I'm confused. What do I need to do to lose weight?

I've been on CC for almost two weeks. I'm already losing momentum. I read an article by a personal trainer in a wedding magazine that said, "Forget the scale. To get lean, you have to get strong." So now it's like I don't think too much about what I eat, I just work out a lot more now. I do eat smaller portions than I normally would of the "bad" things, but not everything that I eat is here in the food log and this discourages me. So do I need to diet AND exercise, just diet more, just exercise more, is there a balance, what? Another thing, I have a problem with portions. I am an over-eater; for example: I saw a post that said "yay thanks to calorie counters, I can eat 2 slices of pizza!" Yeah, I normally eat 4. That's half a pizza. I'm talking a large pizza.

My details: I'm 23, 5'4", 127lbs this morning... I would like to go to 115 but when I read the article about kicking the scale, it mentioned that if you have muscle it's going to weigh more than non-muscle. So if the article is true... I would get strong, earn muscles, and weigh a little more than I thought I should, but I'd be rockin a hot toned body.

What do you guys think of this? I need some direction here.

you sound a lot like me! I am also 5'4" and 127lb, but I've done quite a bit to get here from 132lb. (to make things even better, I also want to be 115lb. ha!)

Anyway, it is a balance issue. You are already a healthy weight for your height, so losing weight is a bit more difficult. Don't "forget the scale" if you don't want to. Eat smaller portions, more fruits and veggies, and run an extra lap around the track, that's really all it takes. Be sure to eat all of your daily calories too! It also may help to eat your maintenance calories once a week so your metabolism doesn't slow down.

I hope that helps some. c:

Thanks! Sounds like you and I definitely have the same thing going on! Congrats on your weight loss so far. The heaviest I've been is 129 and it seems like 130 was just creeping around the corner.... and I was mortified! I've always been the "small girl" but to me I don't feel it. I just want to be fit! I'm 23 years YOUNG and this should be the fittest time of my life!

Thanks again for your info! Maybe you and I could work together to get to our goals!!

Don't take advice from magazines.  They just make things up to sell copies.  Instead, take advantage of the great CC advice section.  The answer to any question can be found there. 

Also, all the tools are free.  You can use them to determine your caloric needs.  For instance, when I plug in the stats you gave, the BMI tool says:

Based upon your current Body Mass Index (BMI) of 21.8, you are currently classed as at a healthy weight.

A healthy BMI for your gender and age is between 18.5 and 24.9 and a reasonable weight loss rate is 0.5-2 pounds a week.

You're already at a low weight, so the few pounds you might lose are not going to make any difference in your appearance.  Getting fit is a good plan to look trim and healthy.

If you have trouble finding anything in the database, just ask for help.  There are many of us who have lots of experience, expecially those who have lost large amounts of weight and are keeping it off. 

By the way, I'm 5'4" and haven't been 127 since I was 30 years old (I'm 67 now).  I considered myself slim at 135.  Body frame has a lot to do with it - my bones measure very large.  You are doing the right thing to get fit early in life.  It's a lot harder later on.

The advice you got from the magazine was spot on.  Sorry Clairelaine, there is a difference between losing weight and losing body fat, and most people tend to get these things confused.  What you want to do Horvathsgirl is lose body fat, and to do that,  you want to increase strength training to gain lean body mass.  Lean body mass burns more calories which will aid in reducing body fat.  Here are some examples.

Let’s take a look at how  responses to low calories affect the real world results of a typical dieter.

Suppose our “typical” dieter is a male who weights 200 pounds and has 18%
body fat. His goal is to lose 20-25 lbs.
Before the diet
18% body fat
36 lbs. fat
164 lbs. lean body mass

Like most people, our hapless dieter assumes that the best way to lose the body fat is to starve, so he goes on a 1500 calorie per day diet. In the 1st week he loses 5 lbs. and is very happy with himself. The second week he loses 4 lbs. Weeks three through six he loses three pounds per week for a grand total of twenty-one pounds lost. Our dieter now weighs 179 lbs. and he continued to lose weight steadily without hitting a plateau (although the weight loss did slow down). Judging by the scale alone, he has succeeded in his goal. On closer examination, however, we find that he has not been
so successful after all.

After the diet
179 lbs.
14.8% body fat
26.5 lbs. fat
Lean body mass 152.5 lbs.
Weight loss: 21 lbs.
Fat lost 9.5 lbs.
Lean body mass lost: 11.5

By judging his success in terms of body composition instead of scale weight, it
becomes clear that he has failed. Fifty five percent of his weight loss came from lean body mass. The drop in lean body mass has decreased his basal metabolic rate so he is now burning fewer calories each day than when he started. This has set him up for a relapse. Now that the (temporary) diet is “over“,  he goes off his diet. Few people have the desire or willpower to stay on low calories for long. On a strict calorie and or food restricted diet, almost everyone “falls of the wagon” sooner or later. After a long period of low calories, his body “tricks him” into binge eating by triggering severe cravings and hunger.

Even if he doesn’t binge and he simply goes back to “normal” eating again, his
body isn’t burning calories as efficiently as before. Therefore, the number of calories that used to maintain his weight now causes him to gain weight. As the weeks pass, the weight gradually creeps back on until he finally gains back all the fat he lost (plus a little extra for interest)

6 weeks after the diet ends:
200 lbs.
20.5% body fat
41.1 lbs. fat
Lean body mass 158.9 lbs.

Now he is right back at 200 pounds where he started, with only one difference: He has less muscle, more fat, and a slower metabolism than when he began. He has damaged his metabolism and it will now be harder than ever to lose weight.'

Yes,  magazines do need to sell copies, I'll agree with that.  But take a look at body builders and fitness professionals like personal trainers,  they are professionals at gaining lean body mass and fat loss.  And the advice they give shouldn't just be brushed aside. 

Thanks clairelane and downdeep. I realize that I am technically at a healthy weight and BMI for my height and weight, but I am very out of shape. I am not overweight, but definitely have some "problem areas". I think the main thing that I need to remember is the fact that everybody and every body is different. I can't expect to do the exact same thing as another person and expect to see the exact same results. I have already started to put a lot of cardio into my week (I never excercised before otherwise) and I suppose I need to start adding some strength training... *cringe* doing abs are my worst enemy. If you guys could suggest a good forum for strength training?

I really appreciate the time you guys took out of your day to answer my concern. I look forward to getting some good advice from CC again in the near future. Thanks again :)