Anyone lost weight by NOT counting calories?

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Replies

  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I have, but I also ride my bike 80 miles a week and run another 20 miles. I don't count calories.

    Respect.
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    yes slimming world only diet that ever really worked and stayed off for me
    It did?
    71155829.profile-progress.gif
  • lelyke
    lelyke Posts: 47
    I've lost all my weight by not counting calories. For me its really just working out and portion control.
  • TheFrugalFatass
    TheFrugalFatass Posts: 58 Member
    I did once and have managed to keep most of it off for awhile. I still paid attention to what I ate, though, and I really concentrated on getting my fruits and veggies in. I also exercised regularly.
  • The first 10 pounds I lost without counting calories, I just tried to make healthier choices.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    yes slimming world only diet that ever really worked and stayed off for me
    It did?
    71155829.profile-progress.gif

    Shots+Fired.jpg
  • Yes!!! I used to be obsessive about counting calories but now I've come to realize that while helpful to begin with, it's not as necessary as you'd think! (at least for some) When eating meals, simply include all the fruit & veg you want...maybe even more than you'd normally have. Try not to pick between meals and for snacks stick to fruit and veg again. Cut out the processed crap and drink plenty of water...even if you're not thirsty at times. Moreover, in terms of protein & carbs, stick to portion sizes of one serving. At first I didn't really know what say, 3 oz of chicken looked like but then found this website that really helped me put things into perspective...I'd suggest checking it out!

    http://blog.photocalorie.com/portion-sizes/
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    This causes me to not bother, and then I'll go and eat something bad as I'll think "we'll I've ruined it now anyway as I haven't logged". I find I'm really good for a few days and then I'll give up as I can't be bothered with calorie counting and weighing and measuring all the time.

    I think it is your mindset which is the biggest impediment. It sounds like you have the classic "all or nothing / perfectionist" dieter's thinking going on.

    Calorie counting is a skill. Eating low carb or Paleo is a skill. Mindful eating is a skill. Intuitive eating is a skill.

    All skills require effort, learning and going out of your comfort zone.

    Learning a new skill requires a consistent approach and time not perfection and instant success. It also requires patience and delayed gratification.

    As you think so shall you become.

    I agree with this. I can't lose weight without some external way of being accountable, whether it's through a food journal, weight watcher, calorie counting, limiting meals and portions or something. I can use hunger cues to maintain.

    There are a million ways of being accountable to yourself for the food you consume. Pick one that works for you and stick with it.

    What's not doing to work is to come up with excuses to not do what you've committed to. You need to either buckle down, or find another strategy.
  • Holly_Roman_Empire
    Holly_Roman_Empire Posts: 4,440 Member
    yes slimming world only diet that ever really worked and stayed off for me
    It did?
    71155829.profile-progress.gif

    Now I'm in.
  • sheedy17
    sheedy17 Posts: 128
    I went on the south beach diet, it goes in 3 phases, you cut out carbs completely for 2 weeks (you lose anywhere from 8-15 pounds the first two weeks , I lost 15 once) and then add carbs back into your diet and fruits and such.

    I enjoyed it but I found once I worked carbs back into my diet, I was like how the cookie monster is with cookies, I kept shovelling the carbs into me. I liked it but found only the first 2 weeks really helped and I was finding it was too hard to find things to eat etc
  • likitisplit
    likitisplit Posts: 9,420 Member
    "I'll keep my processed foods, white bread, sugar, etc. I'll weigh my veggies thanks."

    So let's say there is a newbie who needs to lose 50 lbs. and is eating 2,200 calories on average. He/she determines that a drastic cut to 1,400 calories is called for, which obviously cannot be easy.

    And you would honestly advise that person that part of those 1,400 calories should be empty calories of sugar and white bread, which would do absolutely nothing to fill that person up? You have to be kidding me.

    A calorie may just be a calorie, but satiety is even more important. If you are starving at 7PM because you've eaten junk to get you to your calorie limit, you will fail your diet miserably and never lose weight.

    Yes, I would.

    First, I would question why they need to lose two pounds a week. A pound a week would allow them 1700 calories which would fuel more activity and make them less hungry/more likely to stick to their diet.

    I would advise that user to figure out the carb/fat/protein balance that works best for their goals and to use their phone app to ensure that they are getting sufficient micro-nutrients. Once they've figured out how to eat a balanced diet on the reduced number of calories - which would likely include reasonable amounts of white bread and sugar - then I would challenge them to work in some of the less nutrient dense foods.

    Learning strategies that allow you to live a balanced life is a critical part of becoming fit sustainably.
  • AnitaCRice
    AnitaCRice Posts: 114 Member
    Deleted to correct.
  • tuddy315
    tuddy315 Posts: 11,264 Member
    Yes I have, but for me, I always go over in fat and added sugar. I feel that cutting down on these wil automatically cut my calorie count so I try to watch them more closely.
  • AnitaCRice
    AnitaCRice Posts: 114 Member
    yes slimming world only diet that ever really worked and stayed off for me
    It did?
    71155829.profile-progress.gif

    Now I'm in.

    Me, too!
  • mrbyte
    mrbyte Posts: 270 Member
    Yes. I've lost a lot of bf just by counting my carbs. I don't care about calories. I consistently go over my TDEE by 700 calories a day 5 days out of the week and am always over by at least 400 cals and my bf continues to lower.
  • dandelyon
    dandelyon Posts: 620 Member
    As the title says really... Have any of you managed to lose weight without counting calories? I find that I'm really good at logging my calories for breakfast or lunch by just scanning what I eat, but then it all goes pear shaped when I'm cooking dinner. I get ratty having to chop and weigh everything down to peppers, vegetables, oil, chicken etc etc when I make a meal from scratch, and then trying to log it all into MFP for the calories. This causes me to not bother, and then I'll go and eat something bad as I'll think "we'll I've ruined it now anyway as I haven't logged". I find I'm really good for a few days and then I'll give up as I can't be bothered with calorie counting and weighing and measuring all the time.

    I keep thinking surely it must be simpler than this. My mother is 9st and really slim and does not think about what she eats or logs calories. Has anyone lost weight just by eating 3 proper meals a day, no picking on rubbish and exercising more?

    It *IS* a pain to do it while you're cooking, so my suggestion would be to pre-log. Decide ahead of time how much oil and chicken you are going to use in the recipe and don't use more than that. (You still have to weigh it but you don't have to be pecking away at your phone with chicken slime on your hands, you just measure out 200g or whatever and toss the rest in the fridge/freezer.)

    You will probably not hurt your weight loss attempts if you just estimate the vegetables.
  • DanielCathers
    DanielCathers Posts: 53 Member
    Of course people have lost weight without counting. Weight watchers, Paleo, etc. all generally work because they reduce calories through the choice of foods. The advantage to calorie counting is that literally no food is off the menu and you can accurately track your nutrition goals along the way. The trade off, of course, is taking the time to weigh and measure your food. Find something that works for you, but you need to commit no matter what approach you take. That part doesn't change.
    I never logged what I ate before and at first I lost about 10 lbs, then found that I wasn't losing any more. That is when I joined MFP to get an idea of how much I was eating. My focus is not calories, but I'm not answering this to debate what people choose to track (do what works for you). Since tracking what I eat, I've lost an additional 5 lbs and have 5 more to go. So in answer to the original question, I think if you have a lot of weight to lose, you might be able to not log/count to start, but it gets more difficult as you get closer to your goal weight and counting helps you see what you need to adjust. I think is also easy to misjudge how much you are eating if you don't log. Some people are religious about weighing every morsel that goes into their mouth. I, personally, do not have the time to do that and if it takes me a little longer to lose this last 5 lbs because I didn't weigh every oz., I can live with that.
    This causes me to not bother, and then I'll go and eat something bad as I'll think "we'll I've ruined it now anyway as I haven't logged". I find I'm really good for a few days and then I'll give up as I can't be bothered with calorie counting and weighing and measuring all the time.

    I think it is your mindset which is the biggest impediment. It sounds like you have the classic "all or nothing / perfectionist" dieter's thinking going on.

    Calorie counting is a skill. Eating low carb or Paleo is a skill. Mindful eating is a skill. Intuitive eating is a skill.

    All skills require effort, learning and going out of your comfort zone.

    Learning a new skill requires a consistent approach and time not perfection and instant success. It also requires patience and delayed gratification.

    As you think so shall you become.

    I agree with this. I can't lose weight without some external way of being accountable, whether it's through a food journal, weight watcher, calorie counting, limiting meals and portions or something. I can use hunger cues to maintain.

    There are a million ways of being accountable to yourself for the food you consume. Pick one that works for you and stick with it.

    What's not doing to work is to come up with excuses to not do what you've committed to. You need to either buckle down, or find another strategy.

    Agree with all of these. Develop a strategy and stick to it. Counting calories is only one strategy (or part of a strategy). If what you're doing isn't working, try something else or add something else to it.
  • liekewheeless
    liekewheeless Posts: 416 Member
    Before counting I lost weight numerous times without.

    My problem was, ones I got down the number of lb I wanted, I would go back to eating "normal" and gain back and then some. I can't maintain my loss without counting.

    So Yes.. I've lost without counting,... But NO I can't maintain that loss without counting.
  • mrbyte
    mrbyte Posts: 270 Member
    Before counting I lost weight numerous times without.

    My problem was, ones I got down the number of lb I wanted, I would go back to eating "normal" and gain back and then some. I can't maintain my loss without counting.

    So Yes.. I've lost without counting,... But NO I can't maintain that loss without counting.

    Yes eating "normal" will bring you back to your pre-diet self. It's a lifestyle change for me. I really don't care about eating normal again. I like me eating the new way. I log like a madman. every morsel is logged.
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
    Yes, I lost my first 35 pounds without counting at all simply by moving more and eating more veggies and lean proteins, less carbs. I then counted for about 20 pounds and now don't count again. This year I have not lost any pounds, but I have lost 8%body fat and gained 13 pounds of muscle. I don't really use the scale as a measure of success anymore either. I might add that it is only when I gave up my calorie counting and instead just focused on taking on the behaviors of the person I'd like to be that I finally overcame my eating disorders after 30 years of dieting and binging.

    My tracking had always been fine. What had not been fine was how I had thought of myself or my consistency to nourishing myself and moving a lot. Now I do yoga, hike, do Crossfit, weight lift, eat ice cream 3x per week, eat mostly meats/fruits/veggies the rest of the time, and I've never felt better! I should say though that I had been counting calories since my mom gave me my first calorie book in grade school. So, when I tracked, I already knew what I was going to come up with. If there was something like a calorie bee instead of a spelling bee, I could have been a national champion!:laugh:

    I'm of the opinion that you can eat what you like and fit it into your allowance or focus most of your energies on certain types of foods and not count. It's your choice. For me, counting is triggering so I don't do it much.