Review logs from 4-11-14 - getting heavier :-(

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GoDoAndBe
GoDoAndBe Posts: 20
in Health and Weight Loss
I am very depressed over my logs. I was 204 prior to starting logging again. I am pre-diabetic and trying to see what raises my sugar and what carbs I can eat in combo w/other foods w/i raising glucose levels too much. My insurance will not cover glucose issues until I am in the diabetic range - so that is one issue, but the other is I have actually GAINED weight since I started charting and went from sedentary to exercising. Though I have to admit I was hungry before I started exercising and eating some of those cals I doubt I am in starvation mode, and even if i was I have been eating my exercise cals for weeks so I should be down some. At 204 I have enough weight to lose that seems any muscle gain would be counter-acted by the cardio. Ugg, I thought I knew what to do; reduce calls, keep carbs low and only refined ones, cheat enough to keep going, and exercise....I am 49 y/o...but STILL! My logs are open and with plenty of notes - your help is appreciated!

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  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    I don't think your logs are accurate. Lots of meals missing, no cooking oils, and some odd entries. Example: 6 chicken wings for 129 calories? That's not possible. Chicken wings are at least 45-50 calories each, likely more as they typically include the skin. You may be using inaccurate entries in the database.

    Be careful of the database entries. Avoid homemade unless its a recipe that you entered. No way to know what all goes into someone else's homemade dish to now how yours compares. And if it seems too good to be true (such as the chicken wing example) do a little research on the matter.

    If you're not losing you're not eating at a deficit. Weigh everything you eat, use accurate information (or create your own listings) when logging. And log everything. Every meal, every snack, every day. Logging 1/2 the time or even 3/4 the time is not going to matter if you're voiding your deficit the rest of the time.

    Also be careful of your calorie burn estimates. I'm not sure what method you use for that, But I hear MFP tends to inflate the #s.
  • hellodmo
    hellodmo Posts: 23
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    How are you getting much of the nutrition information. I'm noticing that you're measuring lots of things in cups, and it also looks like recently you're simply skipping meals or not logging meals entirely.

    On April 14th, you listed bacon in teaspoons. Was this bacos or something? Bacon is usually not measured in teaspoons, and I'm not sure you can get an accurate calorie count from the "size" of the bacon.

    The next day, there is absolutely nothing on your log at all. If you didn't eat anything that day, you probably should have. If you did, you should have logged it.

    Wednesday you had 1/2 tbsp of creamer, but no coffee or tea? To be honest, I'm imagining someone in the kitchen pouring out a tiny bit of creamer into a 1/2 tbsp measuring tool and sipping it straight from there.

    On Friday, you didn't eat anything until dinner?

    For dinner on Saturday, you had a baked chicken thigh with skin that was listed as 153 calories. A quick search on Google suggests 414 calories.

    To be honest, it just doesn't look like you're logging everything you're eating, and when you do, it's not always accurate. In order for MFP to work, you have to honestly log every lick, taste and bite, and you have to log it honestly, and typically it's better to err on the side of more calories when logging something, than to err on the side of fewer.

    Try reading this post, which may help you understand how to log better:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

    It's alot of work and some hassle to start logging properly, but once you get good at it, you'll start seeing the weight fall off. I guarantee you you can do it, you just need to be brutally honest with yourself and log EVERYTHING.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    As a general rule, it's always better to add the individual ingredients when you're cooking rather than finding an entry in the database that "sounds" like what you're making. For example, you have a generic - sauteed chicken breast in olive oil (4oz) for 137 calories on one day. 4oz of chicken breast alone has around 120 calories, and a tablespoon of olive oil has another 120. I'm not picking on that one entry, but if you're not losing, you should first look at tightening up your logging and making sure that you're 100% accurate with it.

    Also, MFP does tend to overestimate exercise burns. For that reason, a lot of people only eat back 50-75% of their burned calories.
  • GoDoAndBe
    GoDoAndBe Posts: 20
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    TY - I will monitor the database items better for another week before I give up. I simply do not have time to enter every ingredient separately - I just stole 30 minutes of exercise from my work time.

    There was one day I forgot what I had eaten by the time my PC was working again so instead of guess I left it blank - 1 out of 30. The rest are indicative of what and how I ate. The bacon measured in tsp was crumbled. Coffee has no nutritional content so I don't enter it.
    I eat far less than I used to, went from sedentary to active, and not a lb lost - that doesn't seem like wrong tracking.

    Push mowing up and down hills for hours is very hard work.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    I simply do not have time to enter every ingredient separately

    We all have the same number of hours in the day.
  • GoDoAndBe
    GoDoAndBe Posts: 20
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    No, we do not. I am a single mom who suffers migraines while raising, advocating for, and running a 9y/o from appointment to sport, push-mowing an acre, doing necessary home repairs, and working around it all. I suspect few understand such requirements of one human being without the help or comfort of a partner, and those who do would never make a blanket comment such as yours.
  • bohonomad
    bohonomad Posts: 171 Member
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    A lot of meals are missing. A lot of times if I don't pre-plan out my day I eat something and forget to log it and that can really add up.

    Also, you might want to try eating different foods. It's about calories but if you;re not having any success and truly believe you are eating as many calories as it says you should try eating a little cleaner. It looks like you eat fast food at least once a day. Homemade food is the best way to know how many calories you're actually eating.
  • GoDoAndBe
    GoDoAndBe Posts: 20
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    Thank you for your input. From what I have heard here myfitnesspal is not very accurate in nutritional values or exercise calories burned. Given that and the attitudes of some being nitpicky and others plain rude, I have decided to print my account for future reference and move on to a better format.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
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    No, we do not. I am a single mom who suffers migraines while raising, advocating for, and running a 9y/o from appointment to sport, push-mowing an acre, doing necessary home repairs, and working around it all. I suspect few understand such requirements of one human being without the help or comfort of a partner, and those who do would never make a blanket comment such as yours.


    "I suspect" .....that many understand and go through the same life challenges as you do......and have great success with weight loss and other areas in life. So get off the pity party train. And stop making excuses and improve your attitude.

    If you're not losing...you're not in calorie deficit.
  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
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    Thank you for your input. From what I have heard here myfitnesspal is not very accurate in nutritional values or exercise calories burned. Given that and the attitudes of some being nitpicky and others plain rude, I have decided to print my account for future reference and move on to a better format.

    I wouldn't give up on fitness pal and nobody is being rude or nitpicky, just honest. That's what you posted on these boards for right?

    MFP isn't perfect but it's a great tool to use in your weight loss journey. In general, be careful with the entries in the database and do a little fact checking once in a while to make sure they are correct. We are creatures of habit so once you verify something in the database today more than likely you'll have it again and soon. Also understand it's impossible for the app to be perfect with all nuitrition because variables change constantly, one cook might use extra butter in his recipe compared to others or heck you might even get hooked up one day and have extra meat in your order.

    As for exercise don't rely completely on what fitness pal estimates as it's a generalization based on many factdors that may not be relevant to you. Try wearing a heart rate monitor when you exercise or use cardio equipment that lets you enter your weight and tracks your heart rate, go based on those numbers.

    Losing weight is a simple matter of Calories Consumed - calories burned. If you consume more calories than you burn then it will be stored as fat. There's no magic in weight loss, you are what you put into your body.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    There is no right or wrong, good or bad food. Some eat 'clean'. I don't by their standards, but I don't eat food off the floor either. :)

    Ultimately each person has to find what works for them. Some people believe so whole-heartedly in their 'method' they want to preach it to the masses. They don't mean any harm. That doesn't mean that you have to do it the same way. On the other hand, you might be able to benefit from a little lesson here & there. Kind of like when you were a new mom and everyone gave you advice: you had to decide which bits were good for you, and which ones were not.

    We are all busy, each in our own way. If you can't log (MFP or somewhere) instantly, perhaps pick up a small notebook & pen and keep that on you. Logging/journaling is very useful as long as you find a way to make it convenient for you. Mainly be careful of portion sizes and quantities, be certain you're eating at a deficit, and you should lose weight. As a rule perhaps aim to eat only 50-75% of 'exercise calories' to cover if they're inflated.

    If all else fails, get a medical checkup to make sure you're not dealing with any extra factors that could affect your weightloss.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
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    Too late, OP deactivated.
  • Athijade
    Athijade Posts: 3,247 Member
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    Too late, OP deactivated.

    Which is really sad because they were getting some dang good advice. However, maybe this post will help others realize how important it is to log correctly. That, and how it is up to each person to decide just how important it is for them to lose weight. If it is important enough, then you will find the time to log no matter WHAT you deal with in life.

    It is what it is. Just sad that the OP wasn't willing to listen to the advice of others instead of just closing their eyes to the truth.

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