Help me understand

fdebb

I started this journey 9 days ago. I am 46, 5'3 and 293 pounds. Mfp says 1420 is my recommended calories, I mostly fall below that. I'm not typically hungry and when I do it I'm trying to keep it healthy, except one cheat, bad day. Idk how people eat healthy and have so many calories. Sooo, please look at my diary and tell me what to do. I have documented everything except maybe some salt, pepper and my water intake. I am mostly sedentary I push myself, I have MS and over doing it means bed rest most of the time.

Muscleflex79

your diary is closed.

Juniper210

Your diary is not open to public so we can't see. If you want to change that, go to settings --> diary settings --> and scroll down to diary sharing and change to public.

fdebb

Try now?

Juniper210

Do you have a food scale, and if so are you weighing everything you eat? A lot of your entries are identical, like the 4 oz of tyson chicken. Normally there should be fluctuations in the weights.

If you aren't weighing food, you are probably eating more than you think you are.

fdebb

I realize that, no food scale. I baked chicken a bunch at a time it's like half a breast and around 4 oz. like I said, just started and just found the community page yesterday. Learning in progress.

Juniper210

Grab a scale, it'll be a huge help moving forward.

As for upping your calories, you can make small changes to add cals. Use some full fat salad dressing on your veggies or some balsamic vinaigrette with olive oil, use oil when cooking your chicken, have a small handful of nuts, buy full fat yogurt instead of the low fat, use real butter instead of the margarine. There's a lot of little changes you can make to still eat the same overall amount of food but have it at a healthier total calories.

But yeah, buy a food scale.

kimny72

Welcome and good luck! I don't know which of these apply in your situation, but they are fairly common so some are bound to be useful:

1. When some people make a huge change in their diet (types of foods and serving size) they get this initial jolt of willpower and positive feeling. They simply don't feel the hunger for a week or two. It usually evens out.
2. You have a lot of weight to lose, so you have some wiggle room, but I'm a firm believer in learning real portion sizes from the outset. You can get a digital food scale for $15-$20 from Walmart or Amazon. Use it as often as possible. It will be eye opening and give you a much clearer picture of how much you are really eating and will make adjustments easier as you lose weight and have a smaller margin of error.
3. Get in the habit of logging everything - condiments, cooking oils, beverages, nibbles, and bad days.
4. Double check the database entries you are using, to the package or the published USDA values. Many of the entries are user entered and flat out wrong. Avoid using "Generic" or "Homemade" entries that you didn't create yourself - you have no idea what ingredients the person used or how it was prepared. Create your own or log each individual ingredient.

There is a learning curve, but once you get the hang of logging accurately, it becomes for many of us just another healthy habit you don't even notice, like brushing your teeth

DamieBird

I'm curious about your logging. You have a lot of 'guesses' and repeated entries. For instance, last Monday, you have several of the same item logged at the same meal in the same amount. You should be able to go in and change the serving size of the item to make it easier to log. I also noticed on day last week where you had fast food entries from different restaurants in the same meal. Is that what really happened, or are you just guessing or looking for a close match?

Since you're just starting and looking for beginner's advice, the first thing I would tell you is to look at the stickies on the top of the community forum pages and spend some time in the "Getting Started" section. There is a lot of great advice. Also - but a food scale. I think that mine was $12 on Amazon, but they are very easy to find at a Wal Mart or Target. Don't stress out too much about hitting your calorie goals *yet*. If you can, great, but it's probably worth taking the time to just learn how to accurately log and get a good feel for what your current eating habits are. For a week or so, just log EVERYTHING that you eat or drink, no matter what it is, so that you can get a better idea of how much you're actually consuming. The next step is to adjust from there. Depending on how much you have to lose, set MFP goals to lose 1-2 Lbs per week and then look at which foods you already eat and consider how they fit into your goals. You don't have to change anything about the type of food you eat unless you want to and you find that eating differently satisfies you more. You do have to eat less than you are now. That's it - super easy formula. Eat less than your body burns off on a consistent basis, and you'll be off to a great start.

Edit to Add: you seem to eat a lot of chicken and broccoli. Do you actually like them that much? You don't have to eat them if you don't .

The other thing, perhaps the most important thing, is to HAVE PATIENCE. Weight gain doesn't happen overnight and it won't come off immediately, either. But, if you have patience and stick with I even when you feel like it's not working fast enough, you'll be amazed at how it's suddenly 4 or 5 months later and you're so much lighter than you were.

Best of luck!

ETA 2: My diary is open, feel free to take a peek. I've had an unusual amount of over calorie days lately, but you'll be able to see what I mean by 'log everything'.

AliceDark

It's really common for people to see SUPER low calorie days when they first start out. I think a lot of people approach weight loss from the perspective of cutting out everything that they perceive to be "unhealthy," which leaves them with very little left that they're actually eating. Combine that with the excitement you get when you're trying something new, and they may not notice that they're drastically under-eating for a week or two.

The problem is that under-eating is fairly unhealthy in itself, and it's not sustainable. I wouldn't be happy (or full) eating the meals you have in your diary -- I'd be HANGRY by the end of the first week! I'd strongly recommend you try to figure out a more balanced way to eat that you can sustain for a year or two.

What kinds of things were you eating before? What kinds of foods do you like? You can incorporate any foods you wish, as long as they fit into your calorie goal (and as long as they don't trigger you to over-eat, because some people have those foods where they have trouble moderating).

Sara2652

What is your question? Are you not losing or are you worried you aren't getting in enough calories for a healthy weight loss? What do your 'bad' days look like? I don't know about you but I could easily consume an extra 3,000cal a day this is why I'm in the situation I'm in

I would caution against eating so little though specially if you are dealing with other health issues. Get those healthy fats in there! Your brain and nervous system need to be fed and at too little calories you are going to be overly stressing your body out. Putting you at risk for flare ups. You can lose the weight with a far less drastic approach.

If you are looking to up the calories with 'healthily' food think legumes, nuts, olive oil, fatty fish, starchy vegetables and bananas.

fdebb

Edit to Add: you seem to eat a lot of chicken and broccoli. Do you actually like them that much? You don't have to eat them if you don't

Lol, I do like them but I was extremely bored by the end of the week. Today was much better!

And yes, I went somewhere else for the ice cream, I'll own it. Lol

fdebb

Sara2652 wrote: »

What is your question? Are you not losing or are you worried you aren't getting in enough calories for a healthy weight loss? What do your 'bad' days look like? I don't know about you but I could easily consume an extra 3,000cal a day this is why I'm in the situation I'm in

Yes I was worried about not eating the calories listed for weight loss. My bad days before I started this weren't great, chips and salsa are my downfall. I had one bad day since starting and I knew it was going to be. Today, my appetite has picked up so that's a plus, or is it. I'll get the scale next week to help me on this journey.

texteach66

Welcome! You're having a problem I never have, unfortunately for me. I like to eat too much for that.

I agree with all of those above who have suggested a scale, as well as tips on logging by changing the serving size rather than entering multiple times.

I've lost 100 lbs in the last year and a half, and still have about 20 more to lose. My diary is only open to friends, but I'll send you a friend request and you can choose whether or not you want to accept it.

HeidiCooksSupper

Number 1 Priority! Get a food scale. You can pick up a decent one at Walmart for less than $20. Once you have one and start weighing, you'll be on your way. I'm 20 years your senior, weigh 265 (now -- have seen the wrong side of 290 from time to time) and about the same height. I'm losing consistently eating 500 calories less each day than my TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) as calculated at https://tdeecalculator.net/. 500 calories a day is 3500 per week or a setting to lose 1 pound per week.

1420 sounds low to me. I put your stats in https://tdeecalculator.net/ and your TDEE-500 would be 1826 calories a day. What I do is probably overkill but I recalculate every time I lose a new pound so I am now down to 1570 calories per day. You, like me, just starting out, are likely to lose more than the pound a week. I've lost 14 pounds in the last six weeks.

The advantage of setting a reasonable calorie number like this is that it is easier to stay with that level without being too hungry. I did go "off the reservation" last night with Chinese take out and other snacks but that was the first time in over two weeks. Most days I am fully satisfied within my calorie limit.

My diary is open so feel free to browse. It's not complete for yesterday but every other day is there in full. When you see a big list of ingredients and are curious what I made, just give a holler. Cooking is my hobby so there's lots of variety -- but I'm also a lazy cook so nothing very complex. Tonight is marinated chicken, cucumber & yogurt salad, and summer squash. A light supper partially in response to last nights monstrous General Tso's chicken, pork fried rice, and egg roll extravaganza.

rmgnow

O just gotta say it.
The terminology that you use is all wrong.

Try to not think that you're cheating, because you're not. You are not restricting yourself, you can go over your calories at any time

You can eat twizzlers everyday and lose weight as long as you stay under your calories.
You'll be incredibly sick, but you'll lose weight.

Also if you want to eat more, do some exercises, then you can eat back those calories.

esmerelda9479

I personally would add more healthy fats in like avocado and nuts. What kind of vegetables and fruits do you like? I would start "crowding out" the candy and fast food. When you have an auto immune disorder you really need to watch your diet in order to relieve your symptoms. You are also at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Lean protein, low fat dairy, whole grains, healthy fats and a rainbow of vegetables and some fruit are where you would start to see a drop in weight and some improvement in your health. Not all calories are created equal. You can swap out ice cream for plain greek yogurt with fresh or frozen fruit. It may be hard at first but soon you will be craving healthy food,not soda and candy. Baby steps. I'm not saying to do it all at once. I wish you the best with your health and your journey.

DebLaBounty

It looks like you could add some variety to your meals, and still come in under your calorie goals. Maybe add some cheddar cheese to scrambled eggs and your broccoli, put some avocado slices in your salad, and eat some of the normal foods you've always liked (just smaller servings). Here's my weird substitution for chips and salsa: cottage cheese with a bunch of salsa on top. I still get the flavor I like. I get the crunchiness I want from orange peppers, cucumbers, or apples. Enjoy experimenting!

DebLaBounty

Oh! It looks like you drink 300 calories worth of soda at a time. If you really need soda, I'd recommend switching to diet colas like Coke Zero. Zero calories in your drinks means 300 calories you can use eating solid food.

rparkerslim

I drink Clear flavored sparkling water from Walmart. Zero everything and it only cost $.60 for a 33.8 oz. bottle.

fdebb

The soda has been a splurge, that's all I drank was reg Coke throughout the day, I stopped and only have a splurge once in awhile. I drink a bunch of water every day now.

fdebb

Thank you all so much! I will continue to browse mfp and see what all I can learn and get a food scale by next week.

JeromeBarry1

Does your MS prevent walking?

Psychgrrl

People with MS have to avoid getting hot, so exercise can be a challenge at times.

Psychgrrl

OP, I know it seems like a lot, but keep asking good questions and keep logging and the weight will come off. You're off to an awesome start!

From a fellow broccoli lover who eats two giant bags a week.

duddysdad

I have MS also, diagnosed with RRMS in 2008. I know what you mean about exercise, I can't do it at all. If I get hot, it's over for the day, I am dead to the world. I also have pretty bad neuropathy and pain in my legs and hands, so that severely limits what I can do. I have seen swimming suggested since it's low impact and it wouldn't over-heat you.

OliveGirl128

Welcome! There's definitely a bit of a learning curve at the beginning as you figure out how everything works, but it's a fairly simple process once you get it sorted out