Can't Seem to Lose a Single Pound

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  • crownr2882
    crownr2882 Posts: 10 Member
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    Thanks for everyone's help! But is measuring things with a scale really going to make things so accurate that I'll be adding hundreds of calories to my diet daily?
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    edited February 2016
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    crownr2882 wrote: »
    Thanks for everyone's help! But is measuring things with a scale really going to make things so accurate that I'll be adding hundreds of calories to my diet daily?

    You'll likely see that what you though was 1300 calories was actually much higher.

    Using a food scale can make a huge difference. So can making sure that the database entries for the nutritional information that you are using are accurate.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    crownr2882 wrote: »
    Thanks for everyone's help! But is measuring things with a scale really going to make things so accurate that I'll be adding hundreds of calories to my diet daily?

    As a point of reference, I once logged the same days worth of food twice: once measuring each portion with measuring cups and spoons and then taking the exact same portions and weighing them on a food scale. 1500 calories as measured by cups became 1800 calories once I logged it by weight. Yes, it can make that big of a difference.
  • crownr2882
    crownr2882 Posts: 10 Member
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    Sounds like a plan. I'll try to save up for a scale, or only eat pre-packaged food.
    In the meantime, any suggestions on how I could gain an edge?
  • Rocknut53
    Rocknut53 Posts: 1,794 Member
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    I just bought a scale, finally, and was I surprised that what I thought was a 100 gram banana (lg banana) was actually 200 grams, twice the calories....just one example.
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
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    Log right before you eat so that you can decide if you really want to eat it or not before you actually eat it.

    Do you ever eat Lean Cuisine? Sometimes those will have extra rice or pasta in them which puts them over weight. If it looks or feels overfull, you might want to count it as 1.1 or 1.2 servings. Sliced bread would also benefit by being counted as 1.1 times the weight it should be until you've bought a food scale.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    crownr2882 wrote: »
    Sounds like a plan. I'll try to save up for a scale, or only eat pre-packaged food.
    In the meantime, any suggestions on how I could gain an edge?

    Nope! If you're not losing weight then a food scale is a must! Weigh all solids, including packaged items and use measuring cups only for fluids. Do not choose Generic database entries, always double check..

    I use this site to double check entries.

    http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/search
  • Equus5374
    Equus5374 Posts: 462 Member
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    Are you counting the little things too (that are actually big) like butter, cooking oils, creamers or other coffee additives, etc. Those can add up too.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    crownr2882 wrote: »
    Sounds like a plan. I'll try to save up for a scale, or only eat pre-packaged food.
    In the meantime, any suggestions on how I could gain an edge?

    You've logged your food for 5 days. My honest advice is to stay consistent and be patient with the process. You've got some good advice in this thread. Read through some of the stickied "must read" posts at the top of each forum section for more. But this isn't a sprint. It's going to take some time.

    :flowerforyou:
  • crownr2882
    crownr2882 Posts: 10 Member
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    Rocknut53 wrote: »
    I just bought a scale, finally, and was I surprised that what I thought was a 100 gram banana (lg banana) was actually 200 grams, twice the calories....just one example.

    Uh oh. I have a feeling instead of being good all day, I'll be hungry all day once I start weighing things...
    seska422 wrote: »
    Log right before you eat so that you can decide if you really want to eat it or not before you actually eat it.

    Do you ever eat Lean Cuisine? Sometimes those will have extra rice or pasta in them which puts them over weight. If it looks or feels overfull, you might want to count it as 1.1 or 1.2 servings. Sliced bread would also benefit by being counted as 1.1 times the weight it should be until you've bought a food scale.

    I do that every time before I eat something. I decide whether it's worth it or not. Most days I have my meals planned out completely ahead of time, though.
    And no, I do not eat lean cuisine. Thanks for the bread tip.
  • rankinsect
    rankinsect Posts: 2,238 Member
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    Really, there are three possibilities to any lack of observed progress:

    1. You're consuming more than you think you are. The kitchen scale will help a lot here.
    2. You're not burning as much as you think you are. Don't think that's an issue here, your TDEE has got to be higher than 1300 calories.
    3. You actually are losing fat, but aren't seeing this on the scale, either because too few data points mean fluctuations are obscuring the real change, or because you're gaining mass somewhere else, most likely in the form of retained water.
  • _Figgzie_
    _Figgzie_ Posts: 3,506 Member
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    tighten up your food logging, you cannot gain weight if you are in a caloric deficit
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
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    If you do get hungry, try upping your protein, fat, and/or fiber a bit. Find a balance of macros that works for you.
  • crownr2882
    crownr2882 Posts: 10 Member
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    Equus5374 wrote: »
    Are you counting the little things too (that are actually big) like butter, cooking oils, creamers or other coffee additives, etc. Those can add up too.

    I don't typically add anything because of this.
    diannethegeek wrote: »
    crownr2882 wrote: »
    Sounds like a plan. I'll try to save up for a scale, or only eat pre-packaged food.
    In the meantime, any suggestions on how I could gain an edge?

    You've logged your food for 5 days. My honest advice is to stay consistent and be patient with the process. You've got some good advice in this thread. Read through some of the stickied "must read" posts at the top of each forum section for more. But this isn't a sprint. It's going to take some time.

    :flowerforyou:

    Thanks, but I've been eating the same things in the same portions for over a year (with very few exceptions) now and just now started gaining. That's why I am here.
  • elaineamj
    elaineamj Posts: 347 Member
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    The database entries are rough. Yesterday I made baked eggplant and When I built the recipe (and yes, I check each ingredient - but I didn't take the time to compare to usda), it said my portion was 800 cals - which is what I was aiming for. This morning I rechecked each ingredient even more carefully as my sodium numbers were off and it turned out to be about 500 cals. A big difference!
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
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    glitterdone wrote: »
    I am with you. I am 5 foot 7, 227 pounds, 39 years old. MFP says to eat 1200 calories a day. I sit at a desk most of the day. I do an elliptical for 30 minutes a day (track that) anything over and above and beyond I do not. I do not use a HRM.
    I have gained 6 pounds in 12 weeks. 6!! I do not go over my intake, I track accordingly - nothing is wrong medically. Is it this program is 'off'?

    No, the program isn't off. If you've gained 6 pounds in 12 weeks it's because you are eating too much. You're definitely not eating 1200 calories and if you are eating your exercise calories back from the elliptical, calorie burns on machines and in MFPs database are overinflated.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited February 2016
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    elaineamj wrote: »
    The database entries are rough. Yesterday I made baked eggplant and When I built the recipe (and yes, I check each ingredient - but I didn't take the time to compare to usda), it said my portion was 800 cals - which is what I was aiming for. This morning I rechecked each ingredient even more carefully as my sodium numbers were off and it turned out to be about 500 cals. A big difference!

    OP the recipe builder (should you cook a recipe with many ingredients) this poster mentions will through you off when you select entries using this recipe builder. You can use the old one, way better.

    The standard food entries (not the recipe builder) does have confirmed entries, sometimes you just need to re-arrange the words in the food you are looking for so that you can see all of them you want to select from. You can take a label from your food and create your own in your diary and it does not have to be made public, it can be only for your use, should there not be an exact match from the default database entries.
  • pottsoconnor881
    pottsoconnor881 Posts: 4 Member
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    Sleep eating?
  • crownr2882
    crownr2882 Posts: 10 Member
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    pottsoconnor881 wrote: »
    Sleep eating?

    I wouldn't doubt it. I slept-walked for years.
    The thought of sleep eating is pretty horrifying, though.
  • ZeroDelta
    ZeroDelta Posts: 242 Member
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    _Figgzie_ wrote: »
    tighten up your food logging, you cannot gain weight if you are in a caloric deficit

    But...but...How about the special snowflakes? :wink:

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