businessmama Member

So then I shouldn't be tracking (and subsequently eating) the calories that I burn during exercise? Editing to add: when I figured out my TDEE I based it on no workouts during the week because I honestly don't get to them nearly as much as I should. So I *think* that I should be eating the calories from any actual workouts…

That's the part that I have to estimate. So I've looked up things like "what does 4 oz of chicken look like" or if we have a stirfry, then I cube the meat and put it in a measuring cup and then look up the food in the database.

I know - I'm a complete ditz at this and I definitely have a lot to learn.

No no ... I definitely believe you ... I'm just trying to understand all the right numbers. I went to the military body fat percentage, then over to the calculate your basal metabolic rate calculator to come up with the numbers I listed. I thought that was my BMR ... but are those numbers actually my TDEE?

Thank you to everyone for all the help and encouragement so far! I just have another quick question so I can get my calories in line for next week and moving forward. When I found my BMR (using my current weight instead of my actual goal weight) and it gave me the 2130 calories for light activity ... is that the number I…

Thanks ... that definitely seems to be the consensus. Thanks for the videos - I'll check them out this evening!

Thanks for the tip! I'm going to start tracking that because it's not on my diary right now.

Thank you. I'm not a fan of fast food either, but when it happens we try to make our best choices. That's good to know too ... I'm forever looking at that number thinking it's impossible to reach! :)

The 200 pounds came after I quit smoking and gained a ton of weight after I had my son, but you're right, I probably definitely underestimated the number of calories I've eaten in the past. For the granola I was measuring. I would normally put one of the yogurt cups into a bowl and top it with 1/8th of a cup of the organic…

Oohh .. super helpful! Thank you!

He's almost six. I appreciate everyone's concern, but I'm not here for judgements on what my kid eats. For the record, YES my son occasionally eats at McDonald's where he has a glass of white milk, a yogurt, grilled chicken wrap, and apple slices. For the rest of the time, he eats healthier than 90% of the people I've ever…

Not really tiny - it's a bowl full but it's filled with more carrots and celery than potatoes and the like. I guess that's why I asking too about the database of food. I built the recipe based on what I came across in the database.

Yep, we were out and my son wanted to eat, so I grabbed a grilled chicken wrap as well. They don't have anything listed for our pizza place, so I figured PIzza Hut would be a good comparison.

I know it's all progress ... believe me! Being able to put on two pairs of my jeans without a struggle is a definite win in my books. I just want to thank EVERYONE who took a moment to read and respond ... thank you thank you! I want to find out my TDEE ... silly question - should I just wear my heart rate monitor all day…

@Cherbapp - that's right ... but for the 5 days I was sick, I was lucky to have 300-500 calories during the day. But your thoughts and @retiredmom72 's thoughts does make me feel better about the results over the past 2 weeks! I truly never thought of it like that ... I was beginning to think my body was a dud!…

Sorry - I should have been more clear. I have been tracking my food religiously and I have the exact numbers in the food diary. For brevity in the post I used "around 1200", etc. I don't have a food scale but I do measure out my food so I'm confident that my food numbers are pretty close if not exact for what I'm eating. I…

Thank you for replying! I guess I've had this idea that in the beginning it's easier to lose weight (especially if you have a lot to lose). I do tend to look at it rather black and white ... less calories equals weight loss and since I'm eating an incredible amount less than what I did before I'm just stumped (and…