Lose with just potion control

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CHRISSYWEBB15326
CHRISSYWEBB15326 Posts: 5 Member
in Getting Started
So my question is can u really lose weight with just portion control over counting calories. I have lose 20.4 lbs and honestly it's from not counting calories at all but I know it's helpful. All I been doing is portion control and making smarter choices. I do have some bad food but it's not all the time and if we do ice cream or fast food I always try to do small or heath choices. I find that portion control is easier then logging calories when u a busy mom . Am I wrong how important is calories for weight loss really. Can I continue to lose by doing my small portions throughout the day and 64 or more ozs of water and 30 minutes of working out 5 x a week. .

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  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Of course you can. Portion control is helping you create a calorie deficit whether you count them or not.
  • CHRISSYWEBB15326
    CHRISSYWEBB15326 Posts: 5 Member
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    Awesome thanks very much
  • KateA2017
    KateA2017 Posts: 42 Member
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    Think it depends on lot of stuff activity type of nutrition and metabolism but yes portion control always help
  • CHRISSYWEBB15326
    CHRISSYWEBB15326 Posts: 5 Member
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    Thanks
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
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    Portion control is another way of restricting calories so yes of course you could lose.
    If we eat less than we burn we lose.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    Calories is what controls your weight, so I would say calories is crucial to weightloss.

    Counting calories is just a more accurate method of imposing portion control.

    With a lot to lose, you can lose weight without being very accurate. As you lose weight, maximum fat loss rate will slow down, and you'll have to be more accurate to continue losing.

    You can lose weight without exercise, but exercise is good for you and it burns some calories. Moderate exercise will add to your calorie deficit; exhausting yourself may lead to compensory (reward) eating or reduced normal daily activity.

    You don't have to drink a lot of water. Drink until you're not thirsty anymore.

    You can eat many small meals throughout the day, or fewer larger meals. Your total calorie intake over time is what matters.

    Something that really helped me making overall smarter choices, was to stop calling food I like, "bad". Calling it bad only made my desire for it stronger. Now I eat anything I want, but what I want is enough of everything I need every day, but not too much of anything over time. No foods are off limits, but I feel great by limiting intake of junk food.
  • ck2d
    ck2d Posts: 372 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Calories is what controls your weight, so I would say calories is crucial to weightloss.

    Counting calories is just a more accurate method of imposing portion control.

    When you're just starting, you don't need to have such a tight control though.
    It's actually better to have some wiggle room for later when you will need to make adjustments.
    Any way you start is great. And measuring food is a pain in the neck, so if you start by measuring, you've got a leg up to finish strong.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    ck2d wrote: »
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    Calories is what controls your weight, so I would say calories is crucial to weightloss.

    Counting calories is just a more accurate method of imposing portion control.
    When you're just starting, you don't need to have such a tight control though.
    It's actually better to have some wiggle room for later when you will need to make adjustments.
    Any way you start is great. And measuring food is a pain in the neck, so if you start by measuring, you've got a leg up to finish strong.
    Yes, that's why I also wrote this:
    With a lot to lose, you can lose weight without being very accurate. As you lose weight, maximum fat loss rate will slow down, and you'll have to be more accurate to continue losing.
  • elothen
    elothen Posts: 155 Member
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    Sure. I'd say weigh in weekly (no more!!!) and if you begin to stall out then start counting calories to figure out exactly what's going on.

    One thing though, if you use MFP to log your food then it calculates the calories for you if it's something in the database. Regardless of counting I HIGHLY recommend logging because it makes you think about what you're eating and if you start to stall out you can look at your food diary and be like "Well of course, I ate a whole pizza this week, a bunch of queso, and drank a ton at that party. Now to get back on track!"
  • Meghanebk
    Meghanebk Posts: 321 Member
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    Sure you can lose with just portion control. Especially if you use a food scale to be honest about portion sizes...

    Though it will be much harder if your "smaller portions" are still all calorie dense foods.

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