Weight loss - what to do when counting calories doesn't work.

[Shellydon]

I've been faithfully entering all my food and drink intake into MyFitnessPal.com for several weeks. According to MyFitnessPal , I should have lost 4-5 pounds. I've gained 2. I am eating 1300-1400 calories each day. Should I reduce my intake to 1200 or less? I am trying to walk 30-45 minutes a few times each week, but it is really hard to fit in any exercise time. I would like to lose 20 pounds.

[jplain]

My advice? Don't worry too much about calories. Cut carbs instead: nix bread, pasta, sweets, rice, potatoes, etc. Be sure to eat fat and protein, with a special emphasis on fat. If you cut carbs and are hungry, you're probably not eating enough fat. Don't stuff yourself, but don't let yourself be deprived either. After a couple weeks of faithful low-carbing, you'll probably find your appetite has diminished a lot.

 

Dietary fat will NOT make you fatter and it won't give you heart disease. As long as you've cut carbs, your lipid profile will improve, lowering your risk of heart disease.

 

Try to ignore those who tell you this is unhealthy or won't work. They're simply wrong. To understand why this works, and works well, read Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It.

 

And yes, it's also worth getting your thyroid checked, especially if you have other symptoms of a thyroid disorder. However, don't hold your breath. My MIL has had her thyroid checked out thoroughly (including reverse T3), because she can't lose weight, and it comes up perfect. However, she refuses to try a low-carb approach because she's a serious bicyclist, and believes that athletes shouldn't low-carb.

Edited September 28, 2011 by jplain

[Shellydon]

I'd consider having your thyroid checked and/or low carb.

 

 

I did the thyroid check about 6 months ago. It was totally normal (unfortunately). I gained 20 pounds in 3 months a year ago when I weaned my 4th child. I can't seem to get it off of my body.

[Guest submarines]

What and when you eat is also important. I always gain if I eat carbs in the evening, even if they are healthy carbs (even fruits). The same applies to sugars, even the ones naturally contained in fruits.

 

I lose when I limit carbs and fruits to breakfast, and have only limited amount of carbs and fruits at lunch, and none later in the day.

[Guest submarines]

My advice? Don't worry too much about calories. Cut carbs instead: nix bread, pasta, sweets, rice, potatoes, etc. Be sure to eat fat and protein, with a special emphasis on fat. If you cut carbs and are hungry, you're probably not eating enough fat. Don't stuff yourself, but don't let yourself be deprived either. After a couple weeks of faithful low-carbing, you'll probably find your appetite has diminished a lot.

 

 

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

[PeacefulChaos]

:bigear:

 

(just listening in. I had a very short stint of counting calories and found it to be too much work. Yep, I'm lazy like that. So I'm looking for alternatives.) :)

[Shellydon]

Thanks everyone. I'll give lower carb a try!

[Georgiana Daniels]

I agree with the PP's who recommended low carb.

 

I cut cals drastically and exercised my butt off and lost 2-3 pounds in 3 months. Only when I went low carb did I start losing weight. 20 down and 10 to go.

[4ofus]

I've found I do better not counting calories too. I didn't intend to go "low carb" as I'm resistant like that :). However, I did decide to remove processed foods w/the exception of some pro-biotic dairy (kefir, greek yogurt). My husband & I had HUGE success with this method. Only after I really got settled into the process did it dawn on me that by eating "close-to-the-earth" I was essentially reducing my carbs (& ultimately calories). This includes tons of veggies (often raw), occasional sprouted grains, lean proteins, probiotics, fruit (in controlled portions), lemon water (alkalizing), & green tea. Good luck!

[Jean in Newcastle]

I've said this in other threads but the biggest thing that has helped me is actually monitoring my blood sugar. I got a free glucometer online (and 10 free test strips) and started to monitor my fasting blood sugar and 2 hours after eating. It took me about a month to figure out how I could eat and keep my blood sugar within normal ranges. In my case, it has been keeping my carbs around 150 g. a day. I cannot have more than 30 g. of carbs per meal. If I do, my sugar goes out of control. Having immediate feedback was invaluable for me. Also - as my blood sugars stabilized, I started to tell when it was out of whack because I wasn't feeling poorly all the time any more. Keeping my blood sugar stabilized has made 14 pounds (so far) melt off. I am not eating less calories per day than before or exercising more. The only difference is that I do not have excess insulin acting as a fat storer. The other change has been that my body, including my ankles are not swollen and retaining water.

[SweetMissMagnolia]

:iagree: about the low carbs......right now I"m doing "my version" of the 17 day diet....love it.....

[Photo Ninja]

Yup. I agree with the others. Change the amount of carbs you are eating to see if that makes a difference.

 

Our bodies don't respond to calories in the same way. It reacts differently if we have 400 calories of vegetables, 400 calories of potatoes or 400 calories of meat. You can still count and track calories if that helps you with portion sizes, but change the content of the calories. Limit your carbs to primarily fruit and veggies, and very little grain (maybe one or two pieces of bread for a sandwich each day). Stop eating the white carbs: rice, potatoes, sugar, and pasta. You don't have to cut carbs out entirely from your diet, just let them be from fruits and veggies instead. See if that makes a difference. Just continue to eat, and you don't need to worry about a bit more fat. You can use regular mayonnaise instead of non-fat, and eat cheese. Don't go crazy with fat, but you don't need to eat only low fat or non-fat foods, either.

 

Try this for a few weeks and see how your body responds.

[Shellydon]

Thanks everyone! I can do eggs for breakfast and meat and salad for dinner, but lunch is tough. I'll figure it out.

[ForeverFamily]

I am currently dieting as well! I have to admit it is one of the hardest things I have ever done!;) I think one of the most important things for a diet is limiting the amount of fat and calories. And increasing the amount of fiber you eat, but make sure you drink plenty of liquid as well.

 

Here is what I am doing (This is what my DH did and he lost about 20 lb.).....

 

I am limiting my calories to about 1400 per day.

I am limiting my Total fat intake to about 10g per day.

I am also trying to increase my fiber intake (haven't figured out the ideal amount yet. And i don't remember how much my DH goal was each day.)

And I am excercising 30 minutes a day.

 

So basically in the morning I am having some type of fiber cereal (fiber one or mini wheats) w/low fat or skim milk. I am having something low in fat for lunch like an apple, soup, banana, spaghettios (yes I know I am so juvenile that I still like these, but they are actually pretty healthy and low in fat). And then try and have a healthy dinner within the limits of how many calories and fat grams I have left. And then if I leave enough grams of fat or calories I can have some type of low fat evening snack. Basically nothing is really off limits I just have to make sure I budget my calories and fat so I have enough for all 3 meals. And I am kind of going to take Sundays off from the diet, but still try and eat as healthy as possible. I hope that makes sense. Anyways, good luck! HTH!

 

Also, here is a great website that you can look up the nutritional info on virtually any food....

 

http://nutritiondata.self.com/

[momsquared]

The low fat, high fiber diet is exactly the opposite of what i do or recommend. I have similar issues with you. I read The Primal Blueprint. Life changing and easy.

[Photo Ninja]

Remember you don't need to cut carbs out entirely. I find that I can lose weight with about 100 grams of carbs per day. My carbs come primarily from fruit, a sandwich thins if I have a sandwich, and just included in some foods. You can still have normal lunch foods, though.

 

Sandwiches: Turkey sandwich with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes on Orowheat Thins bread. This bread is only 100 calories (one 'thins', gives you a top and bottom for your sandwich) and 22 grams of carbs. Change it up and have different sandwich fixings: chicken, tuna, etc.

 

Use the Orowheat Thins as a base for two mini pizzas. Top with some pesto or spaghetti sauce, a little cheese, and whatever you like on pizza. I often use a bit of pesto, some feta cheese, some shredded cooked chicken, a couple kalamata olives and thinly sliced zucchini. Bake at about 375 until the bread is nicely browned and the pizzas are hot. It makes a nice lunch.

 

Do you like yogurt? I often eat Greek style non-fat plain yogurt (about 7 carbs) and add a splash of vanilla (for flavor) and some fruit (strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries). It contains a good amount of protein, and a cup of the fruit is about 10 carbs. That's fine to eat when you are cutting back on carbs, and it is filling. For lunch you can add some grilled vegetables or a salad as well.

 

Burrito: bean, chicken and cheese. Just look for some low carb, whole grain tortillas. I eat one that is about 20 carbs. Add in about 20 carbs for the beans, and I'm still fine with carbs for the day and can still stay at or under 100 grams. When I eat a burrito, I don't eat many carbs for other meals. But I still like a good burrito sometimes. A bit of planning is all it takes.

 

Remember, it is about making choices, not eliminating carbs entirely. If you know you will have a burrito for dinner, then skip the bread for a sandwich at lunch.

 

If you can't eat foods you like, you will have a difficult time living with this diet. Make it easy on yourself and eat some of the foods you like, but adapt them or don't eat more than one per day if they have more carbs.

[QueenCat]

I've been losing about a pound a week, at a higher calorie count than I used to do when I tried diets before and failed. My doctor encouraged me to eat at the maintenance level for the weight I desired to be, rather than an artificially low number that would be difficult to sustain. So I'm eating right at 1700 calories/day. I am calorie counting, with the Calorie Counter app on my phone. It also tracks calories burned via exercise and everyday, normal activities. I'm not following a specific diet, as I don't think I could follow them in the long run. For me, it's all about long term changes. Pizza is okay.... but 1/8th of the pie instead 1/4th of the pie. Things like that have really helped. Learning what a portion of rice or pasta helps... what I thought "looked" like a cup was far more. Measuring helped me grasp that concept. Only you can figure out what will work for you but I know it helps me to know how others have done it.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Different people do well with different amounts of carbs. I do best with a carb count around 150 g. Too much lower and I get sick. Any higher and my blood sugar goes too high. Around 150 g. of carbs gets me a bagel thin or the equivalent at breakfast along with protein. I have a hard time for some reason with carbs at lunch so I do a salad with protein then. Afternoon snack is usually protein (like nuts). For dinner I can handle a tiny bit of grains - around 1/3 c. of ww noodles or brown rice. When I do have grains, I make them whole grain and more nutrient dense.

[Guest IdahoMtnMom]

I think it's a matter of what works for us... for me to lose weight, I have to

 

1) have no more than less than 1100 per day and no more than 1200 calories per day

2) have no more than 1500mg of salt per day

3) burn AT LEAST 1500 calories a day (including the sedentary buring by just being alive... which for me is 1400 calories per day... so I have to burn 100+ on top of that. I do this through walking and workouts with the enercise balls, theraband, and free weights and also ride my bike two days a week

4) have at least 6 cups of water per day

5) wake in the middle of the night for 6oz milk to keep my metabolism and blood sugars stable

6) easy breakfast, lunch, dinner, and 3 snacks a day

7) have no more than 100g carbs per day

 

At that, I can lose 3 pounds a week. I am currently at 114 pounds and now work to maintain that weight.

[Shellydon]

Remember you don't need to cut carbs out entirely. I find that I can lose weight with about 100 grams of carbs per day. My carbs come primarily from fruit, a sandwich thins if I have a sandwich, and just included in some foods. You can still have normal lunch foods, though.

 

Sandwiches: Turkey sandwich with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes on Orowheat Thins bread. This bread is only 100 calories (one 'thins', gives you a top and bottom for your sandwich) and 22 grams of carbs. Change it up and have different sandwich fixings: chicken, tuna, etc.

 

Use the Orowheat Thins as a base for two mini pizzas. Top with some pesto or spaghetti sauce, a little cheese, and whatever you like on pizza. I often use a bit of pesto, some feta cheese, some shredded cooked chicken, a couple kalamata olives and thinly sliced zucchini. Bake at about 375 until the bread is nicely browned and the pizzas are hot. It makes a nice lunch.

 

Do you like yogurt? I often eat Greek style non-fat plain yogurt (about 7 carbs) and add a splash of vanilla (for flavor) and some fruit (strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries). It contains a good amount of protein, and a cup of the fruit is about 10 carbs. That's fine to eat when you are cutting back on carbs, and it is filling. For lunch you can add some grilled vegetables or a salad as well.

 

Burrito: bean, chicken and cheese. Just look for some low carb, whole grain tortillas. I eat one that is about 20 carbs. Add in about 20 carbs for the beans, and I'm still fine with carbs for the day and can still stay at or under 100 grams. When I eat a burrito, I don't eat many carbs for other meals. But I still like a good burrito sometimes. A bit of planning is all it takes.

 

Remember, it is about making choices, not eliminating carbs entirely. If you know you will have a burrito for dinner, then skip the bread for a sandwich at lunch.

 

If you can't eat foods you like, you will have a difficult time living with this diet. Make it easy on yourself and eat some of the foods you like, but adapt them or don't eat more than one per day if they have more carbs.

 

This is very helpful, thanks!

[KrissiK]

I lost 10 lbs. in about 8 weeks by doing the following:

1) no sugar or wheat products (though I cheat once a week when we go to my mom's for dinner)

2) try to stay away from most grain products in general, but I may have oatmeal for breakfast once a week, brown rice for dinner once a week

 

I snack on dry roasted almonds and cheese. My breakfast is crustless quische and yogurt, lunches are salads, beans, soups, etc. Dinners are normal, just without the starch component. I find this regulated my blood sugar enough so I wasn't hungry all the time. I snack when I want to. I eat sugar free fudgecicles. I'd never thought this would work, but it did.

[IsabelC]

I love the Don't Go Hungry Diet

http://www.dramandaonline.com/

 

I have lost about 14lb with almost no effort, while eating everything I like (including plenty of chocolate, full fat dairy products, cakes, etc alongside the "healthy" stuff). It's a very natural regime as it focusses on listening to your body. No foods are forbidden, and there's no calorie/portion counting, so it's easy to do no matter what other dietary restrictions or preferences you already have (works just as well for omnivores or people who are vegan/raw/GF/Halal/whatever). I use it in conjuction with many of the suggestions from Cyndi O'Meara's Changing Habits, Changing Lives.

[Shellydon]

I love the Don't Go Hungry Diet

http://www.dramandaonline.com/

 

I have lost about 14lb with almost no effort, while eating everything I like (including plenty of chocolate, full fat dairy products, cakes, etc alongside the "healthy" stuff). It's a very natural regime as it focusses on listening to your body. No foods are forbidden, and there's no calorie/portion counting, so it's easy to do no matter what other dietary restrictions or preferences you already have (works just as well for omnivores or people who are vegan/raw/GF/Halal/whatever). I use it in conjuction with many of the suggestions from Cyndi O'Meara's Changing Habits, Changing Lives.

 

 

I'll check this out. Thanks!

[Momof3littles]

Another vote for LC. A fairly large % of the population is insulin resistant or on that end of the spectrum.

 

If you like reading science-heavy stuff, read Gary Taubes Good Calories, Bad Calories. If you would like a less science-intense version, he has a new version out called Why We Get Fat and What to do About It.

 

lunch for me is greek yogurt, leftovers, canned wild salmon (had some yesterday mixed w/ mayo and a touch of curry powder), chicken salad, grilled chicken over salad greens, chili (freeze in small portions and pop one out the night before for lunch the next day), soup (hearts of palm shredded up can be subbed for rice if you want a chicken rice soup, or do chicken or beef vegetable), deli meat (watch hidden sugar content) rolled up with cream cheese or cheese, etc.

[2cents]

I'm reading a very interesting and enlightening book about the benefits of cutting out wheat. It is called Wheat Belly by William Davis. Reading this book really makes the decision to go wheat free a lot easier. :)

[woolybear]

I've been heading toward Low carb and wondering, those who do this, what snacks do you have and is okay to have snacks after dinner?

[Jean in Newcastle]

I've been heading toward Low carb and wondering, those who do this, what snacks do you have and is okay to have snacks after dinner?

 

I have two hard boiled eggs every night between dinner and bed time (but still a couple of hours before bed.) I don't know if it matters, but I exercise after dinner and need some protein to get me through the night.

[Snickerdoodle]

I'm reading a very interesting and enlightening book about the benefits of cutting out wheat. It is called Wheat Belly by William Davis. Reading this book really makes the decision to go wheat free a lot easier. :)

 

I'm #6 on the library waiting list.

 

I can't wait to read this.

[butterflymommy]

I assume you've used calculators to determine your maintenance/ loss caloric intake levels? I am 5'9" and 1500 is what I lose on if I am sedentary. I can eat more if I'm active. Depending on your height and activity level you may need to reduce more (though under 1200 is not recommended). Another possibility is that you're not eating enough for your activity level which is causing your body to hold onto the weight.

 

It is very easy to make mistakes when counting calories unless you eat primarily packaged foods. If you do a lot of cooking yourself it can be tricky to determine how much you're eating. So that's another possibility, that you're not counting accurately.

[ktgrok]

My advice? Don't worry too much about calories. Cut carbs instead: nix bread, pasta, sweets, rice, potatoes, etc. Be sure to eat fat and protein, with a special emphasis on fat. If you cut carbs and are hungry, you're probably not eating enough fat. Don't stuff yourself, but don't let yourself be deprived either. After a couple weeks of faithful low-carbing, you'll probably find your appetite has diminished a lot.

 

Dietary fat will NOT make you fatter and it won't give you heart disease. As long as you've cut carbs, your lipid profile will improve, lowering your risk of heart disease.

 

Try to ignore those who tell you this is unhealthy or won't work. They're simply wrong. To understand why this works, and works well, read Why We Get Fat: And What to Do About It.

 

And yes, it's also worth getting your thyroid checked, especially if you have other symptoms of a thyroid disorder. However, don't hold your breath. My MIL has had her thyroid checked out thoroughly (including reverse T3), because she can't lose weight, and it comes up perfect. However, she refuses to try a low-carb approach because she's a serious bicyclist, and believes that athletes shouldn't low-carb.

 

I totally agree. Insulin stores fat. If your insulin is high you will store your calories as fat. If there are not enough left over to fuel your metabolism your metabolism will slow down. No fat lost. If your insulin levels are low, from eating low carb, your body will release fat from the cells.

[Georgiana Daniels]

I've been heading toward Low carb and wondering, those who do this, what snacks do you have and is okay to have snacks after dinner?

 

I have string cheese for a snack, or sometimes a handful of walnuts.

[ktgrok]

Lunch could be leftovers, a salad, a low carb wrap, a homemade chicken veggie soup, etc.

 

I have a salad most days, with left over meat on top. So yesterday was salad with some left over turkey meat, and some homemade ranch dressing. YUM!

 

Today I wanted something different than a salad. So I sauteed up a BUNCH of mushrooms (they were on sale) in butter. Then added a bit of garlic, and some cream to make it like a cream sauce. Added in the leftover turkey meat and it was delish. I know it sounds weird, but it was kind of like chipped beef on toast, but with turkey, and no toast, lol.

 

Hubby gets either leftovers from dinner the night before, or a salad with tuna or meat, or a snack lunch of salami, cheese, raw carrots, and some fruit.

[SonshineLearner]

I lost about 25 lbs by doing Organic everything (pretty much) food... no sugar... (this is from January to this last month) I think the no sugar was the key for me...

:)

[Shellydon]

I assume you've used calculators to determine your maintenance/ loss caloric intake levels? I am 5'9" and 1500 is what I lose on if I am sedentary. I can eat more if I'm active. Depending on your height and activity level you may need to reduce more (though under 1200 is not recommended). Another possibility is that you're not eating enough for your activity level which is causing your body to hold onto the weight.

 

It is very easy to make mistakes when counting calories unless you eat primarily packaged foods. If you do a lot of cooking yourself it can be tricky to determine how much you're eating. So that's another possibility, that you're not counting accurately.

 

 

I am 5'9" and am eating about 1300 calories a day and am not losing a thing. Sigh.

[apond]

I have been able to lose 14lbs just by cutting out processed foods. I am not a fanatic about it and actually went through a period this summer where we ate terrible due to vacations and visitors. I felt horrible and gained a few pounds back. I was able to quickly lose it and some since eliminating the processed foods again. When eating whole foods or ones that I prepare myself I just naturally eat less and don't feel hungry. It is not a quick fix but I have been able to loose about a pound a week which has helped keep me

motivated. I also found it was much simpler way to diet or rather just a healthy way to eat, which was my ultimate goal. Good luck with this endeavor.

 

Annmarie

[Pretty in Pink]

Increase your activity level. Make that daily walk a priority! I can't imagine going below 1200 calories.