Weight loss seems more difficult because of exercise

1356710

Replies

  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    If you're trying to lose weight using MFP, this program requires you to log all of your food and exercise. If you're unwilling to do that, then you probably won't be losing weight. Tracking only takes a few minutes a day. Somehow you had time to post this thread, but no time to enter your breakfast? Does not compute.

    I've been on MFP for over 2 years. In that time I have lost weight, maintained the loss, now losing a bit more. I've never logged all my food or exercise. I do log most of my exercise but logging all my food does take too much time. And, quite frankly, a lot of guessing because of all the multiple listings for food, unable to get accurate counts when not eating food I prepared.

    Due to the multiple listings in the MFP database it's almost always necessary to go to other sites to confirm which entry is correct. That is very time consuming.

    So what would your advice be to the OP?

    Page 1, 13th post (if I counted correctly).

    It's hard to give advice without some additional information (I asked questions), but I suggested measuring to see if there are inches lost.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    If you're trying to lose weight using MFP, this program requires you to log all of your food and exercise. If you're unwilling to do that, then you probably won't be losing weight. Tracking only takes a few minutes a day. Somehow you had time to post this thread, but no time to enter your breakfast? Does not compute.

    I've been on MFP for over 2 years. In that time I have lost weight, maintained the loss, now losing a bit more. I've never logged all my food or exercise. I do log most of my exercise but logging all my food does take too much time. And, quite frankly, a lot of guessing because of all the multiple listings for food, unable to get accurate counts when not eating food I prepared.

    Due to the multiple listings in the MFP database it's almost always necessary to go to other sites to confirm which entry is correct. That is very time consuming.

    So what would your advice be to the OP?

    Page 1, 13th post (if I counted correctly).

    It's hard to give advice without some additional information (I asked questions), but I suggested measuring to see if there are inches lost.

    I definitely understand that fat loss occurs without weight loss and that fat loss is preferable. However, the OP wants the scale to start moving again.....meaning actual weight loss. That will be difficult to make happen without a calorie deficit. Which will be difficult to determine without counting calories.
  • FrankiesSaysRelax
    FrankiesSaysRelax Posts: 403 Member
    Ahem. I know it goes against the current, here, but it IS possible to lose weight without ever tracking calories.

    Just sayin'... :wink:
    *Possible*, sure...

    ...but if you ever find yourself dissatisfied with your results, an obvious first thing to consider will be tracking calories. Wishing that wasn't the answer won't make it less so.

    The dude's lost 40lb without tracking a mouthful. Which is more than most of the people replying to him.

    I think he's just saying it's harder to lose weight when you're exercising really hard. Which I agree with.

    ALL the people posting 'STOP MAKING EXCUSES SUCK IT UP' are a bit much, tbh. Relax. Live and let live.

    Peace out.

    No one is discrediting his accomplishments so far. But to say you aren't sure if you're in a deficit and ask for advice.. counting calories is really the only way to answer his own question. It's absolutely normal to feel hungrier when working out, but you don't want to eat back more than your burning either. He wouldn't have to track forever, but a few weeks might help him see how much he's eating and how many calories he's burning in the workouts.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,583 Member
    BTW: I don't track calories and I won't start doing that now.
    Well, good luck with that then.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    Ahem. I know it goes against the current, here, but it IS possible to lose weight without ever tracking calories.

    Just sayin'... :wink:
    *Possible*, sure...

    ...but if you ever find yourself dissatisfied with your results, an obvious first thing to consider will be tracking calories. Wishing that wasn't the answer won't make it less so.

    The dude's lost 40lb without tracking a mouthful. Which is more than most of the people replying to him.

    I think he's just saying it's harder to lose weight when you're exercising really hard. Which I agree with.

    Lose weight...maybe, fat...no.

    Also, he lost 40 lbs without exercise (per his OP), and now that he has started exercising is eating more....and the weight loss has stopped. It's easy to over eat when you exercise and aren't watching your intake accurately, especially when the op states they don't think they're staying in a deficit. Log a bit and find out.

    Good to know I shouldn't reply to these threads anymore because I haven't lost a lot of weight. I'm not here to, but whatever.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    You have time to do all the exercise you do, BUT not 5 or 10 mins to log!! :noway:

    It takes me 5 mins. to log all my food and I have been consistently losing!! (see ticker below :bigsmile: )

    Good luck losing weight!! :happy:
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
    BTW: I don't track calories and I won't start doing that now.
    Well, good luck with that then.

    This...

    I'm sorry but tracking calories doesn't take that long. Phone apps have scanners and there's a HUGE database online. In the amount of time it took you to type the post you could have logged your food for the day.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Good lord, what's with all the snarkiness in here? There are many roads to the destination - if the OP doesn't want to log, (s)he doesn't have to log, there's no reason (s)he can't lose/control weight without logging.

    And the point about inaccurate database entries is absolutely valid - the most meticulous logging on here is only ever going to be an estimate, anyway.
  • Hildy_J
    Hildy_J Posts: 1,050 Member
    No one is discrediting his accomplishments so far. But to say you aren't sure if you're in a deficit and ask for advice.. counting calories is really the only way to answer his own question.

    He ALSO asked for thoughts/advice on the weight loss stall during times of intense exercising.

    He said in the post he's not going to calorie count - so why do people bother to tell him to or berate him because he doesn't. Can't they just move along without comment?

    Makes no sense to me, is all.... :smile:

    Respect people's choices.
  • RGv2
    RGv2 Posts: 5,789 Member
    No one is discrediting his accomplishments so far. But to say you aren't sure if you're in a deficit and ask for advice.. counting calories is really the only way to answer his own question.

    He ALSO asked for thoughts/advice on the weight loss stall during times of intense exercising.

    He said in the post he's not going to calorie count - so why do people bother to tell him to or berate him because he doesn't. Can't they just move along without comment?

    Makes no sense to me, is all.... :smile:

    And those are pointing out that the OP states they don't think they're in a deficit. If you don't think you're in a deficit, and your weight loss stalls, would the no-brainer advice be to make sure your intake is accurate and that you are in a deficit?
  • This post kind of contradicts itself. Why would you have a MFP in the first place (other than networking, of course)? This website's "core" is the food logging. You should really give it a try. Plus, the app makes it so easy to log most anything.

    At this point though, are you happy with your progress? For me, I lost over 100lbs. My weight won't really budge now, but I'm 2 sizes smaller than what I was when I weighed this much over 2 years ago, and I look much better. Sometimes it's about body comp, too.
  • Gee_24
    Gee_24 Posts: 359 Member
    I have NO idea why people claim they dont have time to track!

    I do mines in real time. Less than 30 seconds on my phone each meal time. OR, at the end of the night, less than 2 minutes logging.


    Surely you have 2 minutes?
  • VelvetMorning
    VelvetMorning Posts: 398 Member
    It takes time to prepare most meals (even if you're on Lean Cuisines) ~ use the time between cooking/preparing meals to track your calories. If nothing else, do a little mental math. A banana? roughly 100 calories. A lean cuisine? 300, give or take, and so on.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    You have time to do all the exercise you do, BUT not 5 or 10 mins to log!! :noway:

    It takes me 5 mins. to log all my food and I have been consistently losing!! (see ticker below :bigsmile: )

    Good luck losing weight!! :happy:

    Since your diary was open I took a look at the past couple of days. Most entries are prepackaged products, which may be easy to log. I cook the majority of my foods from scratch and it takes a lot more than 10 min a day to log.

    Also, some of the calorie counts for items on your log are much lower when compared to the USDA database (http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list). So, how do you know how much you are really eating?
  • Nettabee
    Nettabee Posts: 296 Member
    Not to be rude although it may sound that way, but you're not tracking/counting your food/calories because you either choose not to, or out of laziness.

    I only say this because I know it to be true. I hated tracking no matter how many times people said it "takes less than 5 minutes". I was being lazy, and as a result, my weight loss suffered.

    When you really want it bad enough, you'll snap out of it just as I did. Unless you're eating nothing but fruits and veggies everyday there's even a handy little scanner built into the phone app.

    Log it, start loosing again. :flowerforyou:
  • Fullsterkur_woman
    Fullsterkur_woman Posts: 2,712 Member
    He said in the post he's not going to calorie count - so why do people bother to tell him to or berate him because he doesn't. Can't they just move along without comment?
    So assuming this was asked in seriousness, because there will be other readers with his same question who may not be obstinate about starting to log when they see that they're busting their *kitten* in the gym for no weight loss results. Sorta like me for the first half of the year. I started logging at the end of June (however inaccurately), and BOOM! Weight loss began occurring. The OP isn't the only one who can benefit from the discussion.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    I just had a monthlong break from weight loss and have continued my journey down the scale again about a week ago. Two weeks ago I expanded my exercise routine, I exercise 5 times per week now (about 7 hours of running/swimming/athletics).

    Anyways, I get quite hungry because all of this exercise and while I can keep myself from overeating, I am not sure that I have a calorie deficit. Weight loss was much easier when I didn't exercise this much, I did intermediate fasting and I don't see myself doing that now that I do sports.

    Any thoughts on this / advice?

    BTW: I don't track calories and I won't start doing that now. It would require too much attention of me to get used to that habit, I don't have the time for that right now, unfortunately. I know that may be a good way to solve this problem. In 2 months I will have time because my studies will be over.
    The time it took you to write this post is all the time you would need to track your calories.

    If you don't want to track, then don't. But it's the only way to know what you're doing.

    I've had people in my life tell me they just weren't going to track. They didn't lose weight. Oh well.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    You have time to do all the exercise you do, BUT not 5 or 10 mins to log!! :noway:

    It takes me 5 mins. to log all my food and I have been consistently losing!! (see ticker below :bigsmile: )

    Good luck losing weight!! :happy:

    Since your diary was open I took a look at the past couple of days. Most entries are prepackaged products, which may be easy to log. I cook the majority of my foods from scratch and it takes a lot more than 10 min a day to log.

    Also, some of the calorie counts for items on your log are much lower when compared to the USDA database (http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list). So, how do you know how much you are really eating?

    I prepare/cook my own foods, too. The first time I enter a recipe takes a bit longer, but after that you just have to click a box.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    You have time to do all the exercise you do, BUT not 5 or 10 mins to log!! :noway:

    It takes me 5 mins. to log all my food and I have been consistently losing!! (see ticker below :bigsmile: )

    Good luck losing weight!! :happy:

    Since your diary was open I took a look at the past couple of days. Most entries are prepackaged products, which may be easy to log. I cook the majority of my foods from scratch and it takes a lot more than 10 min a day to log.

    Also, some of the calorie counts for items on your log are much lower when compared to the USDA database (http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list). So, how do you know how much you are really eating?

    I prepare/cook my own foods, too. The first time I enter a recipe takes a bit longer, but after that you just have to click a box.

    If you cook recipes the same each time, that is true.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    You have time to do all the exercise you do, BUT not 5 or 10 mins to log!! :noway:

    It takes me 5 mins. to log all my food and I have been consistently losing!! (see ticker below :bigsmile: )

    Good luck losing weight!! :happy:

    Since your diary was open I took a look at the past couple of days. Most entries are prepackaged products, which may be easy to log. I cook the majority of my foods from scratch and it takes a lot more than 10 min a day to log.

    Also, some of the calorie counts for items on your log are much lower when compared to the USDA database (http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search/list). So, how do you know how much you are really eating?

    I prepare/cook my own foods, too. The first time I enter a recipe takes a bit longer, but after that you just have to click a box.

    If you cook recipes the same each time, that is true.
    Well, if time is an issue and weight loss is a goal, you do what you need to do.

    I figure out what tastes best and cook it the same way each time. Because it tastes good that way. Why wouldn't you?

    It doesn't have to be complicated and time-consuming unless you choose to make it so.

    And someone who doesn't have time to log calories (OP) probably isn't eating complex recipes he makes himself.