Gaining on clean eating!!

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  • Gingychild
    Gingychild Posts: 23 Member
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    @CoffeeNCardio things like "clean chili" are my entered from scratch recipes that I named clean chili. For things like mozzarella or organic butter (etc) those I don't typically look up the brand.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    measuring cups should only be used for liquids and sometimes they arent accurate either. weigh all solids and semi solids in grams and liquids in cups. even 2 pieces of fruit the same size will not weigh the same and will be different in calories,carbs,etc. I learned this the hard way. I was gaining weight too thinking I was eating less than I was and turns out I wasnt. weighing everything is a real eye opener. never use tsp,tbs,etc because what you think is a teaspoon may actually be more or less if you were to weigh it.
  • Gingychild
    Gingychild Posts: 23 Member
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    I guess long story short here is...I need to weigh EVERYTHING and ditch the measuring cups. That seems to be the theme.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    yep, it will open your eyes and make sure you pick the right entries in mfp because a lot of them are off. so cross reference everything if you need help just ask someone can help you out.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    Gingychild wrote: »
    I guess long story short here is...I need to weigh EVERYTHING and ditch the measuring cups. That seems to be the theme.

    Yep, that and make sure you are finding the correct entry for the food you are eating (brand, etc). You're on the right track. Don't forget olive oil! I didn't see any logged (I don't use it but I know a lot of people do).
  • Gingychild
    Gingychild Posts: 23 Member
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    @aridtarose the olive oil is typically in my recipes which I create then name...then log. That's probably why it's hard to break down my diary. Most of my food is from scratch and logged into my recipes.
  • 3AAnn3
    3AAnn3 Posts: 3,054 Member
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    How sure are you of your starting weight? It just seems impossible to me to gain 12 pounds in a month, even if you were trying to. Was it the same scale that you were using to weigh in?? I've weighed in in the morning before food, then weighed in fully clothed, shoes, having eaten and can easily be up 6 pounds.
  • Gingychild
    Gingychild Posts: 23 Member
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    This has really helped me though. Thanks to everyone that took the time to dissect my diet..lol! You guys are awesome.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    Gingychild wrote: »
    @aridtarose the olive oil is typically in my recipes which I create then name...then log. That's probably why it's hard to break down my diary. Most of my food is from scratch and logged into my recipes.

    Ah okay. So you're on the right track. Just tighten up! And still go to the doctor's appointment.

    Have you recently added extra exercise to your lifestyle?
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
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    Gingychild wrote: »
    @CoffeeNCardio things like "clean chili" are my entered from scratch recipes that I named clean chili. For things like mozzarella or organic butter (etc) those I don't typically look up the brand.

    It's good you are utilizing the recipe maker:) Took me months to even find it was there. You don't necessarily have to look it up by brand name, so long as you are clicking the food and checking it's nutrition facts on MFP to the actual package, but it does tend to get you the most accurate results when you search it that way. When people correct incorrect entries, they typically specify the brand name in their correction, so it can help if MFP says the mozzarella is 250 calories (bulk) and it's really only 210 or something to see other options pop up.

    You might see something like this:

    Hormel Pepperoni (happy green checkmark from MFP confirmation)

    Hormel Pepperoni (Corrected, user entered, no checkmark)

    Either one is grounds to check the package, but using the brand name gives you the advantage of seeing all the options, which will tell you whether you need to check (if there's five entries that all say "corrected" and "from package" you NEED to check, if there's not, it's prudent but not a huge deal)
  • gawworthington
    gawworthington Posts: 1,131 Member
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    I did a two week food lovers cleanse by Bon Appetit and did not lose weight either. It used a lot of olive oil in the recipes and nuts which is higher fat than I usually eat. It was great tasting ideas.
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
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    Gingychild wrote: »
    I guess long story short here is...I need to weigh EVERYTHING and ditch the measuring cups. That seems to be the theme.

    You can use measuring cups for liquid items. It's specifically for solids that measuring cups and spoons fall short. The beauty of weighing solids in a recipe is that you will know by the end of making it what the total weight is, and then you can weigh your portion against the total to get your serving size. It's a little more accurate with some foods, and a LOT more accurate with others.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    OP, when were your weigh ins/check ins? Did you weigh yourself before the holidays? It IS possible you were in a high surplus at the end of december (do you celebrate christmas?) if you were indulging, and you were gaining weight at the same time you were getting ready to commit to lose....
  • Gingychild
    Gingychild Posts: 23 Member
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    CoffeeNCardio wrote: »
    Gingychild wrote: »
    I guess long story short here is...I need to weigh EVERYTHING and ditch the measuring cups. That seems to be the theme.

    You can use measuring cups for liquid items. It's specifically for solids that measuring cups and spoons fall short. The beauty of weighing solids in a recipe is that you will know by the end of making it what the total weight is, and then you can weigh your portion against the total to get your serving size. It's a little more accurate with some foods, and a LOT more accurate with others.

    good to know. thanks!
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,573 Member
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    You also might be holding on to extra water weight if you are nearing or having your period.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
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    diannethegeek wrote: »
    This is my really general advice for these sorts of things. I know we've already covered some of the steps, but maybe some of the others will help:


    1. If it's been less than 3 weeks or so, don't sweat it! Normal fluctuations happen and unfortunately sometimes we stall for a week or two even when we're doing everything right. Give your body some time to catch up with the changes you're making.

    2. If you aren't already, be sure that you're logging everything. Sometimes people forget about things like veggies, drinks, cooking oils, and condiments. For some people these can add up to enough to halt your weight loss progress.

    3. Consider buying a food scale if you don't already have one. They're about $10-$20 dollars in the US and easily found at places like Amazon, Target, and Walmart. Measuring cups and spoons are great, but they do come with some degree of inaccuracy. A food scale will be more accurate, and for some people it makes a big difference.

    4. Logging accurately also means choosing accurate entries in the database. There are a lot of user-entered entries that are off. Double-check that you're using good entries and/or using the recipe builder instead of someone else's homemade entries.

    5. Recalculate your goals if you haven't lately. As you lose weight your body requires fewer calories to run. Be sure you update your goals every ten pounds or so.

    6. If you're eating back your exercise calories and you're relying on gym machine readouts or MFP's estimates, it might be best to eat back just 50-75% of those. Certain activities tend to be overestimated. If you're using an HRM or activity tracker, it might be a good idea to look into their accuracy and be sure that yours is calibrated properly.

    7. If you're taking any cheat days that go over your calorie limits, it might be best to cut them out for a few weeks and see what happens. Some people go way over their calorie needs without realizing it when they don't track.

    8. If you weigh yourself frequently, consider using a program like trendweight to even out the fluctuations. You could be losing weight but just don't see it because of the daily ups and downs.

    9. Some people just burn fewer calories than the calculators predict. If you continue to have problems after 4-6 weeks, then it might be worth a trip to the doctor or a registered dietitian who can give you more specific advice.

    Fantastic summary by @diannethegeek as always. The only thing I would add would be to make sure you have your activity level set correctly. Do not include exercise in this. Most people are sedentary.
  • Gingychild
    Gingychild Posts: 23 Member
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    arditarose wrote: »
    OP, when were your weigh ins/check ins? Did you weigh yourself before the holidays? It IS possible you were in a high surplus at the end of december (do you celebrate christmas?) if you were indulging, and you were gaining weight at the same time you were getting ready to commit to lose....

    I stopped looking at the scale way before December. I only weighed myself about a week before I changed my eating habits. As of now, and I know it's wrong, but I weigh myself at the same time almost every night. I just keep seeing the scale creep up. I almost threw in the towel and joined weight watchers, in fear that I will keep gaining.... but I'm going to give it some more time. Although I'm technically gaining, I feel healthier. I don't want to lose that. I didn't always feel healthy on WW because it was a lot of processed foods
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Wait til you weigh your nut butters... I almost cried, the serving size was so tiny :cry: I was eating waaay more when I was using a tablespoon instead of scales.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    edited January 2016
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    weight fluctuates through the day its best to weigh yourself after you use the bathroom first thing in the am either naked on in underwear. around the same time every day
  • Gingychild
    Gingychild Posts: 23 Member
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    Christine_72 wrote: »
    Wait til you weigh your nut butters... I almost cried, the serving size was so tiny :cry: I was eating waaay more when I was using a tablespoon instead of scales.

    YIKES!

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