Afraid to trust calorie count

flosoup38
flosoup38 Posts: 71 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Been dieting forever with limited success. Have been kinda counting calories but not fully committed as I'm afraid of it lol used slimming world weight watchers diets in the past and an half convincing myself that I cannot do it without a group like that.

I'm a busy working mum of 2. I take 2 Taekwon do classes a week, one weights class and try to get a circuits style class in also. I'm 221lbs and want to be 140 but I'm getting now where. Can you really eat anything and calorie count. Should I just eat clean and have 1 cheat day. Should I stick to 1200 a day and eat back the estimated burn??? Arrrggghhhh I don't want to be fat forever

Replies

  • flosoup38
    flosoup38 Posts: 71 Member
    Been dieting forever with limited success. Have been kinda counting calories but not fully committed as I'm afraid of it lol used slimming world weight watchers diets in the past and an half convincing myself that I cannot do it without a group like that.

    I'm a busy working mum of 2. I take 2 Taekwon do classes a week, one weights class and try to get a circuits style class in also. I'm 221lbs and want to be 140 but I'm getting now where. Can you really eat anything and calorie count. Should I just eat clean and have 1 cheat day. Should I stick to 1200 a day and eat back the estimated burn??? Arrrggghhhh I don't want to be fat forever
  • Savyna
    Savyna Posts: 789 Member
    Mainly weight loss comes from figuring out how many calories you burn in a day and eat slightly less than that, ci < co (calories in less than calories out). Yes you can eat anything and still lose weight, as long as you're weighing the foods you eat (with a food scale), and being honest about what you're burning through your exercise.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
    as long as you log accurately and consistently and remain in an appropriate deficit you will lose weight...that is science.

    the caveats to this are accurately which means using a good measurement such as a food scale and choosing correct entries from the data base...consistently means everything everyday...that's where it can get hard.

    appropriate deficit means not being to strict with yourself and starving....
    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

    I have logged accurately and consistently and lost over 55+ lbs in 14 months...I have pretty much maintained since then using this site and logging and counting calories...

  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,053 Member
    edited April 2017
    When I weigh my food on a digital food scale, eat the calories MFP gives me, eat some (but not all) of my exercise calories, I lose as expected over the course of a month.

    Cheat days wouldn't work for me. I could easily wipe out my weekly deficit over the course of one cheat day.

    Because I'm not trying for an aggressive rate of weight loss, and I eat at maintenance for a few days around my period, and I eat back most of my exercise calories, I'm eating a good amount of food, and do not feel deprived or a need for "cheat" days.

    I don't consider myself a clean eater, but focusing on whole foods certainly does help me stay fuller with less calories than hyperpalatable foods.
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
    To lose weight you need to consume less calories than you use, and do so over a sustained period. Counting calories is merely a way of creating data to ensure you are in a deficit.

    Far flung examples of this would be you could lose weight eating at a deficit consisting of nothing but fudge, or nothing but lettuce, the physiological principle remains the same.

    However, weightloss and nutrition are not the same thing.

    It's up to you to ensure you are meeting your macro and micro nutritional needs whilst remaining in a deficit.

    If eating 'clean' (whatever that is) and having a 'cheat' day (whatever that is) ensures you remain in an overall deficit and meet your micro and macronutritional needs then so be it.

    Personally I have found success with no foods out of bounds whilst remaining in a deficit and meeting macro and micronutritional needs.
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
    Counting calories works when done accurately. I'm 30 pounds in to my 70 pound weight loss journey and when I reach my goal I plan on:
    ...
    ...
    ...
    ...
    ...
    continuing to count calories. It's such a valuable habit and once it's a habit and you get good at it, it's not that hard. But like anything, you probably need to practice to get good at it. Don't be afraid of it. It's the best key there is.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,102 Member
    I wrote a little blog when I got my head around the concept of eating what I like this time around, http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/tinkerbellang83/view/the-start-of-my-journey-915510. I've had so much more success at sticking at it too!

    If you like the group element of WW, SW, etc, there are groups in the community section here, I have one myself for weekly weigh-ins, you choose whatever day of the week suits you and log your weight each week, I keep a spreadsheet and post up a monthly chart of progress. There are a couple of discussion boards for food and exercises too.
  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
    Watch this video, its 60 minutes but will convince you that CICO is the way to go. Also, are you sure 1200 calories is what you need to be at a deficit? I was started at 221, 5'7" lightly active and my calories were set to 1440. I have since lost 22 lbs and now down to 1340, 1200 would be hard!

    http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/10-things-you-need-to-know-about-losing-weight/
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    Yes and no.

    Yes you can 'eat anything' as long as you're in a deficit and lose weight. But I also say no because while it is mathematically true, you will probably find that quantity of food, not just calories, matters in terms of staying satiated and full.

    I could eat an order of Dominos cheese bread w/ marinara sauce for about 1200 calories. But that is not going to have me feeling full/satiated all day. So 'spending' some calories on things like lean meat and vegetables is a sensible way to increase the amount of food that you can fit into your calorie goal and make it thru the day without feeling like you are starving for a good part of the day.

    What have you got to lose by trying? Eat at a deficit, accurately & honestly track your calories daily, and do so for 8 weeks. That gives you enough time to see that it works.
  • cross2bear
    cross2bear Posts: 1,106 Member
    Eating clean doesnt mean phfft - you eat too many calories of anything, and you will gain.

    My best advice (and I've lost over 100lbs) is plug your stats into the MFP calculator and eat the number of calories it tells you. Set your activity as active or lightly active and set a goal weight loss of 1 lb per week and you will be fine. It wont be fast, but it will work. And you wont feel deprived, or restricted. You will be happy to see the scale change. Have faith in the science!
  • skellymama1
    skellymama1 Posts: 83 Member
    flosoup38 wrote: »
    Been dieting forever with limited success. Have been kinda counting calories but not fully committed as I'm afraid of it lol used slimming world weight watchers diets in the past and an half convincing myself that I cannot do it without a group like that.

    I'm a busy working mum of 2. I take 2 Taekwon do classes a week, one weights class and try to get a circuits style class in also. I'm 221lbs and want to be 140 but I'm getting now where. Can you really eat anything and calorie count. Should I just eat clean and have 1 cheat day. Should I stick to 1200 a day and eat back the estimated burn??? Arrrggghhhh I don't want to be fat forever


    Just go look on the success thread, there's your answer right there.

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