Not quite sure if using correctly

TogeyJJJ
TogeyJJJ Posts: 3 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
So I got the app a few days ago and I weighed in at 10.11 at 5 feet 7 inches with my first day consisting of a single weetabix in the morning with whole fresh milk, lunch being 2 sliced rolls, 2 breaded hams and a later meal of 2 more breaded ham and 4 slices of medium sliced bread. I done a bit of exercise of jogging for about 30 mins. So I had 169 calories left.

Second day was same breakfast with my dinner being a 7oz rump steak, garden peas, 3 onion rings, mushrooms and chips, but with no exercise and 48 calories remaining.

Third day, same breakfast, lunch being a banana and my dinner being pork chops, peas, carrots and potato's and again 30 mins exercise jogging, with apparently 628 calories left over.

What I want to know is whether I am using this correctly, as the numbers for calories left over seem way off and the calories lost by exercising seem off as well. Anything I should keep in mind when using the app to make sure I get the most out of it and to keep it accurate?

Thanks.

Replies

  • TogeyJJJ
    TogeyJJJ Posts: 3 Member
    Something I forgot to mention is that I am using this app to lose weight and while signing up to use another app to track exercise I entered my current weight which happens to be somehow 10.9 Stone, which seems really off. I also try to scan every barcode to help keep it as accurate as I can.
  • 257_Lag
    257_Lag Posts: 1,249 Member
    That sounds about right. Some people enter a portion of their exercise to combat errors. In most of my loss I entered the total minutes of exercise and ate just about all of them back like you are supposed to. Now that I am within sight of my goal I enter HALF. If I bike for 60 minutes I only enter 30.
  • 257_Lag
    257_Lag Posts: 1,249 Member
    Ideally you want to be close to your goal number, not way under it.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,488 Member
    If you don't have a food scale, get one. It will make your entries more accurate.
    If your bread says 90calories per slice (30g) weigh it to make sure it is that, and adjust accordingly. A little over or under in all your food can add up to a lot of calories.

    Weigh everything solid and measure liquids in cups.

    A lot of people eat back 50-75% of their exercise calories. Most calculators over estimate.
    What app are you using to track exercise?

    Why do you think your body weight is off?

    Cheers, h.
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,111 Member
    How are you unsure of your own weight. Did you guess at it? Or use a scale.

    But yeah weight food, don't just scan the barcodes. Being 600 under seems like a lot and is likely from an entry being wrong.

    But you could also be eating too little.

    Weighing things will let you be accurate.

    You ate a banana, did you can a barcode on the banana?
  • TogeyJJJ
    TogeyJJJ Posts: 3 Member
    I used a scale to weigh myself Sunday night and I came in at 10 stone 11 lbs and when I weighed myself last night, it said 10 stone 9 lbs, which I don't think is correct because the scales can be inaccurate at times and it seems like too big a drop over a few days.

    I will try and grab a food scale sometime, as some of the food I eat usually don't have barcodes on and I will try to follow all your suggestions.

    Also, the app I am started using is Runkeeper, which I haven't had a chance to use yet.
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    TogeyJJJ wrote: »
    <<snip>> Anything I should keep in mind when using the app to make sure I get the most out of it and to keep it accurate?
    TogeyJJJ wrote: »
    <<snip>>I will try and grab a food scale sometime, as some of the food I eat usually don't have barcodes on and I will try to follow all your suggestions.
    Just an FYI on MFP and barcodes...

    ​The barcode number on a food package does not contain nutrition information, it is just a universal product code (UPC) number registered to the manufacturer or distributor. All of the macro- and micronutrient information associated with that barcode number was entered into the MFP Food Database by other MFP users or staff; then a user associated that UPC number with a MFP Food Database record. The UPC number can be associated with the wrong MFP Food Database record, or the MFP Food Database record could be inaccurate.

    You should check the MFP nutrition information associated with that UPC number every time you scan a new barcode to enter a food item into your Food Diary; plus you should occasionally recheck that an item you have used in the past is still correct, because another user could have edited the MFP Food Database record since the last time you used it.

    You can use the USDA National Nutrient Database to verify the nutrient information for many whole foods, such as meats, poultry, vegetables, fruits, dairy, nuts, herbs, spices, etc., plus some restaurant and US/Canadian food products.

    For instructions on how to edit an incorrect food item in the MFP Food Database, or re-associate a barcode with the correct food item, please see these articles on the MFP Help pages...
    https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/13980-some-food-information-in-the-database-is-inaccurate-can-i-edit-it-
    https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/391249-how-do-i-edit-or-change-the-item-found-by-a-barcode-scan-

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