Does counting CALORIES!! Really help with weight loss.

I was going to say the same thing as paperpudding. It's not the act of counting itself that causes weight loss. However if you educate yourself on how much you should be eating to maintain your body weight and set yourself a certain calorie goal then, yes calorie counting can be a very effective weight loss tool to help you know how that you're eating the right amount. Even in the short term it can be a really insightful educational tool for people to learn about how many calories and macronutrients are in the foods we eat and what a proper portion of certain foods looks like. Some people find there first few weeks very eye-opening, particularly if you are very accurate and honest with your logging.

23.2 pounds lost from calorie tracking.

In my first year of weight loss I didn't focus on calories just followed New Atkins and reduced carbs to 20gms a day and lost 23kg in 6 months. Then things slowed to a standstill. I read more and realised as your body gets smaller it needs less fuel to support itself and you really can't keep eating at the same level. I adjusted my 'lifestyle' to focus on LCHF eating and took notice of calories and macros. 18 mths later I'd lost a further 12kg. I'm now 3kg away from my goal weight. Calories count and so do the type of calories you're consuming.

dottyrussellrn wrote: »

I am finding it hard to eat as many calories as I've been "assigned". I'm also a slightly finicky eater and don't eat any red meat. I'm afraid that I'll become bored soon. Any suggestions?

The only red meat I eat is pork. Beef makes my gallbladder act up. I mainly eat chicken, fish, and turkey. I do shredded chicken for tacos, chili, and soup. I also use cut up boneless skinless chicken for my zucchini spaghetti instead of ground meat. You can also do fish tacos. Grilling provides good opportunities. You can Google a lot of great recipes if you seem to get bored. It's doable.

I've counted calories so many times and it has never worked for me! I don't technically count my calories right now (even though I'm USUALLY under 1200 still) but I've started counting carbs instead. Keto/low carb, high fat, is literally the only diet I've been able to stick to for more than a week or 2.