Maybe I've been doing it wrong...

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boucksy
boucksy Posts: 10 Member
edited September 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
Or maybe I just haven't been as dedicated as I need to be. I'm just about to hit a 600-day-streak on MFP after having logged my food for that amount of time, not to mention the loss of friends (either stopped trying to lose weight, or left the app) and those who have reached their goals during that time and I just haven't gotten there yet.

Maybe I need to be reeducated on how I need to eat healthily and what my daily calories should be. I want to lose 33 pounds by April. MFP gives me a goal of 1,200 calories per day to lose 1.5-pound per week...I'm listed as "not very active" because I work at a computer most of the day as a designer. I try my best to make up for that elsewhere, but exercise has always been my downfall. I can do cardio for a good amount of time, but I hate strength training. I want to lose weight but the scale just doesn't do much moving. It likes to flutter, even though I know that's on me.

Looking for some starter advice, more active friends, or even some general motivations. Feel free to add me if you're looking for new friends too!
-Miranda
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Replies

  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
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    How are you measuring your food? If you aren't using a food scale, the problem may be there.

    You don't need exercise to lose weight, so that shouldn't be the issue.
  • boucksy
    boucksy Posts: 10 Member
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    I use a digital food scale (this one:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004164SRA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3FUY11FKEN472) when the recipe I'm using requires it...I follow recipes by # of servings and then divide what I'm making by that. For example, if it's a veggie hash that makes 6 servings, I split it up into 6 separate plates.

    Should I do something different here?
  • Gena575
    Gena575 Posts: 224 Member
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    boucksy wrote: »
    I use a digital food scale (this one:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004164SRA/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A3FUY11FKEN472) when the recipe I'm using requires it...I follow recipes by # of servings and then divide what I'm making by that. For example, if it's a veggie hash that makes 6 servings, I split it up into 6 separate plates.

    Should I do something different here?

    Do you weigh foods like a chicken breast you're baking plain? Or a raw Apple? Peanut butter? Cucumber slices? If not, you could easily be underestimating the calories you consume.
  • Decapins
    Decapins Posts: 49 Member
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    how much weight have you lost so far? maybe you just have to accept that your weightloss will be less than 1.5 lbs a week
  • boucksy
    boucksy Posts: 10 Member
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    Gena575- yes, I weigh my proteins and such like breasts...never thought about weighing an apple or other veggies, I've always measured by cups (USA here, not sure where you are) where I'll actually use a cup to measure or use the size of my hand for estimate (like small, medium, large). Things like PB always get measured with a leveled off tablespoon and then spatula'd out as much as I can (we all know we can't get ALL the peanut butter unless we lick it clean ;) haha).

    Decapins- overall I've lost about 25 pounds...I would accept that I'm slowly losing weight but it has been this way for nearly 15 months so I'm sure it's something I'm doing that I'm just not aware of.
  • RobynUnfiltered
    RobynUnfiltered Posts: 62 Member
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    Maybe you have something going on with your body that can make it more difficult to lose weight. Have you had a recent physical? Check your thyroid, Vitamin D, blood sugar because if those are off it can be difficult to shed anything. If all that is ok try drinking more water, that has been helping me this month I am no expert I just know my own story. However I can say my Vitamin D was so low it was crazy and since it has been supplemented I am losing about a 1/2 pound a week which is slow but it is happening prior to the supplement I was stalled for months then gained some. Also maybe you are at the weight your body likes?
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    edited September 2016
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    You need to weigh every solid thing for the best accuracy.

    I can just about guarantee your leveled-off tablespoon of PB is more like 1.5 servings.

    Packaged items can be lighter or heavier than what the label says by up to 20% - and they're generally heavier.

    Try weighing everything for at least 4 weeks, and limit going out for food if you can during that time.

    Your weight not changing at all means you're eating at maintenance right now, and, if you're eyeballing portions or using cups/spoons, you are unfortunately not being as accurate as you could be.

    ~Lyssa
  • boucksy
    boucksy Posts: 10 Member
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    I have a physical coming up in January (annual) so I'll be checking in then... last time I had all of those things checked, things seemed to be good. Though I have just started to take D3. I do know I need to be better at drinking more water (it's tough!) as I average about 4C a day vs the recommended. I hope my body is still OK losing some more weight...I'm still at the "overweight" level for my height and age :(
  • capaul42
    capaul42 Posts: 1,390 Member
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    I second the advice to weigh all solids. It's eye opening. And don't forget stuff like butter/oil/sprays you may be cooking with. It all adds up.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    boucksy wrote: »
    Gena575- yes, I weigh my proteins and such like breasts...never thought about weighing an apple or other veggies, I've always measured by cups (USA here, not sure where you are) where I'll actually use a cup to measure or use the size of my hand for estimate (like small, medium, large). Things like PB always get measured with a leveled off tablespoon and then spatula'd out as much as I can (we all know we can't get ALL the peanut butter unless we lick it clean ;) haha).

    Decapins- overall I've lost about 25 pounds...I would accept that I'm slowly losing weight but it has been this way for nearly 15 months so I'm sure it's something I'm doing that I'm just not aware of.

    cups are not accurate for solids and semi solids. I learned that the hard way. weigh those on a scale and all liquids in cups. also using your hand isnt accurate either(same with the measuring cups)
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited September 2016
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    My usual checklist of questions, modified a bit:
    Do you have regular unlogged "cheat" meals?
    Do you double check everything you enter in your MFP diary against the nutritional labels? MFP database is user maintained, so there are a ton of incorrect entries. This includes barcode scanning and the green "verified" entries. Double check everything!
    Do you use USDA values for things like nuts, vegetables, fruit, and meats?
    Do you eat back exercise calories? If so, how do you calculate your burns? I've found machines like ellipticals, treadmills, etc to show twice the amount of what I actually burned, so it's better to underestimate if you aren't losing anything.
    Do you log EVERYthing, including condiments, oils/butter that food is cooked in, etc...?
    Do you use the recipe builder, or just use generic pre made MFP diary entries as a best guess?
    How far above the healthy weight range are you for your height? If you're only slightly above, it's most likely that 1.5 pounds a week is not going to happen. MFP never puts your calorie goal lower than 1200, no matter how much you tell it you want to lose. It's most likely the case that even 1200 calories is too many at this point to get your 1.5 lb a week loss, so you may have to just accept that you'll be losing less. With only 33 pounds or so, you really should consider aiming for 1 lb/wk anyway.
  • PaytraB
    PaytraB Posts: 2,360 Member
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    Sounds like you may be eating more than you think. Cups and palms are very inaccurate measuring devices. Try using the scale for all solids for a month and see what happens.
  • boucksy
    boucksy Posts: 10 Member
    edited September 2016
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    I never committed to weighing every single thing, and was never really "taught" how but from what I'm hearing it seems that I need to be more strict about weighing ALL of my food. OK, I can do that. I need help in how I'm tracking that then...should I straight up be weighing and then tracking in ounces and grams for liquids and solids-even semi solids like peanut butter? Should things like nuts also be weighed and tracked that way vs the 'standard' 1/4C serving? I'll admit the hand measurement was something I was recommended in doing so "in a pinch" and probably rely on that more than I should.

    Dragongirl, to answer your questions (because it feels like a nice questionnaire in being honest with myself):
    - no I don't unlog cheat meals. I'm honest with myself and know if I'm going to cheat, I'm cheating.
    - Everything that has a label gets logged with a label that matches calories, carbs, protein and sugar.
    - I don't believe I have been here, I'll be looking into this more.
    - Sometimes I do, but I always try to net. I always underestimate machines because I feel like they're always off. I used a FitBit for a while before I lost my charger and it died, and would use that as a better estimate. Still would take it with a "grain of salt" though.
    - I've been at the 1,200 calorie limit in MFP for most of the time I've been on the platform...should that be different?
    - I do know I need to be better about this in particular, when it comes to like the ev olive oil I cook with. I'll be better about this.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
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    Heh, sorry, went back and edited my original post as you were responding. I realized I left off a few points. Also noticed the 1200 calorie thing, which eliminated the need for asking if you readjust your calorie goal. :)
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
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    boucksy wrote: »
    I never committed to weighing every single thing, and was never really "taught" how but from what I'm hearing it seems that I need to be more strict about weighing ALL of my food. OK, I can do that. I need help in how I'm tracking that then...should I straight up be weighing and then tracking in ounces and grams for liquids and solids-even semi solids like peanut butter? Should things like nuts also be weighed and tracked that way vs the 'standard' 1/4C serving? I'll admit the hand measurement was something I was recommended in doing so "in a pinch" and probably rely on that more than I should.

    Dragongirl, to answer your questions (because it feels like a nice questionnaire in being honest with myself):
    - no I don't unlog cheat meals. I'm honest with myself and know if I'm going to cheat, I'm cheating.
    - Everything that has a label gets logged with a label that matches calories, carbs, protein and sugar.
    - I don't believe I have been here, I'll be looking into this more.
    - Sometimes I do, but I always try to net. I always underestimate machines because I feel like they're always off. I used a FitBit for a while before I lost my charger and it died, and would use that as a better estimate. Still would take it with a "grain of salt" though.
    - I've been at the 1,200 calorie limit in MFP for most of the time I've been on the platform...should that be different?
    - I do know I need to be better about this in particular, when it comes to like the ev olive oil I cook with. I'll be better about this.

    @diannethegeek posted some great videos that should help.

    Track in grams when possible. 1/4 cup of nuts is almost guaranteed to be MORE than a serving in grams.

    So, solids/semi-solids should get weighed - check the packaging and it should give you a serving size in grams along with the cup measurement. Always use the grams.

    If possible, find an entry in the database in grams.

    I tend to be lazy about that, and do this instead:

    1) weigh out my portion
    2) search the database for the item
    3) whatever serving size I ended up taking

    The pasta I eat is 0.5 cup/28g (dry) per serving. I search the database for the item, and just log 1 serving, even if the entry I find has cups for measurement. I rarely take the time to edit an entry.

    If I were to take a larger portion (42g), I would do the math to figure out what serving I took. In this case, it would be 1.5, so I would log 1.5 servings.

    I hope that makes sense!

    Liquids should be measured in cups/spoons - again, check packaging for serving size. It'll usually show cup/spoon and mL as well.

    Don't weigh liquids - any scale that has the mL option on it can't know the density of the item. Weighing only works correctly for water.

    ~Lyssa
  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,137 Member
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    Read the stickies on the main pages of the forums
    You especially need to weigh peanut butter in grams. Otherwise you can eat 100 or more calories over what you think you are.
  • boucksy
    boucksy Posts: 10 Member
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    Thank you for the links and all the helpful tips! I'll start doing this going forward to see if this boosts things. I appreciate it everyone! :)

    Tamicoil1 I'm new to the forums (though not new to MFP) so I'll check that out, thank you!
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,182 Member
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    I also work on a computer most of the day as an integrated circuit layout designer. I asked, my employer agreed to get me a stand-up desk from Varidesk. In my case it was actually hurting me to sit and hurting my productivity. I presently weigh a bit over 200 lb and standing to work burns an extra 50 calories per hour by elevating my heart rate by about 10 beats per minute. It's a MET 2 exercise. The advocates of standing desks point out that standing for 3.5 hours of each workday burns almost the same calories as running in 10 marathons in a year. Other desk jockeys love their new desk cycles. I don't have one of those. I work at a place where the company provides free junk food. I asked the shopper for some healthier choices and she both complied and re-focused her efforts on using mfp and reached her goal. That's my fault. :) Maybe there's something you can do to improve the environmental temptations at your workplace. This does not give me an excuse to eat more. Rather, it burns some calories. It helps keep me in the direction of weight loss.

    I do weigh all my foods at home. I keep a spare package of fresh batteries. I'll need them soon enough. I trust the nutrition labels at work. For restaurants I plan ahead using their web pages to determine what items I will have. Even at Mexican restaurants, I'm good. I don't drink alcohol so that's a non-problem. I don't know where you are on that point.

    What are you designing?

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