Eating at caloric deficit and still can lose

ladydeathstar66
ladydeathstar66 Posts: 16 Member
edited November 18 in Health and Weight Loss
I've been eating at a caloric deficit for a few weeks now (this is just an example) and I still can't lose anything? Any advice on food changes ? I also bike 4km a day..
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Replies

  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    How are you determining your intake?

    If you're not losing, you're not in a deficit...
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,142 Member
    How regularly have you weighed to determine no loss? How many is a few weeks?
    ohq5qbbgep5w.jpg

  • mfpanyko
    mfpanyko Posts: 21 Member
    How are you determining the calories? Are you weighing and/or measuring your portions?
  • DesiDesi2016
    DesiDesi2016 Posts: 16 Member
    Read the China Study/watch Forks Over Knives:) If you're eating too many (really any) animal products, esp if you're eating a lot of protein/dairy/fat this can make losing weight a challenge.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    Food scale. Buy one, use it.
  • ladydeathstar66
    ladydeathstar66 Posts: 16 Member
    Please refer to my photo attachment

    How are you determining your intake?

    If you're not losing, you're not in a deficit...

  • lioness803
    lioness803 Posts: 325 Member
    ehowders wrote: »
    Read the China Study/watch Forks Over Knives:) If you're eating too many (really any) animal products, esp if you're eating a lot of protein/dairy/fat this can make losing weight a challenge.

    No.

    OP-measure all food, solids with a scale, liquids with cups or spoons. Most people underestimate portions. Do you eat back exercise calories? They can be a bit inflated, so only eating back a portion of them works better for most of us.
  • ladydeathstar66
    ladydeathstar66 Posts: 16 Member
    The one thing I don't have is a food scale. I weigh in once a week. I also log my food and exercise daily. It seems like my water rentionion is preventing me from making any sort of progress?
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    The one thing I don't have is a food scale. I weigh in once a week. I also log my food and exercise daily. It seems like my water rentionion is preventing me from making any sort of progress?

    No, your lack of food scale is preventing you making any sort of progress. You're likely underestimating what you're eating.

    Yep. This.
  • lioness803
    lioness803 Posts: 325 Member
    You can get a food scale for under $20 at pretty much any basic store. It's definitely worth investing in one.
  • ladydeathstar66
    ladydeathstar66 Posts: 16 Member
    It that's how many I've been eating? Lol I'm not cheating
    Please refer to my photo attachment

    How are you determining your intake?

    If you're not losing, you're not in a deficit...

    That shows how many calories you logged. Not how you determined that they were the calories you ate.

  • ladydeathstar66
    ladydeathstar66 Posts: 16 Member
    How much should food weigh? I've never weighed food before
    The one thing I don't have is a food scale. I weigh in once a week. I also log my food and exercise daily. It seems like my water rentionion is preventing me from making any sort of progress?

    No, your lack of food scale is preventing you making any sort of progress. You're likely underestimating what you're eating.

  • mfpanyko
    mfpanyko Posts: 21 Member
    A food scale is invaluable. I use it for as many foods as possible. I can pack a lot of ice cream into a 1/2 cup measure...but the scale doesn't lie!
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    I'd say the lack of a food scale, tbh. My typical breakfast involves, among other things a cup of grapes. According to the MFP database, that's 62 calories. This week, I finally started weighing out the grapes after measuring them into a cup. Turns out that my "cup" holds about 180 grams, which came in at 125 calories yesterday. There are many foods out there with higher calories that I might not have been logging correctly because I was going with cups and spoons for dry measures.

    Highly recommend you get the food scale.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    How much should food weigh? I've never weighed food before
    The one thing I don't have is a food scale. I weigh in once a week. I also log my food and exercise daily. It seems like my water rentionion is preventing me from making any sort of progress?

    No, your lack of food scale is preventing you making any sort of progress. You're likely underestimating what you're eating.

    It weighs what it weighs. You log the weight of the specific food you eat, in grams...
  • gamerbabe14
    gamerbabe14 Posts: 876 Member
    No one says you're cheating. When you log that you ate 100 calories of peanut butter, how do you know you're eating 100 calories of peanut butter?
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    How much should food weigh? I've never weighed food before



    Whatever the information for a serving states. For example, my container of oatmeal says one half-cup is 40 grams. Therefore, I weigh out 40 grams of oats. Watch this video. It probably explains better than I can.

    https://youtu.be/XpHykP6e_Uk
  • moonstroller
    moonstroller Posts: 210 Member
    Drop you calories a little bit and/or increase your exercising.
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    How much should food weigh? I've never weighed food before



    Whatever the information for a serving states. For example, my container of oatmeal says one half-cup is 40 grams. Therefore, I weigh out 40 grams of oats. Watch this video. It probably explains better than I can.

    https://youtu.be/XpHykP6e_Uk

    Unless you want to eat 67g. That's ok too - just weigh it and log however much you want to eat. Or plan your food in weights and weigh out whatever you've logged
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    How much should food weigh? I've never weighed food before
    The one thing I don't have is a food scale. I weigh in once a week. I also log my food and exercise daily. It seems like my water rentionion is preventing me from making any sort of progress?

    No, your lack of food scale is preventing you making any sort of progress. You're likely underestimating what you're eating.

    Check the MFP database for your foods (for single ingredient foods as opposed to casseroles, breads, soups, etc, add "USDA" for most accurate values: e.g. Apple USDA) then input the number of grams.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    How much should food weigh? I've never weighed food before



    Whatever the information for a serving states. For example, my container of oatmeal says one half-cup is 40 grams. Therefore, I weigh out 40 grams of oats. Watch this video. It probably explains better than I can.

    https://youtu.be/XpHykP6e_Uk

    Unless you want to eat 67g. That's ok too - just weigh it and log however much you want to eat. Or plan your food in weights and weigh out whatever you've logged

    Agreed. Depends on your goals.
  • leajas1
    leajas1 Posts: 823 Member
    edited May 2017
    Look on the nutritional label of the food you're eating. It'll say something like 1 serving (1 cup/30 grams) = 150 calories. Try an experiment. Measure out 1 cup and then weigh it. For many food items that 1 cup will be more than 30 grams, which means you're eating more than 150 calories. That piece of bread you're eating? Most likely weights more than you are accounting for. Don't even get me started on fruit.

    Edit for spelling.
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,142 Member
    If you're only weighing weekly you have no way of knowing if you're just up from normal daily fluctuations either, a woman can see a fluctuation of up to 5lb daily just from hormonal water retention, that's not even taking into account alcohol, sodium, changes to macros and new or increased intensity exercise.

    I would highly suggest a food scale too as you are also likely underestimating your calorie intake.

  • leajas1
    leajas1 Posts: 823 Member
    If you're only weighing weekly you have no way of knowing if you're just up from normal daily fluctuations either, a woman can see a fluctuation of up to 5lb daily just from hormonal water retention, that's not even taking into account alcohol, sodium, changes to macros and new or increased intensity exercise.

    I would highly suggest a food scale too as you are also likely underestimating your calorie intake.

    Yes. Downloading and using an app like Happy Scale (for iPhone) and using it every day can help you track those fluctuations.
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