BMR or MFP? Conflicting numbers
Replies
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As far as the logging, I've been frustrated myself about losing. I finally purchased a food scale and yep - what I thought I was eating and logging as one serving was in most cases double that. I was really surprised myself. I had been measuring, cups and spoons, but not weighing. And that was just what I weighed when I was home eating dinner - so I'm sure that what I've been eating at lunch during work from restaurants and such has also been more than I have estimated. Sad, but true.0
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As far as the logging, I've been frustrated myself about losing. I finally purchased a food scale and yep - what I thought I was eating and logging as one serving was in most cases double that. I was really surprised myself. I had been measuring, cups and spoons, but not weighing. And that was just what I weighed when I was home eating dinner - so I'm sure that what I've been eating at lunch during work from restaurants and such has also been more than I have estimated. Sad, but true.
The other part of this equation is the entry as well...you have to choose the correct entry from the database.
I have seen people log 386grams of chicken at 149 calories...no no no...0 -
I looked at your diary and it doesn't appear that you weigh your food so chances are you are eating more than you think.
Then you weren't looking at my diary. With the exception of Easter, I've been pretty religious about weighing everything (except prepackaged stuff that's already weighed).
The two eggs from today don't appear to be logged by weight. Yesterday's log shows oatmeal, sugar, strawberries, cool whip, eggs, and a clementine all logged by cups/spoons (and qty for the clementine) rather than weight.
I know it feels nitpicky, but it really can make a difference. I recently logged a day of my food by measurement and then logged the same food by weight to compare. These were the exact same portions of food measured different ways and the day logged with cups/spoons measurements was over 200 calories less than the one logged by weight. Weighing your food really can make a big difference.
I'm not sure why weighing vs. measuring would make a difference as long as I'm logging it with the correct method used. So if I measure it with a measuring cup I should log that it was measured that way...which is what I'm doing. The two eggs from today are logged by their size (large eggs). Clementines are again all roughly the same size. I also only eat back half my exercise calories for this very reason. It is utterly impossible to completely log everything EXACTLY correctly.0 -
But what if my BMR is 1400 and I plug in to lose two lbs a week...that would take my caloric goal to 400 and if I exercise I can add in those calories...so if I really bust my butt and burn between 700-800 calories a day that would still keep me netting around 1200 though right? Is it dangerous to do it that way?
I think I get what you are saying. You are asking if your BMR is 1400 and you want to lose 2 lbs a week (so minus 1000 per day) can you do so by eating 1200 and exercising 800 so as to have a net of 400 (1400-400)?
If so, no, that's not how net works, and it wouldn't be healthy or the MFP way. BMR really has nothing to do with anything, except to calculate your NEAT and TDEE. Some people here say you shouldn't eat less than it, but I've yet to see a source for that (vs. the sensible idea that you don't want too extreme a deficit, especially as you get closer to a healthy weight).
To lose, you want 500 calories/ day per lb off your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), which is your maintenance calories. The calculators are a way to estimate it, but you don't actually know what it is--they are estimates. After doing this for a while you can calculate it for yourself.
So assuming your current TDEE is 2200 (I just made this up, don't recall what you said upthread), to lose 2 lbs per week you'd want 1000 off that, but it can be made up of extra exercise (which increases the TDEE going forward) or cutting calories. You don't want to be netting less than 1200, and in this scenario you'd be losing around 2 lbs per week with that net.
Your suggestion that you eat 1200 and exercise 800 is a net of 400, and a gross of 1200. You want a net of 1200, at least. MFP gives you that by saying you should eat 1200 plus exercise calories. It should also tell you what it claims you will lose if you do that (either 2 lbs or something less, if it has your NEAT at less than 1200).
The problem is that you want to do this in a sustainable way and keep your metabolism up and as you get closer to goal it's just harder to get the pounds off, which is why everyone is telling you to try and reset your expectations. (This is consistent with my experience in losing lots of weight about 10 years ago, although I'm not close to goal currently. I just like the math part of this.)
Does that make sense?0 -
I'm not sure why weighing vs. measuring would make a difference as long as I'm logging it with the correct method used. So if I measure it with a measuring cup I should log that it was measured that way...which is what I'm doing. The two eggs from today are logged by their size (large eggs). Clementines are again all roughly the same size. I also only eat back half my exercise calories for this very reason. It is utterly impossible to completely log everything EXACTLY correctly.
I kind of agree. I don't think the weight vs volume thing is going to be a huge issue.
However, looking at your calorie burn, I'm wondering whether you do anything to verify them. They look high to me. 10 calories per minute for most exercises you log, including weight lifting. I only burn 10 calories per minute when doing high intensity stuff like running or boot camp classes. Are you sure about those numbers?0 -
I looked at your diary and it doesn't appear that you weigh your food so chances are you are eating more than you think.
Then you weren't looking at my diary. With the exception of Easter, I've been pretty religious about weighing everything (except prepackaged stuff that's already weighed).
The two eggs from today don't appear to be logged by weight. Yesterday's log shows oatmeal, sugar, strawberries, cool whip, eggs, and a clementine all logged by cups/spoons (and qty for the clementine) rather than weight.
I know it feels nitpicky, but it really can make a difference. I recently logged a day of my food by measurement and then logged the same food by weight to compare. These were the exact same portions of food measured different ways and the day logged with cups/spoons measurements was over 200 calories less than the one logged by weight. Weighing your food really can make a big difference.
I'm not sure why weighing vs. measuring would make a difference as long as I'm logging it with the correct method used. So if I measure it with a measuring cup I should log that it was measured that way...which is what I'm doing. The two eggs from today are logged by their size (large eggs). Clementines are again all roughly the same size. I also only eat back half my exercise calories for this very reason. It is utterly impossible to completely log everything EXACTLY correctly.
It makes a big difference. Everyone who uses a food scale discovers they were not logging accurately before that.0 -
But what if my BMR is 1400 and I plug in to lose two lbs a week...that would take my caloric goal to 400 and if I exercise I can add in those calories...so if I really bust my butt and burn between 700-800 calories a day that would still keep me netting around 1200 though right? Is it dangerous to do it that way?
You don't cut from your BMR, you cut from your TDEE or your NEAT. Your BMR is just the amount of calories your body burns doing nothing but sleeping all day...you would theoretically burn your BMR calories in a coma...even a truly sedentary person is going to burn a few hundred more calories per day than their BMR.
In RE to having difficulty losing weight, there are a number of possibilities...
- underestimating intake and/or overestimating calorie burn from exercise and eating too many calories back
- "closet" eating/drinking that doesn't get logged
- failure to consistently log and/or not log certain things...I've actually known people to neglect logging cooking oils which are very calorie dense.
- allergy to a certain food
- medical condition which is interfering with your metabolism
- slower than average metabolism that is causing you to fall outside of the statistical averages these calculators use
- nutrient deficiencies...this can be a vitamin deficiency such as vitamin D but also a lack of dietary fat which can lead to substantial hormone imbalances that jack with your metabolism as well as absorption of fat soluble nutrients.0 -
I looked at your diary and it doesn't appear that you weigh your food so chances are you are eating more than you think.
Then you weren't looking at my diary. With the exception of Easter, I've been pretty religious about weighing everything (except prepackaged stuff that's already weighed).
The two eggs from today don't appear to be logged by weight. Yesterday's log shows oatmeal, sugar, strawberries, cool whip, eggs, and a clementine all logged by cups/spoons (and qty for the clementine) rather than weight.
I know it feels nitpicky, but it really can make a difference. I recently logged a day of my food by measurement and then logged the same food by weight to compare. These were the exact same portions of food measured different ways and the day logged with cups/spoons measurements was over 200 calories less than the one logged by weight. Weighing your food really can make a big difference.
I'm not sure why weighing vs. measuring would make a difference as long as I'm logging it with the correct method used. So if I measure it with a measuring cup I should log that it was measured that way...which is what I'm doing. The two eggs from today are logged by their size (large eggs). Clementines are again all roughly the same size. I also only eat back half my exercise calories for this very reason. It is utterly impossible to completely log everything EXACTLY correctly.
Yep - you are correct - it is almost impossible to log everything exactly correct. As the above poster mentioned too - make sure the MFP entry is correct. I started double checking everything and I found several entries that I was using on MFP that were way off on calories and protein. So I started googling and researching on my own and then found the MFP entry that was correct and saved that to My Foods so I use the same one all the time. It is not going to be exact no matter how hard you try so I say do the best you can and give yourself some time. You are not that far from your healthy weight so it will take you longer to lose to your goal. Set goals that are not so frustrating to you (stepping on the scale every day can be very frustrating!). Set an inch loss goal instead. I can lose inches way more than I can lose actual weight.0 -
I looked at your diary and it doesn't appear that you weigh your food so chances are you are eating more than you think.
Then you weren't looking at my diary. With the exception of Easter, I've been pretty religious about weighing everything (except prepackaged stuff that's already weighed).
The two eggs from today don't appear to be logged by weight. Yesterday's log shows oatmeal, sugar, strawberries, cool whip, eggs, and a clementine all logged by cups/spoons (and qty for the clementine) rather than weight.
I know it feels nitpicky, but it really can make a difference. I recently logged a day of my food by measurement and then logged the same food by weight to compare. These were the exact same portions of food measured different ways and the day logged with cups/spoons measurements was over 200 calories less than the one logged by weight. Weighing your food really can make a big difference.
I'm not sure why weighing vs. measuring would make a difference as long as I'm logging it with the correct method used. So if I measure it with a measuring cup I should log that it was measured that way...which is what I'm doing. The two eggs from today are logged by their size (large eggs). Clementines are again all roughly the same size. I also only eat back half my exercise calories for this very reason. It is utterly impossible to completely log everything EXACTLY correctly.
No, you can't log everything 100% exactly. But you can get a lot closer.
I don't know if you're not reading what we're posting or just think you know better than we do. Using measuring cups and spoons for solids is tricky. Depending on how tightly you pack the foods, how much air is between the pieces, how they settle, you can fit a lot more into a cup than the manufacturer intended.
Would you believe that not even all tablespoons are the same size? And I'm not confusing spoons you put on the table with spoons meant for measuring. People have found that the tablespoons they buy for measuring can be slightly off in size.
Two eggs are 140 calories if they weigh 50 grams each. I weighed two eggs yesterday. Mine were a total of 110 grams, for a total of 154 calories, not 140.
Is it a small difference? Yes. Does it add up throughout the day? Absolutely.
I logged the exact same foods. One by measurement and one by weight. 200 calories difference. That's 1/2 pound less lost per week. Weighing vs. measuring makes a difference.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think
and also
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY 0 -
deksgrl
While extremely important, caloric intake should not be the only item considered in weight loss. Effective cardio (i.e. heart rate) type exercise, is a effective tool in weight loss. Therefore heart rate would be relevant in her exercise, if she is not raising her heart rate to a proper level. The exercise being performed may or may not be effective as currently being performed, thus the question.0 -
I looked at your diary and it doesn't appear that you weigh your food so chances are you are eating more than you think.
Then you weren't looking at my diary. With the exception of Easter, I've been pretty religious about weighing everything (except prepackaged stuff that's already weighed).
The two eggs from today don't appear to be logged by weight. Yesterday's log shows oatmeal, sugar, strawberries, cool whip, eggs, and a clementine all logged by cups/spoons (and qty for the clementine) rather than weight.
I know it feels nitpicky, but it really can make a difference. I recently logged a day of my food by measurement and then logged the same food by weight to compare. These were the exact same portions of food measured different ways and the day logged with cups/spoons measurements was over 200 calories less than the one logged by weight. Weighing your food really can make a big difference.
I'm not sure why weighing vs. measuring would make a difference as long as I'm logging it with the correct method used. So if I measure it with a measuring cup I should log that it was measured that way...which is what I'm doing. The two eggs from today are logged by their size (large eggs). Clementines are again all roughly the same size. I also only eat back half my exercise calories for this very reason. It is utterly impossible to completely log everything EXACTLY correctly.
Yes it does...
I have not once had to post help I am not losing weight...ever because I weigh my food...all of it...and before I did I wasn't losing like I should have been either...took me seeing one post
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think
to show me the light...I went from 1/2lb a week to 1lb a week and have steadily lost and am almost to goal...
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1186508-weighing-food-vs-measuring-wow?hl=Wow&page=4#posts-18526270
and here is another person who found out as well...
Even the chester cheetos popcorn that says 3cups is actually 30grams per the package 5cups = 50grams...look at my diary the only thing else that isn't weighed is the roasted veggies and that's because it's a recipe I created and I know 1 serving = 100g.
You are eating more than you think and if you just don't want to accept it that's fine but you are the one who will not lose the weight not us...
so it's been suggested numerous times in this thread and previous to weigh and log accurately...you insist you do but when it comes right down to it you don't...
Either take the advice given and lose weight or don't and stay the same weight or worse gain up to you.0 -
If You have a thyroid issue it would definately affect your ability to lose. I am hypo thyroid and have had problems lossing weight for years. MFP and fitbit have enabled me to lose 12 pds so far and I am not always good, have my cheat times. Just wanted to let you know if that too is your problem it could take several years to get a proper diagnosis. Do you have other symptoms of hypothyroid?? Hair loss,fatique, joint pain? I suffered from symptoms long before it showed up it the blood test, the range for the TSH is too wide, though some labs have narrowed the range recently.0
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Also you mentioned being tired - have you thought about iron levels. When I was in my mid-thirties I was having the same issues and have a history of thyroid in my family so I was sure that's what it was - tested it and came back normal, but my iron levels were very low and after about 2 months of being on the iron pills my dr. prescribed I couldn't believe how much energy I had. Never hurts to get everything checked out medically. Also, hormones for us women play a big part in our weight loss/gains.0
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Well I wasn't aware of the 20% difference allowed in the nutrition facts. So that's news to me. Not sure if that's enough to have made a huge difference in my overall diet though. Early April I wasn't tracking proper weight/measurements. I have been for the last two weeks though. I seriously think it's a thyroid issue. It's in my family and I have other symptoms too. I've also been reading some others who've posted about it and have had similar struggles. I'm going to be calling my dr. to have it checked out.0
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I'm not sure why weighing vs. measuring would make a difference as long as I'm logging it with the correct method used. So if I measure it with a measuring cup I should log that it was measured that way...which is what I'm doing. The two eggs from today are logged by their size (large eggs). Clementines are again all roughly the same size. I also only eat back half my exercise calories for this very reason. It is utterly impossible to completely log everything EXACTLY correctly.
it can make a huge difference
first entries in the database by "cup" do you know in which country the member lived when it was entered > cos different countries use different cup sizes
also was the food compacted into the cup or was it "loose"?
was the cup full to the brim (levelled) or "heaped"
most of these also apply to spoon sizes
even if you reliably use the same style of cup and spoon how do you know what the user had when they entered it in the database: you don't
the only things that make sense working by volume are liquids in a measuring jug - but even these can work better weighed
i tend to go through phases - of logging more or less accurately, and when i'm not seeing hte losses that i want is exactly the time to be more picky about measuring
ps large eggs are different in different countries - also these are defined as a band of weights in the uk large is 63-73g while in the US large is greater than 2oz
there is a lot of scope for discreppancies here
but the common things that people forget to log are cooking fats and things that they consider either minor (the odd nut) or healthy life fruit0 -
deksgrl
While extremely important, caloric intake should not be the only item considered in weight loss. Effective cardio (i.e. heart rate) type exercise, is a effective tool in weight loss. Therefore heart rate would be relevant in her exercise, if she is not raising her heart rate to a proper level. The exercise being performed may or may not be effective as currently being performed, thus the question.
You can lose weight without doing any cardio, her main problem is inaccurate logging. If she was indeed logging accurately, then perhaps your point would be one to consider.0 -
Well I wasn't aware of the 20% difference allowed in the nutrition facts. So that's news to me. Not sure if that's enough to have made a huge difference in my overall diet though. Early April I wasn't tracking proper weight/measurements. I have been for the last two weeks though. I seriously think it's a thyroid issue. It's in my family and I have other symptoms too. I've also been reading some others who've posted about it and have had similar struggles. I'm going to be calling my dr. to have it checked out.
these are anyway only estimates - they are arrived at by either lab based tests of database analysis on a sample
the actual content of any food will vary
so why add an extra layer of estimation by not weighing?
as for the 20% if you're using TDEE -20% then 20% is *nearly* the whole of your deficit
eg: TDEE 2000 - 0.2*2000 = 1600
1600 + 1600*0.2 = 1920 << nearly back to TDEE0 -
This just sounds ridiculous. Seriously...as I said before there is NO way to be completely accurate in your logging. Especially taking into consideration all your "nitpicking" above. This is why I said I only eat back HALF of my exercise calories. To alot for mis-measurements and overcalculations on burns. I mean according to what your saying it would be impossible for anyone to input anything completely accurately into MFP. Might as well just give up.I'm not sure why weighing vs. measuring would make a difference as long as I'm logging it with the correct method used. So if I measure it with a measuring cup I should log that it was measured that way...which is what I'm doing. The two eggs from today are logged by their size (large eggs). Clementines are again all roughly the same size. I also only eat back half my exercise calories for this very reason. It is utterly impossible to completely log everything EXACTLY correctly.
it can make a huge difference
first entries in the database by "cup" do you know in which country the member lived when it was entered > cos different countries use different cup sizes
also was the food compacted into the cup or was it "loose"?
was the cup full to the brim (levelled) or "heaped"
most of these also apply to spoon sizes
even if you reliably use the same style of cup and spoon how do you know what the user had when they entered it in the database: you don't
the only things that make sense working by volume are liquids in a measuring jug - but even these can work better weighed
i tend to go through phases - of logging more or less accurately, and when i'm not seeing hte losses that i want is exactly the time to be more picky about measuring
ps large eggs are different in different countries - also these are defined as a band of weights in the uk large is 63-73g while in the US large is greater than 2oz
there is a lot of scope for discreppancies here
but the common things that people forget to log are cooking fats and things that they consider either minor (the odd nut) or healthy life fruit0 -
This just sounds ridiculous. Seriously...as I said before there is NO way to be completely accurate in your logging. Especially taking into consideration all your "nitpicking" above. This is why I said I only eat back HALF of my exercise calories. To alot for mis-measurements and overcalculations on burns. I mean according to what your saying it would be impossible for anyone to input anything completely accurately into MFP. Might as well just give up.I'm not sure why weighing vs. measuring would make a difference as long as I'm logging it with the correct method used. So if I measure it with a measuring cup I should log that it was measured that way...which is what I'm doing. The two eggs from today are logged by their size (large eggs). Clementines are again all roughly the same size. I also only eat back half my exercise calories for this very reason. It is utterly impossible to completely log everything EXACTLY correctly.
it can make a huge difference
first entries in the database by "cup" do you know in which country the member lived when it was entered > cos different countries use different cup sizes
also was the food compacted into the cup or was it "loose"?
was the cup full to the brim (levelled) or "heaped"
most of these also apply to spoon sizes
even if you reliably use the same style of cup and spoon how do you know what the user had when they entered it in the database: you don't
the only things that make sense working by volume are liquids in a measuring jug - but even these can work better weighed
i tend to go through phases - of logging more or less accurately, and when i'm not seeing hte losses that i want is exactly the time to be more picky about measuring
ps large eggs are different in different countries - also these are defined as a band of weights in the uk large is 63-73g while in the US large is greater than 2oz
there is a lot of scope for discreppancies here
but the common things that people forget to log are cooking fats and things that they consider either minor (the odd nut) or healthy life fruit
No actually this post is ridiculous...seriously...there is a way to be as accurate as you can in your logging and if you aren't willing to put in the little amount of time it takes then well...keep the path you are on...say it's probably your thyroid, go to the doctor find out it probably isn't and give up...
I weigh food all of it...and I have lost almost 50lbs..so don't tell me being accurate is impossible.
*walks away shaking head as people who ask for help who refuse to take the advice of very obviously successful people...*0 -
This just sounds ridiculous. Seriously...as I said before there is NO way to be completely accurate in your logging. Especially taking into consideration all your "nitpicking" above. This is why I said I only eat back HALF of my exercise calories. To alot for mis-measurements and overcalculations on burns. I mean according to what your saying it would be impossible for anyone to input anything completely accurately into MFP. Might as well just give up.
fine just trying to help - being more careful has really helped me get over little bumps of not loss if the road in the past which is why i shared the ways that i am aware that i put inacuracies into my diary when i don't pay attention
there is NO way to be completely accurate
but there is a lot of scope to do better especially when most of us a working a loss on a deficit of 200-400 calories a day, these *little* measuring accuracies can have a significant effect
as as I said in a previous post - I vary how accurate I am - it comes in waves, but as soon as I stop loosing hte way I expect to - getting more accurate on my measurements is the first thing I do and so far it has always made the difference0 -
There is no way to be perfectly accurate. And it doesn't matter if your food intake is accurate if your exercise calories are inaccurate or if you have a hormonal issue that makes the numbers no longer applicable.0
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This just sounds ridiculous. Seriously...as I said before there is NO way to be completely accurate in your logging. Especially taking into consideration all your "nitpicking" above. This is why I said I only eat back HALF of my exercise calories. To alot for mis-measurements and overcalculations on burns. I mean according to what your saying it would be impossible for anyone to input anything completely accurately into MFP. Might as well just give up.
If that's what you took from all of this then I'm not sure what to say. Honestly, I found the switch to a food scale way easier than cups and spoons ever were. And I only have to dirty one dish now.
I hope you get the news that you were looking for from your doctor.0 -
This just sounds ridiculous. Seriously...as I said before there is NO way to be completely accurate in your logging. Especially taking into consideration all your "nitpicking" above. This is why I said I only eat back HALF of my exercise calories. To alot for mis-measurements and overcalculations on burns. I mean according to what your saying it would be impossible for anyone to input anything completely accurately into MFP. Might as well just give up.I'm not sure why weighing vs. measuring would make a difference as long as I'm logging it with the correct method used. So if I measure it with a measuring cup I should log that it was measured that way...which is what I'm doing. The two eggs from today are logged by their size (large eggs). Clementines are again all roughly the same size. I also only eat back half my exercise calories for this very reason. It is utterly impossible to completely log everything EXACTLY correctly.
it can make a huge difference
first entries in the database by "cup" do you know in which country the member lived when it was entered > cos different countries use different cup sizes
also was the food compacted into the cup or was it "loose"?
was the cup full to the brim (levelled) or "heaped"
most of these also apply to spoon sizes
even if you reliably use the same style of cup and spoon how do you know what the user had when they entered it in the database: you don't
the only things that make sense working by volume are liquids in a measuring jug - but even these can work better weighed
i tend to go through phases - of logging more or less accurately, and when i'm not seeing hte losses that i want is exactly the time to be more picky about measuring
ps large eggs are different in different countries - also these are defined as a band of weights in the uk large is 63-73g while in the US large is greater than 2oz
there is a lot of scope for discreppancies here
but the common things that people forget to log are cooking fats and things that they consider either minor (the odd nut) or healthy life fruit
No actually this post is ridiculous...seriously...there is a way to be as accurate as you can in your logging and if you aren't willing to put in the little amount of time it takes then well...keep the path you are on...say it's probably your thyroid, go to the doctor find out it probably isn't and give up...
I weigh food all of it...and I have lost almost 50lbs..so don't tell me being accurate is impossible.
*walks away shaking head as people who ask for help who refuse to take the advice of very obviously successful people...*
I am not REFUSING to take advise from people. My point is that I HAVE been weighing my food and measuring it to the best of MY ability. The biggest "take away" from this for me is the 20% difference in variance on the nutrition labels. That I did NOT know. And NO it's not possible to be "as accurate as you can" according to the other poster who asked questions like "how do you know how the person measured that item when they put it in the database, what is packed..was it loose?" I mean seriously. My original question didn't even have anything to do with my diary...just with the difference between BMR and MFP and that was answered too. Feel free to keep your $.02 to yourself if you can't be cordial *walks away shaking head at the audacity some people have!*0 -
So, I've searched and this seems to be a common problem. MFP calculates 1200 calories for me...Scooby's Workshop (http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/) calculates my BMR at 1560 and my calorie intake with a 20% reduction is 1460. On IIFYM my BMR is 1471 and my calorie intake with 20% reduction is 1413. All this is with NO exercise. I've been exercising and when I plug that in then it increases my calories by about another 300-400 each day. So is MFP just wayyy off, should I go by one of these other websites?? Right now I've been using MFP and eating back half my calories for the most part....I haven't been losing really any weight though. Could I really be under-eating. I've been weighing my food with a kitchen scale and using measuring spoons too. Thoughts??
5'6"
Female
166lbs
sedentary until I started this now I work out about 5-6 days a week for at least 45 minutes average.
I haven't read through all the post so not sure if someone has mentioned this or not, but
I think you are confusing your BMR with TDEE.
BMR (Basel Metabolic Rate) is the bare minimum you need to eat if you were in a coma to stay alive. You should not eat less then that. Your TDEE minus (5% to 20%) includes your activity and you should aim to eat that amount to lose weight without factoring in exercise.
MFP uses a different method then the TDEE, they use a value before activity.
However the numbers are all calculated using formulas that may not be exact for you, it will take time to play with the numbers to find out what works best. Change by 100 calories for a few weeks to see if there is a change in your weight loss.0 -
This just sounds ridiculous. Seriously...as I said before there is NO way to be completely accurate in your logging. Especially taking into consideration all your "nitpicking" above. This is why I said I only eat back HALF of my exercise calories. To alot for mis-measurements and overcalculations on burns. I mean according to what your saying it would be impossible for anyone to input anything completely accurately into MFP. Might as well just give up.I'm not sure why weighing vs. measuring would make a difference as long as I'm logging it with the correct method used. So if I measure it with a measuring cup I should log that it was measured that way...which is what I'm doing. The two eggs from today are logged by their size (large eggs). Clementines are again all roughly the same size. I also only eat back half my exercise calories for this very reason. It is utterly impossible to completely log everything EXACTLY correctly.
it can make a huge difference
first entries in the database by "cup" do you know in which country the member lived when it was entered > cos different countries use different cup sizes
also was the food compacted into the cup or was it "loose"?
was the cup full to the brim (levelled) or "heaped"
most of these also apply to spoon sizes
even if you reliably use the same style of cup and spoon how do you know what the user had when they entered it in the database: you don't
the only things that make sense working by volume are liquids in a measuring jug - but even these can work better weighed
i tend to go through phases - of logging more or less accurately, and when i'm not seeing hte losses that i want is exactly the time to be more picky about measuring
ps large eggs are different in different countries - also these are defined as a band of weights in the uk large is 63-73g while in the US large is greater than 2oz
there is a lot of scope for discreppancies here
but the common things that people forget to log are cooking fats and things that they consider either minor (the odd nut) or healthy life fruit
No actually this post is ridiculous...seriously...there is a way to be as accurate as you can in your logging and if you aren't willing to put in the little amount of time it takes then well...keep the path you are on...say it's probably your thyroid, go to the doctor find out it probably isn't and give up...
I weigh food all of it...and I have lost almost 50lbs..so don't tell me being accurate is impossible.
*walks away shaking head as people who ask for help who refuse to take the advice of very obviously successful people...*
I am not REFUSING to take advise from people. My point is that I HAVE been weighing my food and measuring it to the best of MY ability. The biggest "take away" from this for me is the 20% difference in variance on the nutrition labels. That I did NOT know. And NO it's not possible to be "as accurate as you can" according to the other poster who asked questions like "how do you know how the person measured that item when they put it in the database, what is packed..was it loose?" I mean seriously. My original question didn't even have anything to do with my diary...just with the difference between BMR and MFP and that was answered too. Feel free to keep your $.02 to yourself if you can't be cordial *walks away shaking head at the audacity some people have!*
I will just leave this here...
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide?hl=Logging+accurately&page=3#posts-19337078
and ironic post is ironic...0 -
This just sounds ridiculous. Seriously...as I said before there is NO way to be completely accurate in your logging. Especially taking into consideration all your "nitpicking" above. This is why I said I only eat back HALF of my exercise calories. To alot for mis-measurements and overcalculations on burns. I mean according to what your saying it would be impossible for anyone to input anything completely accurately into MFP. Might as well just give up.I'm not sure why weighing vs. measuring would make a difference as long as I'm logging it with the correct method used. So if I measure it with a measuring cup I should log that it was measured that way...which is what I'm doing. The two eggs from today are logged by their size (large eggs). Clementines are again all roughly the same size. I also only eat back half my exercise calories for this very reason. It is utterly impossible to completely log everything EXACTLY correctly.
it can make a huge difference
first entries in the database by "cup" do you know in which country the member lived when it was entered > cos different countries use different cup sizes
also was the food compacted into the cup or was it "loose"?
was the cup full to the brim (levelled) or "heaped"
most of these also apply to spoon sizes
even if you reliably use the same style of cup and spoon how do you know what the user had when they entered it in the database: you don't
the only things that make sense working by volume are liquids in a measuring jug - but even these can work better weighed
i tend to go through phases - of logging more or less accurately, and when i'm not seeing hte losses that i want is exactly the time to be more picky about measuring
ps large eggs are different in different countries - also these are defined as a band of weights in the uk large is 63-73g while in the US large is greater than 2oz
there is a lot of scope for discreppancies here
but the common things that people forget to log are cooking fats and things that they consider either minor (the odd nut) or healthy life fruit
No actually this post is ridiculous...seriously...there is a way to be as accurate as you can in your logging and if you aren't willing to put in the little amount of time it takes then well...keep the path you are on...say it's probably your thyroid, go to the doctor find out it probably isn't and give up...
I weigh food all of it...and I have lost almost 50lbs..so don't tell me being accurate is impossible.
*walks away shaking head as people who ask for help who refuse to take the advice of very obviously successful people...*
I am not REFUSING to take advise from people. My point is that I HAVE been weighing my food and measuring it to the best of MY ability. The biggest "take away" from this for me is the 20% difference in variance on the nutrition labels. That I did NOT know. And NO it's not possible to be "as accurate as you can" according to the other poster who asked questions like "how do you know how the person measured that item when they put it in the database, what is packed..was it loose?" I mean seriously. My original question didn't even have anything to do with my diary...just with the difference between BMR and MFP and that was answered too. Feel free to keep your $.02 to yourself if you can't be cordial *walks away shaking head at the audacity some people have!*
100% accuracy is impossible, but weighing food is *far* more accurate than measuring. That is the point of her questions. By weighing food you don't have to wonder was the cup packed tightly, etc.
People were genuinely trying to help you. People started looking at your diary because the question you posed required looking at it. You did not only ask about the difference between BMR and MFP calorie calculations; you also wanted to know why you weren't losing weight and referred to measuring your food.0 -
It doesn't matter how precise you are with weight vs volume if every other aspect of your diary is a rough estimate. There aren't many foods where the weight vs volume issue is going to be significant enough to be more than background noise compared to the accuracy of figuring out exercise calories, BMR, etc.0
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100% accuracy is impossible, but weighing food is *far* more accurate than measuring. That is the point of her questions. By weighing food you don't have to wonder was the cup packed tightly, etc.
People were genuinely trying to help you. People started looking at your diary because the question you posed required looking at it. You did not only ask about the difference between BMR and MFP calorie calculations; you also wanted to know why you weren't losing weight and referred to measuring your food.
by jove I think they've got it!
maybe i didn't make it clear - the point was that by weighing in oz/g and using a measuring jugs for liquids with a ml/fl.oz scale, then you avoid all of the inaccuracies associated with using cups and spoons in one fell swoop
ps. the reason nutritional data is allowed to be 20% accurate is because it amounts for the fact that just like you are not identical to someone else of the same weight as you, two portions of 100g chicken breast are also not the same *nutritionally* depending on what they've been eating where they've been living etc, equally two 20g tomatoes are not necessarily the same, and manufacturers aren't expected to re-test every new delivery of ingredients, they tend to only update nutritional labels if they change the recipe0 -
It doesn't matter how precise you are with weight vs volume if every other aspect of your diary is a rough estimate. There aren't many foods where the weight vs volume issue is going to be significant enough to be more than background noise compared to the accuracy of figuring out exercise calories, BMR, etc.
BMR is irrelevant. TDEE is the number to be mindful of.
OP states that she only eats half her exercise calories, though her diary doesn't seem to bear that out. The accuracy of logging her food intake has to be fixed first. If she is overestimating on her foods, she is wiping out any calorie deficit, with or without exercise cals. If she is not losing weight, she is not eating at a deficit.0 -
100% accuracy is impossible, but weighing food is *far* more accurate than measuring. That is the point of her questions. By weighing food you don't have to wonder was the cup packed tightly, etc.
People were genuinely trying to help you. People started looking at your diary because the question you posed required looking at it. You did not only ask about the difference between BMR and MFP calorie calculations; you also wanted to know why you weren't losing weight and referred to measuring your food.
by jove I think they've got it!
maybe i didn't make it clear - the point was that by weighing in oz/g and using a measuring jugs for liquids with a ml/fl.oz scale, then you avoid all of the inaccuracies associated with using cups and spoons in one fell swoop
ps. the reason nutritional data is allowed to be 20% accurate is because it amounts for the fact that just like you are not identical to someone else of the same weight as you, two portions of 100g chicken breast are also not the same *nutritionally* depending on what they've been eating where they've been living etc, equally two 20g tomatoes are not necessarily the same, and manufacturers aren't expected to re-test every new delivery of ingredients, they tend to only update nutritional labels if they change the recipe
I definitely misunderstood you. I believe now you meant literal kitchen cups and spoons and I didn't get that...I meant MEASURING cups and MEASURING spoons. I have been weighing/measuring everything for the last couple weeks using MEASURING cups and spoons, NOT just regular spoons/cups. I have a food scale (although it doesn't measure down to grams, it measures oz. very accurately) and I weigh whatever I can and use measuring cups/measuring spoons for the rest.
I do have one other question though...so how do you account for package variations when looking at a nutrition label. For example. If I'm eating something that says it's one serving and should weigh 7 oz. and the calories are 120, but it only weighs 6 oz. I guess I would just figure out the math to get the correct calories then right? Is that what you mean by the nutrition label could be off?0
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