Doing it wrong??

tiffnkailey

I've logged in to myfitnesspal for 10 days now, tracked what I ate, and have exercised. I have went over my calories a few times. But I haven't lost any weight. I've actually gained a couple lbs. Could it be water weight? My diary is open, so feel free to give me some tips. I'm used to eating a lot of fast food, and over 3000 calories a day. So it is hard to keep it under 1600.

Sued0nim

you need to weigh your food on a digital scale

Cups are less than useful

do not eat back all exercise calories if using the MFP database - start with 50% then maybe work up to 75% if you're losing weight well

you're quite simply eating too much .. sorry

also it doesn't matter if you go over one day and under another as long as your weekly calories are in defecit - you're going over more than under in the last 4 days so you're not doing that

tiffnkailey

Ok thanks.

Liftng4Lis

Ok I only looked at three days and you were over on two. Basically, you're eating too much. Additionally, too much processed food in combination with a new exercise program will make you retain water.

Sued0nim

You're eating a lot of processed foods that are high in salt and probably not very filling

I'd find it incredibly difficult to stick to a diet with such low volumes of food

Can you make better choices? More vegetables / home-made stuff and make room for 'treats' - you don't have to but you do need to stick to a calorie defecit

Also try to eat real food rather than shakes or bar as replacements

SexyKatherine73

your eating at maintenance level or higher, sorry to say.

get your self a good set of digital scale, this will help with food portions, if you can, pre planning what you're going to eat.

This will let you know what you can have in advance and work it into your plan, No foods are off limits just smaller amounts.

tiffnkailey

That is a big problem for me, and why I haven't stuck to losing weight, is that I don't cook/prepare food, so that's where all the processed foods come in. Plus I work full time, and part time in college, and a single mom. So most of our food is grabbing and going (hence fast food).
Also my food stamps were cut, so right now I have absolutely no grocery money. I am having to wait for my paycheck to get more groceries. I should have more healthier foods on next weeks diary.

So what number should I actually be eating? MFP says 1600 if I want to lose 2 lbs a week. TDEE says 1900. So I have mine set at 1700.

I am 30, 273, 5"7, and have a desk job. I work out 3 times a week at a gym that is kind of like cross fit.

LNPurdie

Wow, I really admire your honesty. I think its okay you are not dropping off the pounds so long as you are not getting discouraged. I have sent a friend request

Sued0nim

1600 sounds fine .. but at 2lb a week that means your TDEE is 2600 ... what have you set your activity level as, should be sedentary for a desk job and log the gym as workouts

learn to batch cook at the weekend or during the evenings with cheap foods and spices for taste so you get huge pots of food for little money and calories that you can grab a pot of and take to work with you

we all have reasons it's hard to diet

we all have to just tough it out until it becomes natural to us

you can do it

Want2bthin135

If you must eat fast food, try and cut back on these items. If you have a burger from Burger King, try and have baby carrots and a fruit instead of fries and all those calories for a drink.

Try the refrigerator oatmeal recipe. It is wonderful and you make it the night before to grab for breakfast.

The one I use is
1/3 cup rolled oats (uncooked)
1/3 cup skim milk
2 tsp chia seeds
1/3 cup greek yogurt.

Refrigerate over night. (No cooking needed)

The brands I use come up to 220 calories, then I add fruit and sweetener as needed. It's still good with nothing added. You can google for different addition ideas.

Make sure you weigh and measure everything, When eating out you really never know if the nutrition information is correct. Occasionally it won't hurt but doing it daily will hinder weight loss.

Planning is key for me.

Good luck,

Liftng4Lis

I'm a single mom and I have time everyday to exercise, cook and be a fantastic mother. You are running out of money, because you eat out so much! Start utilizing the internet you have and learn to cook at home.
As far as weight loss, follow MFP's recommendations for a month and weigh and measure everything.

TimothyFish

My recommendation would be to cut out the liquid calories. Sweet tea is how the south got fat. And you really don't need to be drinking a sports drink unless you're exercising for more than an hour. Shop the parameter of the grocery store (fruits, vegetables, fresh meat) and avoid the processed foods and candy.

tiffnkailey

lol sweet tea is how the south got fat.

Thank you for all the advice. Want2bthin, I will try that recipe. I bought the rolled oats, but didn't know what to put in it.

Alot of my grocery money has went to fast food. So that would be key to my getting healthy, and helping my budget is to eat more at home, and learn to cook healthier things. I also need to drink more water, which would keep me fuller.

Godblessedmom

Keep up the hard work! Proud of you for trying and for your honesty. Watch for sales in the grocery store. Baby carrots, apples, and yogurt go on sale often. Freezer meals for the crockpot are great, fast and easy. I like a little lemon juice in my water or some generic water flavoring once in a while. You can do this and you will teach your kids to be healthier as well!!!

DirrtyH

I second the batch cooking thing. I do chicken salads for lunch, and I make them all on Sunday so then they're just ready to go and I grab one in the morning.
It's okay to eat *some* processed foods. I grab a breakfast burrito from the freezer every morning and I don't feel bad about it.

In my experience, it takes about a month to get into a routine where you know what kinds of foods you'll eat and what groceries to buy. It can be tough that first month but once you figure it out it gets easier.

bajoyba

Yes, drinking plenty of water and staying hydrated can help with hunger, and it can also help you lose any water weight your body might be holding onto.
I agree with the advice to do batch cooking. It will be cheaper in the long run, and it will make it much easier for you to stay full and meet your calorie/nutrition goals for the day. You can make plenty of meals by throwing things into the crockpot at the beginning of the day, and when you get home for dinner, it will be ready to eat. Casserole-type dishes are also pretty easy to throw together, and you can find lots of healthy variations online that can often be frozen or refrigerated ahead of time and cooked when you need them.

1700 sounds like a very reasonable calorie goal. If you can stick to it and log your food accurately and consistently, you should be successful.

tiffnkailey

Godblessedmom wrote: »

Keep up the hard work! Proud of you for trying and for your honesty. Watch for sales in the grocery store. Baby carrots, apples, and yogurt go on sale often. Freezer meals for the crockpot are great, fast and easy. I like a little lemon juice in my water or some generic water flavoring once in a while. You can do this and you will teach your kids to be healthier as well!!!

What are freezer meals for the crockpot? I have a crockpot but never cooked anything in it.

tiffnkailey

How do you keep your salads fresh? If I buy salad I usually keep it in the bag "closed" with a clip, but after a few days the lettuce is brown and soggy.

Sued0nim

tiffnkailey wrote: »

Godblessedmom wrote: »

Keep up the hard work! Proud of you for trying and for your honesty. Watch for sales in the grocery store. Baby carrots, apples, and yogurt go on sale often. Freezer meals for the crockpot are great, fast and easy. I like a little lemon juice in my water or some generic water flavoring once in a while. You can do this and you will teach your kids to be healthier as well!!!

What are freezer meals for the crockpot? I have a crockpot but never cooked anything in it.

Google is your friend

greatist.com/health/healthy-crock-pot-recipes

gothchiq

Bagged salad always wilts too fast and costs too much IMHO. Get your leaf and iceberg lettuce and wrap them in paper towels, then wrap in a grocery bag. The paper towel is the secret.

gothchiq

A freezer meal for the crock pot means something you can cook in a crock pot and then freeze portions to defrost as needed so it doesn't go bad in the meantime. Chili would be one good and easy example. Beef or chicken stew or hearty soup, also.

kmalex

Is there a reason that you are tracking Iron in your diary? If not, I highly suggest you change that to track sugar. I think you will be surprised by how much sugar is in your diet.

White sugar is not just in candy, it's in most white carbs - the cereal you eat for breakfast, the snack bars that are "healthy", the fast food. Anything that is processed is usually high in sodium or white sugar, both of which will make you retain water and make it hard to lose weight.

I think 1500-1800 calories a day is fine for you. Just remember that food is supposed to be the fuel for your body. When we try to lose weight, we cut down on the fuel we are giving our body. That means it's much more important that the fuel we do eat is healthy and nutritious.

juniebug2013

I love your honesty! A lot of people are in complete denial of the food they put in their body, so at least you realize you aren't making the best choices and are willing to make changes. I have found that (for me at least) making too many changes at once sets me up for failure. You could try making one or two significant changes to your diet a week and see if that works better for you.

Like week 1: cut out all sugary drinks, and drink water or tea instead. Try sweetening your tea and coffee with stevia or splenda.

Week 2: continue to avoid sugary drinks, and aim to eat dinner at home at least 5 nights a week instead of fast food. Even if it's the frozen dinners you can microwave, it's probably better than eating out. It will most likely be cheaper, plus when you are at the grocery store you can see right then how many calories are on the box and make better choices. Add a cup of canned soup, or a salad and you have a meal for less than 500-600 calories easy.

Week 3: Continue with week 1 & 2 plus replace 1 snack a day with a healthier alternative like fruit or yogurt.

Obviously cooking at home from scratch and cutting out all the convenience foods completely will be cheaper and healthier for you in the long run, but I understand that it can be hard to transition from grab and go type meals to cooking everything from scratch in one week. Take baby steps and you will get there!

carnivalnights

I agree with a lot of the comments here, but especially eliminating any of the sugary drinks (Starbucks, soda, sweet tea). Replace it all with water! Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Sugary cererals should be eliminated all together simply because they are so bad for you (replace them with the overnight oats Want2bthin135 suggested - this is what I eat for breakfast because it's low in calories and high in protein), and I would limit the snack bars to a couple times a week instead of having them daily (they're full of carbs/sugar). Even if you limited eating out to once or twice a week, I think you would notice a huge difference!

Nice2BFitAgain

I like that you are asking for advise and seem to be really interested in what others are offering for help. Keep up the good work!

A great website with 'real' food made lighter is www.skinnytaste.com - you'll find easy to make recipes there that your kids will like too. Mine like most of them (and they complain about the change in our food a lot). Crockpot recipes: http://www.pinterest.com/jennette_paul/healthy-crock-pot-meals/

Digital scales can be affordable - it is hit or miss but, I bought mine at Marshalls for $15 - and it really is a MUST to weigh your food.

Those meal replacement shakes/bars and whey protein are SO expensive and are unnecessary - use that money on staple food that you can make ahead. You can eat @ McDonalds for less than 800 calories, you just have to make the right choices. It is hard, we ALL have been there. Keep on working it out - Good Luck!!

tiffnkailey

I track iron, because I was anemic. I can change it to track sugar. Yet I probably will go crazy when I see how much sugar I intake.

Since my eating was mostly fast food, I would have to rely on Coffee to keep me going during the day/night. So thats where the frappes came in. I am trying to eliminate those drinks now. I have a giftcard, only $5 left, and once I'm done with it, I won't buy anymore.

I like the hydroxycut shake, because it fills me up, and seems to wake me up like coffee does. Is says it has coffee in it. Plus it is low in calories.

tiffnkailey

I also got in a bad habit of eating a candy bar around 3:30pm. Kind of like a pick me up. So I got all kinds of bad habits I need to break.

tiffnkailey

I got in a weird habit of eating a huge bowl of capt n crunch in the mornings. That stuff is like a drug. Prolly all the sugar. I have one serving left and then I'm out. So I won't be buying anymore of that.

Fayeworth

Appreciate your honesty and that time is something you don't have much of because of jobs and children. You certainly need to try, where you possibly can, to cut down on the fast food and if you must eat it then try to eat wraps and get a salad instead of chips...I think someone else suggested this. Do you not prepare and cook food because you aren't very good at it or because you don't enjoy cooking or just that you don't have time? Perhaps aiming to make two healthier meals a week (a stew bulked out with plenty of vegetables or some grilled chicken with new potaotes/vegetables and if you like a bit of sauce then have a some, philapehia do a low calorie sauce in lots of favours). Also making meals in vast quantity means you can freeze extra portions for another day when you're in a mad rush. Try and get plenty of fruit into your diet and cut down on on the sugary drinks x

WL0525

Ditto what "sexy" (hehe) said...it's all about planning out your meals (and snacks) for the day. I actually plan out everything for the week. I do my grocery shopping on Sunday and do prepping for the week as soon as i get home from the store. Trust me, its a pain in the neck and 9 x out of 10 i do not want to do it, but i do. I put my fruit in different plastic containers for each day to take to work with me, i make sure i have healthy snacks...like raw almonds, or celery sticks or something like that.

Another trick i learned (by trial and error of course) is to log your food backwards...and what i mean by that is - if you know what you are having for dinner, log it before you start your meals for the day. Even if know what you're having for lunch, log it prior to lunch. It just keeps me in check with my "leftover" calories for the day, ie. snacks

Dieting (lifestyle changes) is all about portion control and better choices. They go hand and hand really - better choices=lower calories. I'd say that if you are over eating - definitely do what was suggested in an earlier reply and try to really measure and weigh your portions. If you think something is 1oz and its actually 3...that's a whole lot of unaccounted for calories.

You'll get in the swing of things, you're only 10 days in. Don't get frustrated - the worst thing you can do is see the scale go up a pound or two and get discouraged and say 'screw it, whats the use". I've done it many times...it just makes my ultimate goal even further away when i decide to get back on track. BLAH...it's a lot of work, but hard work WILL pay off!

Stick with it - using MFP is step one in this journey of your new healthy lifestyle!

~W

0somuchbetter0

You've gotten a lot of great advice so far. I just wanted to say keep at it, don't give up! You're doing great! You'll find when you replace the sugary cereal (which you burn through immediately) with protein (oatmeal, egg, Greek yogurt), you'll stay satisfied longer and won't be tempted to snack on candy!