# Weight/calorie loss journal



## jpfabricator (Jan 29, 2015)

A good friend of mine challenged me to a weight loss competition. He told me a calorie counting diary/journal has helped him lose 14 pounds since the first. I was curious if anyone else on here has used, or is using somthing like this? Of so which one, and hows it working for you?

Jake Parker


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## Mark_f (Jan 29, 2015)

jpfabricator said:


> A good friend of mine challenged me to a weight loss competition. He told me a calorie counting diary/journal has helped him lose 14 pounds since the first. I was curious if anyone else on here has used, or is using somthing like this? Of so which one, and hows it working for you?
> 
> Jake Parker



I used Fitness Pal . It was on my smart phone and automatically synced with my computer. Lose It is another good program and they are both free. I lost 50 pounds in 5 months.


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## caster (Jan 29, 2015)

Counting calories works.  An average person need 1 calorie per kilogram per hour to maintain their weight.  A 220Lb person will need 2,400 calories per day to maintain his weight.   Each 3,500 calorie deficit will result in 1Lb lost.  So if you weigh 220 and consume 1,200 calorie  per day you will have 8,400 calorie deficit in a week for a total of 2.4Lb loss.  I did this last year for 7 months and lost 76Lb.  1,200 calories were divided 200 breakfast, 500 lunch and 500 dinner.  Not too much food if you eat high calorie food such as fatty meat, its best to eat low calorie high volume food to feel full.

Good luck,

Caster


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## churchjw (Jan 29, 2015)

I just got diagnosed with high blood pressure So I am going to have to lose weight.  I will look into the programs to track calories.  Thanks for the encouragement that it can be done.  

Jeff


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## nobog (Jan 30, 2015)

Step #1: stop drinking pop/soda.  A 20 oz Mountain Dew is 320 calories and 77 g of sugar!


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## jpfabricator (Jan 30, 2015)

The soda is no issue, I probably drink 4 a year. My biggest hurdel is that as a truck driver, most places that are truck friendly, are not health concious. I guess they got the name "choke and puke" honestly. Thanks for the suggestions and the incoutagement!

Jake Parker


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## mlake01 (Jan 30, 2015)

+1 on the Fitness Pal app!  Weight loss is simple math - calories in vs. calories burned.  I've dropped 9 lbs since the 1st, and my friend has lost 24.  Best part - you literally eat anything you want, just be honest and count the calories.  It won't take long and you'll learn portion control and the value of a big salad to fill you up.

Plus, you can jump on the treadmill or go for a hike and earn enough calories back for that beer!


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## w9jbc (Jan 30, 2015)

jpfabricator said:


> A good friend of mine challenged me to a weight loss competition. He told me a calorie counting diary/journal has helped him lose 14 pounds since the first. I was curious if anyone else on here has used, or is using somthing like this? Of so which one, and hows it working for you?
> 
> Jake Parker



it does in fact work we had a "fat class" here at work several years back.  that was the way it worked I kept mine on excel, each of us were given a magic number of calories daily.  mine turned out to be like 1450 as I recall as long as I stayed under that I lost weight.


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## GA Gyro (Feb 6, 2015)

I am currently on a diet of sorts... lost 35# last year (255 down to 230) and plan another 30-40# this year.  I can say this: As age sets in, it is not as easy to loose as it used to be.  :whistle:

My brother, went from 350# to 260# last year (yes, 90#).  We are kinda ragging each other as to who gets under 200 first (I really do not care, just do not want to be the sole survivor of the family).  :allgood:

I can say one feels better when they get the weight off!  :victory:

My method is (within reasonable limits) to hold down the amount of 'complex carbs' one eats (complex carbs are anything made from whole grains; breads, pasta, etc... and yeah, beer...  ).  Complex carbs take 6-8-sometimes 10 hours to burn off... I try to not eat complex carbs after lunch.  The result is... they are burned off by bedtime... and do not 'hang around'... :lmao:

Subway sandwiches (get ALL the veggies on the sandwich) seem to work... albeit they are not the bargain they used to be (Nov 1 2014 they went up from a $3.99 combo meal).  There is lots of bread... however I can eat an apple for breakfast, a subway for lunch, and a salad (with salmon, chicken breast, etc) for dinner, and loose weight. 
It goes without saying:  Lay off the sodas, fried foods, and sugary desserts.

I 'reward' myself once a week, with a trip to the 'Sweet Tomato' (salad bar place)... and pig out.  Usually gain back a # or so... yet it comes off in a day.  Seems to keep me going longer (more months) when I do the reward thing... rather than the strict diet 7 days a week thing.  

Hope to get under 200# this year... for some reason I loose weight best during the 2nd quarter of the year... (???)


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## mikey (Feb 6, 2015)

I have no dog in the fight. I'm 160# with 17% body fat so I have no business in this discussion but as a physician I do have some suggestions.

Calorie reduction is a common tactic. Many people who are strict enough can lose weight. That isn't the battle. The battle is to keep it off because calorie reduction for the long haul requires a lifestyle change. If you are willing to watch your calories for the rest of your life then go for it. If not, then expect that your weight will fluctuate.

I usually discourage only dieting. In fact, body weight is of less concern to me than overall body fat content. My best recommendation, without going through all the many, many reasons for it, is to get into a regular exercise program that you can maintain and then break up your daily total caloric intake into 5-6 smaller meals per day. By exercise, I mean resistance/weight training every other day and aerobic exercise in between, 6 days per week. 

The reason this works is because exercise raises your body's metabolic rate, which consumes calories. Aerobic exercise can raise your metabolic rate for 24-36 hours, while weight training can raise it for up to 72 hours. It is this increased metabolic rate that melts the fat away and you will be surprised how fast and effective it is. This will only be true if you eat enough to maintain that metabolic rate. This is the reason for eating many smaller meals per day - to maintain the metabolic rate you worked so hard to get up. 

What you are doing here is lowering your body fat content and gaining lean muscle mass, which is a much healthier way to go, and doing so without starving. If you eat wisely - lean meats, simple starches, veggies for your meals and maybe a protein drink or two - and can maintain a regular exercise program then losing weight can be very fast and you'll be stronger and leaner instead of a lighter, weaker version of yourself. 

If you're serious about this then I highly recommend you work with your doctor, a dietician and enlist the help of a personal trainer or friend who can guide you in the gym. If you can work this into a lifestyle change you will be much better off. You will likely also see a significant improvement in any comorbid conditions you may have - diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, osteoarthritis, etc. 

The older we get the more important it becomes to maintain muscle mass and reduce fat - how we do that is up to us. Diets alone usually fail, guys. I have seen this so often that its almost axiomatic.


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## ScrapMetal (Feb 6, 2015)

mark_f said:


> I used Fitness Pal . It was on my smart phone and automatically synced with my computer. Lose It is another good program and they are both free. I lost 50 pounds in 5 months.



My wife has that on her phone as well and swears by it (not that she needs to lose any weight but you know women...)  I bought her a FitBit One for Christmas that now syncs her physical activity with her calorie intake and she's even happier with it.

FWIW

-Ron


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