Tell me what I'm doing wrong and what to do fix it

mariemosher92

My diary is open. Can someone tell me what I'm doing wrong other than not logging regularly on the weekends. I'm having such a hard time losing weight:(

erickirb

99 times out of a hundred it comes down to inaccuracies in tracking either caloric intake, caloric expenditure, or even Base maintenance calories (MFP just estimates this).

The biggest of these is usually on the intake side. Make sure you weigh all solid foods and measure liquids, otherwise you may be consuming up to 50% more than you think you are.

stevesilk

I agree with Eric. But I would add a couple of other things. Here are some questions you should ask yourself.

Do I measure everything, with a food scale?
Am i drinking enough water (diary shows nothing)?
Am I going over every weekend?
Am I drinking calories that I am not recording?
Am I recording everything?
Am I using a heart rate monitor to record exercise accurately?
What is my true sodium intake?
How long have I been gaining/not losing?
Do I find myself having cheat days or cheat meals?

Every person's a little different, and women have different issues from men. But these might be a good starting point.

kristen6022

I'm gonna go with not logging on the weekends. I can do splendid during the week - spot on. But a weekend can ruin any kind of weight loss if I'm not tracking. I know some people can have "cheat days" and still lose. Not this almost 35 year old.

If you don't already, get a food scale. Using measuring cups for solid things usually doesn't really give you an accurate picture.

Good luck!

Mokey41

99 times out of a hundred it comes down to inaccuracies in tracking either caloric intake, caloric expenditure, or even Base maintenance calories (MFP just estimates this).

The biggest of these is usually on the intake side. Make sure you weigh all solid foods and measure liquids, otherwise you may be consuming up to 50% more than you think you are.

^^^ This. Looking at your diary won't help because no particular food makes you fat. You admit you don't log weekends which makes me think the rest of your log may not be completely accurate either. You need to weigh and measure everything that goes in your mouth and be honest with what you've eaten every day.

Francl27

You can undo all your week job by not logging on the week end.

Otherwise, like the others, I agree to weigh your food.

mariemosher92

I'm not good with logging weekends just b/c I have 3 kids that are in activities and I'm all over the place. I'm conscious about what I'm eating. I use a heart rate monitor when working out and yes I need a food scale.

eclaireya

I feel you on the time thing. Weekends are hectic when you have kids. If you don't already, get the app for your phone. This helps me in tracking when I normally wouldn't, or when I'm on the go. If you still find yourself having trouble, then track Monday morning. I often find myself doing this. It won't help you stay on track- as you've already consumed your calories- but it will help you figure out patterns or convince you that you should find time to track on the weekends, if you find yourself going over considerably.

Good Luck!

arrseegee

Well your counter says you've lost 12lb (congrats!) so you are obviously losing SOME weight, and I assume your request for help is that it has slowed down? Assuming your diary is an accurate reflection of your diet then it looks very healthy, so the two problems I think are likely are:

1. the BMR calculation you are using is overestimating your energy requirements (it is a calculation for an 'average' person, e.g. someone at the 50% percentile and so for the majority of people it isn't exactly accurate)

2. your sodium intake could be lower. I totally disagree with MFP calling it a 'daily goal' because while for some nutrients (e.g. iron, calcium) you definitely want to achieve the goal, sodium is one of those that you want to stay as far away from as possible. Humans need only somewhere between 200-500 mg per day, yet the average human diet contains 10x as much, and so the 2500 mg/day figure is often mentioned as though it is an acceptable amount of sodium to eat. It isn't, it is far too high, and when your sodium intake is high then you hold onto more water and this can show up as excess weight.

Another possibility is that you are at a weight that is healthy and works well for your body, and your body resists going lower than that. Not knowing what you look like or what your weight/BMI/body fat % is I can't say much more than that!

Keep up the healthing eating

jayrudq

If you aren't going to log on weekends then you need to know the calorie counts of everything you are eating so you don't go over. No spontaneous snacking for food choices, just the things you know the count on and then you gotta keep track in your head. I personally don't log many days because I have already decided exactly what I will eat and the count. And then I stick to it. Or know exactly how I am changing it up. It is usually that second glass of wine...

Chevy_Quest

This has been on my mind too. I logged on weekends, but forgot about it. I didn't lose anything this month and I went back into my data and saw the "smoking gun"

Here is a post I wrote about it:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1126988-beating-a-dead-horse-about-cheat-days-and-logging

4legsRbetterthan2

you are going to have to start owning up to your weekends and logging them, on your phone you can see an average for the entire week under the nutrition tab; that will tell you what you can really expect for results. You can easily ruin 5 days of hard work by not paying attention on the weekends. Also as already said make sure the days you are logging you are doing it accurately, measure and especially weigh weigh weigh, most people have no idea what they are putting in their mouth and I doubt you are the exception to that.

Tedebearduff

99 times out of a hundred it comes down to inaccuracies in tracking either caloric intake, caloric expenditure, or even Base maintenance calories (MFP just estimates this).

The biggest of these is usually on the intake side. Make sure you weigh all solid foods and measure liquids, otherwise you may be consuming up to 50% more than you think you are.

This ^

There was some video on youtube where it goes over calorie tracking... I remember it showed a spoon full of peanut butter and how licking the spoon alone was a extra 100 calories or something. it was then weighed out and was almost triple the calories the person thought they were having.

Chevy_Quest

This Topic points to a great Youtube video that changed how I looked at everything

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

clambert1273

I have 3 kids.. and logging on weekends can be done.. plan ahead during the week and prelog it. That way, it is done and much easier to follow the schedule. Pack it with you when you are on the run with the kids

Chevy_Quest

The biggest of these is usually on the intake side. Make sure you weigh all solid foods and measure liquids, otherwise you may be consuming up to 50% more than you think you are.

This ^

There was some video on youtube where it goes over calorie tracking... I remember it showed a spoon full of peanut butter and how licking the spoon alone was a extra 100 calories or something. it was then weighed out and was almost triple the calories the person thought they were having.

Here is the link to the youtube video (MFP only 'hyperlinks" to places inside MFP - Go figure :-) )

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

KeViN_v2pt0

Just looking at 1 day you only hit 50% of your protein macro.

Start there first.

Greenrun99

I agree with the above as well.. But when people say please look what I am doing wrong.. The first day I go to is the nearest Saturday/Friday.. You logged 788 calories on Saturday and that was breakfast and lunch.. so did you go out to eat for dinner, have some drinks etc?? Gotta log it to see the full picture.

gsager

Get a fitbit and then you'll know how many calories your burning. If you are trying to lose weight do more exercise on the weekends, with kids that should be easy to do. I don't log on weekends but I've maintained the same weight now for about a year. To lose you will have to be a little more dedicated.

afat12

My guess would be time. How long have you been working on your goals? It may take a little longer to see results, just like a weight gain doesn't happen over night. I hope you start seeing results soon! Good luck

SteveHunt113

I agree with Eric. But I would add a couple of other things. Here are some questions you should ask yourself.

Do I measure everything, with a food scale?
Am i drinking enough water (diary shows nothing)?
Am I going over every weekend?
Am I drinking calories that I am not recording?
Am I recording everything?
Am I using a heart rate monitor to record exercise accurately?
What is my true sodium intake?
How long have I been gaining/not losing?
Do I find myself having cheat days or cheat meals?

Every person's a little different, and women have different issues from men. But these might be a good starting point.

Steve - you are always full of great advice!

No logging on the weekend is a big no-no in my book (my book is not the only book out there). But not knowing what you are doing on the weekend means you don't know if and by how much you've gone over. My wife discovered that during the weekend, she neutralized all the deficits from the week.

Ideabaker

I understand the being busy bit on the weekends... would it be possible to log your calories in with the mobile phone app? I've seen many people undo a perfectly nutritious week by overdoing it on the weekends (or on "cheat days"), and that can be terribly frustrating.

I also suggest that you get a food scale as soon as you can, and use it routinely. Got mine online for around twenty dollars, and it was eye-opening to see exactly how much I was actually eating vs. what I thought I was eating when using measuring cups.

SteveHunt113

One other thing that I'd point out is to never use items that use size as a measurement. Five large baby carrots is not very accurate - granted, the number of calories off due to inaccuracy is minor. But do this often enough and you may be looking at a larger than expected difference. As suggested, weigh everything ... including 1 cup of cottage cheese. You might be surprised.

I spend a lot of time creating my own foods or finding foods that allow me to record my quantity in grams. The food scale won't lie ... but the measuring cup or use of the words "small", "medium", and "large" will lie.

ktsimons

I'm gonna go with not logging on the weekends. I can do splendid during the week - spot on. But a weekend can ruin any kind of weight loss if I'm not tracking. I know some people can have "cheat days" and still lose. Not this almost 35 year old.

If you don't already, get a food scale. Using measuring cups for solid things usually doesn't really give you an accurate picture.

Good luck!

AGREED! I had to change a LOT about what I do on the weekends...I did it slowly, one meal at a time till I only have a few drinks with whatever I want for dinner on Saturday night and that is IT. The rest of the weekend I am logging and exercising. I also learned that I binge eat when I drink...I found myself standing in front of the freezer with a pint of ice cream and a spoon!! It is way to easy to kill an entire weeks worth of good work with 2.5 days.