Weight Loss

I used to be pretty thin in high school, then college and alcohol happened and I gained about ten pounds.  Sound familiar? 

 

Anyways, after the "party!!!  whoo!!!" phase ended, I tried everything to lose those ten pounds but nothing worked.  Through my trials, I figured something out.  In order to lose weight, exercise is only about 20-30% (unless you're Michael Phelps) and the food that you eat is about 70-80%.  Why?  Because most of us probably only exercise an hour a day, five days a week.  And personally, that's being diligent. 

 

But people always say, "I eat like a rabbit, but can't seem to lose weight!"  I'm going to say 80% of the people who say that are liars.

 

I mean, not actually liars, but you get the gist.  What they actually mean is, "I eat like a rabbit 80% of the time then eat what I want for the other 20%."  The main reason why people aren't losing weight (the so called last ten pounds) is because they aren't fully conscious of exactly how much they are eating.  Those 20% - they really screw you up if you aren't over weight. 

My advice is, record everything that you eat for a week.  I mean, everything.  Every bite, every little handful, you eat an almond - record it.  Then see the actual numbers cause calories can add up surprisingly fast.  I suggest getting a software like Chronometer.  It's simple and really easy to use.  I had it on my computer for about five months before I began to really use it, and the numbers shocked me.  I thought I only ate about 1200kcal when I actually ate 300 more. 

Also, another really cool thing about chronometer is that there's this thing called Nutrition Report, and you can see you average caloric intake for however long a period.  That is really, really useful.  I mean, amazingly so. Cause weight loss, what it really comes down to, is eating fewer calories than you need.  I used to think - oh, a snickers bar.  It has about 275 calories.  I'll eat less for lunch and dinner for this amazing piece of high quality delicacy wrapped conveniently all for me in a bar and it'll be ok because I'll still be within my calorie limit.  Such a foolish, naive child.  When it comes to losing those few pounds, everything counts and stacks up. 

Which brings me to my second point - FOOD.

I love food.  Seriously.  I love everything about food.  Eating it, touching it.  Ever see those shows where girls stuff themselves because of a binge eating disorder?  A lot of people feel grossed out.  What I'm thinking is, damn that cake looks good. 

And I love bread.  Bread is my all time favorite food.  Bread and nutella - it's like heaven served with a butter knife.  How can something taste so good? 

But, while a lot of people can have a slice of bread, I'll eat the entire bag.  I'll just eat and eat and eat.  It's partially the texture mixed with the subtle, sweet aftertaste that keeps me longing for more. 

The thing is, everyone has his/her own trigger food.  While you're dieting, try to stay away from that stuff.  Don't buy it.  People always say give in a little bit to cravings, but personally for me, it never really worked.  What does work is giving into certain aspects of a craving. 

That's how I found pumpkin.  Our meeting was purely coincidental, but oh so beautiful and perfect.  Before, whenever I thought of pumpkin, I thought of pumpkin pie, that really high calorie holiday treat.  Little did I know how wrong I was.

Pumpkin is seriously one of the most delicious things that has ever sprouted out of earth.  It is naturally sweet and when you cook it, it has this certain mushy texture that I like about bread in a really, really low calorie format.  One cup has 50 calories.

Let me repeat that - one cup has only 50 calories.  Do you know how full you get off of pumpkin?  Most people probably couldn't even it three cups in a sitting.  Seriously, try it.  What you do is you bake it or steam it or whatever it's called, but the trick is that you cook it for a really long time.  The longer the better.  I usually cook it for about 15 minutes.  When it's finished, it seriously has this amazing flavour that is oh so delicious.  You can mess around with it, add cinnamon, vanilla, whatever, but it is almost impossible to mess up.  For those with a particular sweet tooth, add sugar or artificial sugar to really tear down those calories.  You can eat it as a treat, as a side dish, it is great.  Great, great, great.   I really don't know why people don't praise pumpking enough.  I used to really like eating sweet potato and yam, but pumpkin is better simply because it's lower in calories.  I think a cup of yam is like 150 calories.  Compare that to pumpkin and the winner is clear.  Also, pumpkins is the elixir of youth in the vegetable kingdom, is high in fiber, and basically is a great food to eat.

I also really like eating carrot.  It's pretty sweet.  But pumpkin still rules all.

Another thing - this isn't my idea, but I thought it was really great so I thought I'd share it.  Chocolate.  I really like chocolate.  I mean, really, really like chocolate.  I always tried to eat only like a small piece or something, but always ended up grabbing more.  Don't do that.  Instead, mix it with it's refreshing, cute, winner of the prom queen award in Fruits Valley High, Strawberry.  Slice some strawberries, mix it with some melted chocolate, and not only does it taste infinetely better, but it also lasts a lot longer too while filling you up at the same time.  How cool is that? 

Volume is reall the way to go, especially with things like chocolate, which is so high in flavor that you can afford to mix it with other things without losing any of the sweetness. 

Finally, now this is an acquired taste, but there's this thing called Umeboshi.  It's basically Japanese sour plums.  I'll be honest, most people won't like these and will be repulsed by them.  At first, I didn't really like them either, but they really, really grew on me.  I eat the dried ones.  They look like round, shrivelled pancakes about the size of your thumb fingernail.  They're really, really sour in flavor and also very salty.  But I really like eating them because they're chewy.  I like chewy things, and these things are really chewy.  Plus, they're high in flavor so I can't eat too much of them  But even if I do, it won't really matter because these things are ridiculously low in calories.  I don't know why nobody's noticed yet.  I mean, personally, for me, this is like the ultimate diet food.  It keeps me full, it's healthy, and 100g is only about 50kcal.  So how big is 100g?  It's like 3/4 of a cup.  And trust me, you won't be able to eat the second cup.  I mean, it's amazing.  Imagine being able to eat a cup of raisins.  Do you know how much calorie that is?  493kcal.  That's what dried Umeboshi is except it's only 50kcal, and it really, really keeps you full.  I love it.  I love, love, love it.  It has allowed me to restrict my calories in such an efficient manner.  If you can buy it, try it out.  Most will probably be repulsed by the flavor, but if you give it a chance, it really grows on you.  The japanese people love eating these things. 

Anyways, that's it.  The secret to any weight loss is what you eat.  Some people succeed with the Atkin diet and some people don't because some are able to eat less on an Atkins diet while some can't.  Finding the right diet is all about finding an efficient way to eat less than before.  These are some of the things that helped me. Hope they can help you. 

If you aren't losing weight, chances are, it's not your body, but you at fault.  Really try to record everything you eat and see if you're surprised. 

Oh yeah, here's a low calorie pumpkin porridge recipe all the way from korea.

Peal, slice, and steam a pumpkin.

Put it in a pot, add water so that it has about an inch over the pumpkin and bring it to a boil.  Midway, add rice flour (you can make this at home.  Take about 2 tbsps of sticky asian rice, soak it in water for an hour, then use a mixer to grind it into this fine, milk liquid.  It has the same affect as the powder) then bring it to a simmer.  You'll notice that the pumpkin should have this sticky quality to it.  Pretty cool, huh?  Then keep stirring until it becomes kind of smooth like porridge.  Expect a few pumpkin chunks.  Finally, add some salt, however much sugar you desire and eat.  It's really good and easy to make.  Also, you can add some red beans too. 

 

Oh yeah, another tip with the pumpkin.  When you take out the seeds, I usually steam first then take out the seeds later because I find the pump to be the sweetest part of the pumpkin. 

If anyone else has any tips or great low calorie recipes, please post!  Support is great.  Plus it keeps one occupied.  I eat when I'm bored, watching tv, etc.  But not when I'm typing! 

Anyways, good luck, all!

Original Post by chucyc:

But people always say, "I eat like a rabbit, but can't seem to lose weight!"  I'm going to say 80% of the people who say that are liars.

 

Maybe these people are actually not eating enough and are in starvation mode, and therefore are not able to lose weight!

When was the last time an anorexic said, "My body's in starvation mode, and I can't seem to lose any weight,"? 

The only reason someone who was anorexic would not be losing weight would be because they were binge eating, making up for the loss of calorie, or if they actually came to a point that they physically had nothing left to lose.

The reason why people gain weight after a fast or a really low calorie diet is because they lose muscle mass, thus lowering their bmr.  And they only actually start gaining weight when they start eating all those high calorie food. 

Of course, I'm not saying starvation mode doesn't occur.  But I think people focus on that way too much and use it as a scapegoat when the real culprit is that they are unknowingly eating more than they think.  When people are hungry, they really don't know how much is actually going into their mouth.  Add to that the fact that they need fewer calories now that they weigh less, and that explains a lot of the weight stalls people experience. 

That's why I really like Chronometer - it allows me to see the affects of a "binge" weeks afterwards.  For instance, I'd eat like an a bucket of fried chicken, then bring my calorie down to 7-800 for a few days to make up for it.  Bring it back up to 1200, then two weeks later, I'd eat something else , and the cycle starts all over again.  In my mind, I think I'm dieting, when the truth is that I'm actually only maintaining. 

For the past month, I've lowered my calorie so that I eat 900-1000kcal MWF, 1200kcal TTHS, and 1300 on Sunday.  I've lost about 2-3 pounds.  I exercise about 3-4 days a week for an hour - light jogging.  The key is consistency.  The zig-zag helps people be consistent with their diet.  Before, I used to go on multiple fasts, almost about every diet, anything that could possibly kill my metabolism, and the one thing that I found out is that it's not the diet that doesn't work, it's one day. It's that one day, that one day when you think it's ok to let yourself go, that one day you eat one extra brownie that somehow becomes five, that one day is the reason why you can't reach your goal.   

 

OKay I only read like the firt quarter of your post - but I don't see how I can record EVERY BITE (i'm not at this problem (yet?) of not being able to lose that last bit of weight) but, to keep me sane and not feel deprived, when I'm having my healthy homemade lunch and my boyfriend is eating an awesome slice of pizza or something, I usually take a bite or two - how do you record a bite?  Who knows how many calories?

This is what I would do.  Find the calorie for the slice of pizza and then estimate how much you ate - 1/3, 1/4, etc., then do the math.  I always try to over estimate than underestimate. 

Original Post by jane41:

OKay I only read like the firt quarter of your post - but I don't see how I can record EVERY BITE (i'm not at this problem (yet?) of not being able to lose that last bit of weight) but, to keep me sane and not feel deprived, when I'm having my healthy homemade lunch and my boyfriend is eating an awesome slice of pizza or something, I usually take a bite or two - how do you record a bite?  Who knows how many calories?

 jane41, i'm with you. if i tracked EVERY bite i'd go crazy. when i see people post about being "tired" of counting calories i figure they are the type who count every almond.

chucyc, i'm glad it works for you, but as you implied ("Some people succeed with the Atkin diet and some people don't because some are able to eat less on an Atkins diet while some can't.  Finding the right diet is all about finding an efficient way to eat less than before. ") everyone is different, so different thing work for different people. That part of your post was most likely lost on the many people who won't want to read the whole post.

Do you work for Chronometer? I only ask because the very site you are posting on also has the same features you say chronometer does. If we are on here, we would not need more software for it....just a thought!

but, you do make a very good point.....it is HARD to estimate what you eat, even when trying to be diligent. Most people underestimate, even when they think they are overestimating!

and a question....do you ever use canned pumpkin?

Calorie counting certainly isn't for everyone.  I'm not really promoting calorie counting, especially for people who are already losing weight.  However, I'm saying it's an effective way to pin-point problems for those who don't seem to be losing any weight no matter how hard he/she tries.  For someone who has more than a couple pounds to lose, those extra 1 or 2 hundred calories aren't going to affect their weight loss.  But for someone who is already within their normal bmi, wants to lose a couple vanity pounds, but can't seem to peel them off, maybe it's because you're eating more than you realize.  That's what I'm saying.

The reason wh I promote Chronometer is because it's a software.  Meaning, you don't need to use the internet to use it.  It makes things quicker for me, especially since I really hate waiting for things to load and such.

I've never used canned pumpkins, but I'm sure it's ok.  Personally though, I love the taste of pumpkin, fresh out of the pot! 

<i>Of course, I'm not saying starvation mode doesn't occur.  But I think people focus on that way too much and use it as a scapegoat when the real culprit is that they are unknowingly eating more than they think. </i>

This I agree with. I don't think your percentages are right, but I'd guess that at least half of the people who complain about "no weight loss" aren't in binge mode, but have skewed numbers, either through intake or output, and their numbers are just close enough that it's not really helping. Likewise, I do presuppose a certain amount of self-deception in recording food that's hard to get over.

But past that, I have some problems.

First, you're average intake is at 1100, which is under minimum or really close to it, depending on your gender. That's bad.

Second, hyper-acuity in calorie counting can only go so far. Have you had a medically tested BMR/RMR? There's a certain amount of error there. You think one almond has exactly the same calories as another almond? Not quite, and this goes doubly for still more complex foods.

Again, I'm totally with you in agreeing that self-deception is the greatest foe, but you can beat it without such a cost in time, such as in adding a flex 100 calories to your diet record.

Third, wither the Snickers/Fried Chicken/Brownie? I mean, the way I read what you say is "I'd eat something 'bad' then I'd lower my calories to make up for it; wow, was that stupid."

Now, thinking on it in light of your Chronometer discussion, I'm guessing that it was that the high number still affected your overall average. If that's what it is, I think it makes a big difference of how much data you're taking into account in your average, but I have to think on that some more.

Off hand, and assuming that the point is good, I can say that it does show how more exercise can be really useful, as an activity deficit is a lot less evil to deal with.

Thank you for your insight...I really enjoyed reading that...

You should put that in your journal...that was really well thought out.

Original Post by chucyc:

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My advice is, record everything that you eat for a week.  I mean, everything.  Every bite, every little handful, you eat an almond - record it.  Then see the actual numbers cause calories can add up surprisingly fast.  I suggest getting a software like Chronometer.  It's simple and really easy to use.  I had it on my computer for about five months before I began to really use it, and the numbers shocked me.  I thought I only ate about 1200kcal when I actually ate 300 more. 

Also, another really cool thing about chronometer is that there's this thing called Nutrition Report, and you can see you average caloric intake for however long a period.  That is really, really useful.  I mean, amazingly so. Cause weight loss, what it really comes down to, is eating fewer calories than you need.  I used to think - oh, a snickers bar.  It has about 275 calories.  I'll eat less for lunch and dinner for this amazing piece of high quality delicacy wrapped conveniently all for me in a bar and it'll be ok because I'll still be within my calorie limit.  Such a foolish, naive child.  When it comes to losing those few pounds, everything counts and stacks up. 

Oddly enough -- this site, which is free, has a food log AND a nutrition analysis report -- why would you want to get additional software????

Original Post by chucyc:

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For the past month, I've lowered my calorie so that I eat 900-1000kcal MWF, 1200kcal TTHS, and 1300 on Sunday.  I've lost about 2-3 pounds.  I exercise about 3-4 days a week for an hour - light jogging.  The key is consistency.  The zig-zag helps people be consistent with their diet.  Before, I used to go on multiple fasts, almost about every diet, anything that could possibly kill my metabolism, and the one thing that I found out is that it's not the diet that doesn't work, it's one day. It's that one day, that one day when you think it's ok to let yourself go, that one day you eat one extra brownie that somehow becomes five, that one day is the reason why you can't reach your goal.   

Dropping your calories down as low as you have will allow you to lose weight -- and then it will all come crashing back.  I missed the part where you put in your stats, but as no one should eat less than 1200 calories and certainly never while continuing to exercise, you are advocating a starvation diet.  The bump to 1300 is not going to be enough to keep your metabolism "guessing" and will eventually put you into conservation mode -- and you will have no dropping of the calories to go to from there.

Women should not eat less than 1200 while sedentary, men 1500, and teens 1800 -- WHILE SEDENTARY.

Just as a reminder -- it is the mission of Calorie Count to provide the tools and forums for sustainable weight loss or weight maintenance (occasionally weight gain).  Posts which reflect unhealthy eating habits are subject to deletion by the volunteer moderators.

[quote]When was the last time an anorexic said, "My body's in starvation mode, and I can't seem to lose any weight,"? 

The only reason someone who was anorexic would not be losing weight would be because they were binge eating, making up for the loss of calorie, or if they actually came to a point that they physically had nothing left to lose.[/ quote]





that is completely untrue. i used to starve myself, i was 5'3 and i weighed 95 lbs, at that point it was very very difficult for me to lose weight despite eating very little. trust me, when i was at that point, i couldn't even look at high-calorie food without feeling disgust. i was eating barely anything, and even that felt like too much to me. i wasn't losing weight, because my body refused. not because i was binging. to me a binge was a piece of fruit! starvation mode IS real and anorexics DO go into starvation mode. sure, i would have continued to lose weight had i kept going at that point, but it would have come off much much more slowly than the first 10 pounds.