Please help!

Options
Hey everyone. My goal is to lose weight. I weighed 150-155lbs and within the last year ive gained 20lbs. I would like to shed that weight that i gained back off. The problem im having is im not meeting my goals for calories each day. Im 300-400 calories under what im suppose to be eating. However im going over my protein goal. What foods could i eat to balance that out? Im also always full and having a hard time eating what i already am. My diary is public, im on day 10 but just found this app a few days ago so theres only a few entries.

Replies

  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    edited February 2016
    Options
    Macro ratios aren't carved in stone. If your way of eating involves eating more protein, that's fine as long as you don't have any medical issues with it.

    To bump up your calories, you might eat some nuts. That would also bump up your fat percentage to balance out your protein a bit.
  • awils1989
    awils1989 Posts: 6 Member
    Options
    Perfect thank you so much, no medical problems!
  • robs_ready
    robs_ready Posts: 1,488 Member
    Options
    awils1989 wrote: »
    Hey everyone. My goal is to lose weight. I weighed 150-155lbs and within the last year ive gained 20lbs. I would like to shed that weight that i gained back off. The problem im having is im not meeting my goals for calories each day. Im 300-400 calories under what im suppose to be eating. However im going over my protein goal. What foods could i eat to balance that out? Im also always full and having a hard time eating what i already am. My diary is public, im on day 10 but just found this app a few days ago so theres only a few entries.

    I dont mean to criticise but the science doesn't add up.

    If you're 400 calories under your goal, macros have absolutely nothing to do with it.

    400 calories under is 400 calories under, 1lbs of fat is 3500 calories, you should be losing 1lbs a week almost.

    The only possible explanation is:

    1. You're not eating under your calorie goal, calculated by your bmr.

    2. You've miscalculated how much you should be eating.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
    Options
    robs_ready wrote: »
    awils1989 wrote: »
    Hey everyone. My goal is to lose weight. I weighed 150-155lbs and within the last year ive gained 20lbs. I would like to shed that weight that i gained back off. The problem im having is im not meeting my goals for calories each day. Im 300-400 calories under what im suppose to be eating. However im going over my protein goal. What foods could i eat to balance that out? Im also always full and having a hard time eating what i already am. My diary is public, im on day 10 but just found this app a few days ago so theres only a few entries.

    I dont mean to criticise but the science doesn't add up.

    If you're 400 calories under your goal, macros have absolutely nothing to do with it.

    400 calories under is 400 calories under, 1lbs of fat is 3500 calories, you should be losing 1lbs a week almost.

    The only possible explanation is:

    1. You're not eating under your calorie goal, calculated by your bmr.

    2. You've miscalculated how much you should be eating.

    all of that......
  • LushFix
    LushFix Posts: 303 Member
    Options
    I agree. Double check that your calories are properly calculated on MFP.

    Are you using a food scale?

    Measure solids by weight and liquids by cups and spoons.

    Use a food scale (preferable by the gram) and when the food is raw whenever possible)

    I could never lose weight even though I thought I was only eating 1400 calories a day. But once I got a scale it all became very clear on what I was doing wrong. I was over eating by alot.

    I even weigh slices of bread and items that say per 3 ect. They are often wrong.

    If you follow all of this and you are still under by 400 or whatever calories there are many calorie dense foods (high in calories)

    Cheese, nuts and nut butters, avacado, full fat Greek yogurt or other dairy products or even enjoy a small daily treat that you enjoy.

    If you search up calorie dense goods here on the fourm you'll find many more options.
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
    Options
    How do you measure your calories?
  • awils1989
    awils1989 Posts: 6 Member
    Options
    I filled out everything in the app. My weight which is 171lbs. Im 6 foot tall. I sit at my job all day buy i do work out so i picked lightly active since i am not active all day. I chose that i wanted to lose 2lbs per week. And when i fill out my diary with what im eating, at the end of the day it's saying i still need to eat more calories than what i am but that im eating too much protein.
  • awils1989
    awils1989 Posts: 6 Member
    Options
    Okay, thank you everyone! Ive been measuring calories just by plugging into the app what im eating and scanning the barcodes on the products im using
  • robs_ready
    robs_ready Posts: 1,488 Member
    Options
    awils1989 wrote: »
    I filled out everything in the app. My weight which is 171lbs. Im 6 foot tall. I sit at my job all day buy i do work out so i picked lightly active since i am not active all day. I chose that i wanted to lose 2lbs per week. And when i fill out my diary with what im eating, at the end of the day it's saying i still need to eat more calories than what i am but that im eating too much protein.

    How many calories does it suggest you eat a day?
  • LushFix
    LushFix Posts: 303 Member
    edited February 2016
    Options
    It's all about the calories for weight loss. Macros is more for balancing a healthy diet.

    Technically you'll lose weight eating chocolate as long as you stayed under your calorie goal. But you wouldn't be what I'd personally consider healthy or eating a balanced diet.
    If you eat less calories than your body uses you will lose weight.

    So by looking at your diary it does appear that you are not weighing your food. Cups are pretty much useless when measuring solid foods. How much you can fit in there will totally depend on many differnt factors like how you cut it up.
  • awils1989
    awils1989 Posts: 6 Member
    Options
    1290 is what its saying is my goal per day
  • awils1989
    awils1989 Posts: 6 Member
    Options
    Thank you lush fix, that makes sense, i meed to invest in a food scale
  • robs_ready
    robs_ready Posts: 1,488 Member
    Options
    awils1989 wrote: »
    1290 is what its saying is my goal per day

    Based on your height that seems about right.

    Weigh your food and make sure you look everything.
  • LushFix
    LushFix Posts: 303 Member
    Options
    awils1989 wrote: »
    I filled out everything in the app. My weight which is 171lbs. Im 6 foot tall. I sit at my job all day buy i do work out so i picked lightly active since i am not active all day. I chose that i wanted to lose 2lbs per week. And when i fill out my diary with what im eating, at the end of the day it's saying i still need to eat more calories than what i am but that im eating too much protein.

    If you have a desk job technically you'd want to put your activity level to sedatary ( the lowest one) then you log your exercise and eat back exercise calories. However I reccomend researching actual calorie burns and getting a heart rate monitor because many people feel MFP over calculates as it a standard burn not a personal one.
  • firstplace21
    firstplace21 Posts: 5 Member
    Options
    You are probably skipping meals.
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
    Options
    Definitely invest in a food scale (they can be as cheap as $10 on amazon!)
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    Options
    First make sure your calories are accurate, weigh your food, log everything.

    You mention you chose lightly active because you work out? Are you also logging your work outs as exercise because that's likely doubling up. Activity level is either excluding exercise and you log exercise when you do it or including exercise and you don't log exercise.

    If your still under try nuts, peanut butter, etc are all high in calories for very small amounts.

    Focus on calories first then macros, make sure your calories are right even if it means having too much protein or carbs.

    I can't view your diary so I can't see what your eating.

    What is your protein set too? Because depending on who you ask there is no such thing as too much protein or its up around 250g or more which your unlikely to reach if your eating less than 1300 calories.
  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
    Options
    Protein and fat goals should be considered minimums, so no problem going over on either of those so long as you're hitting your calorie goal. As others have said, it is hard to describe just how helpful a kitchen scale is. The closer to goal weight, the smaller the deficit should be, and smaller deficits require more logging accuracy. Best of luck!