Losing weight too slow or not at all? Using cups and measuring spoons?
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Christine_72
Posts: 16,049 Member
There are so many threads about folks losing weight very slowly or not at all. Things most of these people have in common is that they all go by serving sizes, slices, guesstimates, pieces, or cups and spoons in their food diaries.
Instead of posting these videos in each and every thread, I thought I'd just pop them here. Now I'm not saying using a food scale is a prerequisite to losing weight, as many people do fine not weighing their food or even logging calories. I would just suggest this is the very first place to look at if you're plateauing, losing slower than you should or gaining weight.
Yes, low carb is great for weight loss, but it is not a licence to eat however much you want and still expect to lose weight, calories count no matter which way of eating you choose to follow.
https://youtu.be/JVjWPclrWVY
https://youtu.be/vjKPIcI51lU
Instead of posting these videos in each and every thread, I thought I'd just pop them here. Now I'm not saying using a food scale is a prerequisite to losing weight, as many people do fine not weighing their food or even logging calories. I would just suggest this is the very first place to look at if you're plateauing, losing slower than you should or gaining weight.
Yes, low carb is great for weight loss, but it is not a licence to eat however much you want and still expect to lose weight, calories count no matter which way of eating you choose to follow.
https://youtu.be/JVjWPclrWVYhttps://youtu.be/vjKPIcI51lU 0
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Those are great videos; thanks! I've been weighing my food for a while now and while I every once in a while I get lazy with certain foods, (and I've actually gotten really good at eyeballing PB/almond butter, though that one I always check to be sure!) it's amazing how much it does make a difference!0
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macchiatto wrote: »Those are great videos; thanks! I've been weighing my food for a while now and while I every once in a while I get lazy with certain foods, (and I've actually gotten really good at eyeballing PB/almond butter, though that one I always check to be sure!) it's amazing how much it does make a difference!
Yes it does.
When I first started trying to lose weight I did the cup etc etc etc logging and I was losing at a snails pace, if at all most weeks. I go back and look at my diary those first few months, and the inaacuries stand out like... I was eating so much more than I thought. My logging reflected my weight loss.
I was so resistant to using a food scale, I didn't want to be one of those "obsessive types who weigh every little thing they ate". But I eventually came around and my weight loss started chugging along as it should.
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Don't get between me and my preworkout!
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That's possibly an explanation, however, often it's not actually slow loss or real gains at all. Just too slow for our liking and normal weight fluctuations that we are only aware of during times of attempting weight loss.
Losing fat on low carb isn't like losing fat on other methods. You can literally maintain weight or even show a gain, but get smaller.
Being aware of how much food you're eating is important, but if you're eating the kinds of days that you're suppose to and having a decent fat ratio in each meal, then you won't be hungry enough to overeat and measuring just doesn't matter at that point.
If you're abnormally hungry almost every day on low carb, you're doing something wrong.0 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »That's possibly an explanation, however, often it's not actually slow loss or real gains at all. Just too slow for our liking and normal weight fluctuations that we are only aware of during times of attempting weight loss.
Losing fat on low carb isn't like losing fat on other methods. You can literally maintain weight or even show a gain, but get smaller.
Being aware of how much food you're eating is important, but if you're eating the kinds of days that you're suppose to and having a decent fat ratio in each meal, then you won't be hungry enough to overeat and measuring just doesn't matter at that point.
If you're abnormally hungry almost every day on low carb, you're doing something wrong.
Yes true. But fixing a logging issue is the most simple and obvious place to start IMO. Once that's accurate and on point, and one doesn't have unrealistic expectations of that scale number, then move on to something else.0 -
I just think keeping the focus on counting every single tiny calorie keeps the obsessive focus on the calorie math and if the person is genuinely overeating, they are probably not working the plan effectively. Concentrating attention on "calorie math" is keeping in line with the idea that eating 3500 fewer calories will result in 1 pound lost. Which just isn't true.
So let's say all of the measurements are inaccurate, they very often are for sure, that means they are overeating on a daily basis. The problem isn't measuring better to forcibly restrict the calories and go hungry. The problem is why are they hungry. What's missing or what's triggering cravings and hunger?0 -
I haven't kept a daily log since last summer. I only measure the hwc I put in my coffee, when I use it. I will weigh some meats, at times, to check myself. I usually find that I'm not eating as much as I thought. Once I felt I had control over my relationship with food I didn't see the need to daily log anymore. I've had a steady, yet slow, weight loss without logging. I was a size 18 when I stopped, and am now a size 12!! I'm happy with the results I am seeing! It can be done!
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I think often times on here the expectation is to lose loss of weight really fast and when that doesn't happen people think they are losing to slowly. Most are actually losing at a reasonable weight and others had recent large losses and their bodies will hold of and adjust after that.
I log meticulously everything on grams and ounces yet I still have large stretches of time with no scale loss must days actually showing a scale increase. But when I compare photos I can see clear fat loss during those time periods.
I think what many of us most need during those times is patience.0 -
Thank you @auntstephie321 . I'm struggling with the weight loss. Have always focused on the scale & it is hard not to. I've lost 2 1/2" just in tummy in 2+ weeks. I've really watched portions & measuring but scale just doesn't move much. I've lost 5 lbs but .6 goes up & down. Good to see others in same boat.0
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I bought a food scale and use it faithfully. Bought it last year to stick to a non-keto <1200 cal "balanced"
diet. Now that I've switched to a more carb conscious WOE, I still measure out portions. And the fat is still hanging around my caboose. I guess it likes it there....more so than I do, that's Fo Sho 
Patience......that's what I keep having to tell myself. Today I got on the scale and I'm up a pound. WTH.0 -
BTW....those videos are great (until he got to the part about the extra wine being a no no
). Thanks for sharing! 0 -
Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »I just think keeping the focus on counting every single tiny calorie keeps the obsessive focus on the calorie math and if the person is genuinely overeating, they are probably not working the plan effectively. Concentrating attention on "calorie math" is keeping in line with the idea that eating 3500 fewer calories will result in 1 pound lost. Which just isn't true.
So let's say all of the measurements are inaccurate, they very often are for sure, that means they are overeating on a daily basis. The problem isn't measuring better to forcibly restrict the calories and go hungry. The problem is why are they hungry. What's missing or what's triggering cravings and hunger?
I measure, log and track my food, macros and calories and many other health indicators, and yes, I do it obsessively, but that's just the nature of my personality. I'm a very analytical person, so I like data. And all of the times I've successfully lost weight or improved my health I've done it by tracking and analysing my results. If I could afford or had time to go get monthly lab tests, I'd do that too.
One of the many reasons I do this is because I have no built in food control mechanism, and can easily overeat to the point of making myself sick if I don't employ a shut off switch and having a maximum preferred calorie range is that switch for me, though I do make exceptions for true hunger. I realise that calories are not an exact science and I understand that there are many other factors involved in the process of improving my health and losing weight. Personality is one of those factors, and based on my personality, collecting data is a very positive part of the process for me. However, I do realise that for others, it could potentially have a negative affect.
I love that we can all share tips, ideas and philosophies that work for us on a personal level in this forum and have thoughtful discussions about them. It provides all of us with a broader perspective and the ability to consider the best choices for ourselves on an individual basis.0 -
I will say that it was by logging my food here, for several months before I stopped, that I learned what foods work best for me. Without logging I wouldn't be where I am today! I do highly recommend it when beginning, and continue to for however long it takes for you!
I too love seeing all perspectives added in a thread like this! Being well fed makes us all so happy too! 0 -
Thank you for these videos. They highlight what we already know but it's helpful to be reminded. Like PaleoinScotland I am an analytical, data person. I also have no faith in my ability to "eyeball" portion size. I have a tendency to err on the side of too much.
My personal pet peeves are things like a "medium" apple. How big is that? Wouldn't it be easier to say something like "a 500g apple"? There's no mistake then. I don't like to use cups and spoons for measurement. Just put the weight in the recipe or portion size. Everything is clearer and more precise.
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>My personal pet peeves are things like a "medium" apple. How big is that? Wouldn't it be easier to say something like "a 500g apple"? There's no mistake then
It's the whole "different strokes for different folks" thing --- there are those who *don't* want to weigh food dead on, and for them it's more about making it easy to log, eyeballing things, not carrying a food scale, etc. Related would be the guidelines for meal portions like using your palm or fist to compare the amount of food.0 -
PaleoInScotland wrote: »Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »I just think keeping the focus on counting every single tiny calorie keeps the obsessive focus on the calorie math and if the person is genuinely overeating, they are probably not working the plan effectively. Concentrating attention on "calorie math" is keeping in line with the idea that eating 3500 fewer calories will result in 1 pound lost. Which just isn't true.
So let's say all of the measurements are inaccurate, they very often are for sure, that means they are overeating on a daily basis. The problem isn't measuring better to forcibly restrict the calories and go hungry. The problem is why are they hungry. What's missing or what's triggering cravings and hunger?
I measure, log and track my food, macros and calories and many other health indicators, and yes, I do it obsessively, but that's just the nature of my personality. I'm a very analytical person, so I like data. And all of the times I've successfully lost weight or improved my health I've done it by tracking and analysing my results. If I could afford or had time to go get monthly lab tests, I'd do that too.
One of the many reasons I do this is because I have no built in food control mechanism, and can easily overeat to the point of making myself sick if I don't employ a shut off switch and having a maximum preferred calorie range is that switch for me, though I do make exceptions for true hunger. I realise that calories are not an exact science and I understand that there are many other factors involved in the process of improving my health and losing weight. Personality is one of those factors, and based on my personality, collecting data is a very positive part of the process for me. However, I do realise that for others, it could potentially have a negative affect.
I love that we can all share tips, ideas and philosophies that work for us on a personal level in this forum and have thoughtful discussions about them. It provides all of us with a broader perspective and the ability to consider the best choices for ourselves on an individual basis.
I'm actually the same way. I've been logging for almost a year and I was weighing everything in the beginning them just weighing calorie dense things. I only weigh occasionally now as a double check that my estimating is still accurate.
I definitely think weighing can be the difference between sticking to your calorie goal or not. I'm just feeling that there is a little bit of that old mentality to "blame the person" for overeating and that's what's preventing their success. When I believe that more often than not, it's related to including sabotaging foods and methods.
If someone is posting about their frustration and feeling like they're failing and not seeing the expected losses, it's definitely helpful to give the reminder about weighing portions and not using generic serving sizes. But, I just think the focus on getting every calorie measured exactly right doesn't help to develop a lifelong path of success and can just add to the feeling of failing and the idea that someone isn't doing enough. We always heard that right? Do more. You're just not doing enough.
I think logging is important and measuring certainly can be too. But, choosing the right food and eating the right amounts of the right fats at the right times, will usually take care of appetite enough to make overeating less likely.
I guess my personal focus, though also on weighing and logging, has been on identifying what messes with my hunger and figuring out how to avoid false hunger signals. I've gotten to a point where I believe I could stop logging and I would eat consistently as I have been for months now.
So, definitely logging accurately, along with choosing the right foods for you and learning what increases or satisfies each of our appetites is a winning combo. But even then, the scale may not move the way we want. And so it's important to reprogram that idea that every extra calorie or diary entry needs to be scrutinized. Because it's just as simple as that.0 -
I used to see this video all time on the main boards before I started LCHF. Honestly it made me pretty miserable because I was hungry 24/7 trying to stick to my calorie goal and it actually discouraged me from purchasing a food scale. All I could think was if I'm starving sticking to what I think is 1400 calories how am I going to cope when I find out I'm eating more than that and need to cut out MORE food.
So I decided to give up on losing weight at all and I started this diet to see if it helped my RA. It did help my joints tremendously and I just happened to lose 23 pounds without weighing or measuring anything. I just eyeball it. The best part is that I'm rarely hungry. Yesterday I had my coffee w/ hwc at about 9 a.m. Then I had an iced coffee with cream about 2:30. Then dinner at 6:30. I had a medical appointment and no time to eat lunch but it didn't matter because I wasn't hungry in the least!
I know a lot of people depending on measuring and I think it's a great tool for many people. I just don't think I need it on this diet right now. I do log my food daily because I like to look back and see what I ate and it's just a habit at this point but I truly think I could easily go without logging and be fine. The right foods allow me to intuitively eat without worrying about gain.
As for the slow loss I think doing this diet with a health goal rather than a weight loss goal has really helped me not to get as frustrated. Many weeks I don't lose or even bounce up but the trend is downward and that's what matters! I just remind myself I'm doing better than I ever was just counting calories, I'm not hungry, and my joints feel better!
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Sunny_Bunny_ wrote: »I guess my personal focus, though also on weighing and logging, has been on identifying what messes with my hunger and figuring out how to avoid false hunger signals. I've gotten to a point where I believe I could stop logging and I would eat consistently as I have been for months now.
So, definitely logging accurately, along with choosing the right foods for you and learning what increases or satisfies each of our appetites is a winning combo.
I think that's an excellent self-discovery!
I'd love to say it's false hunger signals that have triggered me to overeat in the past, but I'm definitely an emotional eater, food entering my mouth has very rarely ever been about hunger. It's very intriguing to me that this woe has done a pretty amazing job of overcoming this psychological impairment of mine.
Having had a recent stumbling block triggered by stress and seeing so clearly how stress messes with my body's ability to lose weight and manage glucose (because this time around I know for a fact it wasn't cookies and cake doing it), I know now that I need to make a real commitment to exercise. I've tried a lot of things over the years to cope with stress and exercise has always been the most effective thing for me, it's just a matter of turning "I'll start tomorrow" into "I'll start today!"
The more we refine our woe and get our bad habits under control, the more we can hone in on our core problems and really make our success last.
I love hearing your stories! Thank you for always sharing so openly @Sunny_Bunny_0 -
I measure and weigh a lot but not to count calories. I track my nutrition, my macros, and I like to look back to make sure I kept a variety in my diet. I try to get my 6-8 veggies in every day. Very tough on Keto! I use a vegan shake to help with my green quota. I promised myself on day one I will NEVER do a diet that makes me go hungry again, and calorie counting diets will do that. My calories can vary from 600-800 range per day, and I (average) lose ~2 pounds per week. I also hit plateaus. When I do stall I review my nutrition, water, sleep, electrolytes, and exercise then adjust accordingly. But never calories, I listen to my body if it's hungry. I walk a lot, do cardio a few times per week, focus heavily on nutrition, try to keep my macros in range, try to avoid 'bad' foods even if Keto friendly (processed foods are not whole foods so I try to skip them) that is plenty, lol!0
