Calorie counting does not work!!

[PBUK74]

I am a man at 6 feet 3 and weigh approx 19 stone. I am being told that if I consume on average 2000 calories I should lose 2 pounds per week. On average I consume between 1800-2000 per day (sometimes less) and am still carrying all this lard around with me after years of the same calorie intake!! I moderately exercise 5 days per week (1 hour per day) and am getting more and more depressed about this whole matter!!

I have little money so cannot afford weightwatchers or any other paid plan and I really need some help!! My GP is useless. Just says eat fruit and veg ( I do...loads) and walk ( i do more than walk!!) !!

Please, please, please can somebody help me on here??

 

[amy1985]

I've had a lot of success with calorie counting.

Have you kept a food diary to see what you're eating and how much you're eating? You don't have to calorie count- it can be very tedious- but having an idea of the calorie density of what you're eating is helpful so you can make lower calorie choices? If you haven't kept a diary, a lot of people (including me) find that they think they eat a lot less and a lot better than they actually do. I used to calorie count very meticulously, and when I first started I found I was very, very wrong about how much I thought I ate.

If you have kept a diary, and this has been going on for years, have you had blood tests to see if everything's working (e.g. thyroid function tests)? On a basic scientific level, unless there's something medically wrong, if you're burning more calories than you're eating, then you should be losing weight.

 

[ryan_ttl]

I agree with amy1985. I've had good success with calorie counting too. I think the problem is not the calorie counting method, but the number you're being told to hit. That "2000 calorie" number is mostly out of thin air, and it sounds like your body needs differently.

What are you using to track calories?