Ridiculous...!!! A month in and nothing has moved

janiceh2016

Thanks... I have been selecting from database re boiled egg etc but people say to weigh things...if I weigh 2g of cheese for example, am I searching and entering that from a database or am I creating "my food".. I guess I thought we just select from existing items on list. If I know what 2g looks like I felt no need to weigh everything but instead just eyeball it as same

janiceh2016

Don't think I am eating back calories I earn from exercise ... I sometimes end up with a surplus of calories for the day or can't generate a daily report because it says I did not enough to generate one

2snakeswoman

If you're using things like tablespoons or measuring cups to count calories, remember that 1 tablespoon means 1 level tablespoon. It shouldn't be heaped in the middle AT ALL. I don't know why people think that grams are so much more accurate than ounces. My scale shows both, but it's so much easier to read in ounces than it is in grams because the lines indicating fractions of grams are so much closer together whereas 1/2 ounce (for example) is easy to see. It's a spring scale rather than a digital one. I might invest in a digital scale at some point in the future when our household cash flow is better.

MichelleLea122

2snakeswoman wrote: »

If you're using things like tablespoons or measuring cups to count calories, remember that 1 tablespoon means 1 level tablespoon. It shouldn't be heaped in the middle AT ALL. I don't know why people think that grams are so much more accurate than ounces. My scale shows both, but it's so much easier to read in ounces than it is in grams because the lines indicating fractions of grams are so much closer together whereas 1/2 ounce (for example) is easy to see. It's a spring scale rather than a digital one. I might invest in a digital scale at some point in the future when our household cash flow is better.

I think I bought my digital scale for only $20 at like target. When it's digital, grams are just more accurate because (at least with my scale) it only goes to the tenths place for ounces. So basically if you're measuring something like olive oil, if the scale says 0.3oz it could be anywhere from around 5-8g.

janiceh2016

Yup I hear ya... Lots of people promoting accuracy so I will monitor measuring

nutmegoreo

amyrebeccah wrote: »

janiceh2016 wrote: »

Thanks... I have been selecting from database re boiled egg etc but people say to weigh things...if I weigh 2g of cheese for example, am I searching and entering that from a database or am I creating "my food".. I guess I thought we just select from existing items on list. If I know what 2g looks like I felt no need to weigh everything but instead just eyeball it as same

You'd find an entry that has an option for a grams serving, and enter the amount of weight as a serving. So find an entry for cheddar, select "100g" as a serving, and then enter .02 servings. There you go. BTW I hope that's just an example because 2g of cheese is nothing.

And either way, our eyes trick us. You probably don't know what 2g of cheese looks like. Consistent studies have shown that people underestimate their calorie intake. Every now and then people use scales to check and find that they were about right, but drastically more people make threads with titles like "omg, you guys are right, I was WAY underestimating what I was eating." It can work in reverse too. If you're actually overestimating your food, you risk being hungry and not knowing why, and even cheating yourself of the calories you need to keep going.

Ugh. I was so sad when I found out how tiny 30g of cheese is. I could eat so much cheese. Of course, now I know better.

Christine_72

nutmegoreo wrote: »

amyrebeccah wrote: »

janiceh2016 wrote: »

Thanks... I have been selecting from database re boiled egg etc but people say to weigh things...if I weigh 2g of cheese for example, am I searching and entering that from a database or am I creating "my food".. I guess I thought we just select from existing items on list. If I know what 2g looks like I felt no need to weigh everything but instead just eyeball it as same

You'd find an entry that has an option for a grams serving, and enter the amount of weight as a serving. So find an entry for cheddar, select "100g" as a serving, and then enter .02 servings. There you go. BTW I hope that's just an example because 2g of cheese is nothing.

And either way, our eyes trick us. You probably don't know what 2g of cheese looks like. Consistent studies have shown that people underestimate their calorie intake. Every now and then people use scales to check and find that they were about right, but drastically more people make threads with titles like "omg, you guys are right, I was WAY underestimating what I was eating." It can work in reverse too. If you're actually overestimating your food, you risk being hungry and not knowing why, and even cheating yourself of the calories you need to keep going.

Ugh. I was so sad when I found out how tiny 30g of cheese is. I could eat so much cheese. Of course, now I know better.

Not to mention peanut butter and nutella

darkenergie

1200 is not starvation mode, esp for OP's stats regardless of which Internet article is more accurate about describing how our metabolism acts during different scenarios.

OP, whatever amount you are currently eating be it an accurate 1200 or not is probably your maintenance level. Eat a little less (100-200) daily or add more calorie burning activity(an extra 20 mins of HIT cardio, or 40 mins of steady slower state cardio) 4-5X a week and reasses after a month.

janiceh2016

Very helpful... Totally messed up on all reporting this week with cold and flu... Am ready to ditch this whole site off my phone and stop monitoring every square molecule (or is that round) ... Just be mindful and get on with enjoying life... Yes some will say "so where did that get you".... Haha

snowflake954

cgvet37 wrote: »

singingflutelady wrote: »

If 1200 was too low she'd be losing tons of weight.

Not necessarily. I have seen first hand, people who did not consume enough calories, and lost no significant amout of fat. Again, I'm not saying her caloric intake is the issue, but it's one variable.

I would suggest that you read the thread on MFP "Lyle McDonald--women trying to lose fat". It might be worth your while to understand women and their fat loss problems.

OP-- follow the chart posted above--it is excellent.

eldamiano

Not really ridiculous. That's what happens if you arent eating at a calorie deficit...

JustMissTracy

janiceh2016 wrote: »

Thanks all... I weighed a few things to get the gist of the size... Have eyeballed others but mostly locate the food item or close facsimile and enter that as the daily item under snack ...ie 1/2 cup of Astro 2% yogurt

This is your mistake. Weigh everything, yourself. Don't count on labels. Weigh your beverages, condiments, everything....chances are pretty good that you are not logging correctly, therefore not eating 1200 calories. If you were, you'd be losing, unless you don't move your body all day and burn less than 1200. Which is doubtful, unless you have a medical issue you haven't mentioned. Do yourself a favour; get a digital food scale, 15$ at Walmart or Amazon, start weighing your foods and logging, intentionally. Don't copy someone else's entry. Many of the entries are wrong, so you'd just be fooling yourself. After about 2-3 weeks of doing this, you will be much better able to eyeball correctly. I've been doing this for about a year, and still weigh almost every meal (altho I could guess, almost to the gram, and be correct now).

JustMissTracy

janiceh2016 wrote: »

Thanks... 65 at 5'2" and over 140lbs... Lots of middle stuff. I am a good walker and given up the white stuff, treats and wine!

Don't give up wine! You didn't make it this far to torture yourself!!

GreenIceFloes

OP, please read this thread carefully. It explains how to log accurately by weighing food properly and choosing the correct database entries.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1296011/calorie-counting-101/p1

JustMissTracy

janiceh2016 wrote: »

Very helpful... Totally messed up on all reporting this week with cold and flu... Am ready to ditch this whole site off my phone and stop monitoring every square molecule (or is that round) ... Just be mindful and get on with enjoying life... Yes some will say "so where did that get you".... Haha

I'm curious, where DID that get you? If you truly want to lose weight, the weighing and logging method does actually work. I've lost over 80 so far. It's a mindset thing. HOW BAD DO YOU REALLY WANT IT?

janiceh2016

Thanks for links and encouragement...will reassess. No health issues and take longer walks some days or nothing other days...overall ok with body except for sloppy jiggly mass around stomach and abs. I can't resolve having been slim good figure most of my life and so conciliatory of body now mid-60. Re measurements... I make minestrone soup so will select 1 cup from database for example...is that correct to do?

MommyMeggo

janiceh2016 wrote: »

Thanks for links and encouragement...will reassess. No health issues and take longer walks some days or nothing other days...overall ok with body except for sloppy jiggly mass around stomach and abs. I can't resolve having been slim good figure most of my life and so conciliatory of body now mid-60. Re measurements... I make minestrone soup so will select 1 cup from database for example...is that correct to do?

No you cannot make a recipe then go select a generic minestrone soup.
You can enter your own recipe/ingredients then add that to your log.
If you make your soup- you may use different ingredients or quantities than those in the database. Which may give you more or less calories than you are actually eating.

EDIT: however- the data base is great for store bought items and whole foods. But your homemade items will differ- sometimes greatly - from what is entered if you choose a like item from the database.

JeromeBarry1

janiceh2016 wrote: »

The nutritional report will show 'over' for fat and sugar levels yet overall I am within 1200 daily caloric total... Not sure about setting proper goals percentage breakdown for protein, carb and fat. I went for higher protein (90 gm) too hard to reach

That's pretty much your problem. Change your food habits so that the items highest in sugar are eliminated. You'll find yourself adjusting your diet to more sources of protein.

MommyMeggo

JeromeBarry1 wrote: »

janiceh2016 wrote: »

The nutritional report will show 'over' for fat and sugar levels yet overall I am within 1200 daily caloric total... Not sure about setting proper goals percentage breakdown for protein, carb and fat. I went for higher protein (90 gm) too hard to reach

That's pretty much your problem. Change your food habits so that the items highest in sugar are eliminated. You'll find yourself adjusting your diet to more sources of protein.

Eliminating sugar? Why?
OP isn't losing because she isn't logging properly and is overeating.

janiceh2016

JustMissTracy: I understood 'tracking' meant choosing items from database..(i.e.) 1 medium banana... Did that for month then posted here with exasperation. So that was wrong way to do things. One of the links says weigh peanut butter. I would select 1 tablespoon from measuring spoon or 1 cup of homemade chili. No clue how to "weigh" peanut butter. Or break down every component in a soup or casserole.