Am I destined to be fat or what?

MirandaKeeler
MirandaKeeler Posts: 23 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone!
Thank you for reading my post! :)
I am a 21 year old woman. In high school (only four years ago) I was 130 pounds. Best shape of my life. After moving out, going through college, work, and big schedule changes, I am now 220 pounds. There have been many times that I have decided that I'm tired of being fat, and I want to be healthy and I start dieting, and after six or seven weeks, I'm the same weight/measurements. I started again recently and I've been taking supplements from Complete Nutrition, working out for an hour five days a week, and I have not gone over my calorie count once and still nothing. What am I doing wrong? Will I ever be thin again?
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Replies

  • juliafromrf
    juliafromrf Posts: 106 Member
    Do you weigh your food?

    If you do, have you consulted a health professional who ruled out any hormonal problems?
  • LoveLoveandRage
    LoveLoveandRage Posts: 55 Member
    I gained 80 pounds in less than 3 years and nothing I did would help the weight budge. I did go to the gym as I was gaining the weight to try to stop it, but no matter how hard I worked out, I hardly lost an ounce.

    I'm not saying that your story will be the same, but I went to the doctor and had my thyroid tested. The numbers were pretty high, indicating a low thyroid. After 6 months of treatment, I still hadn't lost anything, and was diagnosed with PCOS (Polycystic ovarian syndrome). Both of these things contributed to my weight gain and my inability to lose it.

    I am now on medicine for both and had to implement diet and lifestyle changes (which are a daily struggle) but I am finally losing the weight slowly.

    I think it is worth getting checked out if you are able to, because I would have never thought that I had these two health issues, I just thought I was supposed to be fat.
  • violasmith85
    violasmith85 Posts: 274 Member
    Are you weighing your food? One of the biggest and most common mistakes people make is not accounting for the real amount they're eating. You haven't been overweight that long, I've been morbidly obese since I was 10. So I can tell you honestly, if i can do it. You can do it. It just takes a little time figuring everything out. Since most of us eat the same foods most of the time it becomes pretty easy to keep track of calories once you're doing it right. My biggest mistake in the beginning was guesstimating what I ate. Also drinking enough water to compensate for the extra sodium I ate.
  • soechsner09
    soechsner09 Posts: 119 Member
    Just looking at your diary, I'd say drop the supplements and spend that money on better food options. You may not be going over your calories but nutritionally not all the best choices. I also agree you may be underestimating if you're not measuring your food. I was surprised when I began measuring/weighing because my perception of amounts was so off. You can do this, and you don't need Complete Nutrition to do it. :smile:
  • GothyFaery
    GothyFaery Posts: 762 Member
    I jsut glanced over your diary and here's what I'm going to say. I think you may be under estimating what you eat and over estimating what you burn. Almost 900 calories after an hour on an elipical sounds a little high to me. MFP is really bad for over estimating burn calories. That's why a lot of members opt for a HRM.

    Also you had logged a "Generic - Cheese Burger on Grilled Bun, 1 patty" for 390 calories. That seems WAY low. Most buns are 200+ calories. Not to mention that you have no idea how big that patty was. Try to stay away from any generic entry in MFP as they are often wrong and even if they are right, they normally are not right for what you want. You would be much better off entering your entire burger one item at a time.

    Lastly, are you using a food scale to weigh your food? If not, you are going to be shocked when you buy one (which I suggest you do ASAP)!
  • Amberlynnek
    Amberlynnek Posts: 405 Member
    I just went through your diary and you consume a lot of high calorie, high sodium, high sugar, overly processed food. As long as you are in a calorie deficit you can have these things but are probably underestimating them. Get a scale, have smaller portions of favorite items and pair with a salad or veggie. Its all about balance. Try cooking at home more and preparing meals. You will eliminate a lot of hidden fats and oils that food is cook in and thus overall eliminating calories. You should make convenience meals more of a treat instead of the norm. Fill your day with fresh veggies, fruits and lean meats to fill up on and you will find you can eat a lot more during the day. Also, you seem to always eat back all of your exercise calories and not in the form of healthy protein and carbs. Try eating back only half of your workout calories as these may also be grossly overestimated. But all in all, I'd say your "diet" and nutrition need some major overhaul.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    If you believe you will and don't do what you need to......................then yes. Barring any health/hormone issue, you pretty much have control of your weight.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • yellowlemoned
    yellowlemoned Posts: 335 Member
    If you don't have a food scale start saving to get one. (they really arn't that expensive, i saw a digital food scale on nomorerack yesterday for about $15.) In the meantime use what you have, like measuring cups and measuring spoons. I remember thinking this same thing when I started out here. You'd be surprised how easy it is to underestimate what you are eating. What looks like 1 cup of cereal could easily be 1.5 - 2 cups. and when you add milk to your cereal what looks like 1/2 a cup is easily 1 cup. It doesn't sound like a huge difference but that's double the calories of what you thought you were consuming.

    Also, like a few other people have mentioned MFP WAAAY over estimates your calorie burns. Aim to only eat back about 1/2 of your exercise calories, because that's probably much closer to what you've really burned.

    You may not be choosing the healthiest good options, which you should probably consider changing, but the fact of the mater is weight loss is as simple as calories in vs calories out.
  • bajoyba
    bajoyba Posts: 1,153 Member
    Hey Miranda! I took a peek at your diary, and it looks like you're logging everything. For me, that was THE most important thing.

    The first thing I notice about your diary is that you tend to use volume and size to measure your food intake (like using measuring cups/spoons or estimating a fruit or vegetables size as 'medium' or 'large'). I did the same thing in the beginning, and it is a great first step. But for the sake of accuracy, you may want to consider getting a food scale and weighing all of your solids.

    Some people find that to be a little restrictive, and I understand that, but for me, it made a huge difference. A cup of dry oatmeal vs. a serving of dry oatmeal in grams will be different. Sometimes even prepackaged foods (like the english muffins I eat every morning) weigh more than they are supposed to. When you're measuring food instead of weighing it, you're bound to consume more calories than you think you are.

    You may especially benefit from weighing most of the food you prepare yourself because it looks like you eat out somewhat regularly. While I don't believe there's anything wrong with eating out, restaurants and food service workers are rarely precise or careful about portion sizes. Even if a chain restaurant has calories listed for all of their menu items, you can assume that the food you get will be different calorically from what is listed on the website or menu.

    Some other tips: Try to avoid using generic or homemade entries in the database. Be as specific as possible when you log foods (including brand name). If you're making a meal at home, enter all of the ingredients separately or create your own recipe, and don't forget things like cooking oil or butter. :smile:
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    1. Toss those supplements out.
    2. Get a good heart rate monitor so you know exactly how many calories you are burning, you are most likely overestimating your calorie burn at the gym.
    3. Weigh all your solid foods with a digital scale.
    4. Log everything you eat, don't cheat yourself (and yes, you're only cheating yourself when you don't log something). Even if you go over for the day.
    5. read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here

    No one is 'destined' to be fat. You are in control of your own body, and your own weight.
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,783 Member
    Only you can answer your question. You and you alone control your destiny.

    I'm just gonna leave this right here.

    Read these:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here?hl=so+you're+new+here

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

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1217573-so-you-want-to-start-running

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/974888-in-place-of-a-road-map-2k13

    TL:DR the link right above this one then ->http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/975025-in-place-of-a-road-map-short-n-sweet

    Excuses??? http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2014/06/02/the-no-excuses-play-like-a-champion-challenge/

    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

    Want to lift heavy things?
    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/

    Stronglifts Summary
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/560459-stronglifts-5x5-summary

    Stronglifts Womens Group
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women
  • Hubbard_stephen
    Hubbard_stephen Posts: 2
    Just to add to what others have already mentioned. Your carb to protein ratio seems really high. Almost everyday the past couple weeks on your diary has a twice as many carbs as protein logged. Typically a diet higher in protein and closer to a 1:1 carb/protein ratio is more optimal for fat loss. Best of luck to you.

    Edit: Just to give you an idea of what a high protein diet might look like I've linked my diary log from yesterday. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/Hubbard_stephen?date=2014-09-15
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
    I am a 21 year old woman. In high school (only four years ago) I was 130 pounds. Best shape of my life. After moving out, going through college, work, and big schedule changes, I am now 220 pounds.
    Find a healthy goal weight based on BMI: http://www.shapeup.org/bmi/bmi6.pdf
    Multiply that by 10 & you have your calorie goal. That's TOTAL, not net. Ignore net.

    This calculator will tell you not only your BMI, but how many servings of various foods to eat to maintain that weight.
    If you enter your healthy goal weight from above, this will help you plan your food intake.
    https://www.bcm.edu/research/centers/childrens-nutrition-research-center/healthyeatingcalculator/eatingCal.html
    There have been many times that I have decided that I'm tired of being fat, and I want to be healthy and I start dieting, and after six or seven weeks, I'm the same weight/measurements.
    Stop dieting. Change your life. Diets are temporary & once you stop the restrictions you'll go back to your unhealthy eating & gain the weight back again.
    But after a month of eating reasonable calories & exercising, you should see some improvement.
    It's good that you're doing measurements too.
    I've been taking supplements from Complete Nutrition, working out for an hour five days a week, and I have not gone over my calorie count once and still nothing. What am I doing wrong? Will I ever be thin again?
    You gained weight, and are not losing weight, because you are eating more calories than your body needs.
    The reason doesn't matter - gluttony, PCOS, whatever, the underlying cause is the same: you're eating more than you need.

    Basics about goal setting:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-08-setting-goals-667045

    While some supplements are linked to lower weight:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-29-some-dietary-supplements-are-linked-to-weight-loss-673580
    It'd be better not to rely on them, instead eat a nutritious, balanaced variety of foods.

    While weightlifting is important, and will have you looking fabulous & strong once the fat is gone, you need to do mainly cardio.
    http://articles.latimes.com/2011/may/16/health/la-he-fitness-muscle-myth-20110516
    "Claude Bouchard of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, La., who has authored several books and hundreds of scientific papers on the subject of obesity and metabolism... told me that muscle, it turns out, makes a fairly small contribution to RMR.
    ... based on the biochemical and metabolic literature — a pound of muscle burns six calories a day at rest and a pound of fat burns about two calories a day.
    ... muscle, contributes only 20-25% of total resting metabolism.
    ... intense aerobic activity like running burns twice as many calories per hour as hard weightlifting, and the metabolic boost from added muscle is not nearly enough to compensate for this difference... "


    helpful links
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

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

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

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-07-24-motivation-encouragement-680938


    Eat breakfast. Eat about half your calories for breakfast.
    Read the last half of this blog post, with its links to research backing those statements:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-10-some-studies-about-weight-loss-667818


    "Most weight loss occurs because of decreased caloric intake. However, evidence shows the only way to maintain weight loss is to be engaged in regular physical activity.
    "To maintain your weight: work your way up to 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity, or an equivalent mix of the two each week."
    (The page explains moderate & vigorous.)
    http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/physical_activity/index.html


    The basics about exercise:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/MKEgal/view/2014-06-08-exercise-667080
    .
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    Just to add to what others have already mentioned. Your carb to protein ratio seems really high. Almost everyday the past couple weeks on your diary has a twice as many carbs as protein logged. Typically a diet higher in protein and closer to a 1:1 carb/protein ratio is more optimal for fat loss. Best of luck to you.

    Edit: Just to give you an idea of what a high protein diet might look like I've linked my diary log from yesterday. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/Hubbard_stephen?date=2014-09-15

    What? As long as the calorie deficit is the same and they are getting the required minimum amount of protein (for most 100+ grams/day) the carb to protein ratio will not impact anything
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    Good comments above. You say in the past you have seen no results after 6-7 weeks, but how many weeks has it been in this most recent attempt? A couple other considerations: (1) People can retain water weight (muscular hydration) for a week or two when starting or adding intensity to exercise. As muscles repair themselves, adapt to the new stresses, and gain condition, they release the protective water. (2) Some people experience water retention that, on the scale, masks fat loss for 3 or 4 weeks. Then "whoosh," several weeks of weight loss visible on the scale all in a day or two. The hypothesis is that as the body "burns" fat, it replaces fatty acids extracted from the fat cells with water, and for some reason this is metabolically more efficient than just leaving the cells empty/smaller. People report the "whoosh" can be triggered by an unusually high carb meal (signaling the body isn't starving) and alcohol (a diuretic), among other things I can't remember.

    Seeing no results for strenuous efforts is frustrating. Part of the frustration, for me, is not understanding what is going on. Dedicated tracking over **several months** will reveal patterns that will help you understand what is going on, and that will make the ups and downs less frustrating.

    Stick with it and best of luck!
  • Camo_xxx
    Camo_xxx Posts: 1,082 Member
    You control your destiney so you can be fat or fit, it's up to you.

    But until you get serious about it I would say based on your current regime you will continue to be fat.

    Plenty of good advise already given on how to take charge of your destiny already given.

    Time to suck it up and change it.
  • Hubbard_stephen
    Hubbard_stephen Posts: 2
    Take a look at her diary. It's far to high in carbs for her daily caloric intake she's trying to hit.

    Many days you're not even hitting 50g of protein, while over 200g of carbs. I'd bet you'd start to see significant weight loss within weeks if daily caloric intake is what you're claiming to log and you were closer to <150g carbs and 100g+ protein.

    There are tons and tons of articles and peer reviewed essays that talk about high protein diets being a contributing factor to fat burn. http://www.bing.com/search?q=diet+high+in+protein+weight+loss&src=ie9tr
  • MirandaKeeler
    MirandaKeeler Posts: 23 Member
    Thank you to everyone for giving me their input. I appreciate the feedback.
    Also, for the people who have been saying that I'm over-estimating burned calories and underestimating my calories, I just use MFP. I don't know exactly how to calculate burned calories, so I use MFP, I enter in my time and let it work it out for me. I also just search for what I'm eating, and add that too. Especially if it's from a restaurant that isn't listed. I'm not trying to be dishonest, I'm trying to get as close as possible using what I have and what I know.
    But thank you again. It really helps me take a good look at what I am or may be doing wrong.
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  • GothyFaery
    GothyFaery Posts: 762 Member
    Thank you to everyone for giving me their input. I appreciate the feedback.
    Also, for the people who have been saying that I'm over-estimating burned calories and underestimating my calories, I just use MFP. I don't know exactly how to calculate burned calories, so I use MFP, I enter in my time and let it work it out for me. I also just search for what I'm eating, and add that too. Especially if it's from a restaurant that isn't listed. I'm not trying to be dishonest, I'm trying to get as close as possible using what I have and what I know.
    But thank you again. It really helps me take a good look at what I am or may be doing wrong.

    I don't think any one is saying you're being dishonest. We're just trying to point out what could be causing you to stall. As for the burned calories, you could either not eat them all back (try half instead) or you can actually change what MFP puts in for you (if is says 500, change it to 250).

    Same with the food log, no one is saying you're dishonest but you could have a better guess than what you currently are doing. When I eat at a restuarnt that doesn't list calories, I try to find something from a chain resturaunt that is similar (I even google pictures of it to compare). That will get you so much closer than using the generic or homemade entries in the database.

    Keep pushing forward. You can do this!

    ETA: When in doubt, estimate higher intake and lower output. If you're not sure which food entry you should use, go with a higher calorie one.
  • BusyRaeNOTBusty
    BusyRaeNOTBusty Posts: 7,166 Member
    Thank you to everyone for giving me their input. I appreciate the feedback.
    Also, for the people who have been saying that I'm over-estimating burned calories and underestimating my calories, I just use MFP. I don't know exactly how to calculate burned calories, so I use MFP, I enter in my time and let it work it out for me. I also just search for what I'm eating, and add that too. Especially if it's from a restaurant that isn't listed. I'm not trying to be dishonest, I'm trying to get as close as possible using what I have and what I know.
    But thank you again. It really helps me take a good look at what I am or may be doing wrong.

    This is a really good post describing how to be more accurate with your counting.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide?hl=accurately&page=1
  • nshannon4
    nshannon4 Posts: 7
    FRUITS AND VEGGIES! Try clean eating! Your diary is so fully of processed convenience foods. And your biggest mistake is logging "homemade" and "generic" foods - stick to the foods with the most number of confirmations, even if it's from Panda Express. Also, if you're not weighing or measuring your portions, how do you know exactly what you're eating when you eat fast food? You can definitely get into shape, but you can't treat every day as a cheat day; you need to learn the valuable art of clean eating. I guarantee the pounds will come off.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    FRUITS AND VEGGIES! Try clean eating! Your diary is so fully of processed convenience foods. And your biggest mistake is logging "homemade" and "generic" foods - stick to the foods with the most number of confirmations, even if it's from Panda Express. Also, if you're not weighing or measuring your portions, how do you know exactly what you're eating when you eat fast food? You can definitely get into shape, but you can't treat every day as a cheat day; you need to learn the valuable art of clean eating. I guarantee the pounds will come off.

    Seriously, stop it. This is not helpful. It's not what the food is, it's overall calories and macros. As long as a person eats in a calorie deficit, the pounds will come off, it doesn't matter what the food being consumed is.
  • mccindy72
    mccindy72 Posts: 7,001 Member
    Take a look at her diary. It's far to high in carbs for her daily caloric intake she's trying to hit.

    Many days you're not even hitting 50g of protein, while over 200g of carbs. I'd bet you'd start to see significant weight loss within weeks if daily caloric intake is what you're claiming to log and you were closer to <150g carbs and 100g+ protein.

    There are tons and tons of articles and peer reviewed essays that talk about high protein diets being a contributing factor to fat burn. http://www.bing.com/search?q=diet+high+in+protein+weight+loss&src=ie9tr

    Again, calories in/calories out. As long as person eats at a deficit, barring any significant medical issue, weight will be lost. You'll lose your bet, as long, as she's eating at a calorie deficit.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    Eat less. Either weigh and measure everything or set a lower calorie goal. Try to eat more fruits and veggies, as they will generally have a lot fewer calories and you can fill up for fewer calories, lean, white meat. Water, not juice or tea or pop.

    Move more. Find something you enjoy. Keep trying new things until you do. Then stick with it until you're sick of it and switch to something else.

    Absolutely see your doctor. That's the smartest and best first step. Follow the advice.

    When you really want to lose weight, you will.
  • Therealobi1
    Therealobi1 Posts: 3,262 Member
    Take a look at her diary. It's far to high in carbs for her daily caloric intake she's trying to hit.

    Many days you're not even hitting 50g of protein, while over 200g of carbs. I'd bet you'd start to see significant weight loss within weeks if daily caloric intake is what you're claiming to log and you were closer to <150g carbs and 100g+ protein.

    There are tons and tons of articles and peer reviewed essays that talk about high protein diets being a contributing factor to fat burn. http://www.bing.com/search?q=diet+high+in+protein+weight+loss&src=ie9tr

    Again, calories in/calories out. As long as person eats at a deficit, barring any significant medical issue, weight will be lost. You'll lose your bet, as long, as she's eating at a calorie deficit.
    +1
    Op keep it simple until you get into the swing of things, then you can make changes where you see fit
    I lost weight by cutting down not cutting out also i started to exercise.
    use food scales, and the scanner feature on the mfp app
    good luck you can do it.
  • AliceDark
    AliceDark Posts: 3,886 Member
    It's not always a question of whether or not the person "wants" it enough. Sometimes it's just a case of not having the right information in order to use the tools effectively.

    All you have to do in order to lose weight is create a deficit. There are a zillion ways to do that, so the method is up to you, but the deficit is the key. You don't necessarily have to eat low-carb, "clean," whatever...you can absolutely lose weight eating the foods you like and eat now, you just have to eat less of them.

    Because the MFP database lets users input entries, you need to be careful to choose the most accurate entries. Typically, items labeled "generic" or "homemade" aren't going to be accurate for anyone other than the person who created the item. It's always better to log the individual components of your meal (logging the burger, the bun and the cheese instead of choosing an item labeled "cheeseburger," for example).

    MFP is notorious for over-estimating exercise burns. Try eating back 50-75% of what you've earned from exercise for a few weeks and see if that helps.

    So far, you haven't done anything wrong. You're getting into the habit of logging every day, which is the most important hurdle. From here, it's just learning the ins and outs of the MFP tools and making sure you're using them in the most effective way possible. Keep working on logging as accurately as possible, and you'll start to see progress.
  • Cortelli
    Cortelli Posts: 1,369 Member
    Thank you to everyone for giving me their input. I appreciate the feedback.
    Also, for the people who have been saying that I'm over-estimating burned calories and underestimating my calories, I just use MFP. I don't know exactly how to calculate burned calories, so I use MFP, I enter in my time and let it work it out for me. I also just search for what I'm eating, and add that too. Especially if it's from a restaurant that isn't listed. I'm not trying to be dishonest, I'm trying to get as close as possible using what I have and what I know.
    But thank you again. It really helps me take a good look at what I am or may be doing wrong.

    I don't think any one is saying you're being dishonest. We're just trying to point out what could be causing you to stall. As for the burned calories, you could either not eat them all back (try half instead) or you can actually change what MFP puts in for you (if is says 500, change it to 250).

    Same with the food log, no one is saying you're dishonest but you could have a better guess than what you currently are doing. When I eat at a restuarnt that doesn't list calories, I try to find something from a chain resturaunt that is similar (I even google pictures of it to compare). That will get you so much closer than using the generic or homemade entries in the database.

    Keep pushing forward. You can do this!

    ETA: When in doubt, estimate higher intake and lower output. If you're not sure which food entry you should use, go with a higher calorie one.

    Just want to reinforce GothyFaery's point. Not saying you are being dishonest or "cheating." Accurate logging is a skill, and like any skill it takes some experience, some tips from others more experienced, and practice to get better at it. You're halfway there with logging stuff; now get a little closer to goal by developing the skills to log more accurately. I haven't looked at your diary, but just based on the comments from other posters, I'd be willing to bet you are underestimating the calories you are consuming - again, not deliberately, just because it's a challenge to do well without scales and skill and knowledge.

    As for exercise calories, I share the view that MFP tends to overestimate calorie burns for many common exercises. A shortcut in the interim would be to manually adjust the calories MFP wants to give you downward. Longer term, get a real handle on being an excellent food logger, and then compare your actual weight lost to the weight you'd expect to lose based on your food logging and your exercise burns - it will likely help you get a better grip on exactly how many excess calories you're actually burning on a treadmill / elliptical session, regardless of what MFP and/or the machine wants to tell you you have burned.

    Everything - absolutely everything - we're doing here on MFP is an estimate (some better than others) and trial and error and analysis will help you get to a spot where your estimates are better, allowing you a lot more control around weight loss / gain goals.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    FRUITS AND VEGGIES! Try clean eating!

    "Clean" eating means nothing.
    And your biggest mistake is logging "homemade" and "generic" foods - stick to the foods with the most number of confirmations, even if it's from Panda Express.

    Agreed that "homemade" and "generic" entries are wrong, but using the one with the most confirmations no matter what is also wrong. Under that advise, if I make a stirfry I should use Panda Express due to the confirmations rather than log my ingredients, which is obviously a better way to do it.
    Also, if you're not weighing or measuring your portions, how do you know exactly what you're eating when you eat fast food?

    Two separate things. She should weigh her homemade food, but that really has nothing to do with measuring fast food. I mean, be a little skeptical about calorie counts from restaurants, but much as I personally dislike most fast food their calorie counts are probably not bad--they have a reason to be standardized.

    Anyway, the issue is calories. I personally find that cooking for myself makes it much easier to eat fewer calories than going out all the time, but the issue is still, basically, calories.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Thank you to everyone for giving me their input. I appreciate the feedback.
    Also, for the people who have been saying that I'm over-estimating burned calories and underestimating my calories, I just use MFP. I don't know exactly how to calculate burned calories, so I use MFP, I enter in my time and let it work it out for me. I also just search for what I'm eating, and add that too. Especially if it's from a restaurant that isn't listed. I'm not trying to be dishonest, I'm trying to get as close as possible using what I have and what I know.
    But thank you again. It really helps me take a good look at what I am or may be doing wrong.

    I don't think you are being dishonest or that anyone was suggesting that. There are tricks to using MFP, that's all.

    One is that some people find that certain calorie counts are inaccurate when it comes to estimating exercise. IME, the elliptical counts can be a major offender. It's good to be skeptical of anything that seems too high. Basically, if you are going full out then 10 calories per minute is a decent cap, and if not than you'd want to assume less. I commonly reduce my calorie counts by a third (some do by more), although I usually don't reduce running counts, as they seem accurate enough based on results.

    Sometimes it's easier to just estimate your overall activity with exercise (if you exercise a good amount say active, if not that much but some say lightly active) and set your loss to maybe 1.5 lb to start and see how it works. Then you don't have to worry about trying to adjust for exercise.

    For logging, read the link on logging that someone gave. It helped me a lot. One thing to think about is that meals are going to vary a ton in calories depending on the size, the specific ingredients used, etc. So if you have a burger or lasagna or some such, you can't assume the calories will be anything like some generic entry in the database and you'll find those vary enormously from entry to entry.

    What you need to do is either find the precise item (if packaged food or a chain restaurant) or calculate based on ingredients and size (if homemade or no applicable entry). One reason cooking for yourself can lead to better results is that you will know what you are eating, whereas you really don't from a restaurant (although chains have okay information). I still go out to non chain restaurants once or twice a week and estimate, but I always estimate high and add in extra butter and other stuff you can't see because I know they have tons more hidden calories and bigger serving sizes and all that vs. something I'd make at home.

    It's just a matter of figuring all this out and getting used to it.

    I'd say try tightening up the logging for a few of weeks and see how you do. Then if it's not successful (although I hope it is and think it's likely to be), you can go to the doctor and have a really good list of what and how much you've been eating as a starting point.

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