Can someone look at my diary and see if i need to up it, im starving and not losing weight

Just looking at today... 1/2 apple? 12 almonds? You need to get a food scale for more accurate measurements.

Rivvvy wrote: »

midwesterner85 wrote: »

Just looking at today... 1/2 apple? 12 almonds? You need to get a food scale for more accurate measurements.

I do i have one. Do i really measure out almonds?

yep you weight all solids and semi solids.only way to be accurate. 10 almonds(if thats a serving size for example) can be more than a serving. very rarely is it less.

If you're not losing, why would you eat more? At least assuming that's what you mean by "upping it" in your subject line.

That like saying, "Help... I can't save any money. Should I spend more?"

jjpptt2 wrote: »

If you're not losing, why would you eat more? At least assuming that's what you mean by "upping it" in your subject line.

That like saying, "Help... I can't save any money. Should I spend more?"

Except your bank account doesn't experience hormonal changes while dieting. There is actual research supporting refeeds. And if you look at the refeed threads, you will see example of people consuming 500 to 1000 calories more than they did while dieting and still losing weight.

OP, I would look into doing a diet break and consider refeeds since you are lean. Personally, I lost more at 2300 calories than I did at 1800. And when I cut, I incorporate a refeed every other weekend.

AliceDark wrote: »

I'd also think about the foods you find filling. I'm plant-based as well, and I have to cut at about 1350 calories per day, so our stats seem pretty comparable. I'd be STARVING if I were eating what you're eating. Could you incorporate some higher-volume foods (leafy greens are a good example, as are raw veggies, popcorn, things like that) to help fill you up? For me, protein + fiber + a moderate amount of fat seems to be the key, so I'll make things like a huge pan of sauteed kale with a couple of fried eggs, or a huge salad with tofu and a few nuts.

This. OP, I'm vegan and what strikes me about your diary is that it's such a *tiny* amount of food. If that works for someone, that's fine. But maybe you're someone who would feel better when you're eating a higher volume of food. You can eat so much broccoli, cauliflower, or cabbage for relatively few calories (and if you're like me and don't really like to eat a bunch of raw vegetables, you can roast them first). I can eat a whole bag of butter lettuce and it's around 20 calories.

@OP/Rivvvy

Not seeing results is frustrating. Also there is a lot of misinformation out there, but i'll share some info that I've been proving out on my own. I'm about to go on to a very long post - apologies if its long winded.

First, you are not starving - scientifically. It sounds like you are struggling with cravings and feeling full. Combine that with inaccurate measurements and you are probably having unlogged cheat calories. That doesn't make you evil or bad, we all do it but understand how it measures into your energy equation. I see a lot of ping ponging around in your journal, not sure if that's from lack of recording or if your just not eating on some days - but you need to record everything - even if its perceived as a "bad day". Trust me, it will help with will power on the other days. Drinking (lots of) water will be your best friend here. Shoot for around 1.5-2 liters a day. Also check out Miracle Noodles, they take 5 min to make. They have basically no calories (they are basically 100% plant fiber) and soak up whatever flavor of sauce they are in. I put in 2 TBSP of Peanut Satay sauce and its awesome for filling me up on <100 calories. To put it into perspective, I'm a guy who's almost 6', 235+ lbs, and I eat about 1250-1350 calories a day without issue - even with working out 5 days a week. I've been doing it for 4.5 months and have lost 52 lbs.

Secondly, you need to understand some basics. First off, understand the basement on calories consumed - which is 1200. There are health risks in their own if you don't eat at least this. On top of that, if you eat less than this, you will likely either cheat or rebound with 3x the calories over the next couple of days. Sustainability is key. Next, realize the only thing that matters to fat loss is the energy equation, namely Calories In - Calories Out = Caloric Deficit/Surplus. In order to lose fat, you must be in a Calorie Deficit. Next, don't use MFP for anything other than tracking your food and getting a rough estimate on your calories out through exercise. Using anything else is just feeding you bad advice. Also, you likely weigh yourself every day (most people do when trying to lose weight). Its more important to see the trend than the weight each day. Weight fluctuates a lot with water retention - its worse for females.

My recommendation:
Figure out your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). https://tdeecalculator.net/ This is how many calories you need to eat in order to maintain your weight. If you work a desk job, consider yourself sedentary. Outside of my intentional exercise, i'm very sedentary - so I use my BMR (total if you were in bed all day) as my TDEE... i just find it more accurate for myself. From there, take out 500 calories for 1 lb a week, 1000 calories for 2 lbs a week. 500*7 being 3500 calories or lb of fat. The weight you loose won't be all fat, but its good enough figuring out calories. Now you can lose this through eating less or burning more calories. Based on your picture, you are much smaller human being than I am, so you likely will not to be able maintain this solely through food and stay above your 1200 cal minimum. Enter exercise. MFP over estimates calories burned on cardio by a lot. Use the calculations on the machines if you are using them, they are more accurate. If you are going at a decent pace (3-3.5 mph), you are looking around 7-10 calories a minute based on your weight. Also realize that running does almost nothing to maintain muscle mass. Some of those burned calories will come from muscle (2,500 calories per lb). This will make mirror results look worse because your Body Fat % will not change as much. If the goal is to look lean, add in some light to moderate lifting to promote muscle growth and force those calories to be taken from fat.

/End Rant

[Edited by MFP Staff]