Trying to figure this out...

Jboo7825
Jboo7825 Posts: 21 Member
edited September 2015 in Getting Started
Hi everyone, just trying to figure out how this fitness pal work. I log everything I eat & at the end it tells me iam not eating enough. I'm 36 yrs 5'4 276.. This is not my heaviest weight I had the gastric sleeve a few years ago & lost some weight,but been gaining it back slowly due to lack of exercise & poor eating habits & I see so I decide to try this to keep up with my self. I find my self not hungry or just not eating much. I'm just all over the place..

Replies

  • debtay123
    debtay123 Posts: 1,327 Member
    usually when mfp says you are not eating enough it is when you log less than 1,000 calories. It wants you to eat at least 1200 calories if you are a woman. the reason it says you are not eating enough is because you are not eating enough to keep you healthy. I did not understand this either but in order for us to stay healthy we have to eat at least 1200 calories- but mfp will let you get by with 1,000 calories. Others will add to this post because they have been on the site much longer- but know this- you may need to eat more and lose weight slower in order to remain healthy which is our ultimate goal. Hope this helps
  • debubbie
    debubbie Posts: 767 Member
    Since you stated that you are all over the place, maybe you can try to set up a scheduled eating time and create a weekly meal plan to help you get back on track? Make sure to weigh all of your food on a digital food scale to make sure that you aren't eating more than you think.

    You may want to try writing down the reasons why you want to do this and make copies to place in prominent places (some people place on the bathroom mirror, the fridge, and take a picture to use ut as their home screen on the phone.) This way you can see why you want to do this frequently and will help to remind you why you feel this is important for you. For me, I am loving the fact that I don't have to shop in plus-size clothing anymore, I can hike up "strenuous" climbs and still capable of doing more (before a flight of steps did me in), and being able to run (I had told myself that I could never be a runner and I proved myself wrong.)

    Also, try starting with small diet and exercise goals that aren't overwhelming and pretty easy to accomplish. Once those become habits, create new goals for yourself and before you know it you have dropped weight and are feeling better!

    Good luck!
  • Jboo7825
    Jboo7825 Posts: 21 Member
    Thanks but the way my stomach set up its not allowing the food. I'm drinking more water & working out. I feel fine body just sore from going back to the gym.
  • Jboo7825
    Jboo7825 Posts: 21 Member
    I set goals every day to do a little more while on the treadmill and i've been meeting them this was my fourth day in & I shocked my self but slowed my pace. Yesterday I went in same pace speed & incline burned a 1000 calories. I know I can do this...
  • debubbie
    debubbie Posts: 767 Member
    That's great that you are consistently adding time to your treadmill workouts! Are you using a heart rate monitor or MFP to estimate your calorie burns?
  • ammo7
    ammo7 Posts: 188 Member
    Hi there,
    I just wanted to mention something that is helpful to know when you first begin. A really common thing is that we accidentally underestimate how much food we are eating when we estimate portion sizes (a lot of people become accustomed to bigger portion sizes, without realizing). To help you know how much you are truly eating, it would be best if you weigh your food with a kitchen scale. They are fairly inexpensive, and will help you make sure you are logging your food accurately.

    If you weigh all your foods when you log them and find that you are still below 1200 calories, then it would be good idea to increase your food a little bit to make sure that you reach that 1200 calorie goal. As you continue to stick to the calorie goal that MyFitnessPal gives you, you will lose the weight - good luck on your weight loss journey! :)
  • Jboo7825
    Jboo7825 Posts: 21 Member
    Debubbie only what's there on the machine it was all over the place Tuesday when I started but my heart rate been staying stable enough for me.
  • rosej31
    rosej31 Posts: 189 Member
    Your body is going to be sore for a couple days being that your going back to the gym. Everyone have good ideas concerning your situation but I would say eat in moderation eat the same that you been eaten but in portion control. I never had gastric sleeve done but people I know have a few people put on weight and others try to watch what they eat without exercise.
  • debubbie
    debubbie Posts: 767 Member
    The estimates from machines can be grossly off and over-estimated. When I ride the bike at the gym it says I have doubled and sometimes tripled the calorie burn that I get from my heart rate monitor. Most people will cut the machine and MFP calorie burn estimates in half when logging it into MFP to prevent thinking that they have additional calories to eat. They then analyze after about 6 weeks or so to see if they are losing weight steadily at a reasonable pace to see how effective that is for them. I know when I first started, I had to get a digital scale because my food estimates were way low and some pre-packaged foods contained more than a serving size, and more calories than listed. Also, I started using a heart rate monitor to get a better estimate of my calorie burns and was shocked at how little I was burning for the effort I was putting in! Once I made these adjustments, the weight started dropping off more consistently.

    I hope this helps you on your journey. Also, don't be surprised if when you weigh in the next few days and see a slight increase which could possibly be caused by water gain from the new exercises you are doing and the water being used to help with the muscle soreness.

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