Losing weight without calorie counting

[Anonymous]

Try this:

Breakfast: coffee and/or tea. Calories: 100

Lunch: 1 sandwich/ cheeseburger/ hamburger etc with a big bowl of lettuce/cabbage/ spinach salad. Calories: 500 -700

Dinner: chicken breast/ salmon filet with big bowl of steamed broccoli/ steamed beans. You can add a tablespoon of BBQ sauce on the broccoli/ beans( trust me, it's delicious!)
Calories: 700 - 800

No snacks, no desserts, nothing like that. Ofcourse, you'd still eat cake at a party and be fine.


That's a max of 1600 Calories a day, and you are all set. These are pretty easy, very little prep. And no calory counting.

You can make your own variation of meals but the key is sticking to about 4 or 5 different meals that you already know and that are easy to either prepare or purchase .

[Anonymous]

^ calorie, not calory

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Best advice- make sure every meal has protein and veggies. Eat those first. Then decide what you really WANT to eat and enjoy it. I found that before, I would swing back and forth between total deprivation and total indulgence. Particularly at restaurants, on vacation and at parties.

Even when my family orders pizza, I eat a small spinach salad with quinoa and a hard boiled egg first, along with a big glass of water. I have pizza and a glass of wine after but I am so satisfied that just enjoy the one slice of pizza and then am totally full.

Similarly, I was recently at a breakfast reception with amazing baked goods and rich breakfast foods. I filled my plate with fruit and eggs and ate that first. Drank a big glass of water and waited 20 min. Then I went back and grabbed 2-3 delicious treats. Tried a bite or two of each one and was completely satisfied.

I’ve lost 30 pounds in two years by eating this way. (About 1-2 pounds per month) Slow, steady and susatainable!

This is a really great way to approach things, IMO. I do the same anytime I find my weight creeping up. It really helps to learn to love vegetables and experiment with interesting salads and vegetables dishes so you never get bored.

This is how I eat too and how I encourage my kids to eat too. Eat the good fueling food first, pause and is still want the sweet, have some. Eat it slowly and enjoy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get to your doctor and see about getting a prescription for a semaglutide such as Ozempic or Wegovy. It is an amazing drug with excellent results for a slow and steady weight loss. Basically it makes you feel full faster and helps with obsessing about food. I've been on it for 2 weeks and lost 4 pounds without counting a calorie. I am simply eating less and not stressing about it. I still have to exercise and drink a lot of water. But the obsession with what I'm eating is gone.

Update: Down another 1.8 this week. That’s a total of 5.8lbs in 3 weeks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Try this:

Breakfast: coffee and/or tea. Calories: 100

Lunch: 1 sandwich/ cheeseburger/ hamburger etc with a big bowl of lettuce/cabbage/ spinach salad. Calories: 500 -700

Dinner: chicken breast/ salmon filet with big bowl of steamed broccoli/ steamed beans. You can add a tablespoon of BBQ sauce on the broccoli/ beans( trust me, it's delicious!)
Calories: 700 - 800

No snacks, no desserts, nothing like that. Ofcourse, you'd still eat cake at a party and be fine.


That's a max of 1600 Calories a day, and you are all set. These are pretty easy, very little prep. And no calory counting.

You can make your own variation of meals but the key is sticking to about 4 or 5 different meals that you already know and that are easy to either prepare or purchase .

This is essentially ket, right? I'm not seeing a lot of carbs in your two suggested meals.... assuming no bun on the hamburger.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Try this:

Breakfast: coffee and/or tea. Calories: 100

Lunch: 1 sandwich/ cheeseburger/ hamburger etc with a big bowl of lettuce/cabbage/ spinach salad. Calories: 500 -700

Dinner: chicken breast/ salmon filet with big bowl of steamed broccoli/ steamed beans. You can add a tablespoon of BBQ sauce on the broccoli/ beans( trust me, it's delicious!)
Calories: 700 - 800

No snacks, no desserts, nothing like that. Ofcourse, you'd still eat cake at a party and be fine.


That's a max of 1600 Calories a day, and you are all set. These are pretty easy, very little prep. And no calory counting.

You can make your own variation of meals but the key is sticking to about 4 or 5 different meals that you already know and that are easy to either prepare or purchase .

This is essentially ket, right? I'm not seeing a lot of carbs in your two suggested meals.... assuming no bun on the hamburger.

I don't think so( I have never done keto so not sure) . Buns/ breads are included above.
Sugar in coffee/ tea has carbs as well as sugar in the BBQ sauce. Another option could be a beans and hard taco meal for either lunch or dinner.

The focus is two 600-800 calorie meals a day and no snacking. If you have a list of easy to find, easy to prep meals like these, you don't have to count calories if you stick to your list.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Try this:

Breakfast: coffee and/or tea. Calories: 100

Lunch: 1 sandwich/ cheeseburger/ hamburger etc with a big bowl of lettuce/cabbage/ spinach salad. Calories: 500 -700

Dinner: chicken breast/ salmon filet with big bowl of steamed broccoli/ steamed beans. You can add a tablespoon of BBQ sauce on the broccoli/ beans( trust me, it's delicious!)
Calories: 700 - 800

No snacks, no desserts, nothing like that. Ofcourse, you'd still eat cake at a party and be fine.


That's a max of 1600 Calories a day, and you are all set. These are pretty easy, very little prep. And no calory counting.

You can make your own variation of meals but the key is sticking to about 4 or 5 different meals that you already know and that are easy to either prepare or purchase .

This is essentially ket, right? I'm not seeing a lot of carbs in your two suggested meals.... assuming no bun on the hamburger.

I don't think so( I have never done keto so not sure) . Buns/ breads are included above.
Sugar in coffee/ tea has carbs as well as sugar in the BBQ sauce. Another option could be a beans and hard taco meal for either lunch or dinner.

The focus is two 600-800 calorie meals a day and no snacking. If you have a list of easy to find, easy to prep meals like these, you don't have to count calories if you stick to your list.

Was about to create a new thread as “every time I start dieting again I am reminded of how easy it is”. I usually need a reset diet once a year after winter, to lose 5 pounds. And I do something pretty close to the above for 5 weeks. And really it is not that hard if you pile on the salad without dressing and the steamed veggies. Today was my first day and I got

- black coffee ( I basically don’t eat between 7pm and 12.30pm)
- 400 calorie lunch = big salad mixing steam veggies, raw veggies, 200 cal of grilled chicken, 50 cal egg, pepper and lemon
- 100 cal snack, half a cup yogurt with fresh blueberries
- 500 cal diner = big plate of grilled veggies and a grilled chicken thigh with no skin, a clementine and a 5oz glass of wine (or could have been chocolate instead of wine).

It is a very low 1000 cal diet but I am not hungry because I eat tons of vegetables. I don’t need to count calories after a few days because I remember the portions (first few days I sometimes have to weigh again the protein, or check the calories of the fat sources to get an idea of proportion).

But what is hard is that it makes it difficult to go out and if you don’t eat real food and don’t make your meals from scratch, it gets hard to have the quantity without the calories. I find that this is the arbitrage to make : if you eat that cookie or drink that glass of juice you don’t have enough calories left to be able to fill your stomach, and you end up hungry and really feeling on a diet. I’d rather keep my calories for clean proteins and veggies

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Calories in out model is a fallacy that was heavily promoted by food industry. All calories are created equal is a fallacy. It's all about hormones and timing. Three square meals a day no snacks whatsoever. Snack only on fixed occasion like Fri nights. Or Sunday afternoon treat yourself to an afternoon treat with your tea. You don't need to do 16 8 unless you really want to. A 12 hour fast works. You will be hungry for dinner that's ok. Leave every meal satiated. It's better to take that extra scoop of food a dinner or lunch Vs snacking. Let insulin drop in between meals and you will be in burning mode. Meals and snacks all day long, hyperinsulin and storage mode. Cook everything and avoid hidden sugars. Avoid limit food with labels of multiple ingredients.

From:
A 50 year old metabolically healthy woman with a BMI of 19.5, and Dr. Robert Lustig fan (check him out on YouTube)

No hon. It’s calories in, calories out. It’s that simple. I’m on an appetite suppressant and eat less calories. I don’t care what the calories are. Guess what? I’ve lost 20% of my body weight.

[Anonymous]

OP - I am 5-6", 48, and from 34-47 went from around 150/55 to 240. Unhappy marriage, sedentary, stressful job, two pregnancies and kids. A combo of lifestyle and reverting to my childhood-learned coping mechanisms of overeating and overdrinking, and not moving my body. I, too, have been anti-calorie counting, because in the "olden" days of my 20s I didn't have to - but I had a much better sense of food intake. Now, I have embraced calorie counting - and a focus on whole and very filling foods - because I know that I've had to reset how I have been treating my body and feeding myself. I've also really incorporated exercise (weight-training, yoga, and hiking) into my daily routine - not just for weight loss, but a focus on functional fitness. I know 90% of WL happens in the kitchen, but my moods and mind-body connection (and ADHD brain) NEED daily exercise. I don't think I will have to calorie count forever but some great things have resulted: I am almost 30 lbs. down. I realize that I can actually be satisfied at 1200 calories (on days I don't exercise) to 1500/1600 calories a day because I know how to cook and season, and I focus on satisfying bulky foods and minimal sugar - so I am not spiking and crashing.

I have also focused on the mental and emotional parts of looking at why i eat and drink - without judgment.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - I am 5-6", 48, and from 34-47 went from around 150/55 to 240. Unhappy marriage, sedentary, stressful job, two pregnancies and kids. A combo of lifestyle and reverting to my childhood-learned coping mechanisms of overeating and overdrinking, and not moving my body. I, too, have been anti-calorie counting, because in the "olden" days of my 20s I didn't have to - but I had a much better sense of food intake. Now, I have embraced calorie counting - and a focus on whole and very filling foods - because I know that I've had to reset how I have been treating my body and feeding myself. I've also really incorporated exercise (weight-training, yoga, and hiking) into my daily routine - not just for weight loss, but a focus on functional fitness. I know 90% of WL happens in the kitchen, but my moods and mind-body connection (and ADHD brain) NEED daily exercise. I don't think I will have to calorie count forever but some great things have resulted: I am almost 30 lbs. down. I realize that I can actually be satisfied at 1200 calories (on days I don't exercise) to 1500/1600 calories a day because I know how to cook and season, and I focus on satisfying bulky foods and minimal sugar - so I am not spiking and crashing.

I have also focused on the mental and emotional parts of looking at why i eat and drink - without judgment.

And - listen - I get it - it is hard. But I also fully feel right now that unless I changed how I approached things - my attitude - nothing would change. If you really want it, then you can make it happen. And, yes, there are tons of people around us are making decisions to NOT go against the flow. And to age painfully and to lose their health. It is the American way to go.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you just eat healthy foods, such as on a plant based diet, you do not need to calorie count. You cannot get fat from eating too much steamed broccoli.

Except who the hell lives on steamed broccoli?

My Mil?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Calories in out model is a fallacy that was heavily promoted by food industry. All calories are created equal is a fallacy. It's all about hormones and timing. Three square meals a day no snacks whatsoever. Snack only on fixed occasion like Fri nights. Or Sunday afternoon treat yourself to an afternoon treat with your tea. You don't need to do 16 8 unless you really want to. A 12 hour fast works. You will be hungry for dinner that's ok. Leave every meal satiated. It's better to take that extra scoop of food a dinner or lunch Vs snacking. Let insulin drop in between meals and you will be in burning mode. Meals and snacks all day long, hyperinsulin and storage mode. Cook everything and avoid hidden sugars. Avoid limit food with labels of multiple ingredients.

From:
A 50 year old metabolically healthy woman with a BMI of 19.5, and Dr. Robert Lustig fan (check him out on YouTube)

No hon. It’s calories in, calories out. It’s that simple. I’m on an appetite suppressant and eat less calories. I don’t care what the calories are. Guess what? I’ve lost 20% of my body weight.

Guess what hon? It's fewer calories not less.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - I am 5-6", 48, and from 34-47 went from around 150/55 to 240. Unhappy marriage, sedentary, stressful job, two pregnancies and kids. A combo of lifestyle and reverting to my childhood-learned coping mechanisms of overeating and overdrinking, and not moving my body. I, too, have been anti-calorie counting, because in the "olden" days of my 20s I didn't have to - but I had a much better sense of food intake. Now, I have embraced calorie counting - and a focus on whole and very filling foods - because I know that I've had to reset how I have been treating my body and feeding myself. I've also really incorporated exercise (weight-training, yoga, and hiking) into my daily routine - not just for weight loss, but a focus on functional fitness. I know 90% of WL happens in the kitchen, but my moods and mind-body connection (and ADHD brain) NEED daily exercise. I don't think I will have to calorie count forever but some great things have resulted: I am almost 30 lbs. down. I realize that I can actually be satisfied at 1200 calories (on days I don't exercise) to 1500/1600 calories a day because I know how to cook and season, and I focus on satisfying bulky foods and minimal sugar - so I am not spiking and crashing.

I have also focused on the mental and emotional parts of looking at why i eat and drink - without judgment.

Did you end up getting divorced?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - I am 5-6", 48, and from 34-47 went from around 150/55 to 240. Unhappy marriage, sedentary, stressful job, two pregnancies and kids. A combo of lifestyle and reverting to my childhood-learned coping mechanisms of overeating and overdrinking, and not moving my body. I, too, have been anti-calorie counting, because in the "olden" days of my 20s I didn't have to - but I had a much better sense of food intake. Now, I have embraced calorie counting - and a focus on whole and very filling foods - because I know that I've had to reset how I have been treating my body and feeding myself. I've also really incorporated exercise (weight-training, yoga, and hiking) into my daily routine - not just for weight loss, but a focus on functional fitness. I know 90% of WL happens in the kitchen, but my moods and mind-body connection (and ADHD brain) NEED daily exercise. I don't think I will have to calorie count forever but some great things have resulted: I am almost 30 lbs. down. I realize that I can actually be satisfied at 1200 calories (on days I don't exercise) to 1500/1600 calories a day because I know how to cook and season, and I focus on satisfying bulky foods and minimal sugar - so I am not spiking and crashing.

I have also focused on the mental and emotional parts of looking at why i eat and drink - without judgment.

Did you end up getting divorced?

In process of …

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - I am 5-6", 48, and from 34-47 went from around 150/55 to 240. Unhappy marriage, sedentary, stressful job, two pregnancies and kids. A combo of lifestyle and reverting to my childhood-learned coping mechanisms of overeating and overdrinking, and not moving my body. I, too, have been anti-calorie counting, because in the "olden" days of my 20s I didn't have to - but I had a much better sense of food intake. Now, I have embraced calorie counting - and a focus on whole and very filling foods - because I know that I've had to reset how I have been treating my body and feeding myself. I've also really incorporated exercise (weight-training, yoga, and hiking) into my daily routine - not just for weight loss, but a focus on functional fitness. I know 90% of WL happens in the kitchen, but my moods and mind-body connection (and ADHD brain) NEED daily exercise. I don't think I will have to calorie count forever but some great things have resulted: I am almost 30 lbs. down. I realize that I can actually be satisfied at 1200 calories (on days I don't exercise) to 1500/1600 calories a day because I know how to cook and season, and I focus on satisfying bulky foods and minimal sugar - so I am not spiking and crashing.

I have also focused on the mental and emotional parts of looking at why i eat and drink - without judgment.

Did you end up getting divorced?

In process of …

But separated, so this has been a HUGE release of stress for me. My home is very peaceful now.