Success by counting calories and exercise alone?

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  • butterfli7o
    butterfli7o Posts: 1,319 Member
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    Um...isn't that the point of MFP?

    Kidding, but not really.

    Honestly, I know. I just needed to hear it. Sometimes there is just too much information on here and I get to wondering if I should be spot-on on my macros, banning grains, doing IF, doing more cardio, not eating at night, banning sweetener, eating mostly whole foods....etc. etc. etc. You know what I'm talking about. I was starting to question everything and driving myself nuts. I just want to EAT, dammit!
  • dmenchac
    dmenchac Posts: 447 Member
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    I've been around a while and don't want to complicate the question.....I want to know who here has had fat loss success just by keeping a caloric deficit and moderate exercise. Not eating clean, not shunning fast food/processed food, not tracking macros, not banning sugar, etc. Strictly a consistent calorie deficit and working out.
    I have to admit, I'm very tired of complicating things and for the past week I've been eating whatever I want as long as I don't go over my 1,600 calorie limit. I also exercise four days a week (roughly) including lifting heavy. I have to say I'm very happy and feel completely full and satisfied this way. I'm just having a hard time believing I can be successful as I've probably had one processed meal/fast food meal almost every day!

    Um... about 90% of the people on this site.....

    Heck, you don't even have to exercise.

    You can eat whatever you want as long as your create a deficit.
  • trinity5703
    trinity5703 Posts: 78
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    This would be me. I lost 47 a little over a year ago, unfortunately being on the road the last year for work has put about half off that back on. I try to keep my calories between 14-1600, walk about an hour a day (compliments of a really big dog who demands it), and drink a lot of water. If I know I'm going out with friends for dinner/drinks, I budget it into my daily intake. I don't deny myself anything really. I do try to limit my fried food intake, but I haven't cut it totally out of my life. Sometimes you just NEED fried chicken.. ya know??? Basically I just eat more veg, fruit, protein.
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,134 Member
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    I have no idea how much of my weight loss is fat loss.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    What's a macro?

    Protein, fat, and carbs


    And alcohol, but MFP doesn"t give it its own category.
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
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    I've been around a while and don't want to complicate the question.....I want to know who here has had fat loss success just by keeping a caloric deficit and moderate exercise. Not eating clean, not shunning fast food/processed food, not tracking macros, not banning sugar, etc. Strictly a consistent calorie deficit and working out.
    I have to admit, I'm very tired of complicating things and for the past week I've been eating whatever I want as long as I don't go over my 1,600 calorie limit. I also exercise four days a week (roughly) including lifting heavy. I have to say I'm very happy and feel completely full and satisfied this way. I'm just having a hard time believing I can be successful as I've probably had one processed meal/fast food meal almost every day!

    I have, however I did monitor everything for a long time, but not sugar... sugar is just the new "it thing" it's kind of stupid, I legit had a guy at the gym tell me to stop eating carrots as they are what's not allowing me to lose weight... **** off with that nonsense.

    So now for about the last year I've just been eying my food, did a bulk and went up 40lbs ... Now I've been cutting since January and I'm down 18lbs so far which is just fine with me :). It's not a race and I love going to the gym, I enjoy all the foods I eat, I guess what is kind of lucky in a way is that I'm allergic to gluten so I can't have pizza (gluten free replacements suck!) or a sandwich or a piece of cake... like just can't have it.
  • mikeykhan2003
    mikeykhan2003 Posts: 177
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    Me; I don't like complicated.
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
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    Same here. I keep track of my calories, I don't go over my quota of 1,700 calories a day, and I do farm work for exercise, other than that, I just eat whatever I want to, always including chocolate. I don't give up anything, I don't pay any attention to macros/micros/clean eating ( as far as I'm concerned, unless I've dropped it on the floor, it's clean)/paleo/TDEE/BMI, any of that, too much bother.
  • bparr
    bparr Posts: 246 Member
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    Of course, everyone is different. For me, I didn't start losing BODY FAT until I started working with a trainer that had me working out in my Fat Burning zone and building muscle. The scale hardly moved (about 2 lbs), but I lost 6% body fat.
  • DWF65203
    DWF65203 Posts: 10
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    It is ultimately calories in / calories out. I try to stay away from junk food / fast food just because it adds calories too fast and I won't be satisfied - but if you can stay on calorie deficit you will lose weight and fat.
  • mctrader07
    mctrader07 Posts: 17 Member
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    I've been around a while and don't want to complicate the question.....I want to know who here has had fat loss success just by keeping a caloric deficit and moderate exercise. Not eating clean, not shunning fast food/processed food, not tracking macros, not banning sugar, etc. Strictly a consistent calorie deficit and working out.
    I have to admit, I'm very tired of complicating things and for the past week I've been eating whatever I want as long as I don't go over my 1,600 calorie limit. I also exercise four days a week (roughly) including lifting heavy. I have to say I'm very happy and feel completely full and satisfied this way. I'm just having a hard time believing I can be successful as I've probably had one processed meal/fast food meal almost every day!

    Tip: some people think they are over weight b/c they looker bigger then another person; but it also depends on the bone structure. some girls and guys bones are denser then others. unless you want to perform bone scraping surgery lol
  • UmmSqueaky
    UmmSqueaky Posts: 715 Member
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    I do track macros, but still eat processed food almost every day, have a subway breakfast sandwich twice a week, and go out to a fast food restaurant on the weekends. And I have a serving of dark chocolate chips nearly every day :) I also exercise quite a bit. So far, so good. This is the longest I've sustained weight loss (130 days and counting), and the first time I've not tried to do it by banishing processed foods. Interesting that.
  • mctrader07
    mctrader07 Posts: 17 Member
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    Same here. I keep track of my calories, I don't go over my quota of 1,700 calories a day, and I do farm work for exercise, other than that, I just eat whatever I want to, always including chocolate. I don't give up anything, I don't pay any attention to macros/micros/clean eating ( as far as I'm concerned, unless I've dropped it on the floor, it's clean)/paleo/TDEE/BMI, any of that, too much bother.

    two thumbs up
  • jorusc
    jorusc Posts: 3 Member
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    I lost 30 pounds, and several of those days I replaced lunch with a king size chocolate bar. 360 calories of joy. Eat enough brotein to maintain your muscle mass, take a multivitamin, and you'll be fine.
  • sisterlilbunny
    sisterlilbunny Posts: 691 Member
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    Almost 30 here. I'm trying to adjust my eating to hit my proteins but that's really it. If it fits? I eats it. :)
  • bobbijodmb
    bobbijodmb Posts: 463 Member
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    That would be me =) All of my weight has just been by moving more and eating less =)
  • plm209
    plm209 Posts: 222 Member
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    IIFYM is the way to go for sustainable weight loss. If you were to always deprive yourself of those "unclean" foods, you're likely to break at some point. If you stick to your macro plan and don't have too many cheat days, you'll lose weight and keep it off.
  • Hiker_Rob
    Hiker_Rob Posts: 5,547 Member
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    I eat normal, I splurge when I want to and occasionally have days when I am double my daily allowance (and then some - delicious days).... But, most days (95%of the time) I eat well, I do have the good and the bad, just less bad than I used to have on a daily basis. I work out very regularly, 6 days a week in some form or another and am in better shape than I have been in over 10 years.

    My motto is "moderation - not deprivation, everything is good in moderation" and it certainly seems to work for me! I have seen over and over again where people fail because they deprive themselves of things they like and then break down and start binge eating, eventually they just give up.
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
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    Meeeeee!!!

    I eat everything. I have great days, I have bad days. I have bad weeks... I have great weeks.

    I work out 3-4 times a week, count calories...

    It's working for me!
  • YoungGma29
    YoungGma29 Posts: 32
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    This is the ONLY way I do it. I'm not about specific diet plans because I want this to be LONG TERM weight loss.
    I plan on keeping it off because when I get to maintenance I won't be all "YAY Now I can eat whatever I want!!!" because I have been eating what I want...in moderation.

    OR exercising to eat more food. Yep, I totally do that. :)

    This and all of the other posts for me too. It has to be a lifestyle change forever.

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