I don't think I am eating enough??

Hello again everyone. Ok here is my issue I have been tracking for a month now. I been at 1600 calories and working out 3xs a week with only 2 pound weight loss. I think that my efforts I have been putting in should have seen more pounds off! Do I need to increase? If I decrease I will be too hungry! Im a bit discouraged. :noway:

Replies

  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    What are your stats? And do you only workout 3 days a week? Also, do you weigh your foods? And how long have you been at this weight?
  • msjackie30
    msjackie30 Posts: 38 Member
    Sorry I meant to say im working out 3xs a day!!! I been at this weight for three weeks. My waist is 30 and hips is 43. I just started weighing my food this week because I bought a scale but before that I was eating the same food size compared to how the scale weighs it.
  • Kr1ptonite
    Kr1ptonite Posts: 789 Member
    When you workout what type of exercises do you do, and how hard do you push it on those 3 days. ?
  • msjackie30
    msjackie30 Posts: 38 Member
    Im.in the Army so I run 3xs a week. At lunch I work out with the guys and its mostly a crossfit/circuit type training and in the evening I do my own weight lifting routine 3-4xs a week with usually a HIIT session after the lifting days. I would say I push myself yes. Oh I stand at 5'4. My diary is open for advice. Do I need to increase food intake??
  • candiceh3
    candiceh3 Posts: 379 Member
    How much do you weigh?

    Isn't it likely you don't have any weight to lose?
  • Kr1ptonite
    Kr1ptonite Posts: 789 Member
    Why don't you just increase for the week and just keep a eye on it over the days. Im big on trial and error. Finding what works for me as everybody is different.
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    Diary looks sporadic. Need complete entries, every day.
  • msjackie30
    msjackie30 Posts: 38 Member
    I weigh 168! Sporadic? Ive completed everyday since I started tracking a month ago, maybe missed one to two days max if anything.
  • leooftheyear
    leooftheyear Posts: 429 Member
    Diary looks sporadic. Need complete entries, every day.

    ^^ this... Also it looks like you might not be eating enough most days, if you've tracked everything except one meal and still have 1,000 calories left
  • jwdieter
    jwdieter Posts: 2,582 Member
    I weigh 168! Sporadic? Ive completed everyday since I started tracking a month ago, maybe missed one to two days max if anything.

    6 of the last 7 days included entries under 1000 calories. Your OP says you're eating 1600. You say you're exercising 3x/day. Either the entries are off, or you're headed for a physical breakdown.
  • msjackie30
    msjackie30 Posts: 38 Member
    Diary looks sporadic. Need complete entries, every day.

    ^^ this... Also it looks like you might not be eating enough most days, if you've tracked everything except one meal and still have 1,000 calories left
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    I complete my entries so im confused but ok. Also I don't eat back calories so the app says im under my calorie goal.
  • LiminalAscendance
    LiminalAscendance Posts: 489 Member
    It appears that you want someone to agree that you need to eat more, in order to lose weight.

    Short answer is: you don't.
  • gigglesinthesun
    gigglesinthesun Posts: 860 Member
    if you are in the army, are you cooking for yourself? If yes, are you weighing everything, measuring only the liquids? Do you log everything i.e. supplements, condiments, vegetables? For things like sandwiches do you log everything separately (either in the recipe maker or the day)? Do you double check each entry i.e. in the database is a 2 slices of toast with butter and jam for 100 cal. and I have yet got to find bread or butter or jam to match that entry.

    just some thoughts :-)
  • You're not eating enough - MFP is designed so you eat back your exercise calories - your body is holding onto weight because you aren't fueling it. I'm not saying eat more, I'm saying cut back on the exercise a bit maybe, 3 times a day is headed for a disaster...
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
    Your diary looks very incomplete. You say you're eating 1600 calories, but there are all kinds of days in there in the 600 calorie range and missing meals. The one day that does look complete shows 1900 calories.

    IMO, the first step is to get your food logging in order.
  • Doni1972
    Doni1972 Posts: 3 Member
    Hello Msjackie30, It seems as though you are tracking your foods but I looked at several days of your food diary & there doesn't appear to be any water tracking. Water is a very important part of weightloss...how are you doing in the water department?
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
    Your diary looks very incomplete. You say you're eating 1600 calories, but there are all kinds of days in there in the 600 calorie range and missing meals. The one day that does look complete shows 1900 calories.

    IMO, the first step is to get your food logging in order.

    Agreed.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    If you're not losing weight, your problem is definitely not that you're not eating enough. One of the ways you can tell you're not eating enough is that you're losing weight more rapidly than expected. If you're not losing weight, you're eating more calories than you think you are.
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Also I don't eat back calories so the app says im under my calorie goal.
    You should start. your daily goal already has you at a calorie deficit before exercise - not eating back the cals burned through 3-a-day workouts is creating too large a deficit, and is going to backfire on you before long.

    I'll agree with the others to start logging everything as accurately as possible. Yay for the purchase of a food scale - those things are awesome - I use mine ALL the time. Accurate logging of food and exercise is key. So is proper fueling of your body - if you're going to push it through all those workouts, you need to feed it. Over-training and under-eating can lead to slowed metabolism, loss of lean muscle, stalled progress, exhaustion, burn out, grumpiness, etc.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    Im.in the Army so I run 3xs a week. At lunch I work out with the guys and its mostly a crossfit/circuit type training and in the evening I do my own weight lifting routine 3-4xs a week with usually a HIIT session after the lifting days. I would say I push myself yes. Oh I stand at 5'4. My diary is open for advice. Do I need to increase food intake??

    So you run 3x a week, and then on top of that, you circuit train and weight train? And then there are several days at 600 calories while your goal (which already includes a deficit) is 1600? Yes, you should eat more. At least eat your goal. But if you really are working out as much as I think you are, even 1600 might not be enough.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    Im.in the Army so I run 3xs a week. At lunch I work out with the guys and its mostly a crossfit/circuit type training and in the evening I do my own weight lifting routine 3-4xs a week with usually a HIIT session after the lifting days. I would say I push myself yes. Oh I stand at 5'4. My diary is open for advice. Do I need to increase food intake??

    So you run 3x a week, and then on top of that, you circuit train and weight train? And then there are several days at 600 calories while your goal (which already includes a deficit) is 1600? Yes, you should eat more. At least eat your goal. But if you really are working out as much as I think you are, even 1600 might not be enough.

    Yeah, except that if the OP actually WAS creating this very dramatic calorie deficit, she would be losing weight. She's not losing weight. So her math is off somewhere. Thermodynamics won't let her maintain her current weight like this. She needs to get the math right for real, that means ACCURATE calorie tracking.