So damn confused and fustrated.

Harrisonsauntie

One side of the coin I read stuff about not counting calories and just concentrating on the quality of the food I eat, such as paleo or LCHF etc and on the other side I have counting calories which does give some scope to the odd slice of pizza or what ever else I like. I just don't what to do?

I think my problem is consistency and just sticking to something. I lose about a stone on weight watchers but now I want to knuckle down and get the last 27llb off.

Ok, as someone who did Atkins Induction, religiously, and PLATEAUED for months. It really IS calories-in vs. calories out. Some people have success on HFLC diets, some on LFHC diets, but not me. When you are the size that we are (I'm 5'2" and currently 130 lbs.), those simple plans don't work. Most diet plans, despite what their main focus is, work for people because THEY LIMIT CALORIES. Plain and simple.

So, my #1 suggestion is for you to find out your BMR using a site like this: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and start eating at BMR.

You should expect to lose 1/2 lb. to 1 lb. per week (I don't know the conversion. Sorry!). You are small enough that, through calorie counting alone, this is the best you can expect. Personally, I've been losing about 1/2 lb. per week, since I started at 163 lbs.

Each time you lose 5-10 lbs., you'll need to recalculate your BMR or you're likely to plateau.

This can be done. You don't have far to go! Good luck to you!

Intent is correct, a couple of details are not.

Find your TDEE - the link in the quoted post is to a TDEE calculator. If you want to lose 1 lb / wk, which is perfectly doable at your height and weight, eat at TDEE - 500 (500 calorie deficit). Recalculate every 5-10 lbs.

Do not eat below your BMR. So, if at any point your calculation drops below your BMR, reduce the amount you subtract from your TDEE. As long as you eat below your TDEE, you will lose weight. So, if you're not happy eating at TDEE - 500, add a little back. You'll lose slower, but you'll still lose AND you won't be hungry and tempted to REALLY overeat. Win, win.

Track your calories and be sure to weigh and measure as much as you can. If you're not accurate with your intake, you won't be consistent with your loss. <--- This is the biggest cause of stalling, along with over-estimating exercise.

Also, keep in mind that the TDEE calculation is an estimate - it works really well for most, but if after a month or two you're not losing at the rate you expect, adjust your deficit or increase your daily activity to compensate.

Thanks. I calculated that I should be eating 1786 calories to maintain & my BMR is 1489

WhiteRabbit1313

One side of the coin I read stuff about not counting calories and just concentrating on the quality of the food I eat, such as paleo or LCHF etc and on the other side I have counting calories which does give some scope to the odd slice of pizza or what ever else I like. I just don't what to do?

I think my problem is consistency and just sticking to something. I lose about a stone on weight watchers but now I want to knuckle down and get the last 27llb off.

Ok, as someone who did Atkins Induction, religiously, and PLATEAUED for months. It really IS calories-in vs. calories out. Some people have success on HFLC diets, some on LFHC diets, but not me. When you are the size that we are (I'm 5'2" and currently 130 lbs.), those simple plans don't work. Most diet plans, despite what their main focus is, work for people because THEY LIMIT CALORIES. Plain and simple.

So, my #1 suggestion is for you to find out your BMR using a site like this: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and start eating at BMR.

You should expect to lose 1/2 lb. to 1 lb. per week (I don't know the conversion. Sorry!). You are small enough that, through calorie counting alone, this is the best you can expect. Personally, I've been losing about 1/2 lb. per week, since I started at 163 lbs.

Each time you lose 5-10 lbs., you'll need to recalculate your BMR or you're likely to plateau.

This can be done. You don't have far to go! Good luck to you!

Intent is correct, a couple of details are not.

Find your TDEE - the link in the quoted post is to a TDEE calculator. If you want to lose 1 lb / wk, which is perfectly doable at your height and weight, eat at TDEE - 500 (500 calorie deficit). Recalculate every 5-10 lbs.

Do not eat below your BMR. So, if at any point your calculation drops below your BMR, reduce the amount you subtract from your TDEE. As long as you eat below your TDEE, you will lose weight. So, if you're not happy eating at TDEE - 500, add a little back. You'll lose slower, but you'll still lose AND you won't be hungry and tempted to REALLY overeat. Win, win.

Track your calories and be sure to weigh and measure as much as you can. If you're not accurate with your intake, you won't be consistent with your loss. <--- This is the biggest cause of stalling, along with over-estimating exercise.

Also, keep in mind that the TDEE calculation is an estimate - it works really well for most, but if after a month or two you're not losing at the rate you expect, adjust your deficit or increase your daily activity to compensate.

What did I say that was wrong?

Blanket statement on what to expect? I lost 1 lb. per week, at first, then 1/2 lb. after the first month. Obviously, everyone is different, but my intent was to set realistic expectations.

As for stalling, obviously, if you're doing things consistently and losing weight consistently, then stall (for a month, or more), wouldn't it make sense to just adjust the calories taken in? The numbers serve as a baseline, pragmatically speaking, because no one is truly accurate on all counting. Yes, scales help. Honesty helps. But, at the end of the day, if you're consistent with honesty, measuring, etc., then all that's left (other than odd cases) you're not achieving your deficit.

WhiteRabbit1313

One side of the coin I read stuff about not counting calories and just concentrating on the quality of the food I eat, such as paleo or LCHF etc and on the other side I have counting calories which does give some scope to the odd slice of pizza or what ever else I like. I just don't what to do?

I think my problem is consistency and just sticking to something. I lose about a stone on weight watchers but now I want to knuckle down and get the last 27llb off.

Ok, as someone who did Atkins Induction, religiously, and PLATEAUED for months. It really IS calories-in vs. calories out. Some people have success on HFLC diets, some on LFHC diets, but not me. When you are the size that we are (I'm 5'2" and currently 130 lbs.), those simple plans don't work. Most diet plans, despite what their main focus is, work for people because THEY LIMIT CALORIES. Plain and simple.

So, my #1 suggestion is for you to find out your BMR using a site like this: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and start eating at BMR.

You should expect to lose 1/2 lb. to 1 lb. per week (I don't know the conversion. Sorry!). You are small enough that, through calorie counting alone, this is the best you can expect. Personally, I've been losing about 1/2 lb. per week, since I started at 163 lbs.

Each time you lose 5-10 lbs., you'll need to recalculate your BMR or you're likely to plateau.

This can be done. You don't have far to go! Good luck to you!

So, if at any point your calculation drops below your BMR, reduce the amount you subtract from your TDEE. As long as you eat below your TDEE, you will lose weight. So, if you're not happy eating at TDEE - 500, add a little back. You'll lose slower, but you'll still lose AND you won't be hungry and tempted to REALLY overeat.

Oh, I get it, now. I didn't consider that factor. Thanks for clarifying!

Mr_Knight

One side of the coin I read stuff about not counting calories and just concentrating on the quality of the food I eat...

Those people are completely wrong. Do not listen to them. The paleo forums are littered with the posting corpses of people who gained weight because they actually believed "clean food doesn't make you fat".

Count your calories, know your caloric limit, and if you stay below it, you will lose weight. That is THE key point, everything else is embroidery...

Mr_Knight

I am at an age where it is extremely difficult to lose!

There is no such age.

Mr_Knight

I am female, 5'1 and 153 what should my calorie intake be a week to lose say 1llb a week?

Your BMR is going to be around 1250 calories/day. Your TDEE excluding exercise will be somewhere around 1550 calories/day. A starting point of around 1100 calories/day would be reasonable, and if you do significant exercise, you can consider eating those calories in addition to the 1100 baseline.

Log everything (*everything*) for a few weeks, and then check progress against expectations. Adjusting up or down may make sense, but there is no way to know without meticulous logging.

Harrisonsauntie

Um 1,100 calories a day? Mmmm don't think so.