How long and how much? People on cc for greater than 60 days, please.

Hey all,

I'd love to get some long term results from folks on their success using cc to lose weight. If you've been using this site for 2 months or longer I'd love to know what your starting weight was, where you are today and if you're satisified or disappointed with you weight loss to date.

Any thoughts and data would be greatly appreciated. I'm trying to get an honest gauge on how this site works for people who've committed to it long term.

Plus, it's fun to give people a chance to brag!

Thanks, Soobie

Hi. I've been using the site for 12 weeks. Started at 183 lbs with 26 to loose. I'm down by 15 lbs and delighted. I have wanted to do this for about 3 years and kept making half-hearted attempts. Logging everything is fun and confirms some recent research where people who wrote down everything they ate lost, on average, twice as much as those who didn't. (Can't remember whose research it was  )

I'm recommending the site to loads of middle-aged friends who battle to keep their weight down.

Hey Soobie,

I've been her for 7 months and have lost about 25 pounds.  The first five to ten just kinda fell off - it was so easy!  I learnt a lot about the positive effects of drinking heaps of water (and less caffeine) on this site, also the benefits of heaps of fruit and veges.  Using the log, I realised that every slice of bread I ate added 100cals - I quickly gave up my bread addiction (I haven't gone no carb but I now rarely eat bread/crackers/pasta).  Making all these changes helped me lose quickly at first. 

For me, I have lost weight through changing the foods I eat.  Others focus on increasing exercise (I run to avoid exercise), some do both.  Success is just making sure you use slightly more calories than you consume.

Since the first 6 weeks, the weight loss has slowed down.  At first i found this really frustrating - not to lose 2lb a week felt like failure.  But then I realised that it was probably healthier to lose slow and steady.  I average half to one pound a week and the changes I make are very permanent.  No yoyoing.  Sometimes, I feel like I get a bit slack but I never, ever go back to the stupid eating choices I used to make.

I also admit to not logging my foods.  I did it religiously to begin with but after a while, you build up a memory for what your favourite foods log in as.  I eat 6 meals a day and can list dozens of snack and meal ideas for 100 cal snacks, 200-300 light meals and heavier options.  I have a small portion of what my family has for tea and get at least 5 types of veges twice a day plus 2 fruit.  I am now a package reader when shopping (something I have never done before)

It works.  Its not magic.  It may not be quick. But it's a great site to learn about managing your nutrition needs.  There's some fantastic exercis help - not that I use it.  I really appreciate the forums as i am not someone who talks openly about weight issues in the real world. 

Hope you stick around and also find it helps you to make some permanent changes.  Food luck!

I have been on here since March 18 of this year and I have lost over 30 pounds.  I am now within 3 pounds of my goal weight, and I am still losing.

I have accomplished this by counting every calorie and working out 20-120 minutes a day.  My workouts are almost entirely workout videos.

I keep my own food journal, but I use this site to look up nutritional information for foods that I don't know the information for.  I have also logged some of my days on here and used their analysis tools to make sure I am getting the right balance of nutrients for my body. 

I also really like the forums.  It's nice to have a group of people to talk to that never get tired of me talking about food and fitness.  I have gotten a lot of tips, support, and entertainment from the forums.

Even though I am really close to my goal weight (aiming to get there by my birthday, which is in about 2 weeks), I know I am not ready to give up this website.  It has been so helpful to me.

ETA: to answer your question more directly, I have been on CC for 20 weeks, began at 162 pounds, am now 128 pounds, and I couldn't be happier with the results.

I've been on CC for 25 weeks today! About 6 months, WOW!

I'm 5'4 and started at 176 and I am now at 133 for a total loss so far of 43lbs.  (See my pic's)  This is the best diet I will forever live on.  I eat what ever I want I just count it all.  This works.

I've been on CC since the end of January (this year).

I have never been a junk food junkie - I have always been fairly aware of healthy eating and exercising. I used to work at a gym! I even journalled everything I ate and exercises I did before finding CC... But this site helped me realize how I was over eating healthy foods and that was why I wasn't seeing any weight loss. Calories really do COUNT and make a difference! 

I have been slowly gaining weight for about 7 years - just a few pounds a year - and never really had any success with weight loss - but I guess I never tried long enough/hard enough. This site with the forums and journals helped me stay focused even when the scale was moving at a snails pace.

I have lost over 10lbs in 6 months. This is slow for most people I realize - but it is very successful for me who has never successfully lost anything historically. I love the "trend line" on the weight log - it was the only thing keeping me going some days because I could see the trend was declining even if the day to day was not! 

I am happy with the results and attribute a lot of my success to having found CC.

I am about 2 lbs away from my first goal weight... but plan on continuing checking into CC once I reach that goal.  Possibly might aim to lose another 5lbs... but definitely will still be here even when I maintain. Awareness of the food you eat and having a healthy strong body is a wonderful thing!!!

Member since January, 2006.  See my profile for details of my weight loss and maintenance progress.

The replies to your post were incredibly encouraging. I am a relative newbie to the site but I really am amazed at how it has helped me truly see what I have been doing wrong.   I am paying much closer attention and seeing the hidden mistakes I make.  I have lost 3 pounds in almost 3 weeks and I know it sounds stupid but I feel soooo much better about myself even though I have 25 more to go.  This is not a diet plan, this is a life long eating plan for me.  Thanks everyone!

I had to go and look to see what my "stats" are - I can't believe I've lost 27.7 pounds!  I started at the end of March, because my wedding pictures were beautiful - but I wasn't pleased with my shape.  Everything moves a lot slower now than it did when i first started - but not only do I weigh less/look better, it's helped me control my anxiety and depression.  Big positives all around :)

When I started cc in march I was 215, now its the beginning of August and im 179. Soit definately works, take that diet profile. I ended up being a strategist...which means my problem was I really didnt know how to effectively diet. I dieted hap-hazardly till I found this site. There is a wealth of information from the moderators who sometime take away the free speech on here too much, but they have usually lost a large amount of weight themselves so they know what they are talking about. Also the people on here are great, for the most part :) everyone is willing to help. Calorie Counting is the absolute best way to lose weight, I swear by it now

CC works! I started in Jan. 08 at 237 lbs and through calorie counting and daily exercise have lost over 60 lbs so far! There are quite a few free calorie counting websites out there, but I liked CC the best because of the forums. There's a wealth of information and support to be had here. I've read countless posts by people who have lost amazing amounts of weight, just seeing their success is incredibly encouraging. When I started I wasn't even sure if I could lose weight, now that I have the "secret" I feel so much more in control of my life. Thank you CC!!

I have been here since January 08.  I have lost 55 pounds so far and have loved it.  It has been a lot easier than I have expected and I have learned a lot about nutrition and fitness.  I actually found this site after being randomized into the control group in a weight loss study (the active groups got Jenny Craig for two years).  I really wanted to be in the active group, but now - seven months into the two year study - I am SO happy I didn't get Jenny Craig.  CC has taught me about what it takes to lose weight without commerical gimmicks.  I have told a lot of people about CC and will probably continue to do so.

I've been on here since April 06, starting at 270 and currently at 184.  So that's... 86 lbs to date.  I have 24 more to lose to get to my goal weight of 160. I've lost quite slowly which I think is my ticket to keeping it off forever.  I use the low-pressure, take-it-easy method to losing :)  Time and time again I've realized that I am the most successful when I LOG WHAT I EAT EVERY DAY!!

The forums keep me 'busy' at work, too ;)

I think I've been on here since spring of 07 sometime. I was around 135 and wanted to be around 125. I got down to 129 by Nov 07 but then gained over the winter to ~140. I kept logging my intake but couldn't seem lose it. At the end of June 08, redid my calculations, started walking nearly every day, kept logging and now I've been consistantly losing a little over a pound a week for a month & a half.

IMO, cc is wonderful! I appreciate being able to log my intake (my 'score' has gone from in the B range to a consistant A) and the forums are really helpful for me. If things aren't working, I would check another site for BMR & target cals. They are just estimates and a little off can make all the difference in the long haul.

I started on here June 9th (so JUST about two months) and I've lost 13lbs, started at 174lbs and I'm down to 161. It's a really great place for support and learning. It's also really inspirational to hear and see all the success stories, it definitely keeps you going.

Im like Amonaco  I didn't even find CC untill June 11th.  But, I started my diet on June 1st.  So far I have lost 9.4 lbs.  But, I gained two lbs before I started loosing so though Ive only last 9.4 since my first weigh in,  Ive actually lost 12.4 That includes a week of having the flu where I basicly said Forget it, Im eating what I want and my 17th wedding anniversary where We went to Chilli's and ate what we wanted.  So Im not doing to bad. 

 

Hey!

I'd definitely recommend this site.

I joined two months ago and have lost 7 lbs (on target now yay).

Its a real eye opener (you realise how cruel / little-concern-for-your-health some food manufacturers have...)...believe me you want to know this stuff :)

....then you have your occasional lazies like me. I've been here for a little over a year.  I started at 133lbs and now weigh 135lbs.

so I've gained two pounds, Eeeekkk!  I've been eating at maintenance so I suppose I shouldn't complain.

;)

Started at Calorie-Count in November, 2006 at 214 pounds (I am 5'3" tall.)  Currently, I am hovering in the range of 145 - 148.  My highest weight was 267 pounds in February of 2006, which is when I started my lifestyle change.

I honestly don't think I would have made it this far without C-C.  Between all of the awesome advice in the forums and the support of the friends I've made here, I lost the weight steadily and slowly and have not gained anything back (nor do I plan to.)

For the majority of people, the Calorie Count method works.  Use the tools here at the site to determine calorie intake (and yes, it IS possible to eat too little) and calorie burn (and yes, it is possible to exercise too much,) and they will provide you with a mostly accurate picture of what you need to do to lose the weight.

C-C is not a "Lose Weight FAST!!!" website.  Many people are very disheartened to find out that there is no magic pill or magic workout that will melt the pounds away while you sit your couch potato butt in front of the TV.  You have to change your eating habits and you have to become active.  Restrictive diets like "cleanses" or Atkins rarely ever work in the long run.  Sure, people might lose 50 pounds the first time they do Atkins.  But then ask them how many other times they had to do Atkins because they probably gained all the weight back and then some.  A diet you have to do more than once means it doesn't work.

C-C will help you accomplish a lifestyle change so that you lose the weight gradually and safely.  It has been proven that people who lose weight slowly, and who do so through proper nutrition, diet, and exercise, and who weigh themselves regularly, are the most likely ones to keep it off for good. 

As they say, this is a lifestyle change and not a diet.  If you can commit to it with the necessary self-discipline, and if you are ready to do this in your heart of hearts, then it works.

Edited to add: The biggest stumbling block I see for many people here (myself included) is emotional eating, meaning using food as a coping mechanism to deal with stress and emotions (both good and bad.)  That is hard - VERY, very hard - to overcome, but it can be done.  For me, that was the hardest obstacle.  Once I got past it, the rest came pretty easily.

I have been here since Jan 2006.  Starting weight was 215 or so.  I am at 147ish today - loss of about 68 pounds.  I have been maintaining between 145 - 150 for over a year now.  I am 29 and 5'10".

This site is a great way to keep track/become aware of what you are eating, the quality of food you are eating, and how much you exercise. 

There are pictures and stats in my profile

I've been on here for just over 2 years, Losing weight for 16 months and  maintaining for almost 9. Counting calories! Pheww.

Starting weight: 294

Current weight: 120

Total Lost: 174 heavy heavy pounds

And yes, I'm very satisfied.