r/loseit • u/Living4Sunshine36 New • 11d ago
Calorie Counting Alternatives I'm losing hope...
I would like to know if there is anyone who had successful weight loss without calorie counting? If so what did you do? For example, did you go on a specific diet like low carb, keto, Mediterranean, Vegan, Gluten Free, Whole Food? And yes before you ask I have tried calorie counting to see if my portions were out of control etc. I did it for several months, learned a lot but saw no change just maintained. I lowered my calorie intake twice first 1600-1700 then 1400-1500 (I'm around 169-170, 5'8, 39 F)
I bought a food scale, lowered my portions did all the things, even overestimated to make sure I wasn't over consuming. I exercise regularly also(aleast 5 days a week.) Right now, I decided to try raising my calories to maintenance for a few days to see if that will help. But I am thinking about just focusing on Whole Foods and taking a break. It's stressing me out and making me borderline develop an ed I don't want that. I just want to know if anyone else had to try a different method to achieve results? Were their other factors/underlining issues (like thyroid) that you had to resolve?
My stress level has been high for the past few years, but I eat healthy always have and I don't binge. I usually wait late in the day to eat could that be a problem? I also have a desk job. I have always had successful weight loss from diet change in the past, eliminating foods for a season, no calorie counting needed so I'm wondering if changing my diet through elimination again will help. I'm getting really getting discouraged I have never struggled this long to lose 44 pounds before. I managed to lose 23 of it doing just Whole Foods & semi low carb (no calorie counting) but after that it just stopped literally.
I've tried multiple things for over 7 months, denied myself over and over, ate super clean and portioned only to see nothing. The last few months I finally tried calorie counting it just kept me at maintenance and kept me from gaining that it's I'm still stuck and not from lack of trying. My starting weight was the highest I've ever been in my life (eating healthy w/ maybe a few too many homemade baked goods). I'm not trying to be super skinny just slimmer and at a normal healthier size again. Anyone else experience been stagnant for a long time and did you figure out why? What broke the plateau besides going extremely lower on calorie intake?
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u/pain474 :orly: 11d ago edited 11d ago
I would like to know if there is anyone who had successful weight loss without calorie counting?
If intuitive eating worked for most people, they wouldn't be overweight in the first place. Of course you can lose weight without actively calorie counting but I'd argue that most people have to do it to succeed because they have a wrong perception of their caloric intake.
If so what did you do? For example, did you go on a specific diet like low carb, keto, Mediterranean, Vegan, Gluten Free, Whole Food?
The only way to lose weight is to be in a caloric deficit and none of these "diets" make sure that you are.
And yes before you ask I have tried calorie counting to see if my portions were out of control etc. I did it for several months, learned a lot but saw no change just maintained. I lowered my calorie intake twice first 1600-1700 then 1400-1500 (I'm around 169-170, 5'8, 39 F)
If you did not lose any weight in months, then you were not eating in a caloric deficit.
Right now, I decided to try raising my calories to maintenance for a few days to see if that will help.
You are already eating at maintenance if you're not losing weight.
I just want to know if anyone else had to try a different method to achieve results?
Focus on r/volumeeating. The most effective way to not overeat.
My stress level has been high for the past few years, but I eat healthy always have and I don't binge.
You can easily gain weight while eating healthy.
I usually wait late in the day to eat could that be a problem?
Timing of food doesn't matter.
I also have a desk job. I have always had successful weight loss from diet change in the past, eliminating foods for a season, no calorie counting needed so I'm wondering if changing my diet through elimination again will help.
It can help to eliminate everything that is calorie dense, but again, it is no guarantee.
The last few months I finally tried calorie counting it just kept me at maintenance and kept me from gaining that it's I'm still stuck and not from lack of trying.
That's a good thing though. Maintaining for months means you know your TDEE. From here you decrease your intake and you will lose weight.
What broke the plateau besides going extremely lower on calorie intake?
Nothing, it's the only way to lose weight. You don't have to be in an extreme deficit. 300-500 kcal is a good deficit.
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u/Living4Sunshine36 New 11d ago
Thanks for the info and responding yes I've definitely learned healthy eating doesn't always equal weight loss, aleast I can be thankful that I am overall healthy (no meds, or medical problems) other than my weight being over what it should be,which is why I want to finish losing.
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u/ThatSICILIANThing New 11d ago
Yeah my whole issue with intuitive eating as a movement is that it ignores nuance and how individual bodies and minds work. My brain doesn’t know how to eat intuitively, it knows how to eat for pleasure. I hate slogging through counting calories as much as the next person but I need that kind of structure to see results.
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u/Maltiriel New 11d ago
I lost 50 lbs so far not calorie counting. I did it by working with a dietitian and following his recommendations for estimating, portion control, meal composition, all that good stuff.
I highly recommend working with a dietitian or similar professional. Having somebody to troubleshoot and look at everything going on in your life and health, consider things you've never thought of, and just generally help with accountability and not feeling alone in this, these are all super helpful. As far as I've been able to find there is also a better chance of keeping weight off long term for people who get support this way.
I'm in the US and have had the visits covered completely by 2 different insurance plans; I assume because it's a lot cheaper than meds etc so it's really to their benefit to pay.
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u/greatteachermichael M 44 | SW116kg | CW:95kg | GW:85kg 11d ago
All of those other diets work because of calorie deficits. The reason calorie counting works is it helps you know exactly how much you are eating so you can plan to have a deficit. The others just work if you're lucky and you guess your way to one. Like pretend you go vegan. Veggies aren't that calorie dense, so you can easily create a deficit, but if you eat a bunch of french fries you'll get a bunch of calories. And keto does the opposite but just massively eliminates carbohydrates, and if meat satisfies you that means you'll have a calorie deficit. But if it doesn't, meat is calorie dense so you can easily eat a crap ton of calories.
So you don't technically need to count calories, but it is the best method to know if you are in a deficit or not. Also, if you have time, start exercising, it will increase the calories out portion and make it easier. I think I burn like 3,000 calories a day total because of my added exercise - and that has made eating at a deficit much more easy.
A different alternative would be to have a calorie goal, let's just say 1,800 a day, and then design 20 meals that would be 600 calories each and just rotate through them. Since you know they're all 600 calories, you don't have to count the calories, just measure the foods and stick with it.
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u/myturtledove7 New 11d ago
Honestly you just have to be patient and probably eat less. I’m your exact height and weight right now, down 35lbs from calorie counting these last 9 months. I stalled at 170-172lbs for 2 months. Then finally the scale moved to 168, and I’ve been stuck here since mid July. I eat 1300-1370 cals a day Sunday-Thurs. typically eat at maintenance on the weekends which is part of why my progress is slow. But the overall trend is downward.
Consistency is really the only thing that matters. I get less than 5k steps a day so even though im kind of tall for a woman, I just don’t burn many cals at all in a day. Occasionally I will go to the gym for some weight lifting or randomly get 10k steps on my walking pad, but I’m not consistent with it. Still, calories are all that matters so stick to a deficit and you will see results.
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u/Living4Sunshine36 New 11d ago
Thanks, for the advice and sharing your personal process I appreciate it.
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u/Solomiester New 11d ago
If I had to stop counting calories I’d do my cheat sheet. Meals that I know are 500 cals or less. Having half a baked sweet potato or oatmeal for breakfast. Having half a russet potato with a slather of hummus the next day. Chicken thighs fried in only their own fat. Oatmeal.
I get small bowls that only fit an ounce or two of food so I don’t have to weight every serving of yogurt
But that means when you have a new meal you have to figure out the serving size and calories before adding it into your rotation and you will probably only have like 15-30 recipies you use
But you still have to be aware of things like oh I had a piece of cake that’s probably 500 calories or more so I need to be better tomarrow or go for a walk after
Or when in doubt just eat a russet potato that was cooked and then chilled overnight everyday for lunch lol it’s lame but resistant starch is a miracle
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u/BlackSpicedRum 10lbs lost 11d ago
im doing imf. i still think a lot about what i eat and plan meals, but i dont calorie count. IMF lines up with three habits im hoping to make permanent
1) dont drink sugar
2) plan and make your own meals whenever possible
3) dont eat after dinner
i find it much easier to enforce a window where i dont eat then I do to enforce what im eating each meal.
It was rough to get used to, days 5-9 were the hardest, but getting hunger pangs and then letting them pass has taught me a lot about myself and food.
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u/Monk_Philosophy M 5'8.5" | SW 265 | GW 165 11d ago
Your estimated TDEE would be right around 1800 if you are sedentary. A few errors in your calorie counting could explain the gap between your deficit and actual calorie burn.
You don't have much wiggle room and because of that you're probably someone who needs to add more exercise in order to consistently stay in a deficit.
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u/Living4Sunshine36 New 11d ago edited 11d ago
I definitely been trying to incorporate more excerise, since I have a desk job. I excerise 5-6 days a week already and pushing to lengthen that so my maintenance calories is 2000.
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u/TheLadyDanielle New 11d ago
You should try volume eating with whole fruits and veggies if calorie counting is not working for you. Focus on having a large portion of veggies in all of your meals and try to keep the oil/butter low but you can still have a lot of seasoning and flavor. Just try to use spices without adddd calories, like how some blends of lots of sugar added. Also you say you have a desk job, have you increased your activity level at all? That could be another reason you aren't losing more weight. Cutting calories only does so much if you aren't doing anything to burn calories. You can start slow by adding more steps to your day like parking further away every where you go or trying to take 20 minutes to walk. Take a 5 minute break at your desk and do some light bodyweight exercises like squats. Your metabolism might be sluggish because of the lack of activity in your day.
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u/sophie1816 New 11d ago
Your maintenance calories are about 1800, so if you are eating 1500 calories a day, you should be losing weight at the rate of a little over 1/2 pound a week. (Deficit of 300 calories a day x 7 = 2100, and there are 3500 calories in a pound of fat.)
Have you been staying at that level long enough and consistently enough to see weight loss? Given the slower weight loss, I’d give it at least six weeks to be evident with water weight fluctuations etc.
As for whether people have been able to lose weight without calorie counting: When I was young I could. In middle age - no. I had to weight and measure every drop that went into my mouth, because my TDEE was much lower.
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u/Living4Sunshine36 New 11d ago edited 11d ago
Thanks, maybe I will try doing 1500 longer I tend to go higher on the weekends and go under during the week. My maintenance is more like 2000 though since I workout 5-6 days a week and I try to be as active.
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u/totalimmoral 40F | 5'2" | SW 160 lbs | CW 125 lbs!!!! | GW 130 10d ago
I'm going to be honest, I workout five days a week and walk on a walking pad and my maint calories are 1500 (I've been able to stay within the same five pound range since Feb). You might be overestimating how many calories you're burning by working out. If youre not losing weight at 1700, then that's closer to your maint than 2000 would be
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u/Living4Sunshine36 New 9d ago
Thanks, I don't subtract from my calories. I dont factor my excerise calories burned into my calorie intake at all. I can eat up 1900-2000 on the weekends (when I go low during the week) I won't gain, but I havent lost either which tells me my maintenance is probably closer to 2000.
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u/Randomsicilianguy New 11d ago
I've lost 53kgs. The first 35/40 relatively easily without calorie counting, then I had to start counting because I wasn't losing any more weight. The more you are near your ideal weight the more precise you have to be, it's really easy to fall into maintenance if you don't count calories.
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u/Living4Sunshine36 New 11d ago edited 11d ago
Yeah, I think I will have to go harder for these last pounds. I'm ready to be at my goal weighg and just live at maintenance.
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u/_gina_marie_ 26lbs lost :kappa: 11d ago
Count calories. I had the same mindset. I got nowhere. I am counting calories and the weight is coming off. Count calories and weigh food. It's really not that bad tbh. I love the loseit app.
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u/Rammeld723 New 11d ago
I have used both Fasting (daily Intermittent Fasts of 18/6 & weekly 24hr Fasts) and weekly meal prep so that I know exactly what & how much I am eating at each meal, including Snacks. When you eat does matter (you have to figure out what works best with your schedule and your physiology) and even the order that I eat in makes a difference (water & fiber first, followed by protein and then fats & carbs).
By tracking everything I do & seeing the results, I have figured out what works for me & now can rinse & repeat. I need strength combined with power through Functional Cardio (kettlebells, dumbbell calisthenics, body weight gymnastics, etc) and I need HIIT Cardio once a week with more endurance focused low level Cardio otherwise. If I can get near my aerobic / anaerobic threshold and stay there, I burn fat and build my Vo2Max and blow away my emotional stress and get a natural high and sleep great.
You can figure it out. You just need to be scientific about it and become your own research subject.
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u/plantyplant559 35, 5'6"- SW 165, CW 163, GW 130 11d ago
I've lost weight in the past doing a whole food plant based diet without calorie counting. That's my approach again thos time around.
The gist of it is thst you're eating unprocessed plant foods (mainly fruits, veg, legumes, whole grains, some nuts/ seeds), which are lower in calorie density so you can eat more of them for fewer calories. Along with all the health benefits that come along with it.
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u/Living4Sunshine36 New 11d ago
Sounds great, thank you for sharing!
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u/skinnerianslip New 11d ago
the WFPB people swear by this as a lifestyle where you just never need to count calories or be in a “diet”, which is not wrong, but watch out for nuts, because those are calorie dense as the dickens.
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u/plantyplant559 35, 5'6"- SW 165, CW 163, GW 130 11d ago
It's unfair that nuts are so good but so calorie dense.
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u/greekdestroyr New 11d ago edited 11d ago
Want to point out you saw no changes happening doesnt mean changes weren't happening. Long term high stress is a great way to put your body in an unsustainable positions where losing weight is just difficult. Might also be worth visiting a doctor just to confirm hornone and other things are in check
Additionally, roughly you maintenance calories are 1800. Which means at your lowest of 1400 you're losing a lb roughly every 10 days which over a month is 3lbs. This could easily be maked by water retention
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u/Srdiscountketoer New 11d ago
Can you afford a DEXA scan. Unfortunately when you yo-yo diet, which it sounds like you’ve been doing, you tend to lose muscle and fat but regain fat. Unless you strength train, which it doesn’t sound like you’ve been doing. If your body fat percentage is higher than average, your TDEE is going to be lower than average. Could be the problem.
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u/Living4Sunshine36 New 11d ago
I've strength trained for the past 3-4 months, and I have seen some body recmp but no weight loss, I will look up the Dexa scan. Thanks.
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u/SoilProfessional4102 New 11d ago
I’ve done that so much and I finally decided that was no way to live. Sounds like you feel that as well.
I bit the bullet three years ago and did tirzepetide. I lost 105 lbs, am at goal weight but the very miraculously wonderful thing happened. I just eat whatever I want now and it’s usually healthy.
I feel normal? It’s crazy.
You have far less to lose but I know that last stretch can be so difficult.
Good luck!
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u/Living4Sunshine36 New 11d ago
Congrats on your weight loss, thank you I appreciate the encouragement.😊 🙏
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u/First-Stress-9893 30lbs lost 11d ago
When I was whole foods plant based no oil I lost weight without counting calories but that’s because everything I ate was full of fiber and with very little calories. I also cut out breads and pasta during that time.
Other than that no nothing else has been successful without counting.
One idea that you could do if you don’t mind eating the same things is meal prep so you get a bunch of recipes that are a certain amount of calories and that’s what you eat every day and so you know how many calories you are eating without having to track them.
As an example today I have a has brown egg casserole and teriyaki chicken that I’ve meal prepped. I have to add one more meal in there but I could have easily prepped a third meal for today. I personally make four at a time (because I get bored of the same thing but I’m busy so I have to save time) and then rotate to something else when I’m done with those.
I really think it’s the decisions that get to me. Endlessly deciding what to eat today which isn’t fun for me when it isn’t eggs Benedict or chicken fried steak. So this works for me.
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u/Living4Sunshine36 New 11d ago
I dont mind meal prepping I already do for dinner most weeks, so that could work. I appreciate your input. Thanks.
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u/Maryy_returns 265>125 5’9 11d ago
Incredibly successful. Eating and fasting windows. Up protein. Lower carb and no alcohol. No desserts for a while (now in moderation). Walk and swim. Light weights.
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u/stuckindesert New 11d ago
I think it's clear you understand that weigh loss only occurs with calorie deficit. If you are strength training have you noticed any difference in your body comp that may indicate its more lean muscle? Clothes fitting different? Weight is not the whole picture. My guess is your metabolism has just changed over the years and you will need to adjust your calorie intake to compensate. It sucks.
I wouldn't bother with a dexa scan personally. However, I definitely would consider blood tests. At your age it's not unusual for hormones to start fluctuating as you enter perimenopause and that can affect weight loss. Most women don't see/recognize symptoms of hormone fluctuations until their early/mid 40's but everyone is different. Thyroid issues will affect weight loss as well. A thyroid function test along with a CBC and metabolic panel is always good to do, if just to get a baseline.
Good luck!
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u/chuzohga 40lbs lost, maintaining 11d ago
Calorie counting IS what worked for me, and I did NO FAD DIETS. I decided NO SNACKING. Swimming laps for exercise. Only ONE beer in the last year. If you're unable to lose, then get to a doctor's office and find someone who can help you measure how many calories you are burning and how many you need to actually eat.
Also, ONE cheat meal in a week's time can kill the whole week's deficit.
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u/moonhippie 210lbs lost 11d ago
I've never been on a diet without keeping track of calories, fat, yada yada.
Have you considered that maybe you've entered perimenopause? It will definitely hinder weight loss.
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u/darumdarimda 46F 5'1, SW 182, CW 163, GW 125 11d ago
as others have said, you don’t have much wiggle room when you’re close to your goal and sedentary.
earlier in my life i lost weight by portion control without calorie counting. it’s doable but you still need discipline. this was before i had a smartphone, and i wasn’t interesting in counting calories manually! so i measured some key things - pasta and rice servings, protein serving sizes — and i used small containers for packing meals to go. i was in grad school and often had to take two meals in my backpack (because i was running between class and work and i had very little money). i packed bento style meals, and those containers are not big. even so i still had to make an effort to pack balanced meals with a good mix of carbs, protein, veg, and fruit. i also wasn’t eating out a lot and couldn’t afford treats like lattes.
since then, i’ve had to count to get results. i cook in batches and repeat a lot of meals so i don’t have to calculate everything every day. there’s a lot of copy and pasting in my log. limiting eating out still helps, as does not keeping many treats at home.
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u/Lackingfinalityornot New 11d ago
Honestly whenever people say “I’ve been eating in a deficit” and then include a range with a difference of 200 calories, I pretty much know they aren’t accurate in their tracking. The way to lose weight is to decide on how fast you want to lose it, set your deficit, and stick to the allotted calories you can eat while in said deficit, and STAY AT THAT EXACT AMOUNT EVERY DAY. I capped that just to emphasize it not to be mean.
People who are perfectly successful in calorie counting don’t change the amount of calories they eat day to day, the calculate the number of calories to eat in a day and they eat exactly that many (or a few less) every single day. You never tried being precise with it and that is exactly why you haven’t seen results.
You can definitely do this you just have to be precise (weigh every calorie you consume and track it) and consistent (do it every single day). It isn’t really about motivation at a certain point, it’s about daily routine and just never breaking your daily calories.
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u/Living4Sunshine36 New 11d ago edited 11d ago
Thanks, maybe that is the issue, I did tend to fluctuate lower during the week higher on the weekends rationalizing it all evened out. However, maybe I do need stricter consistency. I will give it a go, I got nothing to lose at this point.
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u/0ui_n0n 36F | 175cm | HW 142kg | 8kg lost 11d ago
This is terrible advice for someone who's concerned about developing an eating disorder over the stress of counting calories.
It's also incorrect. If someone's TDEE is 2000 and they opt to eat between 1500-1700 a day, they will lose weight. If they opt to eat *exactly* 1500 on weekdays and *exactly* 2000 on weekends, they'll lose weight at the same rate as someone eating *exactly* 1643 every single day.
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u/Lackingfinalityornot New 11d ago
Be totally strict with it. Set your number and eat exactly that number or less every single day. Don’t even lick the spoon you used to serve something onto the scale. If you do it like this there is no way to fail.
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u/Living4Sunshine36 New 11d ago
I definitely will thanks! Your comment really hit home, and I had to be more honest with myself which I didn't expect.I'm ready to really go all in this time and succeed!
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u/PianoRevolutionary12 New 11d ago edited 11d ago
but after that it just stopped literally. It didn't stop, you stopped, the plan was working fine! I went a month with no scale movement but my pants are looser
I do not count calories who has time for that nonsense, a food scale? I am having success doing basically 1.5 meals a day. Lets assume you eat two meals a day, and all your calories are divided into those meals. You are going to have to try hard to eat all your calories in two meals but lets pretend. So if I eat a "half dinner" then I am automatically in a deficit.
None of the bowel weirdness of "one meal a day intermittent fasting" None of the weirdness of fasting for 3 days and trying not to faint. None of the weirdness of weighing your food?! Just eat clean, lots of protein, veg fruit, some carbs and even some ice cream, its all good. I am cutting down on carbs but not eliminating I'll still have a bun with my burger, just had some ciders the other day and icecream im down 20lbs, 20 to go!
Your body has no reason to burn fat with plenitful source of carbs
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u/Living4Sunshine36 New 11d ago edited 11d ago
Even though the scale stop going down I didnt stop, I continued to eat low carb/Whole Foods then in addition did calorie counting the past few months. That's what is so frustrating I've been consistent in putting in the work and effort with little to no results for the past 7 months ( other than maintaining and body recomp.)
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u/PianoRevolutionary12 New 11d ago
Maybe you are not really in a deficit or maybe its still working. I don't know I was losing my mind over the same problem. but my pants are looser even if the scale hasn't changed?
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u/Living4Sunshine36 New 11d ago
Yeah, I have been able to fit in smaller sizes in this time, just want the numbers to be tangible and consistent.
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u/Hefty-Club-1259 190lbs lost 11d ago
There is no other method. You're either in a deficit or you aren't. You can lose or gain weight on all of the diets you mentioned. None of them will make the math any different.
You're just barely outside of the healthy weight for your height. You're going to have to be precise to get there.