What's the secret behind weight loss??

JustFindingMe

It's very simple as the very smart, experienced ladies have mentioned.

Reduce the amount of calories you are eating. Log accurately and honestly.

:flowerforyou:

ETA - Also, it may be that you are doing these things already, in that case, patience is a virtue. We all lose at different rates, sometimes with a whoosh, sometimes .5 of a pound at a time.

SLLRunner

how are you creating the deficit ? are you actually eating what you should be and excerising if your starving yourself your body will try and store what do eat. also what are you eating? when your eating are you eatting fatty or highly processed foods, those will be harder on your system and could cause fat storage. I recommend a Whole foods plant based diet

Absolutely not.

A calorie deficit the only thing required to lose weight. In fact, OP, eating less calories than you burn IS the secret to weight loss. The way to get there is to correctly estimate your total daily energy expenditure and then subtract a certain amount from this to lose weight. How you get to this place is entirely individual.

Personally, I choose to weigh my solids and measure my liquids, and to log everything I eat, to log exercise calories with results from my heart rate monitor, and to eat my exercise calories back (because MFP's number is the amount you need to lose weight without exercise).

SLLRunner

it would have less calories,less fat,less cholesteral which would help with her weightloss goal and once her goal is met its over all a healthier way to eat both for the body and the planet, as sited by the UN and WHO

Less calories is the key to weight loss. Type of food matters zero unless it matters to you only.

Who is UN and WHO?

SLLRunner

let me help you out. Consume 66% or more of fat from whole foods. 22-26% from protein and keep carbohydrates 10% 0r below. Drop the sugar/sugar drinks/breads/grains. and gluten wheat products, cakes and processed foods, and you will have FAT melt off.

stop counting calories................a waste of time. I lost 60 pounds in 2 years. I eat 2800- 4500 calories all the time.

No. Just no. This is silly.

SLLRunner

I notice you pick generic entries from the data base like "medium bananas" rather than a weighted value of the item. Are you eyeballing or using a digital food scale to weigh solids? This could help with potential logging errors. Calorie dense items do add up if logged in accurately

100% agree with this.

I bought a bunch of bananas, four of them to exact, and all looked to be the same size. The food scale rendered different grams for each one, anywhere from 101 to 123 grams. That's quite to calorie difference.

A tablespoon of peanut butter is supposed to be 16 grams, but it's more or less, depending on how much you pack that tablespoon. Best to just measure it out in grams to be sure.

Those are just two examples, but you get the picture.

Deadlay

I lost a pound in a week, didn't drop any in 2 weeks, then dropped another a week after. Someone already said weight loss isn't linear and I wouldn't pay too much attention to the pound a week thing based on settings.

Of course, the not dropping weeks may correlate with increased beer and pizza, but I will need to study that further.

RoninsMom5

Its also important to know, that nobody else can tell YOU want to eat. and how much to exercise. Only YOU know what works for YOU. its only knowing YOUR goals and wanting it bad enough. Everyones body is different

MKEgal

"Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake.
However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity."
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html

I eat at least the minimum required amount of calories

My doctor & dietician said to eat 10x my healthy goal weight in calories.
Here's a BMI chart to help you see if your goal is healthy: http://www.shapeup.org/bmi/bmi6.pdf
Looks like you have your goal set at 1600. So you want to weigh 160.
Your recent diary entries show you eating between 1100 - 1700 cal.
Unless you're very short, so that 110 is a healthy weight, or you're being monitored by your doctor, don't go below 1200 cal.

Your ticker shows you want to lose 26 lb.
That's not a lot, so losing 0.5 lb per week would be a victory.
It's going to be slow.

I second (third?) what others have said:
weigh & measure
don't use "homemade" listings - enter every ingredient you put into a dish

Increase fruits, veggies, lean protein
Decrease simple carbs (cookies, white rice, cereal, sugared soda)

Here are some helpful threads:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

elphie754

ridiculous...............low carbs is the way to go as longa s you consume fiber from fruits and vegetables at 50 grams of fiber or more. you will be fine.


Carbohydrates is the number one problem in the US along with sugar and WHEAT................wake up.......those days are TIRED......those foods do not work along with long cardio and all this nonsense that low carbs are bad for you............completely and utterly ridiculous.......................

You do realize fruit and vegetables are carbs right?

MKEgal

how are you creating the deficit ?

It doesn't matter.
If she's eating less than she's burning, she will lose weight.
Doesn't matter (calorie-wise) if she's eating 1/2 c of olive oil or 8 lb of carrots. (Just to make up an example; I don't actually know if they have the same amount of calories.)
For nutrition, yeah, it makes a huge difference.

if your [sic] starving yourself your body will try and store what [you] do eat

Nope. Impossible. The body needs calories to run on. If she's eating less than she's burning, the calories to run the body will come first from glucose, then glycogen, then fat, then muscle.

when your [sic] eating are you eatting fatty or highly processed foods, those will be harder on your system and could cause fat storage. I recommend a Whole foods plant based diet

While it's true that eating more whole, natural foods and fewer processed foods is generally healthier, what causes fat storage is having a calorie surplus.

my recommendations are based in science from research iv [sic] done both indendantly [sic] and as taking nutrition in uni [sic] and recommendations from the UN

Citations & links, please?
Here's PubMed, which would be a good place to start: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
Don't just throw out assertions & expect people to believe what you say.


In this blog post, I give quotes from & links to scientific studies which support the idea that eating a large breakfast helps lose more weight than a large dinner, even when calories throughout the day are equal.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-10-some-studies-about-weight-loss-667818

This one addresses the concept that getting enough sleep helps you lose weight... also with quotes & links.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-08-27-sleep-weight-control-690492

The studies in this post say that eating higher protein & lower carbs leads to more weight loss
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-08-09-high-protein-diet-685553
Try 45% carbs, 20% fat, 35% protein.

harshada10

"Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake.
However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity."
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html

I eat at least the minimum required amount of calories

My doctor & dietician said to eat 10x my healthy goal weight in calories.
Here's a BMI chart to help you see if your goal is healthy: http://www.shapeup.org/bmi/bmi6.pdf
Looks like you have your goal set at 1600. So you want to weigh 160.
Your recent diary entries show you eating between 1100 - 1700 cal.
Unless you're very short, so that 110 is a healthy weight, or you're being monitored by your doctor, don't go below 1200 cal.

Your ticker shows you want to lose 26 lb.
That's not a lot, so losing 0.5 lb per week would be a victory.
It's going to be slow.

I second (third?) what others have said:
weigh & measure
don't use "homemade" listings - enter every ingredient you put into a dish

Increase fruits, veggies, lean protein
Decrease simple carbs (cookies, white rice, cereal, sugared soda)

Here are some helpful threads:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

Thanks you so much for all that information. My height is 5'6" and I currently weigh 164 lbs. My goal weight is 135 lbs.

BramageOMG

Just don't lift anything too heavy.. or this could happen:

Disregard this post because its complete bs...

No secret to losing weight, just eat at a deficit, a true deficit..

BS? These gals didn't lift weights???????? OK.... You got me ??

reganloomis

it would have less calories,less fat,less cholesteral which would help with her weightloss goal and once her goal is met its over all a healthier way to eat both for the body and the planet, as sited by the UN and WHO

Less calories is the key to weight loss. Type of food matters zero unless it matters to you only.

Who is UN and WHO?

United Nations and World Health Org.
I don't think her suggestion that a plant-based diet is advisable for everyone and for the planet is that controversial. It seems pretty obvious to plenty of nutritionists, certainly. And there's a huge rush on research on the food type question right now, especially around leptin and glycemic responses, ketosis, phytochemicals... I don't think we can say "food type matters zero" yet.

bajoyba

How I lost 84 pounds:

-I ate at a moderate and consistent calorie deficit
-I logged my food no matter what, every single day
-I measured everything I ate and used a food scale to weigh food whenever possible

That's pretty much it.

I aim to eat a balanced diet for the sake of my health and nutrition, but I still eat carbs and sugar and all that other "bad" stuff. I just try to make sure my body gets what it needs, and then I fill in the gaps with the stuff I want to eat. Pizza and chocolate are normal parts of my diet.

So yeah. My advice is, definitely get a food scale. They're pretty cheap and totally worth it. Also, log everything accurately and consistently, and be patient.

Liftng4Lis

There is no secret. Deficit = weight loss, period.

Panda_Path

Know your body, including hormonal fluctuations and the effects of medication. The scale could say I lost x number of pounds in 3 weeks, but when Aunt Flo comes knocking the fourth week, the scale can say I gained those lbs back, which might be water retention (then go down the next week). Also, not everyone is the same body type and each body has its perfect weight. My "perfect weight" right now is about 175. Others would scoff at that, but I have a short, stocky, and wide frame and will never be "skinny". Everyone has a different metabolism, etc. Find what works for your body....it might not be a good idea to think what works for another person will automatically work for you.

If you still feel down about how much you lost this month, remember you LOST weight still, and didn't gain any . IMO that is a win.

Alluminati

Just pay attention to what you put in your body, especially processed foods that are high in carbohydrates. The traditional food pyramid has grains, breads, rice, as the foods you should be eating more than any other food groups, but that couldn't actually be further from the truth. Here's a better idea of what humans should be consuming for a healthier lifestyle:



Before the industrial revolution, think about how often people ate foods high in carbohydrates. Sure, bread and rice was still consumed but nowhere near at the levels we see today. People used to believe that eating fatty foods would make you fatter, and while foods high in saturated or trans fats that might be somewhat true, it is simple sugars or glucose/fructose that are the real killers if consumed in excess.

that pyramid is so wrong i dont even know where to start, dont take that as a personal attack by any means there is a lot of misinformation out there and many people get caught in wrong or outdated info please feel free to PM and i can help you out with some nutritional information that is more aqurate or even just point you in the right direction for your own research

Ikr!! I don't see marijuana listed on it. Amirite?

Panda_Path

Just pay attention to what you put in your body, especially processed foods that are high in carbohydrates. The traditional food pyramid has grains, breads, rice, as the foods you should be eating more than any other food groups, but that couldn't actually be further from the truth. Here's a better idea of what humans should be consuming for a healthier lifestyle:

This pyramid looks awesome, if you like being constipated.... 0_0

threnjen

I've seen your posts, sir, and I have to be honest by saying your contributions to the forums have thus been nothing but nonsense, and a detriment to the nutrition community. Please stop your words.

I love you.

JustFindingMe

I've seen your posts, sir, and I have to be honest by saying your contributions to the forums have thus been nothing but nonsense, and a detriment to the nutrition community. Please stop your words.

I love you.

Ditto

RedArizona5

Accuracy is the 2nd part of that secret. Are you weighing all solids? Measuring all liquids? Accurately calculating exercise calories if you eat them back? Actually logging EVERYTHING you put in your mouth? Preparing your own food so you know exactly what you're eating?

i agree with the above. log mints. log sugar-free gum. long diet soda. if it touches your lips, it goes into your log.

Second that as well as the 3rd -consistecy even with me at my "acceptable" current weight since i was injured stopped for a month of working out i had a slight increase. I also stopped weighing so i could work on my strength- i like it so far..

RedArizona5

Hi everyone! Hope you all are doing well. I lost just 0.9 lbs in a month which is kinda disappointing. According to the theory of weight loss, If you create a calorie deficit of 3500 calories/week, you would lose 1 pound. That amounts to around 4lbs in a month. Even though I could create this calorie deficit I lost only little the entire month. Is there something I'm doing wrong?
On an average, how much have you lost in a month?

You haven't really told us all that you are doing or where you are at. I always like to know how big someone is to give specific advice.

But for general advice, i'd suggest the secret to weightloss is:
1. choosing the right sorts of foods (to maximise nutrition and minimise hunger),
2. not reducing calories too significantly on a daily basis (5:2 fasting when your eat 500 calories per day two days a week is fun and interesting but otherwise, don't rush it),
3.tons of daily commitment (psychology is a huge part of successful long term weightloss and maintenance and a much overlooked factor),
4. not relying on exercise for your losses but to focus on diet (i've only just started doing exercise after most of the year being terribly sedentary and being almost at goal, and i'm musing a pedometer to get up to about 10000 steps and just started minimum HIIT skipping see Michael Mosley's exercise video on you tube even you think you know what HIIT is. check out his other video eat fast and live longer).
5. Daily or weekly weighing and Food logging which you are basically doing here but calorie counting isn't actually necessary if you keep a good food log and weigh daily.

Specifically for you i'd take a guess that the calories you are aiming for daily are too probably too high. You must be very large to be able to lose weight at 1900+ or so or doing a ton of exercise. Quit all the exercise and cut back on your calories accordingly.
and secondly, your food choices are not great. You are not getting enough protein and you are eating too many dodgy carbs. Its good you are eating vegies though.

I'm pescetarian and try to rely more on vegetarian foods so i know its not easy at first to get your protein up. But you need to find the formula from the net for the right amount of protein for you. look for it now!!! It took me a while to figure it all out.

protein foods to eat more of for vegetarians: chickpeas and lentils and beans, cheese, eggs, milk yoghurt, tofu, Try to get plenty of protein in at each meal. Aim for at least 20grams if you can. Those are the lower fat ones, then add a few nuts and seeds in as well. Don't snack on nuts and seeds. Include them in your meal, ditto cheese. Chuck it in a salad rather than eat it as a chunk on crackers. Anyway you need to prioritise eating more protein. this will naturally help you reduce your bad carbs.

Give up eating biscuits with sugar. Give up sugar. Do not give up fruit. It makes life much easier. Do you have it in your tea. Learn to go without it in your tea and coffee and the rest is easy. You can do it. I've recently persuaded someone else to do this and she confirmed its easy. Just have it with milk.

No. You do not need to give up sugar.

I do agree with…but She looks like she competes as a fitness competitor which I'm sure she doesn't eat a lot of sugar -which would be ok but yeah no the OP wouldn't have too…technically sugar is americas killer right now with most americans having type 1 diabetes so yeah these days we should watch our sugar intake- i would love it to be my goal to quit sugar out completely…big pharm companies are loving the new amounts of diabetics going for meds -sugar can be evil. My mom and gramma are nearly if not pre diabetic -maybe its why I'm fairly biased.

effondrement

Just don't lift anything too heavy.. or this could happen:

Disregard this post because its complete bs...

No secret to losing weight, just eat at a deficit, a true deficit..

BS? These gals didn't lift weights???????? OK.... You got me ??

There's this thing called steroid/hormone abuse -- that's what these "gals" were doing. Theoretically, higher reps of a low weight will build "bulky muscles" or whatever women are so scared of. Low reps of HIGH weights will tone. If you are curious about the science behind this, check this article out: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2013/09/11/7-strength-training-myths-every-woman-should-know/

// I have other sources so just shoot me a message if you really care. I will gladly prove you wrong.

Also to echo what has been said by previous members: the secret to weight loss is a calorie deficit. that's all. Oh, and accuracy. Don't lie to yourself, or else you won't see any progress. Ignore the crap about starvation mode, it isn't real (I can also send literature on this, again, proving people wrong is one of my favorite hobbies). If you want to see results faster I recommend heavy strength training, as the calories burned during rest AFTER such a workout are superdupergreat, for lack of a better term.

I've been focusing on a calorie deficit for the last 60 days and have lost 19lbs as a result (so roughly 10lbs per month). If you take a look at my diary you'll see that I eat like absolute crap, but I eat it in smaller amounts. I eat this way mostly because I'm a broke college student who doesn't have the time, money, or patience to cook. Anyways I know this is a lot of information but I hope this helped someone out at the very least. Best of luck to you

TheVirgoddess

OP, you've gotten some really great advice - the scale is the best way to get a real feel for what you're putting in your body - portion sizes and understanding that "about 11 chips" isn't actually 28g helps a lot.

As an aside, I'm really glad my body hasn't heard that it's supposed to hold onto fat when I eat processed foods, or fast food, or whatever. Otherwise, my 2lb a week weight loss might stop.

7aneena

"Starvation mode" is a complete myth. There is no such thing as eating too little = gaining weight. Eating 1000 calories a day (I do not recommend it because you will feel exhausted and blah) is going to make you lose a ton of weight. Period.

Does that mean I didn't "have" to force myself to eat dinner to reach the minimum 1000 on MFP diary?
I know i know first world problem, lately Ive been having a problem eating more than 800, I'm just not hungry

SLLRunner

it would have less calories,less fat,less cholesteral which would help with her weightloss goal and once her goal is met its over all a healthier way to eat both for the body and the planet, as sited by the UN and WHO

Less calories is the key to weight loss. Type of food matters zero unless it matters to you only.

Who is UN and WHO?

United Nations and World Health Org.
I don't think her suggestion that a plant-based diet is advisable for everyone and for the planet is that controversial. It seems pretty obvious to plenty of nutritionists, certainly. And there's a huge rush on research on the food type question right now, especially around leptin and glycemic responses, ketosis, phytochemicals... I don't think we can say "food type matters zero" yet.

As to bold statement: food does not matter as to weight loss, eat less than your burn and you will lose weight. Period.

As to health, food type does matter to the extent of reaching your macros.

SLLRunner

I think that first gif with "don't lift anything heavy or you'll look like this" is a joke. Really, I'm pretty sure of it, considering everybody knows women don't bulk like that unless they have some steroid help.

ThePhoenixIsRising

"Starvation mode" is a complete myth. There is no such thing as eating too little = gaining weight. Eating 1000 calories a day (I do not recommend it because you will feel exhausted and blah) is going to make you lose a ton of weight. Period.

Does that mean I didn't "have" to force myself to eat dinner to reach the minimum 1000 on MFP diary?
I know i know first world problem, lately Ive been having a problem eating more than 800, I'm just not hungry

Why? The fact that it is an ongoing problem is not good.

TheVirgoddess

"Starvation mode" is a complete myth. There is no such thing as eating too little = gaining weight. Eating 1000 calories a day (I do not recommend it because you will feel exhausted and blah) is going to make you lose a ton of weight. Period.

Does that mean I didn't "have" to force myself to eat dinner to reach the minimum 1000 on MFP diary?
I know i know first world problem, lately Ive been having a problem eating more than 800, I'm just not hungry

You can always drink your calories (a beer, a glass of OJ) or choose calorie dense foods to bump it up (nuts, avocado, peanut butter, etc).

I go through phases where my appetite seriously sucks. So I throw in some lemon oreos or a beer or some nuts at the end of my day. I'm not hungry, but I know eating too little isn't a healthy way to lose weight long term, so I try to get creative.

7aneena

"Starvation mode" is a complete myth. There is no such thing as eating too little = gaining weight. Eating 1000 calories a day (I do not recommend it because you will feel exhausted and blah) is going to make you lose a ton of weight. Period.

Does that mean I didn't "have" to force myself to eat dinner to reach the minimum 1000 on MFP diary?
I know i know first world problem, lately Ive been having a problem eating more than 800, I'm just not hungry

Why? The fact that it is an ongoing problem is not good.

I first noticed when I was doing intermittent fasting, I realized I can't eat that many calories in an 8 hour window especially since the food I eat is not calorie dense (lean meat, chicken, and veggies) so I stopped doing IF
It also happens whenever I sleep in and I start my day late ( eat around 1 pm) basically same effect as IF since I'm not giving myself enough time to eat
Usually all of this happens on days I don't work out (2 days out of the week) because when I do I'm usually starving afterwards and eat very close to my goal