Anyone who cannot lose weight with dieting alone?

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nehaad88
nehaad88 Posts: 159 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi people,

I am looking for those people who cannot lose weight by creating only dietary deficit (by counting food calories only).

I have been maintaining my calorie intake at 1200-1300 a day for a long time. But only when I work out do I lose weight. Technically speaking, at that intake, my age, height, weight etc, I should have lost weight.

I know I will get a run through regarding how my calorie counting is faulty and how I should be using a food scale.

Please treat this as a survey question only. I am not looking answers for any of my personal issues. Just trying to check a hypothesis with the fitness aware public on here.

Thanks.
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Replies

  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    I like to know exactly what I'm doing when I need to do something that's important that I do right. Weight management is important to me, but also quite simple, so that isn't really anything to ponder.

    For something not important, I like to just mess around.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    That would be maintenance. Drop calories and you will start to lose.

    Every body who creates a deficit loses weight. Science.
  • __TMac__
    __TMac__ Posts: 1,665 Member
    edited February 2017
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    I do lose weight with calories alone, but it's glacially slow. I have insulin resistance, so the exercise helps keep my blood sugar in line. I also have to restrict carbs; same reason.
  • gracemaryx
    gracemaryx Posts: 15 Member
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    What kind of workouts do you do? I'm no expert but if you're doing cardio, you should consider strength training instead. Although cardio is great for your heart and can help increase your daily calorie expenditure, strength training builds muscle - and the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be which means you'll be burning calories faster for hours after your workout and at rest.
  • Mogan82
    Mogan82 Posts: 9 Member
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    I lose weight by meticulously weighing food and counting calories alone, but not at the same rate as when I'm exercising even if I eat back my activity calories. I think it is because I have pcos and insulin resistance, the exercise helps my endocrine system operate properly.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 24,840 Member
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    I can lose weight by diet alone ... but I'm miserable through the process.

    I'm so much happier if I'm out there walking, cycling, climbing stairs etc. etc. etc.
  • nehaad88
    nehaad88 Posts: 159 Member
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    gracemaryx wrote: »
    What kind of workouts do you do? I'm no expert but if you're doing cardio, you should consider strength training instead. Although cardio is great for your heart and can help increase your daily calorie expenditure, strength training builds muscle - and the more muscle you have, the faster your metabolism will be which means you'll be burning calories faster for hours after your workout and at rest.

    I do strength training 3x a week and cardio 3x and I alternate between HIIT and LISS.
  • nehaad88
    nehaad88 Posts: 159 Member
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    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »
    That would be maintenance. Drop calories and you will start to lose.

    Every body who creates a deficit loses weight. Science.

    Drop calories below 1200?

    I don't think that's recommended or safe really.
  • nehaad88
    nehaad88 Posts: 159 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    I like to know exactly what I'm doing when I need to do something that's important that I do right. Weight management is important to me, but also quite simple, so that isn't really anything to ponder.

    For something not important, I like to just mess around.

    Well that's a matter of opinion. If I am doing something I like to get to the root of it and understand the process as thoroughly as possible.

    Plus, I don't think weightloss or health in general can be managed with a "one size fits all" attitude.

    Everybody and every body is different. So the processes are bound to be different.
  • MlleKelly
    MlleKelly Posts: 356 Member
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    I don't lose just by diet/counting calories, or, like someone else mentioned, I do, but at an irritatingly slow pace. (1400 calories a day should be between 1.5-2lbs per week for me, but I'm lucky if I lose 1.5-2lbs per MONTH by diet alone).

    It has to be a combination for me. Strength training 2-3x per week combined with walking/running/spinning at least 2x per week and yoga 1x per week seems to be my sweet spot: 5-6 days per week of exercise combined with calorie counting (and I'm really more interested in hitting my macros) is my happy place for weight loss.
  • sbrandt37
    sbrandt37 Posts: 403 Member
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    The simple fact is that there is nobody that cannot lose weight by creating a calorie deficit. There are only people that do not lose weight because they are not creating a calorie deficit.

    You are eating more than you think. It sounds like you know that a food scale is recommended and choose not to use one anyway. You are free to do as you please, of course, but it means that you don't really know how much you are eating.
  • comeonnow142857
    comeonnow142857 Posts: 310 Member
    edited February 2017
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    And no adult (without a severe, extraordinary disease, at any rate) is going to make themselves unhealthy by dropping a little bit below maintenance, just because their maintenance calories seem low to them.

    If 1200 is really your maintenance (unless you're extremely small and/or bedridden, this is hugely improbable), 1000 calories is not going to hurt you. And on the much larger chance that you're merely miscounting, (and assuming that you are managing to be consistent) dropping to what you incorrectly count as 1000 calories is not going to hurt you.
  • nehaad88
    nehaad88 Posts: 159 Member
    edited February 2017
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    sbrandt37 wrote: »
    The simple fact is that there is nobody that cannot lose weight by creating a calorie deficit. There are only people that do not lose weight because they are not creating a calorie deficit.

    You are eating more than you think. It sounds like you know that a food scale is recommended and choose not to use one anyway. You are free to do as you please, of course, but it means that you don't really know how much you are eating.

    I am Indian and our food habits are significantly different and way more flexible than what I have seen here (no I dont eat the famous "Indian curry" and "naanbread" everyday).

    I do count everything I eat. I cook it myself so I know the exact quantity and nutritional value of the food I make. I think this makes the point of using a scale rather moot.

    And I agree,in an ideal world, dietary deficit should lead to standard weight loss pattern.

    I would like you to answer this then- why isn't weight loss linear? I am cutting 3500 calories, I should lose 1 lb of pure fat every week. Why doesnt this happen?

    I am not trying to argue just for the sake of argument here. I have seen people getting mocked for their desperation. I have seen threads where people are asking for help and all they are being told (rather rudely) that they are eating more than they should. Most of those advising are not ready to accept that there might be other factors for consideration.
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
    edited February 2017
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    nehaad88 wrote: »
    sbrandt37 wrote: »
    The simple fact is that there is nobody that cannot lose weight by creating a calorie deficit. There are only people that do not lose weight because they are not creating a calorie deficit.

    You are eating more than you think. It sounds like you know that a food scale is recommended and choose not to use one anyway. You are free to do as you please, of course, but it means that you don't really know how much you are eating.

    I am Indian and our food habits are significantly different and way more flexible than what I have seen here (no I dont eat the famous "Indian curry" and "naanbread" everyday).

    I do count everything I eat. I cook it myself so I know the exact quantity and nutritional value of the food I make. I think this makes the point of using a scale rather moot.

    And I agree,in an ideal world, dietary deficit should lead to standard weight loss pattern.

    I would like you to answer this then- why isn't weight loss linear? I am cutting 3500 calories, I should lose 1 lb of pure fat every week. Why doesnt this happen?

    The fact that you made those two statements in the same paragraph tells me that you don't actually know the point of using a food scale.
  • RuNaRoUnDaFiEld
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld Posts: 5,864 Member
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    nehaad88 wrote: »
    RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »
    That would be maintenance. Drop calories and you will start to lose.

    Every body who creates a deficit loses weight. Science.

    Drop calories below 1200?

    I don't think that's recommended or safe really.

    Drop below what you believe to be 1200 calories yes.

    If you are maintaining and want to lose you need to drop calories. It really is that simple.
  • nehaad88
    nehaad88 Posts: 159 Member
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    comeonnow142857 wrote: »
    And no adult (without a severe, extraordinary disease, at any rate) is going to make themselves unhealthy by dropping a little bit below maintenance, just because their maintenance calories seem low to them.

    If 1200 is really your maintenance (unless you're extremely small and/or bedridden, this is hugely improbable), 1000 calories is not going to hurt you. And on the much larger chance that you're merely miscounting, (and assuming that you are managing to be consistent) dropping to what you incorrectly count as 1000 calories is not going to hurt you.

    Thanks for your insight but you got it wrong.

    Please read the original post. I have explicitly mentioned that I do not need any advice regarding food scales or counting or deficit.

    All i want is some data.

    Thanks anyway.

    I have realised that one cannot post anything on MFP without it becoming something regarding weighing your food.
  • nehaad88
    nehaad88 Posts: 159 Member
    edited February 2017
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    Well. I want this thread closed. I didn't want this to get about my weightloss story and that's what it's becoming.

    Does anyone know how to get it closed by the mods?
  • PaulaWallaDingDong
    PaulaWallaDingDong Posts: 4,641 Member
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    nehaad88 wrote: »
    comeonnow142857 wrote: »
    And no adult (without a severe, extraordinary disease, at any rate) is going to make themselves unhealthy by dropping a little bit below maintenance, just because their maintenance calories seem low to them.

    If 1200 is really your maintenance (unless you're extremely small and/or bedridden, this is hugely improbable), 1000 calories is not going to hurt you. And on the much larger chance that you're merely miscounting, (and assuming that you are managing to be consistent) dropping to what you incorrectly count as 1000 calories is not going to hurt you.


    I have realised that one cannot post anything on MFP without it becoming something regarding weighing your food.

    True. When someone mentions "can't lose weight," people tend to want to tell you how you can.
  • comeonnow142857
    comeonnow142857 Posts: 310 Member
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    nehaad88 wrote: »
    I do count everything I eat. I cook it myself so I know the exact quantity and nutritional value of the food I make. I think this makes the point of using a scale rather moot.

    This makes no sense whatsoever.


  • nehaad88
    nehaad88 Posts: 159 Member
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    PaulaWallaDingDong wrote: »
    nehaad88 wrote: »
    comeonnow142857 wrote: »
    And no adult (without a severe, extraordinary disease, at any rate) is going to make themselves unhealthy by dropping a little bit below maintenance, just because their maintenance calories seem low to them.

    If 1200 is really your maintenance (unless you're extremely small and/or bedridden, this is hugely improbable), 1000 calories is not going to hurt you. And on the much larger chance that you're merely miscounting, (and assuming that you are managing to be consistent) dropping to what you incorrectly count as 1000 calories is not going to hurt you.


    I have realised that one cannot post anything on MFP without it becoming something regarding weighing your food.

    True. When someone mentions "can't lose weight," people tend to want to tell you how you can.

    I think people should at least read the post and not start firing away on their assumptions.

    This went way off topic.

    Thank you for your insight.

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