How to be successful

rhyddpe
rhyddpe Posts: 6 Member
edited October 2021 in Health and Weight Loss
Did the majority of the people who have had success losing done it via counting calories?

Replies

  • rhyddpe
    rhyddpe Posts: 6 Member
    Thank you. Really appreciate your response
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    Yes and no. Calories in, calories out are something but it's not the only thing. Also many dieters do gain the weight back.
  • mjglantz
    mjglantz Posts: 486 Member
    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.
  • mjglantz
    mjglantz Posts: 486 Member
    Agree 100% with what @Lietchi writes. This isn't a race and it is for life. Accepting that was probably the most important thing that got me to lose the weight AND keep it off for over 8 years.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,717 Member
    edited October 2021
    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!
  • yweight2020
    yweight2020 Posts: 591 Member
    57 lbs down counting calories, I may incorporate other ways into my way of eating but counting calories is what works for me losing this weight. <3 😉
  • booboo1000
    booboo1000 Posts: 58 Member
    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.
  • nvpixie
    nvpixie Posts: 483 Member
    Counting calories is the only thing that has ever helped me lose weight. Once I stop logging, I see the weight creep back on. This is at least my fourth time returning to MFP to lose weight, and I know it will be successful if I stick to the plan. I also have to remember when I finally do get down to my goal weight, I have to keep logging. It's a lifetime commitment for me if I want to maintain and not gain weight again.
  • rhyddpe
    rhyddpe Posts: 6 Member
    Thank you everyone. Really appreciate the feedback.
  • Speakeasy76
    Speakeasy76 Posts: 961 Member
    Yes, but it wasn't just counting calories. I've lost weight a number of times in my life counting calories in some form. Keeping it off is another story.

    I continue to use MFP to hold myself accountable. I find if I don't my weight will start to creep up. I could probably still stay within a healthy BMI if I didn't use it, but I guess I"m using it for vanity reasons. However, it's also important to me to keep track of my fiber, protein and added sugar. I can't do that all in my head for the day!

    The biggest changes for me in losing the "last 10 pounds (which then turned out to be 8 more) was changing my mindset about what I was capable of, what I have control over and actually believing that it was possible for me to lose the weight. I also tried to make it as painless as possible (250 calorie deficit) and made an effort to be more active in addition to the exercise I was already doing.
  • Lullaby2021
    Lullaby2021 Posts: 121 Member
    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.
  • nay0m3
    nay0m3 Posts: 178 Member
    The initial weight loss--I tracked macros and realized I needed to eat MUCH more protein, which has made a huge difference! I also started weight training and THIS made ALL of the difference in my body composition. I am strong and fit now, which is the look I love, and while I am still very much wanting to improve more, I am overall really really happy with both the physical benefits of lifting weights as well as the mental benefits. The gym owner commented to me the other day how confident I am in the weight room now and how he knows how uncomfortable I was for a long time! I hope you can find what works best for you on your journey!
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    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.
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,958 Member
    rhyddpe wrote: »
    Did the majority of the people who have had success losing done it via counting calories?

    My best advice for success is to be consistent. Whatever you do, show up, put in the work, be consistent and most of all be patient...