Tell us about your success with this site

There's been alot of talk on this site recently about the use of low calories diets to lose weight and remain healthy. Does Starvation Mode exist, some ask? Some ask if it's really that bad? Lots of stories about people who've lost weight using very low-calorie diets.

Well, let me introduce myself.
My name is HK. I've been on this site since April of 2006. I've lost 60 lbs. by using the tools this site has to offer. I try to eat something close to what this site suggests I be eating, be active and have been rewarded with lower weight, higher energy and increased fitness and health. I have never dipped below 2000 calories, and I feel confident that when I finally get to maintenance, I know what to do to stay there (pretty much what I'm doing now, but I get to eat more than I am now, so long as I exercise :D )

I want to hear from others like me. I know there's a BUNCH of you out there.  Anyone else want to talk about their success using this site? How many pounds have you lost? How do you feel?

Don't be ashamed if you're new and you've only lost a pound or two. Come on over and tell us about how this site, and it's tools, have helped YOU lose weight :)

I started my weight loss with LA Weight Loss in January of 2006 driven by the inspiration of a sports radio DJ.   I found this site shortly after when researching how many calories are in my beer.   Ever since I've been calorie counting and I better understand weight loss and a balance in nutrition. 

Since then I've lost a total of 45lbs and as of November 2006 I have reached my goal weight.   I still use this site to maintain my weight and balance my intake of fats/protein/carbs.  I couldn't do it without this site.

I still work with the people at LAWL, mostly cuz of the contract with them and I want  my refunds (you get reimbursed after 26 and 52 weeks of maintenance).  If I bring up questions I think they learn more from me than I do from them.   Advisors there have joked to take away my menu diary, and I shoot back that I log everything online! LOL

This site has helped me not only with nutrition, but also fitness.  I have found that I am in love with the gym and this site has not only redefined my menu, but helped me find a workout routine and I'm working now on becoming stronger and more toned.  The support here is incredible.  The knowledge base here is amazing. 

Good post, HK!

I found Calorie-Count at the very start of my journey, March 24th 2006. I really believe if I had not found this site, I would have not stayed committed. I love the tools and features. I obsessively used my food log everyday for the first 6 months as I learned about portion control. I even bought a food scale and measuring cups!

My first three months were very difficult. I followed all the rules, but actually had gained weight. I wrote about my frustrations at the time in this thread. I did some research, refocused my goals and am proud to say that I have successfully lost 56 lbs since July 2006. I really got into the idea of more wholesome foods, more whole grains. For the first time in my life, I actually like brown rice.

Lately, I've been getting into Macrobiotics and the ideas behind the 100 mile diet. I've been finding interesting health food choices and experimenting a little with a raw food diet. This month, I've been dealing with sugar addiction. This totally wasn't a problem in the summer... so I find it interesting how seasons can potentially be an influence on one's desired food choices. I've learned to be patient and forgiving of myself. Change takes time and it's about a lot more than just what you put in your body.  

In November, I started running (and shovelling snow). I would say that the most important thing I have learned during my time on C-C is how important water is and making sure to get enough water. I drink 4 litres of water per day and it sure does make a difference. Great health, for life!! Woo-hoo!!

I found this site purely through over hearing a conversation at Target!  So I went here and signed up an account instantly and never looked back!

I am down 18 lbs so far and this is the FIRST time I have ever been successful at weight loss in eight years. The reason I feel this site has allowed me this success is the fact of the message boards and all the tools this site has to offer such as the ability to log everything, the fantastic recipes, calculators and the list goes on.

The reason my other attempts have failed is that I thought severely restricting your calories was the only way to go and it was through the message boards and such that I learned  that it is actually highly counterproductive and could be dangerous to my health if kept for the long term.  I would restrict my calories severly for 2-3 days, be so hungry I would binge eat, hate myself for it and give up.  But not this time....

I started logging in my calories and began to see the true picture (and it wasn't a pretty picture!) of how much I was actually eating and how little I was exercising.  Having it all in black and white in front of me was the final kick I needed to get serious about my weight!

I started this journey at 178 lbs and of this morning am down to 160 lbs!  What I have been doing is limiting my calorie intake to 1200-1500 daily (1500 is for the days that I work out for more than 30 mns). I also measure everything-even down to the 1 T of Ketchup I use for my Boca Burger.  This has kept me honest and I don't have to worry about estimating.   This week I also started the Slim in 6 Series as well and will be doing that until March 15th!

My goal weight is 120 lbs, but I have come to realize that is not set in stone.  The more muscle I have been putting on is reflected on the scale so I have come to look at my weight loss more in terms of inches lost and how my clothing feels rather than what the scale says.  So I have changed my goal weight to be when I feel intuitively it is time to be in maintenance-but I still have a way to go before I get there!

Hk- here is a link to a thread with other sucess stories.  :)

http://www.calorie-count.com/forums/post/1160 9.html

I guess I've lost close to 40 lbs since starting. Scale change in between so not exactly sure.

I'm currently at my target. BMI of 24.x. BF of 14%.

When I started I was to be honest eating less then most should. Every few weeks I upped the calories. I''m now eating MORE then CC claims my mainance is. Still slowly dropping a little weight.

What helped me was tracking. Planning. It's relatively easy to plan a day or two out in terms of food. It also lets me look at how I'm doing an adjust my snacks. Maybe bigger/smaller. Maybe more protein or fat.

Hi!  I'm Andy (andypandy).  I've been using this site as a substitute for a pysician managed weight program I started in November...it was getting pretty expensive and I realized that everything my doctor was telling me was the same as the advice I could get from calorie-count.com.  I use the food log and love the things like "analysis" to see how I'm doing in terms of the quality of the food I'm eating.  I also like that, unlike Weight Watchers, the site doesn't restrict you from logging in your weight as often as you'd like. 

I'm down 15 pounds from 183 to 168 since the beginning of November.  My goal is 140, but like Jamie79, I'm really looking at how I feel and how my clothes fit.  I can wear a belt again!  And button my suit jackets!  Everyone at work comments on how great I look - that's great motiviation to keep going.

I try to eat between 1300-1500...I feel much better physically when I stick between those #'s and don't feel deprived.  I actually feel worse when I overeat (like this weekend).  Knowing that the secret to this is just #'s - I don't feel like I can 'trick' myself by thinking that eating a cookie doesn't count.  Not sure if I'm explaining myself well, but when I was on Weight Watchers, it seemed like there was always opportunity to fool myself.

I try to exercise 5 days a week - 25-35 minutes on the Gazelle in the morning before work.  When it gets warm again and the sun is up in the morning, I'll go back to taking a long walk on the weekends.  I live in a beautiful wooded area in New Jersey and have no excuse not to take advantage of the quiet roads on a Saturday or Sunday.

Thanks for the thread!

Hi all - and thanks for starting this post HK!

I first came here about a year ago.  I followed the guidelines religiously - even eating more than I really felt that I wanted to make sure my daily defict never exceeded 1,000 calories.  I also started walking daily, and was up to 10 kilometres every morning before work.  Between the first of February and the end of April, I went from 225 pounds to 200 pounds.  (My goal was 160)  Based on that success, I figured I had this problem licked, and "it's easy to keep weight off in the summer", so I just kinda got out of the habit. 

Well, after Christmas, I found myself back up to 220 and unable to wear the pants that I'd bought just eight months ago.  The nice thing about my initial experience with CC is that I knew that I could come back, acknowledge that I'm essentially starting over again and carry on - without being chastized or written off as a loser.  (Or would that be a non-loser here?)! 

Well, it's been about three weeks since I've been back, I'm walking for at least an hour every morning before breakfast, and I've gone from 222 pounds to 212. 

I absolutely credit the tools and information on this site for teaching me how to lose weight in a healthy manner.  This time, I plan to take more advantage of the personal support and advice offered.  I've proven I know how to do it - I just need a little help to stick with it!  (I also have a weight bench that I bought last March - and have still not used!  Maybe that'll be my personal challenge for today!) 

Thanks to all - Split

I started in June 2006. I have lost 25 pounds so far.
I do not think that I have had a day where my calories have been under 1400.  I have had many days where the calories have been over 2000.
I always make sure that I have my fruits and veggies now.  Before I could go for a week and not eat a single fresh fruit.  Now three I day is the norm.
I thank my friends here for the support and feed back that I get daily.  Their stories are my inspiration and if I binge I feel that I am not only letting myself down, that I am letting them down as well.

Left weight watchers when I found this site a few days ago...down two pounds due to help from "SingpraisetoJesus"(Peggy). I had my body in starvation mode with weight Watchers. I had no support.....the meetings are all about selling you stuff and collecting your money.....and was cranky as hell because I was hungry all the time. I come here, get wonderful support...the site is free and pretty easy to navigate..I like the graphs and logs, and community. LOVE this site!

I first joined this site August 1st, 2005. Initially I started with 1444 calories a day for the first month, I lost 17lbs and I was psyched. School started and I was walking 2 hours a day with a 50lb backpack and I also started a weight training routine every day after school. By the end of September I figured I had done so well at 1444 calories that I would do even better at 1200.

I dropped my calories down, still keeping the same exercise routine and I didn't drop a single pound more. I lost a few inches, but overall I was tired, depressed, cranky and I had to quit after a month. I gained the weight back at a startling rate, even though I was still exercising and not eating even at my maintenance calories.

This past August I decided to try it again and I logged back on to CC. I was suprised to find out that eating less does not equal quicker weight loss. I realized that the entire month of October I had been starving myself and that's why I was so crapped out. So this time I'm doing it better. I know to give my body what it needs consistently, that just as there is "too much", there is "too little" and the effects are harmful even if you are overweight.

If it weren't for this site, I would not have the knowledge to make wise decisions regarding my health. If it weren't for this site, I would not cultivated literally dozens of priceless relationships which have lead to a lot of healing and a lot of breakthroughs regarding my emotional and physical struggles with my health, which in turn have transformed the rest of my life.

This site and the wonderful members make me confident that I can achieve my goals, no mattter how difficult they may seem...

CC ROCKS!!!!!!!!!

Well...I actually started my weight loss in 1997, I lost 65 pounds after having 3 babies and had never lost all the weight I gained.

On July 2, 2006 I decided that I needed to lose approximately 30 pounds and wanted to really commit myself to a healthy lifestyle...I started by counting calories...after about a month of doing it myself and getting discouraged, I was looking up a calorie count and stumbled on this site....I have been here every since. 

I have lost 22 pounds, got my exercise plan moving again and I know that if I didn't have this site, I would have "definitely" given up along time ago. 

I know that I have people here to help me keep myself motivated and inspired ...

So I thank you for that!

i've been on here for 3 weeks and lost 7 pounds didn't really have to stop eating the foods i loved to lose the weight just had to watch the portions. I LOVE THIS SITE!

I joined this website on December 28 2006.  I had been using this site since the summer of 2006 but I didn't know it was a community.  I came across it when I was searching for calories from foods I ate since I counted calories over the summer.  I randomly found that it was a communtiy when I stumbled on the message board topic that was under the nutritional information. So that's how I got started with calorie count.  I lost 6.9 pounds since december and 14 lbs over the summer when i was counting calories so over a total of 20.9lbs.

I also found the site by accident.  I was actually trying to find out how many calories were in something I had ate and stumbled on this in a search engine.  But I love it!  I actually just started trying to lose weight after I stepped on the scale the day after Christmas (2006) and realized I weighed 210 pounds!  More than I have ever weighed in my life, and definitely way more than is healthy!  After that, I started watching what I was eating on my own, and I was down to 202 when I stumbled on this site on Jan. 11.  Well, now after almost a month, I feel better than I did at first, because I know I am doing this right and I'm not starving myself.  I love the support I get here, more than anything.  I love the graphs and how they show me what I am reallly doing- now I weigh 195 and have another 65 pounds to go before I will be at my "target weight".  But, like others, I am really looking forward to getting into old clothes, and feeling and looking healthy, more than the numbers on the scale.  So, I've lost 15 pounds so far and am very happy!!

I've been on this site sor 2½ weeks, and lost so far 9 lbs.

I'm realy happy with that, i feel much better. I don't think i would of done it with out you guys!

Good luck to everybody!

Florencexx

HK, don't know how I got here but I have and that is all that matters.

Lost 45 pounds total and maintaining that weight nicely. i'm 51 year old male and 5'9"

used the site to learn portion control, which at times is still tuff, and how to balance activities to enhance the weight loss.  Now I'm trying to learn nutrition as well to make sure I'm getting all the vitamens and minerals I need to live well.

what I like the most about the site is the daily weight log in to track my trend, I have found that day to day you will see big swings in weight and the trend keeps me sane by showing that even when my weight goes up for a day or two my average weight only changes about 1/2 pd. or so.

And of course the community of friends here a C-C, it great to read the stories and see the things that people do and say!  I would like to add that it is sad though to see so many who suffer, wish the desire to do right could be meet with the results they wish for.

DAN

I stumbled on this site when I was l;ooking for software to manage my food and lifestyle.  I wanted something that would log all my activitiy, food and my progress.

I was willing to pay for what this site does for free and I get great support here.

I started on 01/08/07 and have lost 14 pounds.  And while I believe no one solution fits all....What you find here are options to customize a plan.  Those options are provided my everyone sharing thier ideas, experiences.

Hi everyone,

I stumbled on this site on December 30th, while looking for some site to log what calories I was eating.  I knew in my heart that I was eating too many, but was looking for a way to really know how I was eating.

WOW, what a find.  I found out what I needed to do to have safe weight loss (like eating!) and the tools and forums are remarkable...all for no cost!

I have lost my first 10 pounds, the first movement on the scale in two years!  It is not easy, but it is getting easier.

You do have to make a committment to yourself, to the site, and hang with it, and enjoy the journey.  I have 42 more pounds to go, 7 pounds per month!  Nothing is going to stop me!!!

Good Luck to All!

Monica

I can take off my pants without unbuttoning or unzipping them! Yeah, I need new clothes. Fifty pounds off was my goal, and I made my goal two full months before my target date (which is still in the future). Yee-HAW!

My family doctor mentioned the site to me in 2005, but at the time the site was not as fully developed, and I wasn't really read to lose the weight.

I wandered back in April 2006 and played around with the tools, tracking my eating for a week.  I discovered that my diet was actually quite healthy and well-balanced, but my volume was way off!  And I wasn't exercising.  So, using the tools, I started off at 1300 to 1500 calories per day, and started using an elliptical trainer for 20 minutes 3 times per week at the gym. 

Since then, I have upped my calories to 1400 or 1500 a day.  I work out 3 days a week doing High Intensity Interval Training on the elliptical, and do a full body weight workout.  I also try to fit in a 30 minute swim occasionally, and have recently started running on the treadmill and indoor track.

I have lost 53 pounds so far, and have about 35 more to go.  I have dropped from a size 24 on top to an 18, and from a 22-24 on bottom to 16, and I think that's getting a little big now too.

I started to plateau several times during the journey.  When that happened, I started to zig-zag my calorie intake from day to day, from 1200 to 1600, increased my weight workout just slightly, and threw in a tiny bit more cardio, just 15 minutes or so...  and the weight started to come off again.

Early on, the weight-loss was quite dramatic!  I think I dropped the first 30 pounds within 3 months.  As my BMI decreased, the gap between calories in and calories burned went down, and the weight loss slowed.  Another interesting twist in the the journey was starting HIIT.  The month I started it, I didn't lose a single pound.  But, by the end of 6 weeks, I had to get new pants.  My old pants were literally falling down.

This reinforced the concept that WEIGHT is not as critical as MEASUREMENTS for determining progress.  Measure monthly, and you will see results, even if the scale seems to be stuck.

One thing I attribute to my success is the refusal to consider this whole experience a "diet".  Diets are useless, frustrating exercises in nonsense.  This is no diet.  It is reclaiming a healthy lifestyle and changing how I treat my body.  I'm being NICE to my body, feeding it, giving it lots of high quality nutrients, and improving my cardiovascular and muscular systems.  It's something I will be doing for the rest of my life.

A lot of my information on exercise science and nutrition I get by reading medical studies on Pub-Med.

When I find an interesing piece of info on the forums, I usually search for a medical study on the topic to fact-check. 

Calorie Count has been the lynch-pin that holds the whole process together.  The tools are fantastic, and the journal has been a great way to write down little epiphanies and plans that come as the journey progresses.  But I think the forums and friends journals are something unique and extraordinary.  You can as a question, share a concern, or tell a joke, and there is someone who has an idea, an answer, or a word of support.