Anyone followed the MFP calorie requirements exactly and lost the weight desired? With diet alone?
aaromalloyola666
Posts: 50 Member
Just a doubt.
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Replies
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What part are you doubting? That you will lose weight if you eat at a deficit?
I lose weight by following MFP's calorie goals. I did exercise, but I ate back my exercise calories (putting me at the net calories MFP recommended).
If you eat at a deficit, you will lose weight.0 -
Yes. Weight loss only requires a calorie deficit and while here I follow my deficit and eat back all my exercise calories...lost over 50lbs.1
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Yeah,right now they recommend 1600 calories for me but I'm doing 1400 on most days(eat lots of veggies which keep me full).Is it like an exact science,you eat at a deficit you lose weight accordingly?0
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Since the beginning of the year I have averaged over 2 pounds a week loss changing nothing but my eating. I started a few weeks ago at the gum and still losing at the same rate. I didn't start at the gym to aid in my loses, I did it because I feel better when I exorcise, I could lose all the weight I want just ACCURATELY tracking calories.0
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aaromalloyola666 wrote: »Yeah,right now they recommend 1600 calories for me but I'm doing 1400 on most days(eat lots of veggies which keep me full).Is it like an exact science,you eat at a deficit you lose weight accordingly?
Yes, if you eat at a deficit, you will lose weight accordingly. Keep in mind that even the best loggers may have some logging errors (that is, something may have more calories than you think it does) and the estimate for how many calories you use each day is just that -- an estimate. But over time, if you're eating at a deficit, you will see the weight come off.1 -
Hell, I lost my first 35ish eating my caloric requirements of bourbon and chicken wings, I didn't change my diet at ALL. Deficit is all that matters.0
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Yes it is an exact science, a calorie is a unit of energy, nothing more. If YOU are accurate in your tracking, I.e. weighing every solid, loging every bite, then you will lose weight. Any online calculator MFP included is just an estimate of your actual calorie burn, you would need lab work and tests to give you your exact to the calorie burn, but if you eat what the app tells you, and are tight and honest with your loving 9 out of 10 times you will lose weight.
Edit to add that weight loss isn't linear, you are more than likely not going to lose exactly 2 pounds a week or whatever your goal because of things like water retention from sodium/work outs every single week until you hit goal. But if you are not losing then it is human error on your part in the logging, either over estimating burns or under estimating calories.0 -
I track EVERYTHING I eat.0
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Yes I have lost 25 lbs by eating at a deficit no exercise it will be 3 months tomorrow that I started logging on mfp and if I can do it anyone can I shocked myself lol0
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yes0
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aaromalloyola666 wrote: »I track EVERYTHING I eat.
Do you weigh it on a digital kitchen scale to the gram? Are you double checking the entries in the database? The less you have to lose the tighter your loging has to be. I have a lot of wiggle room because I am morbidly obese, so I don't have to be as accurate. Someone with less than 25 to lose has to be very tight on their loging1 -
I'm not that fat but still...0
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I been logging for almost full 2 weeks, and using a scale to weigh everything. I don't exercis, just my usual daily walking I have always done, and I am down 12 pounds. But I also started at 332 Pounds so in the beginning weight drops really fast.1
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There are so many benefits to exercising other than weight loss I don't understand why anyone who can exercise wouldn't.
I see you are 19 - are you in university?
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Yeah.Medical student.0
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When do the results start showing? People talk about dropping weight quickly in the first few weeks, but I log accurately and work out and see no loss. Been about three weeks since I started.evildeadedd wrote: »Yes it is an exact science, a calorie is a unit of energy, nothing more. If YOU are accurate in your tracking, I.e. weighing every solid, loging every bite, then you will lose weight. Any online calculator MFP included is just an estimate of your actual calorie burn, you would need lab work and tests to give you your exact to the calorie burn, but if you eat what the app tells you, and are tight and honest with your loving 9 out of 10 times you will lose weight.
Edit to add that weight loss isn't linear, you are more than likely not going to lose exactly 2 pounds a week or whatever your goal because of things like water retention from sodium/work outs every single week until you hit goal. But if you are not losing then it is human error on your part in the logging, either over estimating burns or under estimating calories.
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Are you weighing all solid food on a kitchen scale? That's first number one. If you are not weighing your food and not losing weight, then you are eating more than you think you are period. The large initial loss is water weight, you might not have been retaining much water which means no big initial drop. If you have 25 pounds or less to lose half a pound a week is realistic. It is going to take time, but once again if you are not using a kitchen scale you are not accurately tracking. Do you own and use a food scale?0
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When do the results start showing? People talk about dropping weight quickly in the first few weeks, but I log accurately and work out and see no loss. Been about three weeks since I started.evildeadedd wrote: »Yes it is an exact science, a calorie is a unit of energy, nothing more. If YOU are accurate in your tracking, I.e. weighing every solid, loging every bite, then you will lose weight. Any online calculator MFP included is just an estimate of your actual calorie burn, you would need lab work and tests to give you your exact to the calorie burn, but if you eat what the app tells you, and are tight and honest with your loving 9 out of 10 times you will lose weight.
Edit to add that weight loss isn't linear, you are more than likely not going to lose exactly 2 pounds a week or whatever your goal because of things like water retention from sodium/work outs every single week until you hit goal. But if you are not losing then it is human error on your part in the logging, either over estimating burns or under estimating calories.
@AryaG08 - Do you use a food scale to weigh solid foods? Do you take body measurements? Are you 100% sure the entries your selecting from the database are accurate? (there is some really inaccurate stuff in there...example one entry I saw recently was 4 oz chicken w/o skin rotisserie style 85 calories...in reality the calories are like double that at least depending on what part of the chicken you ate)0 -
When do the results start showing? People talk about dropping weight quickly in the first few weeks, but I log accurately and work out and see no loss. Been about three weeks since I started.evildeadedd wrote: »Yes it is an exact science, a calorie is a unit of energy, nothing more. If YOU are accurate in your tracking, I.e. weighing every solid, loging every bite, then you will lose weight. Any online calculator MFP included is just an estimate of your actual calorie burn, you would need lab work and tests to give you your exact to the calorie burn, but if you eat what the app tells you, and are tight and honest with your loving 9 out of 10 times you will lose weight.
Edit to add that weight loss isn't linear, you are more than likely not going to lose exactly 2 pounds a week or whatever your goal because of things like water retention from sodium/work outs every single week until you hit goal. But if you are not losing then it is human error on your part in the logging, either over estimating burns or under estimating calories.
Took me about five weeks of being very accurate and consistent to start losing. Started with a total of about 30 to lose. 10 to go. I'm on a low deficit since I don't have much to lose and I'm not tall. So, it's slow but pretty steady.2 -
I'm way too lazy to exercise. Which is really unhealthy, I know. But yeah, I've lost 10kg just through diet alone - sticking to calories. I still eat all the things I ate before. Just less of them.2
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evildeadedd wrote: »Are you weighing all solid food on a kitchen scale? That's first number one. If you are not weighing your food and not losing weight, then you are eating more than you think you are period. The large initial loss is water weight, you might not have been retaining much water which means no big initial drop. If you have 25 pounds or less to lose half a pound a week is realistic. It is going to take time, but once again if you are not using a kitchen scale you are not accurately tracking. Do you own and use a food scale?
This.1 -
Open up that diary, and let us see!1
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I am 54 years old, when I started (28 FEB) I was at 259 lbs. and I am currently at 241 lbs. I have experimented with MFP and diet alone and also with exercise (cardio + strength) and MFP diet. I spoke with a nutritionist and he adjusted my macros to 180/160/60 (and calories to 1900 from 2070). On the 1900 cal diet I still only maintain my weight, to lose weight I require MFP, cardio and strength training to actually lose weight.0
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aaromalloyola666 wrote: »Yeah,right now they recommend 1600 calories for me but I'm doing 1400 on most days(eat lots of veggies which keep me full).Is it like an exact science,you eat at a deficit you lose weight accordingly?
Pretty much. Your BMR and TDEE will vary somewhat from the calculators, but thats easy to adjust for. Its likely that any variance will be smaller than inaccuracies in counting (even if you weigh everything, which you should).0 -
I don't own a food scale. I try to be as accurate as I can but after reading this thread I am getting one right away! I went through all the stages of grief once you guys told me that I could be logging all wrong! I had not even considered that possibility.... Thank you so much for the advice you guys. Thirty pounds to lose but am drinking a lot less and feeling a lot better already! Just gonna keep at it.1
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you can't log accurately without weighing your food. almost everyone here has tried eyeballing servings, only to discover that our eyes see 250 grams as 100
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Hahahah or half a bottle of wine as one serving0
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Yes, it's really just a numbers game.
Now, calories in are estimates (even if you weigh your food - they are just much better estimates than if you didn't). Calories burned are also estimates, since no calculator knows your precise body composition or activity level. And the scale is error-prone because your body has a lot besides fat that can vary in weight, notably water which can change by several pounds in a day.
However, if you're in a deficit, you will see a long-term trend towards weight loss.1 -
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Great graphic, thanks for posting that.kshama2001 wrote: »There are so many benefits to exercising other than weight loss I don't understand why anyone who can exercise wouldn't.
I see you are 19 - are you in university?
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