Poll of the Day > Is weight loss really just calories in vs calories out??

(+) Yeah! (+)

No, everybody has a different metabolism.

I just eat when I'm hungry and I've never gotten fat. I don't eat very terribly though. Sometimes I eat some junk but mostly I eat homecooked or stuff from decent restaurants. I'm also a very active and high energy person so that's probably why I stay in good shape despite not watching what I eat

Thats impressive considering how much Fox News raised cortisol levels.

Like it doesnt matter about sugars fats proteins etc as long as youre on a calorie deficit youll lose weight?

Really as simple as that or am I missing something?

No, everybody has a different metabolism.

there is a "window" that you have to aim for but can't see. above a certain amount you gain weight. below a certain amount you go into starvation mode and your body starts holding on to more fat and consumes organs and muscle instead. you need to aim between those two points.

Penn from Penn and Teller lost like 90 pounds eating only baked or boiled potatoes.

No, everybody has a different metabolism.

Fundamentally, yes, all you need to do to lose weight is ensure that your caloric intake is less than your output. The nuance of that arises in that most of your output (unless you're extremely active) comes from your basal metabolic rate, and there are a ton of factors that can increase or decrease that to affect the "calories out" figure in ways that can be unexpected and/or hard to predict. To keep that as high as possible, you generally want to be at least somewhat active (regular physical activity will increase your BMR beyond the active calories you consume), make sure you're getting a reasonably balanced diet that includes all the vitamins and minerals you need, and not restrict by more than about 10% of your energy needs.

Of course, the other issue is that counting calories is harder than a lot of people realize (especially when most figures you see are very rough estimates, often with margins of error greater than the margins by which you should be restricting) and can very quickly turn into a disordered obsession if you try to take it too seriously. Instead, try to get more active, make sure you shore up any nutritional deficiencies you have, and slow down your eating so you can get better at stopping when you're satisfied. Once your caloric demands stabilize, then you can start eating slightly smaller portions of everything.

Certainly possible, but not a good idea for a variety of reasons.

Weight loss is more about consistency.

A week of eating half your normal meals :

Monday: "Ok, that wasn't too bad."
Tuesday: "Ok... I did it."
Wednesday: "I'm feeling kinda weak..."
Thursday: "Ugh..."
Friday: "I feel bit better today."
Saturday: "Phew... almost a whole week!"
Sunday: "I did really good this week, I'll eat this entire pizza and chocolate cake to celebrate."

Next Monday's weight the same as the last. You got literally no where because of a pizza and cake. I can't tell you how many people can't make it a week without fucking it up.

So, as far as counting calories, just remember to count your cheat meals and see just how many days and walks they are reversing. Suddenly, they won't be worth it.

Just stay consistent. You will have to go a bit crazy fighting hunger pains. You will tell yourself no thousands of times and your mind will try and rationalize every single extra bite or meal. Fight it. Every single time. Never let it win. Not once. Because once is all it takes. It gets better after about 3 weeks, but there will always be temptations.

Then 6 months later when you've changed and feel like you've got this? Go 6 more months just to keep yourself in check. Ween off the diet very very slowly. Exercise too. Never go cold turkey on heavy exercise routines.

Cheat days are a thing.

Adjl is also right about people not properly measuring their calories. It's sooo easy to squirt in a few 100 extra here or there without knowing. Especially those who think they have an eye for grams and calories and don't do anything to verify by weighing, etc.

The sugar alcohols in diet sodas can add up. Especially drinks like crystal light. If you're hammering a gallon jug of that stuff a day, those 10s of calories add up.

100 from your fiber mix. You just happen to eat a bunch of gummi vitamins/supplements. Overdoing the condiments like mayo and not realizing how many calories are in it. Salad dressing is a huge one. People will bath their salads with some high calorie dressing but it's "ok" because salad. No. It's so not. You just gotta be careful is all. Do an app calorie tracker. You'll be surprised.

No, everybody has a different metabolism.