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Can I really eat like this and lose weight?

emilyjcros
emilyjcros Posts: 17 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've just started calorie counting and I'm a little surprised at how much I can eat, without going over 1200 calories. Like now, i'm snacking on a bag of crisps which I would've thought were out of bounds if I wasn't calorie counting. I know that as long as I eat less calories than I burn, I should lose weight, but somehow I feel like I'm doing something wrong. It feels like most things are 'allowed' to eat because they don't have that many calories in anyway. I've realised that it's better not to waste my calories on say 1 chocolate, and save them for something more filling, but I still don't feel like this can work?! Some reassurance and success stories on how it worked for you would be greatly appreciated, feel like I need some reassuring that this will work for me, and I'm not just wasting my time.
My diary is open if anyone would be able to have a look and see if i'm doing this right!
Thanks everyone and hope you've all had a great day.
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Replies

  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    dragon_girl26 wrote: »
    Yep, it's how I've lost 80+ pounds.

    Making chicken tikka masala made with heavy cream and basmati rice for dinner tonight. I also eat sweets regularly (as in usually one or two daily), and it doesn't stop me from losing weight. There are no good or bad foods, only incorrect portion sizes.

    Love this!
  • quartknee11
    quartknee11 Posts: 141 Member
    leanjogreen18 wrote: »
    Yes that's how it works. Soon you will learn what's worth eating now and what's worth eating once in awhile. What keeps you satisfied longer and what doesn't.

    If your weight loss slows down I recommend a food scale as people including experts in the field are generally poor at eyeballing portions.

    Recommendations on a food scale? Does it really matter the brand? I found one on amazon for 12-15$. Is that too cheap?
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    quartknee11 wrote: »
    leanjogreen18 wrote: »
    Yes that's how it works. Soon you will learn what's worth eating now and what's worth eating once in awhile. What keeps you satisfied longer and what doesn't.

    If your weight loss slows down I recommend a food scale as people including experts in the field are generally poor at eyeballing portions.

    Recommendations on a food scale? Does it really matter the brand? I found one on amazon for 12-15$. Is that too cheap?

    Just get one with a tare function. I got a $12 one off amazon and it's been great....3 years now.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    Also, read the stickied threads as they have wonderful information about accurate logging and great general info:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest
  • quartknee11
    quartknee11 Posts: 141 Member
    @kami3006 thank you :)
  • emilyjcros
    emilyjcros Posts: 17 Member
    I got the cheapest one amazon sold, which was about £2 but the reviews seemed OK. Didn't want to spend a lot until I know how much I use it, but if it works then it is an absolute bargain!
    https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00AB051OY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    quartknee11 wrote: »
    leanjogreen18 wrote: »
    Yes that's how it works. Soon you will learn what's worth eating now and what's worth eating once in awhile. What keeps you satisfied longer and what doesn't.

    If your weight loss slows down I recommend a food scale as people including experts in the field are generally poor at eyeballing portions.

    Recommendations on a food scale? Does it really matter the brand? I found one on amazon for 12-15$. Is that too cheap?

    That's fine, I just bought one a few days ago on sale for around $13 :)
  • Aetheldreda
    Aetheldreda Posts: 241 Member
    It is an eye opener, isn't it? I am enjoying losing on 1200 (I'm short, over 40 and female with a sedantry lifestyle). I enjoy chocolate, ice cream, cheese, chips (fries) to name just a few things, alongside fresh meat and veggies.
    Enjoy!
  • emilyjcros
    emilyjcros Posts: 17 Member
    It really is, thank you everyone for the kind answers. Getting a bit anxious now because I am going out for lunch tomorrow and can't find the calories anywhere. I don't know whether to get something more healthy sounding like the salad and hope it is low calorie, or just go for a burger and keep the rest of my days calories really low. Hard to know what I can eat when I won't know how many calories I've consumed.
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    mydogissupercute wrote: »
    It really is, thank you everyone for the kind answers. Getting a bit anxious now because I am going out for lunch tomorrow and can't find the calories anywhere. I don't know whether to get something more healthy sounding like the salad and hope it is low calorie, or just go for a burger and keep the rest of my days calories really low. Hard to know what I can eat when I won't know how many calories I've consumed.

    Find something in the database that you think is comparable and use it. Of course it won't be the same but you'll have a general idea. One day won't make a difference. Or, eat half and take home the other for another meal.

    This is something that gets easier over time as you become more familiar with serving sizes and calories in general. All part of the learning curve.

    Eating out will often cause water retention because of higher sodium so don't be surprised if you go up on the scale the next day. It's normal.
  • emilyjcros
    emilyjcros Posts: 17 Member
    Thank you! I will keep that in mind for next time. Luckily I found the nutritional information so I am feeling much more relaxed, the salad is only 270 calories! Turns out the burger I wanted was more than my daily allowance so it's salad for me :(
  • kami3006
    kami3006 Posts: 4,979 Member
    mydogissupercute wrote: »
    Thank you! I will keep that in mind for next time. Luckily I found the nutritional information so I am feeling much more relaxed, the salad is only 270 calories! Turns out the burger I wanted was more than my daily allowance so it's salad for me :(

    Yeah, thankfully I'm a leftover kind of gal so I can make two or three meals out of one restaurant portion.

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