Logging accuracy, consistency, and you're probably eating more than you think.
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This is very true. I find temptation in the office. There is always a candy bowl around. A life saver here, one cookie there adds up quickly.0
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I am looking for some advice....I finally have gotten on track with this weight loss journey, my head has finally caught up and I am determined to do this. I started wearing a bodymedia armband and getting a clearer picture of what I burn through the day, I have a desk job so I knew it would not be high but on average I burn about 2500. I started solid February 12th and have been tracking absolutely everything I put in my mouth and trying to be as honest as I can, I realize it won't be perfect especially when trying to track certain meals but I weighed in February 12th and as of February 27th I had lost 4 pounds and thought awesome I am finally on track, I proved to myself I was my own worst enemy before and not really be true to the process. I started adding in the exercise and about 90% of the time I am in a deficit of between 5600 and 7600 per 7 days. Since Feb 12th I went from 222.8 to currently 217.8....why am I not losing more?? the last 7 days from the 16th of March 16th of 22nd I was in a total deficit of 7347 and my weight remained the same when I weighed in on the 23rd.
It is normal that I would stay so early? I am eating between 1500-1600 per day and this week I dropped it down to 1450 to see if that made a difference but that would my deficit would be quit large.
Anyways, your advice and suggestions are welcome at what I should be looking at. I do realize I need to "clean" up my food still but I am very much trying to keep what I eat, good back and the ugly into my calories and not going outside of my budget.0 -
SkinnyWannabe30 wrote: »I am looking for some advice....I finally have gotten on track with this weight loss journey, my head has finally caught up and I am determined to do this. I started wearing a bodymedia armband and getting a clearer picture of what I burn through the day, I have a desk job so I knew it would not be high but on average I burn about 2500. I started solid February 12th and have been tracking absolutely everything I put in my mouth and trying to be as honest as I can, I realize it won't be perfect especially when trying to track certain meals but I weighed in February 12th and as of February 27th I had lost 4 pounds and thought awesome I am finally on track, I proved to myself I was my own worst enemy before and not really be true to the process. I started adding in the exercise and about 90% of the time I am in a deficit of between 5600 and 7600 per 7 days. Since Feb 12th I went from 222.8 to currently 217.8....why am I not losing more?? the last 7 days from the 16th of March 16th of 22nd I was in a total deficit of 7347 and my weight remained the same when I weighed in on the 23rd.
It is normal that I would stay so early? I am eating between 1500-1600 per day and this week I dropped it down to 1450 to see if that made a difference but that would my deficit would be quit large.
Anyways, your advice and suggestions are welcome at what I should be looking at. I do realize I need to "clean" up my food still but I am very much trying to keep what I eat, good back and the ugly into my calories and not going outside of my budget.
One week of not losing is normal. However, you're not using a food scale and you have many generic database entries in your diary (yogurt and cottage cheese 68 calories? How much of each? The yogurt I eat every morning is twice those calories). You're easily eating more than you think. Check out the threads Calorie Counting 101, Sexypants, and Logging Accurately for some more tips.0 -
thanks for the response Malibu. some of the items you see are recipes I entered so the yogurt and cottage cheese I blend and make four servings and have entered that in a recipe and then just enter into my diary for example at breakfast so I am actually entering the brands and amounts in the recipe if that makes sense?
I just didn't think it was normal to not lose so quickly after having a deficit from eating so much over the years but if its normal then great I will keep going!0 -
Too bad that the original post is to wordy for a t-shirt. Love to have one!0
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Okay, question here. Please understand I'm only just getting started again, and I'm a bit defensive at this point because I've had this experience in the past - not losing even when logging. However, I've been seeing posts about how using a scale for everything does NOT mean you are accurately logging. Well, then, how exactly are you supposed to measure your intakes? Is there some other method I don't know of? I'm measuring and weighing everything (tedious, but the only way to be scientific about this), and I just want to know if that isn't considered "accurate" enough. What is considered accurate logging, then?0
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What should I be putting as my nutrition goals to lose weight (percentages)?0
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Basically being untruthful in logging your intake will only delay or stop your weight loss. Your hurting yourself.0
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ItsMzGray2U wrote: »It is very easy to understate intake, even when you are being as diligent as possible. I know I do it and when I log, I am pretty careful with trying to be accurate.
I am like you. BTW...congrats on your journey to a better you. Some of us can only hope that we can lose this weight, let alone look as good as you do when we are done.
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rettmom97045 wrote: »Okay, question here. Please understand I'm only just getting started again, and I'm a bit defensive at this point because I've had this experience in the past - not losing even when logging. However, I've been seeing posts about how using a scale for everything does NOT mean you are accurately logging. Well, then, how exactly are you supposed to measure your intakes? Is there some other method I don't know of? I'm measuring and weighing everything (tedious, but the only way to be scientific about this), and I just want to know if that isn't considered "accurate" enough. What is considered accurate logging, then?
I've seen those types of posts also. They are usually claiming that because there are errors in nutrition labeling or the MFP entry, or small errors in the food scale, you can never be perfectly accurate weighing food. Therefore you should not weigh food. Then they make some circular argument about how you should eat or track that is just CICO in a more complicated or restrictive form.
Of course what they are really talking about is precision, not accuracy. A food scale result for a specific food is accurate if all the values are centered around the "true" answer. Some may be high, others low, but it all balances out in the end. More precise results, through more correct labels or a more expensive, precise scale, will reduce those errors so the grouping of answers is more tight around the "true" answer. But that doesn't make it more correct. I think a food scale is the most accurate method for tracking food at home.
While I have seen people lose weight without weighing, or even tracking, their food, I am not one who can do that. I need to be able to know what I ate as accurately as possible, which is what a food scale allows me to do. I accept that it is not perfectly accurate because nothing is. However it is accurate enough. The calories I consume, according to my scale, match very well with my actual weight loss. That's all the proof I need.
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rettmom97045 wrote: »Okay, question here. Please understand I'm only just getting started again, and I'm a bit defensive at this point because I've had this experience in the past - not losing even when logging. However, I've been seeing posts about how using a scale for everything does NOT mean you are accurately logging. Well, then, how exactly are you supposed to measure your intakes? Is there some other method I don't know of? I'm measuring and weighing everything (tedious, but the only way to be scientific about this), and I just want to know if that isn't considered "accurate" enough. What is considered accurate logging, then?
While a food scale does help a lot with accuracy, you also have to make sure that the entries that you use are correct. The database has a lot of entries that are put in by other users. Some are off by a few calories, some are off by several hundred. I think the worst one I seen on here was an 8oz steak for less than 100 calories.
Even if you use the barcode scanner, the best thing to do is to double check the NI on the box with what is in the database. There is also a really good thread that goes over how to find the most accurate entries in the database.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
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I'm quite new to logging foods, but how important is it to log everything even if they are not major sources of calories?
For instance, this morning I had a single serving of yogurt, a couple over easy eggs, and a piece of toast with Becel on it. Those got added, but I left off salt, pepper and some Tabasco on the eggs. It won't affect the calories AFAIK, but it definitely does leave me underreporting sodium which I'm consistently over on anyway. For other meals I generally don't use much in the way of creamy sauces but I do use S&P and various seasonings (or make my own out of herbs), and they would be a huge PITA to enter manually. If I'm not that worried about sodium intake (my BP is quite low), is there a weight loss/gain benefit to really tracking those things in fine detail?0 -
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Ive been logging everything. I cook at home only and if I use black pepper, garlic power and coconut oil to cook then I log it all individually instead of just putting chicken. I list all I used tycoon and seasoning. I've been put different seasonings in the log to see the calorie amount then deleting just to compare where they stand against each other then choosing which seasoning to go with. If anyone has advice with cooking methods and seasonings please let me know. It is also confusing. Thanks in advance to any responses.0
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Great post and very informative. We are all human and will make some mistakes. My biggest issue is not always realizing portion sizes since many times the portion or serving size is smaller than we want it to be.
What I do to help counter these overages is to NOT log my walks at lunch during work and some other various activities that certainly do burn calories but I don't log them. I always go under/conservative on calorie burning counts for workouts like rowing, running, strength training, etc. I reckon these two things cancel each other out for the most part. Alls I know is that staying active and being reasonably strict with my diet has helped me stay right around 175-178 pounds which is perfect for me. If anything I'm trying to bulk up a bit with more weight lifting over the last 3-4 months.
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Plateaued now for 2 weeks, read the above blogs and I think that's what's happened . The odd spoonful here, odd mouthful there and not logged. Need to get rid of the habits again x0
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Thanks for the great advice. I am so guilty either I don't eat up all my calories or I don't log everything I consume or I can go days without logging. #no bueno
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At times I am so accurate that when I add food to my diary, I add each and every ingredient separately. For instance, chicken, vinegar, red chili powder, 1 g cabbage, etc. The calories in one serving goes up to 350 at times whereas the database shows 200 calorie in the same food.
Despite being accurate, I have hit my plateau and it's really annonying!
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SkinnyWannabe30 wrote: »I am looking for some advice....I finally have gotten on track with this weight loss journey, my head has finally caught up and I am determined to do this. I started wearing a bodymedia armband and getting a clearer picture of what I burn through the day, I have a desk job so I knew it would not be high but on average I burn about 2500. I started solid February 12th and have been tracking absolutely everything I put in my mouth and trying to be as honest as I can, I realize it won't be perfect especially when trying to track certain meals but I weighed in February 12th and as of February 27th I had lost 4 pounds and thought awesome I am finally on track, I proved to myself I was my own worst enemy before and not really be true to the process. I started adding in the exercise and about 90% of the time I am in a deficit of between 5600 and 7600 per 7 days. Since Feb 12th I went from 222.8 to currently 217.8....why am I not losing more?? the last 7 days from the 16th of March 16th of 22nd I was in a total deficit of 7347 and my weight remained the same when I weighed in on the 23rd.
It is normal that I would stay so early? I am eating between 1500-1600 per day and this week I dropped it down to 1450 to see if that made a difference but that would my deficit would be quit large.
Anyways, your advice and suggestions are welcome at what I should be looking at. I do realize I need to "clean" up my food still but I am very much trying to keep what I eat, good back and the ugly into my calories and not going outside of my budget.
Maybe it's water weight? Are you weighing yourself the same time, preferably in the mornings? Are you weighing after you've eaten? Are you gaining muscle? Are you sneaking candy, sugar, carbs, adding extra sugar to your tea? Little things add up. At least that's what I believe my problem is.
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SkinnyWannabe30 wrote: »I am looking for some advice....I finally have gotten on track with this weight loss journey, my head has finally caught up and I am determined to do this. I started wearing a bodymedia armband and getting a clearer picture of what I burn through the day, I have a desk job so I knew it would not be high but on average I burn about 2500. I started solid February 12th and have been tracking absolutely everything I put in my mouth and trying to be as honest as I can, I realize it won't be perfect especially when trying to track certain meals but I weighed in February 12th and as of February 27th I had lost 4 pounds and thought awesome I am finally on track, I proved to myself I was my own worst enemy before and not really be true to the process. I started adding in the exercise and about 90% of the time I am in a deficit of between 5600 and 7600 per 7 days. Since Feb 12th I went from 222.8 to currently 217.8....why am I not losing more?? the last 7 days from the 16th of March 16th of 22nd I was in a total deficit of 7347 and my weight remained the same when I weighed in on the 23rd.
It is normal that I would stay so early? I am eating between 1500-1600 per day and this week I dropped it down to 1450 to see if that made a difference but that would my deficit would be quit large.
Anyways, your advice and suggestions are welcome at what I should be looking at. I do realize I need to "clean" up my food still but I am very much trying to keep what I eat, good back and the ugly into my calories and not going outside of my budget.
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Maybe it's water weight? Are you weighing yourself the same time, preferably in the mornings? Are you weighing after you've eaten? Are you gaining muscle? Are you sneaking candy, sugar, carbs, adding extra sugar to your tea? Little things add up. At least that's what I believe my problem is.0
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Hi I dont know if i'm at the right place to ask this but I was wondering if after calculating the calories I ate, I still end up with calories left over, if its ok not to eat the number it says or I should eat the 200 or 300 calories left? My example: 1200 calories a day - 400 calories from working out = 1600...but after calculating everything I ate there's 300 calories left...
Thanks I hope this is clear. 0 -
I'm amazed by the people being off by over 400 kcal as stated in the first post! That is more than an entire meal for me. How could anyone log that badly? That's like accidentally consuming 4 eggs and a whopping dollop of cream cheese.0
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once you lose the weight you want, and continue to keep losing you'll remember and notice a pattern in how big your portion sizes are. Until you reach that point you should log EVERYTHING and if in doubt always over-estimate. If you are still hungry after a day that you are more physical than you have put down in your weight-loss plan on here then reach for something in the hundred calorie range with lots a fiber (like an orange). Always ask yourself how hungry you are and if you say i'm so hungry I can eat celery...i'd say you are pretty hungry. Don't starve yourself, learn your portions and your body will learn them too. I lost 36lbs in 4 months from just reading my body for what it needed.0
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I try to make sure I record foods properly because it helps keep me on track and also make sure I eat healthier foods with good ingredients0
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I'm amazed by the people being off by over 400 kcal as stated in the first post! That is more than an entire meal for me. How could anyone log that badly? That's like accidentally consuming 4 eggs and a whopping dollop of cream cheese.
It is not that hard if you are not weighing/measuring your food and have no concept of how small some serving sizes are.
A 'normal' bowl of cereal to me is 2 servings - that's about 200 calories or so just there
A serving of peanut butter is pretty small - another possible 200 calories if you mess up the size (e.g. use a heaped tbs).
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melissalu4 wrote: »Hi I dont know if i'm at the right place to ask this but I was wondering if after calculating the calories I ate, I still end up with calories left over, if its ok not to eat the number it says or I should eat the 200 or 300 calories left? My example: 1200 calories a day - 400 calories from working out = 1600...but after calculating everything I ate there's 300 calories left...
Thanks I hope this is clear.
It honestly depends. If its a one off, no biggie. If its happening all the time, then it really depends on, among other things, how far off certain macros you are, the size of your deficit, hunger levels, what the rest of your diet looks like.0 -
xxZealousxx wrote: »At times I am so accurate that when I add food to my diary, I add each and every ingredient separately. For instance, chicken, vinegar, red chili powder, 1 g cabbage, etc. The calories in one serving goes up to 350 at times whereas the database shows 200 calorie in the same food.
Despite being accurate, I have hit my plateau and it's really annonying!
How long has your weight stalled for and have you changed your activity levels recently? How much did you lose up to that point?0 -
I'm quite new to logging foods, but how important is it to log everything even if they are not major sources of calories?
For instance, this morning I had a single serving of yogurt, a couple over easy eggs, and a piece of toast with Becel on it. Those got added, but I left off salt, pepper and some Tabasco on the eggs. It won't affect the calories AFAIK, but it definitely does leave me underreporting sodium which I'm consistently over on anyway. For other meals I generally don't use much in the way of creamy sauces but I do use S&P and various seasonings (or make my own out of herbs), and they would be a huge PITA to enter manually. If I'm not that worried about sodium intake (my BP is quite low), is there a weight loss/gain benefit to really tracking those things in fine detail?
I never bother. The calories are so small that it will not impact results.0
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