Cant lose weight

starangel031785
starangel031785 Posts: 9 Member
edited December 20 in Fitness and Exercise
How common is it to underestimate what you eat and not be able to lose weight even with myfitnesspal....while being 40lbs overweight.

Replies

  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    How are you measuring your food intake? A scale is the most accurate way. Measuring cups and spoons are less accurate for solids, but still better than eyeballing.
  • starangel031785
    starangel031785 Posts: 9 Member
    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    How are you measuring your food intake? A scale is the most accurate way. Measuring cups and spoons are less accurate for solids, but still better than eyeballing.

    Measuring cups and scale. I haven't been obsessive with measuring by scale.
  • rosiorama
    rosiorama Posts: 300 Member
    edited March 2019
    I think underestimating is pretty common. If you’re having trouble losing, I suggest getting obsessive about weighing everything and see if it makes a difference. I know it can be a pain - but it will likely be an eyeopener for you.

    You can either look at it as obsessive or empowering. And being obsessive takes the guesswork out of it.
  • sarabushby
    sarabushby Posts: 784 Member
    edited March 2019
    I’m sure a program on TV the other day said that when self-reporting people underestimated their own calorie intake by as much as 45%! That’s a huge amount.
    Food scales, pre-logging and being selective when choosing diary entries are helpful for estimating your intake as accurately as possible.
  • tibby1971
    tibby1971 Posts: 25 Member
    Are you “eating back” your exercise calories? I find MFP tends to over estimate calories burned. Today I did a Zumba class and it said 600 calories burned. Since I spent half the class tripping over my feet, I seriously doubt I burned that many.

    Personally I don’t eat my exercise calories back.
  • estherdragonbat
    estherdragonbat Posts: 5,283 Member
    MFP is designed for you to eat them back. If you don't think you're burning what it says you are, try eating back a portion. But if you don't eat any, then you're choosing the one total you KNOW is wrong.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,622 Member
    starangel031785 wrote: »
    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    How are you measuring your food intake? A scale is the most accurate way. Measuring cups and spoons are less accurate for solids, but still better than eyeballing.

    Measuring cups and scale. I haven't been obsessive with measuring by scale.

    Here's the thing: Scale is not only more accurate than cups (let alone eyeballing), but it's also quicker and easier, once you know how to use it.

    This thread (despite the title ;) ) has the details:

    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10498882/weighing-food-takes-too-long-and-is-obsessive

    Another problem that's common is overestimating exercise calories. You're supposed to eat back exercise calories . . . when they're estimated reasonably. (Zero is not a reasonable estimate for any reasonable exercise, BTW, though being wrong on that side is less likely to hinder weight loss . . . though it can, through fatigue and lowered daily-life activity. ;) ).
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    rebelsue2 wrote: »
    Look at intermittent fasting for an easier solution - try googling gin stephens and start there

    What does IF have to do with underestimating intake?
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,142 Member
    edited April 2019
    rebelsue2 wrote: »
    Look at intermittent fasting for an easier solution - try googling gin stephens and start there

    If you're underestimating your food intake, you're still going to be doing that even if you're eating within a fixed period of time?

    Meal frequency/timing is a personal preference, IF just helps some people stick to a calorie deficit, it's not magic.
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