I thought I'd turn to the experts...

Just wanting to know how much calories came into play as you got within 20-30 pounds of your goal weight?

When you lost the last of the weight, did you really have to focus on calories, portions and so on?

Towards the end of your weight loss, how many calories would you say you were eating?

Thanks a bunch,

Sara

I'm sure no expert but I will try to answer if that's ok.
I honestly could not tell you how many calories I ate, or eat now.
When my weight loss slowed, I did have to concentrate on smaller portions, eating until satisified. That's my biggest thing. I tend to over eat and still do.
There is a big difference, for me, in the amount of food between satisified and full.
I always counted carbs and still do, in my head.
Never used fit day except for a couple of times just out of curiosity. I tried looking it up but couldn't find my totals, it's been so long ago.
HTH

Thanks for that Hayes. I'm glad to know it's not quite as draconian as having to be ultra-conscious of calories, but just rather - keeping an eye on portion sizes and paying attention to that 'full' and not 'stuffed' feeling.

I'm learning to log stuff into the My PLAN thingie on here, and I've only ever used it a few times, and not gotten very good at it. Right now, I'm using it to get myself back in line, on plan and not my lax 'coasting' variation of it.

I was just curious if calories were a huge part of the deal towards the last of the weight loss. So yeah, sounds like they count, but not in a way that anyone needs to get really picky about it.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

Sara

When I was 20 pounds out, I think I was eating 1300-1500 per day.

Here at the very end (I'd like to lose a couple more pounds but am calling it a day on May 18, no matter what), I'm eating 1800-2000 calories and still losing a little bit every single day.

To lose the last 10, I didn't have to watch calories, but I did change the macros (more fat, less protein), and my calories actually went UP 300-500 a day when I did that. I shouldn't say I "didn't have to" watch calories, but that I refused to cut calories. Haven't needed to go there yet. I wanted to explore other alternatives first, that didn't involve being hungry.

The only time I deliberately cut calories was when I stalled for two weeks. I then cut back from 2000 C to 1700 C for 10 days, tracking my intake with some software, and I did an enormous amount of data entry to made sure I counted everything that went in. That change gave my body the kick it needed to continue losing.

After that period, the only quantitative stuff I did was to weigh my protein for each meal to make sure I didn't go much above my minimum requirements until my next stall, 10 lbs. above goal weight.

I didn't have to restrict anything to lose the last bit. After I got my layoff notice, those last pounds just melted off in two weeks effortlessly.