Y am I not losing weight?
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Yeah, you need to buy a food scale...but the good news is they're cheap
plus you're only 2 weeks in, come back in 2 months and tell us how you're doing.
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jandsstevenson887 wrote: »So I guess I'm a weird anomaly but I haven't weighed a gram of my food and I've lost 1lb/week or more since starting MFP in January. I've now lost 20lbs.
I'm 5'3" and I started at 154 and I'm now at 134. I don't even have measuring cups. I'm working overseas and I eat in a work cafeteria for every meal so I can't make my own food. I do the best I can estimating. I don't own a fitbit and I use the calorie burn that Runkeeper gives me or that the spin bike reads after putting in my weight and age. I always give myself an "error cushion" and only eat back about half of my exercise calories. I don't eat in restaurants because there aren't any where I am. I only drink water and one cup of coffee a day.
It is possible without a food scale but you have to be as honest as you can and overestimate what you are eating.
I agree that it's definitely possible without a food scale but requires honesty and possible calorie buffering like you've stated. You didn't have a large amount of weight to lose to begin with so that helps with not needing a food scale in some situations. When people are larger, sometimes their ideas of portion sizes are skewed because they are used to eating a lot more than they need to. This isn't always the case of course, but there is a big difference between someone who is a touch overweight because they slacked off in activity, chose to eat calorie dense food as most of their diet, or just gained a bit over a few months/years and someone who is categorized as obese and may not have a concept on what a single serving looks like on a plate anymore.
I'm the same height as you and started out at 139 pounds. I only gained weight because I was suffering from depression and stopped getting physical activity. Then I wouldn't eat and when I finally did, it would be takeout or a bag of cookies which has little nutritional value and is extremely calorie dense. So all it took was moving more and cleaning up my diet a bit to see results at first. I didn't need a scale either, but happened to have one already because I like to bake. I'm glad I used it because I found that I was actually underestimating my portion sizes and could eat a lot more than I thought.8 -
I definitely agree and I am also a big baker when I am home so I have a pretty good eye for what the difference is between a 1/2 cup and what is really a cup. I also have a nutrition guide for what they serve at our cafeteria so I have a pretty good idea of what I'm eating and if I have to pick on MFP, I never chose the lowest cal option.
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jandsstevenson887 wrote: »So I guess I'm a weird anomaly but I haven't weighed a gram of my food and I've lost 1lb/week or more since starting MFP in January. I've now lost 20lbs.
I'm 5'3" and I started at 154 and I'm now at 134. I don't even have measuring cups. I'm working overseas and I eat in a work cafeteria for every meal so I can't make my own food. I do the best I can estimating. I don't own a fitbit and I use the calorie burn that Runkeeper gives me or that the spin bike reads after putting in my weight and age. I always give myself an "error cushion" and only eat back about half of my exercise calories. I don't eat in restaurants because there aren't any where I am. I only drink water and one cup of coffee a day.
It is possible without a food scale but you have to be as honest as you can and overestimate what you are eating.
Many people lose weight without weighing their food. However, if someone attempts that and can't lose, they need to reassess what they're doing since it's obviously not working.
And portions might not be wrong (add others have pointed out, it could be that she's overestimating calorie burns or selecting inaccurate diary entries for food), but a food scale is one of the easiest things to objectively rule out as a source of error.14 -
If it isn't working it's definitely time to change it up. I just wanted to make it clear that it is possible.3
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RunRutheeRun wrote: »Yeah, you need to buy a food scale...but the good news is they're cheap
plus you're only 2 weeks in, come back in 2 months and tell us how you're doing.
Lol thanks.3 -
jandsstevenson887 wrote: »So I guess I'm a weird anomaly but I haven't weighed a gram of my food and I've lost 1lb/week or more since starting MFP in January. I've now lost 20lbs.
I'm 5'3" and I started at 154 and I'm now at 134. I don't even have measuring cups. I'm working overseas and I eat in a work cafeteria for every meal so I can't make my own food. I do the best I can estimating. I don't own a fitbit and I use the calorie burn that Runkeeper gives me or that the spin bike reads after putting in my weight and age. I always give myself an "error cushion" and only eat back about half of my exercise calories. I don't eat in restaurants because there aren't any where I am. I only drink water and one cup of coffee a day.
It is possible without a food scale but you have to be as honest as you can and overestimate what you are eating.
Many people lose weight without weighing their food. However, if someone attempts that and can't lose, they need to reassess what they're doing since it's obviously not working.
And portions might not be wrong (add others have pointed out, it could be that she's overestimating calorie burns or selecting inaccurate diary entries for food), but a food scale is one of the easiest things to objectively rule out as a source of error.
I use the app from MFP called mapmy walk so if that's wrong then y does MFP have u use it?0 -
If you are not losing weight, you are consuming too much. It really is that simple. You are not breaking the laws of the known universe.
Consume less, log accurately.6 -
nutmegoreo wrote: »pumpkinRIP02 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »85Cardinals wrote: »U R E ting 2 much to lose weight, ez game.
OMG stop lol It makes my brain hurt trying to read in "text talk"
She said that the other girl is Eating too many calories.
Which she is right.
The girl ate her 1,200 than excersize thinking she could eat the eat the the excersized off calories minus 200-400 calories and lose weight but that is not true.
The way that MFP is designed, yes, you are supposed to eat back the exercise calories. People say 50-75% of them, because the program tends to overestimate. The reason for eating some of these back is to fuel the workouts and provide the nutrition needed to maintain healthy body functioning. Eating 1200 calories and then working out without eating some of that back, would create a steep deficit that won't be supported long-term.
That's what I thought.0 -
jandsstevenson887 wrote: »So I guess I'm a weird anomaly but I haven't weighed a gram of my food and I've lost 1lb/week or more since starting MFP in January. I've now lost 20lbs.
I'm 5'3" and I started at 154 and I'm now at 134. I don't even have measuring cups. I'm working overseas and I eat in a work cafeteria for every meal so I can't make my own food. I do the best I can estimating. I don't own a fitbit and I use the calorie burn that Runkeeper gives me or that the spin bike reads after putting in my weight and age. I always give myself an "error cushion" and only eat back about half of my exercise calories. I don't eat in restaurants because there aren't any where I am. I only drink water and one cup of coffee a day.
It is possible without a food scale but you have to be as honest as you can and overestimate what you are eating.
Many people lose weight without weighing their food. However, if someone attempts that and can't lose, they need to reassess what they're doing since it's obviously not working.
And portions might not be wrong (add others have pointed out, it could be that she's overestimating calorie burns or selecting inaccurate diary entries for food), but a food scale is one of the easiest things to objectively rule out as a source of error.
I use the app from MFP called mapmy walk so if that's wrong then y does MFP have u use it?
Because they are all owned by Under Armour. All the trackers use formulas (and there are different ones) to determine calorie burn and there are so many variables it would be virtually impossible to be exact for every person using them.1 -
pumpkinRIP02 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »85Cardinals wrote: »U R E ting 2 much to lose weight, ez game.
OMG stop lol It makes my brain hurt trying to read in "text talk"
She said that the other girl is Eating too many calories.
Which she is right.
The girl ate her 1,200 than excersize thinking she could eat the eat the the excersized off calories minus 200-400 calories and lose weight but that is not true.
Actually it is true. She ate 1200. Burned maybe 100, giving her a net of 1100. She could eat back the 100 to get back to 1200. That's the point - that's how you use MFP as it is intended.
However... she thinks she burned over 500 calories and is eating 100 to 300 back. And is probably eating a lot more than 1200 calories if she doesn't measure properly or gives herself free-bees (including veggies and fruits maybe).
According 2 the app that is linked to MFP called map my walk, it measures my calories burned and links it 2 MFP by itself, I still alot of times eat for Foo only 1,200 calories. Maybe 100 to 200 more at some times even if my exercise is burned 516 calories, so it's not what I think, it's what the app from MFP says.0 -
pretty much you are eating more than you think. You will ALWAYS lose weight if you eat at a calorie deficit. It's impossible not to. There may be weeks you stall out a bit or hold onto some fluid perhaps, but you can't not lose weight if you are in a calorie deficit.
You are likely eating more than you think and are likely not weighing and measuring your food. It's really that simple.5 -
diannethegeek wrote: »Just to reiterate:
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.
Ok, most.of this I do, I use the recipe builder thing and I do log everything, my fiance says I'm ocd about it. I am not always hungry, so I don't eat all the calories back, I usually only eat cereal 4 breakfast and a glass of oj, for lunch a salad or sandwich, or a sub from subway, I use the barcode mostly for everything and I do make sure it correct. I do have stress and a 1 yr old I deal with. But it has only been 2 weeks so I guess I'm just expecting 2 see results right away.1 -
pumpkinRIP02 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »85Cardinals wrote: »U R E ting 2 much to lose weight, ez game.
OMG stop lol It makes my brain hurt trying to read in "text talk"
She said that the other girl is Eating too many calories.
Which she is right.
The girl ate her 1,200 than excersize thinking she could eat the eat the the excersized off calories minus 200-400 calories and lose weight but that is not true.
Actually it is true. She ate 1200. Burned maybe 100, giving her a net of 1100. She could eat back the 100 to get back to 1200. That's the point - that's how you use MFP as it is intended.
However... she thinks she burned over 500 calories and is eating 100 to 300 back. And is probably eating a lot more than 1200 calories if she doesn't measure properly or gives herself free-bees (including veggies and fruits maybe).
According 2 the app that is linked to MFP called map my walk, it measures my calories burned and links it 2 MFP by itself, I still alot of times eat for Foo only 1,200 calories. Maybe 100 to 200 more at some times even if my exercise is burned 516 calories, so it's not what I think, it's what the app from MFP says.
You don't know how much you're eating if you're not measuring properly, though. You may think you are eating 1200 cals, but you're not if you're not losing weight.
The general rule is that you burn about 100 cals per mile. How many miles are you walking? I have to walk about 10,000 steps which for me is about 5 miles to burn 500 cals, according to my Fitbit.
I too have a young one, my babe is almost 19 months old. It's really easy to weigh and log though. If you are not willing to get a food scale then it will be very hard to make progress.2 -
barbara3213 wrote: »Yeah. Pretty much. I gave in last week and it's already made a difference.
I just wanna quote this because I love it so much!2 -
Apologies if this has been said before in the thread but how do you know what you are burning with your walk? Are you using a heart rate monitor or just going but what the internet etc says you should lose with your walk. If you are estimating then I'd bet that's the issue, you are probably burning less than you think then eating it.1
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I watched the video about portion sizes and I learned a thing or two! I am a life-long serial dieter. Hang in there and let's both measure and underfill our measuring cups. I bet by next week we will be down a few pounds or inches!! 1
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*slow clap* This thread was an awesome read! Never change MFP.9
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diannethegeek wrote: »Just to reiterate:
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.
Ok, most.of this I do, I use the recipe builder thing and I do log everything, my fiance says I'm ocd about it. I am not always hungry, so I don't eat all the calories back, I usually only eat cereal 4 breakfast and a glass of oj, for lunch a salad or sandwich, or a sub from subway, I use the barcode mostly for everything and I do make sure it correct. I do have stress and a 1 yr old I deal with. But it has only been 2 weeks so I guess I'm just expecting 2 see results right away.
Do you measure the OJ and milk on the cereal? Are you counting all the "extras" on that sub? Veggies, cheese, condiments? Maybe you logged the condiments, but they were generous and gave you double that amount.
And as mentioned, the bar code method isn't very accurate without weight. I eat prepackaged cookies a few times a week, and I used to think "this is prepacked, it's probably right." Then I weighed it, and it weighs much more than the package says.
Many entries come up for "banana, small" but your idea of "small" may be 50 calories more than that entry.
This is where some people run into trouble with eyeballing.. I for one am "greedy" with my servings unless I weight things. A tablespoon of peanut butter? Ok, but I heap it up as much as I can! Weighing things prevents me from cheating myself out of a calorie deficit and feeling like I worked so hard for it.5
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