How do ppl lose weight?

ahsongbird
ahsongbird Posts: 712 Member
edited September 25 in Health and Weight Loss
WHen they dont watch anything but their calories? Do you really lose weight by JUST counting the calories?
*EDIT* I mean when they dont watch their carbs, sugar, protein and sodium.

Replies

  • Kiiradee
    Kiiradee Posts: 12
    ive lost 17 stone, i never counted calories until recently.. the smaller i get the harder it is to loose so im now watching calories as well as low fat as ive always done.. exercise plays a big part in it as well x
  • Goal_Seeker_1988
    Goal_Seeker_1988 Posts: 1,619 Member
    Yes, people do lose weight simply by cutting back on calories. Normally they don't keep the weight off they are the ones who are typically always on yo yo diets. The best way to lose the weight is to cut back on calories, lower your carbs and exercise including weight training and cardio @ least 6 times a week for effective long term weightloss.
  • Hitsujikai
    Hitsujikai Posts: 111 Member
    I can't speak for everyone but I did.

    For 4 months I counted only the calories in my food and let the carbs, sugar, protein and everything else lie where they landed and I lost 4.5 stone.

    Since I stopped watching what I've been eating calorie wise and started going to the gym I've gained weight and whilst much of it is muscle I cannot deny that a bit of the flab is returning.
  • Naomi91
    Naomi91 Posts: 892 Member
    It is definitely possible. We dont need 100+ g of protein, carbs are essential for the brain to function properly, sodium has an effect on weight loss but not so much fat loss. And sugar is a confusing story xD At my university i have learned the only thing that has been fully PROVEN about sugar is that is causes cavities. Nothing fully proven about weight loss/ gain.

    Energy in Energy out is the most important :]
  • ahsongbird
    ahsongbird Posts: 712 Member
    It is definitely possible. We dont need 100+ g of protein, carbs are essential for the brain to function properly, sodium has an effect on weight loss but not so much fat loss. And sugar is a confusing story xD At my university i have learned the only thing that has been fully PROVEN about sugar is that is causes cavities. Nothing fully proven about weight loss/ gain.

    Energy in Energy out is the most important :]
    hmm that's something to think about thnx :)
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    Yes, of course you do. It's all about calories in vs calories out. I think doing more exercise is more important than diet.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    I did it by "half the carbs, double the exercise"

    But to be honest, its 80% diet, 20% fitness, so a few missed sessions at the gym wont have as much impact as as that scone and chocolate bars.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,316 Member
    All I counted was calories for most of my weight loss. I focused on high fiber foods, but did not care about carbs, fat, or protein. Now I intentionally eat more protein, but I really don't watch it very carefully. I certainly don't watch my fat and carbs at all. I still focus on high fiber though. In my opinion when you look at pretty much any diet (low carb, low fat, high protein) they all reduce calories. That is why they work. The way they do so is all different, but what they all have in common is that they produce a calorie deficit.
  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    I lost the first 30 pounds of my overall loss by paying attention to nothing but the calorie number. No exercise, no looking at sodium, carbs, protein, etc. Just strictly keeping my calories at or just below (within 10-25 calories) of the 1200 calorie limit that MFP gave me when I signed up.

    I lost those 30 pounds from March 14-July 16.

    So the other 18 have taken from July - now.

    Sometimes I think it was easier only caring about calories and nothing else. lol
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,316 Member
    Yes, people do lose weight simply by cutting back on calories. Normally they don't keep the weight off they are the ones who are typically always on yo yo diets. The best way to lose the weight is to cut back on calories, lower your carbs and exercise including weight training and cardio @ least 6 times a week for effective long term weightloss.

    Actually, the people who gain weight back are those who give up on a diet (way of eating) that is simply too complicated. Exercise helps, but it is impossible to out exercise too many calories. It is all about a reasonable caloric deficit. Too big and it does not work.
  • kettlewitch
    kettlewitch Posts: 277 Member
    I have only ever thought about calories but as I want to maximise how much I can eat it kind of looks after itself. I am aware of salt and try and control that but fir me, food needs to taste nice if I'm going to stick to this. If that means adding a bit of salt now and again then so be it. I have made friends with pepper though
  • Heatherbelle_87
    Heatherbelle_87 Posts: 1,078 Member
    It is definitely possible. We dont need 100+ g of protein, carbs are essential for the brain to function properly, sodium has an effect on weight loss but not so much fat loss. And sugar is a confusing story xD At my university i have learned the only thing that has been fully PROVEN about sugar is that is causes cavities. Nothing fully proven about weight loss/ gain.

    Energy in Energy out is the most important :]

    Sorry but as a Dental Assistant I do have to say Sugar itself doesnt cause cavities, not brushing it off your teeth properly causes cavities! It a cariogenic food that the bacteria in your mouth can eat easily, and basically the acid that causes caivites is the result of the natural bacteria in your mouth eating the sugars ect left from what we eat and pooping acid on your tooth. So If you are brushing your teeth properly sugar doesnt cause cavities either :) lack of oral hygiene causes cavities :)
  • Naomi91
    Naomi91 Posts: 892 Member
    Yes, of course you do. It's all about calories in vs calories out. I think doing more exercise is more important than diet.

    Nah exercise isnt more important then diet. I can eat a candy bar and send my 5k run down the drain. 80% diet and 20% exercise
    too much exercise is bad. Trust me on this one! Been there, done that, and dont want to go back! Huge increase in chance of injury
  • LCong
    LCong Posts: 14
    It's about increasing your heart rate for a certain amount to time to burn off excess energy. Obviously, the less you put in, and the more you burn, the more the weight will come off. I just keep a healthy intake of carbs, fats, salt etc along with high increased heart rate 5 times a week. This seems to keep me on the right track. If you're worried that counting it all is too much, then focus on calories and exercise. I've dieted for most of my life and the more sedentary I am (I have a desk job), the more the flab comes back - especially the older you get. So get movin' and shakin' ;). Good luck!
  • Naomi91
    Naomi91 Posts: 892 Member
    It is definitely possible. We dont need 100+ g of protein, carbs are essential for the brain to function properly, sodium has an effect on weight loss but not so much fat loss. And sugar is a confusing story xD At my university i have learned the only thing that has been fully PROVEN about sugar is that is causes cavities. Nothing fully proven about weight loss/ gain.

    Energy in Energy out is the most important :]

    Sorry but as a Dental Assistant I do have to say Sugar itself doesnt cause cavities, not brushing it off your teeth properly causes cavities! It a cariogenic food that the bacteria in your mouth can eat easily, and basically the acid that causes caivites is the result of the natural bacteria in your mouth eating the sugars ect left from what we eat and pooping acid on your tooth. So If you are brushing your teeth properly sugar doesnt cause cavities either :) lack of oral hygiene causes cavities :)


    Heh im too lazy to type all that but thats what i meant actually xD I wasnt really saying sugar alone causes cavities. I meant that having carbohydrate (sugars included xD) cause cavities if you dont brush your teeth because bacteria loves them carbs!! Heh I put in a short statement xD sorry i didnt elaborate! you get what i meant though xD
  • HilarieXcore
    HilarieXcore Posts: 214 Member
    Actually, the people who gain weight back are those who give up on a diet (way of eating) that is simply too complicated. Exercise helps, but it is impossible to out exercise too many calories. It is all about a reasonable caloric deficit. Too big and it does not work.

    True. I haven't counted anything but calories and I RARELY exercise but I've gone done more than a dress size in like 7 weeks. Most weekly weigh-ins have resulted in a two pound loss (except two weeks because of "that time" lol). Exercise helps if you can't stay within your limit because you need to eat back your exercise calories. It also helps to build muscle with burns more calories over time.
  • Heatherbelle_87
    Heatherbelle_87 Posts: 1,078 Member
    It is definitely possible. We dont need 100+ g of protein, carbs are essential for the brain to function properly, sodium has an effect on weight loss but not so much fat loss. And sugar is a confusing story xD At my university i have learned the only thing that has been fully PROVEN about sugar is that is causes cavities. Nothing fully proven about weight loss/ gain.

    Energy in Energy out is the most important :]

    Sorry but as a Dental Assistant I do have to say Sugar itself doesnt cause cavities, not brushing it off your teeth properly causes cavities! It a cariogenic food that the bacteria in your mouth can eat easily, and basically the acid that causes caivites is the result of the natural bacteria in your mouth eating the sugars ect left from what we eat and pooping acid on your tooth. So If you are brushing your teeth properly sugar doesnt cause cavities either :) lack of oral hygiene causes cavities :)


    Heh im too lazy to type all that but thats what i meant actually xD I wasnt really saying sugar alone causes cavities. I meant that having carbohydrate (sugars included xD) cause cavities if you dont brush your teeth because bacteria loves them carbs!! Heh I put in a short statement xD sorry i didnt elaborate! you get what i meant though xD

    Oh I did! I just wanted to make it clear for others as well :) But yes you are correct there is no proof sugar is the devil when it comes to weight loss. I still loose but truly love my sugar lol

    While in school the Academic Dean always teased when she saw the DA students eating candy, we would just remind her we can eat it because we know how to clean it off our teeth properly!
  • zeeeb
    zeeeb Posts: 805 Member
    for sure, for obese people food is usually the issue more than exercise. most people (sweeping generalisation here) who are obese eat probably at least twice as much as they need to. I know I did, I know I loved eating 2nds and sweets regularly, and all too regularly indulged in treats every day instead of maybe once a week.

    if you are small already, it's hard to lose just a few pounds with diet alone, you'll never get toned etc from food.

    but for years and years i would eat what i wanted and go to the gym 3 times a week, ride my bike and walk when i didn't go to the gym, so i was exercising properly 5 times a week, and still i would slowly put on little bit by little bit of weight. all because of the food.

    once i get the food right, i lose weight, but without the food, not a chance in hell of me losing.
  • WinKitty
    WinKitty Posts: 119
    ...pooping acid on your tooth.

    This has me literally LOLing. Sharing with my kids (who have never had a cavity, awesomeverymuch)!
  • tamiller93
    tamiller93 Posts: 195
    Yes, of course you do. It's all about calories in vs calories out. I think doing more exercise is more important than diet.

    Nah exercise isnt more important then diet. I can eat a candy bar and send my 5k run down the drain.

    I can say from experience that this is the very reason why I am here right now. I always ran at least 5K a day, and ate whatever I wanted because I thought I was burning it off. Well 5K daily doesn't burn very much at all. I learned the hard way that you can't do one or the other, you have to do BOTH the exercise and watching your calorie intake.
  • ahsongbird
    ahsongbird Posts: 712 Member
    well, I wasn't even thinking about exercise when i was writing this, as I exercise as often as I can . I was really just asking about the sugar/carbs/sodium etc. b/c I'm watching them all and find it so hard to get my calories in without going over the other things so I was usually not getting enough calories per day. Thanks for all the info :)
  • Stewie316
    Stewie316 Posts: 266 Member
    I've lost 11 pounds in 5 weeks by just counting calories. I don't pay attention to anything else.
  • katschi
    katschi Posts: 689 Member
    I track only my calories in my food diary but ...
    I make sure to have a protein, healthy fat and good carbs (lots of veggies and some fruit) at every meal and it all works itself out.
    Not eating a lot of processed foods takes care of keeping the sodium and sugar levels in proper proportion.

    I've lost 28 lbs since January just keeping track of my calories and none of the other macronutrients as I found it was making me stress a little too much trying to get in the green with everything.

    Good Luck to you! :flowerforyou:
  • amuhlou
    amuhlou Posts: 693 Member
    I haven't really tracked sugar or carbs since I started using this site and I've done fine with losing. I don't think have exercised an excessive amount to where that would explain my progress... Ive been on this journey since July of 2010.

    I do pay attention to sodium but only as a means of explaining bad weigh ins. I will say that I don't normally go over sodium unless I have eaten out that day, because most of what I eat is prepared by me so I can control the sodium.

    Small rant, but I think that carbs get a bad rap and completely eliminating them is not a sustainable eating practice.
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