Eating much better and till ganing weight - HELP!?

My guess is you're eating far more calories than you think. You have quite a few entries on your diary which are a mixture of dishes under one entry (normally from restaurants) my guess is these for starters are inaccurate. Make sure you log weigh and measure everything accurately. It may seem Labour intensive to start with but it gets easier. Good luck

Firstly, good job on making the improvements you already have.

I looked through the past few weeks of food plus a few random ones over the past few months. My opinions.

1. I doubt that a big breakfast etc does much as far as metabolism goes. There have probably been studies about this but my opinion has always been that it doesn't matter when you get your calories at all. Now if a 500 calorie breakfast prevents you from having a 2000 calorie lunch, then that is still a good thing.

2. Your diary has lots of guessing. Wednesday you had indian buffet for lunch. I love a good indian buffet too, but who knows how many calories it was. Maybe around the 1050 you logged. Maybe more. Maybe LOTS more. Same goes for the previous night's dinner. A plate of pad thai (also delicious btw) and 3 crab rangoons. You might be in the ballpark but I think it has been shown that most people underestimate much more than they overestimate.

Having some meals like that is fine. Having one every day - the inaccuracies are going to add up in a hurry.

As far as general logging, a few short bits of advice
- Measure by weight, not volume. For last night's dinner, weigh the potatoes. Every time I stop doing this I always find that the serving by volume is more than the serving by weight should be.
- Be as specific as possible. Which specific bread did you have last night? It's probably in the database, and if not, you can always add it. Did you put anything on the toast or was it dry? Track that too!

3. I wouldn't ever DIScourage someone from seeking and following the advice of their doctor, and thyroid issues can really mess with you. Definitely talk to them if you feel like you want to. I know a lot of people on thyroid meds. Although my purely non-medical-professional opinion is that you're eating too many calories, caused in part by eating things that are impossible to accurately track.

Best of luck

A definite "no" on taking a scale to restaurants. It's not (as much) that you can't weigh the food, but there's no way to know what's going into it anyway. How much butter, oil, cream, really calorie-dense ingredients. It's not easy to judge the serving-size by eye, but even if you do it's still hard to guess anywhere close to what your intake actually is.

Good on you for following a meal plan while you're at home, and weighing/measuring etc.

I hear you on eating out with your fiancee. I know we did the same thing when my wife and I were dating.

How do you think you'd handle trying to eat out less? It looks like you have a large-ish meal out almost every day. I strongly doubt you are eating too little.

Regardless I a have gone from 4000-5000 calories a day (maybe more) to more like 2000-2500 -- that should result in weight loss. It's a calorie deficit - a big one.

I think what everyone here is saying is you probably actually are eating a lot more than 2000-2500 because you're eating out a lot and can't truly know how many calories you're eating. Eating out is convenient for sure, but not so much for tracking calories. Try to eat and make more meals at home, and limit eating out, unless it's a place like McDonald's where the portions you get are actually pretty close to the stated calories in their nutritional information.

Regardless I a have gone from 4000-5000 calories a day (maybe more) to more like 2000-2500 -- that should result in weight loss. It's a calorie deficit - a big one.

Maybe. You really don't know, if you're eating out that often. For instance, I had a burger with fries at Chili's one time. I figured it was probably about 700 Calories. I was amazed to find that it was 1500 Calories when I got home.

Also, if you were gaining on 4000 Calories per day, then your maintenance may be between 3000-3500. You might be eating that much now and not realizing it.

1. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

2. Weigh all solids. Measuring cups/spoons are not accurate:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVjWPclrWVY

3. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

4. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

How much weight over what time period?

Do you know what your TDEE is?

Instead of getting wrapped up in the quantity and the calories, I would try changing the type of food you eat.
Calories don’t equal calories, and in my opinion if you changed what you eat, just once a day you would have better results and feel fuller too.

You cant lose weight without significantly adding more fruit and veggies. ( not restaurant salads)
The fact that you are considering `starvation mode` only tells me that the food you eat doesn’t meet your nutritional needs which is why you feel hungry sometimes ( I am just guessing ) Actually it happens all the time that we think its because we have expanded our stomach etc, but it’s because your brain is starving for more nutrition not quantity of food.
I made a mistake before that I did not listen to the advice people gave me because `they didn’t know my body` and what they said was simple but not easy.

Trust the process. You can eat the same or less but eat quality food. Just once a day try and switch out your meal to something that has more veggies or is healthier. I see you like pasta dishes, they sell rice noodles in ready to eat at Walmart, i use that with sesame chicken homemade or frozen. NOT the best dish, but better then spaghetti. In subway they have the roasted chicken sandwich instead of the subs. Instead of chips eat a bag of apples.

They even have a book that’s called EAT THIS not THAT. It compares big restaurant chains food, so instead of their mozzarella sticks try their fried eggplant… This will help you make good choices even when you eat out.

Baby steps. I know you will get there.

Good luck!

.....

Instead of getting wrapped up in the quantity and the calories, I would try changing the type of food you eat.
Calories don’t equal calories, and in my opinion if you changed what you eat, just once a day you would have better results and feel fuller too.

You cant lose weight without significantly adding more fruit and veggies. ( not restaurant salads)
The fact that you are considering `starvation mode` only tells me that the food you eat doesn’t meet your nutritional needs which is why you feel hungry sometimes ( I am just guessing ) Actually it happens all the time that we think its because we have expanded our stomach etc, but it’s because your brain is starving for more nutrition not quantity of food.
I made a mistake before that I did not listen to the advice people gave me because `they didn’t know my body` and what they said was simple but not easy.

Trust the process. You can eat the same or less but eat quality food. Just once a day try and switch out your meal to something that has more veggies or is healthier. I see you like pasta dishes, they sell rice noodles in ready to eat at Walmart, i use that with sesame chicken homemade or frozen. NOT the best dish, but better then spaghetti. In subway they have the roasted chicken sandwich instead of the subs. Instead of chips eat a bag of apples.

They even have a book that’s called EAT THIS not THAT. It compares big restaurant chains food, so instead of their mozzarella sticks try their fried eggplant… This will help you make good choices even when you eat out.

Baby steps. I know you will get there.

Good luck!

I don't eat more fruit or veg than I used to. Your post is invalid.

Regardless I a have gone from 4000-5000 calories a day (maybe more) to more like 2000-2500 -- that should result in weight loss. It's a calorie deficit - a big one.

Calorie deficit isn't based on what you used to eat. It's based on how much your body is burning and, if you are gaining weight, your body isn't burning as much as you are eating. It is actually a very simple equation, basic mathematics. Think of it like a bank account but a negative balance is a good thing. You want to put in (eat) less than you take out (burn).

As other posts point out, your guestimating has been off. You are eating more than you are burning.

"Eat less. Move more."

ETA:
What do you drink? Any milk, creamer, soda, honey, juice?
Do you use mayo, ketchup, dressing?
Do you butter your bread or your baked potatoes, add Parmesan cheese to your spaghetti?
All of these are easy to "forget" and add up quickly.

I think that you and I are in the same boat or at least,the same kind of boat. I also used to eat massive amounts of food and was up to 335 before I started trying to lose. I'm down to 316 but, I did it by always keeping under my max. That's where a deficit comes from. I'm eating a lot less and that's important. What's really important is that I'm eating less that what I'm using.

As a previous poster noted, "Eat less, move more."

My last weigh in was 319, today it's 316. I ate about 10,000 calories less than would be required to maintain 319 over the course of a week, that's about 1428 per day less therefore, I dropped 3 lbs. If I had eaten 3K calories daily for the past week, there would be no loss. If I had 2K calories daily, I might have lost something but not as much as I would have wanted to in order to reach my goal. Keep in mind that every pound I lose represents a 3500 calorie deficit. Last year at this time I probably had one of those 4000 cal days you mentioned however, it is irrelevant to today. As my middle son is fond of saying, That was then, this is now."

Look at it another way: When I was in the Air Force, I wore a uniform. I don't wear one now and, what I wore then has no bearing on what I wear now. I know this is a silly example but is serves to illustrate the point that when it comes to weight loss, every day is new.

Get your net calories down to about 1600 and you'll see results.

Best to you, you can beat this!

If eating out is unavoidable due to job/fiance/willpower.. Make better choices. Steamed veg, grilled protein, nix the sauces, butters and oils (not because they are inherently bad but because you can't control the quantities when eating out). If you add carbs, go with baked potato or wild rice and be careful of the portions. For me, that is where it is so easy to go over. I love me some carbs, really. I could live on carbs with a bit of meat but that isn't conducive to losing weight. Now, I focus on protein and veg and carbs truly are the side they were meant to be. (Disclaimer: In My Opinion)

Instead of getting wrapped up in the quantity and the calories, I would try changing the type of food you eat.
Calories don’t equal calories, and in my opinion if you changed what you eat, just once a day you would have better results and feel fuller too.

You cant lose weight without significantly adding more fruit and veggies. ( not restaurant salads)
The fact that you are considering `starvation mode` only tells me that the food you eat doesn’t meet your nutritional needs which is why you feel hungry sometimes ( I am just guessing ) Actually it happens all the time that we think its because we have expanded our stomach etc, but it’s because your brain is starving for more nutrition not quantity of food.
I made a mistake before that I did not listen to the advice people gave me because `they didn’t know my body` and what they said was simple but not easy.

Trust the process. You can eat the same or less but eat quality food. Just once a day try and switch out your meal to something that has more veggies or is healthier. I see you like pasta dishes, they sell rice noodles in ready to eat at Walmart, i use that with sesame chicken homemade or frozen. NOT the best dish, but better then spaghetti. In subway they have the roasted chicken sandwich instead of the subs. Instead of chips eat a bag of apples.

They even have a book that’s called EAT THIS not THAT. It compares big restaurant chains food, so instead of their mozzarella sticks try their fried eggplant… This will help you make good choices even when you eat out.

Baby steps. I know you will get there.

Good luck!

I am guessing that the people that think my post is `invalid` or the calorie is a calorie didn’t think about the fact that actual `food` is a lot easier to count, and usually have less calories, and would help him feel full, and avoid underestimating.
You will not find the one and only answer here but you will find the answers that worked for individual people. I can only tell you that when I eat 2000 calories of junk, and I eat 2000 calories of food me and my scale can tell the difference.
He is not underestimating because he wants to. It’s because he may not know how much calorie is in restaurant food. Cleaner food will be easier to manage-your calculations will be a lot more accurate.

What I told you it's possible to be accurate without eating clean and that people do it everyday? And that the comparison of 2000 calories of junk vs 2000 calories of 'clean' food is a pretty stupid one? And finally that any difference you notice on the scale in that goofy scenario is probably a result of increased carbs, sodium, and things like that , NOT actual fat gain/loss.

I repeat. Your post. Invalid.