-Diablo's Journal, 26 June 2018

thank you, I know I eat less than 1200 calories on most days and losing weight slow and steady on the long term. 

That is one reason I love the treadmill at the YMCA. I have an account with my data already there so just change the weight each time (it asks me to) and it tracks speed, distance, heart rate, peak heart rate, elevation, time and calories burned. On the hilly roads around my house I assume 5-6 Mets so can figure it up fairly close I think. (6-10 mets on the treadmill) Food logging is much harder. When preparing my own food I weigh every morsel and cook it separately. I almost always cook too much and after I’m done I weigh again, subtract from log and let the kids have at it or put it up for later. It’s when I use oil, eat out or someone else cooks for me that I have to guess. I hate guessing lol. If in doubt I always use the higher calorie entry on the app. I’m quite thankful for the scanner that allows me to scan every ingredient and then figure portion that went into my meal. Much simpler than doing it by hand or searching through thousands of entries ;). How do you accurately measure your expenditures? 

I am over 60 and believe me with no muscle tone at this age the metabolism is slower than when I was young and active. I have to exercise everyday just to lose weight. Once I build myself up I am hoping to change that situation. You guys (and gals) are in a whole different ball park with all your muscles. I keep hurting my back but I will eventually get more regular on the bowflex with some upper body. 

I use very little oil and estimate how much is used in frying the entire batch and then just divide it up. most of that goes into the gravy anyways so if it is a little over what I am actually taking its okay. I would rather be a little over in the calculation then too low 

or when I use butter the same thing 

@Baskington, you can do it! Building muscle takes effort but it can be done at most ages up to 80! Good luck. 

Plenty of other studies relating to how people drastically underestimate, overestimate, improperly track, & make other mistakes related to not accurately sticking with diet plans. 

thank you for the encouragement and I fully intend to try. right now it is my stationary bike and intermittent upper body. but I will get there. got to get back to my old self 

And the good thing with exercise is it benefits anyone regardless if they start at 80 or 18, the benefits will work about the same way regardless of when someone starts exercising. 

I’m sure most people are already aware that the FS food diary selections are far from accurate. For me personally it doesn’t make a lot of difference but for some I can see that it could be a problem. Homemade stuff is always suspect. 

I've found that 1200 calories of good food is a LOT of food. Yes, at 62 my BMR is lower than it was when I was 30, but it's not under 1200 for darn sure. And my rate of loss will necessarily lessen as I lose because that also will make my BMR go down. I'm prepared for this. I've found these formulas helpful in setting my expectations to a reasonable level: BMR= 655+(4.35*current weight)+(4.7*height in inches)-(4.7*age) Maintenance Calories = BMR * 1.2 Calories per pound of fat 3500 So to lose a pound, my net caloric deficit (BMR * 1.2 - calories eaten + calories used in exercise) has to be at least 3500 in any given period of time. For example, I'm 62, current weight is 226.2, and height is 67". My BMR is 655 + 4.35*226.2 + 4.7*67 - 4.7*62 = 1662.47 To maintain my current weight I'd have to eat around 1662*1.2 (1994) calories. At 1200 calories per day and no exercise I could expect to lose (1994-1200)*7/3500 (1.588) pounds per week. 

underestimated how much they're eating by 1053 calories??? that's insane. 

easy to do if you don't log everything and don't weigh your foods. guessing the weight of a steak for instance can really double the actual calories. using double the noodles you are guessing added to forgetting little things  

Or just purposely leaving things out to make themselves appear good. Been there...did that...only cheated myself. 

Chris, I would think that the way they could tell that they underreported is because they measured their calorie burn with most likely doubly labeled water or some other method and then measured their fat loss or lack thereof. 

Probably true. I find it hard to remember everything during the day and best to do it before u eat. When in doubt we should actually over report....😊 

Lol, maybe that is what some people need. I remember a video of a British lady that was called out for underreporting. Search "underreporting calorie intake" on youtube. It was at the top of my list. Fun watch. 

Another issue that I think anyone who is the primary cook in the family faces is TASTING. you taste here and there to adjust seasoning and next thing you know you have essentially eaten a small portion. I made pizza sauce the other day and I know I tasted it 3-4 time before I was done. Adds up. 

And that video corrected me. The doubly labeled water not only tells scientists what someones burn is, it also measures their calorie intake. Amazing. 

Measuring cups and spoons are also inaccurate. You need to weigh it all. Using a measuring spoon for peanut butter or a cup for oatmeal for example. You could be off by a lot.