Did it surprise anyone how easy it was to lose weight?

Losing weight is easy... losing just fat is harder.

It's not the fact that losing weight is easy, It's the fact that in the past, i ate over my maintenance to even gain weight in the first place.

I don't find it that easy to lose weight, so maybe surprised isn't the word. However, it was a HUGE revelation to me how few calories I actually needed! I thought I need about the same as an average woman and couldn't understand how I'd got so big. When I worked out my TDEE I found that I'd needed a lot less than average. This should have been obvious to me years ago, but for some reason it didn't click and I'd been coming up with all sorts of theories as to why I'd gained weight on such a moderate, healthy diet! Now that I know the truth (that because I'm older and shorter, I really need to eat a lot less than moderately), dieting is pretty much just a case of sticking at it. For ever, unfortunately.

I must say that it was simpler in my pre-MFP days when I cut to 1500 and left it at that. I was losing 2lb a week easily (too much for someone who started with only 30lb to lose).

Of course I drifted into disordered eating, and I joined MFP having regained 10lb from my low weight; with an aim to monitor my eating and exercise habits and regain a 'normal' relationship with food. Of course when you measure anything you inadvertently change it...was that Heisenberg or Schrodinger?

This site has been in equal measure a lifesaver, educational, hilarious and aggravating! I have some great virtual friends, I can have indepth conversations and make silly comments on chit-chat and more importantly there's no experience I've been through that hasn't been covered somewhere on the forums. It's remarkable :laugh:

So no, it hasn't been easy. I've 'only' lost 7lb in the 8 months I've been on here but I've gained so much more, and I wouldn't change it for my previous habits.

What makes it easy is that (if you do it properly) you log everything that goes into your mouth. Yes, I do eat 'normally' but I now make informed choices based on how many calories I have spare. It is a lifestyle for me rather than a diet - eg today I had a full English breakfast and will have a roast dinner tonight - well within my allowance - and still getting my 5 a day. I lose about 1lb a week and I'm very happy with that

It's simple, but it's not always easy, especially long-term. I do find myself wanting to shake people at my work doing these weird diets and workouts and not losing any weight, because they refuse to count calories (or adopt a sustainable lifestyle).

I agree, MyfitnessPal makes loosing weight seem so simple. The other day I couldn't log on, since all of their changing around I have had trouble, and I was like at a loss. I just so desperately wanted to log in my food for the day. I DO think it is a lifestyle and I can see myself using this tool for the rest of my life. But it is not a burden.....it is a joy!!!!

It's simple, but it's not always easy

that. ^
simple for sure. easy? only sometimes. its still a challenge to decide "one serving of ice cream" instead of "i'm getting 3 pints because i cant decide on a flavor"

Losing weight was easy.

Maintaining is difficult.

I love to stuff my face and lay about so exercising willpower and willing myself to exercise are the real challenges.

It was a lot easier than I thought it would be after 3 long years of weight watchers never really losing weight now I have lost a person. in just a little over a year It has been 15+ years since I weighed what I weigh now I love seeing the #'s come down I started my journey here as a last resort wish I would have started here first!! I have 119 more lbs to get to my goal I am confident I can do it

Yes, actually, it did. In the past I've lost weight before and it came off with the effort I put in. One diet I used in particular was hard to get started because it required quitting sugar completely and cold turkey.

This time I went back to the first method and using this site to count my calories since they are an important part of that plan. It was not just surprising to me but also to my walking buddies who I walked separately with. They BOTH were surprised why I was losing so much more weight so much faster than them during the school year since they both had gym memberships and went separately from our walks/hikes and one of them even worked with a trainer. Both women complained here and there about not being able to "quit bread" or "being confused" about how many calories would work "for me".

I informed the "quit bread" lady ONE TIME simply put "I have not quit bread or carbs this time". I informed the calories confused one of this site and how it would help her make a cal goal that was right for her to which she replied "I already know what cals my body loses on" and then proceeded to find it hard to construct a diet to match that goal or stick to it. Instead of ever reassessing her cal goal she just sought out (and found) new information which she incorporated and which made her diet even more restrictive and even harder to come up with an eating plan that was easy to execute.

By the end of the school year one had only lost 1/3 of the amount I did, while the other had actually regained some of her loss which she never shared the actual amount but she showed me where she'd regained it and I could see that she was right as her scale had told her.

I went into the summer with solidly looser clothing, results obvious enough to elicit compliments, a plan that was easy to stick to and can resume in fall and the confidence that this works and can easily be relied upon again once I'm able to workout regularly again. For the time being I focused on maintenance thru the summer and that has been easy as well.

I feel the same way. And actually I feel in control of my weight for the first time in my life. Before it always just seemed haphazard-- I'd try to "eat less" but it was kind of vague and didn't work well.

Losing 20+ pounds 10 years ago was easy. Losing 5LBS now is ridiculously hard. But then...I'm 48, female, and "changing". Glad it's coming off for you. Keep it off, it doesn't get easier! it only gets harder.

I agree, I lost my weight very easily in about 4 months. Just eating right and exercising. People are amazed when I tell them that is how I did it. They expect some magic pill or something. It is all about the determination for me.

Yes loosing is easy
Keeping it off is hard!