site tells me to eat almost 3k cals a day,,,but I eat half that and still dont loose

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Replies

  • 12pillows
    12pillows Posts: 81 Member
    I'm confused about what you want here.
    You've said that you aren't losing weight, but also that you're not trying to? I fail to see a problem.

    You've asked people why you're not losing weight, and they have said it might be from inaccurate logging as you seem to be logging by volume instead of weight.

    If not losing weight when you don't want to is really bothering you, you can either log via weighing food for a while, or shrug it off?
    Not sure what answers you were hoping for.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    cvcman wrote: »
    tell ya what...take 1 tbl spoon dry...add a small amt of water..put in microwave for 1 minute...tell me what you get..I do this EVERYDAY .....your weights and numbers are WAY off

    The problem with this one item isn't calories being added to oatmeal when you cook it. It is that the database entry you are using is wrong for what you are eating.

    One tablespoon of dry oatmeal = 60 calories, not 9

    I'm not sure exactly what you wanted us to say. You started your post with "Check my diary". This is what we are seeing, vague user-added entries that are probably not accurate. Maybe try only using entries without an asterisk (MFP entries, not user entries) so you can log by grams.

    If you were looking for some other type of feedback, maybe you should be more specific about what you expected to hear?
  • cvcman
    cvcman Posts: 438 Member
    so...chg my goals to "active" dont log my exercise...ill still be under on suggested cals....what good is the site if you have to lie to it ??? Im confused
  • FIT_Goat
    FIT_Goat Posts: 4,224 Member
    cvcman wrote: »
    frob....where are you getting these numbers ?????????????? 2 tablespoons dry is 12 grams...no where near 120 cals.....its like 45 at the most

    The default information when googling oatmeal nutrition: 1 oz dry (28g) Yields 177g cooked... 120 calories.

    If your numbers are slightly different, that's fine. They shouldn't be too far off. The simple fact remains that the amounts you are logging are off by a significant amount. And, it's not just oatmeal. It's a lot of things.
  • Solar_Cat
    Solar_Cat Posts: 188 Member
    One more small point -- well, it could be small or large, depending -- is that there is no such thing as "zero cal Pam." They may claim zero calories per serving on the label, but you have to look at the serving size (typically a 1/3-second spray), calculate how many servings you're actually using, and then back-calculate the real calorie content based on their number for servings per container and their number for total content of container. Figure nine calories per gram of oil. You may discover that there's actually a significant calorie load in the cooking spray, depending on how long you spray.
  • cvcman
    cvcman Posts: 438 Member
    Kinny...1 tablespoon is NOT 60 cals...40 grams is 150 cals DRY...1 tablespoon is 6 grams...so 1 tablespoon is 22.5...so im not sure where you are getting your info but this is right off the Quaker pkg ????????????
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  • karenj_m
    karenj_m Posts: 215
    Based on the TDEE method, Male / 5' 7" tall / 140 lbs / age 55 with 20% deduction (using "moderately active" ) I come up with 1750 calories per day for you to lose 1 pound per week....you're eating over that "most days" so you are eating up your deficit....

    http://www.calculatorlab.com/HowDoIMeetMyWeightLossGoal/index.php#cutby20
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    cvcman wrote: »
    Kinny...1 tablespoon is NOT 60 cals...40 grams is 150 cals DRY...1 tablespoon is 6 grams...so 1 tablespoon is 22.5...so im not sure where you are getting your info but this is right off the Quaker pkg ????????????


    It's still more than what you're logging though. Your 2 tbsp of DRY oatmeal is 46 calories, not the 18 you're logging. So again... it's not JUST the oatmeal... it's other things in your diary too... they're not accurately entered/logged because you're not logging them by weight, you're logging by volume.
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  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,724 Member
    This thread has become about 1 tablespoon oatmeal wet or dry and is blowing up my Notifications. How do I get my notification area back? Do not want! :grinning:
  • cvcman
    cvcman Posts: 438 Member
    ok so even ...as I already said...throw in an extra 300 als for what you say are not accurate numbers...im still under,,,some days by 1000 cals
  • FIT_Goat
    FIT_Goat Posts: 4,224 Member
    This is why you should measure solids with weights and not volume. If you are weighing out 6g of oatmeal every morning (25-30 calories worth). That's still insanely tiny. But, you're not logging it that way. You're logging it as 9 calories. That's a third of what it should be.

    How did you log 0.025 cups of cheese? That's less than 3g! If the scale said 3g, you'd log 0.027 cups and if the scale said 2g, you'd log 0.018 cups. How do you get 0.025 cups without using a scale more appropriate for weighing illicit substances than foods?
  • cvcman
    cvcman Posts: 438 Member
    well more important is people saying my numbers are WAY off then they post numbers that are NO where near close .lol...then say to lie and not log exercise etc...the site keeps saying " you will weigh 127 pounds" ...ya ok
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    I got about 30 cals for 1tbsp of dry oats. I just logged it into my diary. That being said, I am weighing large flake oats. However, your diary lists 2tbsp at 18 cals. You are yourself indicating that one tbsp is 23 cals, and yet you have eaten twice that today without it being reflected in your log.

    exrx.net/Calculators/CalRequire.html
    health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced

    Indicate average activity, either with your exercise to formulate your TDEE, OR without exercise to formulate your net and then you'd log/eat back exercise. Subtract 15% from either if your goal is to lose weight, if it's to maintain then eat at the given amount. And as already said, your logging does not reflect weighed measurements in most cases. If all you're doing is eating a spinach leaf, that's fine, don't weigh it. I weigh everything myself, even prepackaged foods. And I've done just fine losing weight.
  • cvcman
    cvcman Posts: 438 Member
    ok so im or the site is 12 cals off on my daily oatmeal...wow.lol
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,261 Member
    It's not rocket surgery..if your not losing your not in a deficit. Most people that actually try hard to be accurate in the amount of calories they consume are generally out anywhere from 200-400 calories a day. The otameal example is just a small sample of the why's.
  • cvcman
    cvcman Posts: 438 Member
    ana...I ate 1 tablespoon today,,,but my wife added another tablespoon in 2 beanburgers of which I ate one of...so....
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
    Are you trying to lose weight? You said you weren't and you aren't, so.... Who cares if mfp calories are off? Just curious. You've found your maintenance - congrats!
  • 12pillows
    12pillows Posts: 81 Member
    Again, what are you hoping to achieve from this thread since you've already stated you're not trying to lose weight anyway, and you don't seem interested in seeing if changing your logging habits will help?
  • shai74
    shai74 Posts: 512 Member
    You ask people where you're going wrong then get defensive when they offer suggestions. You know what I think? The half a bottle of wine a day and the pretzels and nuts are probably to blame. Your diet overall looks pretty rubbish to be honest, especially if you're as active as you say. Try eating a fair bit more protein and fresh vegetables, some healthy fats, maybe cut the alcohol to once a week (I had to, and I love a good shiraz).
  • cvcman
    cvcman Posts: 438 Member
    well...my whole point is the site says I SHOULD be loosing,,,im NOT,,,and the 5 or 20 cals everyone is beating on me for is not going to make any diff....when the site says im under by 1000 cals or more
  • karenj_m
    karenj_m Posts: 215
    You're not trying to lose weight? Then why are we here after 3 pages of postings? Over oatmeal? I'm done.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    Either there is a serious disconnect between your logging and what you're actually eating (and not just the oatmeal, EVERYTHING), or you have a medical condition that is preventing you from losing weight. That's what this runaround boils down to.
  • cvcman
    cvcman Posts: 438 Member
    Shai,,,/2 bottle of wine ???? I eat lots of fruits, veggies, fish almost everyday...very little meat...my food is rubbish...me thinks you are crazy/// and im not "defensive" except when people throw out numbers tat are totally WRONG...and then say im not logging accurate....my 7 day a week exercise alone would kill alot of people and thats just my cardio...not counting my work level and weights....so again im under on recomended carbs too ...cut the pretzles...why ? A calorie is a calorie...
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    I got my numbers from the USDA. Obviously Quaker oats are different by volume than whatever oats the USDA used to come to their number. Which, as someone else said, is proof that you need to weigh, not measure. Which is why we are all saying your logging is the issue, because the entries you are choosing to log your food are not accurate by weight. This isn't about the oatmeal, it's about all of your entries. What you think is a medium ear of corn might be bigger or smaller than whatever random user added a medium ear of corn to the database. This applied to a lot of your entries. I don't know what more anyone else could say...

    Maybe you have a tapeworm.
    Maybe you have the slowest metabolism known to man.
    Maybe you eat and clean up after yourself when you sleep.
    Or maybe you are just choosing inaccurate entries in the database.

    I've got nothing else, sorry. I hope you figure it out.
  • Cortneyrenee04
    Cortneyrenee04 Posts: 1,117 Member
    Those errors are indicative of other errors you're likely making... 20 to 50 calories several times a day, every day of the week adds up to a lot of calories not being accounted for. Logging was really hard for me for a loooong time. It just takes practice.
  • FIT_Goat
    FIT_Goat Posts: 4,224 Member
    I'm done arguing the point. If you want to prove you're a special snowflake who just happens to prove this site doesn't work, you're going to need to try harder next time.

    I will say one more thing about accurate logging. I used to think using food scales for everything was stupid and a bit OCD. That's until I actually started comparing my volume measurements to the weight they should be. My volume measures were systematically higher (often much higher). For example, my protein powder says a serving is 1 scoop or 34g. The scoop came with the powder. How off could it be? A level scoop (not rounded) weighs between 40g and 48g. That's up to over 41% of the amount I expect. It's an extra 60 calories per scoop. Systematic underestimation of that sort would give me over 800 calories more per day than I was aiming at while trying to lose (more then wiping out my deficit and instead putting me on the road to weight gain).
  • cvcman
    cvcman Posts: 438 Member
    good Keren...glad to hear it...see ya lol,,,the oatmeal was NOT me it was a few "others" spouting bs and not facts ...see ya !
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    so you ate maybe 12g of oats, which would be closer to 44 cals which is not indicated by your logging. Do you (or your wife) regularly make recipes? You might want to utilize the recipe function. Even if I'm just making straight beef burgers, nothing in it but salt and pepper, I make it into a recipe. That way I can enter in the oil I used to fry them, enter in the weight of the total beef I'm using, and then I can divide into how many burgers I want and I will weigh each raw patty out to be equal before frying.

    I'm not really sure what your goal is now though.. are you still trying to lose weight? Do you want to maintain? The two websites I listed are good resources for estimating maintenance calorie needs, I definitely recommend trying them out. If you exercise very consistently then simply include the exercise. I switched from that method (known as TDEE) to MFP's net method because my exercise is not as regular, but also i wanted more freedom to be less strict with exercise. So I eat 1880 max a day, and then if I exercise I eat closer to 2000-2100.

    If you want to lose, then subtract 15% (or even 10, I doubt you have much to lose if that's your goal). Otherwise, keep it as it is and aim to eat that every day. In either case, weigh your food and log it as the weighed measurement. Even that shred of cheese, weigh and log it as such. Look for entries that 100% match your labels, and if you cannot use the weight function then figure out the decimal ratio. So let's say your cheese serving is 30g (I believe most cheese blocks are), but you only weigh out and eat 3g. So that'd be 0.1 of the label serving, and shoudl give you accurate information. Or if you ate 40g, then that'd be 1.33 servings. Just be consistent in weighing things, and log things appropriately. So if you weigh some raw meat, you'd look for the raw meat entry. Or for cooked, you'd log the cooked entry. If you'd like an idea of how this should all be done you can look through my diary - I weigh everything, and I tend to weigh both cooked and dry and make sure to use my appropriate user-created entries for it (as I wanted accurate calories reflecting the macros and I wanted to be able to log in grams/ml)

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