Why Counting Calories Isn’t Enough

You can’t lose weight counting calories

 

Don’t get me wrong, counting calories is extremely helpful, and all those lovely apps like Lose it!, Calorie Counter Pro and My Fitness Pal make it too easy. But counting calories is NOT enough people.

 

Think 1200 calories a day is hard to do? It’s not.

And you can lose weight doing it, if done the right way.

 

For the longest, I can honestly say I did it the wrong way.

I was counting calories waaaay before Retrofit came along.

 

And not only adding them up, but subtracting those suckers when I worked out. Yep, treadmill at the gym tells you how many calories you’ve burned during your 30 minute run, I’d enter that number in, Lose it! would say I can eat “this many more calories today” and I’d say “Yay! I can have a burger AND fries for lunch”.

 

Talk about doing it the wrong way.

 

I won’t lie, I like it easy. Every other bloody thing in life is hard. Motherhood, marriage, work…

 

Why can’t this one thing be easy?

 

Ya know what? It can be easy, if you’re committed and better educated about what the hell you put in your mouth.

 

Like I said, I like it easy. So I didn’t bother to learn about good calories and bad calories and all that jazz. I just added in, subtracted when I could and skipped meals when I hit my cap for the day.

 

Guess where it got me after 6 months? I lost 2 pounds. In 6 bloody months.

Now I should tell you, the first time I tried Lose it, I did so along with Atkins-you-can-only-eat-this diet plan and my best friend Mimi. She pretty much picked what we would have for lunch every day, so I did pretty damn well. (I lost 10 pounds in 2 months. Then I gained it all back and then some.) I didn’t have to think, I just ate whatever Mimi said we were having for lunch that day. I like it easy. But Mimi is a smart chic and she paid attention to what we could eat and couldn’t. And she knew why. I just said, Mimi, what’s for lunch today?

 

Here’s the deal…

 

You want a 6 figure salary, you’ve got to learn, make sacrifices and work it.

 

You want a happy marriage, you’ve got to learn how to make compromises, how to live as one half as a whole (cause it ain’t all about you anymore) and put time into making it work.

 

You want kids that are smart enough and caring enough to cure cancer, end world hunger and actually get this country out of debt, you’ve got to make sacrifices, learn to compromise, learn to prioritize, invest your heart and soul and every dime you’ve got into you’re childrens’ welfare.

 

Why should losing weight be any easier?

Fighting obesity is a battle for many.

Oooh look at me, I’m armed with an iPhone app.

Blah.

No wonder I gave up so many times.

 

Here’s how to count calories right

 

Stop counting them.

 

Seriously.

 

Learn about food first.

 

During my very first chat with my Retrofit nutrition coach, not only did I learn about all those calories I was packing away from the coffee creamer, but I also learned that all calories are not created equal.

 

Remember I said 1200 calories a day is easy and works if you do it right?

 

Three 300 calorie meals and two 150 calories snacks is easy peasy.

 

Learn about food first, chose fruits, vegetable, high protein meats and fish, then you can count the calories.

 

For example, eating food high in fiber will keep you full longer and move its way out easy. They also require more energy to digest. Digesting a whole wheat bagel burns calories as opposed to sucking down a plain bagel that just goes straight to your rear.

 

Easy peasy right? WRONG.

 

Counting calories is still not enough.

 

As soon as I stopped eating with Mimi, I gained it all back and then some.

 

To really lose weight and keep it off, you need to learn it and work it.

 

And to keep from giving up, you need support. The only reason I made it through those two months was because Mimi supported me in the only way she knew she could. She told me what to do. She brought water to my desk. We had lunch together everyday. She got on my ass about working out.

 

Every other time I tried without her, I failed.

 

Then Retrofit came along and in 17 weeks I lost 18lbs and I’m still losing. And it’s not easy, but it’s do-able.

And I have people on my ass again.

Checking in on what I’m eating, giving me guidance on what to eat, pushing me to work out, encouraging me not to fear the scale.

 

But you know what, though I only speak to my nutrition coach once every two weeks, I’m still losing. Because what I’ve learned from her has taken me a long way.

 

I’ve got to give you a bit of truth here though. I could have lost more by now.

The past several weeks, since I’ve been overwhelmed and in drama land, I wasn’t working out. I did my one hour walk everyday, but really, all I was doing was maintaining by choosing the right foods. And though the drama is over now and I’ve got work scheduled, but I’m not crazy swamped, I haven’t been able to get back into exercising. All my joints are stiff and everything I try to do is painful.

On Thursday, I spoke with my exercise coach, she sent me awesome exercises to do and gave me an exact routine to follow. I’m getting back into my groove and it feels good. Without her, my super expensive Malibu Pilate Bench would continue to collect dust as it did for the 6 months before I called Retrofit.

 

Counting calories and working out is not enough. You’ve got to be committed and if you find you’re having trouble committing, seek out support. I’m not on a diet, I’m in the battle against obesity and I’m armed with more than an iPhone app. I’ve got a crew of supporters/strategists that help me kick ass everyday.

 

Seek out support.

 

If you’re interested in trying out Retrofit, I have a $500 discount code for you.

 

Learn about Retrofit here.

 

Apply the discount by visiting here and entering CYRIL as the coupon code.

 

my disclosure statement

 

My friend Chrissy at SoManyWays.net has joined Retrofit and is blogging about her experience! Check out her take on Retrofit here.