couniting calories sucess tips

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thesoup11
thesoup11 Posts: 72 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Does this counting calories really work for weight loss plz share with me I been so unmotivated

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  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    Logging is simple, but it isn't easy. Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • links_slayer
    links_slayer Posts: 1,151 Member
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    yes it really does you just have you make sure you are accurately tracking your calories plz buy a scale it will help a lot
  • SugaryLynx
    SugaryLynx Posts: 2,640 Member
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    Logging is simple, but it isn't easy. Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    ^This :D That's how I lost my weight.
  • CiCi924
    CiCi924 Posts: 34
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    Counting calories absolutely helps a lot! I am not always 100% accurate with my calories, I don't necessarily weigh out everything, but even just knowing what you're eating, being aware of how many calories your favorite foods are and how many calories you actually eat every day is really helpful to getting you on the right track.
  • meltedsno
    meltedsno Posts: 208 Member
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    try this: for a day or two...or even a week... eat what you normally would eat and log absolutely everything... right on down to the piece of gum you are chewing and the vitamin you might be taking every day.

    I started back in July 2013 and was totally in shock when I realized that I was using over 50% of my calories every day simply by having a little coffee in my creamer! I have a 20 oz thermal mug at work that I would fill up 3-4 times a day... usually by 10 am (I start work at 5:30am).... I would haphazardly pour some of the powered stuff in my mug and then fill with coffee... well, turns out each one of those cups of coffee had probably 250-300 calories each and, it wasn't even a good cup of coffee and was inferior generic creamer! Wow... no wonder why I was gaining weight... first thing I did was cut out all creamer.. decided it wasn't that important to me...

    From there, I reexamined everything else I was eating and was in for quite a shock.. I've logged every day since then and it has been very very successful for me. I know I can have anything I want... if I choose a "special treat" one day, I have the choice to walk a few more miles on the treadmill to burn the extra calories... actually, it has become quite a game and i have been suckered in! :-)

    So yes... counting calories is very important once you see just how much you are wasting on garbage every day... and for what its worth, I still have a glass or two of wine every day. I have a piece of chocolate just about every day, and I have 18 pretzel twists (1 serving) every day... some times 2 servings... (my vice... could live on wine, chocolate and pretzels!)... and... it has been very successful. don't know the exact amount I have lost since I refuse to weigh myself... (did back in july and once in November)... was down 52 lbs in November.. .would guess another 20 lbs?? since then.... the proof is in my clothes was wearing an 18-20 in July... bought 2 pairs of size 8 pants this weekend :-) all because I decided to not drink inferior coffee... lol
  • ElvenToad
    ElvenToad Posts: 644 Member
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    I just posted on another forum the same thing but counting calories is the only thing that is helping me! My whole entire life I've never paid attention to calories and that is how I got to where I am now. So I am new here, just started a few days ago. I have a lot of weight to lose, 135 lbs or so. I have set up my calorie goals by my height, weight, and age and that I want to lose 2 lbs per week. This is what I am doing. Logging every single calorie I eat, my workouts, and staying within my daily budgets for everything, calories, sodium, carbs etc. I wake up in the morning, get on my treadmill for 20 minutes at 3.0 mph which for me is fast and a challenge. I use my tablet for watching hulu or netflix so it distracts me and keeps my mind off what I am doing. Then I take a break sit down for a few minutes, have a low calorie breakfast. After another 30 min or so I get back on the treadmill and do another 20 minutes at 3.0 mph. I find this helps me meet my workout goal for the day much easier than trying to do it all at once! Oh and I drink a few glasses of water during the process too. Since I am trying to change my lifestyle and my eating habits this is working for me. Being able to see the math on the screen is helping me so much! I'm already down a few pounds but even if its just water weight it is still nice to see the scale moving in the right direction! Good luck :)
  • corgarian
    corgarian Posts: 366 Member
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    Here is my tip to keep me on track.

    Every sunday I make a HUUUGE meal, and then I portion it out into tupperwares for lunches for my boyfriend and myself. That right off the bat keeps me from eating out at lunch and I know it has everything I need to keep my tummy happy.

    I also pre portion ALL my snacks for the week. I take about 15-20 plastic baggies and put like a handful of trail mix into 5 baggies, a handful of broccoli and snap peas into 5 baggies, and about 4-5 pieces of celery with almond butter each into 5 baggies.

    AND i make a batch of what I call 'personal quieches' every sunday. It's eggs, cheese, spinach, artichokes and whipping cream. I pour the mixture into muffin tins and bake for about 30 min. It makes 12 personal quiches.... you guessed it!! I use 5 baggies and put 2 quiches into each baggie.

    So in one afternoon I made breakfast, lunch, and snacks for 5 days of work.

    Take it or leave it, thats my tip.
  • 36201
    36201 Posts: 4 Member
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    Hi thought the same about it. Family member lost 30+lbs in 6months. I have been on since January 28 lost 11lbs. Biggest revelation is what it is that I was eating. Start by not changing eating just put in what you always eat. It opened my eyes.
  • TArnold2012
    TArnold2012 Posts: 929 Member
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    Yes it works. I only started exercising regularly when I got a fitbit this past Christmas. I lost the first 70 counting nothing but calories. Now as I read and learned more I began to change to a healthier lifestyle.
  • ElvenToad
    ElvenToad Posts: 644 Member
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    I agree, cooking a huge batch of something healthy, that you enjoy eating makes the what to eat part of the day much easier for me as well.

    Every week I make a huge pot of rice with chicken and veggies. It lasts a super long time and when lunch or dinner rolls around I just grab a few scoops and heat it up in the microwave. Here is my recipe

    10 cups of cooked brown rice. I use a rice cooker, that makes it much easier!
    10-12 ounces of chicken.
    1.5 bags of frozen veggies. I love the stir fry ones!
    6 large eggs, scrambled
    4 tbsp of teriyaki sauce
    .5 cup of chopped onions

    I just cook the eggs first and set them aside then combine everything in a big skillet and then add the cooked rice and the egg last. Each bowl is like 250 calories, and its yummy. I use teriyaki sauce instead of soy sauce because it has a fraction of the sodium and I think it tastes better. I usually put a little extra on after I heat some up. Haven't gotten tired of it at all.
  • thesoup11
    thesoup11 Posts: 72 Member
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    Thank you for everyone responses I really appreciate it
  • FoxyLifter
    FoxyLifter Posts: 965 Member
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    Weigh your food, even if it's a prepackaged single serving (companies are allowed to be 20% off).

    Record EVERYTHING, even if you go over.... especially if you go over.

    Pre-enter as much as you can. I spend a few minutes each evening planning the next day while I pack my lunch bag for the next work day.
  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
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    Calorie counting does work if you're willing to put in the work by weighing, measuring, and logging accurately for your intake and being realistic about your energy output. And it does get easier to do over time.
  • dizzow
    dizzow Posts: 65
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    Yes. Definitely. - I know it can be a drag to measure, log etc. but it gets easier and it is definitely worth the effort. It makes it so much easier to see where you are messing up and or doing well. A scale is really a great thing to have, especially if you get one that you can tare out. It makes building your plate of food sooooo much easier.

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