Not sure what I’m doing wrong...
meredithsloane
Posts: 31 Member
Hello! I’ll try to kee this short:) I began my weight loss journey 4 years ago and I started out at 200 lbs. fast forward to this past summer (2018) and I hit a low of 131. I am an expat and have moved around the world for the past 5 years but always had a pretty flexible schedule so I could exercise in the mornings, when I wanted. I moved to Beijing in August 2018 and now have a set schedule. I went from 131 (which was honestly a bit too low for my frame) to 145 over the course of the year. I know why I gained the weight but I have been using MFP again religiously for the past 45 days and the scale hasn’t budged much. I am fairly active with steps and walking, but my exercise time has been sporadic. Food wise, I try to stay sure thing! The 1 lb per week goal which is 1300 calories for me. I have gone down to 141 but then I have one “off” meal and it all comes back! Sodium? Not sure... I would be very happy to be 135-138 so not too much to lose but my body has changed for the worse. I am also working on being more diligent with gym time (3 times a week now). What am I doing wrong? Any suggestions are welcome! Thank you!
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Replies
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Sorry for the typos! Darn autocorrect!!0
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How are you calculating your food eaten?
Here:
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Thank you for the chart! I am logging everything I eat. I eat almost the same thing every day and use the bar scanner for any new foods to make sure it’s accurate. I get hungry at night and usually have 1-2 cups of cereal as a snack (still within my calories). Could that be the problem? Is it counterproductive to eat the same things every day (snacks, breakfast mainly)?0
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That about covers it. Hope you can get a handle on it.0
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@meredithsloane The questions you asked seem to be detailed. To answer those, these ladies will benefit from seeing your food diary. Please consider opening it to public viewing.0
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Get a food scale. Weigh everything.4
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meredithsloane wrote: »Thank you for the chart! I am logging everything I eat. I eat almost the same thing every day and use the bar scanner for any new foods to make sure it’s accurate. I get hungry at night and usually have 1-2 cups of cereal as a snack (still within my calories). Could that be the problem? Is it counterproductive to eat the same things every day (snacks, breakfast mainly)?
There are two parts to accurate logging: knowing what you eat and knowing how much of it you eat. The barcode scanner only helps with the first half (and is just as fallible as the rest of the database - be sure you're double checking those entries). The second half - how you measure your portions - is just as important though. What measures have you put in place to be sure you're tracking that as well as possible?3 -
just a heads up on the scans. i've seen things completely wrong. just tonight, i scanned my rye bread and it came up as some type of sweet raisin bread with icing.4
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How do I share my food diary? I’m sorry, I am challenged technologically! Lol! Thank you for the heads up about the scanner- I didn’t know it could be so inaccurate. To be 100% honest, I don’t weigh or measure food- I eyeball it (I don’t want to fib). Do you think I could be THAT off base? I’m happy to share my food diary if I can figure it out. Thanks for caring enough to respond!! I want to fix this!1
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**hugs** scale fluctuations can be very frustrating...fwiw - u may not be doing anything "wrong" and your body is just doing its thing (for example bloating, slower metabolism, or your body still adjusting to a different environment/schedule/stress could all be factors)
do you have non-scale victories (nsv) you can chart too (a pair of jeans getting looser or measuring your waist size)? You could possibly still be losing fat and gaining muscle, which can result in an overall weight gain.0 -
meredithsloane wrote: »How do I share my food diary? I’m sorry, I am challenged technologically! Lol! Thank you for the heads up about the scanner- I didn’t know it could be so inaccurate. To be 100% honest, I don’t weigh or measure food- I eyeball it (I don’t want to fib). Do you think I could be THAT off base? I’m happy to share my food diary if I can figure it out. Thanks for caring enough to respond!! I want to fix this!
yes, i absolutely believe it could be that off base
on the app, go to your diary and click the 3 dots to get to diary settings. there should be an option for diary sharing and you can make it public.0 -
meredithsloane wrote: »How do I share my food diary? I’m sorry, I am challenged technologically! Lol! Thank you for the heads up about the scanner- I didn’t know it could be so inaccurate. To be 100% honest, I don’t weigh or measure food- I eyeball it (I don’t want to fib). Do you think I could be THAT off base? I’m happy to share my food diary if I can figure it out. Thanks for caring enough to respond!! I want to fix this!
You would be surprised at how many things are higher than you think. My "small" apples count as an apple and a half, and peanut butter is notorious for being off! Meat was eye-opening too.Every little bit counts when you're getting closer to goal weight.2 -
Thank you! Ok, I made my food diary public. I will go to the store after work and buy measuring cups - is it the same measuring device for dry foods (like rice or cereal) as for things like meat?0
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Also, unfortunately my “non-scale” measurable shave gone in the wrong direction. Clothing is tighter and I feel bloated. I might need to cut down on carbs but I can’t eliminate them totally. I will try to be stricter with my night time eating because I am quite upset that I am over 140 again when I worked so hard to get down into the 130s. As a reference, I am 5’4 and 42 years old. I lost the 60 pounds by training to climb Mt Kilimanjaro and just recently finished (barely) a half marathon. Thank you!0
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I would recommend a digital food scale, so u can measure and log your food in grams. That is the most accurate method. It is more accurate than measuring cups.2
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Thank you! I will order a digital scale today and try to be more accurate with measuring. Hopefully that will make a difference!2
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I think if you get a scale and start weighing all of your solid food it will be very eye opening.2
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Just ordered a digital scale and new measuring cups. I think you all helped me by focusing on something I might be doing wrong- thank you!0
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could be all the exercise after not exercising for a long time...give it more time.. your body will drop the false weight from working out at the gym and you'll lose the 10 you want.1
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meredithsloane wrote: »Just ordered a digital scale and new measuring cups. I think you all helped me by focusing on something I might be doing wrong- thank you!
awesome this will be a game changer I bet weigh everything 2 -
Don't rely on the measuring cups. Use the scale. Fruits and veggies are really hard to get right when you are relying on medium banana, small potato, etc.
Do an experiment yourself when you get the cups and scale. Measure out a portion of something with the cups and then weigh it to see how different it is. Try a few things like cereal or rice. I now usually log slices of bread as 1.1 servings because the weight of a serving as written on the side of the bag is sometimes less than what a slice actually weighs.
Eyeballing what you are eating is most likely the cause of your problems. I've been using a scale for many years now. I've found that I get good at eyeballing it correctly after using the scale a while, However, if I drop off using it, it doesn't take that long before I start getting off on my estimates.
Hope you start seeing the results you are looking for!4 -
A cup of cereal can be several hundred calories. Cereal is one of those things that Really need to be weighed. I just stopped eating cereal after I found out the Real calories in that bowl I was eating.
Just one snack of cereal may be 500 calories...log everything. Weigh all solids and measure all liquids. If you use measuring cups, leave a quarter to a half inch below the rim unfilled. That's a measure, not filled to the top and/or over the top. Same with tablespoons. It will make you cry when you see a serving of peanut butter. Or cereal, for that matter.5 -
And don't forget to include any oils you might use in cooking. That tablespoon of olive oil has 120 cals!
Condiments are pretty easy to forget to log as well.2 -
Thank you all! I will be extremely diligent and report back next week. I need to go to Cambodia for the weekend so I will bring my own food to the airport and for the plane and be careful while I’m away! You guys are awesome!!1
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meredithsloane wrote: »Thank you for the chart! I am logging everything I eat. I eat almost the same thing every day and use the bar scanner for any new foods to make sure it’s accurate. I get hungry at night and usually have 1-2 cups of cereal as a snack (still within my calories). Could that be the problem? Is it counterproductive to eat the same things every day (snacks, breakfast mainly)?
I have read that protein before bed can be helpful. Maybe do a spoon of peanut butter instead of the cereal? Also, drink water when you think you are hungry for a snack. Sometimes its actually thirst that you mistake as hunger.0 -
meredithsloane wrote: »How do I share my food diary? I’m sorry, I am challenged technologically! Lol! Thank you for the heads up about the scanner- I didn’t know it could be so inaccurate. To be 100% honest, I don’t weigh or measure food- I eyeball it (I don’t want to fib). Do you think I could be THAT off base? I’m happy to share my food diary if I can figure it out. Thanks for caring enough to respond!! I want to fix this!
You figured it out! Eyeballing vs digital food scale will throw you into maintenance calories without realizing it!1 -
meredithsloane wrote: »Thank you all! I will be extremely diligent and report back next week. I need to go to Cambodia for the weekend so I will bring my own food to the airport and for the plane and be careful while I’m away! You guys are awesome!!
Have a good trip
I have read many posts indicating that simply flying will cause water fluctuations up. So expect the scale to move up and stay there for a few days - it's just water, it will soon drop off.
Food scale. food scale. food scale. Yes the average human IS that bad at eyeballing portions.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1
and yes prepacked items can be off as well see this post
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10746851/dont-trust-labels-weigh-your-protein-bars#latestmrschappy182 wrote: »meredithsloane wrote: »Thank you for the chart! I am logging everything I eat. I eat almost the same thing every day and use the bar scanner for any new foods to make sure it’s accurate. I get hungry at night and usually have 1-2 cups of cereal as a snack (still within my calories). Could that be the problem? Is it counterproductive to eat the same things every day (snacks, breakfast mainly)?
I have read that protein before bed can be helpful. Maybe do a spoon of peanut butter instead of the cereal? Also, drink water when you think you are hungry for a snack. Sometimes its actually thirst that you mistake as hunger.
PB is awesome but not the best go to for high protein per calorie. definitely weigh that pb if anyone goes that route. I'd say greek yogurt is probably a better go to
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