Is it really as simple as less calories?

[StockholmCalling]

I’m somewhat of a yo-yo dieter and at my lowest was around 9st and over 15st at my heaviest. I have some weight to lose and I don’t want to do the same as I’ve always done, which is usually quite restrictive. Great results but ultimately not sustainable. I don’t want to cut out carbs and sugar completely but do want to be able to moderate better and not rely on them as an emotional crutch.

If I literally just keep to a sensible amount of calories with moderate exercise should this work? I’ve convinced myself in the past that only cutting these things out completely works for me but like I say it’s just not sustainable long term. Obviously I know I can’t use my entire calorie allowance on carbs but I don’t have to cut them out completely, right?

According to the bariatric surgeon on my 600 lb life, that’s exactly how it works.

you have to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight

Yes, it should work

The body is a bit more complex than an internal combustion engine, and so there isn't a perfect formula. But generally eating less than you use leads to loss.

But think about what you're eating too. Avoiding ultra processed foods is always good, as is (minimum) 5 a day and consuming 'good' rather than 'bad' fats

And remember that if you go back to the eating patterns that led to weight gain in the past, you'll gain again

Please get hold of this book:

Why We Eat (Too Much)

It will explain why calorie restriction isn't the way forward.

As long as you are in a calorie deficit you will lose weight. I lost 10 stone, l still ate/eat carbs and all the foods I enjoy, just not an excessive amount.

I've been using the Nutricheck app since July and have lost 2 stone. It allows you to count calories with a huge database of UK products already set up in the app.
I've found it the best as you can set your own goal and you can eat whatever you want as long as you count it. I LOVE carbs too but by logging everything I soon got into the habit and making better choices so I get the most food for the least calories

I think so and also try to focus on eating lots of vegetables. Try not to snack, especially in the evenings. Try to home cook as well.

Basically:

Less sugar
Fewer processed foods
More vegetables
Enough water
Regular exercise

What I mean is that this is a healthy, sustainable way to eat while calorie counting.

Yes, it really is ‘that simple.‘ If you eat a lot less you’ll lose weight. However, that’s really just theory. It’s the losing the weight that then ends up being hard.

Sorry, what I meant was it’s the actual doing it that’s hard. Like of course in theory it’s that simple, just eat way less. But in practice it’s often not so easy.

Hi OP, I know exactly what you mean as I am the same, I have joined a challenge at my local gym and it's given me a kick up the backside, basically you can only have 1,200 cals a day, 1 carb snack and 1 carb meal a day, they are quite strict on the low sugar, carbs and fat too, so they won't allow food that is over 5g of sugar or carbs per 100g. No alcohol allowed, kfc or pizza. You are allowed 1 cheat meal a week, but it can only be one meal, so if you are eating out it's only 1 chest course etc. it's helped me to really look at food and what's in it and I am shocked at the amount of sugar carbs and fat I was putting in my body, im surprised I'm not over 20 stone
Anyways I have attached my food sheet for the week for you to have a look at to see if this is something you could follow.
I did a 4 week challenge just before Christmas and I lost 9lbs and 22cm.
Forgot to add on the challenge you also have to attend their classes 3 times a week as a minimum.

Also fruit is classed as a carb snack due to amount of sugar that's in it.

Not for me.

I suffer badly with long Covid. For six weeks or maybe a bit more all I could eat was a (1) slice of toast with honey per day or I'd vomit. Didn't lose a single pound.

Yep. It’s just basic physics. A calorie is a unit of energy, nothing more nothing less. If your intake of energy is less than the amount of energy you burn, your body will make up the deficit from its stores of energy, ie body fat, and you will lose weight. The reverse also applies, of course.
Simple in theory, but most people don’t just think of food as fuel and find eating fewer calories than they burn over a sustained period easier said than done.
Our bodies have evolved over millions of years to cope with periods of feast & famine which is why they are very good at storing excess energy in the form of fat. What they have not evolved to do is cope with a constant super-abundance of high energy food and sedentary lifestyles.

Cutting carbs works by lowering insulin production.
Insulin equals fat storage. No insulin, no stored fat ( or much less stored fat)

It's the only thing that works for me long term as insulin causes blood sugar highs and troughs that trigger hunger. Less insulin, less hunger and faster results as its much easier not to overeat.

Yes but it’s a hell of a lot easier to stick to less calories if you prioritise protein and fat and cut down carbs and sugar.

I ate plenty of carbs on SW and lost weight, but I've never had any success with medium fat low carb diets. I think it's probably easy to overdo calories on both.

I never managed to stick to calorie counting for more than a few days but this year I'm trying again and it's going better. I just find it time consuming.

I am always confused about low carb as counties like Japan eat a lot of carbs in rice but have low obesity.

Their diet tends to be very low in fat though, which compensates @doadeer

It is that simple, however not all calories are equal - in that 200 calories of chocolate won't fill you up, whereas 200 calories of brown rice will be much more satisfying.

I lost weight in my early 20s by cutting down, but still largely eating the wrong stuff. Now, I've learned more about food and nutrition, and I'm building a diet where I am in a calorie deficit but eating much, much healthier foods - and therefore I eat much more in comparison!

The eating less moving more approach has worked for me. How you reduce the calories in a way that you can stick with is where the diet industry makes its money.

I have gone with a loose 18:6 ...I don't have breakfast and stop eating with dinner. Reduced the portion sizes, stopped snacking and cut out alcohol.
To move more I joined a gym and go 4 times a week.

I have lost 15kg in the last 4 months.

There are days where it is hard to find motivation but I am finding a stern talking to gets me over the hard bits.

You need to find a new healthier eating plan that you can imagine living with for the rest of your life.

Anything that is a 'diet' will work short term and then you'll go back to eating your old way and put on weight quickly.

As I've got older I find my body doesn't do well with simple carbs, they make me feel tired during the day, wake me at night and make me feel more hungry. So I try not to have them very often, they are treat foods. Complex carbs are fine and don't cause the same reaction so brown rice, vegetables, oats are all fine.

Alcohol is a treat not a staple too, and spirits contain less sugar so a gin and slimline tonic doesn't cause the munchies and sleeplessness that wine or beer would.

Try a food diary and see if you can track what your body likes best. For me that's nuts, seeds, vegetables, legumes, some fish, eggs, some meats

Fruit now falls into treat which is a bit sad but I'm starting to get used to it now. You'd think melon which is low calorie would be ok but it seems to cause the same reaction as sugar 😔

I'm learning that my body likes a very different diet than my childish self 😔

@Lorddenning1 is that sustainable? It looks very heavy on ultra processed protein items. No fruit is not good for health and there's not much veg in there really.

OP weight loss is more achievable when you make changes that are sustainable. Anything too restrictive will lead to rebound weight gain sooner or later. Small sustainable changes are the way forward. Diets don't work. Not long term. Think healthy with plenty of fruit and veg and whole grains. Carbs are not the enemy and neither are fat or sugar as long as things are in moderation. Life is too short to spend your life dieting. I need to lose a few pounds so I've really upped my daily exercise-walking and gym ball bouncing-and have upped the fruit and veg and fibre and making healthier choices. So lentil chips instead of crisps-more fibre. No more Belgian buns or two (thanks hormones) and not eating after dinner at 5/6pm. Porridge for breakfast. Lots of water.

No fruit is not good for health

That isn't true

Very sensible. That’s pretty much how I lost weight, too.

I too was shocked to find that it really WAS a case of calories in vs. calories out.

I lost 20kg in 2019 simply by restricting to 1200 calories per day.
No behavioural change.

I started exercising when I'd lost those 20kg, and then I could up my intake to 1500 calories a day.

I put all the weight back on over lockdown - not because it was "unsustainable" but because I DIDN'T SUSTAIN IT.

It's entirely sustainable, I just didn't click that the lack of exercise/gym over lockdown meant that 1500-1800 calories a day would cause me to put on weight.

It's so simple, and yet so annoying :-)