Calories.....

riley_kinnett
riley_kinnett Posts: 60 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Back again asking about calories... My weight hasn't moved really at all in the past 2 months. I have my activity level set to lightly active (I work at a bank part time) and my calories right now are at 1450 before exercise. I go to the gym 5-6 days a week for about 45 min doing mostly cardio and some strength training here and there. Should I lower my activity level to sedentary? This would put me at 1200 cal/day. I am 5'6", 172lb and trying to get to 155-160lb.

Replies

  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
    Have you been weighing your food using a food scale that weighs out in grams? There's a possibility that you are overeating.

    You also don't have a lot of weight to lose so it depends on what you have your settings at, but you should probably aim to lose no more than .5/week if you only have 12 lbs to lose.
  • riley_kinnett
    riley_kinnett Posts: 60 Member
    I weigh everything I put in my mouth. I know a lot of people say that.. but I mean it. Down to the lettuce I use for salads. I'm very meticulous about it which is why I'm confused. If I set it to .5/week I will not lose any weight bc I'm not losing weight now at even fewer calories.
  • dmt4641
    dmt4641 Posts: 409 Member
    samanthaluangphixay wrote: »
    Have you been weighing your food using a food scale that weighs out in grams? There's a possibility that you are overeating.

    You also don't have a lot of weight to lose so it depends on what you have your settings at, but you should probably aim to lose no more than .5/week if you only have 12 lbs to lose.

    What she said.

    Check out this post for how to log accurately.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1

    The last few pounds are a pain in the *kitten* to lose, so don't get discouraged.
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
    edited July 2016
    What I do: I do not eat back ANY of my exercise calories. This site has no idea what I do. Not tracked. Try that?
    Why do I do that? I believe that 90% of weight loss is eating right and staying within your calories. Exercise just makes me feel good and gives me energy.
  • sammyliftsandeats
    sammyliftsandeats Posts: 2,421 Member
    riley_kinnett wrote: »
    I weigh everything I put in my mouth. I know a lot of people say that.. but I mean it. Down to the lettuce I use for salads. I'm very meticulous about it which is why I'm confused. If I set it to .5/week I will not lose any weight bc I'm not losing weight now at even fewer calories.

    I took a look at your diary and some of the measurements you use could be incorrect. For example, the honey crisp apple - you chose the serving as '1 small'. Your perception of small and my perception of small may be totally different things. While the calories in an apple aren't such a big deal, it can get problematic when you logged your serving of the Jimmy John's unwich which could vary differently due to who made the sandwich, how much of each ingredient was put in, etc.

    What method do you use to log your exercise calories? If you are using the MFP database, this is subject to high inflation and if you are eating all of those calories back, it may cause you to go over as well.
  • dmt4641
    dmt4641 Posts: 409 Member
    I took a quick look at your diary. There are a lot of days where you eat out for one or two meals. Nothing wrong with that, but just realize that it is hard to control your calories that way. The guy/gal at Subway, Panera, etc. are not measuring or weighing anything, and the calorie counts are just an estimate that can vary widely.

    Is it possible to eat more meals at home/bring you lunch to work/school? You will have a lot more control of your calories that way.
  • riley_kinnett
    riley_kinnett Posts: 60 Member
    dmt4641 wrote: »
    I took a quick look at your diary. There are a lot of days where you eat out for one or two meals. Nothing wrong with that, but just realize that it is hard to control your calories that way. The guy/gal at Subway, Panera, etc. are not measuring or weighing anything, and the calorie counts are just an estimate that can vary widely.

    Is it possible to eat more meals at home/bring you lunch to work/school? You will have a lot more control of your calories that way.
    dmt4641 wrote: »
    I took a quick look at your diary. There are a lot of days where you eat out for one or two meals. Nothing wrong with that, but just realize that it is hard to control your calories that way. The guy/gal at Subway, Panera, etc. are not measuring or weighing anything, and the calorie counts are just an estimate that can vary widely.

    Is it possible to eat more meals at home/bring you lunch to work/school? You will have a lot more control of your calories that way.

    I fully understand this, and I used to always make my food and everything but I have not been able to lately. I'm going to get back on it and stop eating out so much, hopefully this will help.

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