so, i looked around this forum, and have a question.

backstory:
i've lost just about 80 lbs. it's been over 2 years - i'm turtle pace slow.

i did the first 60 or so lbs with weight watchers no exercise, now i do a lot of bikram yoga, and i rarely even use my online weight watchers account. i am considering counting calories- but must you keep a log of it? how accurate is it?

what are some of the most accurate online calculators that you guys have found?

also, with weight watchers, if i'm ever hungry, i just eat fruit - 0 points, i can't really do that with calorie counting as everything has those persky little calories lol.

kind of scared- do you think that switching is a good idea? i seem to have plateau-ed with weight watchers, and i have about 30 more lbs to do (which clearly i would like to do fast).

I have done WW but find calorie counting works best for me. I have found the secret is in the planning. I plan my meals for the day staying within my calorie alottment, I count everything including snacks. It doesn't take me long to do this, about 5 minutes a day.I like calorie counting because of less restrictions, none actually, as long as you bear in mind that nutritous , healthy food is the best for you. Another thing that Calorie Counting has that WW doesn't, it is free,

I have lost about 60 lbs with WW (at home) and then switched to calorie counting this fall. Lose the same pace but might be more a bit more work.
WW is easy to trick out I find. I used my zero points a lot and had weeks with gains because of that. Lots of zero point veggies add up. Calorie counting doesn't let you do that. So I think it is a truer, more honest approach with tighter limits. But still full flexibility in what you eat.

It is also more detailed and might take more time if you cook lots from scratch. I still stick the the health guidelines from WW because calorie counting would also work with fast food or other junk. I don't want that. I want to eat my veggies, good fats and proteins.

Look for one of the free calorie trackers online (dailyburn, sparkspeople, mynetdiary, myfitnesspal, etc.)
I am on myfitnesspal. It does most of the work for me. They have a huge database with foods and meals. You can also add your own. And it is easy to judge how accurate the calorie count is because people confirm them. So anybody can enter information but you will see how many have confirmed the nutritional information. That's what I go by. It also shows you more nutritional details so you can watch your sodium or iron intake for example. That was one thing that made me switch.

There is also an iphone app for myfitnesspal which makes it super easy to track your food through the day. You can search or barcode scan products.

It also has an exercise database so you can calculate how much you burn. And you can track your water intake.

Oh and I did both parallel for a while. Counting points and calories I mean. See how it works for you and if/when you feel comfortable with the calorie counting, switch. If not, stay with WW.

Regarding faster loss... I believe 1-2 lbs per week is a healthy range. Not sure how "slow" you are. Yoga is probably not exactly a high calorie burning exercise. Did you ever consider to start running (maybe C25k) or weight training?

Ditto. I plan my meals and snacks for the entire next day, which takes the headache away and makes it foolproof. I did the same with WW when I was on it.

i actually plan meals as is (aka live alone, cook 2 things a week - one more carby, and one a lean protein to throw in a salad, which I know are both healthy meals) then i eat them all week + a slight variation in breakfasts, lots of fruit, and a few snacks here and there.

also, i VERY rarely use ww now, pretty much to weigh in, and a day every week or so to track my food, just to make sure i'm not becoming carbosaurus rex lol.

by slow, i mean very slow, a little bit above maintenance, which is fine for me, i am in absolutely no rush, and this way i HARDLY ever have a week with a tiny gain, usually about a .4 -1lb loss a week. this means that through my loss, i have no stretch marks, no sunken body parts, and a solid muscle base.

as for yoga- i do bikram, and c25k. bikram, for my current height/weight burns about 1000 calories a 90 minute class. (it's high heat/high humidity STRICT yoga, very different from your typical practices). although i don't believe in the 1000 calorie burn, i count it as about a 500, and i do a double atleast once a week + 3 days of running

i am VERY physically active, lots of muscle mass, gaining tone as we speak - like at 190, you can see ribs if i stand up straight. weird isnt it?


i looked into the calorie counting and got 2 different results. livestrong told me just over 2000 calories, and sparkspeople is between 1300 and 1700 ish. which calculators are the most accurate in your experience?

Hm, you might not be eating enough?! Are you counting activity points on WW?

Not sure what Livestrong and Sparkspeople are doing for their calculations. There are different calculations. Check wikipedia and see if you can calculate it yourself: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_metabolic_rate

I would definitely look into how many calories you burn. Seems a lot and I don't know if you eat enough according to what you wrote. Are you hungry a lot? Do you eat lots of protein?
If your body is in starvation mode, you won't lose much i.e. super slow. And it is unhealthy.

How about your water intake? If yoga is strenuous and in a hot/humid room you might need a lot more than the average 8 glasses.

Save the $ you spend on weighing in at ww. You already know the program like the back of your hand...you could still follow that at no cost. I do think, however, having recently tried WWPP, calorie counting gives you more flexibility in making your choices as there are no seemingly arbitrary points assigned. Calories are calories -- that is the real mindset. Of course, you get macronutrients, but the bottom line is the calories.

You've done this, you've done a great job, and you know what you're doing. As suggested above, you may want to try dually tracking points vs. calories for a bit, to get a feel for the calorie counting. I think its fabulous--takes the mystery out of dieting, completely. The calories aren't hidden--they are there for the consuming as you [should smartly, healthfully, in a balanced way] choose.

Congrats on the weight loss and the toned body. Unfortunately, having an 8 1/2 pound baby (and I swear 5 pounds was just her head!!) and only gaining 17 pounds at the time--you'd think I'd have no stretch marks....but 23 years later, those silvery reminders are still there. Consider yourself lucky to have such good skin.

I would probably do WW and calorie counting for awhile - find out how many calories you are really eating daily with WW.

Then I would create a bit more of a calorie deficit and definitely quit WW - you already know what you are doing (unless you need the group support, I'm not sure if you go to meetings).

my favorite online calcualtors are mayoclinic.com and loseit.com


it is definetly vital for you to log your food and loseit.com or myfitnesspal.com are great for logging and calculating your calories.

Yes it does work wonderfully. I have been on this for six months and I cheat alot because my willpower isnt the greatest. but ive lost 38lbs!!!