Need some advice on calories.

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brownju
brownju Posts: 24 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone! MFP has me eating 1700 calories a day; I am a little over 300 lbs and 5ft 8in.
I checked my BMR and TDEE after reading several posts on it. My BMR is 2156 and my TDEE is 2970.
I would like a little advice about the my intake needed. I fluctuate between 307 and 303 and cannot seem to budge. This week I just started to include more fruits/veggies (more fruits) AND count them in my calories. I didn't count them in weeks prior.

I find myself very frustrated and desperate. I imagined not having such a difficult time with the first 20-30 pounds since I am so heavy.

Please help out!

Replies

  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    How long have you been eating at 1700 and do you use a food scale?
  • brownju
    brownju Posts: 24 Member
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    I do not use a food scale. I just use measuring cups and when it comes to the meat I use my palm. If it is lunch meat I count out my slices. I have been eating 1700 calories for....at LEAST 3 weeks.
  • AllTehBeers
    AllTehBeers Posts: 5,030 Member
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    I started about where you are about 5 months ago and haven't stepped on a scale once. Its a liar and a cheat worse then an ex boyfriend. My calories are set at 1860 and I've been losing well enough because I went from a tight 4x shirt to a comfortable 3x shirt. It just takes time and commitment and the weight will come off, slow, but hey, the months are going to pass either way so why not keep at it?
  • escloflowneCHANGED
    escloflowneCHANGED Posts: 3,038 Member
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    You reallly should be losing weight at 1700, I would suggest a scale though. I have noticed that 1 cup never equals the actual weight in grams on most food, you could be under estimating.
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    I do not use a food scale. I just use measuring cups and when it comes to the meat I use my palm. If it is lunch meat I count out my slices. I have been eating 1700 calories for....at LEAST 3 weeks.

    I would do two things:

    1) Get a food scale and for at least a couple of weeks, weigh, measure, and count EVERYTHING that goes into your mouth and has calories. EVERYTHING.

    You need to rule out estimation/counting errors in your intake. This is a very, very major contributor to people who believe they are eating at a certain intake and not losing weight.

    2) Give it at least a couple more weeks.


    Also, have you been checked for medical issues that could effect weight loss such as diabetes/thyroid/etc?
  • brownju
    brownju Posts: 24 Member
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    Any particular food scale? Or does it matter? As far as the medical...yes, I had a physical back in June and my thyroid levels are on the low end of the range. There is family history of thyroid problems. Nothing will be done with my thyroid since I am in the "acceptable zone".
  • brownju
    brownju Posts: 24 Member
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    Thank you for the input...a scale will be my next purchase!
  • brownju
    brownju Posts: 24 Member
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    I will not give up, I really want to do this and keep with it; I appreciate all the support. I KNEW I would have some responses that would help set me in a direction worth taking. You better be sure in 2 weeks if I see NOTHING I will be on again! :) It is so difficult to NOT look at the scale and something I need to do far less. I am fearful if I don't watch it I will gain back all have lost; looking at the scale keeps me in check about what I am doing. I know there has to be a happy middle ground somewhere.
  • Helloitsdan
    Helloitsdan Posts: 5,564 Member
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    Youll figure it out.

    Lift weights and eat healthy.
    Walk 2x a week or more!

    Rinse and repeat.
  • dllcpa
    dllcpa Posts: 8
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    I know losing weight is your top priority so it will always be on your mind. But, it sounds like you are thinking too much about the numbers on your scale. I am thinking that you could do something else instead of get on a scale. Maybe you could do something like --- only step on the scale every Wednesday morning. Or do something hard and as a treat, allow yourself to step on the scale. Something like that.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
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    I second the food scale. I recommend getting a good one that has a digital display with a zero/tare function and that will convert between grams and ounces. Also try to find one that has a decent upper limit (like 5 lb) so you can just weigh your food out of the container (put the carton of milk on the scale, zero it, pour your glass, re-weigh the carton and the number shown is how much is in your cup). At least until you get REALLY good at estimating, weigh everything. I have been doing this for a year and a half and I still use the scale quite a bit just to keep me honest.

    One other thing to be careful about with the scale is to make sure you are using the correct database entries. So for like a piece of chicken, if you weigh it cooked, make sure you are using the "cooked" chicken entries in the database.

    Finally, I noticed that you said your TDEE is 2900 calories. That all depends on your activity level. I would suggest changing that to sedentary unless you have a very active job. The sedentary TDEE is somewhere around 2600 I think. I think most people here tend to overestimate their activity. If you use the sedentary activity, you just log your "extra" activities like if you go for a walk or something.

    If you have the extra cash, I would strongly suggest getting something like a fitbit so your activity levels are a little more than an estimate. Once I got one, I found that I was overestimating my activity levels. On a lazy day, I was WAY off.
  • RoosMommy01
    RoosMommy01 Posts: 88
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    The scale can be your best friend or worst enemy and right now it's my worse enemy! *LOL* I've went from stepping on it once a month to once a week and here lately it's been an every morning thing. I say if it's a digital scale to take the batteries out and give the to someone to hold. My husband put them in our safe and takes the key with him to work.

    I agree with the others about weighing and counting every single thing you put in your mouth. I lost 40lbs before starting this website and I think most of that was due to me cutting out all cokes and sweets and finally just getting off my butt to exercise.

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