is the Weight Loss Tracking Accurate? What am I doing wrong?

eviltwinz
eviltwinz Posts: 26 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So, I tracked my food/exercise for one week and it is telling me I should lose about 9 pounds in 5 weeks which seems realistic since I am eating low calories and working out 3 hours of cardio per week. I got on the scale after one week and lost 0 calories. Can anyone give me some advice or see if I am doing something wrong?
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Replies

  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    edited July 2016
    Zero pounds? It is likely water retention from exercise. You probably will see a drop. Keep going.

    ETA: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2015/12/just-started-exercising-gaining-weight/
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,420 Member
    What do you mean "tracked"? If you don't have a lot of weight to lose, tracking is very important to get right. It's a numbers game, and accuracy is key.

    Can you open your Food Diary so we can take a look?

    How much weight are you needing to lose to get into your healthy weight range?
  • eviltwinz
    eviltwinz Posts: 26 Member
    I opened my food diary. I am only trying to lose about 10 or so pounds.
  • johnnylakis
    johnnylakis Posts: 812 Member
    Sounds like you need to buy and use a food scale. Your portions are probably larger than what you are recording
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,420 Member
    Your diary is still closed.

    So, with 10 pounds to lose your Goals settings here on this site should be set to "Lose 1/2 pound per week." Eat what it tells you to eat, add in your Exercise and eat those additional couple hundred calories a day, too.

    Buy a digital food scale and weigh everything that goes in your mouth. Track everything using the above suggestions for six weeks. Then you will have an accurate numbers data set from which to run your weight loss. It's your experiment to run, but you need good data over a period of time in order to make progress and maintain your loss once you get there.
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    The last ten pounds are a bugger.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,420 Member
    Yeah, it's going to be slow...painfully so. Unless the OP is very young. When I was in my twenties I could stop drinking Coke for a week and drop ten pounds. Not so anymore.
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    You could try changing up your exercise routine.
    http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/weightloss/10-of-the-best-workouts-for-losing-the-last-10-pounds/ss-BBm3xJ1#image=11
  • socioseguro
    socioseguro Posts: 1,679 Member
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  • eviltwinz
    eviltwinz Posts: 26 Member
    So, I have been weighing all my food on a digital food scale and also went to the doctor since I have a torn rotator cuff right now and just got full blood work which came out good. I am limited with exercise due to the rotator injury and am getting it operated on in August. Walking is the only cardio I can get in right now with minimal pain. I have a hard time eating 1200 calories without going over carbs/sugars/protein so I have been eating under 1200 calories. Don't know if that matters.
  • eviltwinz
    eviltwinz Posts: 26 Member
    Ok, I made my food diary public
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,420 Member
    edited July 2016
    Yes, it matters. RESET your GOALS to "Lose 1/2 pound per week." It will give you more than 1200, for sure. Eat a couple hundred more for every hour of moderate-speed walking you do.

    As far as carbs/sugars/protein ...it doesn't matter if you go over on protein and fat, those are GOALS/Minimums to hit. You'll lose weight if you try to hit right at or just below your [calorie] goal, regardless of your carbs/sugars/protein ratio...which should be higher than 1200, unless you are a very tiny or older woman.

  • LeanButNotMean44
    LeanButNotMean44 Posts: 852 Member
    Weigh your food with a food scale, don't use measuring cups. You are eating more than you think.
  • cavia
    cavia Posts: 457 Member
    With only 10lbs to lose, you have no room for error. Your logging has to be spot on. Your diary is still closed so either you have an undisclosed/undiagnosed thyroid issue or something is off in your tracking. I was sidelined by an injury at the time of my last cut and those were pure vanity pounds for me. I lost 1lb/week despite not being able to exercise and having hypothyroidism. If you were in a deficit, you would be losing.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited July 2016
    Its been ONE week. At least give this 3+ plus weeks. It takes the body time to adjust to less calories just as it does "you" in general.

    The flow chart above is something that will become handy should you not loose any within 3 weeks or so.

    And it says that you will loose 9 pounds in 5 weeks with only 10 to loose, why so aggressive?

    And for anyone that may read this that has 10 pounds or less to loose, the food scale is now more important than ever!!! You do not have to change exercising. The folks telling you to exercise more are in correct in telling you to increase that. You increase that if you want to increase your fitness level, not to loose pounds.
  • eviltwinz
    eviltwinz Posts: 26 Member
    I must be doing something wrong...how do I open my food diary?
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    eviltwinz wrote: »
    I must be doing something wrong...how do I open my food diary?

    Your diary is open, but things still aren't showing as weighed.
  • eviltwinz
    eviltwinz Posts: 26 Member
    Oh...not sure what that means
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    It looks like you counted 12 crackers instead of weighing them by the gram, same with the watermelon, the ketchup, and even the bread may not be accurate. With only 10lbs to lose, there isn't much wiggle room.
  • cavia
    cavia Posts: 457 Member
    Almost all of your entries are in cups. Nothing really looks weighed to me. You're eating more than you think you are.
  • eviltwinz
    eviltwinz Posts: 26 Member
    Ok...I will start weighing, I just figured bread etc. you could go by serving size.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    DebSozo wrote: »
    You could try changing up your exercise routine.
    http://www.msn.com/en-us/health/weightloss/10-of-the-best-workouts-for-losing-the-last-10-pounds/ss-BBm3xJ1#image=11

    Except - by changing your routine, your body will likely react to the new stimulus by retaining water weight. Changing the routine at this point would probably backfire, if a number on the scale is the goal.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    edited July 2016
    That chicken entry you used on the 7th is wrong. 3oz raw boneless skinless chicken breast is around 100 calories. If it was 3 oz grilled boneless skinless breast your looking at around 130.

    I rarely every have slices of bread that weigh a serving. Most of the time they weigh more.
  • cavia
    cavia Posts: 457 Member
    eviltwinz wrote: »
    Ok...I will start weighing, I just figured bread etc. you could go by serving size.

    All the little caloric estimations add up over the day and it is easy to wipe out your deficit. If you understand that and want to accept those results, go for it. If you want reliable weight loss, you need to dial it in. Neither way is right or wrong, what fits with your life right now? If I'm not dieting, I won't weigh my bread either but if I'm dieting, I want to make sure I'm as accurate as possible at the end of the day.

  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    edited July 2016
    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    ...And for anyone that may read this that has 10 pounds or less to loose, the food scale is now more important than ever!!! You do not have to change exercising. The folks telling you to exercise more are incorrect in telling you to increase that. You increase that if you want to increase your fitness level, not to lose pounds.

    That is nice to know, but "if" OP is eating 1200 calories as claimed, then it would be best not to go lower.

    Understandably with a rotator cuff injury it will be difficult to exercise upper body. Perhaps OP could work on maintaining until after recovery from surgery? Maintaining is better than gaining. When activity level goes back up the pounds might start coming off.

    RoxieDawn, if what you are saying is true (that exercise makes no difference) then MFP wouldn't ask us our activity level when setting our daily calorie goal.

  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    edited July 2016
    DebSozo wrote: »
    RoxieDawn wrote: »
    ...And for anyone that may read this that has 10 pounds or less to loose, the food scale is now more important than ever!!! You do not have to change exercising. The folks telling you to exercise more are incorrect in telling you to increase that. You increase that if you want to increase your fitness level, not to lose pounds.

    That is nice to know, but "if" OP is eating 1200 calories as claimed, then it would be best not to go lower.

    Understandably with a rotator cuff injury it will be difficult to exercise upper body. Perhaps OP could work on maintaining until after recovery from surgery? Maintaining is better than gaining. When activity level goes back up the pounds might start coming off.

    RoxieDawn, if what you are saying is true (that exercise makes no difference) then MFP wouldn't ask us our activity level when setting our daily calorie goal.

    It asks you for your activity level without exercise factored in. That way you lose weight with or without exercise and when you exercise you get to eat a bit more because it increases your total daily calorie burn above the activity level you selected.
  • eviltwinz
    eviltwinz Posts: 26 Member
    I would like to lose weight but more importantly I want to lose inches. Although I have an injury I am walking 3.5 pace 3 or 4 times a week so I am getting exercise. I will not be able to get any workout in for two weeks probably. I don't mind weighing all my food. I eat a lot of the same meals. Does anyone think not eating 1200 calories is a problem? I have not been as active due to my injury and also I mentioned I am concerned about going over sugar/carbs etc. If anyone has any suggestions to my food intake that would also be great.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    As your 1200 calorie deficit does not include exercise only your daily activity (walking to the bus, housework, gardening, movement at work, etc) you should be able to lose, with accurate logging, using the parameters you have set.

    However, with only 10lbs to lose .5lbs a week is an appropriate goal. This is because one has little fat to burn and if one sets one's loss too high one could start losing more muscle.

    Also, injuries and healing need calories to recover. Eating at maintenance, or just a small deficit, for the next few months with the emphasis on reaching your protein goal (treat it as a minimum) will help you have a good recovery.

    Make learning to log accurately your goal. Those last 10lbs really do take time to lose.

    Cheers, h.
  • eviltwinz
    eviltwinz Posts: 26 Member
    Thanks for all the help...I guess I need to weigh the food, be more patient and just give it some time.

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