Calorie Counting Help

millie740

I also posted this in another section but I need some help if anyone is willing to and educated on this topic I am wanting to lose 20-25lbs. I currently work full time, am a full time student and have an 8 month old son. My fitness pal has recommended I stay at 940 calories a day. I typically eat just over 1000 and do small at home workouts because that's all I have time and energy for. The problem is that I'm not seeing any results. I don't know if this is due to my diet or the type of workouts I am doing. Does anyone have any advice on what I should be doing? Thank you!

queenliz99

940 calories is way too low. Is this MFP glitch? Not sure but you need to override this as your goal.

Do you use a food scale? If you don't, you should purchase one. How do you calculate your calories burns? MFP calorie burns are high.

Have read the stickies at the top of the message boards?

like this one

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

futuremanda

I've seen a few threads recently of people claiming to get really low calorie recommendations. It's definitely a glitch of some sort -- it is supposed to give you no less than 1200.

If you're eating, say 1100 and working out and seeing no results:

1. How long have you been at this? If only a week or two, just keep at it.
2. Is the exercise new? This can cause you to retain some water.
3. You definitely need a food scale if you don't have one. Use it for all solids. Use good measuring cups for liquids. Log this way, it will be much more accurate.
4. If you eat out and are having to guess sometimes, try your best to guess high.
5. Are you near your period? That can mask weight loss.
6. Don't eat back all of your workout calories, as those are always a guess. Maybe eat back half.
7. Drink a lot of water, especially if you eat salty foods.
8. Make sure you are logging *everything.* The oil you cook with. Anything you eat from the baby's plate or while cooking. Mints/candies. Butter, jam, etc -- condiments. Anything you drink. Anything you add to tea or coffee. And so on. (Not trying to be condescending, but it can be really easy to forget or miss something or eat a little bit mindlessly here and there, or to have so much to add to your tracker that you are aware but just forget to add each thing.)

Finally... you have a baby, a full-time job, and full-time studies? (That's amazing!) So read up on how stress and sleep deprivation affect you in general and weight loss in particular. Then do your best to minimize stress and get enough sleep (ha). And just be forgiving of slow progress, because you have a lot going on, and your body is working pretty hard.