What should I do if I CAN'T weigh all of my food?

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stephchadz
stephchadz Posts: 143 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am currently at college and unable to weight all of my food in the dining hall. I just do my best with the nutrition info available to me.

I am 5'4" and 140 lbs but I would like to lose another 5-10. For exercise I rock climb 4-5 times a week from 30 mins to 2 hours each time. I currently have my weight loss goal set for .5 pound a week and calories at 1470

What I am wondering though is if I should lower my intake to account for the fact that my logging is not super accurate because I can't weigh all my food?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Replies

  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,647 Member
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    Before you lower your calories, why not track how your logging is working? It may be that you're targeting your calorie amounts reasonably well without weighing. It can be done.

    If the scale isn't moving after several weeks, you can always adjust.
  • stephchadz
    stephchadz Posts: 143 Member
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    Alright, thanks! I'm still trying to tighten up my logging now that I am back at school and don't have my scale anymore. So I will just keep at it and see how it goes.
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Over estimate your calories eaten and try to choose items that arent super calorie dense.

    Also, if your weighing items at home, try to remember what the weighed serving looks like so you can have a more accurate estimation. For example....salad dressing. I have a pretty good idea what 1 tbspn looks like weighed. However, if i have to estimate it, i always log 2 tbspn even though i only think i poured one.
  • stephchadz
    stephchadz Posts: 143 Member
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    I usually try to do this too! I would rather overestimate than underestimate.
  • emmycantbemeeko
    emmycantbemeeko Posts: 303 Member
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    ^ what she said. Have you actually seen loss stall or are you just worried about it happening in future?

    I don't usually weigh my food (don't tell everybody else!) because I've always seen an acceptable rate of loss while using measuring cups/serving sizes. If that stops being the case, I'll start worrying about weighing or intentionally overestimating my intake for unweighable foods. Weighing is a tool for tightening up your logging if you need that. If you're losing and not experiencing any other problems, you're fine.
  • Misanthropeone
    Misanthropeone Posts: 4 Member
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    you may find this helpful
    webmd.com/diet/healthtool-portion-size-plate
  • stephchadz
    stephchadz Posts: 143 Member
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    I haven't really lost anything since back in September when I started climbing. It's probably just my logging though.
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,647 Member
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    How's your dining hall food? The food at my daughter's university was so bad (sorry to say.) She said the made-to-order stir fry bar was a disaster because each order they would dump in a huge amount of oil (and then proceed to undercook the meat, but that's another story.)

    Watch for how the food is prepared, if that's possible. And note that institutional food can often have significantly more fat, salt & sugar than good old home cooked.
  • stephchadz
    stephchadz Posts: 143 Member
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    Also that link is really helpful! Thank you.
  • stephchadz
    stephchadz Posts: 143 Member
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    My dining hall food is about the same. I don't get pasta often because of the oil they cook it in. Breakfast is usually fine. For lunch I can get a sandwich, its just dinner I struggle with because there aren't a ton of options, so a lot of the time I just end up having cereal, or a bagel.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Misanthropeone wrote: »
    you may find this helpful
    webmd.com/diet/healthtool-portion-size-plate

    Great one! Here are a couple of others:
    http://www.healthyeating.org/Healthy-Eating/Healthy-Living/Weight-Management/Article-Viewer/Article/348/correct-portion-sizes-how-to-keep-portion-distortion-in-check.aspx


    http://butterbeanskitchen.com/blog/practical-portion-sizes/
  • wonka78
    wonka78 Posts: 4 Member
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    I think you need to lower your calories to 1300. Im also 5'4 and started at 134pnds. This kept a steady weightloss for me. That way,with your excersise, you should definitely see weightloss. My trick is to load up on cucumbers,sweet red peppers, egg whites. They are so low in calories.great for snacking. Good luck!
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,651 Member
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    I say bring a portable scale in to dinner with you since you think you need to tighten up your logging more.

  • crb426
    crb426 Posts: 657 Member
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    I don't use a scale, and I've lost 35 pounds. I do my best at guessing, overestimating, and looking up pictures online for what a serving size looks like (2 oz. of pasta is a baseball). Also, you can focus on veggies/salad where if you're off on serving size you won't be off by a ton of calories.

    Be careful with cereal. A bowl of cereal can easily be way more than one serving.
  • upoffthemat
    upoffthemat Posts: 679 Member
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    Focus on whole foods where possible. Dishes that combine a lot of ingredients can be really hard to estimate because you don't know all the ingredients. A pork chop or chicken breast is easier to guesstimate than pasta and sauce or a casserole type of dish. If you aren't afraid of the looks you will get you still should be able to buy a small digital scale you can bring with you to dinner
  • JackieMarie1989jgw
    JackieMarie1989jgw Posts: 230 Member
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    Having a scale can help but you may not need it. I lost 20 lb(got to my goal) without weighing anything. Granted I was at home so I could still measure with cups/spoons (Ok I know what yall are gonna say, but it worked). I agree with makingmark, choose whole foods so it is easier to estimate, and choose smaller plates do you can get used to what a typical serving should look like
  • JackieMarie1989jgw
    JackieMarie1989jgw Posts: 230 Member
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    crb426 wrote: »
    I don't use a scale, and I've lost 35 pounds. I do my best at guessing, overestimating, and looking up pictures online for what a serving size looks like (2 oz. of pasta is a baseball). Also, you can focus on veggies/salad where if you're off on serving size you won't be off by a ton of calories.

    Be careful with cereal. A bowl of cereal can easily be way more than one serving.

    Yes, beware the cereal!! Serving sizes are laughingly small oftentimes, and then the milk you have to use to accomodate it adds up if ypu're not.measuring both
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,651 Member
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    JackieMarie1989jgw wrote: »
    crb426 wrote: »
    I don't use a scale, and I've lost 35 pounds. I do my best at guessing, overestimating, and looking up pictures online for what a serving size looks like (2 oz. of pasta is a baseball). Also, you can focus on veggies/salad where if you're off on serving size you won't be off by a ton of calories.

    Be careful with cereal. A bowl of cereal can easily be way more than one serving.

    Yes, beware the cereal!! Serving sizes are laughingly small oftentimes, and then the milk you have to use to accomodate it adds up if ypu're not.measuring both

    Soooooo when eating cereal, you don't pour some in a bowl, pour the milk in, eat, have leftover milk, add more cereal, add too much cereal so add more milk to compensate, lather, rinse, repeat?

    Because I've never done that. :)
  • andrasita30
    andrasita30 Posts: 24 Member
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    stephchadz wrote: »
    I am currently at college and unable to weight all of my food in the dining hall. I just do my best with the nutrition info available to me.

    I am 5'4" and 140 lbs but I would like to lose another 5-10. For exercise I rock climb 4-5 times a week from 30 mins to 2 hours each time. I currently have my weight loss goal set for .5 pound a week and calories at 1470

    What I am wondering though is if I should lower my intake to account for the fact that my logging is not super accurate because I can't weigh all my food?

    Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Try intermittent fasting
  • JackieMarie1989jgw
    JackieMarie1989jgw Posts: 230 Member
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    glassyo wrote: »
    JackieMarie1989jgw wrote: »
    crb426 wrote: »
    I don't use a scale, and I've lost 35 pounds. I do my best at guessing, overestimating, and looking up pictures online for what a serving size looks like (2 oz. of pasta is a baseball). Also, you can focus on veggies/salad where if you're off on serving size you won't be off by a ton of calories.

    Be careful with cereal. A bowl of cereal can easily be way more than one serving.

    Yes, beware the cereal!! Serving sizes are laughingly small oftentimes, and then the milk you have to use to accomodate it adds up if ypu're not.measuring both

    Soooooo when eating cereal, you don't pour some in a bowl, pour the milk in, eat, have leftover milk, add more cereal, add too much cereal so add more milk to compensate, lather, rinse, repeat?

    Because I've never done that. :)

    Totally done that before ha. Its like the great beer/pretzel conundrum

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