"Open your diary!"

FlowerFairy493
FlowerFairy493 Posts: 182
in Health and Weight Loss
Okay. So I've seen this a lot here and am wondering why? When you count calories, you can eat whatever you want right? As long as you stay in your number?

But then someone says they are not losing weight and everyone else says : "Open your diary! So we can see WHAT YOU ARE EATING" And on other threads that talk about restricting food groups they say "eat everything in moderation."

I don't get it? I'm sorry if it's a silly question... :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • michikade
    michikade Posts: 313 Member
    If I ask it's to see if items are measured in oz or grams or if they're in "servings", or "1 medium" or "one slice" etc. it's an accuracy thing if I were to ask.

    I've also seen things like way high sodium levels (and wondered in thread if there is water retention) or under eating / not eating back exercise (so net was well below 1200 cals) and recommended those changes.
  • JoanaMHill
    JoanaMHill Posts: 265 Member
    It's not necessarily what someone is eating that people are concerned about so much as how much of it, how they're logging it etc. For instance, something like "1 banana" would tip them off because there's no indication of size or weight.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    People who are not losing tend not to be logging accurately (in most cases). You can see this from '1 cup sauce, 2 tbsp PB' etc. usually if someone is not measuring stuff then that's the problem.

    Then you get people saying, I'm eating 1200 is it too little - if they open their diary and are 5'2 and female, that's different from being a 6' male obvs.

    And then some people just aren't eating and that's a whole other problem.

    So if you have a question about what you are eating people are going to ask you to open your diary and if you don't want to then maybe you already know what you're doing wrong.
  • Stilllosing26
    Stilllosing26 Posts: 256 Member
    Yes. If you are eating under your goal, you can eat WHATEVER YOU WANT, and lose weight. I eat healthy, but I have treats EVERY DAY, and lost nearly 20 pounds. Eat what you want, live a happy life, exercise, be healthy! And again, eat what YOU want! :) hope that answers your question.
  • FlowerFairy493
    FlowerFairy493 Posts: 182
    Ah okay so more about weighing food than what to eat then. Phew thank goodness! I wasn't gonna give up my chocolate cake regardless though...

    Which brings me to another question. How do you log a chocolate cake slice (or anything) if you don't know what's in it? I usually take the one with the most calories. That's good right?
  • michikade
    michikade Posts: 313 Member
    For the record: I had homemade chicken enchiladas and finished those off with a homemade brownie and ice cream. Still came in 32 cals under goal today, and only a little over on fat and close to my protein macro.

    I'm definitely one who believes in eating whatever you want so long as you fulfill your calorie goals and otherwise hit your nutrient levels as closely as possible. Well balanced diets, in my opinion, are not exclusion diets.
  • BombshellPhoenix
    BombshellPhoenix Posts: 1,693 Member
    Yes, when I have to guess on calories, I tend to pick the highest one in the database to be safe hehe.

    And agree with the other posters. While the majority of my diet is nutrient dense foods, I always find a place to fit some fun stuff in every day ;). I think I would have given up long ago if I had to go without some ice cream or pizza now and again.
  • michikade
    michikade Posts: 313 Member
    Ah okay so more about weighing food than what to eat then. Phew thank goodness! I wasn't gonna give up my chocolate cake regardless though...

    Which brings me to another question. How do you log a chocolate cake slice (or anything) if you don't know what's in it? I usually take the one with the most calories. That's good right?

    Taking the highest may be right, may be wrong. It is harder if it's a home cooked item that you aren't present for or don't have access to the recipe (my homemade treats make it into the recipe maker on MFP and while that's not exact, it's close).

    If I was given a treat I would ask for the recipe, hehe, but I'm like that. If I couldn't I'd probably do what you do and pick the highest cal one just to be safe.
  • FlowerFairy493
    FlowerFairy493 Posts: 182
    For the record: I had homemade chicken enchiladas and finished those off with a homemade brownie and ice cream. Still came in 32 cals under goal today, and only a little over on fat and close to my protein macro.
    I'm definitely one who believes in eating whatever you want so long as you fulfill your calorie goals and otherwise hit your nutrient levels as closely as possible. Well balanced diets, in my opinion, are not exclusion diets.

    I eat a whole pizza sometimes..with a protein shake. Okay that's not healthy but with pizza carbs and fat are pretty much hit and all I require is a little more protein. :bigsmile:
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
    If it's a name-brand chocolate cake, sometimes it already exists in the database. Also I think most major restaurant chains publish their nutritional info, so you can usually find an item from a fast food chain, or a well-known restaurant like Panera or Mimi's Cafe or Tony Romas or whatever.

    Some people make too liberal a use of the 'quick add calories', when the data they need already exists and they could potentially log it for real.
  • FlowerFairy493
    FlowerFairy493 Posts: 182
    If it's a name-brand chocolate cake, sometimes it already exists in the database. Also I think most major restaurant chains publish their nutritional info, so you can usually find an item from a fast food chain, or a well-known restaurant like Panera or Mimi's Cafe or Tony Romas or whatever.
    Some people make too liberal a use of the 'quick add calories', when the data they need already exists and they could potentially log it for real.

    I agree although some of the things that I eat are not in the database and doesn't show calories. For instance unique homemade stuff I buy. In that case I'd just take the closest resembling thing in the database and the one with the highest calories. :) Other times when I'm feeling a bit lazy and want to log something thats not in the database I would use the quick calorie function, with a food note saying what it was I ate.

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