Asking for your success stories by justcounting calories

shst07
shst07 Posts: 61 Member
edited October 26 in Success Stories
Hi!
I was just wondering if people could share their stories of weight loss from just counting calories? How much you lost and if you stuck with the calories mfp recommended or upped your calories to TDEE-20% or so? And it's not that I don't think losing weight by eating low carb, Paleo, or clean doesn't work, it just didn't work for me in the long run. I just don't want to restrict a certain food/food group from my diet anymore.
Thank you!
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Replies

  • SalonBoi
    SalonBoi Posts: 60
    Hey my name is Jaysen nice to meet ya :-) I just upped to my tdee-%20 and I'm nervous as all get out.. But it makes total sense with keeping your body nourished.. I look forward to the pounds melting away.. Good luck on your journey.
  • shst07
    shst07 Posts: 61 Member
    Thanks for responding! Yes, I am nervous too, but it does make sense to not starve yourself. Good luck on you journey as well.
  • laurainparis
    laurainparis Posts: 64 Member
    I I lost 18 lbs and have kept it off for several months by just counting calories. I am 5' 7", 140 lbs, and lost the weight at 1200 cal/day and have kept it off at 1600/day. I try to walk and take the stairs, but I don't do any exercise regime. I have another friend who lost 35 lbs on MFP just counting calories.
  • LadyYamura
    LadyYamura Posts: 5 Member
    Hi, my husband and I have started counting calories and using this site everyday since Feb. 4th of this year. He has lost 16lbs by just counting calories and I have lost 13lbs(haven't weighed in a week) since I started counting calories. It does work and I limit nothing as far as foods. I still have chocolate and all of the other things you can't have on certain diets. It works. Good luck on your journey. Add me as a friend if you'd like.
  • Hi
    I've been using MFP for 8 weeks tomorrow just counting calories sticking to the total they gave me to lose 2lbs a week and I've now lost 28lbs and my fiancé has been doing it about the same time and lost over 20lbs and neither of us have been doing any extra exercise.
  • ashleey1000
    ashleey1000 Posts: 256 Member
    bump
  • Healthydiner65
    Healthydiner65 Posts: 1,448 Member
    Hi! My base is 1250 calories and I eat back half of what I exercise. I have lost 24 pounds! I do not restrict any food from my diet and don't freak out if I go over a few calories , however, I do keep my sodium lower. Keep it simple!
  • cazzer69
    cazzer69 Posts: 162 Member
    17lb since the 5th of jan using MFPs settings and skipping no food groups.

    (Well except most veggies cos I hate veggies)
  • I'm at 11 pounds lost since January 30th. I find that my weight goes up and down... so i know i'll eventually have to do something different... but for now it works! :)
  • SparklyPinkMom
    SparklyPinkMom Posts: 50 Member
    I'm just starting out....5 weeks in, 1500 calories per day and not watching my macros and no exercise. I've lost almost 12 lbs now. I do plan on adding exercise soon.
  • wormy80
    wormy80 Posts: 64 Member
    Bump
  • I started counting my calories in 2011 -2012 and lost about 50 lbs. I maintained my weight. Recently since joining MFP in JAN 2013 I started to count my calories again and lost 7lbs in one month. For me it really did make a difference counting my calories as of now I don't do any exercising except brisk walking when I go to the park with my child. I eat what I want except meat and dairy I am currently a strict vegetarian. But I love sweets!! As long as it's in my calorie goal. I currently consume 1200 calories a day but certain days I go over it but no more then 1600 calories.
  • I hate veggies also, but I love them in my smoothie.
    Try some in a smoothie. I have the vita-mix and I use it every day. Thanks for sharing your story.
  • heidihorton
    heidihorton Posts: 110 Member
    I do eat a lot of fruits and veggies , lean meat and potatoe chips lol! I do not do low carb or any other set parameters, i eat smaller portions of the stuff i wantand fill in the " still hungary" part of my meals with fruits veggies and lots of spices. I follow mfp calories only I do work in a job where I walk a lot but not constantly. Other than that. No daily exercise routine. At this point I will start adding fitness but now I feel like I can do it and not break something, also the weight loss has given me a lot more energy. You can lose weight without exercising but eventually you will want to exercise to use the extra energy you have :). Good luck!
  • shst07
    shst07 Posts: 61 Member
    Wow! You are all so inspiring! Thank you for sharing your successes!

    I do exercise (mainly walking and some dumbbell weight lifting), so my question regarding 'just counting calories' pertained more to losing weight JUST counting calories rather than following a low carb, paleo, clean, WW, etc diet. Basically, I'm wondering if you are eating within your calorie parameters and not depriving yourself of foods you want. I'm glad to see that you aren't! That gives me hope that there will be success for the long term. Thanks again for sharing everyone!
  • seif0068
    seif0068 Posts: 193 Member
    I know everyone is different, but purely counting calories has worked for me! I have MFP set to lose 1 lb per week. The first 15 lbs I lost were entirely calorie counting, but now that I have been working out I have actually plateaued a bit (makes me hungrier while my body gets used to it, so I go over on calories often). I do not believe in eliminating anything from my diet entirely, as I know it will not be sustainable for me. I have the discipline to limit my indulgences to occasional ones that fit into my calories or I take the occasional cheat day. Others might not do as well limiting and need to eliminate. Just depends on the individual!
  • Thinknight
    Thinknight Posts: 35 Member
    I started on the 4th of January and so far ive lost 19lbs. I sit at a desk all day and hate exercise! So...when I know there is a big meal coming - a celebration of a birthday or anniversary or something - I go for a long walk or hit a treadmill for an hour and just eat away.
    Most of the time I just keep within the calories, I work 10 hour days and well dont have the time or energy to get home from work and go for a run! Im using MFP as a calory counter because I know my nature, and my nature is not exercise, if you are thinking like me (which I think you are) there is no point in becoming a gym bunny losing all the weight and then stopping when you hit it. I know it will all pour back on!

    Friend me if you like, im glad there are more like me out here! :bigsmile:
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
    Not sure, if its a success story yet but, I have lost 29 pounds in two months just by counting calories. I still have many pounds to go, but I eat whatever I want within my 1200 a day range.
  • krenelynch
    krenelynch Posts: 21 Member
    I'm only 5'0 (started at 126 and now at 115). Losing any weight has gotten harder with age! I only count calories and I eat back all my exercise calories earned because I don't want to give up anything! Especially beer...so that pushes me to work out. I have switched to a protein shake for breakfast because I'm learning to appreciate muscle and I used to skip breakfast. This has been the most gratifying success because I can see the changes in my body without feeling deprived.
  • zoukeira
    zoukeira Posts: 313 Member
    I went from 70kg (154lb) to 66kg (146lb) JUST counting calories and I ended up skinny fat (I'd lost weight before this - about 20kg or 44lb - but that was exercising and not counting calories). Now in the last 3 months I've gone from 66kg (146lb) to 57kg (126lb) by doing both counting calories and exercising, and my body looks amazing!

    You can lose successfully without exercise, but I personally think (assuming you are physically capable of exercising) that you're cheating yourself of a much better and healthier body
  • robot_potato
    robot_potato Posts: 1,535 Member
    67 pounds down, and I restrict nothing. In fact, I'll be eating Reese's sticks after my workout. Not a success story yet, but I think I'm pretty spectacular. I exercise, cause I want to look good and not flabby.
  • aquasw16
    aquasw16 Posts: 342 Member
    20 pounds so far, just counting calories. Eating what I want, in moderation! 80 more to go!
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
    I went from obese to 22% body fat using the TDEE -x% method. I started off with I think TDEE -20% but as I got leaner I made the deficit smaller

    when I was obese and first starting out I was eating 1300 cals/day
    I upped that to 1400 cals/day along the way
    then up to 1500 cals/day as I approached a healthy body fat %

    Currently eating 1850 cals/day for maintenance, although I'm checking at the moment whether that's really maintenance, or a very small deficit. (i.e. it's my current calorie goal and I'm sticking to it for a couple of weeks to see if my weight is stable, or very slowly going down)

    I also did heavy lifting throughout.... although now I'm at maintenance I'm focusing on getting stronger more than on what I look like, but I am aiming to slowly lower my body fat percentage to the 18-20% range (although it's a particular look that I'm after, more than a specific body fat percentage) and I'm also aiming to increase my lean body mass to 105lb+ (cycling between eating at a deficit and a surplus to achieve this)

    I'm 5'1" 130lb (approx 100lb lean body mass/approx 22% body fat)
  • kbeech06
    kbeech06 Posts: 328 Member
    16 pounds since January 7th counting calories. I eat anything I want (even went out for ice cream yesterday) and just work it into my calories for the day. Its slow and steady and I LOVE IT!
  • cchierighini
    cchierighini Posts: 18 Member
    Ive lost all the weight so far by just eating to my calorie goal. Ive been here 2 years and still don't know what tdee ect are and don't particularly care either. It took me a year to get to my current weight and now in trying for a last 15lb. I have always eaten a lot of fruit and veg anyway so it was more a portion control thing with me.
  • mamasyd
    mamasyd Posts: 80 Member
    I have lost all of my weight by counting calories and maintaining a balanced nutritional intake. I have been on MFP for almost two years, but haven't always gone by their counts. Initially, in the weight loss phase, I made sure that my weekly intake was at or below 10,000 calories. Varying my daily intake through the week helped keep my metabolism guessing. I would have a couple of days at about 1000-1100, a couple at 1200-1400, one at 1500-1600, and two at 1700-2000. After losing about 80 pounds, I started (VERY slowly) to add in some exercise.

    Now, for maintaining my weight (and it's been just about a year so far), I keep my weekly amount at 12,500 and use a similar method of varying the daily amounts (though, obviously, with slightly higher amounts each day).

    I have been careful to focus on a healthy style of eating that was something with which I could live for the rest of my life. Throughout the loss phase I rarely ate anything that might even remotely be considered a dessert. Now I will occasionally have some frozen custard or a piece of dark chocolate, but I much prefer fruits and veggies. It really has become a new way of life for me.

    Keep up the good work - this is very doable!!

    Blessings,

    Pastor Syd
  • bhayyy
    bhayyy Posts: 5
    Hey there! I started in July using MFP recommendations and successfully lost for two months. I then upped calories after reading about tdee and have still been consistently losing! I hardly exercise but am trying to do so more regularly :)
  • redraidergirl2009
    redraidergirl2009 Posts: 2,560 Member
    I lost weight quickly eating a base of 1200 calories for a month. 12lbs. I did no exercise. I ate crappy processed food, I also felt like crap.
  • ldbuster0
    ldbuster0 Posts: 207
    bump for later reading

    You all are doing great.
  • pamelalk
    pamelalk Posts: 70 Member
    two years ago new years day quite smoking and went on a 1200 calorie a day diet, i ate anything i wanted just tracked everything diligently, i lost 60 pounds and have kept it off soo far..i am new to mfp but really like the easy tracking and community here. i am still at 1200 calories a day but i am finding it harder to maintain that i did lose...good luck
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