It is really as simple as cals in minus cals out?

For weight loss it is cals in vs cals out, but body composition (which you seem to be asking about) is a different thing, that is where macros and resistance training come into play. As far as fitting into a specific size (like size 0), I believe that is a different thing again -- skeletal structure (height, hip width) will prevent some people from getting small enough to be certain sizes. Clothing size designations have nothing to do with health IMO.

THIS ^^^ so totally true.

In answer to your question, is it calories in/calories out?

Yes.

and

No.

If your maintenance is 2500 and you drop 500 for a week (barring any major illness or allergies) you will lose weight. Now here's where it gets complicated. There are two things to consider.

1. Metabolic adaptation
2. Composition.

First, your metabolism will adapt to your calorie intake, over time your 500 cals dropped will not help with weight loss, you'll either need to up cardio or drop more calories. And repeat. This is why dropping 500 cals is crazy, drop 100, drop the lowest amount you can to still lose weight. If that's 0.1kg a week then fine. Because if you drop 500 cals now, what happens in 6 weeks? Another 500? Then what? Before you know it you'll be doing 12 hours of cardio a day and eating a stick of celery

Second, your composition matters a lot. I could drop 10 pounds pretty easily but I want to make sure I retain muscle whilst keeping fat low. So my macros count a lot. If I just ate 100% carbs (for example) I might lose weight if I'm in a cal deficit but over a few weeks I will look like crap.

So Macros are super important. If you don't get them right not only will you not lose fat as efficiently but you'll look a lot worse than you would if you took a few minutes to figure out what you should be hitting.

I am 5'5
I don't have a food scale, my husband would consider that to be something that would be a no no I think in our house hold. I have had ED issues in the past, and that I still struggle with so to actually have grams to my food would maybe not be so wonderful. You see a lot of 1 cup or 1/2 cup because that's the measuring cups that I own.
I will start by upping my protein and maybe adding in weights to see if that's the trick. Possibly up my calories I have been readin around and it looks like I'm on the low end.

So basically even thought I am working out doing Insanity and I feel like I am eating right and following close to what MFP has layed out I'm somehow still doing it wrong. Very frustrating indeed.

That's a shame that you cannot have a food scale.

When guessing some foods, the difference in what you think the calories are and what they truly are can amount to hundreds, especially in foods such as spreads and high calorie foods.

I am 5'5
I don't have a food scale, my husband would consider that to be something that would be a no no I think in our house hold. I have had ED issues in the past, and that I still struggle with so to actually have grams to my food would maybe not be so wonderful. You see a lot of 1 cup or 1/2 cup because that's the measuring cups that I own.
I will start by upping my protein and maybe adding in weights to see if that's the trick. Possibly up my calories I have been readin around and it looks like I'm on the low end.

So basically even thought I am working out doing Insanity and I feel like I am eating right and following close to what MFP has layed out I'm somehow still doing it wrong. Very frustrating indeed.

I wouldn't say you have been doing it wrong. If you want to get lean/muscular, though, you will need to do things a bit differently. It is possible to just lose enough fat that you simply uncover the muscle you already have, but if your diet is low in protein, you are losing a disproportionate amount of muscle along with fat when you lose weight.

If you've never lifted weights before, you can make a lot of progress and gain strength even eating at a deficit if you eat enough protein (1g/lb lean body mass) and follow a good strength training program with progressive overload. Its pretty easy to do and I bet that will get you closer to the look you want. I am vegetarian so I get a lot of protein from Greek yogurt, but you can get protein from soy products, beans, and vegan protein powder -- there are a lot of good rice, pea, and hemp protein powders and that is a really easy, convenient way to do it.

If you have specific questions about how to start, you might try posting your questions in this group, they are generally pretty helpful and knowledgable.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress

birth control ballooned me up like I was already pregnant. I hate that *kitten*.......

Yep--the reason why a LOT of women gain weight on the birth control pill is that it shuts down a woman's ovulatory cycle (which it was designed to do). Natural progesterone (which peaks at ovulation) is a metabolism enhancer. No ovulation, no natural progesterone and the metabolism enhancing effects are gone. The synthetic progestins contained in the birth control pill, do not perform the same in a woman's bio-chemistry. :frown: Synthetic progestins are highly suspected of causing cancer. I personally believe it is behind the virtual (and unmentioned) epidemic of breast cancer among women in their 20s and 30s (many of whom have been on the birth control pill since they were young teenagers). It used to be extremely rare among women in that age grouping. I am acquainted with five women (or their relatives) who are (or were) in their late 20s or early 30s who have breast cancer or who have died of it (breast cancer is particularly lethal in such young women). Some experts believe that the longer a woman is on birth control medication, the higher her risk of developing breast and reproductive cancers. The pharmaceutical houses COULD have used bio-identical progesterone in their birth control formulations, but since natural substances are not patentable, they decided to use $ynthetic proge$tin$ instead.

Here is a link to a woman's health website that discusses natural bio-identical progesterone vs. synthetic progestins and it cites the many research papers which are pertinent to the issue. http://www.natural-progesterone-advisory-network.com/research-bioidentical-natural-progesterone-vs-synthetic-progestins/

I've worked out consistently for a long time, but I didn't drop that extra 20 pounds until I put my diet in check.

^^^^^^^REALITY!!!!
Lose fat in the kitchen, gain muscle in the gym.

The "return on investment" for cardio is not worth it. The amount of time it takes to really burn off calories is a lot. Running is one of the quickest ways: 100 cals per mile, plus or minus. If you do a 12 minute mile, and ran for an hour, you would have burned around 500 calories...only FIVE HUNDRED for all that work!

I am not saying to NOT do any cardio, just don't count on it making you lose weight. Do that in the kitchen.

I find clothing sizes to be very misleading, anyway. What, exactly, is size zero? In one store, I am a size 8 pants. In another, I am a size 5. In another, a size 3. My daughters, at ages 16 and 13 shopped at Stitches. One was a zero, and the other one a 2. Me? I tried on jeans and the size 10 was a bit tight. Wtf? Don't go by size. Look at your body in the mirror, notice those changes. The curve of a muscle, the tightness of another. Not the scale. Not sizes.

I would have to say it's a combination of fitness, diet and a positive attitude. Life is too short, people. Just too short.

no but yes
i mean, no its not all as simple as that but it will do.
if you follow cals in vs cals out youre likely to find success but
that doesnt account for quality of cals, nutrition and water retention.
im sure theres a ton of other factors too but start with the cals in cals out.
thats good stuff.

That is really what it is all about, but there needs to be some additional understanding. If you cut calories, it is critical that you are not cutting essential nutrients. I take a multi-vitamin daily, vitamin d and vit B12 when I am cutting calories. I seem to lose weight faster and am satiated with the food I am eating.