Partially Tracking?

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jennyland
jennyland Posts: 8 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Okay, so this may sound strange, or many of you may also do this. I only track my intake/exercise while I'm at work. I have "allowed" myself 1,000 calories for the hours of 7:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m. I've been monitoring my intake and working out at the gym 3-4 days/week for the past month and have noticed _no_ change. I don't pig out when I'm home at dinner time (I have two children under the age of 4 - most evenings are a hustle of fixing their dinner, bath time, bed time, chores). My work, however, is very sedentary. I try eat "better" foods (cucumbers & tomatoes, lean turkey with Laughing Cow cheese spread) and I'm desperately trying to drink more fluids that aren't caffeinated or carbonated (or both). Today I blew it, but I almost never splurge like this anymore.

Do I need to adjust my calorie counter down more for my work time range? 800 calories versus 1,000? Or do I need to make more of an effort to track my entire days worth of intake and activity?

I'm feeling stuck and rather perturbed that 30 days of "being good" has gotten me nowhere better than I was when I was not only NOT being good but being deliberately bad :/ (uhm, did that make sense?)

BTW, I'm 34, 196 pounds, 5'5".

TIA,

Jenny

Replies

  • moe0303
    moe0303 Posts: 934 Member
    Well, I think tracking your after work intake will at least let you know what's going on.

    You would also need to assess you daily caloric need along with your desired weightloss. It could be that you are eating right at 2000 calories a day. 1000 calories in a meal is not hard to accomplish. 2000 calories is the "average" limit. There's a very good chance that your daily caloric needs are less, especially if you're trying to lose weight.
  • babycook
    babycook Posts: 172 Member
    It took me nine months before I lost a pound. I changed my macros, exercised less and I've lost ten lbs in the last month.
    But I don't think you're getting an accurate picture of intake just tracking at work. You should track daily to get a better idea.
  • RipperSB
    RipperSB Posts: 315 Member
    Do I need to adjust my calorie counter down more for my work time range? 800 calories versus 1,000? Or do I need to make more of an effort to track my entire days worth of intake and activity?

    I would say the latter... log everything!
  • JBott84
    JBott84 Posts: 268 Member
    Do I need to adjust my calorie counter down more for my work time range? 800 calories versus 1,000? Or do I need to make more of an effort to track my entire days worth of intake and activity?

    I would say the latter... log everything!

    I second that log EVERYTHING :)
  • Shell_7609
    Shell_7609 Posts: 786 Member
    I think you should try logging everything instead of just at work
  • InTheInbetween
    InTheInbetween Posts: 192 Member
    Or do I need to make more of an effort to track my entire days worth of intake and activity?


    ^^ This. It's incredibly easy to misjudge the actual calories consumed if your not actively tracking it. Just my 2 cents. :smile:
  • myfitnessnmhoy
    myfitnessnmhoy Posts: 2,105 Member
    I would track everything for at least a couple of days. Calories may be sneaking in when you're unaware of them. Pesky little buggers.
  • lizziebeth1028
    lizziebeth1028 Posts: 3,602 Member
    You need to log everything!! You are probably going over your calorie goal and not realizing it...thus no weight loss! Most people underestimate their intake and overestimate their output. Log every single bite!
  • Goal_Line
    Goal_Line Posts: 474 Member
    You need to log everything. You need to weigh everything, you need to make sure your cal count is accurate B4 you do anything else.
  • jennyland
    jennyland Posts: 8 Member
    Well, I think tracking your after work intake will at least let you know what's going on.

    You would also need to assess you daily caloric need along with your desired weightloss. It could be that you are eating right at 2000 calories a day. 1000 calories in a meal is not hard to accomplish. 2000 calories is the "average" limit. There's a very good chance that your daily caloric needs are less, especially if you're trying to lose weight.

    Thanks for the feedback. Personally, I would be surprised to hear that I'm eating 2,000 calories/day. Like I mentioned, I'm on an allowance of 1,000 for the 11 out of 15 hours a day I'm awake. And, more often than not, I'm below that limit. So, if I'm averaging, say, 800 calories (between what I'm eating and what I'm burning at the gym) in 11 hours, I'd be amazed to hear I'm eating 1,200 calories in 4 hours. Not impossible, but that seems unlikely?
  • jennyland
    jennyland Posts: 8 Member
    Thank you, all, for your feedback!
  • jennyland
    jennyland Posts: 8 Member
    It took me nine months before I lost a pound. I changed my macros, exercised less and I've lost ten lbs in the last month.
    But I don't think you're getting an accurate picture of intake just tracking at work. You should track daily to get a better idea.

    Oy. How did you keep from being completely discouraged?!
  • dlwyatt82
    dlwyatt82 Posts: 1,077 Member
    At some point, you'll need to log everything. Once you get used to the meal portions at your proper calorie level, you can probably get away with slacking a bit. However, if you notice that your weight loss has stalled or isn't going as you planned, you'll have to go back to logging again to figure out what's up.

    I haven't logged almost anything for the past ~4 weeks since the birth of my daughter. It's all one sleep-deprived haze, and I'm not preparing very many meals myself right now. I still step on the scale though, to make sure things are still moving in the right direction.
  • soontobesam
    soontobesam Posts: 714 Member
    Do you tend to eat the same thing every night or does it vary often?

    If you can't find the time to log after work, I would recommend that you spend some time figuring out how many calories you are really eating.

    I think the best thing is to log EVERYTHING. Maybe you can log your dinner during the day and then it would just take a few minutes to adjust accordingly if things changed.

    Something is causing you to not lose weight and the evening foods might not be the problem - but why not rule it out?

    Good luck! :flowerforyou:
  • jennyland
    jennyland Posts: 8 Member
    Maybe you can log your dinner during the day and then it would just take a few minutes to adjust accordingly if things changed.

    That's a great suggestion! I'll try that, thank you!
  • jennyland
    jennyland Posts: 8 Member
    It's all one sleep-deprived haze, and I'm not preparing very many meals myself right now.

    Congratulations on your new bebe! We're still somewhat in that zone, so I understand!
  • moe0303
    moe0303 Posts: 934 Member
    Well, I think tracking your after work intake will at least let you know what's going on.

    You would also need to assess you daily caloric need along with your desired weightloss. It could be that you are eating right at 2000 calories a day. 1000 calories in a meal is not hard to accomplish. 2000 calories is the "average" limit. There's a very good chance that your daily caloric needs are less, especially if you're trying to lose weight.

    Thanks for the feedback. Personally, I would be surprised to hear that I'm eating 2,000 calories/day. Like I mentioned, I'm on an allowance of 1,000 for the 11 out of 15 hours a day I'm awake. And, more often than not, I'm below that limit. So, if I'm averaging, say, 800 calories (between what I'm eating and what I'm burning at the gym) in 11 hours, I'd be amazed to hear I'm eating 1,200 calories in 4 hours. Not impossible, but that seems unlikely?
    Yeah, it's all relative anyway. I just used 2000 because it is considered the average to maintain. Your needs may be more or less and that could be the difference between losing weight and gaining weight.

    BTW, it isn't hard to have a 1200 calorie dinner especially if you're not tracking. You'd be surprised.
  • mcarter99
    mcarter99 Posts: 1,666 Member
    Maybe you can log your dinner during the day and then it would just take a few minutes to adjust accordingly if things changed.

    That's a great suggestion! I'll try that, thank you!

    Or log your dinner the next day, when you're back at work. The hard part is if you snack, you have to remember it all. I would jot it down in a notepad, if it's more convenient to log at work.

    I agree, it's not telling you much to know you eat 1000 calories in X hours a day if you don't know your total intake.
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