Calorie Counting FOREVER.

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DeniseB0711
DeniseB0711 Posts: 294 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
After gaining more than 30lbs since umm Aprilish. I have come to the stark, depressing, and sad realization that the ONLY way for me to Not only lose weight but to maintain weight loss is to count calories.
I used to make the joke to people that if I didn't keep a food diary I would end up riding a scooter because I would be so incredibly overweight. Turns out that joke was True.
No other "Diet" has really been as effective at simply keeping the weight off. I have done low carb, High Protein, "clean" dieting, eating whatever I want, vegetarian, and the result is 100% always the same if I am going to lose weight and keep it off I have to keep a diary and not overeat.

I am looking for other calorie counters who have come to the same conclusion. I have set a goal to log every meal daily for 100 days.

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Replies

  • AlabasterVerve
    AlabasterVerve Posts: 3,171 Member
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    Counting calories is great but I need to be able to maintain my weight without counting calories too (for when life gets in the way or I just lose interest is logging my food). For that, I've found keeping to a strict food schedule has worked just as well as counting calories for maintaining my weight.

    I eat low carb and naturally gravitate towards eating two large meals a day and as long as I stick to that eating pattern it's not possible for me to eat above maintenance consistently enough to gain weight. Figuring out an eating pattern that allows you to maintain your weight without calorie counting might be worthwhile so you have another option.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    not_my_first_rodeo wrote: »
    I'm in the same boat. Sometimes it depresses me. Sometimes I'm okay with it. But I've come to that same conclusion myself.

    This^

    I've been over weight far too long (way too ingrained for me).
  • bblue656
    bblue656 Posts: 159 Member
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    You will NOT be forced to count calories for the rest of your life. Once you are at your goal weight. You will just count calories for a couple months to learn what your body will need to maintain, then it should be easy :)
  • pasewaldd
    pasewaldd Posts: 24 Member
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    Sounds like a great plan! I agree! Unfortunately, when I don't chart... I under eat! Way under. And that isn't helpful either, because then I lose my muscle instead of fat. Grr. Not saying I never over eat... I do. But I definitely have the best results when charting. I eat a lot of the same things so charting is fairly easy. I am at 39 days... I will try your challenge.

  • LLT38
    LLT38 Posts: 172 Member
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    I also have come to the conclusion that the only thing that works for me is counting calories. And if I want to keep the weight off, I have to keep counting.
  • BridgetHarrington
    BridgetHarrington Posts: 41 Member
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    I never had a weight problem..until I got into a crap relationship that was destructive on a lot of levels and stopped caring. Up until then, I always made the "right" food choices. For example, if I was very hungry and wanted to eat everything in sight, I'd load up on veggies like cauliflower (low cal with low carbs) and drink a glass or two of water to fill up. If given the choice between fried chicken and broiled chicken, I'd choose the broiled. If I wanted to eat chips or junk, then that meant rationing everything else I ate for that day and into the next and throwing in some extra activity to offset it. Basically, what Robthephotog said: being mindful of what is going into my mouth.

    Since I am going through menopause, where a lot of women gain weight, I've started doing what AlabasterVerve
    does: low carb, with my largest meals being breakfast and lunch with a light dinner. I've lost over half of my 30 extra pounds doing that, and I have more energy, too.
  • GottaBurnEmAll
    GottaBurnEmAll Posts: 7,722 Member
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    I agree with the recommendation to read through the maintenance threads.

    I have periods where I don't log or actively count calories, like when we go on vacation.

    I always go back to counting, but for me, it's not something I mind doing. If there comes a point in the future where it becomes something I mind doing, I'll come up with a solution for managing my weight that doesn't involve counting calories. There are many.

    Have you thought of simply weighing yourself and not letting the scale get beyond a certain point without scaling back portions? Many people successfully manage their weight simply doing that.
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
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    AlabasterVerve wrote: »
    Counting calories is great but I need to be able to maintain my weight without counting calories too (for when life gets in the way or I just lose interest is logging my food). For that, I've found keeping to a strict food schedule has worked just as well as counting calories for maintaining my weight.

    I eat low carb and naturally gravitate towards eating two large meals a day and as long as I stick to that eating pattern it's not possible for me to eat above maintenance consistently enough to gain weight. Figuring out an eating pattern that allows you to maintain your weight without calorie counting might be worthwhile so you have another option.

    This has been my solution also. I find that I don't go over maintenance with 2 meals a day and am not hungry with LCHF. I have to watch my protein levels or I can start gaining again. But overall I've been able to maintain without counting. HOWEVER, when I want to actively lose weight I must log and weigh carefully.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    DeniseB0711 wrote: »
    After gaining more than 30lbs since umm Aprilish. I have come to the stark, depressing, and sad realization that the ONLY way for me to Not only lose weight but to maintain weight loss is to count calories.
    I used to make the joke to people that if I didn't keep a food diary I would end up riding a scooter because I would be so incredibly overweight. Turns out that joke was True.
    No other "Diet" has really been as effective at simply keeping the weight off. I have done low carb, High Protein, "clean" dieting, eating whatever I want, vegetarian, and the result is 100% always the same if I am going to lose weight and keep it off I have to keep a diary and not overeat.

    I am looking for other calorie counters who have come to the same conclusion. I have set a goal to log every meal daily for 100 days.

    For me, tracking food long term helps me to really see how much I am eating and to stay within my calorie goals. It's just a habit now that takes little time out of my day.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    AprilCoe wrote: »
    The reason I gained 100 pounds was because I didn't pay attention. The reason I lost 100 pounds is because I paid attention. I don't mind paying attention anymore

    Yep, this is what happens to me when I don't weigh food and log. I think I am missing the chip in my brain that knows what a portion is. :)
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
    edited October 2016
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    bblue656 wrote: »
    You will NOT be forced to count calories for the rest of your life. Once you are at your goal weight. You will just count calories for a couple months to learn what your body will need to maintain, then it should be easy :)

    @bblue656 I admire your youth inspired positivity, I hope it carries you through the rest of your life so you don't have to fight this all-too-common fight most of us face. For me, it has never been easy and I don't anticipate it will be easy for the rest of my life.

    @DeniseB0711 I'm right there with you. I've come too far to risk ruining it by getting complacent so weighing and measuring (maybe a little less stringently) for eternity for me. Good luck to you.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,943 Member
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    bblue656 wrote: »
    You will NOT be forced to count calories for the rest of your life. Once you are at your goal weight. You will just count calories for a couple months to learn what your body will need to maintain, then it should be easy :)

    For some people this might be true, but not for everybody. There's no force in it either, it's a choice. ;)

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