Hello everyone!

I'm starting anew with my weight loss plan, and this time I am going to revisit calorie counting. I have done calorie counting in the past with some success, but everytime I managed to stall out and gain back the weight. Recently, I've tried low carb with success (in fact, I lost about 20 pounds), but I really dislike low carb diets. I enjoy bread and sweets, and I dislike eating lots of meat and cheese. I eventually start feeling sick while doing low carb, and end up binging on carbs and having to start over.

So this time I'm going with low calorie. One of my problems with low calorie has been that when I eat at a low enough calorie level to lose weight, I feel hungry all the time. I figure that's probably because in the past, I've made lousy food choices (empty calorie foods, not enough protein, not enough fiber, etc). So this time around, I'm hoping to design an eating plan based on high fiber and enough protein to help keep me from being hungry. I'd also like to cut back on the bread, because I eat way too much of it, and make sure the bread I do eat is good for me (no white bread!).

I also really need to exercise. I used to be pretty active, despite being heavy, and I was able to do 10 mile hikes with a full pack with little difficulty. This past summer, I tried to do the same and I really think it almost killed me. I also took an Ecology class last semester that spent a lot of time outdoors, and I had a hard time keeping up when we walked in hilly areas. I am probably in the worse shape I've ever been in! My goal is to get fit by March when I go on a trip to Belize with school.

So I could really use some support!

I'm also calorie counting while keeping an eye on the fat content of things too. I normally keep a tally as I go through the day but I think I need to start keeping a diary so that I can look back on it when I'm struggling for ideas.

Welcome to 3fc and the Calorie Counters!

One of the reasons I love calorie counting is that I can eat anything I want, but I quickly found that eating high-calorie foods will leave me hungrier.

You can bulk up meals with veggies which have very few calories but will easily fill you up. Foods high in protein also fill me up but I find they also give me an energy boost. I find that now I'll choose the proteins over carbs even though I love carby foods! I didn't eliminate them though I still have them but it's offset by many many days of better choices.

Good luck!

shadowclaw, calorie counting will work, and you shouldn't feel genuine hunger if you are eating enough vegetables and the proper amount of lean protein and healthy fats. (If I don't do this, I can get super hungry on the same calories. And that's no fun!)

In my mind, I have an asterisk by the words "calorie counting*"




*(calories counted must include 4-5 generous servings of nonstarchy vegetables, a couple servings of lean protein, and 25-30% of my total calories from healthy fats).

For me, calorie counting is the only plan I could ever stick with long-term. I don't bother with counting macros because the only way I've ever stuck to calorie counting is by eating what I want. Fortunately, I like fruits & veggies (and chocolate & ice-cream, too ).

Also, I would advise not going too low calorie. I know many on here start at 1200, and that undoubtedly works for some, but I would feel really hungry if I ate at that level. I lost most of my weight on 1400 calories, and I started at approx. 180 lbs. (I'm 43 & 5 ft 3). I didn't weigh myself during my weight loss, but based on my clothing size and how fast I reached my goal, I would estimate that I lost at least 1 1/2 lbs. per week and probably more like 2. If you start at a higher level, you'll have the leeway to lower it as you get closer to goal & you won't feel so deprived during the process (IMHO).