Any other ideas?

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salmarooni
salmarooni Posts: 42 Member
in Getting Started
Counting Calories isnt working for me! I wonder why i havent lost weight and everyone always says you need to log food in accuratly. My life is too busy to sit and weigh everything before I eat. Any other ideas for weight loss programme and I guess this doesnt work for as I am always under my calorie intake and burn a good 500 calories a day but something is off!
Know any other good programmes?

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  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,049 Member
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    Well, the only way to lose weight is to eat less than you use.

    How would you know those numbers without keeping track?

    It takes me two minutes per meal to weigh and log my food. I lost 70+ pounds in 2007 and I've kept it off by doing this simple self-care task. I will continue to do so.

    If you find another way, go for it.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    Buy a food scale. Use it. Weigh everything you eat, and log it religiously, no skipping, cheating or forgetting. Stay within your calorie allowance each day.

    Boom. Weight loss.
  • salmarooni
    salmarooni Posts: 42 Member
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    I log it just not accuratly. I always have a good 500 calories left of my daily allowance so figured that would cover the innaccurasy. Maybe not, I don't know, very new to this. Either way counting calories is making me lose motivation more than giving me it. Why i wondered if anyone is the same and lost weight another way?
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
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    salmarooni wrote: »
    I log it just not accuratly. I always have a good 500 calories left of my daily allowance so figured that would cover the innaccurasy. Maybe not, I don't know, very new to this. Either way counting calories is making me lose motivation more than giving me it. Why i wondered if anyone is the same and lost weight another way?

    Experiment with a food scale. Give it two weeks. If you were accurate, you can quit using it. I suspect you'll find out you weren't accurate, though.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,874 Member
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    You're on a site designed for tracking calories. Must of us either are or did at some point count calories in order to lose weight. We won't try to sell you a magic potion, cure all, effortless weight loss woo, mainly because we know it doesn't exist. Do or do not, as Yoda says.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,049 Member
    edited February 2018
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    salmarooni wrote: »
    I log it just not accuratly. I always have a good 500 calories left of my daily allowance so figured that would cover the innaccurasy. Maybe not, I don't know, very new to this. Either way counting calories is making me lose motivation more than giving me it. Why i wondered if anyone is the same and lost weight another way?

    It is really easy to use up that 500 calories if you aren't keeping good records. A cookie and half a cup "extra" of cereal. Three tablespoons instead of two on the salad dressing. 40 grams of cheese instead of 20...the list goes on. Forgetting about that brownie you ate, could be 400 calories right there.

    If you aren't weighing food, you'll get it wrong. I've been doing this for 11 years and I can get close - BUT it took me a while to learn portion sizes by looking at them. If nothing else it's worth doing for a couple months to see how big portions should be.
  • salmarooni
    salmarooni Posts: 42 Member
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    Well you all told me what I needed to know! I'm in denial and need to step up my game! Thanks guys!
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    It doesn't matter if you weigh foods/count calories or whatever - but the bottom line is that to lose weight, you have to consume less calories than you expend. How one accomplishes that is up to them, but there is no "other way" to lose weight.
  • salmarooni
    salmarooni Posts: 42 Member
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    I know theres no other way, just like maybe a different way to track it or something. I dont really know hense why I asked. Might try slimming world with the syn thing. I'll google! Haha
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
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    How long has it not been working for, and what has your weight done in that time?

    Have you read the "Most Helpful Posts" sticky at the top of the boards? Logging correctly is a skill you have to learn, but once you get the hang of it, it takes almost no time at all. And once you log accurately for awhile, it makes it a lot easier to eyeball portions better when you need to.

    Other programs will basically give you different ways to estimate what you are eating, and whether or not it works will depend on whether or not the way they have you estimate works for you.
  • MichelleSilverleaf
    MichelleSilverleaf Posts: 2,028 Member
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    Try meal prepping ahead of time. Pre-weigh and measure your meals and snacks as much as you can so that when you're ready to eat the work's already done for you.
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,426 Member
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    If you don't want to log food or count calories accurately you could choose more lower calorie foods like vegetables than you used to eat, reduce portion sizes of higher calorie foods like bread, cheese, pasta ,nuts, rice, condiments, sauces. Drink low or no calorie drinks. Eat leaner meats. Get grilled instead of fried or breaded.
    You could figure out the calories for some things and limit your diet to those things every day. It really isn't great for long term though.
    You might not lose consistantly but you can lose without logging.

    Logging takes a bit more time at first but gets faster and easier the more you log though. A food scale is easy to use and helpful for learning portion sizes. I'd say commit to 3 months of logging before giving up on it.

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