DESPERATE AND ABOUT TO QUIT

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Replies

  • collectingblues
    collectingblues Posts: 2,541 Member
    Half a tablespoon of peanut butter isn't 12 calories... i hope you are not actually logging that as 12.. lol

    That's what I was thinking. All peanut butters are different, of course, but considering that I get peanut butter that is 170 for two tablespoons, and it's on the lower side (I don't do that PB2 or "better than peanut butter" nonsense), there's no way half a tablespoon is only 12 calories.
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    Half a tablespoon of peanut butter isn't 12 calories... i hope you are not actually logging that as 12.. lol

    That's what I was thinking. All peanut butters are different, of course, but considering that I get peanut butter that is 170 for two tablespoons, and it's on the lower side (I don't do that PB2 or "better than peanut butter" nonsense), there's no way half a tablespoon is only 12 calories.

    OP IS using PB2
  • Momepro
    Momepro Posts: 1,509 Member
    punkinjdm6 wrote: »
    aeloine wrote: »
    gn3oxas6thw3.jpg

    Here's a handy chart that should help you gain some insight.

    Can you help me understand the 3rd green diamond?

    because when i see this on my fitness app it does confuse me

    1500 - 1489+317= 358

    like whaaaa??? does this mean i still have 358 calories to go or is it ok not to eat those??? i am confused


    and yes i am on my 3rd week now.

    Excercise calories are calories burned above and beyond tbe original 1500 estimated for you to stat comfortably alive and well. MFP plan expects you to eat back most of those calories, since with the excercise you would still be in a deficit. Some people recommend eating back all, some suggest leaving a third or even half. Eating back a good portion of them is healthier, not eating them back can make you good and sick, plus make it harder to lose weight by shutting down "nonessential" body functions like brain alertness, hair growth, healing and kidneys to compensate for "starving" and help hoard thise calories.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    edited December 2017
    Hey OP, here are some accurate logging tips!

    1. Because the food database is user-submitted, there can be lots of incorrect entries to wade through. For fresh fruit and veggies, it can be handy to add "USDA" to your search term. For example, if you are eating an apple: slice the apple up and put the slices on the scale - let's say it's 120g. Go to MFP database, search "USDA apple" - find an entry with gram weights, then put in your 120g serving. Simple!
    2. With meats, especially - make sure the database entry matches your weighing - cooked or raw. If you weigh a cooked piece of chicken breast with no skin or bone, specify those things in your search term, ex: "chicken breast meat cooked no skin no bone".
    3. Measure solids with a scale and liquids with a measuring cup. That means you would measure things like peanut butter, cow's butter, etc - with a scale, not a measuring spoon.
    4. When eating pre-packaged foods, choose an entry in the database that matches the bag. Let's say that you are eating some frozen veggies. The bag says 50 calories per 200g serving. You weigh out your portion and it's 100g, so the calories should equal 25 calories. Double check that the database entry matches that.
    5. When eating out at a restaurant without nutritional information, just do your best to guess and aim high. I like to try to compare my meal to one at a chain restaurant. So if I'm eating a hefty-sized hamburger with cheese and bacon, I may use a MacDonalds Big Mac for my entry.

    Hope that helps.
  • pogiguy05
    pogiguy05 Posts: 1,583 Member
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  • BarneyRubbleMD
    BarneyRubbleMD Posts: 1,092 Member
    @Hellyeahitskriss's , Awesome post about the USDA database & how best to use it for accurate MFP logging!
  • brightresolve
    brightresolve Posts: 1,024 Member
    edited December 2017
    aeloine wrote: »
    ...In the beginning, if you're really overweight (I was 140 lbs overweight), you can kind of fudge it and get away with it. The closer you are to your goal weight, the less room for error there is.

    This accidentally helped me out, so thank you @aeloine ; I am halfway through losing about 20, and now as I am closer to goal weight I am NOTICING that I am not getting as dramatic results. Thank you for explaining that. I am a pretty tight logger but I can do better.

    To the OP @punkinjdm6 it sounds like you are trying to lose about the amount I am, and so smaller deficits and discrepancies make a big difference. You're getting some good guidance here, and don't give up! You're worth it!

    Saving this thread so I can come back to @HellYeahItsKriss 's USDA database post - that is ROCKING and thanks for taking the time.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Go to Ideal Lean and take Trainer Lindsey's 6-week Fit Body Challenge. It will teach you about macros (and how to ACCURATELY measure your food). You aren't eating enough or exercising enough (you need to mix it up. Pure cardio is too stable). Trust me. It'll change your life.

    Cardio is "too stable"? What does that mean?
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    edited December 2017
    OP, I had a moment this afternoon which reminds me why I weigh everything, even packaged foods. See, I love popcorn, and when I get the "runger" from an intense week of running, it's my go-to snack. I'll pop down to the convenience store at my office and grab a bag of pre-popped jalapeno popcorn. I've uploaded the nutrition label.



    If I just scanned the label and logged the 1.5 servings, that would be 210 calories if the amount of popcorn was exactly 42g. But, the weight was 48g, which is 1.7 servings and closer to 238 calories. That's a 20 calorie difference.

    As a one time thing, no biggie, but if all of your food is calculated without weighing, those 20 calories add up through the course of a day and week. Combine that with such a small deficit to lose, and suddenly you're eating at maintenance without even knowing it.

    I'm grinding away at the last 10lbs I want to lose and it is slow going. Add in some days where I didn't log for special occasions and stuff, and I'm here maintaining for weeks. FWIW, I do eat a decent amount of my exercise calories as I feel pretty confident with my burn levels for running, which is my primary source of exercise.

    Anyway, I hope the posts here have helped you understand the importance of accurately measuring your intake. It makes a difference, not only in your body, but in your mind to understand true portions, and ultimately your intake needed for maintenance (which is the real goal, right? to maintain our ideal weight range for life?).

    You can do it OP!



    I think you meant to upload a different picture. This has personal info on it.

    Edit: Never mind, I saw something else initially. It looks right now.
  • fitoverfortymom
    fitoverfortymom Posts: 3,452 Member


    I think you meant to upload a different picture. This has personal info on it.

    Edit: Never mind, I saw something else initially. It looks right now.

    Yep. I caught it as soon as I published. Thanks, though!

  • HellYeahItsKriss
    HellYeahItsKriss Posts: 906 Member
    @Hellyeahitskriss's , Awesome post about the USDA database & how best to use it for accurate MFP logging!
    aeloine wrote: »
    ...In the beginning, if you're really overweight (I was 140 lbs overweight), you can kind of fudge it and get away with it. The closer you are to your goal weight, the less room for error there is.

    This accidentally helped me out, so thank you @aeloine ; I am halfway through losing about 20, and now as I am closer to goal weight I am NOTICING that I am not getting as dramatic results. Thank you for explaining that. I am a pretty tight logger but I can do better.

    To the OP @punkinjdm6 it sounds like you are trying to lose about the amount I am, and so smaller deficits and discrepancies make a big difference. You're getting some good guidance here, and don't give up! You're worth it!

    Saving this thread so I can come back to @HellYeahItsKriss 's USDA database post - that is ROCKING and thanks for taking the time.

    Thank you! No problem happy to do it. Me and MS paint are besties now since Photoshop and I aren't on speaking terms

    I'm glad others are benefiting from it even if I couldn't catch the OP before they left
  • aeloine
    aeloine Posts: 2,163 Member
    phildog50 wrote: »
    change 30 minutes to 60

    huh?
  • HellYeahItsKriss
    HellYeahItsKriss Posts: 906 Member
    aeloine wrote: »
    phildog50 wrote: »
    change 30 minutes to 60

    huh?

    They want them to double their cardio.