Has anyone lost weight through *just* eating healthily and moving more?

[TheSidewinderSleepsTonite]

I mean without diets, calorie counting, fasting etc.

I've been counting calories on and off for ten years and obviously it's not working. I don't mind it but I don't stick to it religiously and always end up being inconsistent.

I was sitting here thinking the two times in my life that I healthily and slowly lost weight were two times I wasn't calorie counting. First year at uni I was 18 and didn't even know what calories were (had to teach myself all this in my early 20s). I just ate what I knew was healthy (salads, fruits, chicken, etc) and exercised 5 times a week (2 X martial arts, 2 X running, 1 X gym). I don't know how much I lost that year as I wasnt weighing myself but I went down a few clothes sizes as I had to buy a whole new wardrobe and many people commented.
The second time, I lived in Spain for a year. It was warm all the time and I don't have a big appetite in the heat. The last thing I wanted in that climate was sweet stuff so I ate very well. Lots of fruits and veg, and I walked everywhere with my roommate who became one of my best friends. I naturally lost just under 2 stone in ten months without calorie counting.

I'm wondering if I should ditch the calorie counting and try this again but I'm scared of losing "control", overeating and putting even more weight on.

I've learned so much more since these two years, and finally feel mentally ready to lose this weight and maintain but I guess I just don't know the right way to do it. I'm still breastfeeding my toddler so I never really know how many calories to pick right now anyway.

Just wondering if anyone lost weight this way? Just naturally picking what we know is healthy. Not doing any diets. Moving more. And if so, how did you do it?

Thanks everyone

The biggest lie we’ve been told is to count the number of calories in our food rather than count the number of ingredients.

Start thinking more about what you put in your body rather than how many calories it is.

A handful of nuts has more calories than a 90 calorie diet cake bar however the nuts are better for you and your body.

Avocado and poached eggs on sourdough toast will have more calories than a bowl of diet cereal however the first is better for you and your body.

My DH, he’s lost 5 stone. He started practicing mindfullness for other reasons and it’s honestly changed his life.
He just eats normal size portions and tries not to stress eat. He’s stopped with the mega packets of crisps and huge bars of chocolate.
his diet is still good and he enjoys his food, he likes to go for dinner and cook but is much more thoughtful. If we got a macdonalds for instance he’d get a Big Mac meal and a mini burger now he can’t believe he did that. It’s like he couldn’t think food was enough unless he was physically full and couldn’t eat any more.

I did during lockdown and in the year or so after, when I did whole 30 (which is a diet plan but it's not a weight loss diet) and I ended up doing many months 100% sugar free, eating no bread and no dairy. I have no idea how many calories I ate each day. And I definitely did move more, I was running a lot and doing a lot of gym classes. I was very fit and very lean and felt amazing.

However, life..... well the world reopened after lock down, a change of job, a reintroduction of some bread, dairy, and sugar, a series of injuries and set backs, some ill health and here I am. I'd love to go back to that paleo way of life but it's not always easy to integrate into our lifestyles although I definitely try to eat fewer UPFs these days. I don't have the time or the health to run for hours and hours every week either.

Oh and he hasn’t changed how much he goes to gym. He still cycles and swims three time a week. He was 18 ish stone and now is around 13-14 I think

Many years ago I had a consultation with a naturopathic Dr as I had a candida (yeast) overgrowth and was generally unwell. He gave me a diet to follow, and the weight fell off, about a stone. It was essentially, no yeasty or fermented foods or drinks, minimal sugar. For about 6 months I basically lived on baked potatoes, salad, veg, porridge, yogurt, lean meat, oily fish. I could have mayo, butter, salad dressings. I would have a vodka and slimline tonic or mineral water when out. I never felt hungry, and my health improved 100%. I still don't eat much bread or baked stuff, or sweet stuff. My weight has been the same for 25 years.

Yes, I lost 3 stone by stopping snacking on stuff I knew was less healthy, upping my fruit and veg, and eating healthier meals of normal (not full to bursting ) portions. Just ‘eating healthily’.

Yes but you can still put on weight if you are eating healthy, nutritional food if it goes above and beyond your ideal calories. Nuts for example are brilliant for you but aren't overly satiating or high volume; they're much better paired with something that is such as 0% Greek yoghurt so you are getting the best of both worlds and not reaching for something else. Same with avocadaos- brilliant for you nutritionally and a good part of a balanced diet, however quickly add up if you eat however much of it because it's good for you.

Being mindful of macros along with the quality of the food is the best. Prioritising clean protein sources, high volume high nutritional value low calorie foods like vegetables, having some of what you fancy but in a balanced way whilst being mindful of calories is much better than just eating whatever because it's good for you.

Of course this is not taking into consideration the myriad of other factors that affect someone's eating habits and thus weight (physical and MH related).

I have. A few years ago I had a health scare and started eating really healthily for a couple of months. The weight fell off to the point that I was shoving in almonds to avoid getting haggard.

Then the health threat lifted and I went straight back to my unhealthy ways and gained all the weight back. But I will say it was reassuring to know it is just my penchant for biscuits and cheese that stops me being skinny.

I recently lost some weight (not sure exactly how much but my old jeans fit again so I've at least gone down a size) because I was considering going on Ozempic and kept researching it, but instead of doing something drastic like that I decided to cut my portions down and stopped eating unhealthy snacks as often. I'm still full after each meal so I was clearly over eating most of the time. I try to eat whole foods as often as possible and a mix of veg and protein during the week. I also started pilates which has made me feel much better about my body - I already did a fair bit of cycling.

I'm bf my toddler too and have just started to follow this approach. I like the 'picky plate' inspiration on this website.
https://hungryhealthyhappy.com/

Picky plates - sorry, here's the direct link:
https://hungryhealthyhappy.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-picky-plates/

Wow thanks for all the replies everyone. Will reply in more detail to you all when the kids are in bed.