doing it "right" getting nowhere

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Replies

  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    what it;s hard to see without looking at my recipes is that the "breakfast cookies" have apples, bananas, cranberries and i actually do eat tons of veggies. y'all are gonna hate this too, but we are Paleo otehr than oatmeal and occasional chipotle.

    Baked cookies, home fries, and ranch dressing are paleo staples, I understand.

    the cookies are paleo other than the oatmeal- they have no sugar other than the chocolate which i leave out. the sweet potato home fries came from a paleo cookbook. and the ranch dressing is Tessemae's made for paleo- dairy free olive oil based.

    I clearly have no idea wtf paleo means then. I thought it had something to do with how primitive man ate, before they started processing grains and baking things and refining fats and all that. I guess what it actually means is........... well I can't really tell, but it's apparently none of that.

    That's not what matters though. You have to log, and log accurately. If you're doing that, and it's not working, you will have to drop the calorie goal or significantly decrease your calorie burn estimates. Point is that you will get nowhere without logging. Go do that, then come back.
  • TeresaMarie46
    TeresaMarie46 Posts: 226 Member
    underestimating calorie intake and overestimating calorie burn with exercise is pretty common place. This is match, plain and simple...if you're maintaining weight then you are not at a calorie deficit. I started losing immediately when I went into a calorie deficit. Make sure you're weighing and measuring everything and you should allow for some estimation error with your HRM as well.

    Hello,

    I see this "calorie deficit" over and over again. But I don/t know how to tell if I am at a deficit.
    Please show or explain this to me. Thank you.
  • sk_pirate
    sk_pirate Posts: 282 Member
    i'm breastfeeding a toddler. not an infant. my supply is fine for the nursing that she is doing. i didnt ask you to judge


    I fail to see any judging, but ok...

    thanks to everyone who is being helpful and supportive. i've been trying to net the 1600 to start because on some days i jsut can't eat that much- Three THOUSAND calories?!

    i'm a gym rat and i feel like crap physically if i'm not working out a ton. i was working out 4h a day through my first trimester and 1-2 the rest of my pregnancy.

    move on from judging my lifestyle and answer the question please.


    OH MY GGGGG No one is judging you!! Only YOU are judging you!!!!
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    underestimating calorie intake and overestimating calorie burn with exercise is pretty common place. This is match, plain and simple...if you're maintaining weight then you are not at a calorie deficit. I started losing immediately when I went into a calorie deficit. Make sure you're weighing and measuring everything and you should allow for some estimation error with your HRM as well.

    Hello,

    I see this "calorie deficit" over and over again. But I don/t know how to tell if I am at a deficit.
    Please show or explain this to me. Thank you.

    If you are losing weight over time you are at a calorie deficit.

    I suggest you start a new thread with this question, rather than hijacking/getting lost in this one.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    As you know, it is pretty straightforward. Calories in < calories burned = weight loss. It seems obvious that right now, your numbers aren't working for you. Time to re-evaluate either how you are counting calories taken in, out or both.

    Good luck! :drinker:
  • SweetMae1
    SweetMae1 Posts: 53 Member
    ok. eat more, log faithfully. i get that. i'll do it and pray i don't drive myself crazy. i'm so sorry i offended all of you. i really didn't mean to. i'm new to message boards clearly and take things too personally. i guess i was looking to hear if what i was trying was on the right track and didn't expect quite the passion y'all have for making sure everything is done a certain way. i'm so so sorry.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
    ok. eat more, log faithfully. i get that. i'll do it and pray i don't drive myself crazy. i'm so sorry i offended all of you. i really didn't mean to. i'm new to message boards clearly and take things too personally. i guess i was looking to hear if what i was trying was on the right track and didn't expect quite the passion y'all have for making sure everything is done a certain way. i'm so so sorry.

    tumblr_mboooqE7RG1qzlt66_zps24be9f3e.gif
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    ok. eat more, log faithfully. i get that. i'll do it and pray i don't drive myself crazy. i'm so sorry i offended all of you. i really didn't mean to. i'm new to message boards clearly and take things too personally. i guess i was looking to hear if what i was trying was on the right track and didn't expect quite the passion y'all have for making sure everything is done a certain way. i'm so so sorry.

    I wouldn't say passionate. Just common sense.

    You are on a calorie counting website and the users are telling you to be consistent with the tool you are using because they aren't psychics or mind readers. They don't "just know" what you've really been eating and I'd say a large portion of people on this site that are here to lose or even gain weight don't get the food intake accurate through eyeballing...which is why they are using the calorie counting tool.
  • SweetMae1
    SweetMae1 Posts: 53 Member
    ok. eat more, log faithfully. i get that. i'll do it and pray i don't drive myself crazy. i'm so sorry i offended all of you. i really didn't mean to. i'm new to message boards clearly and take things too personally. i guess i was looking to hear if what i was trying was on the right track and didn't expect quite the passion y'all have for making sure everything is done a certain way. i'm so so sorry.

    tumblr_mboooqE7RG1qzlt66_zps24be9f3e.gif


    sorry. i'm jsut sitting here shaking and crying because i didn't expect all this, i really approached it all wrong and if i came off stubborn i'm sorry.
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
    ok. eat more, log faithfully. i get that. i'll do it and pray i don't drive myself crazy. i'm so sorry i offended all of you. i really didn't mean to. i'm new to message boards clearly and take things too personally. i guess i was looking to hear if what i was trying was on the right track and didn't expect quite the passion y'all have for making sure everything is done a certain way. i'm so so sorry.

    You'd just be surprised how often we hear "doing everything right, still not losing". We then question and look at diaries, and discover OP is not doing everything right, and try to explain this fact to them. They then argue about it. Often against people who really have been doing everything right and have lost 100, 200 or even 300+ pounds by doing so.

    It gets people's backs up very quickly, because there's generally a constant low level of annoyance with all the other posters to begin with. So don't take it personally.

    But do listen. Because some of the people in this thread are the most knowledgeable and helpful people you are likely to meet. And they can help you if you let them.
  • _HeartsOnFire_
    _HeartsOnFire_ Posts: 5,304 Member
    ok. eat more, log faithfully. i get that. i'll do it and pray i don't drive myself crazy. i'm so sorry i offended all of you. i really didn't mean to. i'm new to message boards clearly and take things too personally. i guess i was looking to hear if what i was trying was on the right track and didn't expect quite the passion y'all have for making sure everything is done a certain way. i'm so so sorry.

    My tips for surviving the message boards.
    1) Read everything with an open mind.
    2) Realize no one is judging you, except yourself.
    3) Don't take anything personally, everyone is just trying to help.
    4) Advice can vary and will only be as good as the info that is given. This is why you have to give as much truthful info as possible.
    5) If you start getting upset by something you read, see #1, #2 and #3. Rinse and repeat.
  • SweetMae1
    SweetMae1 Posts: 53 Member
    ok. eat more, log faithfully. i get that. i'll do it and pray i don't drive myself crazy. i'm so sorry i offended all of you. i really didn't mean to. i'm new to message boards clearly and take things too personally. i guess i was looking to hear if what i was trying was on the right track and didn't expect quite the passion y'all have for making sure everything is done a certain way. i'm so so sorry.

    I wouldn't say passionate. Just common sense.

    You are on a calorie counting website and the users are telling you to be consistent with the tool you are using because they aren't psychics or mind readers. They don't "just know" what you've really been eating and I'd say a large portion of people on this site that are here to lose or even gain weight don't get the food intake accurate through eyeballing...which is why they are using the calorie counting tool.

    yeah i get that but i never asked you guys to question or evaluate what i'm eating only if the theory i am trying to follow is correct. i'm not accountable to prove myself to you before asking a question am i?
  • SweetMae1
    SweetMae1 Posts: 53 Member
    ok. eat more, log faithfully. i get that. i'll do it and pray i don't drive myself crazy. i'm so sorry i offended all of you. i really didn't mean to. i'm new to message boards clearly and take things too personally. i guess i was looking to hear if what i was trying was on the right track and didn't expect quite the passion y'all have for making sure everything is done a certain way. i'm so so sorry.

    You'd just be surprised how often we hear "doing everything right, still not losing". We then question and look at diaries, and discover OP is not doing everything right, and try to explain this fact to them. They then argue about it. Often against people who really have been doing everything right and have lost 100, 200 or even 300+ pounds by doing so.

    It gets people's backs up very quickly, because there's generally a constant low level of annoyance with all the other posters to begin with. So don't take it personally.

    But do listen. Because some of the people in this thread are the most knowledgeable and helpful people you are likely to meet. And they can help you if you let them.


    and that's why i came here- because i am so brokenhearted and depressed at how hard i work and how careful i've been and hoe stuck i am. i thought someone could encourage me to not lose hope because i'm just at the end of my rope.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    yeah i get that but i never asked you guys to question or evaluate what i'm eating only if the theory i am trying to follow is correct. i'm not accountable to prove myself to you before asking a question am i?

    Wut.

    Let me quote things you said, in the OP:

    "I need advice"
    "After 6 weeks, I've lost NOTHING!"
    "Any Thoughts?"
    "how long before the calorie thing should work?"


    The answers to these questions, in order:

    "Log consistently over time, otherwise you don't know how many calories you're eating."
    "It hasn't been six weeks. It's barely been one week."
    "Yes, my thought is that you haven't been logging long enough to draw any conclusions about whether it's working."
    "More than 10 days."
  • bonjour24
    bonjour24 Posts: 1,119 Member
    have you taken a spin class at a sustained 160-180bpm? done the JMBR workouts at 150-175 bpm sustained? as a 180 pound woman? i'm fairly confident in my burns. i will give the logging more time, because i do want to see if eating more helps.
    [/quote]

    I just wanted to add here that i'm 180lbs too. I'm not breastfeeding, nor do i have PCOS. BUT I am a marathoner. And i can tell you that when I started running (at 230lbs) I burned way more calories then than I do now. I also used to wear a Polar FT7, and I used it as a rough guide, not accurate factual data. I suggest you take off the HRM for a while, or reduce the burn shown. Also, just do not believe the MFP or other calculators guides- they are (for many of us) grossly overestimating. I gave up on my HRM, and usually roughly half an MFP number (or give myself 2/3rds if i've really given a good workout, and i'm feeling kind to myself).

    As for diet, what the others said. Measure, monitor and BE ACCURATE. I don't do that- i guesstimate all the time. And i've stayed at this weight for over a year. For me, I'm ok with that because being thin doesn't concern me. I'm happy, I eat healthily and intuitively, and I'm in a good space. And I also burn over 4000 cals a week (8000 when in proper training).

    Lifting HEAVY weights will be helpful in terms of body composition. Not the 2lb dumbells you use doing JM (i too started there). I moved over to New Rules of Lifting For Women- after a month I was squatting 120kgs, using 16lb dumbells, and the gains i made with my physical health were great. I did still weigh pretty much the same though.

    You cannot out exercise a bad diet, and if you don't log properly you never really know how much you're consuming.

    I know i'm just repeating what everyone else has said, but i reckon that if you cannot log without becoming OCD and triggering yourself, then maybe don't do it. But then be happy with what you have and how you are right now, because that may not change for a looooong time.

    good luck
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    ok. eat more, log faithfully. i get that. i'll do it and pray i don't drive myself crazy. i'm so sorry i offended all of you. i really didn't mean to. i'm new to message boards clearly and take things too personally. i guess i was looking to hear if what i was trying was on the right track and didn't expect quite the passion y'all have for making sure everything is done a certain way. i'm so so sorry.

    You'd just be surprised how often we hear "doing everything right, still not losing". We then question and look at diaries, and discover OP is not doing everything right, and try to explain this fact to them. They then argue about it. Often against people who really have been doing everything right and have lost 100, 200 or even 300+ pounds by doing so.

    It gets people's backs up very quickly, because there's generally a constant low level of annoyance with all the other posters to begin with. So don't take it personally.

    But do listen. Because some of the people in this thread are the most knowledgeable and helpful people you are likely to meet. And they can help you if you let them.


    and that's why i came here- because i am so brokenhearted and depressed at how hard i work and how careful i've been and hoe stuck i am. i thought someone could encourage me to not lose hope because i'm just at the end of my rope.

    You're not at the end of your rope. You're barely at the beginning. Start doing the things that will actually make MFP work for you and I think you'll find some hope pretty quickly.
  • SweetMae1
    SweetMae1 Posts: 53 Member
    What the heck is a breakfast cookie, anyway?

    Also, looking through your diary, you are clearly not weighing your food. I see an entry like "3 thigh fillets." Those things vary in weights - and therefore calories - significantly. You really, really, really, really need to spend $20 and get yourself a food scale.

    And what is "meatloaf"? 2 servings of just "meatloaf"? Exactly two servings? Where did this "meatloaf" entry come from? Is this something you just found in the database? Same with "home fries," exactly 1 "serving." This is not accurate logging, not by a long shot. It's rough guesstimating. You have to log accurately.


    i do want to thank you for your help. i'm sorry i frustrated you and made you feel lied to. i really am.
  • Ang108
    Ang108 Posts: 1,711 Member
    what it;s hard to see without looking at my recipes is that the "breakfast cookies" have apples, bananas, cranberries and i actually do eat tons of veggies. y'all are gonna hate this too, but we are Paleo otehr than oatmeal and occasional chipotle.

    But if you eat what you say, why don't you log it ?
    Most of the time I don't find what I eat as a meal or dish in the data base, so I weigh things and log item by item. For a salad for example: 6 leaves of a certain lettuce 28 calories, 1 tomato 62 grs as 26 calories, 150grs of cucumber whatever the calories are, 1 slice of Sargento Gouda 78 calories, 100gr chicken breast 118 calories etc.
    That is most of the time the only way I get accurate measurements which in my case have lead to weight loss.......and I only burn about 230 calories a day on exercise. If you want to lose weight your have to pay attention to your diet and eat at a deficit.....no amount of normal exercise will compensate t if you don't eat at a deficit .
  • stumblinthrulife
    stumblinthrulife Posts: 2,558 Member
    ok. eat more, log faithfully. i get that. i'll do it and pray i don't drive myself crazy. i'm so sorry i offended all of you. i really didn't mean to. i'm new to message boards clearly and take things too personally. i guess i was looking to hear if what i was trying was on the right track and didn't expect quite the passion y'all have for making sure everything is done a certain way. i'm so so sorry.

    I wouldn't say passionate. Just common sense.

    You are on a calorie counting website and the users are telling you to be consistent with the tool you are using because they aren't psychics or mind readers. They don't "just know" what you've really been eating and I'd say a large portion of people on this site that are here to lose or even gain weight don't get the food intake accurate through eyeballing...which is why they are using the calorie counting tool.

    yeah i get that but i never asked you guys to question or evaluate what i'm eating only if the theory i am trying to follow is correct. i'm not accountable to prove myself to you before asking a question am i?

    The problem is that with 9 out of 10 people on MFP who say "I'm doing it right", their diary doesn't bear this out.

    If you aren't losing weight in accordance with predictions, chances are good that you aren't "doing it right". We are trying to help you find where adjustments can be made to get the results you want. That's what you want, right?

    If we just trusted you when you said "I'm doing everything right", then we'd have no suggestions to make. So unless you only came here to hear "You are right, you are doing everything right, you are a special butterfly to whom the laws of thermodynamics do not apply", then I'm not sure what you want.
  • SweetMae1
    SweetMae1 Posts: 53 Member
    ok. eat more, log faithfully. i get that. i'll do it and pray i don't drive myself crazy. i'm so sorry i offended all of you. i really didn't mean to. i'm new to message boards clearly and take things too personally. i guess i was looking to hear if what i was trying was on the right track and didn't expect quite the passion y'all have for making sure everything is done a certain way. i'm so so sorry.

    You'd just be surprised how often we hear "doing everything right, still not losing". We then question and look at diaries, and discover OP is not doing everything right, and try to explain this fact to them. They then argue about it. Often against people who really have been doing everything right and have lost 100, 200 or even 300+ pounds by doing so.

    It gets people's backs up very quickly, because there's generally a constant low level of annoyance with all the other posters to begin with. So don't take it personally.

    But do listen. Because some of the people in this thread are the most knowledgeable and helpful people you are likely to meet. And they can help you if you let them.


    and that's why i came here- because i am so brokenhearted and depressed at how hard i work and how careful i've been and hoe stuck i am. i thought someone could encourage me to not lose hope because i'm just at the end of my rope.

    You're not at the end of your rope. You're barely at the beginning. Start doing the things that will actually make MFP work for you and I think you'll find some hope pretty quickly.

    yeah but MFP is not a first resort. i've been counting calories and working out like a beast for 6 months. so it feels pretty dang depressing.

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