A few questions!

whiteoutpen

Hey guys I've been using mfp for awhile now, and have been pretty successful aside from the last 3 months or so. I'm not sure if I've hit a plateau, or if I've just been slacking off (which I probably have been). I've been fluctuating between 172-179 the past couple of months, after hitting the 50 pounds lost mark. I'm 19, female, 5'6, and I weigh around 175.

Anyways- I've been so hungry lately, and keep ending up binging at night. I've used the mfp method to lose the first 50, but it's not working for the next ~50. Mfp has me on 1490 calories, and then I generally eat half my exercise calories back. So, I've been thinking about trying the TDEE method. I go to school full time, work 2 days at a desk job, and work 5 days on my feet. So, I'd say about 25-30 hours a week on my feet. And I try to work out 4-5 times a week, for at least an hour. From what I've calculated, though, it just seems like too many calories. Can someone help me out?

Also, my knees, hips, and the space above my inner ankles have been killing me. I've been trying to do some strength training as well as cardio, but I could definitely do more. I started running about 2 weeks ago, and I've been running around 2.5 miles a night. My max was 3.5 miles ran, and another 4 walked in one night. Any tips to reduce the pain? I went to Zumba this weekend and could barely jump around, it hurt so badly.

I generally am good about logging my exercise, but my food logging has been pretty crap lately. But my diary's open, if you want to take a peek.

Sorry for the long post! Thanks for any help

SezxyStef

Okay so....I looked at your diary...you didn't log at all last week.....eek

As for the week before from what I can see you don't use a kitchen scale to weigh your food. Recipe for underestimating your intake.

Typcially when you "seem" to stall it is because of a couple things underestimating intake and/or over estimaing burns.

Get a scale for your food and use it.
If you are hungry up your protien to get a more filling meal.

I do TDEE but use my own data to calculate it instead of an online one. But to do that you need to use a kitchen scale.

other suggestion as you seem to be busy...try weight lifting...it's a great way to exercise, takes less time and you will maintain your LBM while you lose weight.

wheird

Sorry, cannot help you until you are logging accurately and diligently. Without that any advice is a waste of time.

diannethegeek

Choose either method (MFP or TDEE) and log accurately for a couple of weeks. See what happens and adjust as necessary.

It sounds like you're very active and may be trying to do more than your body can handle right now. Are you taking rest days? Stretching?

whiteoutpen

I've generally been on the run and haven't had much time to accurately weigh and log, so I've been trying. For the most part I'm at school and work from 7am to 8pm or later, and try and work out after. Or if I have a couple of hours between work and school, I'll work out then. But I'm kinda just grabbing something healthy and throwing it in the microwave, or I have to eat the food we have at work, where we don't have the nutritional info unfortunately.

And yeah, I generally have 2-3 rest days a week, but I work 7 days a week, so I end up spending at least 5 hours on my feet anyways. I'm taking 13 units at school and working 40+ hours a week so I'm pretty busy.

I was hoping someone could give me some tips as to what I should set my activity level as? The TDEE calculator told me my bmr was over 1600, and my TDEE around 2200 I think, which seemed really high to me. I'm just confused because the mfp method isn't working too well for me anymore.

But thanks for the help so far!

diannethegeek

Most of us don't fit into neat little boxes of active, lightly active, etc. You sound Active to me, but TDEE estimates are just that: estimates. It may take some trial and error to find your sweet spot.

Greenrun99

I generally am good about logging my exercise, but my food logging has been pretty crap lately. But my diary's open, if you want to take a peek.

No need to look, you said your logging is bad.. get that under control.

wheird

I've generally been on the run and haven't had much time to accurately weigh and log, so I've been trying. For the most part I'm at school and work from 7am to 8pm or later, and try and work out after. Or if I have a couple of hours between work and school, I'll work out then. But I'm kinda just grabbing something healthy and throwing it in the microwave, or I have to eat the food we have at work, where we don't have the nutritional info unfortunately.

And yeah, I generally have 2-3 rest days a week, but I work 7 days a week, so I end up spending at least 5 hours on my feet anyways. I'm taking 13 units at school and working 40+ hours a week so I'm pretty busy.

I was hoping someone could give me some tips as to what I should set my activity level as? The TDEE calculator told me my bmr was over 1600, and my TDEE around 2200 I think, which seemed really high to me. I'm just confused because the mfp method isn't working too well for me anymore.

But thanks for the help so far!

Just to stress the point, you have to log accurately and consistently in order for it to work.

whiteoutpen

The reason I stopped logging so accurately is because it stopped working. I got frustrated after a couple months of great logging just to see no losses. Wasn't worth the effort if it wasn't going to show any results. That's why I'm looking for help with a new method, so I can find the motivation to log better. I still make sure to know how many calories I'm consuming, and stay within my limits, but it hasn't been working for me. I'm just hungry all the time, and stressed out thinking about going over my calories. I just don't understand why I used to be totally satisfied, and now I'm just ravenous constantly.

MinnieInMaine

re: the pain - when's the last time you got new running shoes? I'm thinking you may have some that aren't right for you and therefore aren't giving you suffient support. Also are you stretching well after?

re: activity level - if you're not sure, another way to handle that is to set your daily calories at BMR and continue logging and eating back at least half of exercise calories.

If you decide to stick with the MFP method, make sure you resent you weekly weight loss goal. At this point you should be at 1 pound per week. If you're set higher than that, once you resent you will get more daily calories

wheird

The reason I stopped logging so accurately is because it stopped working. I got frustrated after a couple months of great logging just to see no losses. Wasn't worth the effort if it wasn't going to show any results. That's why I'm looking for help with a new method, so I can find the motivation to log better. I still make sure to know how many calories I'm consuming, and stay within my limits, but it hasn't been working for me. I'm just hungry all the time, and stressed out thinking about going over my calories. I just don't understand why I used to be totally satisfied, and now I'm just ravenous constantly.

I would suggest starting up again and seeing how it goes. After a month or two of consistent logging, if you are not losing, feel free to post again or even PM me for further advice.

A few tips to help though:

-Weigh your food on a food scale in grams and log it that way. This is the most accurate method. Using measuring cups or eyeballing can make your actual calories consumed be off by as much as 50%.

-Log EVERYTHING. Condiments, snacking, everything that contains calories.

-Weigh yourself once per week in the morning after using the bathroom. Track it week to week and look for an overall downward trend.

whiteoutpen

re: the pain - when's the last time you got new running shoes? I'm thinking you may have some that aren't right for you and therefore aren't giving you suffient support. Also are you stretching well after?

re: activity level - if you're not sure, another way to handle that is to set your daily calories at BMR and continue logging and eating back at least half of exercise calories.

If you decide to stick with the MFP method, make sure you resent you weekly weight loss goal. At this point you should be at 1 pound per week. If you're set higher than that, once you resent you will get more daily calories

I still have the same shoes I've had since I started in January. They're just some Skechers athletic shoes. Do I need running shoes specifically?

And as to the bmr, I'm not sure what my bmr is. When I used scoobys calculator or whatever it was, it said my bmr was above 1600, but mfp has me around 1400. It doesn't seem to be working for me, I'm too hungry. It worked back when I only had one job and it's was the desk job, but now I have 3, and one is at a store and the other a restaurant, so I'm on my feet constantly. Would my calorie burn be significantly higher to make me so hungry?

And yeah, I've been at 1 lb per week since I started, and it's recalculated every 10 pounds.

Thank you for your help!

SezxyStef

The reason I stopped logging so accurately is because it stopped working. I got frustrated after a couple months of great logging just to see no losses. Wasn't worth the effort if it wasn't going to show any results. That's why I'm looking for help with a new method, so I can find the motivation to log better. I still make sure to know how many calories I'm consuming, and stay within my limits, but it hasn't been working for me. I'm just hungry all the time, and stressed out thinking about going over my calories. I just don't understand why I used to be totally satisfied, and now I'm just ravenous constantly.

I would suggest starting up again and seeing how it goes. After a month or two of consistent logging, if you are not losing, feel free to post again or even PM me for further advice.

A few tips to help though:

-Weigh your food on a food scale in grams and log it that way. This is the most accurate method. Using measuring cups or eyeballing can make your actual calories consumed be off by as much as 50%.

-Log EVERYTHING. Condiments, snacking, everything that contains calories.

-Weigh yourself once per week in the morning after using the bathroom. Track it week to week and look for an overall downward trend.

This is what I did on August 19 2013 and then used a calculation to get my personal TDEE after 3 weeks and I consistently lose weight using TDEE - %.

The key here is what is above...weight everything, log it and you will see the weight come off.

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

whiteoutpen

The reason I stopped logging so accurately is because it stopped working. I got frustrated after a couple months of great logging just to see no losses. Wasn't worth the effort if it wasn't going to show any results. That's why I'm looking for help with a new method, so I can find the motivation to log better. I still make sure to know how many calories I'm consuming, and stay within my limits, but it hasn't been working for me. I'm just hungry all the time, and stressed out thinking about going over my calories. I just don't understand why I used to be totally satisfied, and now I'm just ravenous constantly.

I would suggest starting up again and seeing how it goes. After a month or two of consistent logging, if you are not losing, feel free to post again or even PM me for further advice.

A few tips to help though:

-Weigh your food on a food scale in grams and log it that way. This is the most accurate method. Using measuring cups or eyeballing can make your actual calories consumed be off by as much as 50%.

-Log EVERYTHING. Condiments, snacking, everything that contains calories.

-Weigh yourself once per week in the morning after using the bathroom. Track it week to week and look for an overall downward trend.

Okay. I'll have to invest in a new scale! Does it matter what kind I buy, aside from one that does grams electronically? I've generally logged pretty religiously in the past, but I'd leave small things off like mustard, since it was only 5 calories. But I'll try logging everything, and see where it gets me.

What would you recommend when the food I eat isn't on the database? For example, I work at a restaurant, and obviously not all the nutritional info is there. So should I just guess?

Thanks for the help!

alpine1994

First of all, congrats on your weight loss already!! 50lbs is nothing to shake a stick at and I'm sure it's extremely frustrating to not see the the next 50 come off when you're doing the same thing.

I only had 35lbs to lose, but I was constantly tweaking my MFP goals, activity levels, types of food I was eating, levels of exercise, etc. Just try to mix it up a little. Maybe set your goal to 100 calories less and see how that goes? Everyone already said it but logging is key. Even in maintenance I still log most of the time so I can keep an eye on things.

As for exercise, you definitely don't need to exercise for longer than an hour 5+ days a week, especially if you have an active job. If you're working out at a high enough intensity (i.e. giving it all you got!) then you can get a really effective workout done in 30-45 min.

I'm assuming you work at a restaurant (or somewhere where you eat their food)? From personal experience, I would strongly suggest bringing your own food, especially since you don't know the nutrition info of their food. The time it takes to go grocery shopping, plan, and pack meals is so worth the successful weight loss, I promise.

You can do it! You've already done so well!! Hang in there!

MinnieInMaine

re: the pain - when's the last time you got new running shoes? I'm thinking you may have some that aren't right for you and therefore aren't giving you suffient support. Also are you stretching well after?

re: activity level - if you're not sure, another way to handle that is to set your daily calories at BMR and continue logging and eating back at least half of exercise calories.

If you decide to stick with the MFP method, make sure you resent you weekly weight loss goal. At this point you should be at 1 pound per week. If you're set higher than that, once you resent you will get more daily calories

I still have the same shoes I've had since I started in January. They're just some Skechers athletic shoes. Do I need running shoes specifically?

And as to the bmr, I'm not sure what my bmr is. When I used scoobys calculator or whatever it was, it said my bmr was above 1600, but mfp has me around 1400. It doesn't seem to be working for me, I'm too hungry. It worked back when I only had one job and it's was the desk job, but now I have 3, and one is at a store and the other a restaurant, so I'm on my feet constantly. Would my calorie burn be significantly higher to make me so hungry?

And yeah, I've been at 1 lb per week since I started, and it's recalculated every 10 pounds.

Thank you for your help!

You're going to be better off if you get shoes specifically for running, especially if you get them from a running store with staff that can properly fit you for your needs. Everyone's feet are different. They can be pricey but think of it as an investment in your health - and hopefully you can avoid those aches and pains! Once you do get them, use them ONLY for running. I totally ruined a pair of running sneakers by using them for other things in the gym - the tread was gone in no time!

Of course that's going to make a difference! Having a desk job, you were very likely living a sedentary life (this excludes exercising) but now you're at least lightly active if not bordering on active (depending on how many hours you're working) with those two jobs where you're on your feet. I wonder what MFP would give you for calories if you changed your activity level to lightly active?

Good to know you're at 1 lb per week!

Irenaekl

You need to ACCURATELY record your calorie intake. 'Just guessing' is where you can go drastically wrong. Don't guess at quantities - weigh them out.

It is a fact that everyone who guesses underestimates intake and over-estimates exercise output


The stark truth is ......You can't say that MFP doesn't work if you don't use it properly. It wouldn't matter what you set your calorie limit to if you don't record properly.

wheird

The reason I stopped logging so accurately is because it stopped working. I got frustrated after a couple months of great logging just to see no losses. Wasn't worth the effort if it wasn't going to show any results. That's why I'm looking for help with a new method, so I can find the motivation to log better. I still make sure to know how many calories I'm consuming, and stay within my limits, but it hasn't been working for me. I'm just hungry all the time, and stressed out thinking about going over my calories. I just don't understand why I used to be totally satisfied, and now I'm just ravenous constantly.

I would suggest starting up again and seeing how it goes. After a month or two of consistent logging, if you are not losing, feel free to post again or even PM me for further advice.

A few tips to help though:

-Weigh your food on a food scale in grams and log it that way. This is the most accurate method. Using measuring cups or eyeballing can make your actual calories consumed be off by as much as 50%.

-Log EVERYTHING. Condiments, snacking, everything that contains calories.

-Weigh yourself once per week in the morning after using the bathroom. Track it week to week and look for an overall downward trend.

Okay. I'll have to invest in a new scale! Does it matter what kind I buy, aside from one that does grams electronically? I've generally logged pretty religiously in the past, but I'd leave small things off like mustard, since it was only 5 calories. But I'll try logging everything, and see where it gets me.

What would you recommend when the food I eat isn't on the database? For example, I work at a restaurant, and obviously not all the nutritional info is there. So should I just guess?

Thanks for the help!

Pretty much any $15-30 digital food scale will suffice. Yeah, condiments can be a pain, but it is best to get as accurate an idea as possible.

Many restaurants have nutrition info available online. If yours doesn't, check with the cooks to see how they prepare things and estimate as accurately as possible. Stick to things that don't have many ingredients like chicken breast and veggies if you can.