[novangel]

If you are eating in a 500 cal deficit then you should be losing. Throw in 60 minutes of cardio on top and you really should be losing...even at 1,400-1,500 cals.

Maybe check your thyroid?

[seaurchin]

I'm a calorie counter and use my fitness pal to log everything in and have been doing so for the last 4 or 5 years. In the last 6 weeks, i've been unable to exercise due to lower back issues, so i stick to a 1200 calorie diet and 60 net carbs and manage to lose about an average of 2 lbs a week.

[shcirerf]

There does need to be some accountability in counting or tracking your food intake.

Calories, WW points, carbs, protein, whatever.

The thing is, you have to account for it in some way.

That being said, I prefer a program, that gives a daily target, but also allows for me to figure in the now and then indulgence. I don't like to be deprived, and we should not have to be, in order to be healthy.

If a program said, I could NEVER, have a beer, or french fries, or said I had to pack my food to weddings and holiday dinners, and HAD to do 60 minute workouts every day, I'd run, screaming with my hair on fire.

Being healthy and at a healthy weight requires balance. Most days, you do all of the right things.

But now and then, it's ok, to step outside of the lines. Have chicken wing, enjoy the wedding, skip the workout, whatever, but always be mindful, that you have to get right back on track, and, ditch the guilt.

Life is supposed to be happy, and lived!

[Chardonnay]

I count calories because it's too easy to think I'm eating 1500 calories, when I'm actually taking in 1800 or more. I need to count calories on my fasting days, which is 3 days a week, because I don't eat more than 600 calories on those days.

An hour of exercise a day isn't all that much, but that's just my opinion. When my body isn't hurting, I do up to 90 minutes a day, cardio, weights and yoga mixed/combined. I guess it depends on the person and their lifestyle, but I think that's good advice because I'm an advocate of fitness and diet to lose weight and maintain.

I feel at ease knowing I'm exercising and counting calories, that way there is no question mark if I don't see a loss consistently.

But it's a personal thing, everyone has the method that works for them. My motto is that if it isn't working, it's time to make a change.

[VoodooDonut]

For the most part I'm a lot like you. Eating at the lower
calorie to achieve the losses spins me into a tizzy. I wolf
things down with no will power or consciousness. For me
logging my calories is my only way and eating a bit higher
so I don't feel deprived. 1350-1600. Usually keeps me happy.
It all depends on you though. What are you eating when you
do it? More carbs can make you extra hungry too, in general.
Sorry if I'm repeating anything already said.

[freelancemomma]

You don't have to count calories, just eat fewer of them.

F.

[faiora]

Originally Posted by JohnP

You have to be in a caloric deficit to lose fat. What method you use to do this is entirely up to the individual.

What you eat can have a profound impact on hunger. For most people, protein and fat are far more satiating than carbs.

This.

I've been learning a lot about what makes me feel full and what doesn't, and there are some things I eat that will actually make me feel hungry, consistently, about 20-30 minutes after I eat them.

I've switched to eating mostly whole foods - whole grain, whole milk, vegetables, and so on, but for example, triscuits (which are whole wheat with vegetable oil and salt, nothing else) only tide me over for about 20 minutes. I think they're just so highly processed that even though it's whole wheat, I digest the carbs very quickly. That's just my theory, but in any case the response is predictable for me, so if I have triscuits as a snack I make sure I'm going to have other food ready within half an hour.

I think it's a good idea to find out what makes you feel full and what doesn't. Then whatever method you use - even calorie counting - should be a lot less difficult!

[jiffypop]

I've never done well with calorie counting, but had some success with WW. But I'd like to share two observations based on my decade + on this forum.

1. some people do very well by looking at their calories FOR A WEEK. They'll set a target average of, say, 1600 per day, and if they go out to dinner and have a glass of wine and maybe a couple of bites of dessert, that'll be an 1800 calorie day, and later in the week they'll have a 1400 calorie day. This seems to give them enough wiggle room, and enough variety that their bodies don't get accustomed to the same calorie count every single day.

2. many people - me included - do better when we add intervals into our exercise. if we're walking, adding in a jog for 30 seconds every few minutes, or ramping up the speed on the treadmill, or peddling like the wind if on a bike.

having said all that, while the standard mantra is indeed calories in- calories out, the fact is that WHAT those calories consist of is really important. Protein calories will give you more energy and keep you full longer than cupcake calories [unfortunately]. same thing with high quality carbs [but there are some of us who can't even eat oatmeal for breakfast because we need even more protein than that to get us through the morning].

[sammymilner]

Originally Posted by cgw3000

I've tried Lose It and Spark People and tracked my calories obsessively for years, to no avail. I went for a while at 1,500 calories per day and my weight loss stalled. My doctor said to drop to 1,200 calories and exercise more. This resulted in my BIGGEST enemy: binge eating. I go for a while, counting calories, craving food, hating being hungry... until I just can't take it anymore. Basically, I have zero will power. I feel weak and powerless because I can't do this. I feel weak and powerless when I binge. And I feel gross.

Either counting calories isn't working for me or I'm just weak. But my doctor says the only thing I can do is eat less and exercise more. I just don't know how to increase my willpower to fight through the hunger.

Come 8:00pm I'm starving but I have no calories left. Do I have to count calories? Even veggies and fruits have calories. So if I eat too many calories, even if its veggies and fruits, I'll gain weight, right?

I have always been a big fan of counting calories. Mainly because its interesting to see how much you consume and whether you are having too many or not enough.

I am currently averaging 1600 a day (I am 33 weeks pregnant) and outside of pregnancy would average about the same as you.

I never found 1200 an issue but maybe you need to look at what you are eating and eat more of the foods that keep you full for longer and find the naughty foods that have less calories.

For example I have chicken and vegetables for lunch a lot and then in the evening I often have beans on toast and other similar things. Then breakfast is a couple of slices of toast or some cereal and fruit.

But when it comes to the bad things I have a strip of dark chocolate at 100 calories and often have things like a curly wurly (my favourite milk chocolate with caramel and they take ages to eat) and they are just over 100 calories.

I find that I may have 800 calories one day and then 1600 the next and then average 1200 per day.

Just find some of the fat and sugar products that are lower in calories so that you have something that gives you the kick so that you don't want to binge.

Or try something like the paul mckenna hypnotic gastric band where your body is trained to eat less and this is another way to stop bingeing and cutting the calories.

[faiora]

Originally Posted by novangel

If you are eating in a 500 cal deficit then you should be losing. Throw in 60 minutes of cardio on top and you really should be losing...even at 1,400-1,500 cals.

Maybe check your thyroid?

Problem is, you can't know what your caloric deficit is just from your weight.

I get DXA scans done and I love them because they give me an accurate calculation of my lean mass, bone minerals, and fat. Thus, I have a very good idea of what my body actually burns at rest. There are lots of other ways to get your body fat and lean mass measured.

I'm losing weight on 2100 calories a day. If I were to try and eat 1400 calories per day, I would be at a deficit of around 1000 calories! So I would start losing a lot of lean mass along with the fat loss, which isn't very good for maintaining after weight loss. I've been advised that losing weight slowly is the best way to maintain lean mass, so that I'm only losing fat.

For people who have lost weight quickly (even 2 lbs/week is quick), a lot of lean mass can be lost along with fat. This is especially true for very low calorie diets, or diets low in protein. So people with too high a deficit lose a lot of weight but then they find it VERY difficult to keep it off because they don't have the lean mass burning off extra calories throughout the day.

If your lean mass is low, you need protein and weights to boost it, and you need to make sure you're eating enough calories so you don't lose any more than you already have.

[LaurieDawn]

One additional thought. You said that you feel hungry and deprived on 1200 calories a day. If I ate 6 cupcakes a day, that would be 1200 calories, and I would be hungry all day. If I ate 171 cups of spinach a day, that would also be 1200 calories, and I would not be hungry. Bored and probably not productive (since ingesting that quantity of food can be time-consuming), but not hungry.

It really is all about finding what works best for you. That is going to depend on a number of factors: how satiated you feel on different types of foods; what foods you enjoy; availability of food preparation items (I tend to eat a lot of raw or prepackaged foods like fruit, veggies, and tuna); eating patterns (I tend to binge in the evenings, and not be very hungry during the day); etc.

There are lots of ways to eat fewer calories, and as Freelance Momma said, you don't have to count all your calories to figure out a way to eat fewer of them. I don't consistently count calories, though I will do it occasionally, because I don't like it and it makes me crazy. But I am calorie-aware, and that's working for me right now. And for now, that's it. I am not doing any specific type of diet plan. I just try to focus on eating most of my calories from nutrition-dense, low calorie sources, and appreciate that my consumption of spinach, tuna, and egg whites, etc. as my primary nutrition sources gives me room for the occasional cupcake. Not that I am binge-free. But I just have to be on-plan enough to create enough of a deficit that I am losing weight. So far, I am.

[Jazztoon]

Something's not adding up. If you are eating 1200 calories per day and exercising 60 minutes per day, you are probably not taking in enough calories. It makes perfect sense why you would be hungry all the time and then binging when you can't take it anymore, which then means no weight loss. You said that, at 1500, your weight loss stalled ... that means you WERE losing weight, just hit a snag? How long did it stall for? Is it possible you just weren't patient enough to wait it out? I'll tell you, when I have lost before, it required major patience. The one time I made a significant weight loss was because I hung in there, even after a full month of no weight loss (and maybe even up a couple of pounds). I knew I was doing the right thing. I just wanted to see a constant loss and had to understand that, sometimes, my body was going to take it's time.

If you aren't see loss at 1200, but you saw some loss at 1500 ... that's your clue that you need to go back up there. Maybe try even higher at 1600. As for feeling hungry, without knowing WHAT you are eating, it's hard to tell if the problem also involved the quality of the food. Explore other foods that might fill you up better. You can give yourself "free foods" like peppers, carrots, etc. Don't let yourself get hungry ... grab a handful of those types of low calorie, high nutrient foods anytime you feel hunger going on.

[Jazztoon]

Oh, I would also recommend seeing a dietician and not getting your advice from your primary care doctor ... they're not really trained to advice on weight loss methods.

Good luck!! It's so discouraging when you work hard and still don't see results. BTW, I HATE counting calories as well. It makes me obsessive in an unhealthy way and I think about food all day long. Look into "intuitive eating"

[PrimalLarry]

This is very dear to my heart as a chronically morbidly obese person. Short answer no.

Many people have gotten fantastically wealthy pushing this idea: Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, doctors, trainers, etc. They have repeat customers for life because it almost never works. For the majority. If it does for you, awesome, wonderful, fantastic.

And by working, for me and what I desire in life, I mean not only permanent weight loss but maintenance without hunger or chronic cardio or calorie counting. At least that is full success to me. Also probably most important for me is fully optimally healthy. I haven't gotten sick for a day in over a year. Allergies gone, all aches and pains gone at 49. I eat food that supports my health and tastes great, and that fills me up.

Gary Taubes has two books out Good Calories, Bad Calories and Why We Get Fat. In many ways the whole ancestral eating movement started because people realized there has to be a better way.

And there is. Humans are designed to be fat burners. Using fat when a meal or two is skipped, filling up the limited glycogen stores in liver and muscles when some carbs are available. I won't detail how you can become a 'fat burning beast' but anyone can. The details are at Marks Daily Apple.

Sure calories still matter. But it is very hard to lose weight if you are fighting against your hormones: insulin, leptin, ghrelin. I upped natural fats, lowered carbs, moderate protein. I also stopped eating processed foods, only nutrient dense whole foods so my body craved fewer calories since it was getting the nutrients it needed. And no insulin blood sugar crash hunger roller coaster cycle because the foods I eat are low insulin producing.

Once I got over a transition period, appetite plummeted naturally and losing weight was easier than my wildest dreams. Not a single day or moment of calorie counting. I worked with my body not against it.

[JohnP]

Originally Posted by PrimalLarry

And there is. Humans are designed to be fat burners. Using fat when a meal or two is skipped, filling up the limited glycogen stores in liver and muscles when some carbs are available. I won't detail how you can become a 'fat burning beast' but anyone can. The details are at Marks Daily Apple.

Sure calories still matter. But it is very hard to lose weight if you are fighting against your hormones: insulin, leptin, ghrelin. I upped natural fats, lowered carbs, moderate protein. I also stopped eating processed foods, only nutrient dense whole foods so my body craved fewer calories since it was getting the nutrients it needed. And no insulin blood sugar crash hunger roller coaster cycle because the foods I eat are low insulin producing.

Welcome back to the site.

Humans are designed to be fat burners? Hmmm tell that to the fruitopians who think we are supposed to be primarily eating fruit. Never heard of them? How about Japanese? Tons of carbs historically in their diet and yet longevity and low incidence of disease wouldn't you agree? My point? Humans can thrive on a variety of diets. We're natural fat burners and natural carb burners and natural protein burners. If someone want to ramp up fat burning all they need to do is lower their carb intake. No special reading required.

The body has energy needs and will meet a deficit by burning fat.

Your understanding of the science behind all this is quite suspect based on your post here. if you want to understand insulin better you're going to have to go beyond your usual reading spots. Here is a great article and it even breaks down insulin response.

I think your success is fantastic. Truly I do! My challenge with your posts is that you go too far. Way too far. The fact that fat and protein are more satiating than carbs is not evidence that a Primal diet is how we humans are supposed to be eating.