Caloric Amount
ekim2016
Posts: 1,198 Member
So does anyone agree, that if you tally your 7 days worth of calories. Then stay under that total for the week, is that the same as staying under CL daily? Just wondered if it would make a difference in case a person went over one day say going out to dinner … thx
9
Replies
-
Yes - since you aren't really getting a super accurate view of each day anyway - just estimates.4
-
Sure. Lots of people prefer to count their calories weekly instead of daily. I'm maintaining now but when I was losing that's how I did it. It gave more flexibility to my diet which was important to me.7
-
I go by my weekly rather than Daily because I like to have a cheatmeal. It has to fit for my week though.3
-
Many do it this way as it gives them more calories to play around with on the weekend when they are more likely to socialise and consume more. It makes it a great way to enjoy life while maintaining a deficit long term.4
-
So peculiar... my weekly goal is 11270 and I never go over 11K, like this week was 10,810 but yet I've plateaued for almost a year now.. stuck at 246 pounds!! I may go down a pound or up to 248, then down the next day... so frustrating indeed! Yes, I weigh and log meticulously...3
-
So peculiar... my weekly goal is 11270 and I never go over 11K, like this week was 10,810 but yet I've plateaued for almost a year now.. stuck at 246 pounds!! I may go down a pound or up to 248, then down the next day... so frustrating indeed! Yes, I weigh and log meticulously...
Am I understanding this comment correctly? 1571 calories per day on average for a year and you haven't lost any weight?5 -
You need to use a food scale; you have too many measurements in non-weighted forms: volumes (cups, tbsp, etc.), serving amounts (slices, chips, crackers) and sizes (small, medium, large).
The foods you have listed in weight are also too precise (4 oz salmon, 100 g kale, .5 oz avocado), which leads me to believe these aren't actually being weighed, but rather guesstimates.
You're likely eating many more calories than you're counting. Even measurement cup sizes can vary, so weigh everything.14 -
Yes, I go by weekly total and not daily. Training days I go a bit heavier on intake than I "should" and non-training days make up for it.
Body doesn't have a 24hr intake alotment. It is always running. You can eat/log however you so choose.0 -
Justin_7272 wrote: »You need to use a food scale; you have too many measurements in non-weighted forms: volumes (cups, tbsp, etc.), serving amounts (slices, chips, crackers) and sizes (small, medium, large).
The foods you have listed in weight are also too precise (4 oz salmon, 100 g kale, .5 oz avocado), which leads me to believe these aren't actually being weighed, but rather guesstimates.
You're likely eating many more calories than you're counting. Even measurement cup sizes can vary, so weigh everything.
Agreed. OP, I didn't know your diary was open so I took a look; I guess I was understanding your comment correctly. However, there seems to be no evidence to the claim that you weigh your food. Also, if you were truly eating that calorie amount, you would have lost weight. I'm a 5'3", 109 pound woman and I even lose weight eating that amount of calories. You are eating much more than you think but it happens to a lot of people. Start using that food scale for all solids, measure liquids only, and you will see results.8 -
Be aware that when you view a diary full of items that are logged by cups and quantity - does not mean it wasn't actually done by grams. Bad assumption unless an OP states they measure and not weigh.
I'm not going to waste time creating another database entry that does NOT say cups and only grams when the existing is correct info.
I've got the product in front of me - I can weigh out the serving size if that's what I want. Or take my weight / service size and enter that number of servings. So I don't require an entry that says it correctly.
Food diary will still say 1.2 cups of product even though I didn't use cups at all.
Same with banana or apple entries that do have a weight that goes along with them.
Just be aware I'm not the only one to figure that out.
OP - just be aware your results indicate you may not be doing this.20 -
Be aware that when you view a diary full of items that are logged by cups and quantity - does not mean it wasn't actually done by grams. Bad assumption unless an OP states they measure and not weigh.
I'm not going to waste time creating another database entry that does NOT say cups and only grams when the existing is correct info.
I've got the product in front of me - I can weigh out the serving size if that's what I want. Or take my weight / service size and enter that number of servings. So I don't require an entry that says it correctly.
Food diary will still say 1.2 cups of product even though I didn't use cups at all.
Same with banana or apple entries that do have a weight that goes along with them.
Just be aware I'm not the only one to figure that out.
OP - just be aware your results indicate you may not be doing this.
That's true and I agree, but a lot of the entries are too generic for this to apply here.
If I purchase Eggland's Best eggs and they are 50g per egg but my egg weighs 56 grams, I'm going to put in 1.12 servings in my diary if there's no gram option as 56/50 is 1.12 and I'm sure you'd do the same. However, the OP's diary just says Egg - Egg, 1 large. Another entry, Apples - Apple, 0.5 medium, is too vague whereas in my diary it might say pink lady apple, large, usda (158g), but my apple was 120g so I'll round up the .759 to .76 servings.
I'm seeing no evidence of this in the diary and that, coupled with him not losing weight at 1600 calories for a year, is what leads me to easily believe he's eating much more than he thinks.12 -
I use these vague entries constantly for non-calorie dense foods (like eggs) and am consistently losing.10
-
I use these vague entries constantly for non-calorie dense foods (like eggs) and am consistently losing.
If it works, it works! Many people can get away with not logging meticulously and lose on a consistent basis. You also most likely have a better grasp on portion sizing than the average user.
I'll be the first to admit that I try to be as precise as humanly possible with my logging and I can definitely afford not to be since I'm in maintenance, but I'm a stickler for accurate data. When I do have to estimate, like when I eat out, I find something similar in the database and take my best guess; it hasn't been a detriment yet. Usually the closer one gets to goal, the less forgiving loose logging can be as well. In this poster's case, the claim of not losing for a year on 1600 calories per day means generic entries don't work in his favor and I'm unsure where the food scale comes in as of now.7 -
I use these vague entries constantly for non-calorie dense foods (like eggs) and am consistently losing.
But the thing is some of them are spot on and some are useless. So maybe your picking ones that are spot on and he's not.
All we can do is look for clues and throw out suggestions. If someone's not losing weight despite a low calorie goal, and their diary is full of generic entries and volume measures, the likely culprit is logging innacuracy.
Just like some people can eyeball portions and keep a running total in their head and lose weight. But if someone's doing that and NOT losing weight, the 1st suggestion should be to log more accurately.
OP, I'd try logging really accurately for a couple of weeks and see if it shines a light on where you are missing calories. Weigh portions as much as possible, choose entries that match the brand or find usda entries and make sure the cals are listed correctly. You don't have to do it forever if you don't want to, but it will at least give you super accurate data to analyze and find the problem. Good luck!8 -
I use these vague entries constantly for non-calorie dense foods (like eggs) and am consistently losing.
Good for you? It's clearly not working for OP, so I'm giving constructive feedback.
OP uses these "vague entries" for everything, believes he's eating ~1,600 calories a day, and has "plateaued for almost a year now.. stuck at 246 pounds!!"
Literally and figuratively, it just doesn't add up.8 -
Thank you all..I realize I need to weigh and log more accurately as I do list generic from my catalog. Funny thing is it worked the first 2 years..I joined 3 year ago this month. I need to be more diligent!7
-
Thank you all..I realize I need to weigh and log more accurately as I do list generic from my catalog. Funny thing is it worked the first 2 years..I joined 3 year ago this month. I need to be more diligent!
You may also want to take a close fresh look at your routines and current habits. Are you putting in that extra spring in your step? Making the more informed/pertinent choice when it comes to eating? Evaluating what are good caloric values to you and what aren't and selecting more good bargains than bad during your day? Going for an extra effort more often than not? getting up and twirling around
(or doing even a single push-up or squat) if you have been sitting down for long periods of time ... that sort of thing.
How about INCREASING your calories to 1800 or even 2000 **BUT** do so while being much much more diligent in counting them and picking entries you verify against the USDA Standard Reference Database and/or the packaging! And if you happen to currently be sedentary try to push for some extra activity... treat the whole thing as a brand new adventure!3 -
actually I guess I have tech been in "maintenance" this whole year as I have not lost... so I will hunker down and see what happens.7
-
Yeah, something is really off with your logging or you have a medical problem.
There is no way you would NOT be losing at your weight on those calories.
Start new. Set your Goals all over again. Vet every single food you eat against the USDA database, and log accurately:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p16 -
https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list <--- Truth in calories.1
-
Add "select standard reference" to get closer to the truthJeromeBarry1 wrote: »https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list <--- Truth in calories.
1 -
I am pondering starting from a clean slate in mfp. I signed up at 269 3 years ago. So I might just start new at 246 today? pros or cons to this?1
-
-
I am pondering starting from a clean slate in mfp. I signed up at 269 3 years ago. So I might just start new at 246 today? pros or cons to this?
Confused. You can start a new account? You can keep going... I am not sure why an almost 10% weight reduction is NOTHING? There are times we're more focused as compared to other times...1 -
Sorry what I mean, is it best to just stay with my initial setting of 269 start weight. Or change it to 246 now? Or does it even matter? No I'm happy to be down but as I mentioned before I have sort of hit maintenance for the past year. The first two years rocked as I got down to 235 but then crept back up to 245 ish last December. I have been advised I must not be logging accurately but my style never changed from the first two years. Anyway, I"m focusing on weighing food now. Only thing is stuff like Brims popcorn, the bag says 170 for 3 cups. So I use a paper cup and measure out 3 exact cups. I don't weigh the popcorn. I eat it to keep me regular.. haha1
-
Sorry what I mean, is it best to just stay with my initial setting of 269 start weight. Or change it to 246 now? Or does it even matter? No I'm happy to be down but as I mentioned before I have sort of hit maintenance for the past year. The first two years rocked as I got down to 235 but then crept back up to 245 ish last December. I have been advised I must not be logging accurately but my style never changed from the first two years. Anyway, I"m focusing on weighing food now. Only thing is stuff like Brims popcorn, the bag says 170 for 3 cups. So I use a paper cup and measure out 3 exact cups. I don't weigh the popcorn. I eat it to keep me regular.. haha
It absolutely matters. Your calorie requirement goes down as you lose weight because there is less of you that requires energy. You should let MFP recalc your calories for about every 10 pounds of loss.3 -
When you go into settings, you don't have to change your starting weight - you lost that first chunk, keep record of it.
Just change the setting for current weight then - when you save out what NovusDies said will occur.
Pretty easy to weigh popcorn too - scale with bowl on it, turn on - weigh out 3 servings, which they estimate is 3 cups.
But calories is per gram, not volume, so even that could be way off.5 -
Weight the dang popcorn. Changing your start weight... your call. Changing your current weight to correct? Good idea.
To be exact weigh the kernels unpopped.
Then recover and re weigh the uneaten kernels that never popped
Now you know how much popcorn you ate.2 -
thanks folks!
0 -
Weight the dang popcorn. Changing your start weight... your call. Changing your current weight to correct? Good idea.
To be exact weigh the kernels unpopped.
Then recover and re weigh the uneaten kernels that never popped
Now you know how much popcorn you ate.
I don't advocate this but I decided a long time ago to just log my popcorn higher than needed and be lazy about it. About 2 months ago I was in one of my back to basics weeks where I do everything by the book logging every calorie and I realized I was logging it way too high... almost double lol. The funny thing about that is when I first started logging I logged it almost triple what it should have been. I have no idea what my deal is with popcorn.1
This discussion has been closed.
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 394.2K Introduce Yourself
- 43.9K Getting Started
- 260.4K Health and Weight Loss
- 176.1K Food and Nutrition
- 47.5K Recipes
- 232.6K Fitness and Exercise
- 437 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.6K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153.1K Motivation and Support
- 8.1K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.9K MyFitnessPal Information
- 15 News and Announcements
- 1.2K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.7K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions