Look at my Diary please. Should I be losing? Feeling discouraged.

spicy618
spicy618 Posts: 2,114 Member
edited November 2024 in Introduce Yourself
Hi all,

I feel that I've been doing a really good job of staying within my calories most weeks, for the last 2 months. I'm trying to lose at least 20 lbs. 30 would be great. I'm not in much of a hurry, but it would be nice to accomplish that within 6 months from now. I'm trying to average 1/2 a lb. a week.

I'm 46, 5'4", 161 lbs. on Sept 15. I've been trying to gauge any loss by the fit of my clothes, however, I can't tell a difference.

I rarely weigh myself, because I let it depress me and feel like i'm getting nowhere. I've calculated my TDEE at 1890 and have set my calories at 1451. I haven't worked out for a couple weeks, but I usually average 3 time a week (rollerblading, elliptical and walking). When you look at my diary i'm usually over 1450 but I've set this lower, so when I'm over, I still have a deficit... lol, tricks that help me. :)

Anyway, do you guys think I've calculated my TDEE correctly? Does my diary look like a person who will lose .5 lb a week?

Thank you very much for taking the time to view my diary. :D

BTW, I have pretty thick skin, so I can handle the TRUTH. ;)





Replies

  • ASG_21
    ASG_21 Posts: 82 Member
    I checked out your diary for a bit over a week back... And from what I can see, I personally don't think you're logging accurately at all.

    I see a ton of generic entries (Homemade, Generic) and entries that are measured in volume (1/2 cup, 1 cup) rather than weight. Picking a random entry from the database that is generic or someone else's homemade meal is definitely not an accurate measurement for your own meals.

    Do you own a food scale? I do see a few things measured in ounces and grams, but not many, and it honestly looks more like you're guessing at their weight because each entry of that particular item has the exact same amount of grams.

    You also eat out or eat pre-made grocery store meals for almost all of your meals, as far as I can tell (Red Lobster, pizza, philly cheesesteak, etc). Not only are you guessing at some of the food calories, restaurant nutrition information can be off by a significant amount. Keep in mind that they aren't actually weighing the serving they give you, and you might get up to 25% more food than what is in their nutrition info.

    My advice would be to try to eat your own cooked meals more often, use your own recipes by creating them with the recipe builder. Weigh all of the solids and measure all of the caloric liquids in ounces, milliliters, grams, whatever your preference may be.

    Best of luck!
  • spicy618
    spicy618 Posts: 2,114 Member
    Hi and thanks ASG.
    I do have a food scale and I thought I used it often. lol I really dislike cooking.

    My mom loves to cook and I have to estimate those because I didn't cook them, that's when I use the restaurant entries. However, the Philly Cheesesteak it was an 8" sandwich and I ate less than half of it and recorded it as 5". I always over estimate to cover myself.

    If I entered a small chili from wendy's. I only had half the serving (used some of it to pour over my baked potato). Potato, I removed from the tray and weighed it... and added extra to the information from there website when I entered in the journal . The Pizza I also weighed (I try to eat the same amount so I can use the same entry).

    I really do, have to cook more. Thanks a bunch for your pointers and for checking out my diary.
  • spicy618
    spicy618 Posts: 2,114 Member
    :)
  • RaspberryTickleChicken
    RaspberryTickleChicken Posts: 629 Member
    If you are a sucker for data like me, here's a recent study indicating cooking / eating at home's impact on weight loss: sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/11/141117084711.htm

    And 'cooking at home' doesn't mean a HUGE production. Personally I hate cooking but I can do it once a week (Sunday). I make a huge batch of flavored packed grilled skinless chicken & stir fry veggies for the entire week. Every night, I warm up some. Easy, healthy, quick, ZERO fuss! :D

    If you are serious about making a change in your life, really try to see what you can adapt to work for you. A lot of times it's about being creative in incorporating healthy habits.

    Best of luck to you!
  • spicy618
    spicy618 Posts: 2,114 Member
    Thank you Raspberry. Good advice. I will start slowly. :)
  • spicy618
    spicy618 Posts: 2,114 Member
    <3
  • amdigsmed
    amdigsmed Posts: 1
    Maybe you can also benefit from looking at the composition of your calories. You seem to go over on carbs most days but way under your protein target... Protein is important for your body and it helps fill you up in a different way than carbs does. I'm not saying you should skip carbs, because, obviously, those are also very important, but it's important to consider that your calories should come from a balanced diet of carb-, fat- and protein-sources. :) Anyway, that's just my two cents. :)
  • spicy618
    spicy618 Posts: 2,114 Member
    amdigsmed wrote: »
    Maybe you can also benefit from looking at the composition of your calories. You seem to go over on carbs most days but way under your protein target... Protein is important for your body and it helps fill you up in a different way than carbs does. I'm not saying you should skip carbs, because, obviously, those are also very important, but it's important to consider that your calories should come from a balanced diet of carb-, fat- and protein-sources. :) Anyway, that's just my two cents. :)

    Much appreciated.
    Yes, you are so right. I've always struggled with Protein. I have to drink protein shakes to reach it and then I have to exercise to stay within my calories... lol


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