Not sure what I’m doing wrong...

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  • zlauerMom
    zlauerMom Posts: 183 Member
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    Don't rely on the measuring cups. Use the scale. Fruits and veggies are really hard to get right when you are relying on medium banana, small potato, etc.
    Do an experiment yourself when you get the cups and scale. Measure out a portion of something with the cups and then weigh it to see how different it is. Try a few things like cereal or rice. I now usually log slices of bread as 1.1 servings because the weight of a serving as written on the side of the bag is sometimes less than what a slice actually weighs.
    Eyeballing what you are eating is most likely the cause of your problems. I've been using a scale for many years now. I've found that I get good at eyeballing it correctly after using the scale a while, However, if I drop off using it, it doesn't take that long before I start getting off on my estimates.
    Hope you start seeing the results you are looking for!
  • smoofinator
    smoofinator Posts: 635 Member
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    And don't forget to include any oils you might use in cooking. That tablespoon of olive oil has 120 cals!

    Condiments are pretty easy to forget to log as well.
  • meredithsloane
    meredithsloane Posts: 31 Member
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    Thank you all! I will be extremely diligent and report back next week. I need to go to Cambodia for the weekend so I will bring my own food to the airport and for the plane and be careful while I’m away! You guys are awesome!!
  • mrschappy182
    mrschappy182 Posts: 69 Member
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    meredithsloane wrote: »
    Thank you for the chart! I am logging everything I eat. I eat almost the same thing every day and use the bar scanner for any new foods to make sure it’s accurate. I get hungry at night and usually have 1-2 cups of cereal as a snack (still within my calories). Could that be the problem? Is it counterproductive to eat the same things every day (snacks, breakfast mainly)?

    I have read that protein before bed can be helpful. Maybe do a spoon of peanut butter instead of the cereal? Also, drink water when you think you are hungry for a snack. Sometimes its actually thirst that you mistake as hunger.
  • csplatt
    csplatt Posts: 1,002 Member
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    meredithsloane wrote: »
    How do I share my food diary? I’m sorry, I am challenged technologically! Lol! Thank you for the heads up about the scanner- I didn’t know it could be so inaccurate. To be 100% honest, I don’t weigh or measure food- I eyeball it (I don’t want to fib). Do you think I could be THAT off base? I’m happy to share my food diary if I can figure it out. Thanks for caring enough to respond!! I want to fix this!

    You figured it out! Eyeballing vs digital food scale will throw you into maintenance calories without realizing it!
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    edited May 2019
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    meredithsloane wrote: »
    Thank you all! I will be extremely diligent and report back next week. I need to go to Cambodia for the weekend so I will bring my own food to the airport and for the plane and be careful while I’m away! You guys are awesome!!

    Have a good trip

    I have read many posts indicating that simply flying will cause water fluctuations up. So expect the scale to move up and stay there for a few days - it's just water, it will soon drop off.

    Food scale. food scale. food scale. Yes the average human IS that bad at eyeballing portions.
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1

    and yes prepacked items can be off as well see this post
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10746851/dont-trust-labels-weigh-your-protein-bars#latest

    mrschappy182 wrote: »
    meredithsloane wrote: »
    Thank you for the chart! I am logging everything I eat. I eat almost the same thing every day and use the bar scanner for any new foods to make sure it’s accurate. I get hungry at night and usually have 1-2 cups of cereal as a snack (still within my calories). Could that be the problem? Is it counterproductive to eat the same things every day (snacks, breakfast mainly)?

    I have read that protein before bed can be helpful. Maybe do a spoon of peanut butter instead of the cereal? Also, drink water when you think you are hungry for a snack. Sometimes its actually thirst that you mistake as hunger.

    PB is awesome but not the best go to for high protein per calorie. definitely weigh that pb if anyone goes that route. I'd say greek yogurt is probably a better go to ;)

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