It's funny that people here think 1200 calorie is a very low calorie diet. Whereas by definition it's 800 or less.

Going low carb (Keto) helped me to break the cycle of mindless snacking and eating for comfort. But I weighed a lot more than you do, Op, and my choice was either to drop the weight or keep gaining and almost certainly develop type 2 diabetes.

I keep things pretty strict throughout the week and allow myself some wine on the weekends and extra calories (like pork rinds with nacho cheese dip or a Quest pizza).

There was a time when the thought of not eating bread, pasta, rice, sweets seemed very extreme to me. But now that my diet is centered around lean protein and veggies I look and feel so much better. I doubt I would have modified my diet like this if it was just a matter of taking off 15 pounds, though. The problem is that when you don't take it seriously those 15 pounds can turn into 20, 30 or 40 pounds seemingly overnight. Next thing you know you've got 50+ pounds to lose and some very real health issues looming over you.

I love mac and cheese, don't get me wrong, but that is something that I have once or twice a year now. Starchy/sugary carbs are no longer a dietary staple for me.

Anonymous wrote:I really don’t want to give up gluten or any food group but am willing to cut back. I have tried logging calories on MFP and find it unsustainable over time. Any suggestions? I’ve started weight training and can do a 12-14 hour fast pretty easily. Has anyone tried Noom? I have about 10-15 pounds to lose.

I have lost 18 pounds since mid-April. I do not exercise other than chasing a toddler around nights and weekends. My work has no gym and I don't have time to go to a gym anyway. I used to go for walks at lunch time but it is hellishly hot and work is really busy so I haven't been taking breaks as I used to. Here are my thoughts on your situation.

1) I love food. Mostly I prefer cooking to eating, but I also love eating. I'm not willing to give up any food group either. What worked for me was portion control, intermittent fasting, and MFP. I don't understand why you find it unsustainable. What is the issue? I actually create recipes for things that I make regularly which makes them easy for me to log and I know exactly what goes into them so I find it accurate. I "fast" between 7pm and 7am, which essentially just means I don't snack at night, which I shouldn't be doing anyway. I was fasting between 7pm and 11am, but after 2 weeks, I was feeling truly crappy, stomach problems, headaches, etc., so I added a breakfast smoothie at 7am and that solved the problem.

2) Finding comfort in eating is another issue. Food can (AND SHOULD) be pleasurable to consume, but it should not be a source of comfort. Find other sources of comfort.

I hated Noom, I was not interested in reading about the psychology of weight loss.

Can you try upping your fasting time? See if you can do 16h and then push to 18. I've been doing this since February and have lost 18lbs without a ton of effort. I vaguely track calories, but don't record it. I find I'm eating a bigger lunch and a smaller dinner. And if I have something carby planned for dinner, I'll cut back at lunch (or vice versa). Two little kids and not a ton of time for exercise, I'm sure I'd lose more faster if I could workout more.

As for desserts, I go with "delay, don't deny" and try to be conscious about lower calorie meals if I am going to have dessert. Tate's chocolate chip cookies are 70 calories, I can usually work that in.

Skinnytaste recipes are awesome for great tasting food, doesn't feel like you're missing out on anything. Try the enchiladas, turkey burgers, broccoli mac and cheese...

I've lost about ten pounds on 16:8 IF (FWIW, I'm 52, menopausal, and it's tough to lose weight now). Like you, I love food, find comfort in eating, and didn't want to give up any food group. I love my carbs! I'm also not big on counting calories, I just don't have the energy or want to be fixated on the count of everything I put in my mouth. That's just me, folks who can do that, I'm in awe of you!

I've been on IF for nearly three months now, I could have lost more if I were stricter about my eating, but I'm not. I'm happy with where I am, I can fit into the clothes in my closet, and I eat anything I want. When I first started I was a little stricter, had lunch at noon, a snack around 3, whatever the family was having for dinner. Now I do more snacking, but I'm maintaining my 10 lbs.

What do you find difficult and unsustainable about counting calories? What calorie range were you trying to stick to?

For me the game changer with calorie counting was when I pick a more moderate deficit. In the past I tried to lose the weight quickly by cutting food groups and eating very low calorie (1200). Which did n't work because it lead to feeling deprived and bingeing When I switch to a range closer to 1500-1600 and figured out how to include all the foods I love into that range I felt much less deprived and my diet was easier to stick to. I didn't lose the weight as quickly but I have been losing it consistently over time.

I am like you op. I needed to lose 15 lbs and tried low carb diet. That’s when I discovered how much food was a source of joy for me. So I went back to my regular foods.

So, I exercised regularly and counted calories until I lost all the weight, though I was liberal with counting so did not count low cal vegetables (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers), and not all fruit. So it took me about 6 months to lose all the weight. The slow weight loss rate helped that there was not a major jump in calories / change of eating habits when I finally stopped counting calories. I pretty much ate same way I ate over those 6 months. I have 1 large meal a day, small breakfast and small lunch. I don’t snack. I drink lots of water, also tea. The biggest and hardest change for me was not to eat after kids go to bed - usually that would be the time when I get to sit relax and munch and I would munch a lot. So I stopped that or if hungry then I make a salad. When I travel, I just eat 1 or 2 a day - either breakfast and dinner , or just dinner. I weigh 1/ month to make sure weight is not creeping back. I gained 2 lbs recently and now just eat less without counting calories.

- don't eat out more than 1x a week
- don't drink your calories
- infinite amounts of fruits and vegetables
- everything else in moderation - no diets, no cutting anything out
- exercise regularly

For me, I prefer eating most of my calories later in the day. Doesn't really matter when you eat them, but can't fall asleep if I'm hungry, and don't like feeling full during the daytime. It's just what worked well for me.

It's also sustainable - not a temporary "diet" but long term habits I can maintain.

I’m figuring this out too.

Last year I did a particular diet, tracking # of servings of food categories (proteins, veggies, only 2 carbs a day, etc)

I lost weight.

I’ve maintained the exact same exercise routine, have gotten really fit and strong. But, I can lose 0-5 pounds and fluctuate. I’m eating whatever I want, but you know not like dessert every night.

I’m just happier not thinking about it. When I was tracking, *i though about food all day* I’m not exaggerating. It was a very easy few months in my life—good napping kids, challenging one in school. And I could spend TIME thinking about, planning, shopping, and prepping food AND eating it took time also. Nutrient dense food, much of it raw, takes TIME to chew! Ha ha.

I have many, many more things on my plate this year, and I do not have time to plan it so carefully. I’m happier. And it’s funny realizing it’s ALL within my control. I could control my eating + lose, or be lax + maintain. (While exercising)

My next step is to find a way to just improve / think about it ~ the same amount of time, kind of the best of both worlds. I don’t want to turn down that summer peach cobbler, but maybe I don’t nee it everyday.

Last note: my rockstar of a bod girlfriend eats BORINGLY healthy most of the time, but let’s completely loose on vacation. Her thing is if you show up and eat healthy 300+ days of the year, holidays and vacations aren’t going to kill you.

I just.... don’t go on a lot of vacations or special nights out. My life is already really boring ha ha.

I'm an emotional eater. I graze mostly in the evening when I decompress, but o also indulge in say, a handful of marshmallows/m&ms/choc chips/anything sweet, throughout the day when I'm tired, stressed, running around like crazy, feeling sorry for myself, etc.
No good answer. I switched my pig-out foods to something not so junky such as Graham crackers instead of mini oreos, etc so I still satisfy my sweet tooth and emotional eat, but it isn't quite so bad.

I also run daily. A good solid 20 min of cardio and then do some weights 5x/week.

Losing weight is less than half the battle. Keeping it off is the real battle. Personally, I lost 110 pounds over three years by calorie counting (writing meals down the old-fashioned way in a journal), walking daily, and weighing myself once a week on the same day and at same time. Once I reached my target weight, I stopped calorie counting but continued to weigh myself weekly to keep track of my weight and make food intake adjustments as needed.

The bottom line. Keeping weight off means making lifestyle changes that make sense for you. I think the worst thing someone can do is join a fad diet or exercise program. Those programs may help you shed a few pounds, but they hardly help you keep them off in the long-term.

The fast metabolism diet helped me. Lost 10 lbs. It’s been about a year since I did it (it’s a 4 week plan) and I’ve gained about five back. Thinking to do it again.

Simple answer is you can't... unless you use every min of non-eating hours exercising.

You're already fasting so that's good. I flipped my eating. I eat a lot more for breakfast and lunch and much less for dinner. Eat dinner early like 6 pm and breakfast at 8 or later so there's my fast. I also eat more refined carbs at lunch and nearly none at dinner (most of the time). Key is not to snack at 10 pm.

I really don’t want to give up gluten or any food group but am willing to cut back. I have tried logging calories on MFP and find it unsustainable over time. Any suggestions? I’ve started weight training and can do a 12-14 hour fast pretty easily. Has anyone tried Noom? I have about 10-15 pounds to lose.