Seasoned MFP'ers...some guidance please :)

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kerryc76
kerryc76 Posts: 42 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I know you get a million requests from newbies...sorry, but really you guys are the ones who know best so if anyone wants to help out I'm all ears!...eyes :)

I recently switched from WW to MFP but I can't seem to get the hang of it. I've been doing it now for about 2 weeks and I've lost nothing. (I did lose .5 this weekend, but the scale today seemed to show I've gained it back?) I previously lost 15 pounds with WW...since the new year. I feel like I'm making a great deal of effort so this is why I'm frustrated. If I wasn't trying as hard it wouldn't bother me.

I have had a few meals out this week with friends...a lot more than normal...so I'm hoping that this is possibly water weight? However I've still not gone over my calories. I initially was eating 1200 ish, but I've been trying to eat closer to 1500 as I don't want to eat too few calories. I'm currently 194.5,5ft 2 and my ultimate goal is 125, but I'm just taking it 10 pounds at a time now. WW is helpful as it is very clear how much I need to eat, but MFP is a bit more confusing. Anyway, my diary is open so feel free to view it...any feedback is appreciated!

Thank you :)

Replies

  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
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    Your diary is closed
  • kerryc76
    kerryc76 Posts: 42 Member
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    So sorry...let me change it!
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    MFP should have calculated your calories for you. If you went to My Home and clicked on Goals, then you say how much you want to lose a week (one pound recommended), your height and age, and it will tell you how much to eat and about the proportions of carbs/fat you should eat.

    I am going to guess you changed what you ate when you switched from Weight Watchers. If you want to find out, follow the weight watchers plan for a few days and log all your food. See how that compares with what you've done the last few days.

    Also, it is absolutely critical in MFP that you weigh and measure very accurately. Otherwise all your calorie counts are off.
  • jzammetti
    jzammetti Posts: 1,956 Member
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    Without looking at your diary, I would say i am the exact same height as you and I eat 1850 a day and workout (heavy lifting and some cardio) 3x perweek. If I were you, I would up your calories to 1600 or higher, track it for a few weeks, and adjust if necessary.
  • kerryc76
    kerryc76 Posts: 42 Member
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    Hi again,

    Public now...let me just say the fast food/restaurants is not typical at all, but technically I'm still within my range. I was putting in a 2 pound loss initially...which gave me 1200, but as i said I think this may be too low...I've been seeing a lot of talk on here about calories being too low. I've tried calcuating my BMR and it seems to hover around 1550 which is why I set my new caloric intake there.

    Great idea about still logging with WW too...I'll do that. i think my diary is pretty honest and accurate though. I log pretty much everything.
  • kerryc76
    kerryc76 Posts: 42 Member
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    Jzammeti...thanks...so you've had success with 1800? clearly...I see you've lost a ton of weight! congrats! Do you not eat your exercise calories? 1800 seems a lot higher than I'm used to, but also prob healthier..esp at my current weight.
  • Jayne19099
    Jayne19099 Posts: 149 Member
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    Without looking at your diary, I would say i am the exact same height as you and I eat 1850 a day and workout (heavy lifting and some cardio) 3x perweek. If I were you, I would up your calories to 1600 or higher, track it for a few weeks, and adjust if necessary.

    I agree, it seems you might be eating too little. Check out this post to get a better understanding of how much you should be eating:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/943139-weight-loss-cheat-sheet-ipoarm
  • karenhray7
    karenhray7 Posts: 219 Member
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    You said you log "pretty much everything"; what are you leaving out? I remember ww having a lot of no-point fruit and veg, but you really do need to make sure you log EVERYTHING. You might be very surprised at how many calories you're actually consuming.

    Just in general, I would definitely up the kcal to 1600 or so, depending on how active you are.

    Good luck to you!
  • kerryc76
    kerryc76 Posts: 42 Member
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    Thanks again for all your replies...no I log absolutely everything, so that's accurate. It's hard to wrap my head around increasing my calories...but hey..you guys know your stuff. Just out of curiosity, would that mean I don't eat my exercise calories? I exercise about 5 times a week...fairly intensely. (Obviously I would eat if I were hungry, but with 1600 or 1800 I may not need to)
  • keithmustloseweight
    keithmustloseweight Posts: 309 Member
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    Have a read through this http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    Best of luck!
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    I think different bodies work differently. It took me a few weeks on MFP to figure out what I should set my activity level at to lose weight. I am probably older than you.

    I set myself to sedentary, one pound a week loss, log my exercise (mostly walking or serious yardwork), and eat it all back. I am taller and thinner than you, and started with less weight, so I started (a year ago) at 1380 calories NET and am now at 1230 net, since I've lost 35 pounds. I haven't been hungry and I've lost all the weight I wanted to (and more than I expected), so I guess that's a good model for me.

    My sister, who is a bit taller and 140 pounds heavier, gets 1800 calories. As she loses, her calories will come down too.

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