A tip among tips! I wish I did this sooner!
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EK00001
Posts: 85
Hi, everyone!
As some of you may know, MFP app has a "Quick Add calories" option. Now, so what? I'll tell you what! Many of us have or has struggled with the notorious weight loss plateau. The only real reason you're not losing the weight is either due to not properly counting your calories or over estimating the calories burned. So, how do we account for that? Every morning, we "Quick Add" 100-150 calories to make up those "Calorie Creeps that we take granted for. MOST of us eat small, extra calories and don't account for it, which does effect your goal and set off the illusion of" Weight Loss Plateau". Many of us can't keep track of Every little caloric intake and can't measure or guess all of our food weights, so the quick add calories can help atone for that.
Hope this helps! Tell me your opinions on this and I'll gladly read it.
As some of you may know, MFP app has a "Quick Add calories" option. Now, so what? I'll tell you what! Many of us have or has struggled with the notorious weight loss plateau. The only real reason you're not losing the weight is either due to not properly counting your calories or over estimating the calories burned. So, how do we account for that? Every morning, we "Quick Add" 100-150 calories to make up those "Calorie Creeps that we take granted for. MOST of us eat small, extra calories and don't account for it, which does effect your goal and set off the illusion of" Weight Loss Plateau". Many of us can't keep track of Every little caloric intake and can't measure or guess all of our food weights, so the quick add calories can help atone for that.
Hope this helps! Tell me your opinions on this and I'll gladly read it.
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Replies
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I do measure and weigh everything I eat unless it's legitimately a small piece (e.g. one popcorn kernel) which does not slow down weight loss.
If you are finding that you snack enough on non-logged things that it affects your weight loss, either lower your goal or actually log those things?
Quick-add is only optional when I'm eating something that I legitimately have no caloric info for and am guessing the calories based off of similar items.0 -
I do measure and weigh everything I eat unless it's legitimately a small piece (e.g. one popcorn kernel) which does not slow down weight loss.
If you are finding that you snack enough on non-logged things that it affects your weight loss, either lower your goal or actually log those things?
Quick-add is only optional when I'm eating something that I legitimately have no caloric info for and am guessing the calories based off of similar items.
I wish I can be like you, but I'm not my own cook and I can't change that fact. I'd rather do my method since I have an option to quick add any number of calories I desire. Thanks for your comment!0 -
I do measure and weigh everything I eat unless it's legitimately a small piece (e.g. one popcorn kernel) which does not slow down weight loss.
If you are finding that you snack enough on non-logged things that it affects your weight loss, either lower your goal or actually log those things?
Quick-add is only optional when I'm eating something that I legitimately have no caloric info for and am guessing the calories based off of similar items.
I'm the same exact way, I track every single piece of food I put in my mouth. If I have to estimate, I overestimate to be safe, never had a problem with plateauing0 -
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So, basically, you are using quick add to eat under your calorie goal. Yep, I can see how eating less might help.0
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Another way would be to leave most of your exercise burns behind, especially if you don't use an HRM.0
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I do measure and weigh everything I eat unless it's legitimately a small piece (e.g. one popcorn kernel) which does not slow down weight loss.
If you are finding that you snack enough on non-logged things that it affects your weight loss, either lower your goal or actually log those things?
Quick-add is only optional when I'm eating something that I legitimately have no caloric info for and am guessing the calories based off of similar items.
I wish I can be like you, but I'm not my own cook and I can't change that fact. I'd rather do my method since I have an option to quick add any number of calories I desire. Thanks for your comment!
You're an 18 year old male, so old enough to have learned or to learn how to cook. Is there a cognitive or physical disability preventing you from cooking? I'd assume that if you can use a computer then you can probably do your own cooking pretty easily.
Even so, I don't see the issue in guesstimating the weight/measurement of foods you eat if you didn't cook them. I've done that e.g. on Thanksgiving (october for Canadians), I have done it at parties, even if my parents were to bake the meat and boil the carbs I'd just then weigh the portion I choose to eat.
Lowering your caloric goal might be worth doing if you don't lose weight while logging accurately.
ETA obviously not trying to pry if there actually is a legit reason for being unable to prepare your own foods. If someone else is preparing things for you, then just ask them to weigh or measure things for you so you can enter them into MFP?
Also, the reason you're likely plateauing/not seeing results is due to using generic entries in the database. Like homemade items, I'm assuming these are not your recipes. This will easily throw off your caloric intake by a few hundred cals if not more.
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I do measure and weigh everything I eat unless it's legitimately a small piece (e.g. one popcorn kernel) which does not slow down weight loss.
If you are finding that you snack enough on non-logged things that it affects your weight loss, either lower your goal or actually log those things?
Quick-add is only optional when I'm eating something that I legitimately have no caloric info for and am guessing the calories based off of similar items.
I wish I can be like you, but I'm not my own cook and I can't change that fact. I'd rather do my method since I have an option to quick add any number of calories I desire. Thanks for your comment!
You're an 18 year old male, so old enough to have learned or to learn how to cook. Is there a cognitive or physical disability preventing you from cooking? I'd assume that if you can use a computer then you can probably do your own cooking pretty easily.
Even so, I don't see the issue in guesstimating the weight/measurement of foods you eat if you didn't cook them. I've done that e.g. on Thanksgiving (october for Canadians), I have done it at parties, even if my parents were to bake the meat and boil the carbs I'd just then weigh the portion I choose to eat.
Lowering your caloric goal might be worth doing if you don't lose weight while logging accurately.
ETA obviously not trying to pry if there actually is a legit reason for being unable to prepare your own foods. If someone else is preparing things for you, then just ask them to weigh or measure things for you so you can enter them into MFP?
Also, the reason you're likely plateauing/not seeing results is due to using generic entries in the database. Like homemade items, I'm assuming these are not your recipes. This will easily throw off your caloric intake by a few hundred cals if not more.
I love your answer, I can use an advice like that. About the cooking. I'm an 18 year old student with siblings. I cannot force my mother to weigh everything as that will increase the work load burden on her. As for the food choices, I choose to eat the healthiest choices on the table. If I could, I would choose the dinners I eat, the condiments used, and single ingredient foods. Now, if I lived alone, that would be a different story. I wouldn't have the audacity to make excuses about not being able to cook. Even now, I'm trying hard to learn how to cook simple things at least. Thanks again for your answer. Can I ask, what tool do you use to measure your food and how do you deal with slightly oily foods like Kentucky chicken (a bad example; I know)?
Ps. I'm Canadian.
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obscuremusicreference wrote: »Another way would be to leave most of your exercise burns behind, especially if you don't use an HRM.
I don't count those as the BMR automatically does it for me.0 -
If that's your preferred method, it may be easier for you to just adjust your calories to be 100-150 lower than it already is. This way you won't have to add these calories manually every day.0
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I do measure and weigh everything I eat unless it's legitimately a small piece (e.g. one popcorn kernel) which does not slow down weight loss.
If you are finding that you snack enough on non-logged things that it affects your weight loss, either lower your goal or actually log those things?
Quick-add is only optional when I'm eating something that I legitimately have no caloric info for and am guessing the calories based off of similar items.
I wish I can be like you, but I'm not my own cook and I can't change that fact. I'd rather do my method since I have an option to quick add any number of calories I desire. Thanks for your comment!
You're an 18 year old male, so old enough to have learned or to learn how to cook. Is there a cognitive or physical disability preventing you from cooking? I'd assume that if you can use a computer then you can probably do your own cooking pretty easily.
Even so, I don't see the issue in guesstimating the weight/measurement of foods you eat if you didn't cook them. I've done that e.g. on Thanksgiving (october for Canadians), I have done it at parties, even if my parents were to bake the meat and boil the carbs I'd just then weigh the portion I choose to eat.
Lowering your caloric goal might be worth doing if you don't lose weight while logging accurately.
ETA obviously not trying to pry if there actually is a legit reason for being unable to prepare your own foods. If someone else is preparing things for you, then just ask them to weigh or measure things for you so you can enter them into MFP?
Also, the reason you're likely plateauing/not seeing results is due to using generic entries in the database. Like homemade items, I'm assuming these are not your recipes. This will easily throw off your caloric intake by a few hundred cals if not more.
I love your answer, I can use an advice like that. About the cooking. I'm an 18 year old student with siblings. I cannot force my mother to weigh everything as that will increase the work load burden on her. As for the food choices, I choose to eat the healthiest choices on the table. If I could, I would choose the dinners I eat, the condiments used, and single ingredient foods. Now, if I lived alone, that would be a different story. I wouldn't have the audacity to make excuses about not being able to cook. Even now, I'm trying hard to learn how to cook simple things at least. Thanks again for your answer. Can I ask, what tool do you use to measure your food and how do you deal with slightly oily foods like Kentucky chicken (a bad example; I know)?
Ps. I'm Canadian.
I live with my parents and I make my own food? If you're concerned with your mother having more work by weighing food that she cooks, then I assume she'd be fine with you making your own meals. In fact, I tend to cook most of the meals in the house now, otherwise we all cook for ourselves.
I use a food scale (uses AAA batteries) that I bought at a local drug store, London Drugs if you are in the West is where I bought mine. It's Seltar brand I think? Nothing amazing, I might replace it in the future (it will be my 3rd if I do replace it though) with something from amazon that weighs liquids and solids. If I'm eating restaurant/fast food though I don't weigh it. I just get the nutritional info from the website.
Healthiness of the food doesn't really matter for weight loss. If you eat at a caloric deficit you will lose weight. Your goal though is awfully low for a male. Especially a young male. I eat more food than you as a slightly older female, and my goal is also weight loss. But considering you don't really make your own food and use random entries for certain things you may well be eating muhc more than you log. I don't really understand how living with others means being unable to cook for yourself, so if weight loss is really a priority then I'd say make it a priority to learn to cook. I had to force myself to get over my fear of touching raw meat, and it was actually not nearly as gross as I imagined it would be.0 -
I'm not putting your tip down since it's working for you. But for me personally, I think I'd probably assume "oh, that's covered...and so is that..." and then just keep nibbling. I might actually eat more than the calories I'd put up at the beginning of the day as an assumption.
"Psyching myself out" just doesn't work very well. Actual counting works much better for me. I also don't take lots of "bites" and "nibbles" without an actual meal attached - so I just count the entire meal, which is measured.0 -
I do measure and weigh everything I eat unless it's legitimately a small piece (e.g. one popcorn kernel) which does not slow down weight loss.
If you are finding that you snack enough on non-logged things that it affects your weight loss, either lower your goal or actually log those things?
Quick-add is only optional when I'm eating something that I legitimately have no caloric info for and am guessing the calories based off of similar items.
I wish I can be like you, but I'm not my own cook and I can't change that fact. I'd rather do my method since I have an option to quick add any number of calories I desire. Thanks for your comment!
You're an 18 year old male, so old enough to have learned or to learn how to cook. Is there a cognitive or physical disability preventing you from cooking? I'd assume that if you can use a computer then you can probably do your own cooking pretty easily.
Even so, I don't see the issue in guesstimating the weight/measurement of foods you eat if you didn't cook them. I've done that e.g. on Thanksgiving (october for Canadians), I have done it at parties, even if my parents were to bake the meat and boil the carbs I'd just then weigh the portion I choose to eat.
Lowering your caloric goal might be worth doing if you don't lose weight while logging accurately.
ETA obviously not trying to pry if there actually is a legit reason for being unable to prepare your own foods. If someone else is preparing things for you, then just ask them to weigh or measure things for you so you can enter them into MFP?
Also, the reason you're likely plateauing/not seeing results is due to using generic entries in the database. Like homemade items, I'm assuming these are not your recipes. This will easily throw off your caloric intake by a few hundred cals if not more.
I love your answer, I can use an advice like that. About the cooking. I'm an 18 year old student with siblings. I cannot force my mother to weigh everything as that will increase the work load burden on her. As for the food choices, I choose to eat the healthiest choices on the table. If I could, I would choose the dinners I eat, the condiments used, and single ingredient foods. Now, if I lived alone, that would be a different story. I wouldn't have the audacity to make excuses about not being able to cook. Even now, I'm trying hard to learn how to cook simple things at least. Thanks again for your answer. Can I ask, what tool do you use to measure your food and how do you deal with slightly oily foods like Kentucky chicken (a bad example; I know)?
Ps. I'm Canadian.
I live with my parents and I make my own food? If you're concerned with your mother having more work by weighing food that she cooks, then I assume she'd be fine with you making your own meals. In fact, I tend to cook most of the meals in the house now, otherwise we all cook for ourselves.
I use a food scale (uses AAA batteries) that I bought at a local drug store, London Drugs if you are in the West is where I bought mine. It's Seltar brand I think? Nothing amazing, I might replace it in the future (it will be my 3rd if I do replace it though) with something from amazon that weighs liquids and solids. If I'm eating restaurant/fast food though I don't weigh it. I just get the nutritional info from the website.
Healthiness of the food doesn't really matter for weight loss. If you eat at a caloric deficit you will lose weight. Your goal though is awfully low for a male. Especially a young male. I eat more food than you as a slightly older female, and my goal is also weight loss. But considering you don't really make your own food and use random entries for certain things you may well be eating muhc more than you log. I don't really understand how living with others means being unable to cook for yourself, so if weight loss is really a priority then I'd say make it a priority to learn to cook. I had to force myself to get over my fear of touching raw meat, and it was actually not nearly as gross as I imagined it would be.
There are certain circumstances that won't allow me to cook the meals. You wouldn't understand since its personal. However, concerning my weight loss goals, I'm probably shorter than you, and weigh less than you (140 lbs), that probably explains why my calorie intake is lower than yours. My BMR is calculated at the scoobysworkshop website. So it should be accurate. I'll take a look at London Drugs and see what they've got. Thanks!0 -
Unless you're like 120lbs, your goal is really really low for a male. If you cannot cook the meals then be part of hte meal prep and weigh ingredients/food then. Create a recipe for foods. Otherwise do your best to estimate calories, but it will not be as accurate.
At 140lbs, not including exercise, you could probably eat 1850 calories to lose ~4lbs/month.
Bed Bath & Beyond also has scales, but they didn't have scales that weigh liquids so i didn't buy one there. Canadian Tire also has some, many places have them really. Otherwise, amazon is a place to check out.0 -
I DO weigh and measure everything. Quick add would only be used if I had no clue to the caloric value I was eating and in that case I would be over estimating.-5
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I tend to use quick-add for foods I don't want to see again in my recent foods list. Like a gross chocolate squeeze pack I received in my Birchbox recently. I have no use for seeing that entry in my recent foods ever again.0
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I generally only use quick add as way to estimate until I am able to input a recipe. Made some baked oatmeal last night, tried a bit to make sure it tasted good enough to share, but didn't input the recipe right away. Did a quick add of 200 until I was able to put in the recipe and find that it was actually only 170. Speaking as a mother, if you want to be accurate and lose weight, help your mother cook. And if you aren't there while she is cooking ask her to write down her recipes or save the boxes from packaged foods. At 18 years old you need to take on some responsibilty for your self and stop finding excuses to not log appropriately0
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I generally only use quick add as way to estimate until I am able to input a recipe. Made some baked oatmeal last night, tried a bit to make sure it tasted good enough to share, but didn't input the recipe right away. Did a quick add of 200 until I was able to put in the recipe and find that it was actually only 170. Speaking as a mother, if you want to be accurate and lose weight, help your mother cook. And if you aren't there while she is cooking ask her to write down her recipes or save the boxes from packaged foods. At 18 years old you need to take on some responsibilty for your self and stop finding excuses to not log appropriately
Thanks for the tip. I am learning to cook. The best I can do SO FAR is cook rice, boil eggs, make steamed vegetables, and that's about it. Cooking meat is hard, so it'll take me time to learn how. I've never the recipe feature before. It sounds useful.0 -
Completely agree with helping Mom to cook. However I don't know if it's just my family, but it would be considered sooo rude to not eat something Mom has prepared because of some diet. Wouldn't that make us one of those annoying dieters that can't eat *anything* because of their silly rules?0
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Completely agree with helping Mom to cook. However I don't know if it's just my family, but it would be considered sooo rude to not eat something Mom has prepared because of some diet. Wouldn't that make us one of those annoying dieters that can't eat *anything* because of their silly rules?
Finally, someone understands the psychological issue. And so, I'll leave a 100 cal estimate and change it accordingly.0
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