Suprised after using Myfitnesspal

Suprised after using Myfitnesspal

Author
Discussion

Opara

Original Poster:

506 posts

169 months

Monday 25th August 2014
quotequote all
Hi, after reading on here about this app I decided to start using it to tune up my diet.I put in my stats and it included the deficit required and estimated I should be eating around 2300.

I was kind of winging it before, mainly by trying to work in extra protein as I live weights a few times a week.When it was all added up on myfitnesspal I was always coming in at under 2000 a day, this was from 3 main meals and some snacking.

What I'm wondering is if my usual routine leaves me with a calorific deficit why am I not underweight? I have a usual blowout at the weekend, bacon sarnies, takeaway but I don't drink heavily maybe 4 beers a week.

I was under the impression that calories in vs calories out was the be all and end all.

grumbledoak

31,499 posts

232 months

Monday 25th August 2014
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Calories in versus calories burned is a simplification in some respects but it will determine long term weight gain vs loss. Four beers a week can easily be 1200+ calories. Call it 1400 and that is 200 per day more than you are counting. So you aren't at a serious deficit and there is probably more you haven't counted.

WinstonWolf

72,857 posts

238 months

Monday 25th August 2014
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Are you using weighed quantities?

Opara

Original Poster:

506 posts

169 months

Monday 25th August 2014
quotequote all
Perhaps you're right, I'll keep a better eye on it.It still suprised me though just how much you can have for 2300 calories, makes you wonder how there are so many overweight people.Is a slow metabolism a myth?

grumbledoak

31,499 posts

232 months

Monday 25th August 2014
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Opara said:
Is a slow metabolism a myth?
Pretty much. Most fatties simply put shovel too much in at the top end. Or, like yourself, are not counting correctly/accurately.

Unsurprisingly the more you study it the more complex it appears, but the basics are pretty obvious - it is more often cake retention than water retention, etc.

Hoofy

76,253 posts

281 months

Monday 25th August 2014
quotequote all
hehe

Pretty much.

Go on MFP and ask. You'll countless muscle-clad, 6 pack wearing, burger eating, beer drinking personal trainers tell you it's calories in vs calories out. Sure there are little tweaks but if you're eating massively over your requirements then the little tweaks won't make much of a difference.

Typically, someone who's not achieving their goals is either underestimating their intake (guestimating their food sizes) or overestimating their calories burnt through exercise. Whether it's directly through not weighing portions or just thinking you don't have to count the Mars Bar you ate on the bus or the couple of Digestives you ate at 11am, you need to be honest with yourself. smile

Jay2333

46 posts

139 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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I think a lot of it is down to portion size. Everyone eats huge huge portions and as time goes on they keep getting bigger and bigger. Snacking while prepping meals is another bad one (for me anyway) I combat this with only snacking the salad/veg i'm preparing

Terminator X

14,921 posts

203 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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Imho you need to be 1000 cals under your daily allowance to lose weight be that by eating less or exercising more. 300 under won't do it wink

TX.

Hoofy

76,253 posts

281 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
quotequote all
Jay2333 said:
I think a lot of it is down to portion size. Everyone eats huge huge portions and as time goes on they keep getting bigger and bigger. Snacking while prepping meals is another bad one (for me anyway) I combat this with only snacking the salad/veg i'm preparing
Yeah, portions are surprisingly smaller than we're used to!

Hoofy

76,253 posts

281 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
quotequote all
Terminator X said:
Imho you need to be 1000 cals under your daily allowance to lose weight be that by eating less or exercising more. 300 under won't do it wink

TX.
Unless you're accurate. But 300 will really take a long time.

theshrew

6,008 posts

183 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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I found MFP great as long as you enter in the correct info it works really well.

Before i started using it i was eating what i thought was fairly healthy. Opened my eyes when you actually start reading the labels just how many calories are in some things.

Last week i went to the MIL house, i opend the fridge to get some milk but just at eye level was a sort of family sized pork pie with the info facing me, i think it said 1/4 of the pie was something like 1650 calories eek

Step away from the pie


jurbie

2,339 posts

200 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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I'm another convert to MFP and found it a real eye opener. I'm just under 15 stone and according to MFP to maintain my weight I should be taking in 2300 calories however to lose a pound a week I need to keep to 1830 calories. I probably need to add some exercise to that as 3 months to lose a stone seems a long time but what is interesting is I haven't had to change my diet too much.

I keep an eye on portion size now but the real issue was my beer and crisp intake, I could easily get through a couple of tubes of Pringles in a weekend and that is an extra 2000 calories right there.


Fotic

719 posts

128 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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theshrew said:
I found MFP great as long as you enter in the correct info it works really well.

Before i started using it i was eating what i thought was fairly healthy. Opened my eyes when you actually start reading the labels just how many calories are in some things.

Last week i went to the MIL house, i opend the fridge to get some milk but just at eye level was a sort of family sized pork pie with the info facing me, i think it said 1/4 of the pie was something like 1650 calories eek

Step away from the pie
Pork pies in pork pies are fattening shocker!

Why do you need an app to make you look at labels?

grumbledoak

31,499 posts

232 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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You do need to measure portions quite accurately if you are going that route.

1kg = 7700kcals, so you will gain 1kg every two months at +100 kcal/day, or lose about the same if you are running a deficit. If you are doing it on purpose this is too slow to notice and you won't stick to it.

More interestingly, how much for a lean 20 year old to become a podgy 50 year old? It's about three crisps a day. Not three bags of crisps - three crisps. Yet clearly you can stay thin your entire life without calorie counting. How?

Cyder

7,045 posts

219 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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I've been using it religiously for the past couple of months and it's really quite scary how easy it is to pack the calories away without trying. Couple that with the odd takeaway and you're easily 3-4000 calories over your target for the week. That's 2 days extra food!

It's a good app though, certainly makes you stop and think about whether you really want to eat that bit of cake/chocolate bar.

Opara

Original Poster:

506 posts

169 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
quotequote all
Is it possible to reach a kind of equilibrium whereby losing additional weight becomes much tougher? If so is this a case of you calorie requirement reducing as weight is lost?

I'm in the 12-15% bf range, lifting weights 4 times a week.So would you say keep to a 500 calorie deficit by working in some cardio and be strict with weighing food.What sort of macro breakdown should I be looking at?

theshrew

6,008 posts

183 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
quotequote all
Fotic said:
Pork pies in pork pies are fattening shocker!

Why do you need an app to make you look at labels?
Most people would probably tell you that pies are bad. However its when you start looking at the labels / track on the app that you then realise just how bad they are.

TBH i had zero idea about how many calories were in any food / drink or really how many i should be having per day before i used the app.

If someone had asked me previously which had the most calories 1/4 of that pie, bag of crisps or a can of coke. I would have said they were all about the same.


Pete102

2,042 posts

185 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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I use MFP alot, its very good but a couple of pointers:

- Ensure you enter the correct portion sizes
- Check the data for entries, I have found a couple of incomplete ones, particualrly if you macro count (like I do, because low carb.)
- I think it overestimates your base calorie rate, verify through use of other online calculators
- Exercise can be a bit hit and miss, its good for tracking what you have done, but work on the assumption it overestimates and you'll be ok.

WinstonWolf

72,857 posts

238 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
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I don't mind fattening things being fattening, it's the things that you *think* are good for you and aren't that MFP is good at finding.

A properly weighed bowl of granola and a 'low fat' yoghurt drink, 1000 calories yikes

Hoofy

76,253 posts

281 months

Tuesday 26th August 2014
quotequote all
theshrew said:
I found MFP great as long as you enter in the correct info it works really well.
hehe

Well, today I decided to drive to Manchester from London. Tank was empty so I just squirted a litre of petrol. Broke down just before I joined the M1. HOW THE HELL? wink