HELP, Please! :) Open Diary, Need Help

Ashley12162013
Ashley12162013 Posts: 5 Member
in Getting Started
Good Afternoon! I have an open food diary and need some help. On days I work out, which is 3 days a week I am burning about 596 calories. On these days I am supposed to eat about 1750 cals per MFP. Most of the time I don't. Could this be why am not seeing results in my weight loss. Am I not eating the right thing? Starting to get discouraged...I have given myself a goal...6 months to lose at least 30 more lbs..am I being unrealistic? Thank you in advance!

Replies

  • kristixo
    kristixo Posts: 38 Member
    Hi :) I can't see your diary... Is it only open to friends?
    Are you weighing everything you eat? Estimating or measuring isn't usually accurate enough. A food scale is pretty inexpensive and takes all the guess work out. You may be way underestimating your calories OR overestimating and not eating enough. Good luck!
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    Your diary does not appear to be open.

    Settings > Diary Settings > Public and Save Changes

    First question: how are you determining calorie burn when you exercise? Are you using MFP/gym machine estimates? They tend to overestimate certain exercises.

    Second question: how are you measuring your portion sizes? Are you using a food scale, measuring cups, or eyeballing portions? A food scale is the most accurate way to determine that you're eating as many calories as you think you are. With measuring cups and eyeballing there's a certain degree of inaccuracy and that can add up. For some people it's enough to wipe out the deficit they thought they had.
  • richfaber
    richfaber Posts: 31 Member
    Hi Ashley1216201!

    Weight alone can be misleading / discouraging. If you are adding muscle while you lose fat it can look like nothing is happening even for months. Take your measurements and keep track of them.

    It is important that you eat all the calories you should. Your body could think its starving and do its best to conserve its weight.

    Think long term, I have lost 25 pounds but I have been at it for a couple of years. You may have put the weight on over years and it might take that to get it off and keep it off.

    Keep plugging you will get there!

    Rich
  • Ashley12162013
    Ashley12162013 Posts: 5 Member
    Just opened it!! Regarding my portions, I am just eyeballing. Guess I should get a food scale.

    I do a boot camp three times a week, since there isn't anything called that, I put it as 50 minutes of walking at a slow pace. Its definitely not slow paced but wasn't sure how to figure it out. I am going to buy a FitBit to determine exactly what I am burning.
  • OnMyWeigh
    OnMyWeigh Posts: 252 Member
    I browsed through your diary. Ashley honey, where are your fruits and vegetables? I saw a few salads and some vegetables in your fajitas, that's good, try each day to add more. I agree with the previous posts that a scale will help immensly. I weigh my meat portions and measure most everything else. It was a major eye opener when I started measuring. I was eating almost twice what I thought I was when I was eyeballing it. Good luck to you and feel free to add me as a friend and check out my diary. We can do this together!!
  • MityMax96
    MityMax96 Posts: 5,778 Member
    Just opened it!! Regarding my portions, I am just eyeballing. Guess I should get a food scale.

    I do a boot camp three times a week, since there isn't anything called that, I put it as 50 minutes of walking at a slow pace. Its definitely not slow paced but wasn't sure how to figure it out. I am going to buy a FitBit to determine exactly what I am burning.

    Yes.
    Get a food scale
    That will be your new best friend.
  • shicken684
    shicken684 Posts: 36
    Certainly need a food scale, and even with a heart monitor it's hard to calculate calories burnt. I had the same issue as you last year and I didn't start losing again until I stopped counting exercise calories. Of course this is not the best advice if you are going absolutely bonkers in the cardio department. Try adding only half of what you think you burnt. That will be a good start. If you start feeling woozy, get headaches or feel dizzy after a few days then you need to bump up your calorie intact.
  • missbirrell
    missbirrell Posts: 133
    You won't lose weight unless you know EXACTLY what is going into your body - weigh and measure everything.
  • BectheLion
    BectheLion Posts: 10 Member
    Hey Ashley. You may be burning more than you think. Try using circuit training or even weigh lifting to log your workout, depending on what your bootcamp tends to use for weights. If its lighter hand weights, I'd use the circuit training. If it's 35 lb curl bars, I'd use weight lifting. I personally like not eating back all of my calories burned, but be careful about inadvertently starving yourself.

    Also, plenty of sleep and lots of water made a huge difference for me. If I did the same exact thing for two separate two week time frames, I would always see better results when I had enough rest and was well hydrated.

    Good luck girl. :)
  • acarmelo1
    acarmelo1 Posts: 76 Member
    We also need pics
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
    Hi Ashley1216201!

    Weight alone can be misleading / discouraging. If you are adding muscle while you lose fat it can look like nothing is happening even for months. Take your measurements and keep track of them.

    It is important that you eat all the calories you should. Your body could think its starving and do its best to conserve its weight.

    Think long term, I have lost 25 pounds but I have been at it for a couple of years. You may have put the weight on over years and it might take that to get it off and keep it off.

    Keep plugging you will get there!

    Rich
    #no
  • graysmom2005
    graysmom2005 Posts: 1,882 Member
    You won't lose weight unless you know EXACTLY what is going into your body - weigh and measure everything.
    #yep
  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
    well a friend of mine (and very savvy MFP user) just posted this - might be worth a read if you need to straiten up your logging

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

    ~best wishes
  • mildammm
    mildammm Posts: 67 Member
    FOOD SCALE FOOD SCALE FOOD SCALE.

    One person's generic garden salad is not equal to another person's. Know what goes into your mouth. 2 pieces of buttered toast are not 55kcal. There's a lot of entries on myfitnesspal that are just plain wrong, so you have to use common sense here. Look at the bread packaging, it will tell you how much it actually is.

    While you will lose weight just by that strategy, you should really look to cook at home more. When you actually see how little food a portion of something is, you will realize where to cut the calories - that sugary drinks are just too many wasted calories - and want to eat more food. Best way that I've found - just put some chicken in the oven, and get some veggies.
  • Pirate_chick
    Pirate_chick Posts: 1,216 Member
    You won't lose weight unless you know EXACTLY what is going into your body - weigh and measure everything.
    #yep

    Yep, Yep

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