Could it be?
Ashley2733
Posts: 56 Member
Is it really that simple? Eat under your calorie goal that mfp gives you for the day and you'll lose weight? That almost seems too easy after today of actually trying to eat ok, and stay under my goal for the day. Idk am i missing something? Also, i didnt add my exercise (walking) into the diary either, didn't know if you're supposed to eat those cals back or?
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Replies
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You don't need to eat under your calorie goal, you should be eating to your goal. And yes, MFP is meant for you to eat your exercise calories back, though for many people they're often overestimated so they do 50-75%.11
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Thank you malibu927 i appreciate the feedback!0
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It really is that simple!
And it actually works.5 -
It really is that simple. So simple I hated myself when it worked.13
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PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »It really is that simple. So simple I hated myself when it worked.
I think i might be able to actually do this!!4 -
Yes! You can! As long as you're burning more calories than you're eating, you should lose weight.5
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Yes, it is that simple. Keep your mind in it at all times and you will be successful.4
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PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »It really is that simple. So simple I hated myself when it worked.
I know what you mean! Once I started I was so annoyed I hadn't started sooner!!
Before I was eating "healthy" and "clean" and what I thought was moderate portions... trying to cut out sugar and grains and dairy... working out like crazy and paying for 2 personal training sessions a week... only to have no weight loss at all.
I even had the app on my phone for a while and just used it to track my weight. Ugh!! One day I decided to start tracking my food & calories and hit my calorie goals consistently and the weight just started dropping off. I just eat normally now too, not trying to cut out all kinds of stuff anymore. It's so stupidly easy and effective, I feel so dumb for not starting sooner.
Here is my weight graph- you can see the differencefrom before I started tracking calories and after.
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Yes, it really is that simple. Just remember that, like all calorie calculators, MFP gives you an estimate. Stick to it for a good while and then you will see if you need to make a slight adjustment.2
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It's magic and similar to witchcraft but it works.6
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This is the only thing that has worked for me in the past, so I am trying again. However, the last two days my weight has been ticking back up, so I am either under estimating my calories or my weight is just fluctuating. I have never made it past 10lbs weight loss, so I am anxious to get past that goal. My overall goal is to lose 50lbs in one year.1
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Yes, it's simple but don't tell anyone because it's a huge secret and we don't want people to destroy the entire multi-billion dollar diet industry that was founded on failing to deliver weight loss for the long-term.8
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shannie018 wrote: »This is the only thing that has worked for me in the past, so I am trying again. However, the last two days my weight has been ticking back up, so I am either under estimating my calories or my weight is just fluctuating. I have never made it past 10lbs weight loss, so I am anxious to get past that goal. My overall goal is to lose 50lbs in one year.
Best of luck to you on your goals. It's probably just weight fluctuations but keep a close eye on it and be ready to adjust if the trend continues.0 -
anicole1118 wrote: »Is it really that simple? Eat under your calorie goal that mfp gives you for the day and you'll lose weight? That almost seems too easy after today of actually trying to eat ok, and stay under my goal for the day. Idk am i missing something? Also, i didnt add my exercise (walking) into the diary either, didn't know if you're supposed to eat those cals back or?
Yes it's that simple, yes eat back exercise cals0 -
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anicole1118 wrote: »Is it really that simple? Eat under your calorie goal that mfp gives you for the day and you'll lose weight? That almost seems too easy after today of actually trying to eat ok, and stay under my goal for the day. Idk am i missing something? Also, i didnt add my exercise (walking) into the diary either, didn't know if you're supposed to eat those cals back or?
Yes, it really IS that simple.
And you are meant to eat back some or all of your exercise calories here on MFP. I usually eat back 50 to 75% of them, which leaves a little wiggle room if my exercise burn is over-stated or my food logging is under-stated.
After about a month of consistent logging of both and seeing your results when you weigh yourself, you'll get a feel for how it's working for you, and if any adjustments up or down are needed or realistic.
Good on you for figuring this out right off the top!
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Wheelhouse15 wrote: »Yes, it's simple but don't tell anyone because it's a huge secret and we don't want people to destroy the entire multi-billion dollar diet industry that was founded on failing to deliver weight loss for the long-term.
LOL. That's true and funny.
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Wheelhouse15 wrote: »Yes, it's simple but don't tell anyone because it's a huge secret and we don't want people to destroy the entire multi-billion dollar diet industry that was founded on failing to deliver weight loss for the long-term.
Right?! I get so angry when I think of all the time wasted and $ spent. Ugh. I get mad when I see ads for BS diets or other weight loss crap someone is trying to sell. It's so basic and myfitnesspal and a digital food scale is all you need! A free app and a $20 scale. Done.3 -
OP: Just remember to re-calculate your calorie requirements from time-to-time (every 5 lbs lost, for example) since a lower weight will require a corresponding lessening of calorie intake to maintain the deficit needed for weight loss to continue from there.
Also, the closer to get to your goal weight, the less wiggle room there is for any miscalculations.2 -
How freeing to learn I didn't have to "start" a diet and that I could eat what I normally eat but just count the calories and stay at my deficit.3
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anicole1118 wrote: »Is it really that simple? Eat under your calorie goal that mfp gives you for the day and you'll lose weight? That almost seems too easy after today of actually trying to eat ok, and stay under my goal for the day. Idk am i missing something? Also, i didnt add my exercise (walking) into the diary either, didn't know if you're supposed to eat those cals back or?
Yes, it's just math. A calorie is a unit of energy...your body requires energy to function...your energy requirements are based on your BMR + your daily+exercise. When you consume energy (calories) at a rate that is commensurate with what you are expending then you maintain. When you consume more energy than you require, that excess is stored as body fat...body fat is just stored energy...it's your backup generator. When you consume less energy than your body requires, your backup generator kicks on and you burn fat to make up the difference.
You do not have to eat under your GOAL...your GOAL has been calculated for you based on your inputs and desired rate of loss...your GOAL is your deficit and is something to be achieved. You account for exercise with MFP after the fact when you log it and earn additional calories...otherwise you should include it in your activity level.0
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