Losing weight just from counting calories?

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AniyahsMommy324
AniyahsMommy324 Posts: 104 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone lose weight just by counting their calories? My eating is all over the place, anf I feel like before I try to incorporate exercise in, I should get my eating under control first and just focus on counting calories for a month or so. Anyone done this and had a positive result? :)
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  • Phoenix_Down
    Phoenix_Down Posts: 530 Member
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    I had a week or two where I couldn't exercise due to oral surgery when I was in weight loss and lost weight fine without it. At the end of the day, it will always be calories in vs out for weight loss. Exercise can help with calorie inaccuracies to a point and is a great thing to incorporate for fitness but it will always come down to calories.
  • Helen468
    Helen468 Posts: 3
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    I might be able to answer this in a few weeks ive started doing this and not going over 1200 a day and hoping it will cause weightloss as already i have noticed im eating a lot less than i used to and eating better foods, so surely i deserve rewarding by shedding a few pounds for that!
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    You lose weight by counting calories so everyone will have this experience, some may benefit from higher calories due to their activity levels (and mental and physical gains) but it isn't a requirement for weight loss...just counting calories and eating fewer than you burn is
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    As long as you are eating less than you burn, you'll lose weight.
  • Barbs2222
    Barbs2222 Posts: 433 Member
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    It really helps me. Every time I quit doing it I gain weight. This is my 3rd time now! I'm going to stick with it this time. I think it's because it makes me mindful of every I put in my mouth. I start to think about every little thing, like when I made my sons pb&j sandwich today I didn't end up licking the knife because I didn't want to try and figure out how many calories it would have. Lol. Good luck, and that sure is one cute baby you have there :)
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    I did from June 10 to Sept 11 last year. I was recovering from a c-section at the beginning of June and it took a little bit for me to get back into exercising. I lost weight during this time. I was in the mid 190's in June and on Sept 11 I was 181. So yes, you can lose weight without exercise.
  • kristen6350
    kristen6350 Posts: 1,094 Member
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    Yep. 6lbs since Dec. 10th. No exercise. I tend to hibernate in the winter so I need to get my food intake spot on...
  • Marianna93637
    Marianna93637 Posts: 230 Member
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    You can lose weight just with having a calorie deficit. I have done it before, and the 8.5 lbs I lost was during the 1st 3 weeks when i really didn't do much exercise (other than some walking).
    But if you exercise it's so much easier. I take a Zumba class, it burns about 500-700 calories. I can eat back some (or all and still be under the goal). It just means that I can eat more and not be hungry, or stay lower on my calories.
  • xcalygrl
    xcalygrl Posts: 1,897 Member
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    When I first started losing weight, I did nothing but count my calories. I wasn't active, at all. After 6-8 weeks, I started walking. I probably could have continued on without the walking, but my family wanted to start walking as something to do together instead of just watching TV in the evenings.
  • AniyahsMommy324
    AniyahsMommy324 Posts: 104 Member
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    Thanks for your replies! I used to count calories, but was still eatin the wrong foods, and too much of them. So now I'm going to focus on just counting calories and eating better foods.

    Barbs2222 thank you! He was a newborn in that picture. Now he's 10 months and trying to walk! :)
  • DianaLovesCoffee
    DianaLovesCoffee Posts: 398 Member
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    It helps if you are truly honest with what you log. Log everything. EVERY. BITE. If I know I have to log it, I may choose not to eat it. I also try to log my whole day before I eat it if I can so I know if I'm within my calories or not. Then I can adjust if needed. Good luck!
  • holliebevineau
    holliebevineau Posts: 441 Member
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    Back when I was over 200 lbs I did not do ANY exercise at all. I lost weight by counting calories alone. I started working out when I hit a plateau at 190. You can do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • teagirlmedium
    teagirlmedium Posts: 679 Member
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    I have done that. It worked, but you don't have to do that. If your calories are all over the place then you can use the exercise to keep the calories closer to whatever your calorie goal is. Unless your calories are less, then I would suggest you do exercises that do not burn as many calories, but help you get ready for whatever work outs you want to start after you do your month of getting your calories on track.
  • SXMEnrico
    SXMEnrico Posts: 89 Member
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    AniyahsMommy324 wrote: »
    Does anyone lose weight just by counting their calories? My eating is all over the place, anf I feel like before I try to incorporate exercise in, I should get my eating under control first and just focus on counting calories for a month or so. Anyone done this and had a positive result? :)

    in short, yes. If your goal is to lose weight then the priority should be to count calories and learn how to get into and stay in a calorie deficit over an extended period of time. Also, don't look at it as a daily deficit either, look at it as weekly. That way if you do have a binge day, you can still adjust in order to be in a weekly deficit. Your weekly deficit should be 3500 calories for every lb you want to lose per week.

    Don't try to burn more than 1.5-2lbs per week otherwise your metabolism will slow down and this will stall your weight loss leading to frustration and ultimately cause you to give up.

    This is what happens to a lot of people.

  • emalethmoon
    emalethmoon Posts: 178 Member
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    Counting calories is the most important thing you can do to lose weight. Excercise will help you get more physically fit, and will allow you to add more calories into your day (or will help the weight come off a little faster) but ultimately, it's about taking in less calories than you burn.

    Log it all! Weight it and measure it all! I've slacked on that recently and I've gone from losing 10 pounds a month to losing and gaining the same 2 pounds over the last six weeks, even though I work out 3 times a week.
  • Phoenix_Down
    Phoenix_Down Posts: 530 Member
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    AniyahsMommy324 wrote: »
    Thanks for your replies! I used to count calories, but was still eatin the wrong foods, and too much of them. So now I'm going to focus on just counting calories and eating better foods.

    Barbs2222 thank you! He was a newborn in that picture. Now he's 10 months and trying to walk! :)

    If you weren't losing it was from eating too much of them, not necessarily that they were wrong foods.

    I just wanted to clarify. For weight loss, irregardless of what foods you eat, it is calories in vs out. For health, it is ideal to balance your meals to include a good amount of protein, fat, fiber and micronutrients. These two things should typically be in balance but I know I have off days were I decide to just have a nice day and not get too strategic with it. Staying within whatever calorie goal results in weight loss is enough to produce results. The thing that helps is that nutrient dense, whole foods will typically leave you satiated longer then other foods but neither is superior to the other in terms of calories alone.

    Sorry ramble xD
  • sullus
    sullus Posts: 2,839 Member
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    You cannot lose weight just by counting calories. You need to limit them as well.
  • hamoncan
    hamoncan Posts: 148 Member
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    Exercise is just a nice compliment to weight loss - good chance you'll take it up too at some point, they just naturally go hand in hand - taking babies for long nap walks counts
  • Marianna93637
    Marianna93637 Posts: 230 Member
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    As far as wrong food vs. good foods, the calories are what really count.
    If you want to eat fried chicken, pizza and cake, sure, go for it, but if your goal is to stay under 1300 for example, you will be able to eat very little. 2-3 slices of pizza, some chicken, and a slice of cake will probably get you there. You can lose weight as long as you stay under the goal, but you'll be hungry and will end up eating something. You def. can't sustain this on the long run.

    By eating 'good food', lots of veggies, lean protein, good carbs (not cake lol) and even the occasional treats, you can easily stay under your goal, and that's what counts.

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