How I Lost 80 Pounds

Picture 66I’ve posted numerous times here on my blog about how I lost weight. Here and here, for instance. My stalkers STILL accuse me of lying. All. The. Time.

I lost weight by eating fewer calories than I burned.

Swear to God.

I tried a few different diets. I tried veganism, I actually did pretty well on it, because I was getting plenty of carbs (which gave me lots of energy to exercise), and because I really enjoyed the food. Veganism didn’t make me lose weight though. Eating fewer calories than I burned made me lose weight.

I tried paleo. I didn’t do very well on it, I wasn’t getting enough carbs and my energy was in the toilet. I didn’t recover well from workouts, and I didn’t WANT to workout because I had no energy. I didn’t really like the food. I actually gained a few pounds on paleo. Paleo didn’t make me gain weight though. Eating more calories than I burned made me gain weight.

I tried the USDA’s MyPlate dietary recommendations. I did well, because the plan allowed me to eat foods I enjoyed, and because it gave me a realistic and sustainable calorie target (2600 a day). I lost weight on MyPlate. But MyPlate didn’t make me lose weight. Eating fewer calories than I burned made me lose weight.

Most of the time, though, I didn’t follow any specific plan. Most of the time, I just ate what I wanted. Sometimes I wanted to eat lots of salads and green smoothies. Other times I wanted to eat ice cream and scones. Still other times I wanted to eat fish and yogurt. Usually, I ate a little bit of everything. I kept track of my calories, and I made sure to get enough protein every day. I aimed for roughly 2800 calories a day, because that is the number of calories that support a weight of about 160 pounds at my current activity level. And I aimed for 100-150 grams of protein a day, to support muscle retention and recovery.

Other than that, I ate what I wanted. Sometimes salad, sometimes ice cream.

Swear to God.

The diet gurus tell us that we have to give ourselves eating disorders in order to lose weight. We do not. My stalkers tell me that I can’t possibly be as lean and fit as I am without being obsessive and strict with my diet. They are wrong. I am not obsessive and strict with my diet, beyond making sure I’m eating the appropriate number of calories to support my weight and activity (2800-3000 calories on an average day) and an adequate amount of protein to support my training. If I want ice cream, I eat ice cream. If I want fish and yogurt, I eat fish and yogurt. If I want salad, I eat salad (I like salad and eat it pretty often). I eat a wide variety of mostly healthy foods, but I am not obsessive, I am not ‘strict’, and I don’t spend my life fixated on food. You do not have to either.

Swear to God.

99 thoughts on “How I Lost 80 Pounds

  1. What is your activity level that affords you that many calories? I wish I could eat that much and not gain.

    • Well, part of it is that I’m just heavy. I have about 140 pounds of lean mass. I stand at work. I work out for 20-60 minutes, 5 days a week.

    • I used to say the same thing – I wish I could eat that much and not gain.

      You *can*.

      If you’ve been restricting for a long time you’re going to see a brief bounce, mostly water weight – I did going from paleo/low carb to eating enough to fuel my endurance and strength goals. It’s evened out and a couple of months after going up to 2200-2600 calories a day (I have a desk job so other than my workouts and light housecleaning not much going on there) I weigh the same as I did on 1500 calories and under 100 carbs a day, with my performance through the roof.
      I’ll take a 300 pound deadlift on bread and sugar over the alternative :D

  2. Thanks so much for telling your story. I love to work out, but I also Love good food.
    I just went to my Loseit! account. I just typed in a weight that is about 25 pounds less than my current. A bit higher than what I would have chosen a few years ago, so what. I calculated calories needed as if I were ALREADY at my goal weight and maintaining. And I was a bit surprised by how MUCH I can eat. Looking forward to not falling off the wagon from hunger.

    • That’s how I did it, in the end. I tried a few different techniques, but what ended up working best was eating the amount of food that would support my goal weight. I believe this gave me the added bonus of protecting my resting metabolic rate from downregulation, as my body never perceived inadequate energy resources.

      • Hey Amber I’ve been reading here a while. Thanks for some great info! I love your weight loss approach but have 2 questions. I’ve been very’ weight over – recovered’ (if there is such a term), since stopping a lifetime of dieting 2 years ago. though I dont count calories much I’ve done it a few times just to see. In the past month or 2 calories spontaneously dropped from approx 2800 to 2500 which happens to be right for what I believe isa very realistic weight

        • Sorry it posted before I finished… I’m already spontaneously eating the right calories for my first weight. It’s perhaps too early to say, maybe some weight loss is lining up for me in months to come, just interested to find I am ,already at the calories I thought id need to go down to. Have you ever found that? Secondly and much more nb – I have good and bad patches in door of taking great care not to overdo it when feeling good. I still have patches of exhaustion inflammation nausea and can’t face exercise and if I do

          • !! Sorry it posted again before I was ready. Any experience with bad patches during which exercise is anathema and if forced goes terribly? Have no option but to rest and feel myself lose ground.weeks or months later start up again from scratch. Is not because I overdo it, am very careful. I suspect estrogen. Apologies for disjointedness, and thanks for your consideration.

    • 5’9, although height doesn’t have much to do with calorie needs it’s weight and activity that is most relevant.

  3. You are such a fantastic inspiration. It’s so wonderful to see someone advocating for true health, not justifying an eating disorder. Thank you for reminding us all that its okay to eat the food. Even ice cream.

  4. Hey! Me too… and I’m about 160 lbs and burn about 2800 calories a day at 5’7″ and maybe 23% body fat. Now I’m following your “Last 5 Pounds” advice and cranking up the compound lifting. Thank you for preaching truth. Keep on being awesome!

  5. There is a caveat however and that is the nutrition density of the food… Because you speak of energy, but energy is not created by food, it’s created by our bodies, by means of certain elements, the most talked about being vitamins. Yes “carbs” may help energy but its because a lot of them in that category are nutrient dense, but a diet of bread isn’t going to make you feel all that great and look all that great. A calorie is not a calorie in terms of how your body is able to easily repair itself, that’s why diets high in processed carbs make you tired and sick and usually fat- because your body is literally starving for nutrients and keeps asking for food.

      • I think Jennifer meant “a diet of *only* bread”… and she’s correct…
        There needs to be some consideration of food quality with regards to essential nutrients. A varied diet including lots of veges, some fruit, some lean protein sources, some foods high in calcium, & small amounts of high fat foods (mostly monounsaturated fats) covers off nutrient requirements. Also including some delicious foods such as ice cream & chocolate within your calorie limit should be encouraged to avoid the feelings of deprivation which usually accompany a strict “diet”.

    • “energy is . . . created by our bodies, by means of . . .”
      . . . oxidizing macro-nutrients. “Burning” them, in the language of the street.
      “the most talked about being . . .”
      . . . “carbs,” although in my youth it was protein. We valued lean body mass more than marathon times back then.
      ” 'carbs' . . . help energy . . . because . . .”
      . . . they oxidize quickly. However, when you restrict calories . . .
      “your body is literally starving for . . . ”
      . . . fatty acids available to the mitochondria . . .
      “and keeps asking for . . .”
      . . . fatty acids from adipose tissue. Hence you lose “weight.”

    • I love eating a LOT OF EVERYTHING! But overeating is complicated. A pure love of food, innate laziness, long term body hatred/shame, brought up on ‘finish your plate’/’who wants more’/’who can finish this off’……

  6. CEASE AND DESIST!

    Your are infringing upon a proprietary formula I developed in 2007. While the titles of our programs may differ, my bestselling work was titled “Lose Weight With The Secret Formula,” I alone hold the predated copyright to market the combination of eating less with increased excercise. For this reason I request that this post be removed lest I be forced to leverage legal action against you. As your model thwarts my paywall, which I have painstakingly erected and effectively shrouded this subject matter. In mystery, I demand satisfaction!

    • This formula is not ‘a’ formula, but ‘the’ formula. Umm….Can you honesty copyright a formula which our bodies are designed to follow for health and weight management? I doubt that. That would be like… Copyrighting our need for eating and sleeping.

  7. A voice of reason – how refreshing! Seriously, I wish I had your wisdom when I tried to lose weight with crazy diets over many years. All the time and energy I spent obsessing over the perfect diet. It created such guilt and disordered eating.

    Now I strive to do as you do – eat a mostly healthy diet with some treats, and keep those calories in a range that supports my weight and activity. Thanks for keeping us sane!! We appreciate you sharing your wisdom :)

    • Not too many fewer. At 230, I was burning 3300 or so a day. As I lost weight, I burned less, so at an intake of 2800 my deficit got smaller. There were times when my deficit was larger than 500 calories a day, but I would do it differently now and stay close to 500 or less. I came out ok, but I really recommend keeping the deficit small for a vartiety of reasons.

  8. I’m a bit confused on my TDEE. I am 5’9″ and weigh 223. Need to lose weight (around 50 lbs or so.) I’m not currently active, and I’m going to start walking daily about 5km to get my routine of exercising. Then I will add in weight training.
    The TDEE calculator says (I’m am going by target weight of 180 for calculation,)
    1825 on left side
    2933 on right-side.

    Which side do I subtract the 500 kcal from?

  9. How did you track calories in the beginning? I imagine now you know your foods well enough to know how many calories you are consuming. Did you use a journal, website?

  10. Your poor stalkers must just be making themselves crazy with jealousy and confusion.

    Sometimes it’s hard to let go of one’s religious dogma, especially if you’ve invested a lot of time and energy, sweat and tears.

    I learn so much when I read your blog. It is a breath of fresh air.

    Thanks,
    Heidi

  11. How do you consume 2800 cals a day? I recently upped my cals (after being on one of those ridiculous low cal diets). I now get around 1800-2000 a day. I try to do more, but I find it so hard to get more in, especially since the healthy, clean foods really don’t have that many calories. I am so full.

    • I can eat 1000 calories in a matter of minutes. 2800 for the day is, ummm, a piece of cake, as it were. What is the secret?

      I have never been inculcated with the idea that energy is evil. Energy is what keeps me alive. Energy is what allows me to go places and do things. Obtaining energy is my prime directive, as it has been for all of my ancestors. When I scrounge/hunt/shop for food I am looking for the biggest energy bang for my effort.

      Yet, while I was recently on a 3 hour bike ride where I was using up about 600 calories per hour I passed a billboard, a BILLBOARD mind you, exhorting me to limit my meals to 600 calories.

      Energy, I was being scolded, is evil.

      I am offered for sale “food” that is rather expensive, but claimed to be worth it because it is “clean,” and “healthy,” because . . . it contains no food value. It is nonfood.

      Energy is dirty. Energy is unhealty.

      Celery. Celery is held by many to be the very paragon of a “clean” and “healthy” food. Why? Because if you try to live on it you will starve to death!

      Read that again, and again, and again, until you get it. A food that will starve you to death is touted as HEALTHY; because if it contained energy it would be UNhealthy. Dirty. Dare I say it; Evil!

      “Clean” and “healthy” foods not having many calories is a tautology. They don’t have many calories because that has been taken to be the DEFINITION of “clean and healthy.”

      You bought in. OK, we all make mistakes. Buy out.

      Energy is as clean as anything can be. It doesn’t even have mass. Energy is healthy. Without it you die. Death is not healthy.

      Eat the energy!

      What has 2800 calories of energy? 2.5 lbs. of 80/20 ground beef.

      Eat the damn burger!

      Or cheese, olive oil, butter, ice cream, avocados; whatever you will eat under the framework of your wider dietary provisions and/or taboos, so long as it contains lots of energy.

      Energy is not dirty. Energy is not unhealthy. Energy is life. Praise the energy. Eat the energy. Live the energy.

      Energetically!

      Amen.

      • Or, as a mental addendum, Try this recipe:

        1 cup raw cashews*
        2 c. fresh local strawberries
        2 T. vanilla extract
        1 c. coconut oil
        1/3 – 1/2 c. raw honey

        soak the cashews for 90-120 min or til soft, blend in a food processor with the honey until it’s a super creamy nut butter. Then add the melted coconut oil and berries, process til smooth.

        Pour into your favorite raw pie crust or just a plain pie dish and chill OR freeze (i like it frozen!!) It is thick, rich, creamy, and DELISH. You can get those calories in quick baby. Three pieces of this pie go down pretty smooth !

        And then you’re not supporting Ben and Jerry, if you’re not into that kind of thing. (I’ll eat your pint).

  12. I have a question. I am currently pregnant. After I give birth I will be breast feeding. Past experience tells me that nursing makes me ravenous all.the.time. I know that you eat your tdee according the weight you want to be, so how do I eat for nursing. Do I eat at my tdee for the weight I want to be at, and then add the extra calories to that for breastfeeding? Thanks!

    • Hey, here’s my $0.02. I breastfed both of my sons but did not count calories – I ate to appetite (which was like a teenage boy, i.e. a bottomless pit) and I was at my thinnest. If you dig around a bit, you will find “stats” that stay BFing will burn between 200-600kcal a day to make milk, depending on several factors (like how often s/he nurses, if they get a lot of the rich fatty hindmilk after the 2nd letdown, if you’re eating enough to make a good supply, etc).

      My unsolicited advice is thus: Eat when you’re hungry. Stop when you’re full. Eat a wide variety of foods for balance. Get moderate exercise in the outdoors if possible during the postpartum months.

      If you want more of a formula,
      Eat your TDEE. Eat another 200-600 for breastfeeding. Eat another couple hundred if you’re walking/jogging, lifting, or cross-training.

      Most importantly, your baby is 100% dependent on you – when you’re pg, and when you’re nursing. That’s big. Let calories matter more when s/he’s weaned ;) ;) ;)

  13. Okay,
    What would you do about this: I burn around 900 calories a day. Very, very low. How do you eat lower calories than 900? And my 900 meesily calories is in addition to exercising!

    Frustrated!

    • According to the TDEE calculator I just used, the basal metabolic rate of a 5-year old girl weighing 40lbs was about 987 calories a day. How are you calculating that you are only burning 900 calories a day?

  14. I have a question, i’m sorry if someone posted it already I didn’t read through all of them. I have been working out and eating “healthy” (veggies, lean meats etc… minimal cookies, ice cream blah blah) for about 3 years. I seem to be stuck at the current weight I’m at and have switched up my diet to try paleo, zone etc… and nothing seems to help. I try to eat around 1800 ish cals a day, weight train 4 times a week and do crossfit as my cardio 4 times a week. Any suggestions on how to break through my current problem of not being able to drop bf% if anything?

    • Your body may be telling you it’s not willing to go any lower. Why not switch your focus to building lean mass? Increasing your lean mass percentage will change your shape and lower your BF percentage without forcing your body to lose more weight.

      • I’m trying to do just that. So should I just eat like I have been and Lift Heavy? Slow and steady?

            • Then eat at least that much. Maybe even a little more, give your body some fuel for building new muscle.

              • Awesome. Thanks for your input. I will try out the 2200 cals and new macro ratios. Hopefully it works out. :)

  15. I’m really trying to eat the food. I hate tracking calories, but see it as necessary at the moment. Can you give some whole food protein ideas? Not to have a meal plan, but the other high protein diets all lean towards bars and powders. That is where I have a hard time is getting 150 grams in, without protein powders… blah! Thanks for your straightforward, no bullshit approach!!

  16. Wow! I LOVE what you have to say so much!

    I’m supposed to eat about 2700-2800 calories a day and have a hard time getting that in, so I eat ice cream for extra calories. I also drink milk with my meals and am drinking more Gatorade right now (we freaking live in Phoenix and it’s HOT…) :D

    My kids and I recently went to see family and my husband stayed behind at home due to taking summer college classes and being a high school cross country coach.

    Before we left, he was starting to lose weight because of increased running mileage. He was eating pretty well and getting okay sleep. While we were gone, he had a hard time eating enough food each day (less than 1500 calories, sometimes between 1000 and 1500 calories a day), was going to bed a lot later at night, and increasing his running mileage each day.

    Guess what? He started gaining weight and he gained about 6-7 lbs in the week and a half while we were gone. Now that we’re back home, I’m trying to make sure he eats a lot more food and sleeps more. His cross country runs with his kids over the last few days were also very brutal on him. He has a day off today and then a day off for July 4th.

    What you teach is true.

  17. Hasn’t the calories in / calories out theory been debunked as myth? Have you read Gary Taubes’s work on this? Curious what you think. Thanks

    • Sure, if you believe Gary Taubes.

      (I rarely eat less than 350 grams of carbs a day, usually more, and still managed to lose 80 pounds and maintain it for 5 years. According to Taubes I should be obese, diabetic, and dead.)

      • After reading his book (just finished), reading Dr. Peter Attia’s blog, and researching other sources, with an open mind, I believe his arguments are compelling.

        But just to clarify, Taubes’s thesis is not that eating a high carb diet will necessarily result in obesity or metabolic syndrome. I myself have never had more than 13% body fat while eating a high carb diet. Rather, his thesis is that the obesity epidemic is the result of consumption of too much sugar. In other words, those who do gain excessive weight may be doing so because of consuming too much sugar, and by reducing sugar/carb intake those people are likely to lose weight.

        I have tried to find good counterarguments to his thesis to get to the bottom of it all, but so far all of the arguments appear to simply challenge the conclusion and not the reasoning. Trying to get to the bottom of it is what brought me to your site and why I sought your views.

        Just as a personal experiment in the last 2 weeks I have cut out refined sugar and limited carb intake — with the goal of getting over my constant sugar cravings and regular highs and lows of sugar addiction. In this short period I lost 7 pounds and 1% body fat.

        So again, I’m not suggesting that calories in/calories out doesn’t work for some people, but rather the more recent scientific evidence appears to show that it is not universal.

        • I think the obesity epidemic is quite a bit more complicated than just eating too much sugar. Physical activity is incredibly relevant, as it mediates insulin sensitivity.

        • Stephen Guyenet is an actual obesity researcher and not a journalist. “I hope you can see by now that the carbohydrate hypothesis of obesity is not only incorrect on a number of levels, but it may even be backward. The reason why obesity and metabolism researchers don’t typically subscribe to this idea is that it is contradicted by a large body of evidence from multiple fields.” http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.ca/2011/08/carbohydrate-hypothesis-of-obesity.html

          • Thanks for sharing! I look forward to studying this in-depth response.

            I just took a quick glance though and want to note that Guyenet does appear to support the view that carbohydrate restriction promotes loss of body-fat.

            He emphasizes in the beginning that “carbohydrate restriction has helped many people lose body fat and improve their metabolic health,” and that “there is no doubt that carbohydrate restriction causes fat loss in many, perhaps even most obese people.” He also concludes that “once overweight or obesity is established, carbohydrate restriction can aid fat loss in some people. The mechanism by which this occurs is not totally clear, but there is no evidence that insulin plays a causal role in this process.”

            I can only speak from personal experience. In the last month I’ve lost 3% body fat and 15 pounds by following a low carbohydrate diet. I’m eating very well, never hungry, and have never had more energy. Perhaps most importantly, I no longer have constant neck and upper back pain, which I believe was caused by chronic inflammation (from either gluten or sugar). I’m a 35-year male, now at 11% body fat. I have no doubt that this type of change in diet and lifestyle is the best for me.

  18. There is no one thing! We are all different! The only thing to do to be healthy is try different methods, pay attention, adjust as needed, educate yourself, don’t become frozen in a label.

    At 37 I FINALLY cured 22 years of fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, weight gain, and so many other issues by eating ZERO grains. I did veggie, vegan, macro, Mediterranean, Zone, blood type, caloric restriction….finally as a last ditch effort I did “Paleo” and boom- pain VANISHED in two weeks, 22 lbs gone, energy out the wazoo, emotions stable, thinking clear. 8 months later and life is still more awesome than I thought possible.

    Just keep trying. I am not “Paleo” I just eat ZERO grains. This includes zero rice, zero corn. I am not “carb-free” as a eat a ton of veggies and some fruit. I am basically “allergic” to grains.

    The thing is, people need to just. keep. experimenting. I don’t mean bounce around every two weeks. Give dietary parameters a few months, then analyze your results.

    BE FLEXIBLE. STAY ACCOUNTABLE AND HONEST. Be a scientist for yourself. Once you find the right equation, it’s not work anymore.

  19. Ok Amber I totally believe you and am sure it would work for me too, am almost ready to restart exercising and retry calorie counting. Have gained 15kgs since found you at new year (now up at what i consider a ‘late pregnancy’ weight for me and alas not pregnant this time) but don’t worry that’s me, not you!!!

    But my biggest question, based on a little go at calorie counting back in january: how do you calorie count home cooked family food in unmeasured portions? Eg, lasagne, beef stew and rice, homemade pizzas? Salad with salad dressing? mashed potato with unmeasured blob pf butter mixed in? Should I start weighing cooked food when I serve myself? The idea scares/depresses me. I do love food and want to get healthier stronger faster and lighter without thinking I’m on some restrictive thing. Can it be done?

    • try using myfitnesspal.com. You can enter in recipes and it will tell you how many calories, etc per serving.

  20. Pingback: Reference Page: Go Kaleo | Taper Strength Training

  21. i love this website!!!!!

    my question is this…i’m pretty active (4-6x week – yoga/running/hiking/weights) and am about 155lbs at 5’8″. i don’t need to lose weight per se but i’d love to lean out and gain some muscle.
    i always thought limiting cals was the way to go but have found 0 change (a little increase in muscle but not that much) in several years. i’ve also cut most grains/sugar/crap food (inflammatory issues – colitis) which really helped my colitis but again, weight wise, no impact.

    so according to TDEE i should be eating 2200 or so to maintain. i think i’ve definitely been eating closer to 1800 or 2000. so should i be aiming for this calories or less (i.e., closer to what would be equivalent for 145lb person)?

    thx!

  22. So, do you recommend counting calories? Not “listening to your body and trusting you know when you have eaten enough”?

    • I do. I think intuitive eating is a really awesome goal, but a lot of people have lost touch with their hunger and satiety signals after years and years of dieting. For people who’ve tried everything, sometimes simply counting calories for a period of time can be the key to getting back in touch with those signals and ensuring you’re getting adequate and appropriate calories to support a healthy weight.

      • Why not do both ? I’m trying to eat healthy only when my body is really hungry but also within my calories! !

        • I feel I have lost contact with MODERATION. I have counted calories for a couple of years, few episodes put together, when I lost my “pregnancy weight”. It worked like magic – or math, actually. How ever I have gained it pretty much back during a year after quitting counting. So counting calories doesn’t necessarily teach you anything. I am definitely going back to counting, since I can’t control myself other ways. I find it really sad and disappointing, because I would like to do smart choises without counting calories. On the other hand, I think my life as it is is pretty stressful as a mother of two young children. When I am tired, I feel like I “deserve” all the shit I am eating. Counting calories and losing weight is not a new thing for me. I am also trained health and fitness professional, but STILL, IT IS SO HARD. I am focusing on the good parts, I have many good habits as green smoothies, salads etc. I also have had a break from the gym (I used to go 3-4 times a week and gained wonderful results…) after getting sick… I love yous posts, they are helping me a lot. Realizing that I NEED AND I CAN count the calories was very useful. Nowadays I feel everybody is against all kinds of restrictions, and counting calories DOES restrict the amount of energy, but that is kind of the point…

  23. So, do you recommend counting calories – not just “listening to your body and trusting it will know when you have eaten enough”?

  24. I love this post. However, due to a hormonal imbalance (PCOS), the calories in/out only works for me at extreme levels (like around 1300 calories). I just can’t sustain that. I eat around 1600-1900 cals of healthy foods, a treat on the weekends. It’s like my body is broken. The medications docs want me on either make me gain more weight or don’t do anything. I am floored you lost weight eating 2800 calories!!!! That’s awesome!! I was curious if you had suggestions for someone like me? What was your activity level like while losing weight?

    • I’ve written about how I approached dealing with my own PCOS here. Exercise is so key for me, it improves insulin sensitivity, which is one of the main reasons PCOS can make weight loss difficult. Getting 30-60 minutes of physical activity that elevates my heart rate most days of the week is vital for keeping my hormones stable, which produces easier weight management.

      • I have PCOS too, and it’s true that exercise is really key to fixing the issue. Doesn’t take much for me. I do, say 3 x 15 minute workouts and week and a bit of yoga. I have exercise ADD. Long workout are not going to happen. The other thing that worked at first was reducing all sugars and carbs in general. Then, as I got fitter, that wasn’t such a big deal.

        • I never restricted carbs, but it can be helpful to mitigate the symptoms of insulin resistance in the short term! Exercise addresses the cause though. :)

          • WOW thank you! Honestly I only kept focusing on diet and calories… never having a lot of energy to workout like I should. But maybe I’ve been backwards the whole time… maybe I need to eat to fuel my workouts and focus on getting those in! Honestly if I eat any less I think I’ll go crazy. I will check out your other posts :D

  25. How exactly do i figure out how many calories I should be eating? Do I eat for the weight I am now or the weight I want to be? Do I eat for 15 pounds under the weight and adjust as I lose weight? etc. So lost. And how exactly do i know how many calories are correct for the weight I am at? help?

    • I would start by just tracking for a few days to get an idea of what you’re currently eating. And then create a small deficit, 500 calories or so, if weight loss is your goal. Start with the simplest thing. If that doesn’t work, we can get more complicated, but try the simple thing first.

  26. I really struggle to eat well. I have an eating disorder where I think I should not eat at all in order to lose weight. I know this is not right. This last month just proved it to me as I went down in my muscle mass and up in fat mass. I also increased my weight. Not in good ways.
    I am struggling to get the food in.
    I struggle with getting protein. I work out two hours a day. can you give pointers for protein? I just am not sure where to go. lol

    • Hi Missy, please, please seek help. A therapist and Registered Dietitian specialized in eating disorders can help immensely.

  27. I know this is an older post, but it’s awesome! Calories DO matter, and although I’m not a big fan of counting calories (I prefer intuitive eating), I don’t dismiss them. I’m so glad you mentioned you tried different approaches. That’s what works for most people – try different things, and see what works for your body. I think what’s really important is to really savor and eat mindfully all foods – salad or ice cream, and get rid of the stress and guilt that accompanies them. Thank you!

    • I also really appreciated this post..More than I can say actually. I was thin my whole life-never really had to think too much about losing weight or being fit. Then I had kids and it got a bit harder and then it got away from me. I am the heaviest I have been in my life and I have tried it all and some things that are desperate that I know won’t work. I am well educated woman I know logically what I should do but can’t seem too..Reading this post-clicked for me and I am really trying to be mindful of calories in-calories burned. Thank you!

  28. I like it that ice cream has protein :D (my pt – most foods have the proper macronutrients anyway)

  29. I have a degree in Nutrition and this post is TOTALLY ACCURATE! You will lose weight if you burn more than you eat. Simple, simple, simple. Maybe not always easy because we are always given such huge portions and food is everywhere. But easy or not…it’s simple. Thank you so much and I look forward to subscribing and reading more of your blog!

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