Have I set a realistic goal?

BetzPod
BetzPod Posts: 30 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,

I'm 5ft 2 and currently weigh 10st 9lbs. I've set my weekly weight loss at 1.5lb giving me 1420 cals a day.

Last week I updated my goal as I hadn't been making any progress (only 6 weeks in but I was hoping to see even a 1-2lb loss!). It turned out I had been using mfp wrong, had been exercising but not eating the calories back and ended up eating a total of about 700-900 cals a day once exercise etc had been taken into account.

I'm assuming this is related to my no progress as I had been undereating and working out a lot more. Now i've changed my goal from 2lb a week to 1.5lb a week and i'm making sure I eat my available cals (or at least only leaving 100 or so at the end of the day).

Does this sound like a more realistic goal and should I see some progress?? I'm beginning to get myself down as I can't figure out what i'm doing wrong. I know 6 weeks is still very early but i'm starting to obsess over my food and exercise which isn't what I wanted to do ><

Replies

  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    Do you weigh all your food and dont use cups and spoons or serving sizes?
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,652 Member
    Not that you shouldn't do it, but not eating exercise calories wasn't keeping you from losing weight.
  • BetzPod
    BetzPod Posts: 30 Member
    Do you weigh all your food and dont use cups and spoons or serving sizes?

    Yep, I weigh everything before I eat it and track things before eating aswell to make sure i'm not over before the damage it done :-P


  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    so no use of cups and spoons or serving sizes?
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    edited June 2015
    because no loss is a sign you dont have a deficit, specially after 6 weeks!
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    can you open your diary?
  • BetzPod
    BetzPod Posts: 30 Member
    so no use of cups and spoons or serving sizes?

    what do you mean by serving sizes? like 25g etc?

    for example if I have pasta i'll weigh out what I have and then say it's 80g, i'll track that first to make sure i've got the cals left for it, then add on half jar sauce, veg etc and once I get the total if i've got enough for the day i'll have that.

    for things like sauces i'll match up the calories on mfp to the bottle/packet etc. so if the bottle says 5ml = 20 cals and mfp says 1tsp = 20 cals i'll log that.

    or for example cherries, if 100g were 100cals on the packet but mfp was showing 0.5 cup was 100cals id log that, but i dont use cups as actual measurements.

    is that what you mean?

    my diary is open if you want to look? see if there's anywhere i'm going wrong :)

    I log everything, even the bad days if I have one ><

  • BetzPod
    BetzPod Posts: 30 Member
    can you open your diary?

    oh is it not open? sorry hold on a second...
  • BetzPod
    BetzPod Posts: 30 Member
    can you open your diary?

    open to public now, had it set to friends x
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,771 Member
    Per_27 wrote: »
    Hi all,

    I'm 5ft 2 and currently weigh 10st 9lbs. I've set my weekly weight loss at 1.5lb giving me 1420 cals a day.

    Last week I updated my goal as I hadn't been making any progress (only 6 weeks in but I was hoping to see even a 1-2lb loss!). It turned out I had been using mfp wrong, had been exercising but not eating the calories back and ended up eating a total of about 700-900 cals a day once exercise etc had been taken into account.

    I'm assuming this is related to my no progress as I had been undereating and working out a lot more. Now i've changed my goal from 2lb a week to 1.5lb a week and i'm making sure I eat my available cals (or at least only leaving 100 or so at the end of the day).

    Does this sound like a more realistic goal and should I see some progress?? I'm beginning to get myself down as I can't figure out what i'm doing wrong. I know 6 weeks is still very early but i'm starting to obsess over my food and exercise which isn't what I wanted to do ><

    If you have been eating at a deficit for 6 weeks and have not lost weight, it's one of three things:

    -You are not at a deficit and have been logging inaccurately. Weigh everything and use the recipe builder instead of generic entries.
    -You are not at a deficit because of medical issues. Hormonal imbalances, medications that lower your BMR/raise your appetite, etc.
    -Your scale is broken. Is your weight fluctuating at all? Most people gain over the course of a day. Step on it first thing then step on it in the afternoon. You should be several pounds heavier.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    serving sizes are like the 2 slices of Morison chicken
    do you weigh those?

    But to be honest i see some things that you probably dont weigh, but you have a big deficit so you still should lose some weight.

    You dont do cheat days?? etc
  • BetzPod
    BetzPod Posts: 30 Member
    Per_27 wrote: »
    Hi all,

    I'm 5ft 2 and currently weigh 10st 9lbs. I've set my weekly weight loss at 1.5lb giving me 1420 cals a day.

    Last week I updated my goal as I hadn't been making any progress (only 6 weeks in but I was hoping to see even a 1-2lb loss!). It turned out I had been using mfp wrong, had been exercising but not eating the calories back and ended up eating a total of about 700-900 cals a day once exercise etc had been taken into account.

    I'm assuming this is related to my no progress as I had been undereating and working out a lot more. Now i've changed my goal from 2lb a week to 1.5lb a week and i'm making sure I eat my available cals (or at least only leaving 100 or so at the end of the day).

    Does this sound like a more realistic goal and should I see some progress?? I'm beginning to get myself down as I can't figure out what i'm doing wrong. I know 6 weeks is still very early but i'm starting to obsess over my food and exercise which isn't what I wanted to do ><

    If you have been eating at a deficit for 6 weeks and have not lost weight, it's one of three things:

    -You are not at a deficit and have been logging inaccurately. Weigh everything and use the recipe builder instead of generic entries.
    -You are not at a deficit because of medical issues. Hormonal imbalances, medications that lower your BMR/raise your appetite, etc.
    -Your scale is broken. Is your weight fluctuating at all? Most people gain over the course of a day. Step on it first thing then step on it in the afternoon. You should be several pounds heavier.

    Hi there,

    Thanks very much for your reply :)
    - I use recipe builder for things I make at home like soup etc, anything else that had information on that packet that matches the mfp I log.
    - I've managed to lose weight successfully a few times before on weightwatchers and various other diets but found that I really struggled to maintain when using a points system
    - I bought a new scale as I was hoping my other was broken (lol). I do tend to be about 3-4lb heavier at night than first thing in the morning, a reason I never go on at night.

    I'll start being more conscious of my logging and making sure i'm logging absolutely everything. I think i'm already doing that but perhaps i'm doing it wrong and not realising.

    Thanks so much for your reply!

  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    also i can go back to the 14th of june
    You didnt log before?
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,771 Member
    If you have been logging accurately and aren't sneaking unlogged bites, having cheat days, or forgetting meals, it looks like you're at a deficit. If you're certain that you've been accurate and haven't lost ANY weight, go to the doctor.
  • BetzPod
    BetzPod Posts: 30 Member
    serving sizes are like the 2 slices of Morison chicken
    do you weigh those?

    But to be honest i see some things that you probably dont weigh, but you have a big deficit so you still should lose some weight.

    You dont do cheat days?? etc

    The two slices of morrisons chicken is based on the packet information though. The info for 2 slices as logged today matches what 2 slices is on the packet, should I weigh them individually instead :-/

    If tend to have a cheat day once a week but I log everything too e.g last week I went to five guys and logged what i'd eaten but I overestimated what i'd had to be sure I was underestimating (as I don't carry my scales when eating out :P). Perhaps i'm not estimating enough when eating out although I don't have an excessive amount of cheat days.

    What other things have you seen that I don't weigh but should? Every wee bits helps. Thanks for much for taking a look and replying, at my wits end! :pensive:

  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    yeah i think so too then...but when it is only 11 days and not 6 weeks she can wait a bit. Her diary goes back to the 14th with 2 days of high calories So maybe she needs more time than.
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,771 Member
    also i can go back to the 14th of june
    You didnt log before?

    Just noticed that. Log accurately for a while. If you've been eyeballing it until now, you might have been eating at maintenance.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    well yes dont go by serving sizes it can be less it can be more for sure

    I did that too like cheesecake last time
    46 gram it said ( precut pieces) well it wasn't 46 gram (210 calories) i weight it...it was 253 calories in total.

    so yes dont do cups spoons or serving sizes weigh all your food.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    Normally when you have a big deficit you can have some inaccuracy...but if you also have cheat days in between you decrease out your deficit probably.
    And my guess is with the combination you are not logging this long that that is the case and you need a bit more time Plus being as accurate as you can because you do cheat days too.
  • BetzPod
    BetzPod Posts: 30 Member
    also i can go back to the 14th of june
    You didnt log before?

    Oh dear, clearly I haven't been logging as well as I thought I had been! ><


    yeah i think so too then...but when it is only 11 days and not 6 weeks she can wait a bit. Her diary goes back to the 14th with 2 days of high calories So maybe she needs more time than.


    If you have been logging accurately and aren't sneaking unlogged bites, having cheat days, or forgetting meals, it looks like you're at a deficit. If you're certain that you've been accurate and haven't lost ANY weight, go to the doctor.

    Will give it another 6 weeks of truly obsessive counting and see where i'm at.
    well yes dont go by serving sizes it can be less it can be more for sure

    I did that too like cheesecake last time
    46 gram it said ( precut pieces) well it wasn't 46 gram (210 calories) i weight it...it was 253 calories in total.

    so yes dont do cups spoons or serving sizes weigh all your food.

    Oh no! When something is divided into precut sections I do just log as one/two pieces etc. Will stop that and definitely start weighing everything rather than going by individual servings.

    Thanks very much both for all your tips and help! Clearly having someone else take a look at my diary has helped as i've not been as accurate as I thought I was being *facepalm*

  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    no problem You will succeed, we all learn :)

    So keep going and be accurate! when no losing at all go to a doctor indeed. But i am sure you will start losing.
    Also keep in mind. People closer to a healthy/their goal weight, always lose slower. ( there is less to lose)
  • Numberwang22
    Numberwang22 Posts: 213 Member
    edited June 2015
    Maybe it's an age difference thing, but I'm 5'3" and 1420 is near maintenance for me. I'm 9st 6 and set to 0.5lbs per week & 1200 cals net. Maybe check your settings, 1420 sound high for the rate you're trying to lose and your height.

    Also MFP overestimates burn hugely. Unless your using a tracker or HRM you might be overestimating your burn as well.
  • BetzPod
    BetzPod Posts: 30 Member
    no problem You will succeed, we all learn :)

    So keep going and be accurate! when no losing at all go to a doctor indeed. But i am sure you will start losing.
    Also keep in mind. People closer to a healthy/their goal weight, always lose slower. ( there is less to lose)

    Thanks, didn't put the weight on overnight so can't expect to lose it overnight I suppose. Impatience doesn't help either haha. Thanks again x
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    edited June 2015
    I am on 1400 and almost 50 years and i lose.
    Its just the short of time
    inaccurate logging plus her cheat days

  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    Per_27 wrote: »
    no problem You will succeed, we all learn :)

    So keep going and be accurate! when no losing at all go to a doctor indeed. But i am sure you will start losing.
    Also keep in mind. People closer to a healthy/their goal weight, always lose slower. ( there is less to lose)

    Thanks, didn't put the weight on overnight so can't expect to lose it overnight I suppose. Impatience doesn't help either haha. Thanks again x

    Great attitude :)
    Like i said you will get there...you totally got it!

  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,771 Member
    Maybe it's an age difference thing, but I'm 5'3" and 1420 is near maintenance for me. I'm 9st 6 and set to 0.5lbs per week & 1200 cals net. Maybe check your settings, 1420 sound high for the rate you're trying to lose and your height.

    We don't know her activity level and she's 17 years younger. Sounds like she got her # from MFP.
  • jesikalovesyou
    jesikalovesyou Posts: 172 Member
    Per_27 wrote: »
    also i can go back to the 14th of june
    You didnt log before?

    Oh dear, clearly I haven't been logging as well as I thought I had been! ><


    yeah i think so too then...but when it is only 11 days and not 6 weeks she can wait a bit. Her diary goes back to the 14th with 2 days of high calories So maybe she needs more time than.


    If you have been logging accurately and aren't sneaking unlogged bites, having cheat days, or forgetting meals, it looks like you're at a deficit. If you're certain that you've been accurate and haven't lost ANY weight, go to the doctor.

    Will give it another 6 weeks of truly obsessive counting and see where i'm at.
    well yes dont go by serving sizes it can be less it can be more for sure

    I did that too like cheesecake last time
    46 gram it said ( precut pieces) well it wasn't 46 gram (210 calories) i weight it...it was 253 calories in total.

    so yes dont do cups spoons or serving sizes weigh all your food.

    Oh no! When something is divided into precut sections I do just log as one/two pieces etc. Will stop that and definitely start weighing everything rather than going by individual servings.

    Thanks very much both for all your tips and help! Clearly having someone else take a look at my diary has helped as i've not been as accurate as I thought I was being *facepalm*

    Thank you so much for having such a good attitude. It is very refreshing to see people being open to critiques!! Having that demeanor will take you far, in weightloss, and in life! Keep it up!
  • BetzPod
    BetzPod Posts: 30 Member
    Maybe it's an age difference thing, but I'm 5'3" and 1420 is near maintenance for me. I'm 9st 6 and set to 0.5lbs per week & 1200 cals net. Maybe check your settings, 1420 sound high for the rate you're trying to lose and your height.

    Also MFP overestimates burn hugely. Unless your using a tracker or HRM you might be overestimating your burn as well.

    Hi there, checked my settings and it's still saying 1420. I have my height, current weight and activity level as active. I use my fitbit everyday, my polar ft4 for the gym and I have negative adjustments enabled. Hope it's all correct.
    Per_27 wrote: »
    also i can go back to the 14th of june
    You didnt log before?

    Oh dear, clearly I haven't been logging as well as I thought I had been! ><


    yeah i think so too then...but when it is only 11 days and not 6 weeks she can wait a bit. Her diary goes back to the 14th with 2 days of high calories So maybe she needs more time than.


    If you have been logging accurately and aren't sneaking unlogged bites, having cheat days, or forgetting meals, it looks like you're at a deficit. If you're certain that you've been accurate and haven't lost ANY weight, go to the doctor.

    Will give it another 6 weeks of truly obsessive counting and see where i'm at.
    well yes dont go by serving sizes it can be less it can be more for sure

    I did that too like cheesecake last time
    46 gram it said ( precut pieces) well it wasn't 46 gram (210 calories) i weight it...it was 253 calories in total.

    so yes dont do cups spoons or serving sizes weigh all your food.

    Oh no! When something is divided into precut sections I do just log as one/two pieces etc. Will stop that and definitely start weighing everything rather than going by individual servings.

    Thanks very much both for all your tips and help! Clearly having someone else take a look at my diary has helped as i've not been as accurate as I thought I was being *facepalm*

    Thank you so much for having such a good attitude. It is very refreshing to see people being open to critiques!! Having that demeanor will take you far, in weightloss, and in life! Keep it up!

    Aww thank you :-)

  • BetzPod
    BetzPod Posts: 30 Member
    Maybe it's an age difference thing, but I'm 5'3" and 1420 is near maintenance for me. I'm 9st 6 and set to 0.5lbs per week & 1200 cals net. Maybe check your settings, 1420 sound high for the rate you're trying to lose and your height.

    We don't know her activity level and she's 17 years younger. Sounds like she got her # from MFP.

    I have my activity level set at active :) i'm a theatre nurse so i'm on my feet the majority of my 10 hour shift, also walk to and from the train station to get to work and go to the gym for 30-45 mins every second day. I use my fitbit flex everyday, my polar ft4 for the gym and I have my negative adjustments enabled.

    Think you were correct, i've basically been logging like *kitten* haha!
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    Maybe it's an age difference thing, but I'm 5'3" and 1420 is near maintenance for me. I'm 9st 6 and set to 0.5lbs per week & 1200 cals net. Maybe check your settings, 1420 sound high for the rate you're trying to lose and your height.

    Also MFP overestimates burn hugely. Unless your using a tracker or HRM you might be overestimating your burn as well.

    I believe that is probably an age and activity level difference.

    My maintenance is around 2300 currently. I weigh about as much as you and I'm only 1.5" taller.
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