What works for me and my weight loss journey

mtforrest07
mtforrest07 Posts: 31 Member
edited November 8 in Health and Weight Loss
I've managed to lose a lot of weight in the last few years and I've tried a lot of different strategies. I ate a lot of processed junk and still lost weight but just recently I've had a revelation. You see, I've been wanting to lose the last 5-10 pounds and have been stuck. At first my thought process was "desperate times call for desperate measures" and I cut back even more. I was hungry all the time and felt good for a while physically but then eventually would say "screw it" and blow it by eating too much junk...we all know this happens from restricting too much. So then I decide to do Atkins and although I'm not hungry on atkins, it's too restrictive and I quit after 3 weeks and splurge. Picked up the intuitive eating book and was pretty impressed. I really am tired of counting and overthinking whether I'm eating the right or wrong things...that's when I realized how the Atkins diet did actually help me by realizing how I felt after eating the right kinds of foods for me. I can't live on protein alone but I also realized that I didn't feel weighed down by it but I still love my carbs. My current strategy is to check in and see if I'm hungry but not only that, pay attention to how certain food makes me feel. I feel relieved because I'm no longer thinking "how many calories are in this?" or " should I eat that? It's fattening." I pay attention to how I will feel after the fact and I finally feel free from the diet mentality. Because let's be honest, counting macros, carbs, calories, etc. is maddening and making people obsessed and ultimately fail. This is just my opinion and for the first time in a long time, I feel mentally free and ecstatic about life in general.

Replies

  • peachyfuzzle
    peachyfuzzle Posts: 1,122 Member
    Personally, I don't find it maddening at all to count calories even though I thought it would be utter insanity not so very long ago.

    Considering that I'm a numbers sort of person, I enjoy logging amounts, and seeing real life effects on the scale. I view it exactly like a science experiment for which all of the logging, and data is crucial.

    If you're able to maintain, or lose without logging, then that is awesome! I know it is something that I couldn't do because that's what I was doing before, and while I wasn't explicitly trying to lose weight, it definitely wasn't working to make me not a heffalump.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    It's not maddening for me at all. It's part of my daily routine and something I enjoy doing.

    Keep in mind, though, the only reason a person loses weight is because they eat less calories than they burn.

    It's normal for the last 5-10 to come off very slowly, like at a rate of .5 pounds a week. However, weight loss is not linear at all, so patience is a virtue because some weeks you may not lose at all, and other weeks you might lose a bit more. :wink: :smile:
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    edited November 2014
    For most here, counting calories isn't maddening. Not yet, anyway. Sometimes I don't mind it (actually enjoy it) and other times, I just quit because it is maddening, lol. Too obsessive. Too annoying.

    I once decided not to grab the peanuts and have a handful because I didn't feel like getting a paper towel and putting it on the machine and turning it on, putting the peanuts down, weighing them, jotting the number down, picking them back up, getting the iPad, going to the database, searching for the peanuts and entering what I'd eaten. I just wanted a small handful of peanuts.

    I knew it was time for a break, lol.

    The long-term goal for me is not to weight every piece of food I eat. The long-term goal is to learn to eat without having to do that. I should be able to eat without a bunch of added work!

    People say they will weigh for life, but I think after ten or twenty years, they may not. I don't think anyone is going to weigh every bite they take for decades. It's unrealistic.

    Right now, weighing works. But I'm working on learning to do without it. I'm watching the portion sizes and all that. Eventually, I will know how to eat, lol. :)
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    Awesome that you found something that works for you!

    I tried IE many times. I just went overboard in the end. I don't know whether it was physical or emotional, but I suspect it was (is) a combination of both.

    I am happy for anyone who has found "the" solution for him- or herself. :) Cheering for you!
  • KameHameHaaaa
    KameHameHaaaa Posts: 837 Member
    I spent the first 5 years on here maintaining my 410 lbs but working on my mental health. Started a calorie deficit in January and am down to 322 so far :) Calorie counting is just a habit now, its a routine like brushing my teeth. I also eat what I like so long as it fits the macros. Works for me so far I'm happy with how its goin :D
  • mtforrest07
    mtforrest07 Posts: 31 Member
    Hey it's a matter of people finding what works for them. I've just done calorie counting for years and don't suspect that I want to keep counting for the rest of my life. To each their own :smile:
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    mtforrest07 wrote: »
    I've managed to lose a lot of weight in the last few years and I've tried a lot of different strategies. I ate a lot of processed junk and still lost weight but just recently I've had a revelation. You see, I've been wanting to lose the last 5-10 pounds and have been stuck. At first my thought process was "desperate times call for desperate measures" and I cut back even more. I was hungry all the time and felt good for a while physically but then eventually would say "screw it" and blow it by eating too much junk...we all know this happens from restricting too much. So then I decide to do Atkins and although I'm not hungry on atkins, it's too restrictive and I quit after 3 weeks and splurge. Picked up the intuitive eating book and was pretty impressed. I really am tired of counting and overthinking whether I'm eating the right or wrong things...that's when I realized how the Atkins diet did actually help me by realizing how I felt after eating the right kinds of foods for me. I can't live on protein alone but I also realized that I didn't feel weighed down by it but I still love my carbs. My current strategy is to check in and see if I'm hungry but not only that, pay attention to how certain food makes me feel. I feel relieved because I'm no longer thinking "how many calories are in this?" or " should I eat that? It's fattening." I pay attention to how I will feel after the fact and I finally feel free from the diet mentality. Because let's be honest, counting macros, carbs, calories, etc. is maddening and making people obsessed and ultimately fail. This is just my opinion and for the first time in a long time, I feel mentally free and ecstatic about life in general.

    Very good point. Once we start 'listening' to our bodies have to say about different foods the better we are on track for long term success.

  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    Kalikel wrote: »
    People say they will weigh for life, but I think after ten or twenty years, they may not. I don't think anyone is going to weigh every bite they take for decades. It's unrealistic.

    Right now, weighing works. But I'm working on learning to do without it. I'm watching the portion sizes and all that. Eventually, I will know how to eat, lol. :)

    What I find useful is to weigh every couple of weeks, to keep my estimates calibrated, and to weigh unfamiliar foods. But I'm also the cook in my family, and I weigh or measure ingredients that go into my recipes, so I had the habit even before MFP. I don't sweat the small stuff - a baby dill pickle gets logged as 5 calories, because I'm not going to weigh it to determine whether it's really 3 or 7; I don't eat that many pickles! Cooked sausage, on the other hand, I weigh often enough to know how much an ounce is.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    I got fat by eating intuitively. Many of us did. Like others, counting cals/macros isn't a bother to me. I much prefer it, as I know that I am eating enough to minimize muscle loss but not eating so much as to make weight loss unbearably slow. And that I can eat calorie-dense foods without over-eating them, becuase honestly I could eat a whole jar of PB in a sitting and probably still be hungry. I get more sated by volume than simply by calories alone, and I like calorie-dense food.
  • mtforrest07
    mtforrest07 Posts: 31 Member
    I feel that if people are truly stopping when they are satisfied...eating intuitively...that people wouldn't gain so much weight. I like calorie dense foods as well but if I eat a large portion of heavy carb loaded food in one sitting, I'd feel sick and bloated. Like I said before, whatever works for each person is all that matters. I just see so many posts out there regarding people feeling like they are lost and frustrated with their progress. This is just a suggestion that works for me.
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
    I'm happy that you've found a method that works for you. :)

    I'm with some of the others in that I actually really enjoy tracking my calories and macros, because I like having a clear picture of my nutrition. I'm almost at my goal weight, and my ultimate goal is to become fitter and increasingly more athletic. Logging my food helps me fuel my body appropriately so that my body can accomplish what I want it to.

    I'm also a volume eater, so intuitive eating never would have worked for me when I was at my heaviest. Not only do I love calorie-dense foods, but I can also put a ton of food away like nobody's business. I know I could never lose weight with intuitive eating, but I may be able to maintain a healthy weight with that method, only because calorie counting for two years has taught me proper portion sizes. I still rarely feel "full", but I've become much better at stopping when I should because I have a solid understanding of foods and their calorie contents.

    I wish you all the best. :)
  • softblondechick
    softblondechick Posts: 1,275 Member
    I tried Paleo, I admit I lost weight, but was so darn miserable. No milk for coffee, no Splenda, no cheese, no bread.

    I tried Atkins, and was way down.

    The issue is though, that I went back to "normal" eating, and gained it all back.

    So, now I am just changing my own eating habits. Smaller portion sizes. More vegetables. Exercise.is key for me.
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