Under estimating calories in meals

Thamantha

I am quite possibly guilty of over/underestimating quantities when I cannot measure them. Especially in a restaurant. I still lose weight at my target rate. However I sometimes don't eat everything on the plate - resulting in tiny portions being logged into my diary. Or i have a bite of my partners food and conscientiously log that mouthful.

I am just curious as to how you 'know' that these people are underestimating? Is it people that you have shared meals with? Or are you guessing?

nsimportant

I always play around with those exercise calories, and I never eat them because I have made myself a custom goal. When I was in fat burning phase I had my whole day planed and usually left 100ish calories under the goal. I weight all my food and that helped me constantly loose for last 4 months.
I see alot of people write in 400-800 calories in 60 minute of light workout but few years ago when i was doing the elliptical it took me 1hour and 30 minutes to reset the 1000 calorie counter on maximum resistance and i think it said that i walked around 15km or something i always had a laugh about those numbers.
I do own a HRM but i hate carrying it on me if i want to measure my pulse i just put my fingers on my neck and count it in 10 sec time frame and if i hit 24-28 i know i am good. I think too many ppl are jacked about those HRM numbers.
I love how i gradually become better at my exercises and cba about how much calories i actually burned because when i started i could do 0 chin ups now i do 10 easy, and wanted to push myself and did p90x plyometrics workout with extra 14kg weight on me and I fell in love with weighted vests.
And ofc if You are loosing weight awesome keep your routine if not just freaking change it see what happens in 2 weeks and adjust.
But I think the hardest part is now in front of me and that is gaining weight ofc in muscle

crobinson53

I completely agree. I assume the worst when putting in restaurant foods. I normally have to substitute what I ate with things already in the database.

I think it's out duty as friends to point out inconsistencies in each others diary. The same goes for the exercise logs too. 1100 calories getting the mail? Come on!

Hmmm.... So maybe I was right to doubt the:- 2,000 cals, searching, really hard, for the T.V. remote.

Oh Phillip! :noway: :laugh: :huh: :glasses:

388gigi

People only cheat themselves so it is them that its hurting! I read somewhere where you underestimate your calories by 40% and overestimate your calorie burn by 20%.
I do know that calories burned depends on your weight as I burn about half what I used to when I first started this journey so I don't tend to judge others calorie burn.



Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Calorie Counter

Those figures don't surprise me! I don't have an HRM, and SOMETIMES choose generic foods or meals from the database rather than calculating myself. So I always aim to be a couple of hundred calories UNDER what my total for the day turns out to be. Just to be safe!

soulgirl01

I think.. on weigh in day each of us will get our own medicine if your eating to much with incosistant activity your going to find you gain. You follow what is suggested on "MFP" and do it consitanly you'll loose. So i say just be possitive and help one another if we ask!

u04kmm5

First let me start by saying that I know that some people have their diaries private and some don’t and whether that means that they are open to scrutiny or not is your own judgement.

I find this post quite b*tchy and unnecessary! What different does it make to your own weight loss or gain whether someone marks a baguette as 500 calories or 5?
Nothing. Get off your high horse and realise that the fact that we are all on this site, trying to exercise and eat better is what matters.
Not whether you think someone is “cheating themselves” or not.

Live and let live.
I find it extremely fickle that some people get so involved and opinionated about other people’s choices.

(I realise that by replying to this – I am joining in. But I have only been using MFP for about 2 weeks and have only really had a look at the “community” section in the last few days. I think I will go back to just keeping myself to my own diary and exercise plan rather than get involved with people who start meaningless topics about other people).

tonilizzy88

this always happens.
what i find more than anything is over estimating calories burned..i mean really..burning a thousand calories from walking on a treadmill for an hour..please

i can burn 350 calories for 30 min on treadmill on an incline....it all depends on the person and there weight etc.....we are not here to judge people

sugarbone

Whenever I eat out or have to account for a meal I can't look at the labels of, I find the closest estimates in the MFP database and choose the highest cal/least optimistic one, lol. Why lie to yourself? It's way better to have a negative margin of error.

Also people overestimating exercise is pretty common for unfit people, as they *feel* like they worked very hard and must have burned hundreds of calories, but in reality they didn't do much.

HappyLuna

Spend less time worrying about others. Maybe point it out nicely what you think they may need to change and re think and then move on. You've done your bit then. But having a b1tch about it on here is a little uncalled for. If it bugs you what others are doing, don't look at their diaries.

ETA: Just remembered as well (as you are my friend on MFP ) your diary isn't viewable to friends or public...? I don't get it when people look, comment and judge other peoples eating habits when they won't share their own? Focus on yourself, not others. They will get there and learn in their own time.

ackeebee

i kind of agree, but at the same time, its each to their own.

i throw stuff i eat on the scales to get an accurate weight as much as i can, but not everyone does this and i see some estimates that i know are WAY out, and if it was effecting their weight loss and they asked for advice i would point it out, but until then i will just worry about my own cals, not everyone elses!

here here!

i say we all mind our own diaries aka business and leave others to do what they wish. if they ask for assistance, it is a different story.