It's NOT always as simple as a deficit

SezxyStef

It's not so much a mystery, more the reassurance and proof that my body can create a natural balance without artificial effort. I'm not really sure why people are trying to explain and give reasons for why it happened, I quite readily accept it as a good thing.

not sure a body can create a natural balance without some actual effort put forth...conscious effort...regardless of what anyone says the choices are to eat lots...or not...exercise or not.

That is not "natural balance"...there is artifical effort in there regardless of if you want to admit it or not...

Natural balance suggests that my body could make itself burn more calories than it does if I eat more...Yah no I have to make the "artifical effort" to exercise and move more...

QuietBloom

It's not so much a mystery, more the reassurance and proof that my body can create a natural balance without artificial effort. I'm not really sure why people are trying to explain and give reasons for why it happened, I quite readily accept it as a good thing.

Because for many people, myself among them, understanding the 'why' of a thing makes it more likely to be able to intentionally do that thing and to be able to consistently repeat it as desired.

Of course, that's also my reasoning behind why I track diligently (despite my ability to maintain body weight in a reasonably healthy range without doing it). Well, that and I like being able to eat the maximum amount of ice cream while still staying at a healthy weight and if I don't track, I'm just guessing with possible outcomes of 1) eating too much and finding myself at an unhealthy weight, or worse 2) not optimizing my ice cream eating.

I guess we have completely different goals out of our weight management then. I want my body weight to be a complete non-issue in my life, whereas you are happy to spend time manipulating and commanding it as a hobby.

So you are looking for the magical reason why you lost weight seemingly effortlessly in the past, and want to duplicate it. I really wish you could have articulated that earlier, without the endless merry-go-round. :huh:

Good luck in that!

geebusuk

I'm not really sure why people are trying to explain and give reasons for why it happened,

Specifically because you said this, supporting the initial post.

I pointed out that a calorie is not a calorie in terms of weight loss and I stand by that.
...And....
The reason why I know it's not just about the calories

But, we've seen it's actually fairly easily explained with a simple deficit of calories in vs calories out.

Otherwise, it's like filling your car up, coming to it the next day to find it half full despite only having driven the mile home since you filled up.
THEN claiming "well, none has leaked out, none has been burnt off in the engine and no has stolen any" - well the obvious reality is SOMETHING must have happened to your fuel.

Natural balance suggests that my body could make itself burn more calories than it does if I eat more...Yah no I have to make the "artifical effort" to exercise and move more...

Some people - and I'm not one of them - pretty much do do this. You see cases where when people have excess energy they become more fidgety - their body is actively 'using' the calories. For 'most all people the opposite is true - if they don't have enough energy, they become lethargic and burn less calories.

As mentioned above - I'm here to LEARN. If someone could prove to me that calories really can magically disappear or appear, I would love to understand the system in both cases.
Reality is that it always boils down to CICO so far.

Serah87

CICO worked for me!! Deficit is all you need. My ticker tells all, as many others does too. JS

Marcia315

CICO works for me too, however it seems to work better with a smaller percentage of the caloriesmcoming from carbs. I don't know why, I don't care why, it just is.

Rachelc1992

I am struggling to believe the whole calories in calories out thing!! I am not losing weight eating at a deficit.

And if anyone tells me to weigh my food, I do! I weigh everything, it took me 30 minutes to prep my picnic lunch today for weighing any tiny thing I ate! Even the apple! Which was 100g exactly.

I exercise about 5 times a week. I have lost 2kg in 2 months. I have started measuring myself and noticed I'm losing some inches (slowly). But still the weights not shifting.

So no. Calories in, calories out is not working to get my weight down.

Any tips to get it to budge would be appreciated any snarky comments, I'd rather not
Thanks!

LongIsland27itl

Just because one is making errors on estimating calories consumed and or burned doesn't mean calories in vs out doesn't work for them, it means they are making mistakes in tracking.

EvgeniZyntx

I lost the weight in around a year and a half. Surely my calorific intake would have increased, not decreased if I was exercising more.

Whatever, the point is why can dieting be such a battle if it so damned easy to lose significant weight without noticing? I'm pretty certain that many people signed up to MFP do not consider it easy to drop 50lb!

*raises hand* I lost it in 7 months. Because of a simple deficit

6 months here.

Well done, no doubt you did it by weighing food, restricting calories and tracking your efforts. Notice the difference?

The difference being that those likely to be successful on a site that is focused on accurately tracking both sides of the CICO equation have found success by accurately tracking both sides of the CICO equation...

...and those who have not yet found that success seem more likely to argue against its necessity or effectiveness?

Yes, I do see a difference.

I'm not arguing against the tracking method, I know it works. I am saying it is not the only method and is not the method I want to use long term. I am also saying there is evidence to suggest that the human body is equipped with the ability to maintain a healthy weight without artificial control methods.

You can also pound a nail into the wall with a rock, even when a hammer is sitting right there next to you.
Yes, many more people in the world maintain a healthy weight without tracking than with tracking.

I don't get why you even on the site if you are so set against using this "simple hammer". What do you get from arguing against tracking on a tracking site?

amy1612

I am struggling to believe the whole calories in calories out thing!! I am not losing weight eating at a deficit.

And if anyone tells me to weigh my food, I do! I weigh everything, it took me 30 minutes to prep my picnic lunch today for weighing any tiny thing I ate! Even the apple! Which was 100g exactly.

I exercise about 5 times a week. I have lost 2kg in 2 months. I have started measuring myself and noticed I'm losing some inches (slowly). But still the weights not shifting.

So no. Calories in, calories out is not working to get my weight down.

Any tips to get it to budge would be appreciated any snarky comments, I'd rather not
Thanks!

If youre losing inches, why worry about lbs? And I'm not being snarky, I'm being serious....using the scale as your primary measure of judgement is often inaccurate. Depending on what I've eaten, whether I've trained, my weight can fluctuate a hell of a lot over the course of a day. I would keep doing what youre doing, track inch loss and take photos, and very occasionally weigh in

EvgeniZyntx

I am struggling to believe the whole calories in calories out thing!! I am not losing weight eating at a deficit.

And if anyone tells me to weigh my food, I do! I weigh everything, it took me 30 minutes to prep my picnic lunch today for weighing any tiny thing I ate! Even the apple! Which was 100g exactly.

I exercise about 5 times a week. I have lost 2kg in 2 months. I have started measuring myself and noticed I'm losing some inches (slowly). But still the weights not shifting.

So no. Calories in, calories out is not working to get my weight down.

Any tips to get it to budge would be appreciated any snarky comments, I'd rather not
Thanks!

I looked at your diary and you are inconsistent in intake and macros which is ok long term but is likely masking some of the loss as weight fluctuation will occur due to water retention in glucose loading, especially when someone is doing a lot of exercise. You are losing (at about 0.5 lbs a week). Possibly more but masked. (other things like TOMs, etc can maks a few kilos).

So yes, you are in a deficit, losing and CICO is working. Want more consistent losses? Tighten in your macros or go to the TDEE method (fixed cals where exercise is included). Patience, you'll get a woosh eventually.

Good luck.

mamadon

CICO worked for me!! Deficit is all you need. My ticker tells all, as many others does too. JS

Me too!!

msf74

I'm not arguing against the tracking method, I know it works. I am saying it is not the only method and is not the method I want to use long term. I am also saying there is evidence to suggest that the human body is equipped with the ability to maintain a healthy weight without artificial control methods.

Calories count but you don't have to count calories. I don't think anyone would be idiotic enough to suggest that you must count calories to achieve a calorie deficit, surplus or maintenance state just that it is a rather good method of doing so.

Of course the body has the ability to maintain a healthy weight or lose weight without artificial controls or even conscious effort. Literally millions of people around the world do that. Our body has this natural ability just as it has the ability to perform many things on an autonomous level. You don't need to tell your heart to beat, your blood to flow or your eyes to see.

Your body actually does not want to routinely over eat or deal with the consequences of doing so. Your body does not wish to carry excess fat which poses a threat to its survival. Your body does not wish to keep losing and gaining significant amounts of weight which is a stressful process. Your body craves homeostasis.

The problem is we over ride what our bodies want routinely when it comes to eating. We eat more than we need for lots of reason. We eat to medicate our selves. We eat because we are happy, lonely, bored, out of pure habit, to share an experience, to shut off that critical voice in our heads saying "you are not good enough." We eat for pure pleasure. We live in an environment where access to cheap, incredibly tasty calories is abundant.

So, what to do? Count calories? Yes, you could do that and be very successful.

You could also try and reconnect with your body's natural ability to regulate weight if you have over ridden it in the past using other methods like intermittent fasting, intuitive eating, mindful eating or the like. Through conscious mastery you work towards unconscious mastery.

It can be done. It does take some work though...

SezxyStef

I am struggling to believe the whole calories in calories out thing!! I am not losing weight eating at a deficit.

And if anyone tells me to weigh my food, I do! I weigh everything, it took me 30 minutes to prep my picnic lunch today for weighing any tiny thing I ate! Even the apple! Which was 100g exactly.

I exercise about 5 times a week. I have lost 2kg in 2 months. I have started measuring myself and noticed I'm losing some inches (slowly). But still the weights not shifting.

So no. Calories in, calories out is not working to get my weight down.

Any tips to get it to budge would be appreciated any snarky comments, I'd rather not
Thanks!

If you're not losing, you're not eating at a deficit. Why is this so hard to understand?

Lower your calories and report back.

I actually took a peek at the diary...

Some of the entries are off....

IE homemade - lemon baked snapper 2 servings...unless you enter the recipe yourself that entry is probably off as are all the ones that start with homemade and generic.

And I see a lot of things that aren't weighed...tortillas, sour cream etc homemade butter curry chicken 1/2 c....brown rice 1c...those types of entries plus your exercise calories are pretty high...

And there are days where you either didn't log everything ie Yesterday with 800 calories logged or you didn't eat much

Losing weight is simple Calories in<calories out and if you aren't losing weight....check your intake or your burns...

now for a bit of snark...

taking 30mins to prep a lunch due to weighing???? Yah okay...

geebusuk

So no. Calories in, calories out is not working to get my weight down.

Any tips to get it to budge would be appreciated any snarky comments, I'd rather not
Thanks!

What deficit are you trying to work to?
Of course there's always "water weight" which some fine will keep their weight up for a while, then suddenly drop.
While 1/2lb a week isn't particularly fast, it's also not THAT bad.

You could also try and reconnect with your body's natural ability to regulate weight if you have over ridden it in the past using other methods like intermittent fasting, intuitive eating, mindful eating or the like. Through conscious mastery you work towards unconscious mastery.

Well, I could try 'reconnect with your body's natural ability to regulate weight' after my current leangains style intermittant fasting - but I keep getting worried that the scales are going down TOO quickly, despite eating 2600+ calories a day!
(Seriously, I had to knock the scales three times this morning and even then it was still lower than I wanted.)
So actually, I think I'll keep on with not being connected to my body's 'natural ability to regulate weight', ta.

QuietBloom

Paganstar:
re: your profile pic... Who do you identify with? The fit woman in the tshirt, or the person who made the caption?

I am interested in the answer to this myself.

Commander_Keen

So this topic has been bothering me for a very long time.. and I know its not that simple and here is why.
Time and intesnity are not include.

Everybody here say eat less, eat less and make it seem so simple, but they are clearing forgetting about other parts. Time.
Here is what I beleive is an example.. Now we are not going to talk about somebody who is 600 lbs. Weight will just melt off when he eats 1000 calories a day.

But when somebody else who needs to loose 10lbs, weight just dosn't melt off.
Lets say I I start to eat at 1200 calories and I don't see weight fall off. My next thing would be to drop the calories to 1000. But I can't because everybody here says its a no no. so that means I have to in crease my burn, my exercise..

Lets talk about that. I do not know how to increase my intensity, so I have to now, in crease the time. I work out.
Well I work 8hrs a day and I sleep for 8 hours, there goes 16hrs. Now also spend 4 hrs with my son. so that just leaves me with 4hrs left in the day.. Well I still need to help around the house which includes ( cooking, cleaning, attempting to fix things etc) Now there goes 2 hrs. so Now I have 2 hours left to work out. Maybe its enough to burn off 1000 calories ( HRM) or maybe its not. If its not. Where the hell is somebody supposed to get the extra time from?
I am not going to give up time from working (Job, house) ; I am not going to take time away from my child, although he is 4 so I could attempt to work out when he is taking a bath.
The only option left to leave out is sleep. Now at this time, and weather, season, there is no way, I am able to get up an an hour early to work out. but I could stay up. and how much longer do I stay up, and loose sleep. do I choose to get 7 or 6hrs of sleep? or even 5?
Weekends are great. But it was meant as a chatch up day. Catching up with family. and house hold responsibility. maybe I could squeeze in 3 hrs of a work out.. but does that really work? to work out and more calories only on the weekend and not durring the week?