Is it really just calories in vs calories out?

need2lose31

Happy Monday All!

I have a questions re: Calories in/Calories out.

I have pretty much been watching my food intake for about two weeks. I have lost roughly 5 pounds which seems to be on point. The first two weeks I was just mainly paying attention to my food, no exercise. Last week I started at the gym and have gone everyday since, doing atleast 30 minutes of cardio, sometimes I go twice a day. I also just begain a bit of strength training last week for legs and arms. So I guess I am pretty much on point for anticipated weight loss.

I was going over my food diary with a friend, who is also a formal personal trainer, and he basically said that i should be eating less carbs, less sodium, etc etc

Now I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I have not really been paying attention to anything other than calories. I changed by Food Settings to 40/30/30, but he said that is still way too much fat consumption for someone trying to lose weight.

Please help!

young1726

I will admit that I would like to monitor the other items...for the "healthier" aspect of it. BUT...I really have been only watching calories (and I try to limit my sodium, especially a couple days before I weigh it). I am over almost everyday on carbs/fat/protein, but always under on my calories. I have lost 54 pounds in 8 months.

I am not saying this is the best way to do it. I would like to do better at having a better/healthier balance. But I'm just saying, it is doable without it.

TourThePast

I was going over my food diary with a friend, who is also a formal personal trainer, and he basically said that i should be eating less carbs, less sodium, etc etc

Perhaps he feels you need more protein and less sugars?

I changed by Food Settings to 40/30/30, but he said that is still way too much fat consumption for someone trying to lose weight.

Eating too much fat won't stop you losing weight. You've already proved that.

What it might do is end up with your having inadequate carbs and protein and the sort of fruits and veg that fill you up and provide nutrients.

But don't get hung up on the details, you don't have to have a perfect diet - don't lose sight of the fact that you've made huge improvements already. Just take it one step at a time, you have the rest of your life to get this right.

jennywrens

I would recommend you simplify it for yourself while its working. Calories in vs calories out.

If, in the future, you stop losing, that might be the time to look a bit more closely at other things. At least that's what I'd do!!

Shweedog

Typically calories are what count the most for weight loss. As far as health, however, other factors are to be considered. My ratio is carbs 45, protein 30, and fat 25.

Solomonre0

Psh, you're just starting. Take it slow and don't bother with details like that until you have a handle on staying at your calorie limit and getting exercise into your schedule. Remember, babysteps! Gradually you will start to pay more attention to your food and where your calories are coming from, if you want to eventually follow his advice then great for you, but don't get stressed out in the details now. Take it slow and you'll make it to your goal

SheehyCFC

Weight loss is about calories in/out but where that weight comes from matters (fat vs. muscle). By eating a well balanced diet and losing in a healthy (read: MAX 2lbs/week) fashion - you are increasing the likelihood of fat loss instead of muscle loss. 40/30/30 (assuming carbs/protein/fat) is a solid # IMHO. Lessening sodium really does make a difference though - try it!

bethrs

I've lost 50 lbs trying to stay within the limits MFP sets for me- but most days I really wind up over on carbs/sugar/fiber/protein and under on fat.

I think to lose weight that calories are the most important factors but others do matter.

BTW- not all fat is evil- some of it is healthy and necessary.

SheehyCFC

I like jennywren's advice above. You're just starting - keep it simple for a while.

wysmom2000

I don't pay much attention to anything except calories. I have friends that swear by low carb, high protein, etc. but when you consider everyone's body processes things differently, it's not a one size fits all plan. Do what works for you until you run into a snag and then examine it more and try to "mix it up" so to speak.

Losingitin2011

Technically speaking it is calories in vs. calories out. If you ate 1200 calories of fast food a day you'd still lose weight, but you would likely have a myriad of other health issues come up. You would also probably not feel very well. I focus on calories and sodium.

need2lose31

Thanks guys! Yeah your right - I should just keep it simple for now, after all - Im not gaining

dietfree2012

I agree with the last statement. As you see your weight fall off you naturally will start to make better choices anyway. As someone who now works out, i doubt you are scarfing down tons of junk after a vigourous workout. If you are still enjoying some of the thing you like and still losing i would not worry. Its a trainers job to tell u to eat clean, we all should eat clean, but hey, if it were only that easy. I have a jillian micheals article on this and she says of course eat clean but focus on calories. here theory is that you can lose weight by cutting calories but when you get down to the last 10-15 that is where it really gets strict because this is vanity weight. When you get down to vanity weight its the hardest weight to drop. At that point everything is analyzed and cut out...sodium, alcohol, sugar..but this is when you are towards the end of your journey...for now keep up what your doing...when you see a plateau, then make changes.

hpsnickers1

Check out the link in my signature and you will find successful weight loss from people whose daily intake of fat (healthy fats) ranges from 50% to 70%. It isn't the fat that is making us fat. It's the carbs and sugars (mainly grain carbs, processed carbs, and refined sugars).

Carbs drive insulin and insulin drives fat storage.

I spent 6 months losing 10lbs. Since I started eating Primal 3 weeks ago (I cut out all grains and sugars except sugar from fruit; dairy is optional but does cause an insulin spike) I have dropped 4.6lbs of pure body fat. My muscle mass is intact.

cckeimig

I would recommend you simplify it for yourself while its working. Calories in vs calories out.

If, in the future, you stop losing, that might be the time to look a bit more closely at other things. At least that's what I'd do!!

I agree. I've tried to respect the other categories more or less, but I don't really worry if I go over in carbs or whatever. I try to balance what I eat and get a reasonable amount of exercise.

Just so you're aware, the calories in/calories out method was what I was doing for the first 2-3 months of my weight-loss (along with walking about 15 minutes a day--starting slow, then picking up speed as I felt up to it) and I dropped a lot of weight in safe increments. Now that I'm almost to my goal, I've noticed myself paying more careful attention to the other columns (and even personalized some of them) so that when I get to the maintenance stage, getting enough fiber and keeping my sodium down is as important as controlling my calorie intake. I also exercise more now, because I feel so much more energetic that I just *can't* stay at my desk all day any more. And I exercise twice a day, sometimes more (although there are days I don't even go for a walk) most days now.

Don't try and make it more complicated than it needs to be. I'm trying to keep it simple so I'll keep it up, you know? :glasses:

Atlantique

Happy Monday All!

I have a questions re: Calories in/Calories out.

I have pretty much been watching my food intake for about two weeks. I have lost roughly 5 pounds which seems to be on point. The first two weeks I was just mainly paying attention to my food, no exercise. Last week I started at the gym and have gone everyday since, doing atleast 30 minutes of cardio, sometimes I go twice a day. I also just begain a bit of strength training last week for legs and arms. So I guess I am pretty much on point for anticipated weight loss.

I was going over my food diary with a friend, who is also a formal personal trainer, and he basically said that i should be eating less carbs, less sodium, etc etc

Now I am feeling a bit overwhelmed. I have not really been paying attention to anything other than calories. I changed by Food Settings to 40/30/30, but he said that is still way too much fat consumption for someone trying to lose weight.

Please help!

Well, your friend is a trainer, not a nutritionist nor a dietician. So take his. advice on exercise and exercise only. His nutritional advice is about as sound as ours. :laugh:

At the most basic level, yes, it's calories in vs. calories out. To improve your health, you obviously have to give some consideration to what comprises your calories.

TTHdred

For weight loss, yes, it’s calories in vs calories out. But for lifestyle change and maximum results it’s is much bigger. There is a recommended “make up” of the daily calories we should be eating. Certain “calories” are better for you and may help maximize the results of your workouts. For example just looking at the two your personal trainer friend mentioned. Sodium causes water retention which may just prevent that scale from going anywhere. On top of that, high blood pressure, interrupting blood flow to your extremities. And fat (the bad kind) can not only cause all those random diseases you hear so often on the radio, but even more basic, may prevent your results from showing. We all know a pound of fat will appear larger than a pound of muscle, so those inches we like to see go or that muscle definition we may be looking for may be harder to attain.

Review some articles on the recommended daily amounts for all categories (carbs, fiber, sodium, fat, protein etc) and go on and ensure your percentages are right. You can adjust any of those in MFP. I have high blood pressure, so after calculating what I need for weight loss I went in and drastically lowered my sodium intake. Some days I am over, but at least I am easily able to identify when/where/how because I set it up just the one time.

Looking at all the other categories is definitely a more effective route, but to NOT do so won’t totally harm your efforts.

HungryMom

Psh, you're just starting. Take it slow and don't bother with details like that until you have a handle on staying at your calorie limit and getting exercise into your schedule. Remember, babysteps! Gradually you will start to pay more attention to your food and where your calories are coming from, if you want to eventually follow his advice then great for you, but don't get stressed out in the details now. Take it slow and you'll make it to your goal

^This exactly!

Glucocorticoid

For all intents and purposes, yes, it's all about calories. If you're interested in the details, google "The Energy Balance Equation".

NatalieWinning

You got the calories in calories out part, and that works. Do that for sure! As you go, try to make better healthier choices and pay attention to the nutrition. Make small changes where you can, choice by choice, and you will naturally start to eat more healthy. Yes nutrition does matter and so does being healthy. So step by step you are getting there. Keep at the calorie goal, keep at the exercise, begin to find healthy choices when you can. Start reading the grocery store packages and get things with lower sugar and sodium, lower fat. Look for leaner meats. Limit manufactured processed foods. These are the things you can do over time as you go and get better at it.

So WTG on success! And keep up trying to better the diet!

PrairieRoseNE

Technically speaking it is calories in vs. calories out. If you ate 1200 calories of fast food a day you'd still lose weight, but you would likely have a myriad of other health issues come up. You would also probably not feel very well. I focus on calories and sodium.

Same here!
In order of importance to my health plan - I watch calories first, sodium second, carbs third, fat & cholesterol tie for fourth!

l3ugjuice

This confused me a bit initially, too. Then I read about the dietician-guy who did the Twinkie diet, and it made more sense.

So the way I look at it is: Calories in/out is the rule for losing weight, but try to keep those calories within certain dietary guidelines (like someone else said, 40/30/30 is a good guideline). Different people have different nutritional needs, though. Some people thrive on carb restricted diets, for example, other people dont. I really cant give you any input to your dietary needs, you may want to talk to your doctor at some point. I've been doing that at least every other month since I started trying to lose weight (mid January). So far I'm doing really well just watching calories as a rule and doing as best I can to stay in the 40/30/30 ballpark, and she really loves the data I pull from my bodymedia fit monitor (which is why I ended up getting an Ambien prescription...)

bonjour24

hiya.

i'm fairly new to this too (been here 6 weeks or so), and TBH i've found the food tracker really useful. i don't know about fat/carb ratios- and i don't care much either. focussing on that is not going to make this easier for me. this is about a change in lifestyle, not a fad where i have to weigh, assess, and ridiculously measure my food intake. i might get there, but it's not happening soon!!
i've found the tracker really good for letting me know what the really bad foods are for sodium (ie luncheon meat!), and then i can choose not to go there again. i'm usually in the green for most food groups at the end of the day.
so i say that if balancing your diet to such a high degree is not a priority for you, i'd just eat healthily and see what happens.

need2lose31

My sodium intake on MFP is listed at 2500 mg per day, Im not sure if this is something I changed while messing around with my intake guidelines or is this is this the RDA?

eviltwinkie

I think it is, pretty much, BUT... it's good to track and see what's working for you and what feels good. This is speaking from the mindset of someone who's fairly sedentary. I'd be more worried about that balance if I was training. Not worried about running a marathon - just want to be able to enjoy long walks on knees that aren't feeling as stressed.

That said, I am using it to watch my balance - to lower both my sodium and carb intake.

I was on WW prior to this and had been plateaued for about a year (after losing 90 lbs.) Started losing weight immediately by tracking calories on MFP, so right now, I'm thinking calories in vs. calories out rules.

hpsnickers1

Check out the link in my signature and you will find successful weight loss from people whose daily intake of fat (healthy fats) ranges from 50% to 70%. It isn't the fat that is making us fat. It's the carbs and sugars (mainly grain carbs, processed carbs, and refined sugars).

Carbs drive insulin and insulin drives fat storage.

I spent 6 months losing 10lbs. Since I started eating Primal 3 weeks ago (I cut out all grains and sugars except sugar from fruit; dairy is optional but does cause an insulin spike) I have dropped 4.6lbs of pure body fat. My muscle mass is intact.

Ignore my previous post. This is what works for me. Because of the amazing changes going on in my body and my mind and the increase in my energy levels I want to shout it out to everyone "this is the way to do it!!!". But that isn't support or advice. Before I went primal I had someone on this site - stroutman81; you'll see his posts; he's very knowledgeable and will help you if you PM him your stats and your goals -gave me advice on getting lean while already being at a healthy weight. His fat number for me was 25%-30%, 1g of protein per pound of goal body weight, 1-3 servings of fruit and 3-6 servings of veggies and anything else I wanted within my calorie range. Healthy fats are very good for the body. And make sure you are getting most of your carbs through veggies/fruits. You get the most "bang for your buck" with these (nutrients). Try to go as whole, natural and unprocessed as you can with your diet. Weight is mostly about calories in/calories out but the quality of the calorie will make a difference for long term health.

It sounds to me like what you are doing is working - no reason to change it until it stops working. Meanwhile do some research on calories and the way the body handles calories. Also do some research on carbs, fats, and protein and how the body uses them. I was continually researching and reading and as I learned things I would tweak my calories or my foods or my ratios.

krb731

Psh, you're just starting. Take it slow and don't bother with details like that until you have a handle on staying at your calorie limit and getting exercise into your schedule. Remember, babysteps! Gradually you will start to pay more attention to your food and where your calories are coming from, if you want to eventually follow his advice then great for you, but don't get stressed out in the details now. Take it slow and you'll make it to your goal

This is great advise.

Pebble321

My sodium intake on MFP is listed at 2500 mg per day, Im not sure if this is something I changed while messing around with my intake guidelines or is this is this the RDA?

I think this is the recommendation in the US, and is the default in MFP. I ve changed mine to 1500 which is the Australian RDA.

fteale

Weight is just about calories in vs calories out, but weight has little to do with body shape or health. That is about composition of your food and exercise.

TourThePast

weight has little to do with body shape or health. That is about composition of your food and exercise.

I don't think you really meant to say that, i.e. suggesting that weight has little to do with health.

If someone eats great food, but far far too much of it, and as a consequence weighs 400lb, it will definitely have serious effects on their health, however organic their food is and however much they exercise.

NatalieWinning

Technically speaking it is calories in vs. calories out. If you ate 1200 calories of fast food a day you'd still lose weight, but you would likely have a myriad of other health issues come up. You would also probably not feel very well. I focus on calories and sodium.

Same here!
In order of importance to my health plan - I watch calories first, sodium second, carbs third, fat & cholesterol tie for fourth!

I disagree with the sodium carbs and fat being second most important. Yes, for weight loss and to cut down on bad stuff. But thats focusing on bad. How about focusing on what your body needs? Good healthy nutrition. Are you getting enough of this and that vitamine and min.? What healthy foods will help you get more healthy? those are the ones that are usally lower sodium, less processed, and fiber rich anyway. So if you focus on what will satisfy your daily nutrition needs you will naturally be cutting down on all that's not so healthy, plus have a healthier balance of carbs, fats, protein, and sodium. Incidentally, fiber is a big deal.