I'm getting annoyed with constantly being told this

i would say the simple science of it is is true for everyone. energy out vs energy in etc.

however, all people are different in their energy output.

you say that you have hypothoroid which makes it harder for you to lose weight, but all that would mean is that your body uses different amount of energy that other people.

the science is undefeatable. take 2 identical cars, however 1 is a hybrid and the other a regular gas powered. the hybrid one will use less fuel for the same distance driven due to it having the different internals.

however, the BRM and all that kind of thing is what is being generalised and is not correct for everyone. even wearing a HRM would probably give you an incorrect result due to factors it doesnt consider.

i suppose in the sense that if you eat more calories than you burn you will gain weight, the science is true. I also have hypothyroidism and PCOS, so the weight doesn't come off like it's supposed to.. my MFP "if you do this you will weigh this in 5 weeks" is never accurate for me, and some weeks I won't lose weight if I follow my calorie goals perfectly, even gain a pound every now and then. But I am not steadily gaining weight, an I am SLOWLY losing it, so I consider that a victory, and those of us with health issues should celebrate at least taking our lives back and living them as healthy as we can regardless of our weight! At least we're eating healthy and not trashing our bodies even if we have a little extra junk in our trunk we have to keep our heads up and win the war one day at a time! It's tough, but for some reason we were given these struggles in life and we have to power through them! We can do it, especially with so much support on such a site as this, it's nice to know we are not alone, and we have to ignore those who haven't been in our situation.

If one eats less than what one burns, one will lose weight.

It's not always the case, in my opinion. I get the science of it, I do. But it's not the same for every single person.

Just normal daily living burns about 2,000 calories. On a diet for nearly 3 months, I was eating 1200-1500 and in that 3 months, lost 3 lbs. I have hypothyroid, it's hard for me to lose weight. Why do people seem so hellbent on the theory of weight loss, isn't it different for everyone? Because I know it is for me. Maybe I'm the only one, like ever... but I know for a fact it's different for people with thyroid issues, and diabetes in some cases too.

Soooo... you ARE eating less than you are burning AND you are losing weight... so it is the same for you?!?!?! What's the problem?

3 months of busting my butt and 3 lbs? No it's not the same for me. I should be losing way more than that if you look into the science I'm talking about. It's not the same for everyone.

It sounds to me that the issue is not that your are NOT losing weight. It's that you are not losing as much as you want, as fast as you want. 3 lbs lost is 3 lbs lost, either way you look at it. Is it frustrating as hell to work that hard and not lose more than that? Yes, I have no doubt that it is. But the fact is you're still going the right direction. If you aren't happy with the pace, then do something different that will give you the results you want and don't worry about what science says or what the numbers are or what other people say or the fact that your body doesn't work the way you'd like it to. All that worrying and complaining isn't going to get you where you want to be, but maybe your doctor has some other plan that will. Good luck to you.

Very well said!!

You don't have to have a health issue. No 2 people have the same metabolism. However, when determining total caloric intake based on client goals, there is a hidden factor that will make or break the effectiveness of a seemingly perfect diet; the client’s
individual metabolic rate. There are three general categories of body types, each with an associated type of metabolism which are: ectomorph, mesomorph, and endomorph. The ectomorph struggles to gain weight and may need additional calories to
do so. The mesomorph category generally reflects the average metabolic classification. Lastly, the endomorph struggles to lose weight, and fewer calories should be recommended. The General Dietary Advice Chart, as presented, applies directly to these individuals. As discussed above, it was suggested to assign a 500 calorie per day adjustment. This is purely speculative
as there are varying degrees to these categories. You will need to make the daily caloric adjustment decision on a case-by-case basis. Monitoring body composition will allow you to make future adjustments quite accurately. In determining a client’s metabolic category, compare client eating habits to client appearance. For example, the client who consumes a large number of calories and still appears extremely thin is ectomorphic. The client consuming few calories and who appears
extremely thin, should be approached as an average healthy individual in regard to the use of the General Dietary Advice Chart. Conversely, the client who consumes few calories and appears extremely heavy, is quite likely endomorphic. Subsequently, the client consuming a large number of calories and who appears extremely heavy, should be approached as a mesomorph
in regard to the use of the General Dietary Advice Chart.

-NFPT

I have hypothyroid too, but I feel like even if I didn't, I don't think the "in-vs.-out" concept would work. I know many, many people who say they have succeeded at calorie counting, but I also know that a majority of them had to change WHAT they were eating to fall underneath those goals, and I think that's where most of the difference lies. I just can't wrap my head around the idea that you can eat 5 twinkies a day and lose weight as long as your output exceeds your intake. I know many people will disagree with me, but I haven't seen anyone maintain a "little debbie" diet, staying within their calorie goals, and be successful.

Now you have: http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

If one eats less than what one burns, one will lose weight.

It's not always the case, in my opinion. I get the science of it, I do. But it's not the same for every single person.

Just normal daily living burns about 2,000 calories. On a diet for nearly 3 months, I was eating 1200-1500 and in that 3 months, lost 3 lbs. I have hypothyroid, it's hard for me to lose weight. Why do people seem so hellbent on the theory of weight loss, isn't it different for everyone? Because I know it is for me. Maybe I'm the only one, like ever... but I know for a fact it's different for people with thyroid issues, and diabetes in some cases too.

I understand where you are coming from... yet, I'm sure the people recommending the deficit style of weightloss aren't trying to be intentionally obtuse. It's that those with actual medical reasons for altered weightloss programs are generally in the minority, or if they aren't they've not drawn very much attention because they tend not to be vocal. If more people were aware of these medical conditions, I'm sure the reasonable people would change their approach to answering questions immediately.

I do have to ask though, as MFP isn't tailored to those that have medical conditions that hinder or change weightloss, how useful is this site to you? Or are you using it simply as a food and exercise log? I just can't imagine the community boards are very helpful to you because of the lack of understand of your custom dietary and exercise needs.

I have hypothyroid too, but I feel like even if I didn't, I don't think the "in-vs.-out" concept would work. I know many, many people who say they have succeeded at calorie counting, but I also know that a majority of them had to change WHAT they were eating to fall underneath those goals, and I think that's where most of the difference lies. I just can't wrap my head around the idea that you can eat 5 twinkies a day and lose weight as long as your output exceeds your intake. I know many people will disagree with me, but I haven't seen anyone maintain a "little debbie" diet, staying within their calorie goals, and be successful.

I COMPLETELY AGREE to this. Maybe because of my metabolic disorder I know its not possible. But this is very true. YOU still have to eat healthy. You cant expect to loose weight if you dont change or decrease the bad stuff that you eat. I decreased the bad stuff and dont eat as much as often and Im loosing. You cant keep eating bad stuff and try to exercise it off and loose. I dont think its possible.

If one eats less than what one burns, one will lose weight.

It's not always the case, in my opinion. I get the science of it, I do. But it's not the same for every single person.

Just normal daily living burns about 2,000 calories. On a diet for nearly 3 months, I was eating 1200-1500 and in that 3 months, lost 3 lbs. I have hypothyroid, it's hard for me to lose weight. Why do people seem so hellbent on the theory of weight loss, isn't it different for everyone? Because I know it is for me. Maybe I'm the only one, like ever... but I know for a fact it's different for people with thyroid issues, and diabetes in some cases too.

I also recently found out I have hypothyriodism and was put on medication. Weight loss was spurred a little but has plateaued again it not easy staying focused. What are you doing to stay motivated?