Rolling my eyes when I heard someone mention "Calorie Counting"

lastpioneermusic
lastpioneermusic Posts: 4 Member
in Success Stories
I've struggled with weight my whole life and I've never knew that this app would be the easiest way to lose weight as ive tried everything. I managed to lose 50 lbs in a little under 6 months and aiming for another 15-20. I really never watched what I ate but tracked everything I ate in the app and the most important thing about this is that the app simply tells me when to stop.... Thats it! So no major exercises, no walking, no low-carb diets or anything else simply I managed to see how much I can eat in order to lose a certain amount of weight within a time frame. When I hear people tell me calorie counting - I used to roll my eyes - now really this is the best way and easiest way to lose weight in my opinion.

Replies

  • KarmaKamen
    KarmaKamen Posts: 42 Member
    Congrats on your progress!

    I think CICO has a bad reputation because lots of people have heard of it and tried it, but no one really talks about all the skills that go into it. First, you have to learn to measure accurately, which was actually pretty challenging for me until I got a food scale. Second, you have to know your TDEE, BMR, BMI, Marcos etc. and there's a lot of conflicting info out there about how much to eat, what to eat, etc. It took me some trial and error to figure out the round about ballpark numbers of what I should eat around x activity level. Third, you have to be consistent for a long period of time (at least in my case). I think that’s the hardest part for a lot of us with food issues. 😅
  • lacylucy1935
    lacylucy1935 Posts: 73 Member
    Congrads to you!! I agree, it puts the numbers right there for you, and you know what calories your spending on certain food/ beverages! Just last night I had a couple beverages and went over, but today is another day and I get right back on again!! This is my 3rd time back, but this time is different, of course eating habits have changed a lot!! I just won't give up completely or let my guard down, cuz I could get right back up again very easy... Keep going ...:)
  • RyanGA80
    RyanGA80 Posts: 1 Member
    Congrats to you. Our stories sound similar in that nothing sounded more tedious than counting calories. I resisted for years, and while I worked out every day, I was still gaining weight. In January, at 230 lbs, I began counting calories to date have lost 60 lbs. It's truly eye opening how easy it is to overeat even when you think you're being "good". Keep up the awesome work!
  • mariegaglione
    mariegaglione Posts: 1 Member
    What is CICO?
  • lee_tlmn
    lee_tlmn Posts: 5 Member
    mariegaglione wrote: »
    What is CICO?

    "Calories in, calories out." It's an effective but simplistic way to think about human metabolism. From a purely thermodynamics point of view, it works (as evidenced by the millions of people who have lost weight with apps like MFP), but emerging science suggests it may not be the single most optimal weight-loss strategy for every person at every stage of their life. Thankfully though, it isn't a bad strategy for 99.9% of people, so it's pretty much considered the gold standard.
  • Hiawassee88
    Hiawassee88 Posts: 35,754 Member
    I can't listen to my body's hunger cues. All they do is whisper nothing but a bunch of hippy dippy happy horsesheet to me. They've led me astray. I had to take the reins back with psycho/CICO. 🤣

    Intuitive Eating does not work for me. I intuitively want to eat all the things. I had to pack up all of my marbles and start counting calories. The numbers don't lie. I had to drill everything down into numbers. I simply gave myself permission to eat anything I wanted. I don't bargain with myself over foods.

    I do wrestle with myself by moderating portions. My hunger cues want me to go back for seconds. My hunger cues want my vehicle's backseat filled with gummy bears and licorice...and I'm flying down the highway by the seat of pants. That's what brought me here in the first place. Some order out of that chaos had to be imposed.
  • kiminpcb
    kiminpcb Posts: 3 Member
    I'm with you...I hate calorie-counting with a passion. Now, I just put in my big meal of the day first (dinner, because I'm feeding my son and grandchildren, too). Then I can play with lunch and snacks just a little bit. I try to make healthy choices at least 80% of the time, but when I eat chocolate or popcorn or chips, I don't beat myself up about it, I'm nearly 67 years old. If I want a treat, I'll have a treat. It's when I beat myself up about that I tend to backslide. I'm not in a hurry. The weight will come off when it comes off.
  • 3rdtimelosesit
    3rdtimelosesit Posts: 291 Member
    Hiawassee88 wrote: »
    I can't listen to my body's hunger cues. All they do is whisper nothing but a bunch of hippy dippy happy horsesheet to me. They've led me astray. I had to take the reins back with psycho/CICO. 🤣

    Intuitive Eating does not work for me. I intuitively want to eat all the things. I had to pack up all of my marbles and start counting calories. The numbers don't lie. I had to drill everything down into numbers. I simply gave myself permission to eat anything I wanted. I don't bargain with myself over foods.

    I do wrestle with myself by moderating portions. My hunger cues want me to go back for seconds. My hunger cues want my vehicle's backseat filled with gummy bears and licorice...and I'm flying down the highway by the seat of pants. That's what brought me here in the first place. Some order out of that chaos had to be imposed.

    Your post made me laugh.... I too have given myself permission to eat whatever I what as long as I stay within the boundries set by my daily calories count. I'd much rather have 1 cup of mac & cheese than a ton of celery. Doing this decreases my need to cheat. Nothing is off the table. The other night I went to dinner at my daughters' place. Dinner was smoked blade roast, grilled veggies & avocado. As well as 3 glasses of wine & small portion of mango passion cake. All within my calorie count. Eating like this does not a cheater make. Eating healthy foods most of the time allows for the small amounts of indulgence. Fact is I have found that I must include them or I can't get up to my daily calorie count. While sometimes my brain says "eat more", I find if I wait for a bit my brain catches up to my stomach. It's too full to go for seconds of that mac & cheese... So far I'm down 19 lbs in 2 months so it's definitely working.

    Evelyn
    DON'T LISTEN TO YOUR INNER FATTY, SHE'S AN EVIL WITCH AND SHE MISSES CUPCAKES


  • Hiawassee88
    Hiawassee88 Posts: 35,754 Member
    3rdtimelosesit wrote: »
    Hiawassee88 wrote: »
    I can't listen to my body's hunger cues. All they do is whisper nothing but a bunch of hippy dippy happy horsesheet to me. They've led me astray. I had to take the reins back with psycho/CICO. 🤣

    Intuitive Eating does not work for me. I intuitively want to eat all the things. I had to pack up all of my marbles and start counting calories. The numbers don't lie. I had to drill everything down into numbers. I simply gave myself permission to eat anything I wanted. I don't bargain with myself over foods.

    I do wrestle with myself by moderating portions. My hunger cues want me to go back for seconds. My hunger cues want my vehicle's backseat filled with gummy bears and licorice...and I'm flying down the highway by the seat of pants. That's what brought me here in the first place. Some order out of that chaos had to be imposed.

    Your post made me laugh.... I too have given myself permission to eat whatever I what as long as I stay within the boundries set by my daily calories count. I'd much rather have 1 cup of mac & cheese than a ton of celery. Doing this decreases my need to cheat. Nothing is off the table. The other night I went to dinner at my daughters' place. Dinner was smoked blade roast, grilled veggies & avocado. As well as 3 glasses of wine & small portion of mango passion cake. All within my calorie count. Eating like this does not a cheater make. Eating healthy foods most of the time allows for the small amounts of indulgence. Fact is I have found that I must include them or I can't get up to my daily calorie count. While sometimes my brain says "eat more", I find if I wait for a bit my brain catches up to my stomach. It's too full to go for seconds of that mac & cheese... So far I'm down 19 lbs in 2 months so it's definitely working.

    Evelyn
    DON'T LISTEN TO YOUR INNER FATTY, SHE'S AN EVIL WITCH AND SHE MISSES CUPCAKES

    I try not to meander too far out of my normal river banks. I might hoof it on over to your group.

  • AlexandraFindsHerself1971
    AlexandraFindsHerself1971 Posts: 3,106 Member
    I also cannot intuitively eat. Eating what I want when I want made me carry 300 pounds. CICO with smaller portions took 60 pounds off relatively easily, and while I'm still having to unpick the roots of my binge eating and learn new ways to handle those feelings, the smaller portions mean that I don't lose my progress, and a little attention to the calorie budget and the weight falls off again.

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