Not losing weight
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Look I can't used a food scale, but I can read packaging and I can use the fist and palm method to track calories. And I'm not going to accept my weight the way it is because my clothes have become tighter for me. I've been on MFP for over a year but I haven't religiously tracked my calories everyday. Some days I don't log in. Also, how can I go below 1200 calories? Isn't that undereating?
Those methods are, quite simply, inaccurate. As has been mentioned, discuss this with your treatment team, so he/she/they can determine if this line of action is appropriate for you. If so, then they can help guide/refer you to do this in a good way for you.
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Is food scale the only other option for me then? I also use the food labelled on MFP. I guess I don't understand how it's been a year and I'm sick of dieting and I can't get below 154 lbs. I remember a few weeks ago I ate 500 calories in a day and I didn't feel any better.
Does your ED treatment team know that you are restricting to 500 calories a day on some days? This is beyond the internet's ability to help you, you need to speak with your treatment team.11 -
Look I can't used a food scale, but I can read packaging and I can use the fist and palm method to track calories. And I'm not going to accept my weight the way it is because my clothes have become tighter for me. I've been on MFP for over a year but I haven't religiously tracked my calories everyday. Some days I don't log in. Also, how can I go below 1200 calories? Isn't that undereating?
If you have been at this for a year, even being 200 calories under maintenance would have made you lose 20.8 lbs by now. I dont know your hight but I just put your age, weight, and sex into a calculator with the made up hight of 4ft 8 inches and it says for you to maintain your weight it would be 1800 a day.3 -
Hi everyone! So I'm 23 years old, weigh 154lbs. In oct 2015 I managed to get my weight down to 136 lbs by diet and exercising but because of university and stress I've gained all the weight back. I've been eat 1200/1400 calories a day and I exercise three times a week. I sometime mix up hand weights at home, yoga or stretching. I've built abit of muscle. I'm at loss as to why it's been over a year and I'm not losing weight?! I am an ectomorph and endomorph! Pear shaped slightly! I'm desperate and want to do alternate day fasting?!
Look at the website Avatar Nutrition. It will calculate your macros based on information you plug in and what your goals are.0 -
I'm 5 4 height and I have no eating disorder anymore. Hence why I want to do this in the safest way possible and not starve myself. Exactly I don't understand why I haven't lost 20lbs...okay I will look into avatar nutrition. Thank you!0
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she800hunter2014 wrote: »Hi everyone! So I'm 23 years old, weigh 154lbs. In oct 2015 I managed to get my weight down to 136 lbs by diet and exercising but because of university and stress I've gained all the weight back. I've been eat 1200/1400 calories a day and I exercise three times a week. I sometime mix up hand weights at home, yoga or stretching. I've built abit of muscle. I'm at loss as to why it's been over a year and I'm not losing weight?! I am an ectomorph and endomorph! Pear shaped slightly! I'm desperate and want to do alternate day fasting?!
Look at the website Avatar Nutrition. It will calculate your macros based on information you plug in and what your goals are.
I don't understand how this will help without accurate measuring.4 -
you never fully recover from an eating disorder - its like alcoholism, its a daily struggle
people here are giving you advice, but you need to take it. Avatar nutrition may help you determine what you need to eat, but that won't help solve the problem of eating too much or too little - you need to weigh or measure food in some shape/size/form - a palm measurement doesn't help4 -
Is food scale the only other option for me then? I also use the food labelled on MFP. I guess I don't understand how it's been a year and I'm sick of dieting and I can't get below 154 lbs. I remember a few weeks ago I ate 500 calories in a day and I didn't feel any better.
Don't forget that many of the database entries in MFP are incorrect, as well. I understand that you're sick of dieting and not seeing any progress, but you really do have to accept that the reason why is that you're not measuring accurately.
To address the food scale issue: If the only reason why is that you don't want your family to see you using one, come up with an explanation that will make them less concerned. Try looking up recipes on the internet that measure in grams, not ounces/piece. Then, you're just trying to get the recipe right! Or, go with a less subversive explanation which is: you want to be at a healthy, comfortable weight and you want to be able to eat as much food as possible getting there. Using a food scale ensures that you get to eat as much food as possible and still maintain a healthy deficit (which for you may only be 250 calories a day). It doesn't have to be obsessive if you don't obsess over it. It only has to be a tool that you use to make sure that you're getting the nutrition and the calories that your body needs. As others have mentioned - talk to your ED treatment team. They may even advise you to use a scale!3 -
You are eating more than you think because you are not accurately measuring your intake. Period. Believe it or not it's the truth if its been as long as you say it's been with no loss.3
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Is food scale the only other option for me then? I also use the food labelled on MFP. I guess I don't understand how it's been a year and I'm sick of dieting and I can't get below 154 lbs. I remember a few weeks ago I ate 500 calories in a day and I didn't feel any better.
Don't forget that many of the database entries in MFP are incorrect, as well. I understand that you're sick of dieting and not seeing any progress, but you really do have to accept that the reason why is that you're not measuring accurately.
To address the food scale issue: If the only reason why is that you don't want your family to see you using one, come up with an explanation that will make them less concerned. Try looking up recipes on the internet that measure in grams, not ounces/piece. Then, you're just trying to get the recipe right! Or, go with a less subversive explanation which is: you want to be at a healthy, comfortable weight and you want to be able to eat as much food as possible getting there. Using a food scale ensures that you get to eat as much food as possible and still maintain a healthy deficit (which for you may only be 250 calories a day). It doesn't have to be obsessive if you don't obsess over it. It only has to be a tool that you use to make sure that you're getting the nutrition and the calories that your body needs. As others have mentioned - talk to your ED treatment team. They may even advise you to use a scale!
Or it's possible the reason they don't want her using a food scale is that they don't share her conclusion that her ED is no longer an issue.7 -
janejellyroll wrote: »Is food scale the only other option for me then? I also use the food labelled on MFP. I guess I don't understand how it's been a year and I'm sick of dieting and I can't get below 154 lbs. I remember a few weeks ago I ate 500 calories in a day and I didn't feel any better.
Don't forget that many of the database entries in MFP are incorrect, as well. I understand that you're sick of dieting and not seeing any progress, but you really do have to accept that the reason why is that you're not measuring accurately.
To address the food scale issue: If the only reason why is that you don't want your family to see you using one, come up with an explanation that will make them less concerned. Try looking up recipes on the internet that measure in grams, not ounces/piece. Then, you're just trying to get the recipe right! Or, go with a less subversive explanation which is: you want to be at a healthy, comfortable weight and you want to be able to eat as much food as possible getting there. Using a food scale ensures that you get to eat as much food as possible and still maintain a healthy deficit (which for you may only be 250 calories a day). It doesn't have to be obsessive if you don't obsess over it. It only has to be a tool that you use to make sure that you're getting the nutrition and the calories that your body needs. As others have mentioned - talk to your ED treatment team. They may even advise you to use a scale!
Or it's possible the reason they don't want her using a food scale is that they don't share her conclusion that her ED is no longer an issue.
Great point, I didn't consider that! I fear that the OP will take the advise she's given here about measuring accurately and decide to just arbitrarily cut her eye-ball measuring by some degree, which could lead to under eating. I definitely don't want to encourage obsessive calorie restriction, so if food scales contribute to that (as opposed to helping her eat as much as possible within a healthy goal), I can absolutely see her family's concern
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This is why you've been stuck. You've asked for help and received perfect answers for your question.Look I can't used a food scale, but I can read packaging and I can use the fist and palm method to track calories. And I'm not going to accept my weight the way it is because my clothes have become tighter for me. I've been on MFP for over a year but I haven't religiously tracked my calories everyday. Some days I don't log in. Also, how can I go below 1200 calories? Isn't that undereating?
If you're not willing to be accurate, for yourself to lose weight again and take the wonderful advice here, then what can you do? What you're doing is clearly not working anymore.
A food scale costs less than $20. If family are concerned, explain that it's a tool to help you eat the correct amount to be healthy.
You are not eating 1200, and it certainly isn't your maintenance unless you're 4' tall and/or over 65 years old.
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cerise_noir wrote: »
This is why you've been stuck. You've asked for help and received perfect answers for your question.Look I can't used a food scale, but I can read packaging and I can use the fist and palm method to track calories. And I'm not going to accept my weight the way it is because my clothes have become tighter for me. I've been on MFP for over a year but I haven't religiously tracked my calories everyday. Some days I don't log in. Also, how can I go below 1200 calories? Isn't that undereating?
If family are concerned, explain that it's a tool to help you eat the correct amount to be healthy.
Ha this is exactly what i said to my husband when he showed concern about me weighing all of my food. I told him i use it to make sure i'm eating enough, because i undereat without it! He doesn't want me to lose any more weight, so telling him this got him off my back.
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Christine_72 wrote: »cerise_noir wrote: »
This is why you've been stuck. You've asked for help and received perfect answers for your question.Look I can't used a food scale, but I can read packaging and I can use the fist and palm method to track calories. And I'm not going to accept my weight the way it is because my clothes have become tighter for me. I've been on MFP for over a year but I haven't religiously tracked my calories everyday. Some days I don't log in. Also, how can I go below 1200 calories? Isn't that undereating?
If family are concerned, explain that it's a tool to help you eat the correct amount to be healthy.
Ha this is exactly what i said to my husband when he showed concern about me weighing all of my food. I told him i use it to make sure i'm eating enough, because i undereat without it! He doesn't want me to lose any more weight, so telling him this got him off my back.
This actually is the case for me. In my case the food scale helps me reduce potentially triggering my ED - reducing food to numbers is immensely helpful.
What I wouldn't recommend is advising someone with a history of disordered eating to be untruthful with their family (who are likely their primary support system) about their motivation for particular weight loss related behaviours eg using a food scale. If you have an ED and weighing out your food could potentially trigger a cycle of over restriction then that really should be taken up with your doctor.5 -
InkAndApples wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »cerise_noir wrote: »
This is why you've been stuck. You've asked for help and received perfect answers for your question.Look I can't used a food scale, but I can read packaging and I can use the fist and palm method to track calories. And I'm not going to accept my weight the way it is because my clothes have become tighter for me. I've been on MFP for over a year but I haven't religiously tracked my calories everyday. Some days I don't log in. Also, how can I go below 1200 calories? Isn't that undereating?
If family are concerned, explain that it's a tool to help you eat the correct amount to be healthy.
Ha this is exactly what i said to my husband when he showed concern about me weighing all of my food. I told him i use it to make sure i'm eating enough, because i undereat without it! He doesn't want me to lose any more weight, so telling him this got him off my back.
This actually is the case for me. In my case the food scale helps me reduce potentially triggering my ED - reducing food to numbers is immensely helpful.
What I wouldn't recommend is advising someone with a history of disordered eating to be untruthful with their family (who are likely their primary support system) about their motivation for particular weight loss related behaviours eg using a food scale. If you have an ED and weighing out your food could potentially trigger a cycle of over restriction then that really should be taken up with your doctor.
Very true. I have no experience with Eating Disorders, so fibbing to the family is not a great idea in this instance.0 -
You say you eat high fat. How are you measuring high fat items? Like butter and oils for example?
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I'm not in my eating disorder in the sense that I no longer starve myself or make myself vomit which is what I used to do. Yes, the demons do come back but I'm aware of them and I can stop myself from falling into the same trap. I'm much more aware about my thoughts and behaviour patterns. If MFP database entries are not correct then what is the most useful database? I'm confused now, so the food labels are inaccurate, MFP is too...so then what is accurate? Let's say I weigh a fish fillet or something...how am I supposed to get the data of the nutritional value of the food item?0
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gebeziseva wrote: »You say you eat high fat. How are you measuring high fat items? Like butter and oils for example?
I measure by teaspoon0 -
I'm not in my eating disorder in the sense that I no longer starve myself or make myself vomit which is what I used to do. Yes, the demons do come back but I'm aware of them and I can stop myself from falling into the same trap. I'm much more aware about my thoughts and behaviour patterns. If MFP database entries are not correct then what is the most useful database? I'm confused now, so the food labels are inaccurate, MFP is too...so then what is accurate? Let's say I weigh a fish fillet or something...how am I supposed to get the data of the nutritional value of the food item?
You just need to choose your entries carefully. For things that don't have labels, search for the usda entry. For things that do have labels, make sure the entry matches what the package says.
Where you run into trouble mostly with the package info is the serving size. It will say something like one serving is 1/2 cup or 90 grams. But if you serve yourself 1/2 cup and then put it on the scale, it actually weighs 110 grams. The nutrition info on the package is measured for the gram (weighed) serving, then they guesstimate the cup/tablespoon serving size and often not very well.
If you really can't weigh your portions, focus on choosing correct entries, logging everything as accurately as possible (level off cups and spoons, don't shove things down into measuring containers, remember to log condiments and beverages). It won't be as accurate, but it could help. If you were really eating 1200 cals, you would be losing weight.
Also, you didn't mention your height, but at 154lbs you aren't much overweight. You should probably be expecting around half-a-pound loss per week, so it could take a month or so for any loss to show up on the scale. I don't know much about ED recovery, so I'm not going to go there. Please take care of yourself
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Great point, I didn't consider that! I fear that the OP will take the advise she's given here about measuring accurately and decide to just arbitrarily cut her eye-ball measuring by some degree, which could lead to under eating. I definitely don't want to encourage obsessive calorie restriction, so if food scales contribute to that (as opposed to helping her eat as much as possible within a healthy goal), I can absolutely see her family's concern. [/quote]
This is why I won't use the scale...it can lead to even obsessive behaviour in normal people and I'm sure there are other ways to burn fat aside from counting calories? I'm positive I'm eating no more than 1500 atleast. The most I can do is make my portions smaller then. Any other tips for burning fat without weighing scales? I just want the fat gone that's my main concern. I even do abit of strength training so I can have some lean muscle too.
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