How to be successful

I do count calories here and have for years and that works. I found that initially I was focused more on calories and not as much on nutrition and quality (e.g., ate more processed food initially). Over time I've moved to a plant-based diet with an emphasis on eating "read food, more plants, not so much" as Michael Pollan recommends. Keep this in mind along with total calories, nutrients, and macros. While I track my exercise I focus mostly on actual calories and not the net.

I lost successfully for a while (28 pounds, IIRC), then was starting to stall a bit, so decided I should calorie count, and joined MFP. The rest of the weight loss (another 30-ish pounds) was more predictable, because of counting.

Different people need different paths.

I didn't appreciably change my exercise/activity routines to lose weight. (I'd been athletically quite active, and happily so, for the last dozen years while staying overweight/obese . . . was kind of the near-mythical pretty-fit fat person.)

I didn't dramatically change my eating style or food choices. I did change portion size, proportions of different elements of my meals, frequencies of some foods. (I was already eating a lot of nutritious foods, had been vegetarian for 41 years - just eating too-big portions, too high proportion of calorie-dense foods, too-frequent treats.)

I've been in maintenance, and at a healthy weight (with some non-bothersome to me ups and downs in the healthy range) since the weight loss, still calorie counting most days (because the maybe 10 minutes a day it takes seems like a small price to pay for the many benefits of eating every last calorie I can while staying at a healthy weight, because I still think food is yummy).

@Lietchi's advice post is brilliant!

The only thing I'd add is that activity generally and exercise specifically are helps to health and good functioning, plus let a person eat more delicious food while achieving sensible weight loss and to weight management beyond. Finding *enjoyable* ways to move more is kind of magical - ideally things so easy or fun or both that you'd want to do them even if they weren't good for you.

Best wishes!

Yes to counting calories. I’ve lost and gained this way before. The difference this time for me was finding my motivation. The strategies I developed to be in a calorie deficit came from trial and error.

rhyddpe wrote: »

Did the majority of the people who have had success losing done it via counting calories?

Yes, In my lifetime 53lbs lost that I track. All done by calorie counting.

I would say my true success came from addressing my long-standing dysfunctional relationship with food and body shaming and old head-game tapes about my body, my self-identity, and food.

Counting calories isn't the *reason* for my success, but it's an essential *tool* to keep myself honest, sane, and present in my relationship with food and my body.