Weight loss tips, Am I doing it all wrong?

i have been on a good portioned eating plan for two plus weeks, and going to the gym a minimum of three days a week. I'm tracking on MFP daily but I'm not getting anywhere. I have a huge lack of energy even after working out, and feel like I am bigger than before. I'm thinking I'm doing something wrong.

Replies

unknown

JennArnold18 wrote: »

Ok so I'm not an idiot I know how to weight something. Thanks for the sarcastic answers. I'm talking about how much of what am I supposed to eat. It's all good and well to put a piece of chicken on a scale see it weight and go ok cool. What now. I'm actually looking for some help here...

Not sure anyone was being sarcastic. Sorry you took it that way.

You can eat whatever you want. Just make sure you stay within your calorie deficit and try and hit your macro needs (protein, fat, carb).

I am not trying to be obtuse here, I am just not specifically sure what you are having questions on...

unknown

It's about the fact that I have been working very hard at the gym and getting negative results

unknown

JennArnold18 wrote: »

Ok so I'm not an idiot I know how to weight something. Thanks for the sarcastic answers. I'm talking about how much of what am I supposed to eat. It's all good and well to put a piece of chicken on a scale see it weight and go ok cool. What now. I'm actually looking for some help here...

You just log the weight of it so that you know how many calories you're eating. You'll still have to decide how much to eat, what fits your goals, etc.

unknown

JennArnold18 wrote: »

Ok so I'm not an idiot I know how to weight something. Thanks for the sarcastic answers. I'm talking about how much of what am I supposed to eat. It's all good and well to put a piece of chicken on a scale see it weight and go ok cool. What now. I'm actually looking for some help here...

Yeah, you asked a really basic question and you got really basic answers.

You can eat the same amount that you were eating, it's just that a food scale helps you to log that amount far more accurately. For example, one chicken breast. Put it on the scale, it will weight anywhere from 4-15 ounces. The packaging gives you an estimate of how many calories that chicken breast has, but knowing the exact size of the chicken breast you're actually eating will give you better information.

Almost all packages give the serving size as 1 cup (x grams). The nutrition information is based on the weight listed and the nearest cup/spoon estimate is provided for ease of use. It's just not accurate, though. Your cup might hold a little more or a little less than the manufacturer's. Those little inconsistencies add up throughout the day.

I like these posts for more details:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1290491/how-and-why-to-use-a-digital-food-scale
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

unknown

If you feel tired all the time, get your doctor to check your bloodwork. Low thyroid, anemia, low vitamin D, etc could be sapping your energy.

unknown

JennArnold18 wrote: »

It's about the fact that I have been working very hard at the gym and getting negative results

Okay, well let's assume you have been eating the right number of calories (that's a big assumption since you haven't been weighing/measuring), you will hold water after starting a new exercise routine. This can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months to subside. It's perfectly natural and nothing to worry about as it isn't fat gain.

So you have a few things that are probably happening all at once...

1. You are holding a bit of water weight from your new exercise routine.
2. You aren't weighing your foods so you are consuming more calories than you think you are.
3. Exercise, are you adding exercise to your diary and eating those back? If so, you could be overestimating calorie burns from exercise.

Fix those, give it some time, and profit!

unknown

JennArnold18 wrote: »

Ok so I'm not an idiot I know how to weight something. Thanks for the sarcastic answers. I'm talking about how much of what am I supposed to eat. It's all good and well to put a piece of chicken on a scale see it weight and go ok cool. What now. I'm actually looking for some help here...

I am not trying to be rude, I promise, I genuinely don't understand your confusion. You've been logging a piece of chicken, to use your example, as something, right? You weigh the chicken to find out if it actually has that many calories or not. You'll be able to double check all of your foods and then adjust your calories accordingly.

unknown

I don't think anyone was trying to be rude. There are some people that may not know how to weigh something. As for your question. I would start by weighing what you are eating now for a few days (or a week) and get an idea of how much you are already eating. Then you just reduce the portions down to get them to fit in your daily goals. Personally, I like to prelog my day in the mornings. I take my breakfast and lunch with me to work so I have control over those. For dinner, I usually fix the meal for the family and weigh the ingredients and use the Recipe Builder on this site to figure out an estimated calorie count for my meals. The only hard part is figuring out a serving size. It takes practice but you'll get the hang of it.

unknown

When you weigh the chicken, it will say 12 oz. If you log that as "chicken breast - 1 piece" 300 calories. That is ridiculous. Find an entry that has weight in oz or g. Then, add different oz's or g's and see the difference in calories.

Most people new to this are shocked at how much they are overeating and how weighing really improves the accuracy of logging calories.

unknown

Hornsby wrote: »

JennArnold18 wrote: »

It's about the fact that I have been working very hard at the gym and getting negative results

Okay, well let's assume you have been eating the right number of calories (that's a big assumption since you haven't been weighing/measuring), you will hold water after starting a new exercise routine. This can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 months to subside. It's perfectly natural and nothing to worry about as it isn't fat gain.

So you have a few things that are probably happening all at once...

1. You are holding a bit of water weight from your new exercise routine.
2. You aren't weighing your foods so you are consuming more calories than you think you are.
3. Exercise, are you adding exercise to your diary and eating those back? If so, you could be overestimating calorie burns from exercise.

Fix those, give it some time, and profit!

This. Water weight from a new exercise regime can have a big effect. Weight loss isn't linear for plenty of reasons. You have to be patient and consistent.

I didn't see anyone being rude in this thread, just trying to be helpful.

unknown

GuitarJerry wrote: »

When you weigh the chicken, it will say 12 oz. If you log that as "chicken breast - 1 piece" 300 calories. That is ridiculous. Find an entry that has weight in oz or g. Then, add different oz's or g's and see the difference in calories.

Most people new to this are shocked at how much they are overeating and how weighing really improves the accuracy of logging calories.

This is so true. I was amazed at how many extra calories I was having when I used spoons and cups. If I have some peanut butter on a cracker I weigh the cracker before and after I've put the pb on and then I knoW how much pb I've had in grams. That video really opened my eyes