10 Weeks In, 0 lbs Lost
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I remember the first time I weighed out 20g of peanut butter to have with an apple as a snack at work, it was hardly anything - I actually said out loud "are you taking the piss!.0
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Food scales are really eye-opening. I agree with everyone else who says to get one. A basic digital one is maybe $15-$20 on Amazon, and you'll find it to be really amazing what a difference it will make. Sure, a food scale isn't *required* to lose weight. But if you're stalled or not losing weight, using one ought to be the first thing to try. It's a quick, easy fix to a common problem.
Also, check the entries you're using in the MFP database. If you're using entries with stars next to them, those are submitted by other users and they may or may not be accurate. Use the non-starred entries, or create your own based on the food labels for packaged foods or USDA values for meats, fruits, veggies, etc. Use the recipe builder for your own recipes rather than relying on other people's recipes, since you have no way of knowing what goes into them.
Finally, you claim you're using the readout on the gym machines to estimate calorie burns. Those are usually wildly inaccurate, and for a small woman such as yourself, they're probably overestimating by a lot. Try eating back only half of your exercise calories.
Good luck!0 -
Weighing and measuring really is not laborious or tedious. It honestly takes no time at all. It's an eye-opening experience.
All the people mentioning metabolic possibilities? They should be investigated AFTER her caloric consumption is locked down tight. Studies have proven that, for the most part, people greatly underestimate their food intake.
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You have a lot of things like "pumpkin stew" and "squash stew (no wheat berries)" listed. Did you enter these recipes yourself using the Recipe Builder tool? If not, don't use those entries. I'll guarantee that if you didn't enter the recipes yourself, they're not accurate for what you're actually eating.
Yes, these are my own recipes where I entered in everything myself.0 -
I lost 65 lbs. and have kept it off for 16 months and I don't own a food scale. I try to over estimate the food calories and under estimate the exercise calories. It is possible to lose weight without weighing every piece of food.
Just saying.
Thank you. I was wondering if every person on here used a food scale.0 -
OP is getting a food scale ...YAY!
Double yay! It really is so useful. I thought it would be a pain in the rear but it hasn't been. I too was overestimating my portions: cottage cheese, cereal, fish, chicken, you name it. Don't even get me started on pasta.
At any rate, you'll be so glad you did, OP! I promise.
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Yes, these are my own recipes where I entered in everything myself.
Yeah but without a food scale, how do you know how much of each ingredient went into your recipes?
I use guesstimates sometimes too, especially if I'm eating food prepared by someone else or at a restaurant. That's fine, as long as it's not the majority of what you eat. The point isn't to obsess. But using a food scale is really educational; over time, it will make you better at visually estimating portion size, too.
Like someone said above, it can make a huge difference with calorie-dense foods like peanut butter. I also had a WTF moment when I realized how many calories were in my typical smear.0 -
I had a peek at about 2 weeks of your diary. I have some suggestions. It isn't just about the food scale. It's about what would be getting weighed.
Add some fresh fruits and vegetables. You are sorely lacking in those.
One one occasion you have nearly 800 in calories in snacks for the day, which included avocado, tortilla chips, kettle chips, pizza and vodka tonic. We all have days like that, so congratulations for your honesty and for logging all that.
But I do think on the whole, your diary is pretty carb heavy. You go over on carbs more often than anything else. I think you need more balance, way more natural dietary fibers and sugars. And variety -- you need to make it more interesting. I see very little in the way of meat, poultry or fish, but a lot of pumpkin stew. That can't make meals very interesting, and it's important.
And though I know people here always say nothing should be off limits, even sweet stuff can be had in moderation, I see it in your diary pretty often. If you haven't lost one pound after ten weeks of logging, try cutting out all the pizza, chocolate, ice cream and chips for a week, have fresh fruit, green salads and more cooked vegetables.0 -
gotobedhungry wrote: »Stop eating back exercise calories.
No, don't do this! Eating back exercise calories is the way MFP was designed. Just make sure you're estimating your exercise burns more accurately, either by using a heart rate monitor (for steady-state cardio) or by using only 50-75% of what MFP's database says you've burned (this seems to be the sweet spot that works for most smaller women around here, though YMMV).0 -
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Ill say the same thing everyone else has about getting a scale. I just got one last week, and was floored to find out what an actual serving of rice was. My whole life, never knew it was *so small*!! LoL!
Its not tedious at all, actually...I find it to be quite fun!! I got a digital one with a tare feature. So I just put my plate on it, and tare after putting each of whatever on my plate to get the correct amount of everything. (I also now use it for every single thing I measure while cooking, and enter my own recipes into MFP doing this).
While my plate seemed small at first, I was surprised to find that Im actually satisfied after eating proper portions. Plus I just find the whole thing of measuring it out fun, but its still new to me and Im weird so....
Oh, and I have been sticking to 1200 cals, but moving to eating back half of my exercise calories. I noticed a *huge* difference in my weight loss ever since getting my scale, 3 lbs lost in this past week alone. (Im in Week 5 btw) While nice, thats too fast, and I am eating less now afterall. So working towards adding back some of those exercise cals. I dont want to crash and burn here.0 -
I lost 121 pounds eating this stuff, lol!!tinascar2015 wrote: »I had a peek at about 2 weeks of your diary. I have some suggestions. It isn't just about the food scale. It's about what would be getting weighed.
Add some fresh fruits and vegetables. You are sorely lacking in those.
One one occasion you have nearly 800 in calories in snacks for the day, which included avocado, tortilla chips, kettle chips, pizza and vodka tonic. We all have days like that, so congratulations for your honesty and for logging all that.
But I do think on the whole, your diary is pretty carb heavy. You go over on carbs more often than anything else. I think you need more balance, way more natural dietary fibers and sugars. And variety -- you need to make it more interesting. I see very little in the way of meat, poultry or fish, but a lot of pumpkin stew. That can't make meals very interesting, and it's important.
And though I know people here always say nothing should be off limits, even sweet stuff can be had in moderation, I see it in your diary pretty often. If you haven't lost one pound after ten weeks of logging, try cutting out all the pizza, chocolate, ice cream and chips for a week, have fresh fruit, green salads and more cooked vegetables.
OP is not losing because she is eating to much (ALL) food, she needs to weigh her food to be more accurate with her logging.0 -
I lost 65 lbs. and have kept it off for 16 months and I don't own a food scale. I try to over estimate the food calories and under estimate the exercise calories. It is possible to lose weight without weighing every piece of food.
Just saying.
Thank you. I was wondering if every person on here used a food scale.
Using a food scale is a great idea. You want to make sure you're logging accurately. I looked at your food diary and I think you are grossly underestimating the food you are eating. For example: 1/4 C of soup... I give my cat 1/4 C of food for lunch. Surely you ate more than 1/4 C.
I think you need to allow yourself to eat more, as well. Your calorie goal (1100) is quite low for your weight, amount you want to lose, and age. If you're working out regularly, then you don't live a sedentary lifestyle.0 -
Using a food scale is a great idea. You want to make sure you're logging accurately. I looked at your food diary and I think you are grossly underestimating the food you are eating. For example: 1/4 C of soup... I give my cat 1/4 C of food for lunch. Surely you ate more than 1/4 C.
Yeah, a small serving of soup in a small bowl is usually about a cup, at least. If you're only eating a quarter of a cup of soup, you're probably finishing it in just a few spoonfuls.I think you need to allow yourself to eat more, as well. Your calorie goal (1100) is quite low for your weight, amount you want to lose, and age. If you're working out regularly, then you don't live a sedentary lifestyle.
OP should start with learning to measure accurately. At that point, once she's *truly* eating her calorie goal, if she's losing weight too fast, she could up it. But she's not eating 1100 right now or else she would be losing weight.0 -
Ignore the people with the possible metabolic disorder stuff. Get a scale and figure out how much you're eating.tinascar2015 wrote: »I had a peek at about 2 weeks of your diary. I have some suggestions. It isn't just about the food scale. It's about what would be getting weighed.
Add some fresh fruits and vegetables. You are sorely lacking in those.
One one occasion you have nearly 800 in calories in snacks for the day, which included avocado, tortilla chips, kettle chips, pizza and vodka tonic. We all have days like that, so congratulations for your honesty and for logging all that.
But I do think on the whole, your diary is pretty carb heavy. You go over on carbs more often than anything else. I think you need more balance, way more natural dietary fibers and sugars. And variety -- you need to make it more interesting. I see very little in the way of meat, poultry or fish, but a lot of pumpkin stew. That can't make meals very interesting, and it's important.
And though I know people here always say nothing should be off limits, even sweet stuff can be had in moderation, I see it in your diary pretty often. If you haven't lost one pound after ten weeks of logging, try cutting out all the pizza, chocolate, ice cream and chips for a week, have fresh fruit, green salads and more cooked vegetables.
Regardless of what she is eating she's eating too much. Also maybe try replying to the posts the respond to the things you write.
So it doesn't really matter what she's eating as long as she's within her calorie total? Sorry, but any diet that's so lacking in fresh fruits and vegetables isn't very nutritious.0 -
I lost 65 lbs. and have kept it off for 16 months and I don't own a food scale. I try to over estimate the food calories and under estimate the exercise calories. It is possible to lose weight without weighing every piece of food.
Just saying.
Nice to see I'm not the only one not weighing my food. I do the same things you do, and lost 10 pounds in the first few months, and 20 total in the last year.0 -
tinascar2015 wrote: »Ignore the people with the possible metabolic disorder stuff. Get a scale and figure out how much you're eating.tinascar2015 wrote: »I had a peek at about 2 weeks of your diary. I have some suggestions. It isn't just about the food scale. It's about what would be getting weighed.
Add some fresh fruits and vegetables. You are sorely lacking in those.
One one occasion you have nearly 800 in calories in snacks for the day, which included avocado, tortilla chips, kettle chips, pizza and vodka tonic. We all have days like that, so congratulations for your honesty and for logging all that.
But I do think on the whole, your diary is pretty carb heavy. You go over on carbs more often than anything else. I think you need more balance, way more natural dietary fibers and sugars. And variety -- you need to make it more interesting. I see very little in the way of meat, poultry or fish, but a lot of pumpkin stew. That can't make meals very interesting, and it's important.
And though I know people here always say nothing should be off limits, even sweet stuff can be had in moderation, I see it in your diary pretty often. If you haven't lost one pound after ten weeks of logging, try cutting out all the pizza, chocolate, ice cream and chips for a week, have fresh fruit, green salads and more cooked vegetables.
Regardless of what she is eating she's eating too much. Also maybe try replying to the posts the respond to the things you write.
So it doesn't really matter what she's eating as long as she's within her calorie total? Sorry, but any diet that's so lacking in fresh fruits and vegetables isn't very nutritious.
Your hijacking this thread, it's not about what she is eating, it's about how much she is eating!!! It's up to the OP what she wants to eat not YOU!!0 -
I lost 65 lbs. and have kept it off for 16 months and I don't own a food scale. I try to over estimate the food calories and under estimate the exercise calories. It is possible to lose weight without weighing every piece of food.
Just saying.
Thank you. I was wondering if every person on here used a food scale.
OP, it is certainly possible to lose without using a food scale, because some people are simply able to accurately eyeball servings or whichever way they use cups and teaspoons just happens to get them an accurate serving size. But you'll never know if the servings you are measuring are correct unless you spend some time with a food scale.
Some people are able to use the scale for a short period of time to re-learn what a serving looks like, and then go back to not using it. Other people have to use it all the time because they just can't get it right without the scale. I have found myself somewhere in the middle... there are some foods I just can't estimate right and I use the scale for those. Even if you don't stick with it, it will be a valuable learning experience!0 -
i'm around the same height/starting weight. I've been at it for 2 months and have lost an average of 1lb/week. it IS possible. but you really do have to weigh your food. like the people above have noted, you're probably eating way more than you realize. and you said you make "most" of your meals at home. if you're eating out, that is a LOT of extra calories that you're probably not logging.
have you been exercising enough? that is a very important part of weight loss and losing inches as well...
good luck!0 -
mamapeach910 wrote: »
This is awesome! Great video that shows why weighing is better!!0 -
I love my scale. I find it so much easier than measuring and less dirty dishes too. Last night I made tacos. Instead of measuring out the meat after it was cooked and then trying to divide that portion into 4 units of measure that were equal, I just dumped it all in a bowl that I had tared out on the scale and then divided the number of grams by 4. Removed it from the scale, put my dinner plate on and tared it out, then added the serving of meat that I had calculated in grams. Tared it again, added how many tomatoes I wanted and logged it, tared it again, added the cheese, etc. I've been using my scale for 2 years now and I'll never go back. I use it every day and finally convinced my husband of how much easier it is too. You'll get the hang of it and find it easier too.0
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tinascar2015 wrote: »Ignore the people with the possible metabolic disorder stuff. Get a scale and figure out how much you're eating.tinascar2015 wrote: »I had a peek at about 2 weeks of your diary. I have some suggestions. It isn't just about the food scale. It's about what would be getting weighed.
Add some fresh fruits and vegetables. You are sorely lacking in those.
One one occasion you have nearly 800 in calories in snacks for the day, which included avocado, tortilla chips, kettle chips, pizza and vodka tonic. We all have days like that, so congratulations for your honesty and for logging all that.
But I do think on the whole, your diary is pretty carb heavy. You go over on carbs more often than anything else. I think you need more balance, way more natural dietary fibers and sugars. And variety -- you need to make it more interesting. I see very little in the way of meat, poultry or fish, but a lot of pumpkin stew. That can't make meals very interesting, and it's important.
And though I know people here always say nothing should be off limits, even sweet stuff can be had in moderation, I see it in your diary pretty often. If you haven't lost one pound after ten weeks of logging, try cutting out all the pizza, chocolate, ice cream and chips for a week, have fresh fruit, green salads and more cooked vegetables.
Regardless of what she is eating she's eating too much. Also maybe try replying to the posts the respond to the things you write.
So it doesn't really matter what she's eating as long as she's within her calorie total? Sorry, but any diet that's so lacking in fresh fruits and vegetables isn't very nutritious.
OP is wondering why she hasn't lost any weight. Adding more fruits and vegetables and dietary fiber without addressing why she isn't losing (probably logging issues) isn't going to help.
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The first time I used MFP and lost 30lbs. I stress I never used a scale to weigh food. I did log everything I ate and the food I made at home was an estimate. I usually picked something with higher calories if I wasn't sure. I only had about 30 lbs to lose to start with. Now, 4 years later I'm just starting this again to lose the 15lbs I've gained in the last two years but I haven't been working out not keeping track of what I eat over that time. I feel you need to be realistic and calorie counting for life is not something I think is healthy.0
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gotobedhungry wrote: »Just wanted to pop in and say that I've lost 40 lbs (5'3" and went from 148 to 108) without a food scale. If you use a measuring tablespoon and use a knife to level it off (no heaping tablespoons), you should be able to accurately calculate the calories in peanut butter. And if you buy a one pound package of chicken breasts and it contains 4 chicken breasts of approximately the same size, they are most likely 4 ounces each. I would probably overestimate and count it as 5 ounces but still.
Stop eating back exercise calories and make sure you are counting every. bite. ever. And if in doubt, always overestimate calories.
Why?0 -
nascarchix83 wrote: »The first time I used MFP and lost 30lbs. I stress I never used a scale to weigh food. I did log everything I ate and the food I made at home was an estimate. I usually picked something with higher calories if I wasn't sure. I only had about 30 lbs to lose to start with. Now, 4 years later I'm just starting this again to lose the 15lbs I've gained in the last two years but I haven't been working out not keeping track of what I eat over that time. I feel you need to be realistic and calorie counting for life is not something I think is healthy.nascarchix83 wrote: »The first time I used MFP and lost 30lbs. I stress I never used a scale to weigh food. I did log everything I ate and the food I made at home was an estimate. I usually picked something with higher calories if I wasn't sure. I only had about 30 lbs to lose to start with. Now, 4 years later I'm just starting this again to lose the 15lbs I've gained in the last two years but I haven't been working out not keeping track of what I eat over that time. I feel you need to be realistic and calorie counting for life is not something I think is healthy.
If calorie counting keeps you from regaining weight, what isn't healthy about it? Yo-yo dieting (losing the same weight again and again) has been associated with negative health effects too. If calorie counting allows someone to maintain, I think that could be a good thing.0 -
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