"calorie counting will get you no where"

Honeyinma

Most successful weight loss is based on calorie counting, like WW. Understanding the emotional triggers, however, is just as important. I recommend getting therapy specifically geared towards overeating as a emotional issue and not just a physical one. Dana Wallach does some over the phone work too, and she's great. Helped me a lot! Keep at it lady, you can do it. I also found that making my food diary public was extremely helpful. More accountability! I'm also competitive, so if my friends were under their goal then I wanted to be too!!!

elri1908

If a 95% failure rate is any evidence, then counting calories doesn't work.

So if you aren't counting calories, why are you on MFP where the biggest thing is logging food and keeping track of calories, among other things.

It may say swiss milk on the side of the bus, as in advertising, but the bus doesn't necessarily go to Switzerland. j/k

Now that makes more sense if you say it that way....

I'm here to get fitter, and to share my imput and knowledge about nutrition and weight loss with others even at the expense of not being popular with some of my statements, this thread obviously one of them. My point is and always will be that until someone makes fundamental changes in their overall attitute to food, exercise, stress etc, that simply by counting calories almost all will not find longterm weight loss or health. That 95% failure rate isn't something I pulled out of a hat, it's reality. I'm not saying it won't work, but chances are it won't.

Now that makes more sense if you say it that way....

zia130

i feel your frustration, i have been doing this for 5 weeks now, just when i get down 3 pounds, my next weigh in is up 2 and my overall loss is only 1 pound, so i changed to my measurements, i've only seen a slight decrease which is frustrating but i'm trying to focus on i'm exercising more and eating better, i'm hoping in the long run it all pays off. my weight certainly didn't increase overnight so i can't expect it to fall off overnight either. hang in there!

neanderthin

If a 95% failure rate is any evidence, then counting calories doesn't work.

You've been on this site since October 2011, and you've posted 985 times. Your ticker stands at zero.... I understand your disappointment, but your remarks are not helping people looking for support.

I don't count calories or track my food, that's why. I've reduced my weight from a high of 255lbs to my current 183lbs over the last 3 years and have maintained my overall weight over the last year while simultaniously reducing my body fat. I'm not dissapointed, just for the (your) record.

Springfield_Rocks

If a 95% failure rate is any evidence, then counting calories doesn't work.

So if you aren't counting calories, why are you on MFP where the biggest thing is logging food and keeping track of calories, among other things.

It may say swiss milk on the side of the bus, as in advertising, but the bus doesn't necessarily go to Switzerland. j/k

I'm here to get fitter, and to share my imput and knowledge about nutrition and weight loss with others even at the expense of not being popular with some of my statements, this thread obviously one of them. My point is and always will be that until someone makes fundamental changes in their overall attitute to food, exercise, stress etc, that simply by counting calories almost all will not find longterm weight loss or health. That 95% failure rate isn't something I pulled out of a hat, it's reality. I'm not saying it won't work, but chances are it won't.

i remember you from another website. you are just being a pain in the rear! go do something positive.

counting calories and exercising does work, if you do it. that is the problem, a lot of people just don't do it and then wonder why the program doesn't work. i am learning so much and i am already losing weight without feeling like i have cut off an entire food group or something.

it works and it's easy, but i have to give up my cookie binges, go figure!

grinch031

Most successful weight loss is based on calorie counting, like WW. Understanding the emotional triggers, however, is just as important. I recommend getting therapy specifically geared towards overeating as a emotional issue and not just a physical one. Dana Wallach does some over the phone work too, and she's great. Helped me a lot! Keep at it lady, you can do it. I also found that making my food diary public was extremely helpful. More accountability! I'm also competitive, so if my friends were under their goal then I wanted to be too!!!

WW has a much better track record than straight calorie counting. But don't be fooled, WW is not simply a calorie restricted diet in disguise as a point system. Its point system is carefully crafted to improve bodily hormonal responses by valuing foods good for the body over those bad for the body. The key to sustained weight loss is managing appetite such that a person doesn't over-consume calories. If a person is hungry all the time as a result of calorie restriction, they WILL fail and regain all the weight. This is what happens 90% of the time because people don't understand that the body's hormones have the final say. Calorie deficit IS a side effect of good eating in the long term. Manual calorie deficit based on eating frozen dinners and 100-calorie packs is a temporary weight loss solution.

elri1908

If a 95% failure rate is any evidence, then counting calories doesn't work.

You've been on this site since October 2011, and you've posted 985 times. Your ticker stands at zero.... I understand your disappointment, but your remarks are not helping people looking for support.

I don't count calories or track my food, that's why. I've reduced my weight from a high of 255lbs to my current 183lbs over the last 3 years and have maintained my overall weight over the last year while simultaniously reducing my body fat. I'm not dissapointed, just for the (your) record.

Well done! That IS something to be proud of. I hope all of us struggling to get there will eventually achieve the same good results.

dieseljay74

Tell your roommate that I lost 47 lbs. by diet and weightlifting alone..........zero cardio

l3long

You know, I have always struggled to keep my weight down right from puberty but by watching what I ate and exercising and I've succeeded. I have never been skinny but I have always been relatively trim and fit. In highschool I kept my 5'3" frame between 120 and 130 and today at 42 and after two kids, I am 130 at the end of the winter trying to get back down to 120 for the summer. It is all about healthy habits and constant diligence (okay maybe with the occassional splurge ... ya gotta live!)

My friends who could eat what they wanted all through highschool and university and still weigh 100 lbs are now much larger than I because they never learned healthy habits.

I have been working on this 10 lbs for a few weeks now and I have only lost 1 lb so what have I done .... I stopped weighing but continue to log my food and exercise and stick to my goals. when my pants start to feel lose .... I will weigh again.

zia130

You know, I have always struggled to keep my weight down right from puberty but by watching what I ate and exercising and I've succeeded. I have never been skinny but I have always been relatively trim and fit. In highschool I kept my 5'3" frame between 120 and 130 and today at 42 and after two kids, I am 130 at the end of the winter trying to get back down to 120 for the summer. It is all about healthy habits and constant diligence (okay maybe with the occassional splurge ... ya gotta live!)

My friends who could eat what they wanted all through highschool and university and still weigh 100 lbs are now much larger than I because they never learned healthy habits.

I have been working on this 10 lbs for a few weeks now and I have only lost 1 lb so what have I done .... I stopped weighing but continue to log my food and exercise and stick to my goals. when my pants start to feel lose .... I will weigh again.

thank you! i love your attitude and it is comforting to know i'm not the only one with a slow start! hang in there and best wishes to you for a healthy and happy success story!

neanderthin

If a 95% failure rate is any evidence, then counting calories doesn't work.

So if you aren't counting calories, why are you on MFP where the biggest thing is logging food and keeping track of calories, among other things.

It may say swiss milk on the side of the bus, as in advertising, but the bus doesn't necessarily go to Switzerland. j/k

I'm here to get fitter, and to share my imput and knowledge about nutrition and weight loss with others even at the expense of not being popular with some of my statements, this thread obviously one of them. My point is and always will be that until someone makes fundamental changes in their overall attitute to food, exercise, stress etc, that simply by counting calories almost all will not find longterm weight loss or health. That 95% failure rate isn't something I pulled out of a hat, it's reality. I'm not saying it won't work, but chances are it won't.

i remember you from another website. you are just being a pain in the rear! go do something positive.

counting calories and exercising does work, if you do it. that is the problem, a lot of people just don't do it and then wonder why the program doesn't work. i am learning so much and i am already losing weight without feeling like i have cut off an entire food group or something.

it works and it's easy, but i have to give up my cookie binges, go figure!

LOL.............I still binge on cookies periodically, I win.

iluxoxo211

I understand how you can be frusterated but you only have like 35lbs total to lose says your weight ticker.. you have lost 11lbs.. you have done great.. give yourself some credit and just keep going.. :flowerforyou:

mfpcopine

Calorie counting is the most accessible method for ordinary people to assess their diet and energy needs and I think it usually does work. But you have to be consistent. In addition, I've always read that seriously overweight people have to work out five to six times a week.

adswillis27

I didn't read through the whole tread so I apologize if someone has already mentioned these things. Calorie counting works if you stick with it. Weight Watchers works if you stick with it. Other 'diets' work if you stick with them. The problem with most diets though is that they are temporary. People cut out things that they love and limit certain nutrients in order to lose weight. I always calorie count because that works for me, but I also educated myself on proper food and nutrition. You can eat 1500 calories in candy or 1500 calories in fruits, veggies, good fat, protein, good carbs etc. It is all 1500 calories, but your body isn't getting the nutrients it needs in the candy. When you count calories you need to know how many calories your body needs based on many different factors. If you exercise then you can eat more calories. The goal is to have a deficit, so you want to burn more calories than you consume. If you burn 3500 more each week than you consume you will lose 1lb. That means you need to burn 500 calories more than you consume each day for 7 days/1 week. This is something very attainable that you get you to a goal. Small steps will get you to a goal. Most people want a quick easy solution, but it takes hard work and effort to lose weight. Educate yourself and you will succeed.

huntindawg1962

]LOL.............I still binge on cookies periodically, I win.

you won a "one car race."

donnantx

You must have been reading my mind yesterday!!! I am 80 pounds overweight and do pretty well tracking my calories Mon-Thursday but Friday, Saturday and Sunday if I get off track by a few hundred calories then I gain everything back that I lost and am back to square one (usually heavier on the carbs).

I thought the issue might be my love of Crown and Diet Coke but I have given that up for Lent (I am not Catholic) and have not seen any changes whatsoever. I am pre-diabetic and notice that the more carbs I eat the more weight I gain and the higher my blood sugar and I am a carb addicted!!

Another thing is that "you will weigh ____ in 5 weeks if you eat the same blah blah blah"...that just depresses me!!! If I eat 1200 calories a day for 5 weeks I will lose 5 pounds...UGH...no deviation whatsoever, so I sometimes think that calorie counting will get me nowhere but a nervous breakdown or that I will completely just give up (like I have so many other times before). I think there just must be an easier way..which by the way is how the diet industry is a multi billion dollar industry..so I will continue to try and make positive changes everyday and count every morsel I put in my mouth...and continue my journey..I hope you do as well.

kev1124

I have had a problem with emotional/binge eating - I bought this book to see if it would help get me anywhere... surprisingly, it has helped me look at eating in a different way. I HIGHLY recommend it. Not every suggestion in the book works for everyone; however, it is worth a shot!

http://www.amazon.com/Breaking-Free-Emotional-Eating-Geneen/dp/0452284910

SafireBleu

well, you can always look at it the other way, not counting calories has brought us all to where we are today so apparently not knowing what you are consuming is not working either so something has to change.

Yes, something fundamental has to change......dieting and counting calories is a fail.

Offer solutions then and make a recommendation don't just state an opinion like it is fact without backing it up. Offer some advice. Share what you know.

To the OP maybe you need to reevaluate what you are doing. Counting calories does help but a low calorie diet is not for everyone. I think eating more sometimes helps. It keeps you full and makes this counting calorie thing easier to do. If you are trying to stick to a 1200 calorie diet I recommend doing 3 things. Figure out your body fat %, figure out your BMR and then figure out your TDEE. eat at least your BMR and lower than your TDEE to have a calorie deficit that will help you lose weight and body fat, keep your body functioning properly and keep you from being hungry. Use this link to figure out your body fat http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/mbf/ then use this tool to figure out your BMR http://www.fat2fitradio.com/tools/bmr/ At the bottom of the page there is a chart that will tell you how many calories to eat according to your activity level and still lose weight. It might seem high but the higher number will allow you to lose weight slowly and in a way that is sustainable. It will give you extra calories so that when you do eat that brownie you can work it in and not feel like you ruined your diet.

If you are trying to lose by eating more calorie then you need to think about why you eat. 2 books I recommend are Intuitive Eating and Overcoming Binge Eating. Both help you think about why you overeat and what is causing you to binge. Sometimes know why we do things makes it easier for us not to do do them because we are more aware. Good luck on your journey.

nwg74

Down 150 pounds by counting calories. It is only possible if the person committed and stick to it. I still need to lose somewhere between 40-50 pounds. I have upped my calories now as I decided to lose less per week as I want to eat more for a while without going crazy.

thistimeismytime

If a 95% failure rate is any evidence, then counting calories doesn't work.

What is the purpose of your presence here? Just to discourage people?? Not helpful....at all.