I would try googling a BMR calculator because I have found this to be more accurate than MyfitnessPal (too low and torturous!) My BMR says that I can eat 1900 calories a day and lose a pound a week, which is working so I'm not gona doubt it, however MyFitnessPal says that I should be eating under 1500 in order to lose a pound a week which is just too low for me!!
I am also running 3 times a week and 1 pound a week is all I want otherwise I will never keep it off!

If you are serious about running and do it many times a week, then I've found from personal experience that 1200 is too low. I mean, it may work for a few weeks or so, but you'll cave eventually.

thanks for the support you guys! i have learned during this sabbatical that diet is definately more important that exercise with regards to weight loss-- even though exercise is more important when it comes to general strength, health, and looks.

i've been showing a loss even with having to change my workout routine for a few days.

i'm excited to go back to training for my 10k on saturday, but at least its raining hard this week, so i dont feel like i'm missing out.

i'm showing a loss even though i am doing low impact workouts, which is exciting. i realized that if i had eaten 1470 every day instead of yoyoing between 1200 and giving up, i would be at goal by now!

Thank you Josey for that post! It is a really awesome website. I have been searching through it! Thank you!!

When I was obese (no use mincing words, I was obese even though I hate to admit it), I thought I couldn't lose weight unless I followed some strict meal plan that limited foods, etc. I always put off losing weight because "I don't have the time or organization skills to follow a strict plan." Then I don't know...it just clicked one day that it is the conscious choices that a person makes about their food that affects their weight. I know, it seems dumb that I didn't realize that from the first but I just didn't.

I started to make some choices w/o CC and lost another few pounds. Then I started running middle of August - lost a couple of pounds. Finally, I was doing a google search and found this forum. It was here that I finally realized that counting calories was a viable option.

So I started mid-September and have lost 8 pounds. It just works for me and I think it works for most people. Every excuse that I ever had for losing weight is done away with in this "lifestyle change"

"Oh, that diet is too expensive." - You can eat healthy, lo-cal foods for a few cents more...if that. There's nothing fancy to buy, no subscription, etc. Not to discount those other programs/plans but for a poor post-college grad it is nice

"I'm too disorganized" Numerous online programs exist that track everything you eat and/or do

I'm too busy Granted, I do not have kids so I know I don't know what busy really is but for my life I'm fairly busy. It helps that I can eat out, make quick meals, etc. that help me reach my goal.

All that to say is that calorie counting works because it is the exact thing that is the crux of weight loss = our decisions create the number on the scale.

I hope that wasn't too rambling but I really can't advocate CC enough!

I most certainly believe calorie counting works. It's easy and it's efficient.

In the past, calorie counting did not work in the long term because I ate too few calories and starved myself. Then I read a book titled Calorie Queens that changed my whole perspective on calorie counting. So I combine aspects of different diets I've read about, including Calorie Queens. But the bottom line is, I count my calories and I lose weight. And I've finally found something I can make a lifestyle, not another diet.

Story of my life!!

Teapot, what's the message of Calorie Queens? I read some info on Amazon, but I can't tell the difference between it and just calorie counting. Some more info would be greatly appreciated.

I want to add a link to something I just posted:
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/weig...ml#post4063705
It is a BBC documentary (60 min.) about losing weight and it is very scientific. Great information on how it works with great tips to try out.

In mid January I decided to make a "life style" change and have lost 85 pounds. I didn't really want to diet because most diets i went on didn't work and I wanted something I could do the rest of my life. So I made a plan that I felt would work for me. I count calories based on my weight, height and goals. I found a calculator on line to help me with that. To the best of my ability I eat low fat, low carb, and low sugar when possible. And, the most important ingredient is keeping a food diary.

Recently I joined a gym and I am doing low impact weight routine. I have bad knees. I also do water aerobics. I love them.

My doctor is so please because I longer need to take diabetes medications.

I still have a long way to go, but I feel so positive about my life today.

Good Luck.

lin, Calorie Queens teaches Eucalorics, which is eating maintenance calories while you are losing weight. You eat the amount of calories you would eat at your goal weight. The best description I found of Calorie Queens is one of the actual reviews. Go back onto amazon and look for the Calorie Queens review titled "Jackie and Diane Scott changed my life!!" November 16, 2005.

That review really explained to me how Calorie Queens worked.

I eat 1800 calories a day, plus I do eat free fruits and vegetables (something I learned from the current Weight Watchers program). And I am losing! Calorie Queens have no recommendation in their book of eating those "freebies", but it's working for me. I have 50 lbs. to lose, and I am slowly losing. With no deprivation. Discipline for sure...but I don't feel deprived.

I guess you could say I'm following a tweaked version of Weight Watchers, only I don't use their Weight Watchers points, and I eat more than they recommend. But I'm really in love with the Weight Watchers concept of not counting fresh fruits and low starch veg.

Calorie Queens is really a wonderful book. You could probably buy it used on amazon for a cheaper price.

p.s. Also, I found if you enter Calorie Queens in the search box above on this site, it will bring up some old threads of folks who were on the plan when the book came out a few years ago.

p.p.s: If you do the search, click on posts, not threads.

I'm guessing that it's not the best method for featherweights, though? If I started eating at maintenance for my goal weight, I would be losing at the most ridiculously slow level ever. What's wrong with eating a sensible calorie deficit for your current weight?

Thanks! I ordered it. Oddly enough, I have always thought to myself, why can't I just eat my goal weight maintenance calories? Shouldn't I shrink down to my goal weight if I do? I was sort of doing this when I first started, but then I figured I could cut down a few hundred more calories and still feel okay, so that's what I did.

Congratulations on your success, by the way!