Logging accuracy, consistency, and you're probably eating more than you think.

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  • polkadont
    polkadont Posts: 12 Member
    edited March 2015
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    it wasn't until I started using a scale that I realized I was under logging by almost 200 calories a day! i.e. I found of my daily grapefruit and pear were more than 100 g over what I thought! Using a scale is a MUST!
  • melg51
    melg51 Posts: 37 Member
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    After a week and a bit on here I've been influenced into purchasing some digital scales to hurry my weight loss along.. Hurrah.

    But I have a question. So I am saving some calories back today so I can have a slice of cake later. This cake is homemade.. (by someone else) HOw would you say is best to record this?
  • dayjolie
    dayjolie Posts: 10 Member
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    I actually over estimate what I eat so as to make sure I don't lose anything
  • scousedani
    scousedani Posts: 2 Member
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    squeepig wrote: »
    Despite what everyone wants everyone else to do, a lot of people who use MFP are not going to weigh their food. The fact that they're here in the first place is great, as it means they're actually trying, maybe for the first time in their life, and it would be discouraging to find that they can't input their food because something they ate is only listed in grams. There has to be a balance between what those who are intensely committed want and what those just starting out want. :smile: Yeah, I'm one of those who doesn't weigh things, but I am losing. Maybe not as quickly as others, but it's happening, slow and steady. Perhaps when I finally plateau, then I'll start thinking about weighing my food, but that's highly unlikely.
    I'm not weighing and I'm still losing so totally agree with you x
  • michellemejia77
    michellemejia77 Posts: 1
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    I'm not sure if I'm doing this correctly, MFP States I should be eating 1260 calories. I burn 500 calories excersicing. Does this mean I can eat 1760 calories a day and still loose lbs? Can someone please explain. Thank you.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    michellemejia77 wrote: »
    I'm not sure if I'm doing this correctly, MFP States I should be eating 1260 calories. I burn 500 calories excersicing. Does this mean I can eat 1760 calories a day and still loose lbs? Can someone please explain. Thank you.

    Everything is an estimate - but assuming that the estimates are reasonably accurate, then that is correct.
  • zena_marie
    zena_marie Posts: 15 Member
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    This may be an obvious question but I just want to make sure. .. I've been following the hairy bikers diet books which is great cuz it tells you the calories per portion but doesn't give a portion size. Am I right to assume that if you follow the weights exactly and it saysserves 6 then you just divide the finished weight by 6 and that's a portion?
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    zena_marie wrote: »
    This may be an obvious question but I just want to make sure. .. I've been following the hairy bikers diet books which is great cuz it tells you the calories per portion but doesn't give a portion size. Am I right to assume that if you follow the weights exactly and it saysserves 6 then you just divide the finished weight by 6 and that's a portion?

    Should be

    But I'd use the recipe builder and enter all the ingredients
    Weigh the full cooked dish and divide by number of 100g portions so that you can have adaptable sizes dependent on appetite
  • montanasnowflake
    montanasnowflake Posts: 9 Member
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    I would dearly love to talk to folks in my age group about losing weight, plateaus and exercising ..... I'm almost 53 ..... and folks in this age bracket have issues younger folks don't
  • lisawinning4losing
    lisawinning4losing Posts: 726 Member
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    For me the biggest problem is consistency. When I'm consistent, the weight comes off. When I'm not, it doesn't. When logging, I make a conscious effort to error on the side of over-estimating calories eaten and under-estimating calories burned. For example, I don't weigh my meat, but I log it as more than I think it is. But I do use measuring cups for things that will easily fit into them. I don't stress out over vegetables because they're vegetables. (Some people don't even count the calories from vegetables, just anything caloric that you add to them if anything.) I walk more than I say I do, because I don't need to eat back every calorie. I do want to get a scale, but I seem to do fine without it *as long as* I log everything every day. That's the trick.
  • Amalaytal
    Amalaytal Posts: 9 Member
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    I over count cals when I'm not sure, not sue if this is a good idea because then I might be lacking something. Maybe I should get a little scale? I don't know they had them or at least, never thought of it.
  • MichelleH93UK
    MichelleH93UK Posts: 10 Member
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    I'm newish, so I haven't read all of this - but how do people measure the portion size of a homecooked meal? I measure all ingredients as they go in, but what about measuring out? Particularly when you get a meal that you cook down so it might lose 'weight' so to speak.

    What do people do? I'm honestly curious as to how so I can monitor my food better.
  • greaseswabber
    greaseswabber Posts: 238 Member
    edited March 2015
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    michelleforsyth85 wrote: »
    I'm newish, so I haven't read all of this - but how do people measure the portion size of a homecooked meal? I measure all ingredients as they go in, but what about measuring out? Particularly when you get a meal that you cook down so it might lose 'weight' so to speak.

    What do people do? I'm honestly curious as to how so I can monitor my food better.
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    But I'd use the recipe builder and enter all the ingredients
    Weigh the full cooked dish and divide by number of 100g portions so that you can have adaptable sizes dependent on appetite

    ^this

    I just did this for breakfast this morning. My wife made a coffee cake. I entered the ingredients and precooked amounts into recipe builder. Then when it was done I weighed the whole cake in grams before we served any. I entered the whole weight as the number of servings in the recipe(1749 g in this case). I weighed my slice (111 g) and entered it in my diary as 111 servings. And then I ate really good coffee cake.

    7l09r60mjahc.jpg

    ETA: fixing typos
  • seanfahmy
    seanfahmy Posts: 1
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    My issue has been UNDEReating! I have a 1700 calorie limit per day and I keep hitting between 700-1100. I'm not starving myself, just eating small portions and filling in between with a ton of water. Is it bad to do this? Should I force myself to eat more even if I'm not that hungry?
  • bethanie0825
    bethanie0825 Posts: 1,474 Member
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    seanfahmy wrote: »
    My issue has been UNDEReating! I have a 1700 calorie limit per day and I keep hitting between 700-1100. I'm not starving myself, just eating small portions and filling in between with a ton of water. Is it bad to do this? Should I force myself to eat more even if I'm not that hungry?

    Pretty sure you need to eat at least 1200 calories at a minimum to keep your body out of starvation mode. Your body will hang onto every calorie if it thinks you're starving. Personally, I don't have a problem eating too little food. Are the meals well rounded? Maybe eat an entire portion of protein, fruits, and/or veggies. Are you trying to lose, gain, or maintain your weight?
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
    edited March 2015
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    bethanie0825 wrote: »
    seanfahmy wrote: »
    My issue has been UNDEReating! I have a 1700 calorie limit per day and I keep hitting between 700-1100. I'm not starving myself, just eating small portions and filling in between with a ton of water. Is it bad to do this? Should I force myself to eat more even if I'm not that hungry?

    Pretty sure you need to eat at least 1200 calories at a minimum to keep your body out of starvation mode. Your body will hang onto every calorie if it thinks you're starving. Personally, I don't have a problem eating too little food. Are the meals well rounded? Maybe eat an entire portion of protein, fruits, and/or veggies. Are you trying to lose, gain, or maintain your weight?

    You will not go into 'starvation mode' (in the context of not losing weight) if you eat less than 1,200 calories.

    That being said, for most people however, it is usually not a good idea to go that low. You run a greater risk of losing LBM, being deficient in nutrients and adherence and energy issues, to name a few.
  • bethanie0825
    bethanie0825 Posts: 1,474 Member
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    I meant that the body will hang onto every calorie if it thinks it is starving bc of the lack of calories being eaten. Usually 1200 is what's needed to regulate the body's functions. Makes it hard to maintain weight and metabolism as well as all the issues you mentioned.

    I def don't have an issue eating too few calories lol!
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    bethanie0825 wrote: »
    I meant that the body will hang onto every calorie if it thinks it is starving bc of the lack of calories being eaten. Usually 1200 is what's needed to regulate the body's functions. Makes it hard to maintain weight and metabolism as well as all the issues you mentioned.

    I def don't have an issue eating too few calories lol!

    No, it won't. Look at people in Africa who don't have many food resources.

    Now, what does happen when you consume too few calories is loss of muscle, loss of hair, exhaustion, and other more dangerous symptoms. 1200 is so a woman can get adequate nutrients to keep her body running in a healthy manner.
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    bethanie0825 wrote: »
    I meant that the body will hang onto every calorie if it thinks it is starving bc of the lack of calories being eaten. Usually 1200 is what's needed to regulate the body's functions. Makes it hard to maintain weight and metabolism as well as all the issues you mentioned.

    I def don't have an issue eating too few calories lol!

    This doesn't actually happen.


  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member
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    Sarauk2sf wrote: »
    bethanie0825 wrote: »
    seanfahmy wrote: »
    My issue has been UNDEReating! I have a 1700 calorie limit per day and I keep hitting between 700-1100. I'm not starving myself, just eating small portions and filling in between with a ton of water. Is it bad to do this? Should I force myself to eat more even if I'm not that hungry?

    Pretty sure you need to eat at least 1200 calories at a minimum to keep your body out of starvation mode. Your body will hang onto every calorie if it thinks you're starving. Personally, I don't have a problem eating too little food. Are the meals well rounded? Maybe eat an entire portion of protein, fruits, and/or veggies. Are you trying to lose, gain, or maintain your weight?

    You will not go into 'starvation mode' (in the context of not losing weight) if you eat less than 1,200 calories.

    That being said, for most people however, it is usually not a good idea to go that low. You run a greater risk of losing LBM, being deficient in nutrients and adherence and energy issues, to name a few.

    Yep, it's bad for all kinds of other reasons, but starvation mode isn't one of them.

    The most likely scenario is that adherence goes out the window, IMO.

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