Calories In. Calories Out.

Is weight loss really as easy as Calories in and Calories out?  Why are there so many diets out there if it's really this easy?

Hello amobailar,
the reason may be because people try to find the 'fastest' way to lose weight. In fact, this is the only classic diet that ever work for me :))

For me, it's that easy.  I think there are so many diets out there for several reasons...

1) on some, you're told what you can and can't eat... it takes the decisions out of it.

2) Some diets claim to be "healthier" than others.  That's why there's low fat, low carb, low sugar, etc.

3) Some make outrageous claims that you can lose lots of weight really fast.  When in reality people are probably just dehydrating themselves.

The basics of losing weight are less calories in than out, balanced nutrients, and plenty of water.  :)  Kelly

I have done fad diets in the past, south beach diet for one.  I lost tons of weight in a really short amount of time...and then gained it all back and then some.  It doesnt teach you how to eat healthy.  It is not healthy to cut out all of your carbs, we need those nutrients...its just a matter of learning what kinds of foods to eat.  I dont think it is easy to count calories until you become aware of what calorie value each food has...and you dont lose 15 pounds  week with it which is discouraginig to people... i am sure a lot of people think why count calories and lose 3 pounds a week when you can loose 10-15 on a fad?

I don't believe it's simply calories in, calories out.  Some nutrients, if lacking, will stall a weight loss, not matter how much the math says it should be working. 

the primary reason anyone regains the weight is because they go back to their old eating/not exercising habits.  Calorie counting will have the same result if after losing the weight, one goes back to over-eating  and unhealthy diets.  Been there, done that.

Some diets work best for certain people -- perhaps more because of personality than physical structure.  Some people would go bonkers counting calories, but counting points isn't too bad.  Some people don't want to plan menus, they just want to be told what to eat and when.

A good diet fills these 3 requirements:

1) you have to be able to follow it (that's where our lifestyle and personalities come into play)

2) it has to provide good nutrition (vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber, etc.)

3) it has to be able to produce maintenance as well as weight loss

"I don't believe it's simply calories in, calories out.  Some nutrients, if lacking, will stall a weight loss, not matter how much the math says it should be working. "

Manewell,

       &nb sp;        Which nutrients are these and do you have any reference or evidence for this (aside from the fact that sodium will make you retain water)? 

I think that the answer is fundamentally that simple, but there are several factors which obscure it.  Every person has their own individual metabolic rate, and that rate is subject to change depending on a variety of factors.  People's weight can also vary from day to day by several pounds due to water retention, their last trip to the bathroom, etc.  So its not easy to pin down the calories coming in and out of your body on an exact basis, but with a little patience this truth will make itself apparent.  As for your question "Why are there so many diets out there if it's really this easy?"  How are people supposed to make money if they simply repeat what nearly all health and nutrition professionals have been saying for a long time.  Sure, there might be a few tricks or strategies that work well for some people, but the basic truths are always the same, and calorie deficit is truth #1.  Just b/c its simple does not mean that it is "easy". 

i feel the main reason people fail is the word DIET.. say the word diet and everyone looks at you like you just lost your best friend...

get rid of that word and replace it with something else is the first step. i found i lost the most weight not when i dieted but when i merely subsituted... wheat bread instead of white bread.. if i HAD to have chocolate, and refuse to give it up, then a tootsie roll instead of a snickers, sprite if i needed to drink soda instead of coke (you never realize how heavy that syrup is until you've gone with out it a few months)..

positive attitude is the key to continue and not coming down on yourself if you eat the wrong thing... what is life if you'll only have water and carrots? 

fads set you up for failure in that they are not normal.  give up carbs forever? yeah right..

some people are on medications too, and some medications can interfere with weight loss or even make you gain weight - even if you are keeping a reasonable caloric deficit.

I agree with nomoreexcuses about meds.  Since starting mine, I gained 30lbs in 8 months!  Which is why I'm here.

I think that it is calories in, calories out.  However, different things work better for different people.  In the fall of 2005, I had issues where I couldn't eat fat.  Even 5 grams per day would cause big pain.  I'm a 5'6" woman, and I was eating something like 2000 calories per day, but because of the complete absence of fat, I lost an unhealthy amount of weight in a very short time.  (Probably made it much easier to balloon out later).

Although my issue was medical, I was thrilled.  I ate all I wanted and shed pounds like crazy.  It seemed too good to be true.

It was.