Are you really losing weight by counting calories?
latoyasmith1985
Posts: 71 Member
I want to know the truth lol.. Are you really losing weight by just counting calories and exercise? Is counting your calories teaching you to make better decision? What are you doing to make sure you stay under your calories? If you don't mind please also tell me you start weight and current weight from when you started counting your calories? I am just a little curious.
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Replies
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Yup. Just counting calories and exercise.
Losing weight is nothing more than calories vs calories out. I have eaten better now I admit. Knowing how many calories is in something that I used to eat every day is shocking sometimes. I still enjoy myself every now and then, just make sure it fits in for the day. I was 350 pounds and am now 240. I lost 140 pounds in 2 years and put on 40 last year trying to gain some muscle. (And working two jobs and not eating right, my fault I know) Now I am back at cutting for summer and have lost 10 pounds in a month.
I tried all the fad diets over the years and would lose some weight, but it would come right back on when I stopped. I never counted calories though, and looking back I can see that I was probably really under-eating and starving myself. It wasn't sustainable. Nobody really told me how calories worked.
I usually have my dinner planned out, use the left overs from dinner for lunch the next day and fill in the rest of my calories with whatever I am lacking (Protein, fats or carbs) Sometimes if I am having a big dinner, I skip lunch so I can enjoy it more. I weigh or measure everything I eat, other than veggies.
Feel free to check my diary if you want.0 -
Are you really losing weight by just counting calories and exercise?
Yes
Is counting your calories teaching you to make better decision?
Yes. Examples: portion control, how many calories are in what foods.
What are you doing to make sure you stay under your calories?
Measure, weigh, record.
If you don't mind please also tell me you start weight and current weight from when you started counting your calories?
SW410
CW3500 -
yes.
If you boil it down, the only thing you really have to do to lose weight is count your calories and stop eating when you don't have any more left for the day.1 -
I've lost 48lbs by counting calories. I started at 230lbs and I'm at 182 now.
I eat what I want. I try to make good decisions as frequently as possible, but I'm not going to turn down cake at a birthday party. I have treats, but I keep it in my calorie goal. Sometimes, I go over. I have days where I don't count at all. But when I do count and I'm consistently under, I lose weight.1 -
Yes I have lost weight counting my calories and exercising. I started at around 164lbs, steadily with counting and exercising i've gotten down to 136. My goals are no longer about the number I see on the scale but how I feel and how my clothes fit. I am try to make sure I get around 30% of my daily calories from protien and I have not cut fat out of my diet as I feel the things fat gets substituted with are worse.0
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Yes, most definitely counting calories and exercise will work. It's pretty basic, I started at 342, I visited a couple websites, put in my information and they said top maintain my weight I need to eat over 3000 calories a day. Which I might say I was having no problem doing. So, eating less than that and not changing anything else about my lifestyle would allow me to lose weight. Adding in the exercise allows you to lose it a little quicker. MFP says I can eat over 2000 calories a day and meet my goals, but I try to keep it around 1500. I've dropped 19lbs in 2 weeks.0
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Yes.0
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I started at 382 and am currently at 367. Counting my calories has opened my eyes to the junk I was eating before. It's amazing how when you see what's really in something your appetite changes.0
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I'm just curious....OTHER THAN watching calories, how do you think one would lose weight?0
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I want to know the truth lol.. Are you really losing weight by just counting calories and exercise?Is counting your calories teaching you to make better decision?What are you doing to make sure you stay under your calories?If you don't mind please also tell me you start weight and current weight from when you started counting your calories?
CW: 2240 -
I've been counting calories for two and a half weeks now. I eat everything, I'm eating about 1400 calories a day.0
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Yes...I am losing weight. It's a simple matter of calories burned versus calories eaten. I don't pay attention to anything but calories. I like to keep things simple.
I started a month ago and have lost seven pounds.
One thing to remember is not to be in a hurry. One to two pounds a week is a good AVERAGE. Don't weigh everyday expecting to see results. Stick with it for at least three months or don't even try this method.
Good luck!1 -
Sure is the tried and true way to lose weight...0
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Yes0
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I want to know the truth lol.. Are you really losing weight by just counting calories and exercise? Is counting your calories teaching you to make better decision? What are you doing to make sure you stay under your calories? If you don't mind please also tell me you start weight and current weight from when you started counting your calories? I am just a little curious.
Yes, and I'm not being insane with it. 30-45 min of cardio 4-5 days a week and an hour or so of lifting 1-2.
Counting calories makes me make way better decisions and is teaching me to think critically.
September 7th 2012 I was my highest weight ever at 307lbs which is also when I started counting calories. I started with the workouts maybe a week later.0 -
I'm actually not in it for weight loss but with counting calories alone I lost seven pounds. I am doing it for my health and learning about portion control.0
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I want to know the truth lol.. Are you really losing weight by just counting calories and exercise? Is counting your calories teaching you to make better decision? What are you doing to make sure you stay under your calories? If you don't mind please also tell me you start weight and current weight from when you started counting your calories? I am just a little curious.
I don't lose weight by counting the calories.
I lose weight by eating less of them.0 -
Definitely. Exercise also helps.
Logging everything I eat every single day kept my weight good for 6 years. I stopped logging and gained it all back plus. 1 year ago, I started again and it is working -- albeit slowly. This is what I need to do for the rest of my life (or until I'm served my meals).0 -
I'm just curious....OTHER THAN watching calories, how do you think one would lose weight?
Some people have lost weight by eating intuitively...nothing is off limits, they eat only when hungry and stop when satisfied. I have a friend who lost (and has kept off) close to 75 pounds this way. Me, I am never satisfied so I could not do that. :laugh:0 -
You bet. After a month of counting calories, it became clear that I'm doing just fine as long as I stay away from cookies, chocolate, and general over eating.
It's very easy to lose track or conveniently "not notice" this small treats throughout the day. A cookie here, a piece of chocolate there. It seems like nothing but it adds up quickly.
Counting calories is the best way to keep you accountable. I've been doing this since September, lost 15 pounds and also have pretty good feel now how much of what foods I can eat. I still measure and log everything - no second guessing.
I happen to have cheat days but I do not plan them - they tend to find their way to me. lol
Yet, still lost 15 pounds - yay me. Oh, and I exercise as well.0 -
once upon a time I lost a lot of weight by tracking food and calories.
I found I started naturally making better food choices b/c I was going to be starving if I ate tiny amounts of high calorie foods rather than lots of low calorie foods.
example: I'd eat a HUGE salad (veggies only) with 2 tbsp of vinagerette (measuring b/c it's easy to put way to much dressing on a big salad) and then eat small portion of lean meat and brown rice.
I got full, calories stayed low.0 -
Yes. Calorie counting + exercise = success.
Height: 5'7
Starting weight: Somewhere around 157 lbs.
Current weight: About 130 lbs.0 -
The general consensus is YES here, but be mindful of the quality of foods.
Yes, Calories In < Calories out = weight loss, but if you're aiming for a healthy, long term resullt and maybe eventually tone up, it's much more than the number.
I've just met with a nutritionist last night. She was explaining to me that we can often get too caught up with the caloric numbers and that it's better to have a 300 calorie meal/snack that is balanced between protein and carbs vs having that 90-calories cereal bar. She says, with nutritious foods, we feel fuller longer, and at the end of the day, you end up consuming the same amount of calories within your MFP budget because you are eating smaller portions of these nutritious, more satisfying foods. Makes sense, every time I have one of my "low-calorie snacks," Im hungry and hour and a half later.
I'm also a HUGE fan of never depriving yourself, like LoraF83 says. Enjoy the things you love, but in moderation. It's all about balance. I may have an extra glass of wine (or two), but that just means I have to work out harder the next day, or balance out my meal choices across the rest of the day.
Hope this helps...0 -
Yes, but remember that part of it is seeing what types of food you're eating to fill those calories. For example, my personal trainer (and there is not just one perfect way for everyone) mentioned that instead of caring so much about overall calories, to focus on making my goals for each category.
For example, he said carbs will always be the biggest part but to make sure protein comes second and fat is third in my intake.
Like I said, this may just be for me, but I think all calorie counting and exercising benefits from good balance.
Don't forget about hydrating yourself! I only drink coffee, water and juice but sometimes don't get as much water as I need and when I do, it makes a HUGE difference.
Good luck with your goals!0 -
I want to know the truth lol.. Are you really losing weight by just counting calories and exercise? Is counting your calories teaching you to make better decision? What are you doing to make sure you stay under your calories? If you don't mind please also tell me you start weight and current weight from when you started counting your calories? I am just a little curious.
I don't lose weight by counting the calories.
I lose weight by eating less of them.
:drinker: :laugh:0 -
Yep!
SW 201
CW 146.50 -
Counting calories just shows you that things that are advertised as "healthy" can still be bad and sometimes what you think is a good choice is actually not. For example, the other day I was super hungry and at costco, I got a chicken ceaser salad and only used half of the dressing but still had the croutons and the cheese that was on it. I have a calorie goal of 1500 calories a day and that one salad came out to be 700 calories! I had to work out to be able to eat dinner without going over BECAUSE OF A SALAD!!!! It really made me realize that just eating what you think is healthy isn't enough, you have to really learn portions and calorie levels0
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Yes. To lose weight, you must know what you are putting into your body. The quote, "Losing weight is 80% diet, 20% exercise." is true0
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It doesn't seem as simple as calories in/calories out for me. At 1320 calories per day, I should be losing weight. I'm not. I've been losing and re-gaining the same 3 pounds for 6 weeks now. For 5 weeks of that, I was on 1200 calories per day.
But I'm still logging and making the very best choices that I can, also slowly increasing my activity. I find it hard to exercise while I'm dieting because exercise stimulates my appetite to a ridiculous degree, but I know I need it.0 -
Are you really losing weight by just counting calories and exercise?
Well, technically... by exercise, counting calories and eating below maintenance. Tracking my food has also made me learn more about not only the calorie content of different foods, but also about their nutritional value. That has definitely led me to better eating habits and not only weight loss.
Is counting your calories teaching you to make better decision?
Definitely. I am much better at portion control now. Best of all, it has definitely helped me in building and following a nutrition plan that is healthy and fits my likes and lifestyle. As an added bonus, MFP´s food database has also helped me improve my English vocabulary (I'm not a native speaker).
What are you doing to make sure you stay under your calories?
Log everything and log honestly. See what makes me go over and be mindful of that. Eat more foods that are of low calorie density and high nutritional value.
If you don't mind please also tell me you start weight and current weight from when you started counting your calories?
SW: 205
CW: 1570
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