Does calorie counting really work?

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Helendec1962
Helendec1962 Posts: 50
in Introduce Yourself
Hi, I'm new to the program and wondering if counting calories really works, so far I've been counting my calories and walking 6 miles a day, 5 days a week. I have yet to lose one pound, I need a little good news here, I would like to think that all my work ain't in vain. Thanks Helen
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Replies

  • lauram1153
    lauram1153 Posts: 145 Member
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    This may sound silly but are you eating enough sometimes if your not taking in enough especially with that exercise your body may go into starvation mode which means its holding on to the fat x...just an idea x
  • christenoel
    christenoel Posts: 9
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    I was just coming on to ask THE SAME THING. I started last week and GAINED 2 pounds. Grrrrr! I am working out harder than I ever have before too. I have a friend who just lost 20 pounds counting calories, so I am going to keep it up and hope that my body just went through some confusion here in the beginning.

    Christen
  • BlueAventer
    BlueAventer Posts: 129
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    6 miles is AWESOME!! I'm only up to about 3! I've heard that health and losing weight is 90% what you eat, and only 10% exercise. Take a look at what you are eating. :)
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
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    It is normal to see a gain in the beginning. You muscles are in shock and tend to retain water while they "repair". I usually have to take a day off from exercise before I do my Friday weigh in to let the water come off.

    Alot of people who come on here and fail are expecting instant results. It's not easy and it's not going to happen in a week. If you have patience and stick with it, YOU WILL be successful!
  • gpacheco0768
    gpacheco0768 Posts: 47 Member
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    Lost 41 here, counting calories... it is totally about what you are eating, the 6 mi/day walking is a catalyst to faster weight loss, but the trick is to create a calorie "deficit", so use this site to figure out what you should be eating each day to achieve your goals, plan your meals around that, log them, and you will lose weight! This is a marathon, not a sprint, so don't quit! I've been at it for seven months now, have 20 more to go! Depending on how much you want to lose and your age, set realistic expecations around time. Also, use the South Beach Phase II diet as an eating guide... One thing for sure that has helped me is NO ALCOHOL AT ALL. There's something about alcohol and what it does to your body, it just isn't good, for more than the obvious reasons. My husband, who also quit drinking in March, along with me, has lost 65 lbs, so in total we've lost 107 lbs in seven months! ALL BY LOWERING CALORIES/EXERCISING... no pills, no magic spells. This is the ONLY thing that truly works long term, it forces the lifestyle change that is required to keep the weight off, and no matter what, if you do something "quick" to get it off, it'll all come back and thensome. Good luck!
  • CamMac5150
    CamMac5150 Posts: 10
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    Hi Helen. I've learned the hard way that you have to eat as close to your calorie goal as possible. When you set your goal in MFP, it automatically sets your calorie goal which will help you lose weight. If you work out, walk, run, etc., you will notice that you earn "extra" calories for the day. For the best results you should use up all your calories that MFP suggests to you, otherwise, you enter starvation mode as others have suggested and backfire on you. Hope this helps.
  • clarech
    clarech Posts: 157 Member
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    It definatly works but as the others said its about what you eat too. I have lost 45lb by counting cals and just moving around more (I don't really work out much)
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
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    It does. May need to ensure your settings/goals are right for you:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/61706-guide-to-calorie-deficits

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/186814-some-mfp-basics

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/291071-activity-level-and-logging-exercise

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/283663-not-losing-weight-you-re-asking-the-wrong-questions
  • MrKevboto
    MrKevboto Posts: 12
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    It could be that your workouts are gaining you muscle weight, which would offset any loss on the scale. The best way to measure weight loss is in your clothes and how they fit.

    Also, depending on your diet you may be retaining water. A lot of times during a prolonged exercise and diet routine, weight will fluctuate due to the seesaw effect of retaining and losing water from your body.
  • Helendec1962
    Helendec1962 Posts: 50
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    Thank you so much for your reply, I try to eat close to my daily allowance but I don'r meet it every day.
  • Helendec1962
    Helendec1962 Posts: 50
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    lol I understand, I have to believe if we just keep trying it will eventually have to go soem where.
  • Helendec1962
    Helendec1962 Posts: 50
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    Thanks for the reply, I have cut out all the sweets and try to eat healthy.
  • mbroeckelmanpost
    mbroeckelmanpost Posts: 44 Member
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    Welcome! Yes, it really works-- but not in a nice linear way like you might expect. Some weeks you'll gain, some weeks you'll lose several pounds, some weeks you'll maintain-- but if you eat the number of calories you should each day (it's just as important that you get enough calories as it is that you don't eat too many), then over time you'll lose the weight at about the rate that you have set. It's also important to eat your exercise calories-- so if you burn 500 calories walking 6 miles, you need to eat 500 more calories because your calories are already set to reflect a deficit.

    Really, the key is to make sure that you're measuring your calories accurately. If you don't have one yet, I would strongly recommend buying a kitchen scale since that will help you ensure that you're not over or underestimating how much you're eating-- kitchen scales are fairly inexpensive, and you can find some great options on Amazon.com. If you're willing to spend a little more money, I would also recommend buying a heart rate monitor to measure how many calories you're burning when you work out-- but you can also get some really good estimates using various exercise apps if you have smartphone or can use the estimates on MFP (though they tend to be a bit high for most people).

    The other thing to keep in mind is that your body weight is going to fluctuate a few pounds from day to day, depending on what you do, so don't panic if you step and the scale and seem to have gained a couple of pounds overnight. For instance, I'm generally up a couple of pounds the morning after a hard workout, after eating a higher sodium dinner, after a day with too little water, after a glass of wine the evening before, etc-- but those extra couple of pounds will be gone the next day because all of those things cause your body to retain a little more water for a while.
  • _Shane_
    _Shane_ Posts: 12 Member
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    1. Counting calories absolutely works and to add to that it is the only thing that works for losing weight. There is no magic pill or diet that will get you where you want unless they somehow get you to use more calories than you consume.

    2. It is important to make sure you have your maintenance calories correct. If you are off by 500 calories which is very possible that could take you from a deficit to eating over maintenance just from miscalculating your activity level throughout the day.

    3. It is very, very important to accurately record your calories. Some days you may go over your goal but it is more important to hit weekly calorie deficits. If you hit a 500 calorie deficit every day you end up with a 3500 calories deficit for the week which will result in a pound of fat loss every week.

    4. Being on a deficit, it is very difficult to gain muscle. If you eat close to your goal calories it is possible to maintain the muscle you have. If you create too large of a deficit you may actually lose muscle due to your body using that muscle as fuel. That is why it is safest to only lose 1-2 pounds a week.
  • Helendec1962
    Helendec1962 Posts: 50
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    thank you so much, you've been a big help.
  • Helendec1962
    Helendec1962 Posts: 50
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    what you are saying is so true as I've yet to really lose 1 pound, I accuse those scales of lying almost daily lol I'm walking twice a day and staying under my cal count, I don't understand it. I've been at the calorie counting thingy for a couple weeks now but I have been walking for a month, am I ever going to see results? It get's so frustrating.
  • whitiegal
    whitiegal Posts: 1
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    I've been using this for about 2 months now and if you stick with it you will see progress it works and it works well!!!
  • Trishajac
    Trishajac Posts: 482 Member
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    I agree with all of the encouragement Helen to "stick with it"... add some folks to be friends (include me - if you like) and friends check in with you regularly along your journey!

    I have been logging for 40 days now... I am at 8 lbs lost..(from the heaviest weight I hit after joining MFP)..... fluctuating along the way (up 2.6, down 2.6 ... up .2 ....) but my NSV (non scale victory) ... is that I am logging (counting calories).... I am feeling better - even catch myself smiling - just because I'm making an effort to be healthier!

    Good luck!
  • smcwllms
    smcwllms Posts: 27 Member
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    I've lost 94 pounds so far, so, yes. It works. It doesn't happen overnight. It takes time.
  • CyberEd312
    CyberEd312 Posts: 3,536 Member
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    I have lost a few pounds counting calories......... Best of Luck...... :drinker:

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