Really not sure what's going on...

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bandlfox
bandlfox Posts: 33
in Food and Nutrition
So, I am going on almost 100 days tracking and it's been a crazy streak, learned a lot, lots to go. MFP put my calories at 1200 a day to meet my goal. I did great at first, 2nd month not bad either, but this last little bit has been rough. I'm still losing at like .5 to 1 pound a week but I was really liking the 2 - 2.5 a week so I need to get back to that or this is going to take me until I'm 60 to reach goal. I have started working out fairly regularly, I basically track 100 calories per hour of whatever I do because I figure that's pretty close to half of what I burn? I know there is a ton of arguments for and against eating back all the exercise calories so I'm doing a "meet in the middle" approach! Also, I have decided long term, I am going to be a drinker on the weekends at least so there is no point in completely cutting it out now. I have to live like this forever after all! I was just thinking maybe the combinations of foods I'm eating could use a little tweaking? I have been tracking everything, even the very embarrassing days :) Just trying to be honest with myself! But there are days I literally have to work out on the way home from work just to be able to eat a reasonable amount of calories for dinner and I know that can't be right.

Replies

  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
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    2 - 2.5 pounds a week is pretty tough to keep up. Sometimes increasing your calories by 100 or 125 can help reignite the furnace and get you losing more. You are doing great. I don't worry about when I exercise to net my calories. I have a class that is pretty late so will be over calories before class but right on target after.
  • Awesomers
    Awesomers Posts: 144 Member
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    I am pretty good about not going over my calories and I exercise 5-6 days a week, but I have consistently lost about 1 pound a week. I have been at this for 33 weeks and have lost 34 lb. I get frustrated sometimes, but it's better than nothing at all. From an objective standpoint, I might lose more IF I was more cautious about the food that I choose to eat. Considering that I generally am free to eat what I want, I can't complain about 1 pound a week. I am just enjoying the ride and that's worth more to me than numbers on a scale.
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    1200 is probalby not enough to start with..

    Go here: sccobyworkshop.com and click on calculator
    get your TDEE and BMR and eat between the two.

    (BMR is the lowest amount you should eat, you should eat back exercise calorie, TDEE is the highest number you should eat, you eat 20% less and do not eat back exercise calories)

    honestly 1/2lb to 1lb per week is good healthy steady weight loss.

    If you want to eat more. then incorporate more fruits, veggies and homemade meals and less pre made ready to go foods, fast foods, etc..

    I'm also not a fan of soda in a healthy diet.
  • 1princesswarrior
    1princesswarrior Posts: 1,242 Member
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    I looked through your diary and I think the first thing you need to do is really tighten up on weighing your food, all of your food. And accurately logging your exercise. A digital food scale and a heart rate monitor with a chest strap are probably the two best investments you can make to be successful in my opinion.

    Are you not logging all of your exercise? Because you've been over everyday for the past 5 days. This could be underestimating intake and overestimating exercise.

    Read the following links:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    You're not logging accurately, that's your problem. Your goal might be 1200 but you might be eating 1100... or 1500... there's no way to tell.

    Buy a food scale and weigh your food. Use your own entries (2.8 large egg scrambled for 283 calories... how in the world do you get that number? 1 pat of butter... how much is that? etc).
  • bandlfox
    bandlfox Posts: 33
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    I try to be accurate in my food tracking but sometimes I do have to go with similar foods and adjust the serving size to get close to the calorie count what I am actually eating. Definatly a good thought, I have a food scale but its a cheapo little one with the bucket on the top so I can't measure everything easily... so I have to guess sometimes. Probably time to upgrade!

    And on my exercise, I track anything I do in the gym and only 100 calories. I dont trust those machines to tell me what I really burn. 350 calories on an eliptical for 30 minutes or 650 for a spin class seems WAY too high.
  • bandlfox
    bandlfox Posts: 33
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    The 2.8 on eggs is a good example. I buy an egg brand that says 60 calories per egg but the one on the tracker says like 70 or 80 per egg so I just get sort of close between the two. I've got to get better about that obviously.
  • bandlfox
    bandlfox Posts: 33
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    whoops double post
  • segovm
    segovm Posts: 512 Member
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    The other thing to keep in mind is that exercise is not a static thing. You don't lose weight by going to the gym and walking / running comfortably on a treadmill. For the weight loss to be constant the exercise needs to constantly demanding.

    I just mention this because a lot of folks work to get to say 30 minutes on the stationary bike at 15 miles an hour and then just stop there repeating as often as they go to the gym until doing it is a breeze. In order for it to really be as effective as when you started you need to be pushing yourself as hard as you did when you started if that makes sense.

    I'm sure you already know this, I just see so many folks at the gym do the same easy thing and I suspect some of them imagine they are "working out" while they do it.
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
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    i went to walmart and got a 10 dollar digital scale and it works great. you don't need anything fancy.

    What you do need to do is remember the weight loss is 90% diet and 10% exercise. Losing weight successfully happens in the kitchen not in the gym.

    You very well could be burning 650 calories during spin class. Esp if you are pushing it. The less "in shape" you are the more calories you are likely to burn. Generally speaking of course.

    And going to the gym and doing something is still exercise. Even if it is easy. Some people don't work out at all, they just walk everyday and they lose weight just fine. However if you are looking to "earn" calories for dinner or increase your strength, you will not do so well with those goals. So what you do with the gym and what your "working out" consists of, depends entirely on your specific goals.

    Example. when i started i just wanted to be able to walk up stairs and not be winded. So walking/cardio was enough.. now I want to build strength so I've switch to a more weights focused routine. (which I am still working on)
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    The 2.8 on eggs is a good example. I buy an egg brand that says 60 calories per egg but the one on the tracker says like 70 or 80 per egg so I just get sort of close between the two. I've got to get better about that obviously.

    I see what you mean, but even then, it would be 196 calories for 2.8 eggs at 70 calories (typically a large egg is 74 calories or something). So that entry adds some random calories for butter or oil you might not even be using.

    Digital scales are relatively cheap and very easy to use, and you don't have to worry about whether your diary is accurate or not - it's pretty awesome. Just make sure to get one with a tare function and that gives grams too.

    For your exercise, if you have no idea how many calories you are burning, I'd use http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ with a 15% or 20% deficit to find your goal - that way exercise is included and it's much easier (it's what I do).
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    The 2.8 on eggs is a good example. I buy an egg brand that says 60 calories per egg but the one on the tracker says like 70 or 80 per egg so I just get sort of close between the two. I've got to get better about that obviously.

    Learning the tricks to logging takes a bit, but then it will become easy. You can put in the information about the brand or scan it yourself, and that often works. Also, I think people focus too much on differences between brands in food that is going to be essentially the same anyway (like eggs or chicken breasts). If the eggs are supposed to be 60 rather than 75 or whatever, they may be medium eggs instead of large ones. The best bet, especially if you are doing scrambled or an omelet, is to use a bowl and weigh them and then use the MFP input entry (better than the ones with asterisks, which are put in by users and sometimes contain errors, you have to double check them) to see how many grams they are. Once you know, if they seem about the same, no need to do that every time.

    Not a huge point, but one of those little things you will learn, and why it might be good to get a scale with the extra features and not the basket (still about $20-25).

    How much is MFP predicting you will lose per week?
  • bandlfox
    bandlfox Posts: 33
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    MFP is predicting I will lose 2 pounds a week if I stay at 1200 calories a day. But I have a REALLY hard time sticking to 1200 a day, and it does allow me to add the exercise calories which give more calories to eat.... but I'm scared to do that according to the calorie counter on the treadmill or bike or elliptical or whatever I use that day :(

    I'm glad I posted this though, it woke me back up! Everyone is saying pretty much the same thing, get better at tracking both exercise and food! So I'm going to order a scale and HR monitor right now. Also on my workouts, I do try to push myself a little more each time, some days are better than others! But I used to, a hundred years ago, teach reebok step (for those of you that remember when it was the most new fabulous thing on the planet) and I understand the importance of continuing to increase intensity.
  • RllyGudTweetr
    RllyGudTweetr Posts: 2,019 Member
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    MFP spits out 1200 calories if you're female, tell it you're sedentary, and ask it to let you lose 2lb a week. At that setting, it expects you to eat back exercise calories to avoid damage from eating too far below your TDEE (which isn't 1200 calories; your BMR is quite possibly higher, come to that).

    Weight loss is not a race. You'll get there.
  • tdawnl
    tdawnl Posts: 1
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    Is there a way to change MFP's settings? It's currently got my daily food goals at 1200 calories with 50% carbs, 30% fat, and 20% protein. I always seem to do better losing weight with a higher protein diet.

    UPDATED: Never mind....I figured it out. :smile:

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