Calorie Counting DOES work...

laurenmay

Gold Member
For anybody who may be losing motivation or losing hope in calorie counting and thinking they'll have to resort to the extremes of a VLCD in order to lose weight.. don't give up just yet!

I was probably once upon a time the record holder for the most diets tried, most money spent and wasted and least amount of time actually sticking to each diet! I bounced back and forth between calorie counting, Cambridge, slim and save, weight watchers, slimming world and JUDDD.. each time not giving each diet my all and only swapping and changing for an excuse to carry on eating junk food and binging until I had everything ready to try the next diet.

It was only after a nasty breakup with my sons father in January that something actually clicked in my head and I took the whole weight loss thing hands on..

For the first week I had zero appetite due to being so down and upset.. but when my appetite did return I chose to count calories. It's probably the cheapest diet out there, and has the most freedom, as really you can eat what you like as long as it fits into your calorie allowance.

Since January I tend to aim for 1300-1600 calories, but I use myfitnesspal to track everything and use the weekly calorie feature, so if some days I'm very busy or don't have much of an appetite I'll eat less, other days if I'm particularly hungry I'll eat more, some days I eat a high calorie day just to incorporate my social life by going out for food with friends.. so long as I keep under my weekly target and average 1300-1600 I'm happy and consistently lose.

I am eating cleaner now, well trying too.. I tend to avoid processed foods as much as I can and eat a lot of fresh things such as chicken, turkey, eggs, fish etc. And I drink probably 2-3 litres of water a day.. but I DO drink things like sugar free red bull, diet coke occasionally, iced skinny lattes (within calories) and eat treats such as a small McDonalds now and again.. and I don't let myself feel guilty for it. So long as it's within my calories I always lose weight.

January 16th of this year I weighed 16 stone exactly and was a UK size 18-20.. now only 6 months later I weigh 12st 2lbs and am a UK size 12. I dont have any loose skin so far, and hopefully shouldn't due to drinking plenty of water, exercising and using firming creams. I have a small amount of fat on my legs, belly, back and arms, but otherwise not very much and thanks to weight training in the gym I'm pretty firm!

I'd still like to lose maybe another 2 stone, to take me down to 10 stone where I was before.. but I'll take each day as it comes and stop losing when I'm happy with my shape and size :)

Basically, don't give up!! However tough it may gets at least it's getting you somewhere. Progress is key and focus on taking each day as it comes. And if you have a bad day, don't write off the rest of the week and start fresh the following Monday!! Just get straight back to it the following day and you'll probably find you still lose weight that week regardless.

Nobody has to resort to the strict regime of a VLCD to lose weight.. if they do work for you, then great! If they don't, then they're not the be all and end all..

I've lost nearly 4 stone in 6 months through eating what I want within my alloted calories!

Good luck everyone :) and I'll do my best to take a photo of myself later on and find a photo from January to do a little before and after even though I'm not finished on my journey just yet!
 
Thank you xx it helps to have someone who has done so well tell their progress.

im 16lb in with 4 stone left to lose (approx) I have found cc the easiest diet after slimming world and ww

Just wanted to say thanks for giving my motivation for they next few weeks xx
 
Congratulations! Totally agree with the best/cheapest diet option and that it is nice being able to eat whatever you want, as long as it's within your allowance.
I hope you achieve your goal, good luck.
:)
 
loved reading your post gave me a kick thank you
 
Thanks for sharing. MFP is a dieter's best friend!!!
 
This has been a great post to read just as I was ready to eat again!! Trying to stick to 1200 calories a day and have had my quota!!

Thanks.. I need to lose around 1 stone 7lbs however would like to lose a stone before my holiday to Portugal 20th September!
 
This has been a great post to read just as I was ready to eat again!! Trying to stick to 1200 calories a day and have had my quota!!

Thanks.. I need to lose around 1 stone 7lbs however would like to lose a stone before my holiday to Portugal 20th September!
hi claire
good luck hope you get your stone of for your holiday and have a great time xx
 
Well done !!!!:) that is fab news x
Would u say u really spent alot of time in the Gym? Or not really? Id like same results but have zero energy for excercise at this weight! Would like to build up slowly workouts xx well done again :) very motivating and pics yes please :)


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I agree that calorie counting does work, but I think you also have to bite the bullet and accept that what they tell you is true.... the eating healthily really is the secret to feeling great. You'd sure feel different if you ate 1200 calories of pizza daily than the same equivalent in fruit and vegetables..... damn them! :p
 
i love veg and fruit now and since i stopped smoking three years ago im trying food i did not like but like now lol
 
Lauren thanks for posting this. I lost over 5 stone through CC'ing a couple of years ago and I've always sang its praises. It took me about 7 months to lose that, and not really a lot of exercise (I had an exercise bike I went on a couple of times a week) but since having baby no.2 and wanting to lose again, I've started looking at other options, I've tried a few things, but I think my heart lies with CC'ing. I recently found a piece of paper from my old CC'ing days, and every week i'd written down my losses and every week apart from a couple I sts I've lost. Since I found that I've been itching to start CC'ing again, and I think this post might have pushed me in that direction, so thanks Lauren. I'm seriously thinking of trying a mixture of JUDDD and CC'ing.

CC'ing is amazing and as Lauren said you can have a sneaky mcdonalds or a Chinese if you want. A few times, i'd be good all day then OH would suggest take aways at night, I always had something, and counted it in to my cals, next day i'd have slightly less cals.

Can anyone explain the weekly CC'ing thing? When I did it before I was more concerned about my daily total rather than weekly. Is the reasoning behind that, that it doesn't matter in what way you eat your cals, just as long as its under a certain amount every week? I presume that's as effective as doing it daily? Calculating weekly sounds like a good idea, because say for example you had a slip up and ate a mcdonalds, you could have say 100 cals less each day for the rest of the days? Is that how it works?

And yes lauren please post some before and afters.

xxxxxx
 
I allow myself 1200 calories a day, but over a week. So 1200 x 7 = 8400. I fast two days a week and am allowed 500 calories only on those days so 8400 - 1000 = 7400. 7400 divided by the remaining 5 days in the week = 1480. So I make sure I don't eat more than 1480 calories daily. I log all my food and exercise into My Fitness Pal but stick to 1480 regardless of what exercise I have done. Seems to be working so far... :)
 
Well everybody, I've found the old photos and taken some new ones..

I'm actually genuinely shocked at how big I was. I knew I was big, but actually looking back at the photos after so long has really hit home.

The first photo is the before obviously, and taken January of this year when I weighed 15st 12lbs.

The second photo is taken tonight, weighing 12st 3lbs.

I still have a way to go.. ideally I'd like to be between 9.7 stone and 10 stone, and a UK size 8-10 in clothing.. which is where I was two years ago when I was happy and confident.

So at the moment I have some tummy bulge and fatty deposits everywhere, but hoping to shift those with the last 2-2.5 stone of weight :)

And pardon the underwear and the sports bra in tonights photos!

I've taken a front and side angle.
 

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It really is a big difference Lauren. How do you feel now that you've lost the majority of your weight? Does other people notice? Do you feel more confident again?

xxxxxxx
 
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