I think if by "successful" you mean lose weight then yes.

I had a talk with my sister at Christmas who is a doctor (Internal Medicine) who works with obese patients and she basically told me (DISCLAIMER: This is not official medical advice, see your own doctor. :) )

She basically told me that in the grand scheme of things it comes down to calories. IF you can stick to a restricted calorie diet you will lose weight. It's physically impossible not too. She said they routinely put people on 800 calorie diets.

She also said that even a 300lb person on 800 calories a day diet will primarily lose fat - she said the amount of muscle loss from even a pretty inactive person is actually pretty insignificant.

Now personally I think eating less than 1200 calories a day on average for someone not under specific doctor's care for weight loss is a bad idea because it's hard to make sure you're getting good nutrients and staying healthy. But if your only goal is lose fat you can pretty much do it by only counting calories.

IF you can stick with it.

I think when people say you have to do more than count calories they are referring more to the psychological aspects.

But mathematically/scientifically if you consume fewer calories than you expend you will lose weight. My sis said that lots of people swear they are only eating X calories and not losing weight (and therefore must have some rare disease) and she finds that the culprit is pretty much always underestimating calorie intake. She said no matter what issues your body has (hypothyroid, whatever) if you were admitted to an inpatient hospital and your calories were allocated to you by a doctor you would 100% for sure lose weight by doing nothing but reducing calories.

Whew - hope this makes sense. I'm NOT advocating an 800 calorie diet - she just used that as an example and I think most people would find that too difficult to stick to.

EDIT: What's not taken into account here is that weight is only one part of over all health. In cases where a doctor puts someone on a severe diet it's often because that person needs to lose weight quickly to be safe (for example if a patient needs surgery but really needs to lose weight before the surgery is not considered high risk.) So if you want to feel good, look good, and live a long time it's a combo of nutrients, calorie intake, and exercise. If you just want to lose weight it's pretty much calorie intake/expenditure.

rodeogirl, I DEFINITELY get your point. And even agree with it. But I took OP's original question very literally as in "can YOU, meaning *me* be sucessful by ONLY counting calories.

And *I* could not be. Successful for *me* does not mean to *just* lose the weight. I wanna keep it off too!!!! Oh and be healthy and energetic as well.

But again, I do see the point you are trying to get across. :)

Ah - well in that case the answer for me is...

Hmmm I think it's yes actually. I was all geared up to say no, but really the main thing I do is count calories. Exercise pretty much allows me to up my calorie count. I do other things like try to eat healthier foods and avoid processed foods but really it all comes back to calories in/out for me I think.

Interesting to ponder - I'm going to think about it more. :)

I think the simple answer and the practical answer are very different. Many folks do notice that the number of calories as well as where the calories come from matter. Sometimes a great deal.

Maybe low carb diets can decrease hunger and that's why some people do better on them.

Maybe people tend not to do well on starvation diets, not because they reduce metabolism all that much, but instead because they increase the likelihood of binging.

Maybe eating more healthy foods is generally more effective than eating smaller quantities of mostly junk food for weight loss because healthy foods are more filling. Or maybe because sugar does decrease metabolism and increase cravings.

I'm finding there are few simple answers when it comes to weight loss.

I think it is okay to just count calories. That's what I am doing now and this is first time I have felt like I could actually stick to something. I say that because I now allow myself to eat whatever I am in the mood for without feeling guilty. That being said, I have also just naturally changed the way I eat. I find myself making better decisions and choosing foods that are more filling and will "stick" with me. Ultimately, though, at the end of the day all I look at is calories and nothing else. Yesterday I was spring cleaning and after three hours of vigorous cleaning that burned over 400 calories, I ate a snickers bar. And I felt pretty dang good about it to (before I probably would have eaten three snickers bars). I still ended the day under my calorie allotment and am a full pound lighter this morning.

So yes, I do think you can lose weight and even feel great just counting calories.

Since I've lost 50 lbs. twice in my life, I know that last time I lost the weight faster actually than this time -- by just counting calories...but I ended up anemic with no energy and really bad problems with my skin...oh, and some hair loss. It was lovely. So yes, you can lose weight just counting calories...but at what cost?

This time I counted calories but I watched my macros as well and I actually ate a few hundred more calories a day. I lost slower, didn't feel hungry very much of the time, my skin is beautiful, I just had a physical and I passed with flying colors, and I have so much energy I feel like I might burst most days.

Anyway, that is my two cents worth...:)

I think we see it here all the time - someone starts off just counting calories, which is fine. Then a few weeks in, they post something like "I'm eating 1500 calories and I'm hungry all the time. Is this normal? I don't know how much longer I can do this. Please help!"

And as they post what they're eating, we all offer suggestions: "If you ate this instead of that ... if you got more protein ... if you changed the small nutrigrain bar for a whole apple and some pb ... etc., etc., etc."

It's usually at that point that people start not just counting calories but paying attention to healthy and filling calories and thinking about what *kind* of calories they want to eat, because they don't want to be starving 30 mins after eating their afternoon snack.

But I do think that for a lot of people it has to be a learning process. We all know we can eat fewer calories and lose weight, but I think very few people can sustain *just* counting calories w/out getting hungry and frustrated and giving up. I really do think at some point, people who are going to be successful for the long term wind up moving past the bare number of calories and into thinking about their food in a whole different way.

.

Photochick has once again summed it up nice and neatly.

I think it would be next to impossible to STICK with a ONLY counting calories plan for any length of time. Next. To. Impossible.

All right, I'll go all out. Risk a cyber-bashing.

Who am I kidding? I just gotta come out and say it. I think it's MORE then next to impossible to stick with strictly calorie counting longterm AND be successful. I think it's downright impossible. Not doable. Out of the question. Sorry. Just my feelings.

But it IS a great place to start. A GREAT place. One which can certainly evolve into something more longterm. Absolutely without a doubt.

I think for some folks, it "might" be possible - but it would depend on what they are currently (before weight loss) eating. It is a myth that all fat folks eat nothing but junk. It's even a myth that no fat folks eat a balanced diet. If you're eating a fairly balanced diet before dieting, just "cutting back" by counting calories, might be sufficient, especially if you don't have a lot of weight to lose.

However, if you're a confirmed junk-food junkie, or consider french fries the only edible vegetable, then it's going to be much less likely. Some people do it. I've even known a few. One of my best friends in college, was a girl who was bulimic on the fringes of anorexia after having lost 60 lbs. Personally, I don't see her story as a success story, despite many of our friends thinking so. I cringe when I realize how many of us were practically "taking notes" on her weight loss tips (such as inducing vomiting with syrup of ipecac).

I never resorted to vomiting (I tried once, but it was way too much work, and I had a sore throat for days), but I am ashamed to say that I did use several of her tips, like chewing food and spitting it out.

I think that nutrition is an undertaught subject (possibly because not all of the experts agree on what it really is). The more I learn, the more I want to learn, so I'm reading alot (and it's getting confusing because there are so many opinions), but I agree that we all have to start where we are, both in terms of what we know and what we're comfortable changing.

Maybe I'll end up with the equivalent of a degree in nutrition, when I'm done. Right now, I'm using an exchange plan to force some balance, but I'm finding that I'm at a stage where that might not be enough. Yes, I work at variety, but I wonder whether I'm eating enough of a variety. Am I getting enough potassium? Do I need to eat more purple foods? These are questions I didn't even think of, let alone concern myself with, when I started.

I think it's necessary to start where you need to, and build from there.

Just a peep in here to say that is exactly what I've done for 6 years now. My only significant regains were all pregnancy related. This isn't to say I don't pay attention to the quality of the foods I eat, because I certainly do, with a mental rundown on "did I eat my veggies today," or "did I limit my junk", but as far as counting, it's calories and calories only. I just don't have time or mental energy to deal with the rest.

As always, everybody's different. YMMV.

Anne

I'd agree with many here and say no. Calorie counting helps me formulate what I'm going to eat but I still have to make healthy choices, make sure I get my veggies and fruits, eat lean pieces of meat, etc.
It's just like WW for me. You have to do both counting points and keeping track of what you eat. I am keeping a journal and writing it ALL down.

I am new to this whole calorie counting thing, but one thing that I keep telling myself is that it's not how many calories, but where are those calories coming from that matters.

Like so many others have stated, calorie counting is a great place to start, but I think most people know there's a difference between a 200 calorie candy bar and a 200 calorie meal with loads of veggies - so to me in that vein, most people are at least sub-consciously keeping track of fat/carbs/etc.. along with their official calorie count.

At least in my case, I want to be able to eat as much as possible with the fewest amount of calories (someone above said - more bang for your buck - and that's how I think of it) and I keep that in mind when I shop for food and when I'm planning dinner, etc...

Anyway, I just wanted to toss my 2cents into the mix - what great advice everyone has given and the insight of people who have 'been there, done that' is invaluable to me! :)

wdranne: But then you are doing more than just counting calories -- which is what the OP asked about. I do not enter my food into a program everyday to look at my macros, I do it maybe once or twice a week, and last week not at all...but I pay attention to the QUALITY of my calories all the time, and it sounds like you do to. I am at a point where I just eat better and make sure there is protein in every meal and snack, etc. I am not scientific about it -- but I definitely do not just "count calories".

But Anne, you DO pay attention to your quality of food, and you DO eat your veggies and your DO limit your junk. Which is EXACTLY what I do. Which is EXACTLY what I think needs to be done at *some point* for long term success, like you yourself have achieved. I never, ever worry about my percentages and ratios and what not. Eating my veggies, and my proteins and limiting my junk TAKES CARE of the numbers for me.

I guess we're all agreeing here, but just "wording" it different perhaps? :dunno: