No scale, is there another weigh to be accurate about calories.
aaronmefford
Posts: 20 Member
Scanning the barcode is only good for purchased items.
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Weight is the most accurate way to measure food (and should ideally be done even when scanning the barcode because even purchased items can have a different actual weight than what is on the package). You can use measuring cups/spoons as a compromise, but there can be pretty big variances between what you can fit in a cup/spoon and what you think you're actually consuming.4
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And even then measurements can be off. Why no scale?2
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Idk until today I though I could trust packages and what I looked up on mfp1
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Lots of sales are in scales Amazon has one on scale for $7.49 and up right now. If you don't have prime you can get a free 30 day membership and order it with free shipping. Also feel free to shop around some more but a plethora of options are available that won't break the bank some for less than a lunch meal!1
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aaronmefford wrote: »Idk until today I though I could trust packages and what I looked up on mfp
Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't one of your other posts today asking why you were not losing?
It doesn't seem like trusting the packages and the database without using any form of accurate measurement is working for you.5 -
Agreed hence the question5
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The scale is best but measuring cups are better than nothing.
Confession: I think I'm one of the only people of MFP who doesn't weigh out packaged food. If I eat a tortilla, I'm not checking the weight of it and I'm logging it as one tortilla even if in reality it may be +/- 10% of the serving size weight. I've been losing weight just fine doing it this way, so a little inaccuracy (emphasis on little) won't wreck your weight loss.
However, most people are really, really bad at eyeballing. So for non-prepackaged foods, say sprinkling some shredded cheese on your baked potato, you really need to use measuring cups if you don't have a food scale. If you've never measured it before, 1 ounce or 1/4 cup is probably way less than you would guess.
So if you absolutely cannot get a food scale, measuring cups are better than nothing. Track your weight loss and if you're losing more than your MFP goal, you are underestimating your calories. If you're losing less than your MFP, you're overestimating your calories. Adjust from there.6 -
A decent scale isn't that expensive and I highly recommend it - I was really surprised about how much or little of each food I could eat.4
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Thanks0
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I have never used a scale...it is just not a habit I want to be forced to use for the rest of my life. Nothing wrong with it, just not my preference.
When I am tracking calories closely, I just use measuring cups, tablespoons, and estimates. Is it exact? No...but if you are consistent in the way you measure it works. For example, if I buy a package of chicken that weighs 2 pounds and has 6 chicken breasts, I just go with the assumption that each breast is 1/3 of a pound. Over time, it comes out right.
If you track this way for several weeks, and aren't losing what you would expect to, then you can safely assume you are underestimating and simply adjust the measurements you record to reflect that. Personally, I never had to adjust.
Keep in mind...whatever mfp or any other site gives you as your BMR and your needed calories for the day is just an estimate as well. Any exercise calories you input, whether from a fitbit or a cardio machine or just using the mfp site are just estimates as well. So I see no reason to go to the trouble of using a food scale. It works very well for me (lost a lot of weight) and when I am making macro or other dietary changes and come back to calorie tracking, it continues to work well for me.7 -
Scanning the package and using a food scale correct two separate problems.
There are two sides to good logging: choosing correct entries and logging correct portion sizes.
Scanning the package gives you a good chance of finding the correct entry (although it still has the same problems as the rest of the database and you should double-check the entry it pulls up). Using a food scale gives you a good chance of logging the portion size that you actually ate. The two in combination are great, but just using one or the other can cause problems.
I lost the bulk of my weight without a food scale. I use a food scale today because I find it to be easier and less hassle than measuring cups and spoons, but I won't say that a food scale is an absolute necessity. If you aren't measuring your portion sizes at all yet, then anything will be more accurate than eyeballing or guessing at how much you ate. You can usually get a set of measuring cups and spoons for a few dollars. Food scales for less than $20 most places. Take your pick, but be sure that you're A. Choosing correct entries and B. Logging correct portions.
Some useful reading:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1290491/how-and-why-to-use-a-digital-food-scale
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10191216/the-most-important-thing-you-can-do-to-lose-weight3 -
TBH I eat more food now then when I didn't have a scale. I feel so confident that every week I have no surprises on the scale. It sounds tedious but it's helped tremendously.4
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gamerbabe14 wrote: »TBH I eat more food now then when I didn't have a scale. I feel so confident that every week I have no surprises on the scale. It sounds tedious but it's helped tremendously.
Same thing here. I eat more during my meals that meet my macros. I eat whole foods , have less snack cravings, and I'm still losing weight.
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MoiAussi93 wrote: »I have never used a scale...it is just not a habit I want to be forced to use for the rest of my life. Nothing wrong with it, just not my preference.
When I am tracking calories closely, I just use measuring cups, tablespoons, and estimates. Is it exact? No...but if you are consistent in the way you measure it works. For example, if I buy a package of chicken that weighs 2 pounds and has 6 chicken breasts, I just go with the assumption that each breast is 1/3 of a pound. Over time, it comes out right.
If you track this way for several weeks, and aren't losing what you would expect to, then you can safely assume you are underestimating and simply adjust the measurements you record to reflect that. Personally, I never had to adjust.
This ^ I started and was successful for a long time without a scale, through simple trial and error, estimate/eat/wait to see, if no loss then adjust. I ended up getting a scale but only used it for about a month. It taught me a lot about portion especially for meats but I don't want to have to use one everyday (and I don't, currently). I do dry measure some things, especially trigger foods.
Also, I have a quite a bit to lose so have more wiggle room than most.
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I second that question.amyrebeccah wrote: »brznhabits wrote: »MoiAussi93 wrote: »I have never used a scale...it is just not a habit I want to be forced to use for the rest of my life. Nothing wrong with it, just not my preference.
When I am tracking calories closely, I just use measuring cups, tablespoons, and estimates. Is it exact? No...but if you are consistent in the way you measure it works. For example, if I buy a package of chicken that weighs 2 pounds and has 6 chicken breasts, I just go with the assumption that each breast is 1/3 of a pound. Over time, it comes out right.
If you track this way for several weeks, and aren't losing what you would expect to, then you can safely assume you are underestimating and simply adjust the measurements you record to reflect that. Personally, I never had to adjust.
This ^ I started and was successful for a long time without a scale, through simple trial and error, estimate/eat/wait to see, if no loss then adjust. I ended up getting a scale but only used it for about a month. It taught me a lot about portion especially for meats but I don't want to have to use one everyday (and I don't, currently). I do dry measure some things, especially trigger foods.
Also, I have a quite a bit to lose so have more wiggle room than most.
Honest question to both of you out of my curiosity--why is a scale a bad thing to use for measurement but measuring cups/spoons not considered to be the same kind of burden?
I found measuring cups/spoons much more onerous. I tried using them when I started MFP and that meant more dishes to clean. The food scale is mostly either me weighing on the plate I'm going to use to eat or weighing what I've removed from the container by using the scale's tare function.
I started out weighing more items than I weigh now. I've figured out what's close enough without weighing and what isn't in order to stay on track logging-wise.
Ultimately, the important part is to find what's most comfortable for you while giving you the weight gain/maintenance/loss results you want.0 -
I don't use a scale either. I do use measuring cups or spoons sometimes.MoiAussi93 wrote: »I have never used a scale...it is just not a habit I want to be forced to use for the rest of my life. Nothing wrong with it, just not my preference.
But about 10 years ago when I first started working on weight loss, I did measure everything - or at least, everything I could. Now I'm able to estimate most things. If I weren't losing weight, I would probably go back to measuring more.
Btw, the calories that we log are just an estimate, because there's some natural variation in foods. Weighing or measuring just helps make the estimate more accurate.
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amyrebeccah wrote: »brznhabits wrote: »MoiAussi93 wrote: »I have never used a scale...it is just not a habit I want to be forced to use for the rest of my life. Nothing wrong with it, just not my preference.
When I am tracking calories closely, I just use measuring cups, tablespoons, and estimates. Is it exact? No...but if you are consistent in the way you measure it works. For example, if I buy a package of chicken that weighs 2 pounds and has 6 chicken breasts, I just go with the assumption that each breast is 1/3 of a pound. Over time, it comes out right.
If you track this way for several weeks, and aren't losing what you would expect to, then you can safely assume you are underestimating and simply adjust the measurements you record to reflect that. Personally, I never had to adjust.
This ^ I started and was successful for a long time without a scale, through simple trial and error, estimate/eat/wait to see, if no loss then adjust. I ended up getting a scale but only used it for about a month. It taught me a lot about portion especially for meats but I don't want to have to use one everyday (and I don't, currently). I do dry measure some things, especially trigger foods.
Also, I have a quite a bit to lose so have more wiggle room than most.
Honest question to both of you out of my curiosity--why is a scale a bad thing to use for measurement but measuring cups/spoons not considered to be the same kind of burden?
To be clear, I never said a scale was bad. It's just not for me.
The reason I don't mind using spoons and cups is that if I'm going to eat peanut butter, I need to use a spoon to get it out of the jar regardless. It adds no extra work while a scale would. Same with hummus, cottage cheese, and many other liquid/soft things I eat.
If I decide to have hummus, baby carrots, cottage cheese and a little salsa with a leftover piece of chicken for dinner...my way I need no extra utensils or plates or time. It really takes little to no extra effort. I just guess on the baby carrots based on bag size and number...frankly, carrots have few calories so even if I am VERY off, it is not significant. I use my average chicken piece weight for the chicken. I use the spoon to estimate the hummus, cottage cheese (the cottage cheese size I buy has 4 servings in the container...it is not hard to spoon out about 1/4 of the container by looking at it) and salsa then use that spoon to eat.
If I wanted to use a scale, I have to weight the everything separately. It is just a major hassle. And do you use a clean dish for each thing you weigh? You must to be accurate, otherwise cottage cheese residue with throw off your hummus weight and then the world will come to an end! How do you account for the sauce on the chicken since you can't separate it from the chicken to weigh separately? And what do I do when I go out to have a nice dinner at a restaurant? Panic? Bring my scale and sit there weighing my steak? Demand to speak to the chef and find out exactly how much butter or oil he used? No...I just estimate like I do at home by eyeballing it and making a guess on oils and things.
I'm not saying EVERYBODY should do things my way. But I lost 100 pounds and went from obese to a normal weight with no scale or stress, and millions of people in human history have done the same. You don't NEED a scale. If you like weighting, WONDERFUL! I'm happy for you. It's just not my thing.4 -
I think it's totally possible for people to lose weight without a scale (lots of people here have done it) and I'm not saying they're necessary for everyone. The context of *this thread* however, is an OP who is wondering why he is not losing despite logging a low number of calories each day.
If you don't use a scale and get good results, there's no reason to change unless you think you'd prefer a scale.
If you aren't using a scale and you aren't seeing the results you expect, it may be time to try a more accurate way of measuring and I think that is what is being suggested to OP here. In this case, it isn't really about being "happy" either way, it's about helping someone get the right information to make calorie counting work well for him.4 -
I never weigh the food... like others say, it's a hassle.
When I'm in doubt about the quantity, I try to overestimate a bit so that I can assure myself that I'm within my goal of the day.2 -
I would do it one of two ways:MoiAussi93 wrote: »If I wanted to use a scale, I have to weight the carrots, then remove them from the scale. Then measure and weigh the cottage cheese. Then remove it. Then weigh the hummus, etc. It is just a major hassle. And do you use a clean dish for each thing you weigh? You must to be accurate, otherwise cottage cheese residue with throw off your hummus weight and then the world will come to an end! And what do I do when I go out to have a nice dinner at a restaurant? Panic? Bring my scale and sit there weighing my steak? Demand to speak to the chef and find out exactly how much butter or oil he used? No...I just estimate like I do at home by eyeballing it and making a guess on oils and things.
1. I would put the plate on the scale and hit the tare button to zero out the scale. Add the carrots to the plate until I get the weight that I want, log it, then hit the tare button. Add the cottage cheese, log, hit the tare button. Add the hummus, log it.
2. Put the bag of carrots on the scale, tare the scale, remove the carrots that I want, put the bag back on the scale to see the negative number for how many grams I've removed, log it, remove the bag. Put the cottage cheese container on the scale, tare the scale, remove the cottage cheese that I want, put the container back on the scale to see how many grams I've removed, log it, remove the container. Put the hummus container on the scale, tare the scale, remove the cottage cheese that I want, put the container back on the scale to see how many grams I've removed, log it.
Weighing is still an estimate but it's a closer estimate than measuring cups/spoons and both of those are a closer estimate than eyeballing. If eyeballing gets the job done for you on a consistent basis, that's awesome and there's no reason to change what works.
It took practice but using the scale doesn't take much more time than eyeballing after I've used it for so long now and takes me less time than breaking out the measuring cups/spoons. When I'm away from my scale, I eyeball. When my scale is handy, I use it.2 -
I would do it one of two ways:MoiAussi93 wrote: »If I wanted to use a scale, I have to weight the carrots, then remove them from the scale. Then measure and weigh the cottage cheese. Then remove it. Then weigh the hummus, etc. It is just a major hassle. And do you use a clean dish for each thing you weigh? You must to be accurate, otherwise cottage cheese residue with throw off your hummus weight and then the world will come to an end! And what do I do when I go out to have a nice dinner at a restaurant? Panic? Bring my scale and sit there weighing my steak? Demand to speak to the chef and find out exactly how much butter or oil he used? No...I just estimate like I do at home by eyeballing it and making a guess on oils and things.
1. I would put the plate on the scale and hit the tare button to zero out the scale. Add the carrots to the plate until I get the weight that I want, log it, then hit the tare button. Add the cottage cheese, log, hit the tare button. Add the hummus, log it.
2. Put the bag of carrots on the scale, tare the scale, remove the carrots that I want, put the bag back on the scale to see the negative number for how many grams I've removed, log it. Put the cottage cheese container on the scale, tare the scale, remove the cottage cheese that I want, put the container back on the scale to see how many grams I've removed, log it. Put the hummus container on the scale, tare the scale, remove the cottage cheese that I want, put the container back on the scale to see how many grams I've removed, log it.
Weighing is still an estimate but it's a closer estimate than measuring cups/spoons and both of those are a closer estimate than eyeballing. If eyeballing gets the job done for you on a consistent basis, that's awesome.
It took practice but using the scale doesn't take much more time than eyeballing after I've used it for so long now and takes me less time than breaking out the measuring cups/spoons. When I'm away from my scale, I estimate. When my scale is handy, I use it.
It sounds like you found the method that works well for you and doesn't seem like a hassle. That's great...I would never try to convince you to stop doing what is working for you to do it my way.
We have different methods and are both successful and happy using them. That's what matters. As the old saying goes, there is more than one way to skin a cat.1 -
Everything @MoiAussi93 said plus I literally carry my measuring spoons and cups with me.0
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MoiAussi93 wrote: »
I would do it one of two ways:MoiAussi93 wrote: »If I wanted to use a scale, I have to weight the carrots, then remove them from the scale. Then measure and weigh the cottage cheese. Then remove it. Then weigh the hummus, etc. It is just a major hassle. And do you use a clean dish for each thing you weigh? You must to be accurate, otherwise cottage cheese residue with throw off your hummus weight and then the world will come to an end! And what do I do when I go out to have a nice dinner at a restaurant? Panic? Bring my scale and sit there weighing my steak? Demand to speak to the chef and find out exactly how much butter or oil he used? No...I just estimate like I do at home by eyeballing it and making a guess on oils and things.
1. I would put the plate on the scale and hit the tare button to zero out the scale. Add the carrots to the plate until I get the weight that I want, log it, then hit the tare button. Add the cottage cheese, log, hit the tare button. Add the hummus, log it.
2. Put the bag of carrots on the scale, tare the scale, remove the carrots that I want, put the bag back on the scale to see the negative number for how many grams I've removed, log it. Put the cottage cheese container on the scale, tare the scale, remove the cottage cheese that I want, put the container back on the scale to see how many grams I've removed, log it. Put the hummus container on the scale, tare the scale, remove the cottage cheese that I want, put the container back on the scale to see how many grams I've removed, log it.
Weighing is still an estimate but it's a closer estimate than measuring cups/spoons and both of those are a closer estimate than eyeballing. If eyeballing gets the job done for you on a consistent basis, that's awesome.
It took practice but using the scale doesn't take much more time than eyeballing after I've used it for so long now and takes me less time than breaking out the measuring cups/spoons. When I'm away from my scale, I estimate. When my scale is handy, I use it.
It sounds like you found the method that works well for you and doesn't seem like a hassle. That's great...I would never try to convince you to stop doing what is working for you to do it my way.
We have different methods and are both successful and happy using them. That's what matters. As the old saying goes, there is more than one way to skin a cat.
But we know that OP's method (estimating and eyeballing) *isn't* working for him right now. That's the subject of his previous thread. I'm glad this works well for you, but I'm not sure how relevant it is to OP's specific concerns.
If someone was estimating and eyeballing and it wasn't working for them, what would you suggest?3 -
I don't use a scale. I use measuring cups or I go off of what's in the package. Or just pick the closest thing in the database. Like I bought hot dogs from the farmers market, no nutritional label on them. So I looked up "pork hot dogs" in the MFP database and chose the one with the highest calories.
I almost always pick the option that has the most calories (if there isn't a label to read). Having that "buffer" makes me feel secure about not needing to weigh food. I've been losing weight consistently, so apparently it's working.3 -
Yes, we've each found what works for us. The OP is still investigating to try to find what works for them. Our answers about different methods should give the OP some ideas for experimentation to try to find a way that works for them.MoiAussi93 wrote: »
I would do it one of two ways:MoiAussi93 wrote: »If I wanted to use a scale, I have to weight the carrots, then remove them from the scale. Then measure and weigh the cottage cheese. Then remove it. Then weigh the hummus, etc. It is just a major hassle. And do you use a clean dish for each thing you weigh? You must to be accurate, otherwise cottage cheese residue with throw off your hummus weight and then the world will come to an end! And what do I do when I go out to have a nice dinner at a restaurant? Panic? Bring my scale and sit there weighing my steak? Demand to speak to the chef and find out exactly how much butter or oil he used? No...I just estimate like I do at home by eyeballing it and making a guess on oils and things.
1. I would put the plate on the scale and hit the tare button to zero out the scale. Add the carrots to the plate until I get the weight that I want, log it, then hit the tare button. Add the cottage cheese, log, hit the tare button. Add the hummus, log it.
2. Put the bag of carrots on the scale, tare the scale, remove the carrots that I want, put the bag back on the scale to see the negative number for how many grams I've removed, log it. Put the cottage cheese container on the scale, tare the scale, remove the cottage cheese that I want, put the container back on the scale to see how many grams I've removed, log it. Put the hummus container on the scale, tare the scale, remove the cottage cheese that I want, put the container back on the scale to see how many grams I've removed, log it.
Weighing is still an estimate but it's a closer estimate than measuring cups/spoons and both of those are a closer estimate than eyeballing. If eyeballing gets the job done for you on a consistent basis, that's awesome.
It took practice but using the scale doesn't take much more time than eyeballing after I've used it for so long now and takes me less time than breaking out the measuring cups/spoons. When I'm away from my scale, I estimate. When my scale is handy, I use it.
It sounds like you found the method that works well for you and doesn't seem like a hassle. That's great...I would never try to convince you to stop doing what is working for you to do it my way.
We have different methods and are both successful and happy using them. That's what matters. As the old saying goes, there is more than one way to skin a cat.4 -
The scale is best but measuring cups are better than nothing.
Confession: I think I'm one of the only people of MFP who doesn't weigh out packaged food. If I eat a tortilla, I'm not checking the weight of it and I'm logging it as one tortilla even if in reality it may be +/- 10% of the serving size weight. I've been losing weight just fine doing it this way, so a little inaccuracy (emphasis on little) won't wreck your weight loss.
However, most people are really, really bad at eyeballing. So for non-prepackaged foods, say sprinkling some shredded cheese on your baked potato, you really need to use measuring cups if you don't have a food scale. If you've never measured it before, 1 ounce or 1/4 cup is probably way less than you would guess.
So if you absolutely cannot get a food scale, measuring cups are better than nothing. Track your weight loss and if you're losing more than your MFP goal, you are underestimating your calories. If you're losing less than your MFP, you're overestimating your calories. Adjust from there.
This^
Back in the day measuring cups were more the norm I think. If you are in the U.S. get a cheap set of measuring cups, 1 liquid measuring cup & a set of measuring spoons at the dollar store....$3.00+tax
Don't eyeball......unless you are a very experienced baker/cook you will not be very good at this anyway. Some things are just awful in measuring cups but they are still an improvement over what you are doing now.
A tare function on a digital scale makes lots of things very convenient to weigh. Cleaning cups & spoons....instead of just tossing everything on the scale. Different strokes.0 -
A basic scale is an essential kitchen tool. You don't need it for everything but in some cases there is no substitute.
If you build things, you need a good tape measure.3 -
I have a scale, but I don't use it for most things. There's no question that measuring cups and trusting the portion size listed on the package is inaccurate. But I have yet to find anyone who can prove that using a kitchen scale is accurate. When you combine that with the fact that calorie burn calculations are also inaccurate, it makes more sense to me to just assume that weighing your food also provides an inaccurate measure. In this whole mess, the only thing that is accurate is the reading on the bathroom scale. If the bathroom scale is staying the same then I know that my calories in equals my calories out. If it is moving one way or the other than I know that one of the two is higher than the other and I need to adjust accordingly.3
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TimothyFish wrote: »I have a scale, but I don't use it for most things. There's no question that measuring cups and trusting the portion size listed on the package is inaccurate. But I have yet to find anyone who can prove that using a kitchen scale is accurate. When you combine that with the fact that calorie burn calculations are also inaccurate, it makes more sense to me to just assume that weighing your food also provides an inaccurate measure. In this whole mess, the only thing that is accurate is the reading on the bathroom scale. If the bathroom scale is staying the same then I know that my calories in equals my calories out. If it is moving one way or the other than I know that one of the two is higher than the other and I need to adjust accordingly.
If you have decided to reject all forms of measurement beyond your bathroom scale, how do you adjust?
And why would a scale be inaccurate just because it is smaller and in my kitchen?2 -
janejellyroll wrote: »MoiAussi93 wrote: »
I would do it one of two ways:MoiAussi93 wrote: »If I wanted to use a scale, I have to weight the carrots, then remove them from the scale. Then measure and weigh the cottage cheese. Then remove it. Then weigh the hummus, etc. It is just a major hassle. And do you use a clean dish for each thing you weigh? You must to be accurate, otherwise cottage cheese residue with throw off your hummus weight and then the world will come to an end! And what do I do when I go out to have a nice dinner at a restaurant? Panic? Bring my scale and sit there weighing my steak? Demand to speak to the chef and find out exactly how much butter or oil he used? No...I just estimate like I do at home by eyeballing it and making a guess on oils and things.
1. I would put the plate on the scale and hit the tare button to zero out the scale. Add the carrots to the plate until I get the weight that I want, log it, then hit the tare button. Add the cottage cheese, log, hit the tare button. Add the hummus, log it.
2. Put the bag of carrots on the scale, tare the scale, remove the carrots that I want, put the bag back on the scale to see the negative number for how many grams I've removed, log it. Put the cottage cheese container on the scale, tare the scale, remove the cottage cheese that I want, put the container back on the scale to see how many grams I've removed, log it. Put the hummus container on the scale, tare the scale, remove the cottage cheese that I want, put the container back on the scale to see how many grams I've removed, log it.
Weighing is still an estimate but it's a closer estimate than measuring cups/spoons and both of those are a closer estimate than eyeballing. If eyeballing gets the job done for you on a consistent basis, that's awesome.
It took practice but using the scale doesn't take much more time than eyeballing after I've used it for so long now and takes me less time than breaking out the measuring cups/spoons. When I'm away from my scale, I estimate. When my scale is handy, I use it.
It sounds like you found the method that works well for you and doesn't seem like a hassle. That's great...I would never try to convince you to stop doing what is working for you to do it my way.
We have different methods and are both successful and happy using them. That's what matters. As the old saying goes, there is more than one way to skin a cat.
But we know that OP's method (estimating and eyeballing) *isn't* working for him right now. That's the subject of his previous thread. I'm glad this works well for you, but I'm not sure how relevant it is to OP's specific concerns.
If someone was estimating and eyeballing and it wasn't working for them, what would you suggest?
I didn't see his/her previous thread, so my response was relevant to this one.
If somebody isn't losing (after a month or so, so that we know it isn't water fluctuations or other temporary issues) then it could either be that they are 1) underestimating what they eat, 2) overestimating how many calories their body burns a day at rest (these online calculators are estimates...there is significant individual variation), or 3) overestimating how much they are burning through exercise. There is no way to know which issue it is, or if it is all of them. And it frankly does not matter. The ONLY thing you do know is that as a result of one or more of the three possibilities I listed, you are not burning more than you eat. This means you need to either burn more or eat less...or a combination of the two. Stated another way, you can't easily change your BMR, so you either add exercise or cut food.
So...you CAN use a scale...which may or may not help on its own. Do that if you like the idea of weighing. If you don't... you can just cut 200 calories a day from your target. If you continue to estimate the same way, this will at least partially solve the problem. Or you could eat the same and add more exercise, or do both. If, in a few weeks you still aren't losing, repeat! All of these things are estimates...pick the method you prefer to tweak your estimates until you get results that are what you want.3
This discussion has been closed.
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