WTF Up 6 lbs

jellebeandesigns

It's been 30 days of DAILY calories counting, hitting the gym and working toward a healthier diet. I'm almost 190 now
Here's my gym schedule
M- lift, 30 min bike ride
T- lift, 2-3 mile run
W- lift, 30 min bike ride
Th- life 2-3 mile run
F- rest/abs
S- lift, 3-4 mile run
S- rest/abs

I do eat ice cream (usually once a week but this week was twice) and I fault we and get convenient foods maybe once or twice a month...but hot damn, I feel so discouraged!

ninerbuff

You're eating more than you think and/or over estimating how much you burn. Basically you're in a surplus if it's been 30 days of CONSISTENT calorie counting. If not, then you're over eating.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

queenliz99

Read this link in case you haven't.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10257474/starting-out-restarting-basics-inside/p1

nutmegoreo

You are using cups to measure many of your foods, those will be less accurate than a food scale. I didn't look too far back, but saw several restaurant meals, these will be high in sodium and could cause water retention, masking losses. I also suspect your calorie burns are a bit high (MFP, for many people, overestimates), try eating about 50% of those back.

In short: weigh your foods for greater accuracy, eat fewer of your exercise calories, and read the link queenliz posted.

jellebeandesigns

queenliz99 wrote: »

Read this link in case you haven't.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10257474/starting-out-restarting-basics-inside/p1

I've read it.

jellebeandesigns

nutmegoreo wrote: »

You are using cups to measure many of your foods, those will be less accurate than a food scale. I didn't look too far back, but saw several restaurant meals, these will be high in sodium and could cause water retention, masking losses. I also suspect your calorie burns are a bit high (MFP, for many people, overestimates), try eating about 50% of those back.

In short: weigh your foods for greater accuracy, eat fewer of your exercise calories, and read the link queenliz posted.

A lot of the restaurant meals are just the closest I could find to what I'm making at home

mommarnurse

jellebeandesigns wrote: »

nutmegoreo wrote: »

You are using cups to measure many of your foods, those will be less accurate than a food scale. I didn't look too far back, but saw several restaurant meals, these will be high in sodium and could cause water retention, masking losses. I also suspect your calorie burns are a bit high (MFP, for many people, overestimates), try eating about 50% of those back.

In short: weigh your foods for greater accuracy, eat fewer of your exercise calories, and read the link queenliz posted.

A lot of the restaurant meals are just the closest I could find to what I'm making at home

If you're making at home, create a recipe under "recipes" on MFP. Measure the ingredients via weighing them all, and then divide into appropriate portions and log from there.

jellebeandesigns

mommarnurse wrote: »

jellebeandesigns wrote: »

nutmegoreo wrote: »

You are using cups to measure many of your foods, those will be less accurate than a food scale. I didn't look too far back, but saw several restaurant meals, these will be high in sodium and could cause water retention, masking losses. I also suspect your calorie burns are a bit high (MFP, for many people, overestimates), try eating about 50% of those back.

In short: weigh your foods for greater accuracy, eat fewer of your exercise calories, and read the link queenliz posted.

A lot of the restaurant meals are just the closest I could find to what I'm making at home

If you're making at home, create a recipe under "recipes" on MFP. Measure the ingredients via weighing them all, and then divide into appropriate portions and log from there.

That's easier said than done, I have 4 kids and work full time...in fact if I had time for that I wouldn't have to use MFP

CurlyCockney

jellebeandesigns wrote: »

mommarnurse wrote: »

jellebeandesigns wrote: »

nutmegoreo wrote: »

You are using cups to measure many of your foods, those will be less accurate than a food scale. I didn't look too far back, but saw several restaurant meals, these will be high in sodium and could cause water retention, masking losses. I also suspect your calorie burns are a bit high (MFP, for many people, overestimates), try eating about 50% of those back.

In short: weigh your foods for greater accuracy, eat fewer of your exercise calories, and read the link queenliz posted.

A lot of the restaurant meals are just the closest I could find to what I'm making at home

If you're making at home, create a recipe under "recipes" on MFP. Measure the ingredients via weighing them all, and then divide into appropriate portions and log from there.

That's easier said than done, I have 4 kids and work full time...in fact if I had time for that I wouldn't have to use MFP

The recipe builder may seem daunting at first, but it really isn't. It won't take much longer to weigh and log the correct items than it does to weigh and log the wrong ones.

Expatmommy79

jellebeandesigns wrote: »

mommarnurse wrote: »

jellebeandesigns wrote: »

nutmegoreo wrote: »

You are using cups to measure many of your foods, those will be less accurate than a food scale. I didn't look too far back, but saw several restaurant meals, these will be high in sodium and could cause water retention, masking losses. I also suspect your calorie burns are a bit high (MFP, for many people, overestimates), try eating about 50% of those back.

In short: weigh your foods for greater accuracy, eat fewer of your exercise calories, and read the link queenliz posted.

A lot of the restaurant meals are just the closest I could find to what I'm making at home

If you're making at home, create a recipe under "recipes" on MFP. Measure the ingredients via weighing them all, and then divide into appropriate portions and log from there.

That's easier said than done, I have 4 kids and work full time...in fact if I had time for that I wouldn't have to use MFP

Well - since your way isn't working.... You need to find another way...

I am a mom of 3 under 3. I don't have time either but I have come up with a few quick meals that I know the calorie count for. Egg white omlettes, shiritaki noodles with marinara sauce and bbq chicken with salad are my emergency meals as well as protein shakes. Apples and tangerines make good snacks.

I understand getting discouraged. I went low carb and didn't loose a pound. Even though I felt like I was on a diet. Only when I started weighing everything did I realize how much I was actually eating.

Today I skipped lunch, had bbq chicken and fries for lunch and am at a dinner party. I had bbq steak for dinner. I still clocked in at over 400 calories over because I didn't weigh my food. I even skipped breakfast but still managed to eat like a horse.

nutmegoreo

jellebeandesigns wrote: »

nutmegoreo wrote: »

You are using cups to measure many of your foods, those will be less accurate than a food scale. I didn't look too far back, but saw several restaurant meals, these will be high in sodium and could cause water retention, masking losses. I also suspect your calorie burns are a bit high (MFP, for many people, overestimates), try eating about 50% of those back.

In short: weigh your foods for greater accuracy, eat fewer of your exercise calories, and read the link queenliz posted.

A lot of the restaurant meals are just the closest I could find to what I'm making at home

That doesn't help with accuracy. The restaurant will not be using the same ingredients that you are. If you tighten up your logging, that should make the difference.

jellebeandesigns wrote: »

mommarnurse wrote: »

jellebeandesigns wrote: »

nutmegoreo wrote: »

You are using cups to measure many of your foods, those will be less accurate than a food scale. I didn't look too far back, but saw several restaurant meals, these will be high in sodium and could cause water retention, masking losses. I also suspect your calorie burns are a bit high (MFP, for many people, overestimates), try eating about 50% of those back.

In short: weigh your foods for greater accuracy, eat fewer of your exercise calories, and read the link queenliz posted.

A lot of the restaurant meals are just the closest I could find to what I'm making at home

If you're making at home, create a recipe under "recipes" on MFP. Measure the ingredients via weighing them all, and then divide into appropriate portions and log from there.

That's easier said than done, I have 4 kids and work full time...in fact if I had time for that I wouldn't have to use MFP

You can make the adjustments or you can make the excuses. I know this sounds harsh, but everyone is busy. If it's a priority to you, you will find a way. I know the task of logging these things accurately seems daunting. A few weeks of consistency will help you be more comfortable with tracking, and it will become second nature. You have made the time for exercise, you can make the time for this. While I am not saying that you should stop exercising, weight loss is more about the number of calories consumed. Weight loss happens in the kitchen.

BoogiesMom10

I am a single mom with 2 kids and one is disabled, I also work and go to school. I find time to keep up with mine. I add my ingredients individually, which helps with my accuracy and all it takes it just a few minutes, less when I use the barcode scanner since all I have to do is adjust the amount of that item I use. Weigh your ingredients while you are making it, write it down as you go, then take two minutes to log it all once you are done. For instance I do this right before I set the table. Also, if your lifting you may also be building muscle which weighs more than fat. If fat loss is your optimal goal, lift less. I also under estimate my calories by setting my activity to sedentary even though I am more active than that. Once I hit my goal I will change it.

rankinsect

The recipe builder isn't too bad, particularly if you make the same foods a lot. Once any given recipe is in the database, it's not hard to log it many times.

I assemble a lot of recipes by weight anyway since it's more accurate than measuring cups, but you can just be smart about which things you weigh and don't. For example, a clove of garlic is around 4 calories, you don't really need to weigh your garlic, as you don't really care about a fractional calorie in error if your clove is a bit larger or smaller than average. On the other hand, I'd measure a cup of flour by weight since it can vary so much due to how tightly it packs, and it has a lot of calories to begin with.

queenliz99

rankinsect wrote: »

The recipe builder isn't too bad, particularly if you make the same foods a lot. Once any given recipe is in the database, it's not hard to log it many times.

I assemble a lot of recipes by weight anyway since it's more accurate than measuring cups, but you can just be smart about which things you weight and don't. For example, a clove of garlic is around 4 calories, you don't really need to weigh your garlic, as you don't really care about a fractional calorie in error if your clove is a bit larger or smaller than average. On the other hand, I'd measure a cup of flour by weight since it can vary so much due to how tightly it packs, and it has a lot of calories to begin with.

I do this as well. I only weigh the calorie dense foods.

arditarose

You're up 6 pounds...since when? Are you getting your period?

jellebeandesigns

arditarose wrote: »

You're up 6 pounds...since when? Are you getting your period?

Last month I'm not on it now but it's due in the next week or so...

Obnoxa

Truth is, you can guesstimate all you like, but your body is a really freaking shrewd accountant when it comes to numbers.
I get you're frustrated but weight loss only comes from eating at a deficit, if you're not making an effort to ensure you're in a deficit each day then you need to lower your expectations about the consistency of your weight loss. Or pull 5-10 mins out of your workout schedule to redirect to counting/measuring accurately each day.
You can move everyday and ramp up your body, never a bad thing, but that's a crap shoot as to whether or not you put yourself in deficit. You want consistent loss? You have to be very aware of your numbers, I'm talking nickel and diming it for everything that goes in your mouth, there's really no way around it.

fiddletime

I also see people who aren't losing weight overestimating exercise burn. I put in 98 calories burned per 30-45 min workout that's weight based (lifting DVD). How did I pick this number? I input 1200 calories for a half pound weight loss a week and a sedentary setting. I have some home recipes that I long ago took the time to weigh and measure accurately so I think my food entries are pretty accurate. I lose 3# a month, every month, so i probably could add 110 calorie burn per workout as that would equal a pound a month. When I get to maintenance I'll try to be more accurate and not underestimate burn. Now I'd just prefer to lose 3# rather than 2# a month.

So, why do you care about any of that? I'm just using my own journey to show how vital it is to not underestimate your calories eaten, or overestimate your calorie burn. Do one or the other or both, and you won't be in a deficit and will probably gain. Tweak things up on your calorie counting. If, after doing that, you find you were spot on, then you're overestimating your exercise burn. Simple and I know you obviously care enough to make this work!

jellebeandesigns

Low and behold lots of great advice! Thanks y'all!