Am I eating too much?

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  • Annie_01
    Annie_01 Posts: 3,096 Member
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    kaiiirogers94 wrote: »
    But what does weighing them do? I don't understand. And it says I've lost 20 pounds because I thought I was 290, but I weighed Sunday and I was actually 270

    How are you adding up your calories? Are you buying prepackaged food?

    An egg is simple to know the calories...a serving of chicken salad...not so much.

  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    kaiiirogers wrote:
    I'll weigh tonight and see what the scale says.
    If I haven't lost anything, I guess I will try to bump my calorie intake up
    :open_mouth::anguished::confused::unamused::warning:

    WHY would you eat _more_ if you're trying to lose weight and you haven't yet by eating however much you're
    currently eating??? That makes no sense at all. Eating more calories means you'll have more weight, not less.

    First, you need to measure what you're currently eating so you know where you're starting.
    Then, you need to eat less than that. Give it a couple weeks. If you're still not losing, eat less than that. Repeat.
  • Nyappykim
    Nyappykim Posts: 57 Member
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    kaiiirogers94 wrote: »
    But what does weighing them do? I don't understand. And it says I've lost 20 pounds because I thought I was 290, but I weighed Sunday and I was actually 270

    Weighing your food with a scale will be more precise. For example, let's say a serving size of something is 1tbsp (14g) = 80 calories. That means 14 grams of whatever that food is is 80 calories. If you just take a tablespoon and scoop up what you believe is a full tablespoon, and you actually weigh it and it turns out it's actually 16 grams, that's going to be about 91 calories. 11 extra calories may not seem like much, but it definitely adds up, especially if you have 2 or 3 servings of it. And if you continue to eyeball everything you eat in a day, you could unknowingly be consuming at least a couple hundred calories more than you think you are.
  • kaiiirogers94
    kaiiirogers94 Posts: 8 Member
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    Okay to clarify I said I would bump up the calorie intake because some people said I wasn't eating enough calories. :neutral: I am eating some prepackaged meals. I get the weighing the food now, thank you for clarifying that for me. I just weighed, and I think my scale is wrong. It's saying I'm 263 now. I guess it's time for a new one. Thank you everyone for your advice, I will definitely be making some changes to my diet.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    kaiiirogers94 wrote: »
    Okay to clarify I said I would bump up the calorie intake because some people said I wasn't eating enough calories. :neutral: I am eating some prepackaged meals. I get the weighing the food now, thank you for clarifying that for me. I just weighed, and I think my scale is wrong. It's saying I'm 263 now. I guess it's time for a new one. Thank you everyone for your advice, I will definitely be making some changes to my diet.

    Good luck. Get a good weigh in, take your measurements, and log really accurately using the food scale for a week or two. Eat the calories MFP gives you and see how you feel. If you have any other questions, ask! This should at least getting you headed toward success though.

  • JTGJTG
    JTGJTG Posts: 52 Member
    edited April 2015
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    That's not enough food. Your weight will go UP if you don't eat enough because your body goes into starvation-mode. If you need more calories, try a T of coconut oil before bedtime, and add some healthy fats during the day. Try *some* resistance exercise every day - legs one day, arms the next. Start with as simple as "wall pushups" (stand back from the wall and do a pushup as if you were prone instead of horizontal), or lifting a can of something over and over whenever a commercial comes on (for the duration of the commercials). Lose slowly so that your skin and body have a chance to adjust. None of us got overweight in three weeks; same for shedding it.

    Good luck!
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    @JTGJTG check out this link ;)

    http://www.aworkoutroutine.com/starvation-mode/
  • Abby2205
    Abby2205 Posts: 253 Member
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    JTGJTG wrote: »
    That's not enough food. Your weight will go UP if you don't eat enough because your body goes into starvation-mode.

    Oh for goodness' sake. Eating too little does not make a person gain weight. They would be creating mass out of thin air. And starving to death wouldn't exist.

    There are many good reasons not to excessively restrict calories, but "your weight will go up" is not one of them.

  • swimminginseattle
    swimminginseattle Posts: 21 Member
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    Listen to the advise being given. You are young and resetting your routines will be much easier now than in 30 years...which is about where I am. A couple of points:

    1. In this weight loss process you don't want to jump to the bare minimum of what you can eat, in fact eating as much as you can and still dropping weight is the best route to go. Long term thinking. I do not have to deprive myself, just need to eat well.
    2. Use counting calories constructively...no need for the boneless, skinless, dry-ish chicken for every meal the rest of your life. Enjoy your food...this is something that needs to be done for the rest of your life to maintain a healthy weight so start eating the way you could eat for the rest of your life.
    3. Some rules REALLY help. Weigh yourself often enough to gauge what is happening and WEIGH YOUR FOOD. Portion control, it's all about portion control.
    4. Find some sort of movement that you like. Anything, no rules here...just something you like enough to do.
    5. Love your self. You are capable of doing any sort of job you want, anything. Dream big and trust yourself to get there!!!
  • hollyrayburn
    hollyrayburn Posts: 905 Member
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    Generally a minimum of 1200 calories for women, and that's usually if they're small, short, and have a minimum Amount to lose. And are sedentary Use what MFP gave you.

    Buy a food scale. 20 bucks at Walmart. Weigh your food. When you log, look for entries in grams or ounces. It's amazing how inaccurate cups and spoons are. Give it a week or two, weigh yourself. Adjust as needed.

    Make sure you eat close to your goal. I mean no judgement here, but you(nor I!) became overweight by having to "make" ourselves eat 1000 calories.

    Good luck!
  • saruuhm
    saruuhm Posts: 71 Member
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    Anything under 1200 calories is a starvation diet. You're eating too little! I was eating 1200 calories and going to the gym and I started to look "skinny fat" but for a couple months I've had my calories set to 1700 and I've been losing weight and looking better!
    Food isn't your enemy :) I would stick with the number myfitnesspal has you and maybe play with the percentage! Like lower your carb and up your fat or protein
  • angelexperiment
    angelexperiment Posts: 1,917 Member
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    Hi there one if you are truly eating that low you will need to bump it up especially if you exercise. I made this mistake as well and stalled myself and created a metabolic damage by eating 500 to 1000 calories. For your weight 1400 to 1600 should ve good to lose weight and you need to readjust that as you lose every 10 lbs. I found xalorie cycling and xarb cycling work best for me. But I had to force myself to eat 5 x a day. Then I started to lose. My body got used to it and now I get hungry every 3 hours. Good luck op.
  • kozykondition1
    kozykondition1 Posts: 45 Member
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    kaiiirogers94 wrote: »
    Breakfast
    1 scrambled egg, cooked in olive oil

    Lunch
    Grilled chicken salad with no dressing

    Snack
    Apple

    Dinner
    Grilled chicken breast broccoli, and carrots.

    I only drink water.
    I log everything into my app and it usually falls about 980-1000 calories. But I still feel like I'm not making any progress because I eat all the time now. Can someone tell me if I am eating too or not enough, or a good amount?
    Thanks in advance.

    Honestly, that's a pretty well-balanced very low calorie diet. If your energy levels stay high and your doctor approves, it should be fine. If you feel you need to go over 1200, just add salad dressing to your lunch. That's all it will take.

    If you feel that your weight is preventing you from being employed, you should lose as fast as safe to get into a range where you'll have confidence for your job interviews. I've landed very good jobs weighing over 350 lbs.

    I would highly doubt that your scale went bad in two weeks. Six pounds is reasonable starting weight loss after two weeks @1,000 cal/day.

    I would suggest losing 10% of your starting weight (21 pounds to go!) and then get onto a more-reasonable meal and excercise plan. Oh, and there's nothing wrong with eating one meal-a-day!

    Good luck!
  • JonfromIndiana
    JonfromIndiana Posts: 34 Member
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    1000 Calories will cause your body to store fat. I started 3 years ago at 263lbs., I'm 5'8". I set my Starting calorie goal to 1400 calories and started walking every day. I started at 1 mile per day and worked up to 5 miles per day. I ate/eat a lot of high fiber foods,fish,chicken and any and all green vegetables. It takes time, belief in yourself, and encouragement from family and friends. You can do this :) BTW, I now weigh 155, I am in maintenance mode and eat 1900 calories a day. I still walk 5 miles per day. If I can do it, you can do it. "Good Luck"
  • plumppork
    plumppork Posts: 22 Member
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    I would change your settings to sedentary and for 2lbs a week. I would try to put some carbs in your meals a little cause if your anything like me.. chicken and veggies just won't keep me on track for long. I started making a big salad that will last a few days and then using half my plate for veggies/salad and then meat and maybe a bit of potato or something occasionally to make it more of a meal. With your new setting you should be able to do that and still have a little left for a low cal treat. Skinny cow drumsticks are my favorite! Remember we are all trying to conform for the long haul. Oh and my best tip; Late and night when you hear your pantry calling you... just go to bed! hahaha!
  • debsdoingthis
    debsdoingthis Posts: 454 Member
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    [b][b]Abby2205 wrote: »
    JTGJTG wrote: »
    That's not enough food. Your weight will go UP if you don't eat enough because your body goes into starvation-mode.[/b]
    [/b]
    Oh for goodness' sake. Eating too little does not make a person gain weight. They would be creating mass out of thin air. And starving to death wouldn't exist.

    There are many good reasons not to excessively restrict calories, but "your weight will go up" is not one of them.
    Bolded comment belongs on the Broscience thread.

  • debsdoingthis
    debsdoingthis Posts: 454 Member
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    debsdoingthis wrote: »
    [b][b]Abby2205 wrote: »
    JTGJTG wrote: »
    That's not enough food. Your weight will go UP if you don't eat enough because your body goes into starvation-mode.[/b]
    [/b]
    Oh for goodness' sake. Eating too little does not make a person gain weight. They would be creating mass out of thin air. And starving to death wouldn't exist.

    There are many good reasons not to excessively restrict calories, but "your weight will go up" is not one of them.
    Bolded comment belongs on the Broscience thread.

  • plumppork
    plumppork Posts: 22 Member
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    Also I would weigh and measure yourself. I didn't measure and I regret it. You want to be able to cheer yourself with every accomplishment. So when you get moving you might not lose weight one week but measure differently or visa-versa. Or unfortunately give yourself a kick in the butt every now and then.

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