Anyone followed the MFP calorie requirements exactly and lost the weight desired? With diet alone?

cerise_noir · April 2016

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.

Mapalicious · April 2016

Open up that diary, and let us see!

SFBMCBuck · April 2016

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.

ErryDayImHustlin · April 2016

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).

AryaG08 · April 2016

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.

itsbasschick · April 2016

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

AryaG08 · April 2016

Hahahah or half a bottle of wine as one serving

rankinsect · April 2016

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.

kshama2001 · April 2016

AryaG08 wrote: »

Hahahah or half a bottle of wine as one serving

When I used to have a "glass" or two of wine when gardening after work, this was the glass:

61IdPr8G4qL._SY355_.jpg

minniestar55 · April 2016

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?

Great graphic, thanks for posting that.

duddysdad · April 2016

I lost 155 pounds in 8.5 months by diet alone. I went from 340 to 185 from January to mid September of 2015. I did no exercise, I set a custom 1300 calorie goal, I lost a lot faster than I should have. I averaged around 18 pounds per month, obviously not towards the end. In the beginning I had lost 90 pounds in 3 months. I did not have weight loss surgery. I did not take any diet pills or drink any sort of detox. I ate real food.