Help with food logging-weighing

kmahany22
kmahany22 Posts: 3 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello!

I'm somewhat new here, I've been lurking around the forums for about a month. I've tried searching for the answer for my question, but can't really find anything. Just from reading the boards over the past few weeks I see that whenever someone posts that they aren't losing the first question is if they weigh their food. This is what brought me to my question:

I subscribed to a meal planning service through emeals and follow the low carb plan. We do the family size option in which each meal is 6 servings. So we will prepare dinner and I will split it 6 ways, have one serving for dinner and have another serving for lunch the next day. I'll enter the recipe into MFP and log 1 serving of the meal. My question is if this is accurate enough? or do I really need to weigh out all of the ingredients?

I've been doing pretty well, I have lost about 15lbs in the last month. I workout on my elliptical for 25 minutes 5-6 times a week, and I have dumbbells and a weight machine that I do 4 times a week. I just want to make sure I'm doing this the right way.

Thanks!

Replies

  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    kmahany22 wrote: »
    I've been doing pretty well, I have lost about 15lbs in the last month. I workout on my elliptical for 25 minutes 5-6 times a week, and I have dumbbells and a weight machine that I do 4 times a week. I just want to make sure I'm doing this the right way.
    This is the key point. You're losing weight. That tells me that what you're doing is working.

    There really is no "right" or "wrong" way to go about it. Eat less calories than you burn and you'll lose weight. Do whatever works for you as long as it's working. If your weight loss stalls, that would be the time to make changes.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    Do you have nutritional information on the meal as a whole that you're basing your logging from? If so, and you're seeing progress: keep doing what is working for you. If you're choosing a random recipe in the database that sounds sort of like what you're having, and indicating 1 serving: probably not the most useful method of food logging.
  • kmahany22
    kmahany22 Posts: 3 Member
    Thank you for that! the thing is I'm not sure if I have stalled. For the last week or so I weigh myself every morning and my weight will fluctuate between 5-7 pounds. I notice if I weigh the morning after a workout I will "gain" 5lbs...I take a day off and I "lose" the extra 5lbs. Maybe my problem is weighing every day. I'm thinking of just going a week or two and see where I end up.
  • kmahany22
    kmahany22 Posts: 3 Member
    StaciMarie1974 wrote: »
    Do you have nutritional information on the meal as a whole that you're basing your logging from? If so, and you're seeing progress: keep doing what is working for you. If you're choosing a random recipe in the database that sounds sort of like what you're having, and indicating 1 serving: probably not the most useful method of food logging.

    I get the recipe from emeals and enter the ingredients into MFP-then MFP matched the ingredients, so no I'm not choosing from the database. I have on some things, like when I eat out and choose something close.
  • r5d5
    r5d5 Posts: 219 Member
    Body weight fluctuates, sometimes drastically. I suggest tracking your weight per week over the course of a month. If the general trend is weight loss, you're on the right track :)
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    edited March 2015
    Body weight fluctuates. I'm a daily weigher - and if you can do this without having it drive you mad, it can be helpful long term. If you have 2-3 months of stats you'll see your body's natural rhythm, such as how & when water weight increases due to your monthly cycle. We're also affected by sodium intake, stress, lake of sleep, and new workout routine: all these can increase water weight temporarily.

    Or more generally, if you weigh less today than you did a month ago: trend is downward. Don't compare weight day to day or even week to week. Look back a month.
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