. Now wherever I am, I can make better choices that make a difference on the scale and I do not feel that I have done without anything. Never before in my life did I have this sense that I was not missing out on life when I was on a diet/trying to lose weight. Knowledge and accountability are key for me.

qtgonewild

i feel the exact same way you do. something just clicked. i want it bad enough.

Chevy_Quest

Losing Weight is not "easy", but the path to losing weight and getting fit is clearer more than ever before!

I have tried to lose the same 40 lbs for 3 years in a row. I actually used another calorie counting site fitday.com for the first two years. The problem was that their methodology for exercise was pretty complicated. I would lose 25-30 lbs both years and gain it all back.

I finally "got" MFP a few months ago and started really reading how this all works. The forums are a wealth of information and I am learning more about TDEE etc. every day.

The concept of being able to eat back some or all of my exercise calories has finally made me feel like I am control and not in an obsessive "box".

I have lost about 17 lbs and have about 33 do go (depending on bodyfat).
However, I have finally learned that "slow and steady" wins the race! I am happily losing about 1-3 lbs per month!
My goals are all fitness related - The weight is just a great "side effect"

Counting Calories is like learning the alphabet and phonics

Applying it with tracking patterns, meals, cravings, exercise, BMR and TDEE is like learning to speak a whole new language - one that I am gladly learning!

Kabiti

Well, all you guys just suck. LOL

Yup this.

I'd trade places if I could! :blushing:

SLLRunner

I've been on many diets and often tried to lose weight, but this time around it's been the easiest by far. I consistently lose 2lb a week (since June when I started) I haven't had any binges, cravings or put on any weight and when I've had a "cheat day" it's been within my allowance and not hindered my loss at all. I've enjoyed every meal and all the exercise. If you knew me, you'd know normally I'm lazy and love my comfort and junk food.
I honestly think this site and logging food has a lot to do with it. When you see what you're eating it really helps. Has anyone else found it easy?

I don't know if losing weight is easy or not, but I do know it takes motivation and perseverance to succeed. The tools here at MFP are a lifesaver because they help me stay accountable for my own health. What I am doing now is a way of life not a diet. In fact, I had to discard that whole diet mentality in order to realize that what I have been doing these last several months is a way of life. If I have to log in exercise and food for the rest of my life to keep my weight off, I will do it.

deathend

I think it is both easy and hard. Easy if you have an active lifestyle, things to keep your mind preoccupied and actual reasons to lose weight. Hard if you aren't that social, don't have much to do other than work (or school) and just want to lose weight to 'look better' rather than multiple reasons.

StheK

Losing it is easy. Starting to lose it is almost impossible and keeping it off is another story all together. But the part in the middle? The actually losing it part? Easy.

SoDamnHungry

It's easy for me once I get into it. But when I'm having emotionial issues and binging like a mofo, it is incredibly difficult.

exmsde

I am finding it surprisingly easy (and I do mean easy, not just simple) this time around. For me the difference from past attempts is four-fold:

1) I'm much more focused on broad health then on just losing weight. I have victories on an almost daily basis, and that takes me away from fretting about things like plateaus. A couple of days ago my BFP dropped out of the obese range for the first time in decades. Last week I did a 10 mile hike for the first time in 40 years. I've eliminated a daily medication. My BP looks great. I've never been able to run, at all, but I'm trying out the C25K program. I went to fundraiser last week and had to get out a suit that was a few years old because my most recent suits are way too big. Realized I have no shorts that fit should we decide to go on a beach vacation this winter. Etc.

2) I'm making my "diet" work for me like never before. I don't feel like I'm denying myself much of anything, just being better about how I build it into the rest of what I eat. I'm a bagel fanatic, which in the past I avoided when dieting. This time I've worked in a few a week with no trouble at all. I mostly eat whole grains, but that bagel is an exception that keeps me on track. I work in cheat meals when they REALLY mean something to me. I was in NY last week and had a Corned Beef sandwich. It checked my NY Deli box, allowing me to eat relatively healthy the rest of the week without feeling I was missing out on anything. In fact I think I had fish for all but one other meal. I know my weak points and I feed them! Craving for steak? It costs me a bit of $ but a small Filet Mignon fits into my calorie budget without making an unusual dent. Chocolate craving? I always have (and rotate) one of the controlled portion chocolate snacks in the house. Salt craving? I often eat unsalted nuts, but keep some salted ones around as a healthy alternative to chips. And then I keep a lot of favorite fruits around too. Slowly but surely when I get a craving my brain is actually saying things like "Very Cranberry Snack Squares" or "Pistachios" instead of "Snickers". I'm also making sure not to go too long without eating something, so mid-afternoon snacks and something mid-evening are always in the plan. But mostly I'm eating good healthy food in reasonable quantities so that I'm both enjoying them and they are making me feel full, all within my calorie budget.

3) The tools have improved dramatically in the last few years, MFP being a good example. Before MFP the closes equivalent you could get was paying for Weight Watchers. WW works, but (despite a lot of improvements over the last few years) is neither as adaptable to the individual nor as fitness focused. Devices like the Fitbit and their ability to integrate with MFP and other tools. Ditto for Runtastic. The tools are not only making it easier, but making it more fun.

4) I've become obsessed with the exercise part of the equation. I can't sit in front of the computer for long. Even this long reply has me edgy to get up and do something. The amount of increase in activity has its own three benefits. Burning more calories and thus letting me eat somewhat more than if I was just doing a couch potato diet. Eliminating idol time that tends to send one looking for a snack. And I could swear it is reducing my hunger pangs.

So for me losing weight this time has been easy. But that's only because it really has been a dramatic lifestyle change. One that I hope, but can't be certain, will last long past meeting my weight goal.

stealthq

I've found it easy, but I was never clinically overweight to begin with, and have never had an emotional issue with food. I just got lazy, and in the habit of eating past being full. It didn't take long to get accustomed to eating a more appropriate amount, and the rest was just being patient and finding a way to fit in some sweets so I don't feel deprived.

Now I'm just being patient, which is easy enough, but tedious. And seriously considering upping my exercise to move things along. At my current rate of loss, it'll be another eight months to get to my 2nd goal, having just reached my 1st.