Hey everyone, I've been trying to lose weight for a few years, but it wasn't until I discovered the "Lose It" app this January that calorie counting and workout tracking became effortless, and I am finally losing weight.

I have been out of town for a few weeks and won't be able to weigh myself until I get home in a week, but the whole time I have been away I have worked hard at calorie counting and working out, and the clothes that were tight at the beginning of the trip in mid-January are now loose on me.

I cannot quite explain how thrilled this makes me feel. I have never been able to make the scale go down. Even though I don't have a huge amount of weight to lose, it has been a struggle for me to even take 2 pounds off the scale, so this feels like a huge victory. I cannot wait to get home so I can get on the scale and see in black and white what the number is.

I guess the point of this post is to let those people just starting out know that it will happen, even if you've never been able to lose weight in the past.

Well done! That's an encouraging post. How exciting to see what the numbers are when you get back home! : )

So glad you found something that works for you!

I guess the moral of the story is: if one method seems difficult, try something else. We are all wired differently and there is no single best way to lose weight.

Calorie counting is fantastic. Glad you're seeing results!

Congrats to you. The best thing about counting calories (with the aid of the internet, apps, smartphones, etc.) is that it is the bottom line. It is what every program boils down to, basically. Eat less than you have been to gain/maintain, eat the right amount for you to maintain/lose. Pretty simple stuff that we've "known" all along and somehow I still managed to get hoodwinked into trying the diet du jour. Isn't it just dandy when it finally clicks?

I wish you continued success.

I just downloaded the Lose it! app also. I've been doing Weight Watchers with little to no success as of late so I'm thinking of giving calorie counting a try starting tomorrow. Congrats and good luck!

Vixxi, I hope you find it helpful too. I love how it keeps track of both the calories you ate and the calories you burned, and gives you a running total of both gross and net calories for the day. It is so motivating to get in at least a little bit of exercise each day, even if you didn't think you were up to it, just to see that deficit for the day get bigger.

I have just ordered a Fitbit fitness tracker which can link up with Lose It to give an even better picture of how you stand each day. I felt like I was wandering in the wilderness blindly before finding these tools.

I'm also on Lose It. I know I would have given up ages ago without it. It's a great app and the community over there is generally positive and helpful.

I've been vigilant about counting my calories since mid December and I am so excited how it is really really working this time. I try to eat around 1500 calories, and my body burns about 2000 without working out. So I work out 3x a week as well. I've been losing about a pound -pound and half per week. Now that it's been a few months, I am better about serving sizes, and combining proteins with brown carbs and veggies to avoid those blood sugar lows... I use fit day to log my food and exercise and I've had good luck with it.
Glad to meet you all!

Chris
Type 1.5 diabetic, insulin dependent since 2011

171/155/140

Hi Jonjaxmom,

I'm a medical writer and have written a lot about diabetes, but I've never seen "type 1.5 diabetes" before. I don't want to pry, but I'm curious about what it is, so if you feel so inclined, perhaps you can explain it to me in a sentence or two. If you prefer not to, I'll certainly understand.

Freelance

My endocrinologist describes people like me as 1.5. Originally diagnosed as a type 2 diabetic, but diet and weight loss will not cause my symptoms to improve. I have insulin resistance, and over time my pancreas will someday cease to produce altogether, like a type 1. The insulin I produce isn't very effective. Oral meds only were slightly effective. I am now a 1x a day insulin injecter.

No worries, it's not prying. I have come to accept this diagnosis and there is so much info out there there is no reason why I can't manage this! Thanks for asking.

Chris.

There's a great article about it in Diabetes Forecast from April 2010 about people like me. Sorry I can't get the link in here but if you google type 1.5 diabetes you can find it rather easily...

Thanks for the info, Jonjax.

Freelance

Just gotta say you're going to LOVE the Fitbit! I've had it for about a week now and I love it to pieces! I personally use My Fitness Pal if only because it was the first app/site I was referred to by a friend a few years back, but I assume that Lose It is pretty similar. I've tried other diets without counting calories and I have to agree tenfold that this is where the weight loss is going to be. No matter what you eat, what "diet" you're on, it all comes back to counting calories or more accurately simply being aware of the numbers you are putting into your body. The only way you will be successful at knowing this is if you keep track daily and these apps make it so easy to do so! Keep up the great work gardendiva and I hope you enjoy the Fitbit!