Calorie counting is how I lost 185 in just under 2 years. Not calorie counting is how I gained 31 back in the following year.
I scanned over what everyone said here and it looks like all the advice I would have given based on my personal experience is about the same. I also want to reiterate that 1200 is probably not high enough and that little of a food allowance may be more of a de-motivator to keep going. If you have 150 to lose, I would GUESS that you could drop your calories down to 1600 and still lose up to 2 lbs a week. I think I started at 1600-1800 and lost really quickly for the first 6 months if memory serves. With ZERO exercise I might add.
One thing that really helps me is that I don't eat any sugar or much in the way of simple carbs. They are really high in calories for a relatively small amount of food to fill your belly and your mind.
The other big one is don't kid yourself. Just because you are snacking on carrots, doesn't mean those calories don't count. Every time you eat anything, whether or not it is on your plan for the day, you need to write it down. It is really easy for my brain to trick itself into forgetting things, or making the portion be smaller than it really was if I am not careful. Weigh everything! Using measuring cups is better than nothing, but not accurate. And eyeballing just doesn't work.
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