Which Strategy for Changing my MFP CICO Settings Would You Recommend?
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I think people are focusing on your logging because if you fiddle with your settings, but still end up with a similar calorie goal, it isn't going to change anything for you if that calorie goal has not been working for you. And since your calorie goal is already at the bottom, you can't reduce it. So if you've not been losing weight for several weeks, likely, you aren't actually hitting it. Most likely, that you think you're eating 1200ish, but you're eating more.
Yesterday's entry for example, contains 4.5 slices of bread. Did you weigh them? Bread often does not weigh what the package says it will weigh. Did you weigh the butter or just guess tsps? How about the veggie burger, did you weigh that? Meat is another one that won't always weigh what the package says it will.
But I also agree that 2 lbs a week is too aggressive for you, and that may basically be the "problem". What are you defining as your plateau? How many weeks / how much loss? Not sure what your stats are, but unless your maintenance is 2200+, you can't create a 1000 calorie-per-day deficit safely. You may want to set MFP to maintenance at sedentary, just to see what that would be (so, what you could eat to maintain your current weight without exercise). Let's say it is 1800. So if you *net* 1200 (meaning eating back a solid estimate of exercise calories), your deficit is 600 a day. (And you don't want to net less than 1200.) So that's going to be about 1 lb a week, up to 5 a month with perfect adherence. And as you lose more, that maintenance number creeps down, and loss will slow.0 -
MelWick524 wrote: »My suggestion would be to improve the logging before worrying about changing your calorie goals. Most of your entries are serving size or volume based, rather than weighed - that is a very common way of under-estimating intake.
Most entries that are serving size are because I manually create recipes and then log them as 1 serving (I weigh all ingredients of everything I make). lol
"Homemade mashed potatoes 1/2 cup" is not a meaningful logging entry.
A 2000 calorie quick add is not a meaningful logging entry.
You're looking for an answer in the wrong place...your body doesn't care whether you get to your 1500 calorie average by picking 1500 as a goal and not logging exercise, or picking 1200 as a goal and logging exercise. What it does care about is how much you're feeding it, and right now, your logging isn't good enough to answer that question.
Good luck!
:drinker:
OK, you got me on the 2,000 one. As you'll see, that's the only time I've EVER done that. Funeral...pigged out. No excuses, but I definitely didn't bring my scale to the funeral reception thing. Come on, how does one weigh EVERY single thing they eat? My chef husband made mashed potatoes, dished them out for me, about 1 cup's worth, I ate half. If he saw me get up from the table and take the potatoes off the plate and put them on the scale, he would flip the hell out. We all lead different lives. I'm doing the best I can, and weighing 90% of my food. I'm just looking for meaningful answers. I'm not perfect. I F*** up.0 -
MelWick524 wrote: »MelWick524 wrote: »My suggestion would be to improve the logging before worrying about changing your calorie goals. Most of your entries are serving size or volume based, rather than weighed - that is a very common way of under-estimating intake.
Most entries that are serving size are because I manually create recipes and then log them as 1 serving (I weigh all ingredients of everything I make). lol
"Homemade mashed potatoes 1/2 cup" is not a meaningful logging entry.
A 2000 calorie quick add is not a meaningful logging entry.
You're looking for an answer in the wrong place...your body doesn't care whether you get to your 1500 calorie average by picking 1500 as a goal and not logging exercise, or picking 1200 as a goal and logging exercise. What it does care about is how much you're feeding it, and right now, your logging isn't good enough to answer that question.
Good luck!
:drinker:
OK, you got me on the 2,000 one. As you'll see, that's the only time I've EVER done that. Funeral...pigged out. No excuses, but I definitely didn't bring my scale to the funeral reception thing. Come on, how does one weigh EVERY single thing they eat? My chef husband made mashed potatoes, dished them out for me, about 1 cup's worth, I ate half. If he saw me get up from the table and take the potatoes off the plate and put them on the scale, he would flip the hell out. We all lead different lives. I'm doing the best I can, and weighing 90% of my food. I'm just looking for meaningful answers. I'm not perfect. I F*** up.
Also, I've lost 13lbs since the end of January, so I am not looking for someone to dissect my diary, dude. lol. I'm doing just fine, but I'm just looking for the best way to keep on keeping on. jeez0 -
Nobody's perfect and nobody's saying you always have to weigh every little thing. We all have real life to deal with.
But you're the one who's reporting a plateau while eating 1200 net calories. I think it's just that, most readers here are probably saying, okay, it's unlikely that your true maintenance is 1200 calories, because you're fairly young and not particularly tiny. So you *should* be losing weight at your current calorie goal. Which means that either you're eating more than you think, or you haven't been stalled long enough to count as a plateau, or you're eating back too many exercise calories. Or some combination of the three.0 -
MelWick524 wrote: »\My chef husband made mashed potatoes, dished them out for me, about 1 cup's worth, I ate half.
That's almost certainly where things are going wrong - people are astoundingly bad at getting "about" estimates correct.I'm just looking for meaningful answers.
And you're getting them.
It's not about your 2000 quick add, it's about the inaccuracies in most of your other entries. Right now, you don't actually know how much you're eating, so changing goals is pretty pointless.
If this innocuous and polite discussion is enough to get you all cussy and defensive, perhaps MFP is not the best tool for you.
Good luck!
:drinker:0 -
MelWick524 wrote: »MelWick524 wrote: »My suggestion would be to improve the logging before worrying about changing your calorie goals. Most of your entries are serving size or volume based, rather than weighed - that is a very common way of under-estimating intake.
Most entries that are serving size are because I manually create recipes and then log them as 1 serving (I weigh all ingredients of everything I make). lol
"Homemade mashed potatoes 1/2 cup" is not a meaningful logging entry.
A 2000 calorie quick add is not a meaningful logging entry.
You're looking for an answer in the wrong place...your body doesn't care whether you get to your 1500 calorie average by picking 1500 as a goal and not logging exercise, or picking 1200 as a goal and logging exercise. What it does care about is how much you're feeding it, and right now, your logging isn't good enough to answer that question.
Good luck!
:drinker:
OK, you got me on the 2,000 one. As you'll see, that's the only time I've EVER done that. Funeral...pigged out. No excuses, but I definitely didn't bring my scale to the funeral reception thing. Come on, how does one weigh EVERY single thing they eat? My chef husband made mashed potatoes, dished them out for me, about 1 cup's worth, I ate half. If he saw me get up from the table and take the potatoes off the plate and put them on the scale, he would flip the hell out. We all lead different lives. I'm doing the best I can, and weighing 90% of my food. I'm just looking for meaningful answers. I'm not perfect. I F*** up.
I'm kind of nervous for you if your husband would flip the hell out if you weighed your potatoes. That's not a normal reaction.
Is it possible for you to say "Hey babe, I love your cooking so much, but in order for me to keep on top of my fitness goals, I need to know how much of it I'm eating. Would you mind if I weighed my portions, just so I know?"
Also, do you know what was in the mashed potatoes? Was it straight potatoes, mashed up (doubtful), or does he add something to make them creamy? If so, is it butter, sour cream, yogurt, milk? How much?
These are things that are causing inaccuracies in your logging. I get that it can't be helped, especially if your husband is volatile, but if you can improve your logging accuracy, you'll be better able to adjust.
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You have less than 40lbs to go...change the goal to 1lb a week. That gives more calories to eat.
and I am with the rest your logging isn't accurate. It's not just about weighing (which your diary says you do 1/3 time) it's about choosing correct entries as well.
I too make a lot of my food but my recipes give weights and serving weights after measuring etc...(today not yet as i haven't made it)
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide?hl=Logging+accurately
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lemurcat12 wrote: »MelWick524 wrote: »For someone who exercises daily but has a desk job and is looking to lose 2lbs/week, do you personally think it is better (meaning, easier, more accurate, less stressful) to:
a) enter your activity level as sedentary, log workouts (as accurately as possible), and eat back some exercise calories?
or
b) just set your activity level as "lightly active" and then don't worry about calculating exercise calories and just eat the calories MFP gives you for being a lightly active person w/ a goal of losing 2lbs/week?
This is me, except that I haven't been trying to lose 2 lb/week for a while and don't believe it would be realistic for me. (Which causes me to wonder if it's realistic for you, which I can't know without your stats, at least.)
But I'll answer the question you actually asked, as best I can.
I've done it a few different ways over time.
First, activity as sedentary, eating exercise back, and simply adjusting burns a realistic amount (which means for me eating most running calories except for especially long runs, cutting circuit training and group class things and weight lifting by about 50%, and spinning/outdoor biking by 25% (or leaving about 67-75% of the calories)). I found that this worked well.
Second, once I got tired of eating ridiculously low on non-workout days and had various days (due to long runs/bikes) where I couldn't eat all my calories, I did TDEE--which is my preferred method for the most part now--where I used past results plus some checking with the calculators at IIFYM.com and scooby to figure TDEE and subtracted 500 (aiming at 1 lb/week). That worked--I lost a bit more at first and eventually 1 lb/week for a while.
Just doing lightly active is similar to the second method but will underestimate your activity substantially, I think, especially if you ALSO walk a good amount. I'm pretty sure I'm lightly active as MFP defines it just because I live in a city even before exercise. If you did this I'd try "active," but I think simply estimating your TDEE from past results and the calculators and then putting in a custom goal is a better method.
As for workouts being different than anticipated, this way doesn't work if you vary a ton per week on amount of exercise, but if it's largely the same it averages out. I'm currently trying something where I eat less on rest days again, but I don't think I like it (giving it a chance, though).
Thank you thank you thank you. Your responses on these forums are always so detailed and informative and well-rounded and relevant.0 -
Nobody's perfect and nobody's saying you always have to weigh every little thing. We all have real life to deal with.
But you're the one who's reporting a plateau while eating 1200 net calories. I think it's just that, most readers here are probably saying, okay, it's unlikely that your true maintenance is 1200 calories, because you're fairly young and not particularly tiny. So you *should* be losing weight at your current calorie goal. Which means that either you're eating more than you think, or you haven't been stalled long enough to count as a plateau, or you're eating back too many exercise calories. Or some combination of the three.
That's why I put quotes around my "plateau." I hate that word, because I know 100% it's not a true plateau. lol. I think I worded the whole thing wrong. I think it's definitely all about me eating back too many exercise calories. I suffered from an eating disorder for mannnnny years, and this disordered eating mindset just doesn't disappear. That's why I'm just trying to find a good way to set a goal, stick with it, and stop playing with numbers so much that my brain hurts. lol.0 -
Weight loss is not linear, and it's definitely a long road. I've been underweight, and I've been obese. I'm just so desperate to be healthy for life, and not obsess about every single number.0
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MelWick524 wrote: »\My chef husband made mashed potatoes, dished them out for me, about 1 cup's worth, I ate half.
That's almost certainly where things are going wrong - people are astoundingly bad at getting "about" estimates correct.I'm just looking for meaningful answers.
And you're getting them. It's not about your 2000 quick add, it's about the inaccuracies in most of your other entries. Right now, you don't actually know how much you're eating, so changing goals is pretty pointless.
If this innocuous and polite discussion is enough to get you all cussy and defensive, perhaps MFP is not the best tool for you.
Good luck!
:drinker:
I'm losing weight though. I've lost 13lbs since the end of January. I should NEVER have even said the word "plateau." Maybe I should just not change anything. lol. The mind of someone with a history of eating disorders is not the same as other brains, and the frustration and obsession of these exercise calories is just getting me down. I think MFP IS the right tool for me...I'm having success for the first time in years.0 -
MelWick524 wrote: »I think everyone is missing my question. Crap. OK. Here's my question, absent of all of the personal details I gave:
For someone who exercises daily but has a desk job and is looking to lose 2lbs/week, do you personally think it is better (meaning, easier, more accurate, less stressful) to:
a) enter your activity level as sedentary, log workouts (as accurately as possible), and eat back some exercise calories?
or
b) just set your activity level as "lightly active" and then don't worry about calculating exercise calories and just eat the calories MFP gives you for being a lightly active person w/ a goal of losing 2lbs/week?
Sorry if my question was confusing or seemed like I'm new to MFP or the forums.
why not use the TDEE-20% method?0 -
PeachyPlum wrote: »MelWick524 wrote: »MelWick524 wrote: »My suggestion would be to improve the logging before worrying about changing your calorie goals. Most of your entries are serving size or volume based, rather than weighed - that is a very common way of under-estimating intake.
Most entries that are serving size are because I manually create recipes and then log them as 1 serving (I weigh all ingredients of everything I make). lol
"Homemade mashed potatoes 1/2 cup" is not a meaningful logging entry.
A 2000 calorie quick add is not a meaningful logging entry.
You're looking for an answer in the wrong place...your body doesn't care whether you get to your 1500 calorie average by picking 1500 as a goal and not logging exercise, or picking 1200 as a goal and logging exercise. What it does care about is how much you're feeding it, and right now, your logging isn't good enough to answer that question.
Good luck!
:drinker:
OK, you got me on the 2,000 one. As you'll see, that's the only time I've EVER done that. Funeral...pigged out. No excuses, but I definitely didn't bring my scale to the funeral reception thing. Come on, how does one weigh EVERY single thing they eat? My chef husband made mashed potatoes, dished them out for me, about 1 cup's worth, I ate half. If he saw me get up from the table and take the potatoes off the plate and put them on the scale, he would flip the hell out. We all lead different lives. I'm doing the best I can, and weighing 90% of my food. I'm just looking for meaningful answers. I'm not perfect. I F*** up.
I'm kind of nervous for you if your husband would flip the hell out if you weighed your potatoes. That's not a normal reaction.
Is it possible for you to say "Hey babe, I love your cooking so much, but in order for me to keep on top of my fitness goals, I need to know how much of it I'm eating. Would you mind if I weighed my portions, just so I know?"
Also, do you know what was in the mashed potatoes? Was it straight potatoes, mashed up (doubtful), or does he add something to make them creamy? If so, is it butter, sour cream, yogurt, milk? How much?
These are things that are causing inaccuracies in your logging. I get that it can't be helped, especially if your husband is volatile, but if you can improve your logging accuracy, you'll be better able to adjust.
he's not volatile. he's just...dealt with my bulimia/EDNOS/binge-disorders since we met at age 15, and he's done with hearing about my eating "issues." He thinks by me weighing my food and counting everything I eat, I'm going right back down that E.D. road...0 -
OP, the other important thing to remember is that stalls do happen. It sounds like you've been at this for about three months now?
It might just be that you've hit your first stall. There's nothing unusual about that. To reassure you, that was just about the timing of when I hit a stall that lasted about three and a half weeks too. I didn't do anything different during that time, just kept on doing what I was doing and eventually the scale started moving again.0 -
mamapeach910 wrote: »OP, the other important thing to remember is that stalls do happen. It sounds like you've been at this for about three months now?
It might just be that you've hit your first stall. There's nothing unusual about that. To reassure you, that was just about the timing of when I hit a stall that lasted about three and a half weeks too. I didn't do anything different during that time, just kept on doing what I was doing and eventually the scale started moving again.
Thank you 0
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