Logging accuracy, consistency, and you're probably eating more than you think.
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My digital food scale arrived yesterday. It's easy to use. I've been way off in my estimates of portion sizes. The scale is going to keep me honest. No more fooling myself.2
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On the subject of MFP over estimating the calorie burn, I found this to be very true in my daily journaling. I bought a Polar Heart Rate Monitor, which gives me the heart rate range I should be in and calories burned. I find this HRM to be very accurate.0
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Great post!! Thank you!0
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I have a question. Being new to this mfp. The set caloric intake for my goal weight... do I need to eat less than that or as close without going over it as possible? Also when I log exercising times it adds extra calories for me to eat... should I eat those extra or stick with my originally set calories
When you set your goals, it would have asked you how much you want to lose, and would have factored that in - so the goal is what you need to eat to (and still lose weight). You should eat those exercise calorie back, but I would recommend only eating a percentage of them (say 50 - 75%) to allow for any over-estimates in the calculations.
See how you go and after a while, assess the trend (look at trends as water weight can confuse things) to see if your loss is at a reasonable rate.
Question on this please.. I did NS for 3 mos where most was portioned for me and they said eat 1500 cal a day.. Did that and in 3 mos only lost 3 pounds. But I didn't work out often
Now I am eating fresh healthy foods and mixing in what NS foods I have left over. And by doing all calorie counts and charts I came at 1400 cal a day not 1500 so I adjusted. I work out 3-4 times a week now cardio and circuits and only skip days I am super sore,
My question is I don't weigh everything but I leave 300-400 calories in the green daily to make up for any errors. I am down in the last month 5 pounds. Is this a good way or is it going to bite me later??
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khanskitty wrote: »I have a question. Being new to this mfp. The set caloric intake for my goal weight... do I need to eat less than that or as close without going over it as possible? Also when I log exercising times it adds extra calories for me to eat... should I eat those extra or stick with my originally set calories
When you set your goals, it would have asked you how much you want to lose, and would have factored that in - so the goal is what you need to eat to (and still lose weight). You should eat those exercise calorie back, but I would recommend only eating a percentage of them (say 50 - 75%) to allow for any over-estimates in the calculations.
See how you go and after a while, assess the trend (look at trends as water weight can confuse things) to see if your loss is at a reasonable rate.
Question on this please.. I did NS for 3 mos where most was portioned for me and they said eat 1500 cal a day.. Did that and in 3 mos only lost 3 pounds. But I didn't work out often
Now I am eating fresh healthy foods and mixing in what NS foods I have left over. And by doing all calorie counts and charts I came at 1400 cal a day not 1500 so I adjusted. I work out 3-4 times a week now cardio and circuits and only skip days I am super sore,
My question is I don't weigh everything but I leave 300-400 calories in the green daily to make up for any errors. I am down in the last month 5 pounds. Is this a good way or is it going to bite me later??
If this is a sustainable method for you and you are getting results that align well with your expectations then it's probably fine.
The key is to observe your results and react accordingly. So for example if you end up stalling out for an extended period of time then there's a chance you need to further reduce calories.
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Thank you! Teaching my self healthy eating and portions and want to make sure I am on the right path0
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Thanks for the info! Saving the links to read later!0
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I needed to read this today. Thanks for posting.0
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Great Post....Thanks
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I had a shock when I accidentally logged the oil I was using. I wasn't taking it in to account and was shocked at the calories in it. I'll be logging my use of coconut oil, butter and extra virgin olive oil from now on!0
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Just a note too, something a buddy and myself both do that seems to help with logging.
I always round food up, and exercise down.
If i eat an orange, i choose "large orange", regardless if it's small or not.
If i swam a mile and it says that i burned 800 calories, i record it as 400.
For me this err's on the side that i want to be on. The true 'accuracy' for me is not important, it's more about being near my goal and maintaining the deficit, and this seems to work.1 -
I know my logging is not perfect although I do usually try to measure most things. BUT, because I am trying to lose weight, if I am not sure of the exact amount, I try to OVER estimate on purpose. That way, I will always stay under my calorie goal for the day. I also allow myself a splurge one in awhile (I have a weakness for Freddy's frozen custard) but I still log it honestly and tell myself it is ok to be over once in a while as long as I don't make it a habit!
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I try to be as accurate as possible but what about when you eat meals that are prepared by someone else? I am talking about when my husband ( who cooks during the week) cooks a meal from scratch. This also happens when we eat at a non chain restaurant or buy baked goods from our local farmers market. I just try to find something that I think is comparable in the database and use that instead.0
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If It is a special occasion I will not log because we usually eat at our favorite asian buffet and the have cake or whatever afterwards. It is a big cheat meal for me, but as long as I am losing weight overall it is okay.0
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That is what I use too. I do not think that the calorie estimator is accurate. It is way off from what my HRM reads.On the subject of MFP over estimating the calorie burn, I found this to be very true in my daily journaling. I bought a Polar Heart Rate Monitor, which gives me the heart rate range I should be in and calories burned. I find this HRM to be very accurate.
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I agree that this is very good information to adhere to.0
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This is and has been one of my biggest challenges. I think I track everything pretty well, but my measurements and weight doesn't lie. I have since invested in a scale and I am trying to weight everything, but this can be very difficult at times.0
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I wish someone would just invent an App that you could just take a picture of your plate and it would figure out all the portion sizes for you!0
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MFP needs to have a log in for supplements too. I take a CLA supplement everyday and a pre-workout supplement when I workout and they both have calories, I haven't been adding them but after reading this I probably will. Maybe as a "snack"? Lol.0
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I'm loving this, joined a while back but never used it. Sisters wedding coming up and have a dress which is crying for me to wear it. Have counted all of my calories this week accurately and haven't cheated once. Did at least 20 minutes exercise each day and have lost 3lbs this week.
YAY! However, I am so sick of weightwatchers meals, any other ideas (and don't tell me to cook- it WILL be the end of me)! 
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