New here, need some help understanding things after 1 week

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gvsu4msu
gvsu4msu Posts: 54
in Introduce Yourself
Hello,

I have been around for one week and the first week the scale read UP 2lbs despite working out 5 days last week and trying to be under my daily calorie goal for the week (as some days I was over)

To explain my situation, I have lost 35lbs since January of 2011 prior to using MFP, and now I need something to help kick start my system as the weight loss has slowed in recent months.

My current goal is to lose 1lb per week, so my calorie goal was set at 2030 per my weight/height.

What I need help understanding is what Calorie counter should I be focusing on? Is it the "FOOD" counter, or the "NET" counter.

Currently my workouts consist of Elliptical workouts of 3-4 miles per day (30-45 minutes) and I try to do this 5 days a week (to give the body a couple of days af rest sprinkled in). There are days I might get a walk in too (for about 400 calories burned) if the weather is nice outside (Live in MI)

I have been trying to keep my "FOOD" calories under the "GOAL" count, however I go over. But when I add in exercise (800-1200 calorie workout), my "NET" count generally tends to be positive.

Can someone give me some guidance on how to make the MFP work for me? I really want to lose another 35lbs this year if possible, but the plateaus and gains are really discouraging considering all of the effort I put in over the last year.

Thanks for your thoughts,

Replies

  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
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    On your "Track food" page, at the bottom, you'll see a table with three rows:

    Totals
    Your daily goal
    Remaining

    In the calories column, it's your job to try to make sure "Totals" stays under "Your daily goal"... if you're doing it right, the "Remaining" number will be green. If you're going over, your remaining will be red.

    Don't get too discouraged about the weight fluctuations. Lots of things can influence it (most likely fluid retention). I recommend you read this article by Stroutman81. It's hands down the most comprehensive and informative article on weight loss you will ever find: http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/
  • SMarie10
    SMarie10 Posts: 956 Member
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    I think you would really benefit from joining this group - Unofficial MFP FAQ

    You will be amazed how many of your questions will be answered here.
  • SARBelgians
    SARBelgians Posts: 46 Member
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    Concentate on your net being that 2030 or close to it. Exercise gives you additional calories to eat. For example, I'm 34, 5'8", starting 252#, goal to lose 2# per week. So, MFP told me to eat around 1700 calories. I wasn't eating my exercise calories back in week 2 and part of week 3, so my net was around 1000. Bad news. I gained back nearly all my initial weeks weight loss. Once I started eating back calories and changed my setting to have 40 % carbs, 30% fat and 30% protein; I lost 4# in 6 days. Most days I consume 2200 plus calories but my net hovers at 1700. Weight is melting off.

    Olympic athletes eat 10,000 calories but are at perfect weight....they move....they exercise (train) which burns and utilizes all that extra intake. Feed your machine....eat your calories. MFP has already factored in your deficit for weight loss. Eat 2030 and don't exercise or exercise and eat more....what a wonderful choice to have.

    Good luck in your journey!
  • AlbertPooHoles
    AlbertPooHoles Posts: 530 Member
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    I think you would really benefit from joining this group - Unofficial MFP FAQ

    You will be amazed how many of your questions will be answered here.
    Excellent suggestion.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/457-unofficial-mfp-faq

    Join the group and browse the topics available, full of reputable common-sense information.
  • LauraLH86
    LauraLH86 Posts: 2 Member
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    Its great that you work out and do as much cardio exercise as you do. That shows you will get to the gym. My words of advice are to mix in strength training. Muscle is what burns the fat. The more muscle you have the more calories you will burn. Just make sure before and exspecially after, you lift weight you put protein into your body to help aid it in repairing the damaged muscle. You build muscle by breaking it down and when it repairs it is stronger then before.

    You mentioned calories in the post and they are important. I personally try to eat only my daily alotment of 1,290 despite my exercise. But every body is different. What works for some wont work for others. The important thing to remember is to make sure all the calories you do eat are healthy ones.

    Another tip is to mix up your exercises. The body is like a machine. Doing the same exercises over and over put the body in a cycle and it stops having to work as hard because the gym time is routine. Mix it up with the bicycle, or treadmill. Add in weights and you can do curcuits for strength training. You'll shock your body and it will have to break it's comfortable routine, wake up, and start working different muscles and you see weight loss pick up again.

    Great foods for after the gym are protein shakes (there are ones that support weight loss, that aren't just for weight gain), a banana (the potassium is good for muscles), low-fat cottage cheese (high in protein, low in carbs, slow digesting to give the body the fuel to repair itself post work out). Also, a big tip for carb's, stay away from them as much as possible 8 hours before bed, same with anything high in sugar, because the body can not burn the calories before you sleep and as they digest at night the are stored as fat.

    Helpfull hint: one pound of fat is 3,600 calories, if you want to lose one pound per week then find a chart that tells you what caloric intake you need to consume the weight you are now (ex 2500cal), then times that by 7 (7 x 2500 = 17,500), then subract the one pound per week you want to lose (17,500 - 3,600 = 13,900), then divid that number by 7 to give you the calorie amount per day (13,900 / 7 = 1,986). This is the same formula MFP uses. Sometimes I like knowing why MFP tells my to eat the amount of calories I'm supposed to.

    Good Luck!!!
  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
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    A few things...

    1) When you set up your account, what did you set your activity level at? If you set it to anything other than sedentary, then your exercise calories are built into your allowance and you shouldn't eat back your exercise calories. I suggest you set it to sedentary, unless you have a very physical job. This way you should eat your net calories. I say this because 2000 Cals a day sounds high for weigh loss.

    2) 3-4 miles of elliptical is not 800-1200 calories.. I'm not sure where you are getting these figures from, but they are definitely too high. With a lot of resistance and a high cadence, you can get 1000 Cals an hour out of those things, most people are closer to 800 per hour.

    3) On a positive note - my weight fluctuated by up to 4lb daily.. so don't stress about a 2lb gain in one week!
  • gvsu4msu
    gvsu4msu Posts: 54
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    A few things...

    1) When you set up your account, what did you set your activity level at? If you set it to anything other than sedentary, then your exercise calories are built into your allowance and you shouldn't eat back your exercise calories. I suggest you set it to sedentary, unless you have a very physical job. This way you should eat your net calories. I say this because 2000 Cals a day sounds high for weigh loss.

    2) 3-4 miles of elliptical is not 800-1200 calories.. I'm not sure where you are getting these figures from, but they are definitely too high. With a lot of resistance and a high cadence, you can get 1000 Cals an hour out of those things, most people are closer to 800 per hour.

    3) On a positive note - my weight fluctuated by up to 4lb daily.. so don't stress about a 2lb gain in one week!

    to follow up,:

    In regards to #1 - that is what MFP calculated for me..I am 5ft 11" and 235 when I put the data in last Sunday.

    In regards to #2 - that is the output per the Nordic Track Elliptical I use. I generally have the resistance and cadence up...keep in mind I have been doing that for since January 2011.

    Thanks for the encouragement....today the scale had me at 235

    Maybe it was water weight? From the Brats on Saturday?, Wings and turkey in Super Bowl Sunday? Will watch the sodium intake this week and see if that makes a difference.
  • mikeyrp
    mikeyrp Posts: 1,616 Member
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    Good to hear it the weight disappeared again :). Its normal for weight to fluctuate - for example I always weigh more the day after a work out (especially a long run) and it always goes away again the day later - I'm told this is water retention aiding muscle recovery? whatever the reason the behavior is consistent.
  • salsera_barbie
    salsera_barbie Posts: 270 Member
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    Wait things don't add up. You say your calories burned are 800-1200, but you also said that you do the eliptical for 3-4 miles about 40 minutes. 40 minutes on the eliptical doesn't burn 800-1200 calories. Are you using a HRM?
  • SARBelgians
    SARBelgians Posts: 46 Member
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    <Shakes head> do you all think a 100# person doing ellipical for 40 minutes burns the same calorie count as a 150# person, as a 200# person, as a 250# person?

    For me, per MFP, my 241.6# frame burns 658 calories for 40 minutes of ellipical. Every persons numbers are going to be different, each machine (brand) will give a differnet number than MFP. Best numbers are from HR unit.

    The original Poster said she did ellipical and walked...it could easily add up to 800-1000 calorie burns.

    Ooh well....
  • rammsteinsoldier
    rammsteinsoldier Posts: 1,556 Member
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    . I recommend you read this article by Stroutman81. It's hands down the most comprehensive and informative article on weight loss you will ever find: http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/

    Thanks for this recommendation. I went to the site and it was so informative. What a great source of information.
  • gvsu4msu
    gvsu4msu Posts: 54
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    Just wanted to pipe in here and update where I am after the second week of MFP.

    I weighed in today and I am down 2.4lbs since starting MFP. I am trying to keep my NET calories failry even, and also alternating my workouts on the Elliptical (30 min one day, 45 min the next). One thing I am working on is paying attention to the SODIUM levels in foods.

    I hope to see this trend continue in the coming weeks. I also am going to give the Jillian's Michael's 30 Day Shred after it comes in the mail. So hopefully that can really move the scale, burn off more fat in the problem areas, and also develop some definition.

    Stay tuned.
  • gvsu4msu
    gvsu4msu Posts: 54
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    Another week of using MFP along with alternating 30 min and 45 min elliptical workouts.....has yielded another 1.8lbs lost in the last week. So that puts me at 4.2 lbs lost since joining MFP (started tracking food on January 30th), and 8lbs for the year so far. Going back to January 2011....I am down 39lbs.

    Now that the "30 Day Shred" video has arrived....I better open it and use it. Stay tuned for those results.

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