[Kristeebee]

Hey all,

Well, I've tried so many different diets over the years and the one that gave me the most success was calorie counting and exercise. It worked out for a long while but now, since I had knee surgery, I'm finding it hard to get back on it again. I tried doing the same old counting but it's not sticking this time. It's lost it's appeal. So, I did some looking online for something new to try but with so many options and reviews, I ended up feeling even more lost than when I started looking. I could bite the bullet and try at the boring old way of counting calories, but then I heard on the radio that calorie counting isn't all that accurate anyway, so there is really no point.
I've never felt so lost when it comes to weight loss.
Anyone else feeling this way? Sheesh

[ladyfat]

I think you should find a plan that works for you and is easy for you to follow, but I also think "some dude on the radio said calorie counting isn't accurate so what's the point anyways" is a huge excuse for you to just not try. "Oh, I won't be able to count accurately, so what's the point?"

???? No. If you were 10 pounds away from goal, and had to manage a very fine lined calorie deficit (like your TDEE was 1400 or something so you HAD to stay at 1200 to burn anything or whatever) then maybe that would be cause to feel like despairing. However, your stats say you are 250. You have had success with calorie counting in the past (amazing success, looking at your start weight! You did so well! Congrats!). So really, you have no reason to think it "doesn't work" other than some dude on the radio + not really wanting to do it.

Calorie counting DOES work. Particularly if you have a larger range of deficit. If I burn 3000 calories per day, if my calorie count is inaccurate by 300 cals, and I eat what I think is 1200 but is really 1500, I'm still in a deficit. So when you're still burning a lot (which you should be at 250), it isn't that horrible if it's "inaccurate" anyways.

I would try to think about what you find so boring about calorie counting. Would you prefer a plan that simply eliminates some foods and allows whatever fills you up of other foods, such as paleo? Would you like something that has strict meal plans to follow so the thought is taken out of it? Would you like to do low-carb so you can eat more protein/fat and not have as many carb cravings? What do you WANT out of a diet? Come up with a list and then see if you can find a diet that matches that better… maybe you'd like counting weight watchers points better than calories because it would be "new" to you.

There are so many diets out there - I am sure one will work for you!

Alternatively, are you perhaps just burnt out on losing weight? It looks like you've been working on it for a long time. Maybe you want to take a specified amount of time off to practice maintenance for a bit, or even eat at a deficit but quite a low deficit (like 100 cal deficit per day or something) in case you are suffering diet fatigue?

[overandout]

Calorie counting can be useful in the beginning when you're starting out and need some structure, but it does get old and tedious.

What's worked best for me was mindful eating -- eating slowly, getting in touch with my hunger and fullness cues so I'm less likely to overeat, paying attention to which foods make me feel like crap, and which ones support my weight loss, using portion control tools etc. I find it more intuitive, no need for calorie counting, and it's also less stressful.

What are your biggest challenges with eating that you're struggling with right now?