Trouble Losing Weight: too few calories?

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  • higgins8283801
    higgins8283801 Posts: 844 Member
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    I log everything.

    I cannot not log. I tried and failed. I have to hold myself accountable, and logging does that. If I don't, I forget snacks, or sides and my guesswork is way off.

    I am in maintenance now and will be a logger for life.

    Some people don't have to log and are great it, others have to.

    I don't call my days I eat a little more as cheating. I eat at a slight deficit all week, and go a little over maintenance on weekends.
  • uvi5
    uvi5 Posts: 710 Member
    edited February 2015
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    futuremanda wrote: »
    "Maybe a food scale is in my future. :/ "



    A food scale should definitely be in your future! It doesn't have to be expensive. And digital is maybe a bit less hassle. Get whatever you like. It takes a bit of adjusting to, at first, but I promise it gets easier.

    And it's *so much better* because you'll be eating what you think you're eating, so there will be a lot less frustration.

    Agree with others about the 1200 -- do what MFP thinks. There's no, like, magic number that is good for "someone who is obese." And actually, the more you weigh, the more you can eat and still lose at a good clip!

    Someone posted this the other day and I thought it was a really great example of what a food scale could do for you:


    That is quite enlightening! Thank you for sharing the video on the difference with using the scale. I'm glad I got my scale.

    Edited: removed the video, so as not to double post it:)
  • Panda_Poptarts
    Panda_Poptarts Posts: 971 Member
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    farfromthetree wrote: »
    You have to up your daily calories if you are going to be accurate with your logging. Eating 1200 calories/day is too low and will cause you to binge. When I put your stats into the scooby calculator (weight, sex, age, I guessed your height) It said your goal should be 1900 and that was an AGRESSIVE weight loss. You need to be more realistic about this daily goal or you wont last. PLEASE think about this...Do 1500 or 1600, but not 1200.
    I would eat half your exercise calories back too.

    I was showing 2600 on that calculator. Which seems insane. I'm 5'11, lightly active.

    I'll bump it up. I have an obsession with being "UNDER" the goal I set. So I put in 1400 as my MFP goal, and scrape 1200 so MFP doesn't say I'm eating too little. I'm sure this mindset is not psychologically healthy.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    You're not eating at a defecit

    Good on you for buying a scale

    What do you eat and drink at the restaurant that's only 800 cals?
  • Panda_Poptarts
    Panda_Poptarts Posts: 971 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    You're not eating at a defecit

    Good on you for buying a scale

    What do you eat and drink at the restaurant that's only 800 cals?

    Depends on what we are doing. I might order an egg roll and have it with a salad, for example. I have been staying 100% away from soda. I'll order a 6oz steak and bring some home. Etc.

    I still think the guestimating has been a problem. Hoping a scale helps :)

  • Panda_Poptarts
    Panda_Poptarts Posts: 971 Member
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    britishbroccoli wrote: »
    jessicaesqueda0409 wrote: »
    I am currently shooting for 1200 calories a day (except for once a week, which is a day I don't usually log), with a maximum of 1400. One of the doctors I work with said this is the best way to lose weight for someone who is obese.

    If every day for 1 week you eat 1,400 max except one day you don't log at all, you could be eating your deficit on that one day. It looks like, from your other posts, that you're not using a food scale +1 from me on using a food scale! It is so much easier than guessing or measuring (ever try to measure walnuts? Frozen broccoli florets? What a pain.

    Unfortunately, eating too few calories does not cause weight maintenance or weight gain.

    Unfortunately being the key word here.

    So, the critics agree-- a food scale is a good step :)
  • emilyGPK
    emilyGPK Posts: 83 Member
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    I don't think you need to always weigh everything. But weighing everything for a few weeks taught me how delusional my rough estimates had been. Since then my guesstimates have been far more accurate
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    emilyGPK wrote: »
    I don't think you need to always weigh everything. But weighing everything for a few weeks taught me how delusional my rough estimates had been. Since then my guesstimates have been far more accurate
    I agree.
  • chloeharris81
    chloeharris81 Posts: 1
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    I will say when I first started this 2 yrs ago I literally only ate the serving size of foods I cooked at home (I.e 1 serving of fries was 21, 1 serving of breakfast sausages was 2 etc ) and I logged what I ate at work for lunch kept it under 400 calories even though it was processed and ate dinner on a saucer. I worked out 3 times a week at home to Jillian Michaels and lost 20 lbs in 2 months. I stayed under my daily calories suggested by this app and the first month I hit a stand still. Sometimes you have to change up your routine because your body gets used to it and you plateau. Birth control pills will help with weight gain so you might have to put in a little extra work when working out I was on the pill then as well. I'm aware each person is different but i also have an unstable thyroid. So don't give up but definitely log every meal and good luck

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