Weight loss help required

[phil-b]

In the past the only time I have been successful loosing weight is buy restricting calorie intake by basically starving myself.

But now at 52 I find myself with a lot of weight to loose (about 50lbs) and that method is unsustainable

Can someone please recommend an easy to use calorie tracking app. I don’t mind paying a subscription but it does need to be simple to operate.

I hope this way I can maintain a calorie deficit over a longer period.

 

[wafter]

Can't recommend an app, but can recommend low carb as a way of managing hunger - it's the only way I've managed to reliably / consistently lose weight in the past. Having other stuff to do / sources of reward is also helpful; so I find it works best in the summer with lots of sun and riding!

 

[HarryTheDog]

https://www.myfitnesspal.com/ . They will keep trying to get you to go premium but I find the free version is all I need. I have also linked it to Fitbit to track excercise calories. I have also linked Strava to fitbit , which then also passes on excercise from Strava. My Electronic scales are also linked to Fitbit and therefore on to myfitnesspal.

 

[si_c]

https://www.myfitnesspal.com/ . They will keep trying to get you to go premium but I find the free version is all I need. I have also linked it to Fitbit to track excercise calories. I have also linked Strava to fitbit , which then also passes on excercise from Strava. My Electronic scales are also linked to Fitbit and therefore on to myfitnesspal.

More or less what I do - track exercise in MFP, I often log consumed calories, but not always - MFP is linked to Garmin Connect and Strava, with weight and exercise being shared between all of them although my scales are digital they aren't connected to anything so occaisionally I type a number in.

I don't track food calories as often as once I did and far less religiously unless it has a barcode I can scan, otherwise I ball-park it as Mrs C makes it up as she goes when cooking.

 

[phil-b]

I just had a look at my fitness pal and it looks good to me. I think it will work well for what I need .

Many thanks

 

[Punkawallah]

Sorry, not an App sort of person, so can’t help with that. Good luck with it, though. They tell me diets don’t work, but changed life styles do.

 

[raleighnut]

Portion Control, basically put less food on your plate

 

[Kingfisher101]

Its what you eat totally.
I recommend Slimming World if you have a lot to loose, they will help you.

 

[wafter]

Its what you eat totally.
I recommend Slimming World if you have a lot to loose, they will help you.

Yeah, a couple of mates had good success with this; sadly they're fat feckers again now though (as am I to an extent; although they have the excuse of the rigors of parenthood).

 

[bikingdad90]

Depends when you say weight what you mean?
You can weight the same but have high body fat or low body fat depending on your amount of muscle. I weight 2stone more than I previously did but it’s mostly muscle gain and it shows in my body appearance and composition and I’m happy with it. I’m just going through the process of reducing fat to look more toned without losing too much muscle.

 

[CXRAndy]

There are many ways to achieve weight loss. You won't lose so much from exercising k, it's better to control weight loss through calorie intake.

Now some folk like to count calories, others just reduce portions, some drop meals or intermittent fasting.

The best way I found to lose weight was to go on low-er carb diet and increase fat intake with increased protein consumption. I don't count calories. I also intermittent fast each day by having my first meal after midday

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Just kill the carbs and you will lose a whole stack of weight.

Start with potatoes, rice, bread, cake, biscuits, chocolate (except for 80 -90% cocoa dark) & cereals.


You could easily shift that 50lb in a year.

 

[PaulSB]

In the past the only time I have been successful loosing weight is buy restricting calorie intake by basically starving myself.

But now at 52 I find myself with a lot of weight to loose (about 50lbs) and that method is unsustainable

Can someone please recommend an easy to use calorie tracking app. I don’t mind paying a subscription but it does need to be simple to operate.

I hope this way I can maintain a calorie deficit over a longer period.

I use the free version of My Fitness Pal (MFP) which offers all I need to help monitor my calorie intake. It offers the opportunity to add exercise either manually of by linking to Strava, if you use that app. As you've identified simply reducing calorie intake is unsustainable. If you reduce calories to the point the body is stressed it will actually retain any excess calories as food stores for when it's stressed and needs those reserves.

For me the solution has been to:

1. Increase daily fluids to a minimum of two litres of water. Often feeling hungry is disguising a need for fluids. If you are exercising increase the fluids. On a winter cycling day I push my fluids to at least three litres. A simple guide is urine colour. If your urine is clear you are properly hydrated, if it's heading towards yellow you're dehydrated. At 52 it's likely being properly hydrated will mean you wake at night needing to pee.
2. Reduce tea/coffee to three cups a day. These are diuretics, increasing urine production. If, like me, your fluid intake is primarily coffee/tea all that happens is you pee more. The body doesn't the fluid it needs.
3. Reduce or eliminate useless calories. Alcohol being the number one followed by confectionery, etc. Don't punish yourself, these things are allowed as a treat but not a regular part of the diet. Do not snack between meals. If you must fruit is OK
4. Identify your daily calorific needs to what I call "maintenance level." Don't rely on a calculator or guidelines, work it out for yourself. By "maintenance level" I mean the basic calorie intake you need to get through a normal day. Ignore, for the moment, exercise. The best way to do this is to reduce your calorie intake week by week, noting what it is using MFP. You will reach a point when you are simply hungry all the time, that is too low. Then increase the calories until you begin to feel hungry before each meal. This is your maintenance level. The guidance for me, a male aged 70, is 2000 - 2600 calories/day. The intake I need for maintenance is 1200. For an ordinary day this is all I need and I don't feel hungry.
5. Understand the need to "fuel your activities." At #4 you've established the calorie intake for daily maintenance. If you exercise the body needs more fuel and you should provide it with that fuel with sufficient extra calories to maintain the exercise. I call it "fuelling the ride." On a cycling day I eat sufficient calories to provide the extra energy required. A good guide is that one doesn't feel hungry at the end of the ride but is ready for the next meal time.
6. If one doesn't "fuel the ride" the body is stressed and begins to use fat reserves for that fuel. This is OK occasionally but if the body becomes used to the idea it will be stressed, it takes action to protect itself. The body does this by grabbing every spare calorie it can and storing this energy, as fat! Very simply give your body what it needs to function properly in whatever circumstances it finds itself.
7. Don't make life miserable. Have a biscuit, a beer, some chocolate but in moderation