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Tracking food and working out consistently, but not losing weight!
Jennellee
Posts: 13 Member
Hello I gained 30lbs over the last two years during nursing school. I recently graduated and I am motivated to get stronger and get back to a healthier weight. I'm currently 157lbs. 5'4 (goal 130lbs). I've been working out 5 days a week for two months (mostly high intensity cardio, with strength training through circuit and weight lifting). I started at 160 and have only lost 3lbs. A friend suggested I start tracking my calories through MFP, I started that one month ago. I am overly generous with my calorie count and document everything methodically (even my off days, plus snacks and drinks).
1. Is there anyone out there that can take a look at my diary and offer some tips to help increase my weight loss (please note I changed my calorie intake from 1760 to 1450 today, hoping that helps).
2. I've only lost 3.3lbs with 1760 calories intake in one month. Am I eating back too many of the calories I burn from my workouts?
3. I am always deficit in protein. I have tried adding tuna fish, low fat cottage cheese, and raw nuts. Should I invest in a protein powder supplement?
4. I have definetly increased muscle mass and lost inches in my midsection and thighs. I am focusing too much on the scale (with the whole muscle weighs more than fat)? Should I change my workout routine (Jazzercise and weight lifting)?
5. I eat a well balanced diet always have, and I'm trying to lose this weight at a slow healthy rate, but I feel like I'm not making any progress. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
1. Is there anyone out there that can take a look at my diary and offer some tips to help increase my weight loss (please note I changed my calorie intake from 1760 to 1450 today, hoping that helps).
2. I've only lost 3.3lbs with 1760 calories intake in one month. Am I eating back too many of the calories I burn from my workouts?
3. I am always deficit in protein. I have tried adding tuna fish, low fat cottage cheese, and raw nuts. Should I invest in a protein powder supplement?
4. I have definetly increased muscle mass and lost inches in my midsection and thighs. I am focusing too much on the scale (with the whole muscle weighs more than fat)? Should I change my workout routine (Jazzercise and weight lifting)?
5. I eat a well balanced diet always have, and I'm trying to lose this weight at a slow healthy rate, but I feel like I'm not making any progress. Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!
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Replies
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For a few of the things I see you measuring on there it looks like you're measuring in tablespoons/cups when you should be using grams - for example, cashews. They're very calorie-dense so measuring 1/4 cup of cashews can leave you off by a large amount.
Another common mistake - do you log your strength training/use a Fitbit for it? Those exercises are very routinely overlogged drastically and can lead to overeating if you eat back those calories.2 -
You are losing weight. 3.3 lbs in a month is good progress. You're being too impatient. This is a long process and it's not going to all melt off in a couple of months.9
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First thing I noticed is that you aren't weighing foods. You should be weighing food in grams. Everything you tracked is Tbsp, cup, one serving, etc. So you are probably eating way more calories than you think you are.2
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Thanks for the encouragement
but it's actually two months since I started working out. I've only been tracking on MFP for one month. I'm going to keep at for sure, I was just hoping for some tips to improve my progress. 0 -
I would get some food scales and weigh all your food rather than measure with cups and tbsp. Also things like a slice of bread, weigh that too as they are not accurate. My loaf of bread says a slice is 33g, it's actually 30g.0
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Chiming in about the food scale also. Also, are the meals you have listed your own creations or from the database? If you're cooking, you should be using the recipe builder instead of choosing a homemade or generic entry that probably doesn't match the calories/macros you're eating.2
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I would get some food scales and weigh all your food rather than measure with cups and tbsp. Also things like a slice of bread, weigh that too as they are not accurate. My loaf of bread says a slice is 33g, it's actually 30g.
Okay I will try that. I'm pretty sure my husband has a small digital scale that measures in grams. I'm little nervous at how time consuming that is going to be, but I am willing to try. Do you think logging all my foods in recipes will save me time in the long run? So the bar code scanner is not accurate... that is depressing, it was so convenient. Are the other food measurements on MFP accurate? I cook almost all of my meals, should I be sourcing the nutritional content from another source? Thanks for the advice
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Also, are the meals you have listed your own creations or from the database?
I use both, I have created a 10 or so meals under recipes that I cook on a regular basis. I typically only add the generic for eat out food that don't have a restaurant menu listed. 90% of my meals are home made and I add each ingredient individually. I am wondering if my portions are correct though. I'm going to try eating smaller portions and weighing food like suggested.0 -
I would get some food scales and weigh all your food rather than measure with cups and tbsp. Also things like a slice of bread, weigh that too as they are not accurate. My loaf of bread says a slice is 33g, it's actually 30g.
Okay I will try that. I'm pretty sure my husband has a small digital scale that measures in grams. I'm little nervous at how time consuming that is going to be, but I am willing to try. Do you think logging all my foods in recipes will save me time in the long run? So the bar code scanner is not accurate... that is depressing, it was so convenient. Are the other food measurements on MFP accurate? I cook almost all of my meals, should I be sourcing the nutritional content from another source? Thanks for the advice
once you start weighing you'll be surprised how quick it is and how easily it becomes a habit.
using the recipe builder is great, the first time i make something i make it exactly how i normally would, but i weigh each ingredient individually. then, if i'm ok with the calories when i make the same thing again i can go back and match the measurements, but if it's higher than i anticipated, when i go back i trim some of the quantities or make some simple substitutions until it fits my goals, then follow it exactly going forward.3 -
I would get some food scales and weigh all your food rather than measure with cups and tbsp. Also things like a slice of bread, weigh that too as they are not accurate. My loaf of bread says a slice is 33g, it's actually 30g.
Okay I will try that. I'm pretty sure my husband has a small digital scale that measures in grams. I'm little nervous at how time consuming that is going to be, but I am willing to try. Do you think logging all my foods in recipes will save me time in the long run? So the bar code scanner is not accurate... that is depressing, it was so convenient. Are the other food measurements on MFP accurate? I cook almost all of my meals, should I be sourcing the nutritional content from another source? Thanks for the advice
Using a food scale has actually saved me time, because it's much easier/quicker to put a bowl on the scale, measure each ingredient into it and tare the scale out in between ingredients than it is to dig out 4-5 different measuring cups/spoons, scrape out any oily/sticky ingredients from the cup or spoon (who wants to measure peanut butter or honey into a tiny measuring spoon?) and then wash all of that.
One trick that I love works well for things like peanut butter...put the jar on the scale, hit tare (so the weight shows up at 0), then scoop out the product until the display reads negative however many grams you want to eat.
The bar code scanner is typically fairly accurate...you just need to make sure that you're eating the right serving size. The MFP database also tends to be fairly accurate for raw ingredients, especially if you add "USDA" to your search terms. It's not at all accurate for any kind of prepared meal, though. (So I'd trust the entry for "eggs, raw" and "butter, salted" but not anything that said "scrambled eggs.") You always want to enter your ingredients separately.6 -
Food scale is a million times quicker than dragging out measuring cups and spoons, trying to find the right one, washing them all afterwards....2
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It's pretty awesome to have a community of people at my finger tips! Everyone has great advice, the consensus is use a scale. Just to clarify I can still use the barcode scanner or raw food finder, but the focus is to measure the actual food I'm eating to make sure I'm staying within the serving size in grams or mL (or within my defined calories). Sorry I'm new to this so I just want to make sure I'm doing it right. I understand how to zero a scale and covert from standard to metric if need be (thanks to chemistry class). I just need to make sure MY portions are accurate to food I'm logging, correct? Thanks for all the help1
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Your scale should have a metric setting on it (usually the "units" button). If not, get one that does. You don't want to waste time doing unit conversions all the time.0
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It's pretty awesome to have a community of people at my finger tips! Everyone has great advice, the consensus is use a scale. Just to clarify I can still use the barcode scanner or raw food finder, but the focus is to measure the actual food I'm eating to make sure I'm staying within the serving size in grams or mL (or within my defined calories). Sorry I'm new to this so I just want to make sure I'm doing it right. I understand how to zero a scale and covert from standard to metric if need be (thanks to chemistry class). I just need to make sure MY portions are accurate to food I'm logging, correct? Thanks for all the help
Yes, exactly. The bar code scanner usually results in the right entry (just eyeball the package against the entry to make sure). Where the bar code scanner may be inaccurate is that not every cookie in the package (or whatever) weighs the same, and the package will typically tell you that 3 cookies weighs 100g, but they probably won't be exact. It's okay to scan the package of cookies to get the entry, but you'd then want to weigh your serving to make sure you're actually eating 100g.1 -
I would get some food scales and weigh all your food rather than measure with cups and tbsp. Also things like a slice of bread, weigh that too as they are not accurate. My loaf of bread says a slice is 33g, it's actually 30g.
Okay I will try that. I'm pretty sure my husband has a small digital scale that measures in grams. I'm little nervous at how time consuming that is going to be, but I am willing to try. Do you think logging all my foods in recipes will save me time in the long run? So the bar code scanner is not accurate... that is depressing, it was so convenient. Are the other food measurements on MFP accurate? I cook almost all of my meals, should I be sourcing the nutritional content from another source? Thanks for the advice
Yes, it does, big time. If you've got a URL for a recipe (I tend to scavenge online for healthy recipes), you can enter it and have MFP import it for you - just double check that all the ingredients are correct. I agree with everyone above (get a decent food scale since they're not expensive, the weight won't come off quickly, etc.), but I wanted to add two more things. One, if you're losing inches but not weight and your goal is to reduce your size, get your husband to do your measurements, add them to MFP, and track them weekly - it sounds like that might be a better measure of your progress. Two, go get a checkup with a full blood panel. Gaining weight without a change in diet and/or having problems losing can be a sign of a way bigger problem.1 -
If I could make a suggestion
I hit a plateau about three weeks ago when I was eating between 1450 and 1500 per day, I then went to my goals and changed it to maintain my weight which showed me a total of 2300 calories needing to be eaten every day to stay the weight I was at, so I slashed 1000 calories off of that and have been eating 1300 for two weeks now and lost over 3 pounds every week. Some may say that's unhealthy but I'm still eating above 1200 and that's all that matters. On top of that I'm actually quite full and content by the end of the day because I am breaking my meals up through out the day so I'm constantly eating lol 0 -
When i go back and look at my first few months of logging here, it is embarrassingly inaccurate, but i thought i was being so very precise!
OP, weighing food is a ton quicker, more accurate and easier than using cups and spoons.5 -
Thanks for the encouragement but it's actually two months since I started working out. I've only been tracking on MFP for one month. I'm going to keep at for sure, I was just hoping for some tips to improve my progress.
Do more steady state cardio and less strength training. Keep your heart in the cardio zone for "at least 30 minutes non stop every day". That will give you a little bit better than a "minimum" training effect. Longer than 30 minutes will give you a better training effect.
As your fitness level improves you will notice that you don't have to be as accurate with counting every calorie, and the higher your fitness level gets, the more your body will be able to maintain a healthy weight pretty much all by itself, provided you eat a healthy well balanced diet.2 -
You lost over 3 pounds in a month eating slightly over 1700 calories? That's awesome. I would kill to lose that fast on that many calories.1
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arditarose wrote: »You lost over 3 pounds in a month eating slightly over 1700 calories? That's awesome. I would kill to lose that fast on that many calories.
I was just about to say the same thing. 3 pounds in a month is great.2 -
Asher_Ethan & arditarose thanks for the perspective I needed to hear that! I was just getting frustrating with how hard I was working physically to lose the weight (2-3hrs of cardio everyday). I've never had to diet or count calories to lose weight, but I guess being in my late 30's has changed that factor for me. I have decided to drop from 1760 to 1480 and measure my meals. High five to both of you!!!1
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Asher_Ethan & arditarose thanks for the perspective I needed to hear that! I was just getting frustrating with how hard I was working physically to lose the weight (2-3hrs of cardio everyday). I've never had to diet or count calories to lose weight, but I guess being in my late 30's has changed that factor for me. I have decided to drop from 1760 to 1480 and measure my meals. High five to both of you!!!
If you do that, why not cut back on some of that cardio? I'm about your height and have had your stats. 1500 is my sweet spot for fat loss with minimal exercise.1
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