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It’s a Numbers Game

It’s a Numbers Game

Lisa Eirene

About Lisa Eirene Lisa lost 110 pounds through calorie counting and exercise. She swims, bikes, runs, hikes and is enjoying life in Portland, Oregon. Her weight loss story has been featured in First Magazine, Yahoo Health, Woman's Day and Glamour.com.

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8 Comments

  1. Leah @ L4L

    I definitely see the value in weighing yourself, counting calories, and tracking workouts BUT I think it is perfectly healthy, if not preferred, to take a break from it every so often. Calorie counting has worked for me in the past but it is not something I want to do for the rest of my life. I come back to it every few months or so just to “check in” and make sure I’m on track or maybe to help get me back on track. Honestly, it makes me batty after a few weeks. I feel better with my life when I’m not counting and just making healthy decisions. I always wear my HRM when I exercise (not yoga though) mostly for curiousity sake. And I do weigh myself a few times a week but I’ve gotten to the point where I can just guess my weight based on my activity and what I’ve been eating. πŸ™‚

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I agree that a break is sometimes very needed. I take a break from counting calories probably once a month. Usually it’s because I’m out of town, or on vacation for the weekend and I just want a break. But I always go back. I will probably ALWAYS have to count my calories. It’s just part of who I am now.

  2. Lori

    I think things are just different for big losers. I like numbers and need that kind of accountability. It is really easy for me to have problems with portions if I don’t weigh and measure my food – and myself! I tried going completely scale free and either I am not ready yet or it is just a tool I need. However, I do have the no number scale so I don’t really know what my exact weight is. I just no what it is in relationship to when I first got on this scale.

    I think if you don’t like numbers, then counting can lead to issues. I like charts and graphs and all that dorky stuff πŸ˜€

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I’m a nerd too, so it works well for me.

      How often were you weighing yourself before you tried going scale free?

  3. Amber from Girl with the Red Hair

    You know, I quit counting calories in October because after my marathon I was SO DEPRESSED that I was still eating around 2,500 calories a day but wasn’t putting in the miles for it. For the first time in 3 years of counting the numbers really got to me. So I quit, and vowed to learn to eat intuitively.

    8 months later, I might be finally getting the intuitive eating thing as I’m slowly seeing the numbers go down on the scale. I really think that intuitive eating takes TIME to learn and along the way there might be a few roadblocks (aka a few pounds gained). I thoroughly enjoy not counting my calories anymore and hope to never do it again – that being said, I know it is a VERY effective tool for weight loss and completely understand why others do it. I also encourage people who are just starting a weight loss journey to do it.

    Counting my miles is another thing that can get out of control for me. I’m injury-prone so thrive on lower-mileage weeks (20 – 25 miles per week running) but sometimes I get it in my head that I should be hitting the big numbers (50+) that other runners hit. I love tracking my miles and won’t ever stop, but it definitely can have a negative effect on me sometimes.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      That’s great that IE is working for you. I tried to do it for about 10 months. I stopped counting calories and tried to eat intuitively. That in combination with taking Celexa caused me to gain 15+ pounds. It does NOT work for me. Numbers, calories, tracking, all that works. I’m successful so I need to keep doing it.

      But I’m totally with you on the mileage. I am injury-prone too and have to be really careful.

  4. Theresa

    First off – congratulations for losing so much weight and becoming more healthy! I feel that counting calories and tracking weight can lead me to easily into obsessive behaviours. Therefore I tend to track my measurements and how I’m feeling. I use the awesome Fitango Women’s Measurement Tracker. It’s FREE and has really helped me keep myself on track.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I will have to check out that tracker website.

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