Is weight loss simple maths or more?

southjenny · July 2012

Hi

I am in a great place motivation wise and focus on losing wieight. I am counting caloreis and playing with low carb so days. I have increased my exercise to 4 times a week from nothing so hopefully I will see results.

I am trying to eat healthy but if I don't I always stick to my daily amount.

So does it matter what you eat as long as your input and output of calories is right?

Thank you

Jenny

mcarter99 · July 2012

Does it matter for what, weight loss? No. It matters for satiety and for general health. Weight loss IS simple math. Eating more filling foods that have less calories can go a long way in racking up many days of deficits, in terms of making it not feel like a big deprivation thing. But if you can do it on Twinkies, that works, too.

shorty35565 · July 2012

It's more. Different things work for different people. What works for me might not work for you even if the math says it should. So you find something that works & keep at it until it doesn't.
If you got by math, they say people who consume 200g of carbs a day will be fat. I eat high carb & I've lost 50lbs.
Just do what works for u. And yes, u can eat whatever u want & still lose weight as long as u have a cal deficit. That part is math. But don't expect to get abs or anything of the sort while u eat crap.

LexyDB · July 2012

Does it matter for what, weight loss? No. It matters for satiety and for general health. Weight loss IS simple math. Eating more filling foods that have less calories can go a long way in racking up many days of deficits, in terms of making it not feel like a big deprivation thing. But if you can do it on Twinkies, that works, too.

It's more. Different things work for different people. What works for me might not work for you even if the math says it should. So you find something that works & keep at it until it doesn't.
If you got by math, they say people who consume 200g of carbs a day will be fat. I eat high carb & I've lost 50lbs.
Just do what works for u. And yes, u can eat whatever u want & still lose weight as long as u have a cal deficit. That part is math. But don't expect to get abs or anything of the sort while u eat crap.

Yes it does matter. This is probably the 1000th post which states your diet doesn't matter as long as you are under your calorie goal.

What on earth is wrong with you people? This is the reason why most of you don't lose weight.

Your body has two types of fat, one is visceral and subcutaneous. Visceral is the lovely stuff that deposits around the stomach in men and around the thights and backside in women. This is controlled by calories and exercise which should help reduce the amount of visceral fat your body stores.

Secondly, which is what most of you are oblivious to, is subcutaneous. This is the fatty deposits around your internal organs that you can't see, doesn't make your jeans tight or your backside look big. This is controlled by the type of food you eat. In simple terms, eating pizza and cheeseburgers will not also add to the visceral fat mass of your body as unused calories but the fat deposits build up inside your body as subcutaneous which causes more damage and also adds to your overall weight.

bernieboom1 · July 2012

I guess if you want to lose pure weight then it doesn't matter what you eat as long as you create a deficit

But if you want to be healthy.... well that's a different ball park...
That's why this website is called "my FITNESS pal" and not "my SKINNINESS pal"

shorty35565 · July 2012

What on earth is wrong with you people? This is the reason why most of you don't lose weight.

Idk why you quoted me. I HAVE lost weight & very consistently, along with inches.

yarwell · July 2012

Your body has two types of fat, one is visceral and subcutaneous. Visceral is the lovely stuff that deposits around the stomach in men and around the thights and backside in women.

Back to class I'm afraid - subcutaneous fat is under the skin wherever the skin is, it's the stuff you can grab by the handful wherever it may be and the stuff measured by calipers to work out % fat.

Visceral fat is deposited within your torso around organs and you need an MRI scanner or the like to see it. While a lot of it will push out your belly, it's within the muscle wall :

bernieboom1 · July 2012

yeah I thought it was the other way round when I read it...

julyjiggle · July 2012

I guess if you want to lose pure weight then it doesn't matter what you eat as long as you create a deficit

But if you want to be healthy.... well that's a different ball park...
That's why this website is called "my FITNESS pal" and not "my SKINNINESS pal"

really nice point! Though most of us are striving to get skinnier, it is not inevitably connected to getting healthier. So please don't eat only Twinkies and Coke.... I mean you can, but you will look unhealthy and not feel as good as when you work out and have fun outside!

Illona88 · July 2012

Weight loss is simple maths in that you need to eat less than you burn and/or burn more than you eat.

However if you eat unhealthy and high calorie food, you feel less satiated and after a couple of days the lack in nutrition will make you feel and look like crap.
Therefore it is better to eat healthy food like fruit, veg, high quality meat etc. It will be more filling (making you feel less hungry), contains less calories and it is way richer in nutrition, which will make you feel a lot better and stronger during your diet.

indrani1947 · July 2012

This is a new lifestyle challenge for most people, I go by the rule 80% healthy and 20% (indulgence foods) so don't cut out the foods you love just try to moderate them to make sure you have healthy protein to build muscle and plenty of macro nutrients in your healthy food choices. Good luck

bathsheba_c · July 2012

Sort of? It is easier to lose weight eating healthier foods because you will be less hungry. First of all, healthier foods are less calorically dense, so you can fill up on them without going over on calories. Secondly, healthier foods have more nutrients, so you're brain won't start encouraging you to eat more in the hopes of getting some missing vitamin or mineral.

TheVimFuego · July 2012

Much more.

I would suggest people read more about fat metabolism in humans than rely on the unproven "create a xxxx deficit and lose xxxx lbs" thing.

FR89 · July 2012

Weight loss is simple maths in that you need to eat less than you burn and/or burn more than you eat.

However if you eat unhealthy and high calorie food, you feel less satiated and after a couple of days the lack in nutrition will make you feel and look like crap.
Therefore it is better to eat healthy food like fruit, veg, high quality meat etc. It will be more filling (making you feel less hungry), contains less calories and it is way richer in nutrition, which will make you feel a lot better and stronger during your diet.

^^ this!!!

fizzy123 · July 2012

I think of it like this. If you make better type of food choices you have better control of your blood sugar and get less urgent signals to eat the more sugary foods.So it should be easier to stay on your healthy weightloss track.
I've done the eat anything route as long as the deficit is there.I just ended up with lbs down and bellyfat not moving.I was stressing my body to store a fat supply around my middle.
My body did exactly what its designed to do,stored that easy access fuel right where I could get at it.So technically I've been fooling myself with exercise and bad diet.Plus I thought I could eat more to fuel my exercise!!!
By the way, If exercise alone did it I would be an "elite athlete" now.
Its taken me so long to process the idea that the type of food you consume has a big big impact.I knew the theory just couldn't commit to the practical.Finally have had my "LIGHTBULB" moment

beachlover317 · July 2012

Losing the weight is simple math. Keeping it off of your body forever? That's where WHAT you eat and HOW you eat matter. Calorie deficit will cause a loss. If you are eating junk, it will not be sustainable. Even someone who binges, gets tired of the binge food after a while. Eat healthy, eat natural foods, exercise and be patient. Good recipe for success. Good luck!

EstherZue · July 2012

I don't think weight loss is simple maths, at least not from my experience. I"ve been doing mfp calorie counting for 3 months and the last 2 weeks of that my weight did not budge - neither up nor down. I was eating religiously at my calorie goal exercising hard 5 times a week. How is it mathematically possible not to lose during a regime like this? All water weight - for 2 weeks? I don't think so. I think the body is very smart and adapts to whatever calorie and exercise regime you continue too long. Because after the 2 weeks I changed my routine, eating 300 cal more and exercising only 3 times a week - BOOM - 1 lbs weight loss every day for a week. So from my experience you need to shock your body with new things ever so often.

I would even go as far as asserting that weight loss is also very connected to your psychology and your mood. My weight loss always slows down when I'm trying extra hard to break through this goal or that number on the scale because I'm so grim and depressed. As soon as I stop caring and eat that Snickers I've been dying for 4 weeks, guaranteed the scale is down next day. Happens to me every time.

I can't prove any of this in biological terms or the like. But I stuck religiously to the mfp schedule and had good result for 2 months only, after that, the "maths" didnt seem to make sense anymore so I decided to go by "feeling", which works better for me now.

owl92 · July 2012

its simple math but wasnt so simple for me because i starved and ate very under the amount recommended for dieting and lost nothing which i thought hey how do people starve and get that thin so i tried for a long time but nope u must eat in order to drop the weight visibly faster.

owl92 · July 2012

I don't think weight loss is simple maths, at least not from my experience. I"ve been doing mfp calorie counting for 3 months and the last 2 weeks of that my weight did not budge - neither up nor down. I was eating religiously at my calorie goal exercising hard 5 times a week. How is it mathematically possible not to lose during a regime like this? All water weight - for 2 weeks? I don't think so. I think the body is very smart and adapts to whatever calorie and exercise regime you continue too long. Because after the 2 weeks I changed my routine, eating 300 cal more and exercising only 3 times a week - BOOM - 1 lbs weight loss every day for a week. So from my experience you need to shock your body with new things ever so often.

I would even go as far as asserting that weight loss is also very connected to your psychology and your mood. My weight loss always slows down when I'm trying extra hard to break through this goal or that number on the scale because I'm so grim and depressed. As soon as I stop caring and eat that Snickers I've been dying for 4 weeks, guaranteed the scale is down next day. Happens to me every time.

I can't prove any of this in biological terms or the like. But I stuck religiously to the mfp schedule and had good result for 2 months only, after that, the "maths" didnt seem to make sense anymore so I decided to go by "feeling", which works better for me now.

good read. its really interested me that you say when you give into what your body wants like the sugar of chocolate bar, your scale adjusts the next day because you ate it. I wonder should i do the same thing Esther?.. im only starting eating for once now, usually starve for week or 2 after bingeing but it doesnt lose me any weight so im eating calories everyday and hopeing for a loss, what do you think .. junk food allowance or stick to the nutrients?

TaylorsGranddad · July 2012

What most people fail to realise is what works for some, won't work for others.

How I lost my weight would never work for 90% of people on here & people who give advice must realise.... it's not advice its only opinion, medical or otherwise. If you go to a doctors regarding deiting or even illness, if you're ill the doctor can only give you their opinion (chances are it's right) BUT it's an opinion.

My example, everyone I've ever spoken to says BMI is rubbish, just not accurate EXCEPT my doctor who told me that a healthy BMI is what i need to have.????

So who's right, who's wrong.... that's your opinion

My motto is simple.

Dieting is a life choice NOT life sentence, so don't punish yourself.

PEACE & good luck.

EstherZue · July 2012

I don't think weight loss is simple maths, at least not from my experience. I"ve been doing mfp calorie counting for 3 months and the last 2 weeks of that my weight did not budge - neither up nor down. I was eating religiously at my calorie goal exercising hard 5 times a week. How is it mathematically possible not to lose during a regime like this? All water weight - for 2 weeks? I don't think so. I think the body is very smart and adapts to whatever calorie and exercise regime you continue too long. Because after the 2 weeks I changed my routine, eating 300 cal more and exercising only 3 times a week - BOOM - 1 lbs weight loss every day for a week. So from my experience you need to shock your body with new things ever so often.

I would even go as far as asserting that weight loss is also very connected to your psychology and your mood. My weight loss always slows down when I'm trying extra hard to break through this goal or that number on the scale because I'm so grim and depressed. As soon as I stop caring and eat that Snickers I've been dying for 4 weeks, guaranteed the scale is down next day. Happens to me every time.

I can't prove any of this in biological terms or the like. But I stuck religiously to the mfp schedule and had good result for 2 months only, after that, the "maths" didnt seem to make sense anymore so I decided to go by "feeling", which works better for me now.

good read. its really interested me that you say when you give into what your body wants like the sugar of chocolate bar, your scale adjusts the next day because you ate it. I wonder should i do the same thing Esther?.. im only starting eating for once now, usually starve for week or 2 after bingeing but it doesnt lose me any weight so im eating calories everyday and hopeing for a loss, what do you think .. junk food allowance or stick to the nutrients?

Just to be clear, I am not advising you give in to what your body craves and treat that as healthy dieting. I think you can only afford to relax your standards a little after you've had some dieting experience, you've eaten healthy for a couple months and seen how you body, your mood, your digestion and everything else changes. Because with that comes an incredible new awareness for your body which will help you to make decision like that, like ok now I will have this piece of chocolate. For example, when I started dieting I used to crave pizza and doughnuts and cookies. I tried to create lean versions of these foods and put considerable energy into creating healthy fast food classics. But the longer I do this, the more my taste changes. Now I crave a fresh fuit, or broccoli, or black olives, things like this. It happens maybe once every two weeks that I get a chocolate craving and then I will make a choice to have it or not.

So essentially, yes do try different things and experiment because the greatest benefit of that is you get to know your body and listen to its signals and you learn to love your new lifestyle etc. But be very careful in the beginning and try to stick to mfp recommendations as much as possible.

Edit: To be even more clear, when I get a chocolate craving its not connected to some need for refined sugar my body has, because it doesn't need any of that ever, but its clearly my psychology and my emotions and my dissatisfaction with something else telling me I need that piece of chocolate to soothe myself. I used to deny that to myself and get more depressed - which can hinder your weight loss. So I wasnt really recommending to eat what you crave but more to make sure you keep happy and motivated - by changing things up a bit every now and then.

HappyStack · July 2012

It's far more. Not least because calorie counting within itself isn't entirely accurate to begin with.

The body undergoes massive hormonal and metabolic changes through various stages of weight loss as a method of self-preservation more than anything. A simple calories in vs calories out method won't work through all of these stages; the final stage being the 'maintenance' stage, where the majority of people who put weight back on begin the awful process of faltering because of an increased emotional response to food & nutrition.

You can "diet" your way down to your goal weight by deprivation and using nutritional quick-fixes, but the end result is always the same.

BrianSharpe · July 2012

Google "twinkie diet" and you'll have your answer.

In the absence of a metabolic disorder it comes down to calories in calories out for weight loss, optimal health is a different matter.

r121567 · July 2012

I recently watched a news report about how not all calories are the same. The food industry is really pushing these 100 calorie packaged snacks but JUNK is still JUNK regardless of how it is packaged.

The study compared three basic diet types, LOW CARB (aka Atkins), LOW FAT, and GLYCEMIC INDEX BASED (aka South Beach or NutraSystem). Based on the same number of calories per day the most successful diet was the GLYCEMIC INDEX. Lean proteins & good carbs is the way to go!

I need a diet that I can live with long term - one that fits into real life. Exactly how long can you be satisfied living on a diet of salad? I am finding that it is fairly easy to make good choices even when eating out. All restaurants are offering better choices now - smaller portion steaks, sweet potatoes instead of white potato, grilled veggies, the option of ordering with or without sauces. No need to blow your diet because you are having dinner out with friends. No need to be the obvious "dieter" in the group either. Sharing meals really helps with portion control.

I have lost weight in the past in very unhealthy ways - a pickle diet for example. Yes, I lost weight, a lot of weight but I was very ill afterward. Deficient in most vitamins & very anemic. I tried a nearly no fat diet living on mostly sugary cereal & candy orange slices but I feared eating in front of people and felt seriously guilty if I ate a "normal" meal. Lost weight then too but my skin just hung on my body. Strangers who saw me daily at the post office where asking if I was sick.

I don't want to just loose weight, I want to be healthy. I want to look healthy. I want to have muscle tone and good color. I want to do it RIGHT this time! I don't want to stop dieting and re-gain. I want a lifestyle change that I can live with FOREVER!

VirtuousVal · July 2012

Does it matter for what, weight loss? No. It matters for satiety and for general health. Weight loss IS simple math. Eating more filling foods that have less calories can go a long way in racking up many days of deficits, in terms of making it not feel like a big deprivation thing. But if you can do it on Twinkies, that works, too.

It's more. Different things work for different people. What works for me might not work for you even if the math says it should. So you find something that works & keep at it until it doesn't.
If you got by math, they say people who consume 200g of carbs a day will be fat. I eat high carb & I've lost 50lbs.
Just do what works for u. And yes, u can eat whatever u want & still lose weight as long as u have a cal deficit. That part is math. But don't expect to get abs or anything of the sort while u eat crap.

Yes it does matter. This is probably the 1000th post which states your diet doesn't matter as long as you are under your calorie goal.

What on earth is wrong with you people? This is the reason why most of you don't lose weight.

Your body has two types of fat, one is visceral and subcutaneous. Visceral is the lovely stuff that deposits around the stomach in men and around the thights and backside in women. This is controlled by calories and exercise which should help reduce the amount of visceral fat your body stores.

Secondly, which is what most of you are oblivious to, is subcutaneous. This is the fatty deposits around your internal organs that you can't see, doesn't make your jeans tight or your backside look big. This is controlled by the type of food you eat. In simple terms, eating pizza and cheeseburgers will not also add to the visceral fat mass of your body as unused calories but the fat deposits build up inside your body as subcutaneous which causes more damage and also adds to your overall weight.

Visceral fat is deposited within your torso around organs and you need an MRI scanner or the like to see it. While a lot of it will push out your belly, it's within the muscle wall :

[/quote]

****BUMP****

Thanks for the explanation~~~

southjenny · July 2012

Thank you every one for your comments I know it's been asks lots of time but I have tired so many diets over the years you do wonder and I have lost my way. So I want to really understand it as I want to do things right this time.

Thank you
Jenny

Is weight loss simple maths or more?

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