Always under my cal goal...help!

deannalfisher

I'd recommend weighting peanut butter/hummus etc - a TBSP can have a wide weight variety

my method for doing this - place the container of whatever you are going to eat on the scale and zero it out...then remove the item from the container until the number on the scale is the serving size (in a negative number)

callsitlikeiseeit

youre not weighing your food properly.

amusedmonkey

hubbard317 wrote: »

deannalfisher wrote: »

took a look at your food diary - for your foods that are 2tbsp/17g for example - are you weighing it as 17g or just depending on the 2TBSP to be the correct weight? (I've found that its normally not and can be off by upwards of 20-30%) which can add up in calories over time

Depends on what it is. For example if it is peanut butter or hummus or olive oil, I measure as TBSP. Things like cheese or fruits/veggies or meats, I weigh on my food scale.

This is fine for now, but for future reference, if your weight ever stalls for prolonged periods you may want to weigh these. Viscous liquids and paste-like things can be pretty inaccurate in spoons. Pro tip: put the jar on the scale, zero the scale with the jar on it and then scoop out however much you want and the weight will show right there without having to mess with anything. (I can see this has already been suggested)

It doesn't matter for now, though. You need to focus on controlling your general intake for now, since with the kinds of deficit you can handle you have room for error. Don't overwhelm yourself with the details for now feeling like you aren't doing things right. You likely are doing most things right if you are losing at a reasonable pace. Get used to the basics and the details may follow later whenever you feel like introducing them. Some of the future changes may have to do with accuracy, but most of them will have to do with sustainability. You're doing well so far.

HealthierBrianna

Okay, thanks for the advice, guys!

kshama2001

K3rB3ar89 wrote: »

I have this same problem! Mine is like 1700 and when im eating good and im never hungry. Ill be at maybe 1100-1400 if im lucky.. are we supposed too eat something to make sure these are being met?

@K3rB3ar89 - if over a month you are losing more weight than your weekly weight loss goal, yes, eat more to get to that 1700. High calorie foods like peanut butter and pizza make this easy to accomplish.

If you are not losing faster than expected then there is an error in your logging and you are eating more (or exercising less) than you think.

K3rB3ar89

kshama2001 wrote: »

K3rB3ar89 wrote: »

I have this same problem! Mine is like 1700 and when im eating good and im never hungry. Ill be at maybe 1100-1400 if im lucky.. are we supposed too eat something to make sure these are being met?

@K3rB3ar89 - if over a month you are losing more weight than your weekly weight loss goal, yes, eat more to get to that 1700. High calorie foods like peanut butter and pizza make this easy to accomplish.

If you are not losing faster than expected then there is an error in your logging and you are eating more (or exercising less) than you think.

Thx! I just started working out again so i wont see my efforts for abit but ill keep an eye out!

caron6055

I stopped logging my exercise as it often seems to indicate that I could eat a lot more calories and still lose weight, but in effect it would mean I lost less, and like you it often put me under my calorie goal. I still do the exercise, just don't log it, it sounds like you are eating enough to me, and losing at a healthy rate, so maybe try reducing the amount of exercise logged.

Tacklewasher

kshama2001 wrote: »

K3rB3ar89 wrote: »

I have this same problem! Mine is like 1700 and when im eating good and im never hungry. Ill be at maybe 1100-1400 if im lucky.. are we supposed too eat something to make sure these are being met?

@K3rB3ar89 - if over a month you are losing more weight than your weekly weight loss goal, yes, eat more to get to that 1700. High calorie foods like peanut butter and pizza make this easy to accomplish.

If you are not losing faster than expected then there is an error in your logging and you are eating more (or exercising less) than you think.

Except she is just starting out and likely lost some water along the way. See what happens in month 2 or 3 and then adjust. I think you are doing fine.

K3rB3ar89

Tacklewasher wrote: »

kshama2001 wrote: »

K3rB3ar89 wrote: »

I have this same problem! Mine is like 1700 and when im eating good and im never hungry. Ill be at maybe 1100-1400 if im lucky.. are we supposed too eat something to make sure these are being met?

@K3rB3ar89 - if over a month you are losing more weight than your weekly weight loss goal, yes, eat more to get to that 1700. High calorie foods like peanut butter and pizza make this easy to accomplish.

If you are not losing faster than expected then there is an error in your logging and you are eating more (or exercising less) than you think.

Except she is just starting out and likely lost some water along the way. See what happens in month 2 or 3 and then adjust. I think you are doing fine.

Not exactly just starting per say. I have been around a few years.. fell off the wagon when i met my husband 3 years ago. I have asked this all before its more of a reassurance at this point:p.. alot of it is water and i know that! The worst part is now i started a new work out plan so now i gotta deal with that too:p i just wish soon as you did everything it would work like magic but theres sooo many factors.. this is why people who dont know all this get discouraged so quickly i think.. been there done that lost 30 pounds.. but to start from the beginning AGAIN sucks lol

WinoGelato

caron6055 wrote: »

I stopped logging my exercise as it often seems to indicate that I could eat a lot more calories and still lose weight, but in effect it would mean I lost less, and like you it often put me under my calorie goal. I still do the exercise, just don't log it, it sounds like you are eating enough to me, and losing at a healthy rate, so maybe try reducing the amount of exercise logged.

The way MFP is designed to be used is that you enter stats and a goal weight and rate of loss as well as an activity level that is meant to be not including exercise. MFP provides you a calorie goal that indicates if you do not exercise at all, but hit that calorie goal, you would lose weight at the desired rate (assuming you log as accurately as possible). When you exercise, you further increase that deficit which could put you at a rate of loss that is too aggressive for your goal, resulting in burnout, fatigue, hair loss, loss of lean body mass, etc.

It sounds like OP is losing at an appropriate rate for her goal (roughly 100 lbs to lose) but advising someone to ignore exercise adjustments is not prudent advice. Typically it is advisable to eat back a portion (50-75%) of those calories and monitor rate of loss for a period to ensure that you are not overestimating calorie burns.

OP sounds like you are on track now - keep up the good work, and yeah, might want to start using the food scale for the peanut butter....

HealthierBrianna

WinoGelato wrote: »

It sounds like OP is losing at an appropriate rate for her goal (roughly 100 lbs to lose) but advising someone to ignore exercise adjustments is not prudent advice. Typically it is advisable to eat back a portion (50-75%) of those calories and monitor rate of loss for a period to ensure that you are not overestimating calorie burns.

OP sounds like you are on track now - keep up the good work, and yeah, might want to start using the food scale for the peanut butter....

Thanks!