Have I hit a plateau already?

bokaba

Additionally, most of your pre-packaged food appears to be very high in sodium, which can cause water retention.

sorcha1977

The machines at the gym get it wrong constantly. You can't rely on that calorie count either because the machine has no idea how hard you're working. Heart rate monitors can help. I use a Polar FT4. Nothing is 100% accurate, though, unless you're hooked up to fancy machines at the doctor's office and they measure your oxygen and such at the same time.

I'd switch to weighing yourself first thing in the morning instead of at 8 PM. During the day, you're drinking water and eating food, so your weight is going to fluctuate (usually upward). After you use the bathroom in the morning, your body is dehydrated and clear of (most) food, and you haven't had any liquids or food yet, so your stomach is empty. It's the best time to weigh yourself. If I weigh myself at night, I'm often 2-3 pounds heavier than I was that morning.

Also, thirty pounds in six months is average, not slow. Most people lose about 1-2 pounds per week.

justagirl2013

Maybe add some more vegetables? I am really fond of roasted vegetables. I find it really enhances the vegetables natural flavors. It's very simple to do as well, which is great! Not to mention they are low in calories, so you can eat more and maintain a satity.

Good luck!

FaylinaMeir

I can gain 5 pounds IN A DAY from eating the amount of sodium you consume regularly. Since you don't track water I have no idea how much you drink but I suggest a minimum of 3 liters (3 quarts) a day especially with the salt you eat, maybe up that to

I wouldn't call it a plateau until it's been 6 weeks, that's what I've been told and I myself have done the yo-yo thing where I stayed around the same weight.

Give your body time to relax and just eat normally and go with it.

Walmart sells their brand of scale (mainstays) it has a glass top walmart.com/ip/Mainstays-Digital-Kitchen-Scale-Silver/35854316?action=product_interest&action_type=title&placement_id=irs_top&strategy=PWVUB&visitor_id&category=&client_guid=1530474b-6955-4acb-b3af-7e52711045cf&customer_id_enc&config_id=0&parent_item_id=35854314&guid=9cbba1bf-598c-40d3-8067-080495f96a43&bucket_id=irsbucketdefault&beacon_version=1.0.0&findingMethod=p13n

There is a link to it so you get an idea. This is what I use but if you don't have level counters I don't suggest it unless you put a board under it or something. You want to make sure you tare out the dishes you use.

My other comment would be you seem to be lacking vegetables and fiber in your diet. Less fiber and well... the pipes tend not to run as smoothly if you understand what I'm sayin

so in a nut shell:

Buy a scale
start cooking some homemade foods and back off the packaged junk that is full of sodium
Water retention sucks
eat more veggies, seriously. Eating more veggies would be amazing even if you still kept eating junky foods.
More water
Give your body time, you didn't get fat overnight don't expect to lose weight overnight (I tell myself this all the time)

SLLRunner

nekoyaz wrote: »

Thank you to everyone who has responded. I am at least doing the weight thing right. I input what the machine says I've burned instead of MFP and I always put my weight into the settings on the machine so it has to be the overestimating of my food. I didn't even realize I was off on bananas by that much. I'll try to make it to Walmart in the next few days and check out their scales.

Gym machines overestimate too, so be careful with those as well.

For example, my heart rate monitor will give me approximately 350 calories for a 40-45 minute run, but one treadmill gives me 525 or thereabouts, and on other gives me about 500.

Just be sure you weigh you food, because our estimates are almost always underestimated.

sim_moore

try not eating back or recording your exercise calories.. Just focus on diet with MFP and exercise when you can.. Don't trust the Gym machines or even the personal monitors...

Sued0nim

Liftng4Lis wrote: »

accurate logging, including weighing and measuring is EVERYTHING.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide#latest

this

eldamiano

No such thing as a plateau. This is a make-believe term that people use for eating at a maintenance level, and not at a deficit, contrary to their beliefs.

Sued0nim

1 - weigh every solid food on digital scales - do not estimate or eyeball it, weigh it. measure liquids - include everything
2 - do not choose MFP entered calories - there are loads that are just wrong - look for those with a *
3 - quick look at your diary shows 2 x ham and cheese sandwiches for 400 calories, that seems low, log by individual ingredients
4 - 50 - 75% of exercise calories that you get from MFP or machines - unless you're using an HRM

It's all about calorie defecit and being as accurate as possible

eldamiano

"1 - weigh every solid food on digital scales - do not estimate or eyeball it, weigh it. measure liquids - include everything"

Or if you havent got so much time on your hands, just use a bit of common sense and overestimate to be on the safe side.

Sued0nim

eldamiano wrote: »

"1 - weigh every solid food on digital scales - do not estimate or eyeball it, weigh it. measure liquids - include everything"

Or if you havent got so much time on your hands, just use a bit of common sense and overestimate to be on the safe side.

and then come back and say you're not losing weight and people will ask are you weighing everything you eat

eyeballing and estimates may be fine for some folk, but not for others