Success by counting calories and exercise alone?

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Replies

  • mctrader07
    mctrader07 Posts: 17 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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: 686 Member
    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
    That would be me =) All of my weight has just been by moving more and eating less =)
  • plm209
    plm209 Posts: 222 Member
    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
    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
    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
    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.
  • EHisCDN
    EHisCDN Posts: 480 Member
    I've been cutting calories and exercising and it's worked for me! Recently I've been paying more attention to my macros but before my only nutrition goal was to be under on calories.
  • cathylopez1975
    cathylopez1975 Posts: 191 Member
    I have lost 92 lbs. by "cleaning up" my eating a little. I dropped many processes foods - like chips, store bought cookies/cakes, Chex Mix, crackers - not because they weren't clean, but because if I eat a serving I crave much more. I'd rather not have the cravings. I don't want food to own me. I get hungry and it takes a lot of the processed foods to fill me up (with more calories). But I do still eat some goodies - birthday cake, pie, chocolate. Just in a normal amount.
  • iRun_Butterfly
    iRun_Butterfly Posts: 483 Member
    Works for me, this is the most successful I've ever been with diet & fitness. I do try to keep an eye on my protein, just to make sure I'm getting enough. But otherwise, I pretty much eat what I want and like. I'm pushing 50 lbs lost in just over 8 months. I exercise a lot, which is fine, makes me feel fantastic and lets me eat more.
  • establishingaplace
    establishingaplace Posts: 301 Member
    I always blamed my inability to lose weight on my hypothryoidism, PCOS, eating too much [insert bad food here], not getting to the gym enough, etc. etc. Turns out all I needed to do was eat a little less.

    Ten weeks of counting calories and macros and I am down 7 pounds (and that initial water-weight loss happened before I joined MFP when I was tried "clean" eating). This is the most weight I have ever lost in this amount of time. I make room for "bad" foods and I'm doing moderate exercise 4-5x a week.
  • sarahcav123
    sarahcav123 Posts: 128 Member
    In terms of weight loss, if you eat at a deficit and are active, you will most certainly lose weight.
    In terms of health, that's different. If you're eating 1500 cals worth of bigs macs per day (for example), your health will undoubtedly suffer. The visceral fat (i.e. the fact in between and covering your organs) will probably increase, along with blood pressure etc etc. - however I doubt many people (although I could be wrong?!) eat as extreme as that.

    So, my opinion is everything in moderation. If you don't want to spend time eating super clean then just make smart choices the majority of the time, and indulge when you feel like you need/want to.

    Good luck with your weight & health journey!


    EDIT: typo.
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
    Counting calories, eating better, and exercising moderately is the only thing that works for me. Pills, fancy expensive meal plans, hormones crap, ...none of that is worth my time or my health. They don't do it...I DO!!
  • MrsB123111
    MrsB123111 Posts: 535 Member
    I've had success both ways. Clean eating AND "unclean" eating. I had early success with IIFIYM, but after a couple of years, losing got much harder. I have recently had much better results with a cleaner diet and working out a little harder. Not saying IIFIYM doesn't work, it just stopped working for me...
  • esaucier17
    esaucier17 Posts: 694 Member
    Works for me also :) I've lost almost 30 pounds in 5 months doing just that. I mean I don't go crazy with junk food but no "clean eating" ,counting macros or any of that. I count my calories (1200) and exersice at least 6 days a week...cardio, biking,walking, some weights and a little yogo lately.
  • easjer
    easjer Posts: 219 Member
    45 lbs down since last August. Some were a result of Whole30. But I'm not interested in maintaining that strict lifestyle (or a paleo lifestyle) long-term. In February, I went back to normal caloric deficit and exercising, and am down 12 lbs since mid-February. I've been losing steadily at a very reasonable rate in line with what the numbers suggest I should be losing.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    It works for me. I don't totally ignore all those things - but don't heavily stress either. Aim for a decent amount of protein, don't make major efforts to avoid fat. (But fat is naturally kept in check by aiming for a reduced calorie range.) I eat pizza, have occasional sweet treats, bread, rice. But I also work to eat more fruits & veggies, which is a problem area for me. I do moderate exercise - and aim to be more active than the lazy-me prefers.
  • kportwood85
    kportwood85 Posts: 151 Member
    I've lost 40+ pounds so far, over the last year. My husband is always making fun of what he calls my "cheeto diet." I eat fairly healthy, but, I don't deprive myself. And, at the end of the day, if I have enough calories left, I'll eat cheetos. I exercise 5 days a week.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    see ticker...

    I do watch my macros but that is due to weight lifting but it's not a do or die thing for me.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    Add me to the list. I recently started paying some attention to macros, but lost almost all my weight before I started any of that. Calorie deficit+ exercise = weight loss.

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