Confused - am I eating too much?

2

Replies

  • Colorscheme
    Colorscheme Posts: 1,179 Member
    Something I'd just like to point out:

    Just because the food is pre packaged does not mean the calorie count is accurate. You would have to weigh the dish prior to cooking to make sure it matches the weight on the box.
  • 1shedev
    1shedev Posts: 144 Member
    I was up in weight my first week too. But I was determined to give it 4 weeks so I stuck with it. It's day 45 and I'm down 9lbs. I started out eating the things I usually eat, but staying under my calorie goal. I was always under in protein and over in sugar. This month I have focused on getting in enough protein and the other macros are falling in line. I hope you don't give up. Give it 4 weeks.
  • jodieelol
    jodieelol Posts: 33 Member
    I'm not sure if anyone has said yet but I would advise weighing and measuring everything you eat and put into your body. You can be eating a lot more calories than you think if you aren't doing this, you could also be retaining water. Eat clean, workout, measure food and you'll see results
    Good luck!
  • dmt4641
    dmt4641 Posts: 409 Member
    edited July 2016
    You need to understand that your weight is composed of many things other than fat and muscle. The number that fluctuates the most is water. Eating a high sodium meal, drinking a lot of water, not pooping the day before, being dehydrated, time of the month, etc. can all make your weight fluctuated several pounds in one day. You will not gain or lose several pounds of fat in one day. You need to look at the number on the scale as a range that you want to overtime trend downwards. There are many apps and websites that track weight trends (trendweight, happy scale) so you can see your weight trends vs. daily fluctuates. After a few WEEKS of tracking 1500 a day you will see the line trend downwards, but the line will be squiggly up and down, not a perfect straight line down. That is the same for ALL of us, not just you. We ALL have weight fluctuations daily.

    Start over, track 1500 calories this week. It is okay to start with the frozen foods, but start slowly incorporating simple home cooked meals so that you aren't getting as much sodium and you can more accurately control your calories. Frozen meals are allowed to fluctuate a certain percentage, say 15%, in their calorie counts and still be considered accurate. If you make it yourself and use a scale you will be much more accurate.

    Weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. You will not see weight loss on the scale each day or even each week. Some days you will have a big loss and get excited, only to see the scale go up the next day. Most of that is water weight. Just relax and trust the process. It works for you, it works for me and everyone here who tracks their calories accurately and CONSISTENTLY. Stay consistent and you will see results.

    ETA: Your weight also fluctuates throughout the day as you eat and drink. A lot of people weigh themselves first thing in the morning after you use the restroom but before eating or drinking. Your weight will still fluctuate if you weigh at this time, but it will be less influenced by the food/drink in your stomach.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited July 2016
    ConfusedDieter wrote: »
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    ConfusedDieter wrote: »
    Redwineandmuscles wrote: »
    No you are not eating too much. Keep doing EXACTLY what you are doing (if you like your plan). As I lost weight the scale went up and down daily, but over two months the trend was down. Also, if you eat too much one day, it won't really make you gain a pound, even if the scale makes it seem like you did. Just pull up your socks and detour back to your plan again. You've got this.

    Thanks. Can anyone relate to how I'm feeling emotionally right now? I'm such a wreck. I woke up this morning feeling so optimistic, feeling like I was finally on my way to a healthy weight. My attitude was there is no deadline, as long as I am maintaining a caloric deficit every day. And I was totally crushed and shocked when I saw the weight go up because I thought it would be like 199.9 or something you know?

    I think many of us can relate to how you're feeling. You do everything right and the reward is seeing a lower number when you step on the scale, and it sucks when it doesn't show you what you want to see. I must have a dozen different looks of disgust, frustration and disappointment that come across my face when i see the scale number not move or go up lol But it is what it is, it would be so much easier to give up, but i want this weight loss, i want it baaad :lol:

    Luckily for you, it's only been 4 days, so way too early to start panicking just yet. Some people don't start to lose until 4-6 weeks in and then poof, weight loss finally starts happening on a regular basis.

    Keep doing what you're doing and be patient. Keep your logging tight and as accurate as possible, so you can remove any doubt that you're eating too much (more than 1500 calories), second guessing will do your head in.

    Thank you for understanding how I feel :/ I admire you for keeping at it.

    I just weighed myself again and my weight was literally 206 lb, I'm not joking. So I gained 5 lb in one day. I will admit I had a lot of junk food. However I went back and counted the calories of everything and it was 3,000 calories. I thought it took 3,500 calories OVEREATING to gain 1 pound. I can't do this any more. I keep gaining weight arbitrarily. Either that or there is something wrong with me and my metabolism is really low like 300 calories a day or something. I have had it. I tried to get to a healthy weight but my weight keeps going up arbitrarily.

    I wasn't going to weigh myself this morning (i usually weigh everyday), but after reading your post I grit my teeth and did it, to hopefully make you feel better. I went to a buffet yesterday and ate lots of food and lots of sodium, pretty much lots of everything, so i knew i would weigh heavier today (hence why i wasnt going to bother weighing in), and lo and behold i'm 3.4lbs more than yesterday, It doesn't bother me as it's to be expected after a heavy day of eating. So today i'll be drinking plenty of water and am having a lighter than average day of eating, and in a day or 2 my weight will be back down to normal.

    As for keeping at it, I've been here and on a deficit since August 2014, and i only had 30lbs to lose! I've had months here and here when i swapped to maintenance so i have dragged it out a bit..

    Have you been to the doctor and got a general health check, blood tests etc just to be sure there's no hormone/thyroid problems etc and you do weigh and log everything honestly and accurately, right?
  • kimondo666
    kimondo666 Posts: 194 Member
    IF you want exact measurement go to gym that has one that weight scale that measure amount of water, fat, muscle mass via electricial something.
  • dmt4641
    dmt4641 Posts: 409 Member
    kimondo666 wrote: »
    IF you want exact measurement go to gym that has one that weight scale that measure amount of water, fat, muscle mass via electricial something.

    Those scales are pretty inaccurate btw. My home scale showed my bf % as 7% lower than a Bod Pod.
  • newheavensearth
    newheavensearth Posts: 870 Member
    4 days is not enough time to see a weight loss. Also there is a lot of sodium in frozen meals. You might be retaining water.
    I wouldn't obsess over the caloric accuracy in pre- packaged foods just yet. Worrying about that so soon can scare you right out of counting calories.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    chnphillips wrote: »
    4 days is not enough time to see a weight loss. Also there is a lot of sodium in frozen meals. You might be retaining water.
    I wouldn't obsess over the caloric accuracy in pre- packaged foods just yet. Worrying about that so soon can scare you right out of counting calories.

    Yes, keep a close eye on your sodium, Frozen ready meals are usually loaded with it which will = water retention which will = the scale to not budge or go up.
  • koraat
    koraat Posts: 3 Member
    ConfusedDieter wrote: »
    OK I will wait more time I guess...I know it's only been 4 days BUT I thought that it takes 3500 extra calories to gain 1 pound. I have not been going over the 1500 calories so how is that possible? I don't get it. So you think it might be sodium?

    Don't feel discouraged. Personally, my weight can fluctuate up to 5-7 lbs in a day. This is why I weigh myself weekly, IF that. I normally won't for up to a month. If you're on the plan to lose 1 lb per week, I suggest weighing yourself less frequently to prevent from being discouraged. If you are inputting everything correctly every day (food and proportion along with exercise per day, lifestyle setting for your account, etc.) you know you will be losing the weight even if you don't check. You can do this, don't get discouraged. :smile:
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    you didnt gain the weight in 4 days so you arent going to lose it in 4 days,weight loss takes time and sometimes you will lose inches before it shows on the scale. get a tape measure and measure yourself about once a month. write it down or you can enter those things into mfp as well. 4 days is not enough to notice much of a difference. the other day I was due for TOM(that time of the month) I was also retaining water altogether I was retaining 7-8lbs of water,some of it was from TOM and the other was due to high sodium foods the past few days. if you gained weight in a few days its water retention. drink more water to help flush some of it out(sounds counter productive I know but it helps).weight also fluctuates from hr to hr,day to day,etc.If you are new to exercise you will retain some water as well.dont give up,give it a month or two. then if you dont lose anything then you may have to figure out whats going on and reassess things.
  • itsdreday
    itsdreday Posts: 60 Member
    Like everyone else said that's assuredly water fluctuation/retention. Weighing once a week helps average the swings in weight and after a couple of weeks you'll start seeing the gradual decline.
  • ConfusedDieter
    ConfusedDieter Posts: 11 Member
    Thanks for the explanations guys. I think I simply had the wrong idea. Someone once told me something like the calories from food get absorbed in 20 minutes so I assumed that if I created a deficit, I would be able to see it right away. I think I'm going to lower my expectations though, like losing 1 lb a month, so that I won't get disappointed.
  • ginaDDDD
    ginaDDDD Posts: 27 Member
    It's the sodium! I had hibachi the other night and the chef used a lot of soy sauce. I woke up next morning terribly bloated, my fingers and face. Sure enough I gained 4 pounds and It was definitely water retention. It took 4 days to go away and I'm back to the weight I was before I had hibachi dinner. Take a look at the sodium content in your frozen meals. If it is indeed high then you should really reconsider eating them. I know that I won't be consuming soy sauce any time soon. Good luck on your journey and don't let this derail you. You just started. You have a bunch of folks here in the same boat as you
  • pebble4321
    pebble4321 Posts: 1,132 Member
    edited July 2016
    ConfusedDieter wrote: »
    Thanks for the explanations guys. I think I simply had the wrong idea. Someone once told me something like the calories from food get absorbed in 20 minutes so I assumed that if I created a deficit, I would be able to see it right away. I think I'm going to lower my expectations though, like losing 1 lb a month, so that I won't get disappointed.

    This is a much better idea. Focus on the positive changes you can make... and over time you will see results.
    And bear in mind that the scale is only one measure - your clothes, your energy, your ability to walk, or climb stairs or get up from the floor or even your mood are likely to show changes as you get healthier.

    Don't feel you only have to eat packaged food that has a bar code though - fruit and veggies don't usually have bar codes but are great for you, and the MFP recipe builder (though it has its flaws) lets you enter your own favourite meals and know what the calorie count is.
  • bethannien
    bethannien Posts: 556 Member
    I'm pretty sure that pre packaged food's calorie info on their boxes are an estimate and as long as they're within 20% either way, they fall into the guidelines. Which means that a frozen meal that says its 400 calories could actually be 480.

    It's a pain but cooking your meals will seriously help you out in the long run.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,075 Member
    ConfusedDieter wrote: »
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    ConfusedDieter wrote: »
    Redwineandmuscles wrote: »
    No you are not eating too much. Keep doing EXACTLY what you are doing (if you like your plan). As I lost weight the scale went up and down daily, but over two months the trend was down. Also, if you eat too much one day, it won't really make you gain a pound, even if the scale makes it seem like you did. Just pull up your socks and detour back to your plan again. You've got this.

    Thanks. Can anyone relate to how I'm feeling emotionally right now? I'm such a wreck. I woke up this morning feeling so optimistic, feeling like I was finally on my way to a healthy weight. My attitude was there is no deadline, as long as I am maintaining a caloric deficit every day. And I was totally crushed and shocked when I saw the weight go up because I thought it would be like 199.9 or something you know?

    I think many of us can relate to how you're feeling. You do everything right and the reward is seeing a lower number when you step on the scale, and it sucks when it doesn't show you what you want to see. I must have a dozen different looks of disgust, frustration and disappointment that come across my face when i see the scale number not move or go up lol But it is what it is, it would be so much easier to give up, but i want this weight loss, i want it baaad :lol:

    Luckily for you, it's only been 4 days, so way too early to start panicking just yet. Some people don't start to lose until 4-6 weeks in and then poof, weight loss finally starts happening on a regular basis.

    Keep doing what you're doing and be patient. Keep your logging tight and as accurate as possible, so you can remove any doubt that you're eating too much (more than 1500 calories), second guessing will do your head in.

    Thank you for understanding how I feel :/ I admire you for keeping at it.

    I just weighed myself again and my weight was literally 206 lb, I'm not joking. So I gained 5 lb in one day. I will admit I had a lot of junk food. However I went back and counted the calories of everything and it was 3,000 calories. I thought it took 3,500 calories OVEREATING to gain 1 pound. I can't do this any more. I keep gaining weight arbitrarily. Either that or there is something wrong with me and my metabolism is really low like 300 calories a day or something. I have had it. I tried to get to a healthy weight but my weight keeps going up arbitrarily.

    It takes 3500 calories above maintenance (approximately) to gain 1 pound OF FAT. Changes in fat are not the only thing that registers on the scale. Changes in water weight show up, and given that you started eating frozen meals (which are typically high sodium), it's likely that water weight increase caused your first half-pound gain. Then you got discouraged and proceeded to overeat on the fifth day, which means you have a lot more food transiting your digestive system than you've had since you started on MFP. Plus, the extra calories allowed your body to top off your glycogen stores, and your body needs extra water to store glycogen. So the five pounds in one day is food weight and more water weight, and a tiny bit of fat from overeating.

    The weight changes aren't arbitrary. Your expectations for results are unreasonable, and you're being too impatient.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    bethannien wrote: »
    I'm pretty sure that pre packaged food's calorie info on their boxes are an estimate and as long as they're within 20% either way, they fall into the guidelines. Which means that a frozen meal that says its 400 calories could actually be 480.

    It's a pain but cooking your meals will seriously help you out in the long run.

    Yep, i never thought to weigh packaged food before reading it on here.

    My "60g" Quest bar weighed 65g today. 2 slices of bread say 72g on the label, but when i weigh them it's usually more like 85g. I think I'd fall over from shock if a food actually weighed what it said on the label.. Do not blindly trust anything, it always pays to do a quick double check.

Categories