Not loosing, gaining inches and always hungry!

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  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I just had this same conversation with my trainer. First of all you need more healthy proteins(fish,chicken,tofu) cut carbs way down,lots of green veggies, and I was told to stop pre-made foods. If it comes in a box,bag or premixed and cooked it's bad for you. You are working out plenty but your body needs more calories to burn so it can turn the fat into muscle. If u are starving then u are having to many carbs. grab a protein shake for inbetween meals. stock up on almonds. When you shop everything on the outside isles is usually what u want,the middle isles are usually bad for you. hang in there.

    There's a lot of myth in here. I've made all of my progress without cutting carbs or cutting out processed foods. Low carb works for some, but for others it just leads to feeling deprived. The main focus should be on overall energy balance, and then on getting enough protein and fat. I also eat a combination of processed and unprocessed foods. There's no reason to cut out processed foods all together as long as other goals are being met.

    Fat does not turn into muscle. It just doesn't. If you're eating a deficit you're not going to be building muscle (outside a very small and finite amount of newbie gains if you start strength training). What happens is that you maintain the muscle you have while you lose fat.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Sorry! I use the food scale method for logging. I have a scale and lots of measuring equipment.

    That's good, you're ahead of the curve on that then. And your weight? (I'm trying to figure your TDEE for you, but can't do it without your weight).
  • astrampe
    astrampe Posts: 2,169 Member
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    You didn't answer the questions about your weight, whether you've considered the TDEE method, and whether you use a food scale for logging.

    If that's you in your profile you really don't look like you've got 30 lbs to lose. Not by a long shot.

    Yep...this.....How much do do weigh? Why are you set to lose 30lbs - that is a LOT..... For the amount of exercise you do, you are WAY under eating - maybe your body is telling you something.... Starving yourself is not the solution..... I ate more for dinner last night than your whole day - and I still lose a pound a week.....
    Answer the questions above, eat more and come back in a month or two...
  • maybeazure
    maybeazure Posts: 301 Member
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    First of all, you look perfect in my opinion, I don't think you need to lose weight at all. But since you want to, here is my two cents:

    I'm not one of those clean eating people myself. I eat pre-packaged food all the time because I hate to cook. But, I have found that things like low calorie TV dinners do not fill me up the way real food does. The two things that help you feel full the most are lean protein and fiber. I've started eating a lot of chicken breasts, which are really easy to cook. Just use some non-stick cooking spray and cook it in a non-stick pan until it doesn't bleed any more. Use a little salt and pepper and it's fine. Buy pre-packaged salads, and eat them with cottage cheese. Get fresh fruit. A lot of it is in season right now. Low calorie, high fiber bread and just a little bit of peanut butter is filling, and doesn't require cooking.
  • miss_melissa_
    miss_melissa_ Posts: 70
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    140
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Ok I'm getting a TDEE (including exercise) of 2200 calories for you. So if you did that less 20% (for your deficit) you'd eat 1760 per day. If you go this route you would not eat back your exercise calories.

    Increase your protein to 1 gram per pound of lean body mass. If you're not sure what your body fat percentage is, then just do .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight, which would be 112 grams.

    My source for the numbers is here:
    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/

    They have a more advanced method if you want to put in how many hours you spend doing different activities per week.

    The benefit of this method is that you eat a flat amount, so you're less prone to going over. The downside is that you have to get your exercise in or the formula doesn't work.
  • miss_melissa_
    miss_melissa_ Posts: 70
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    thank you for the info!!
  • LexiAtel
    LexiAtel Posts: 228 Member
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    I think maybe you should switch your food upa little. Are you not able to cook at home? Your calories are fine, but it's all just prepackaged food, which is not too great. Not saying you can't lose weight on that... but it's definitely not the best choice. I lost weight on frozen food when I was younger (17-19 years old) but I walked a mile a day, and pretty much never stopped eating through out the day ( i nibbled here and there, not scarfed). I also didn't consume a lot....

    My only suggestion would be to at least make 1 meal at home a day that doesn't come from the freezer department or a commercial premade product.

    Good luck! :)
  • mamasmaltz3
    mamasmaltz3 Posts: 1,111 Member
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    You are in the high range of normal and you want to lose 30 lbs? So, you want to be underweight? Based on your profile pic I would say you look beautiful and maybe you need to reevaluate your goals. I would also suggest doing some research on how vlcd affect your health and metabolism. Check out the blog Go Kaleo. I love it.
  • LexiAtel
    LexiAtel Posts: 228 Member
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    Adding that based on your photo I didn't see an extra 30 lbs anywhere

    She probably wants to tone up and thinks that losing more weight will do that for her...
    Seems a lot of people (women) think that being the ABSOLUTE minimum weight will make the "flab" in the belly go away... when in reality you need to focus your exercising on your core.
  • mahanaibu
    mahanaibu Posts: 505 Member
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    I just had this same conversation with my trainer. First of all you need more healthy proteins(fish,chicken,tofu) cut carbs way down,lots of green veggies, and I was told to stop pre-made foods. If it comes in a box,bag or premixed and cooked it's bad for you. You are working out plenty but your body needs more calories to burn so it can turn the fat into muscle. If u are starving then u are having to many carbs. grab a protein shake for inbetween meals. stock up on almonds. When you shop everything on the outside isles is usually what u want,the middle isles are usually bad for you. hang in there.

    This. Exactly. you need the carbs way down, the proteins up and you need vegetables. You'll see a big difference in your hunger levels.

    Read this article from Scientific American which does a clear and nice job of explaining the research on weight loss and carbs.

    http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=when-dieting-not-all-calo

    I will add to this and the voices of others that I cannot see the 30 pounds--or any pounds--that need to come off.
  • hungryhobbit1
    hungryhobbit1 Posts: 259 Member
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    I know my sodium looks high but it is set to 1500 which is low compared to most journals. Also, I eat a lot of frozen meals because my cooking skills are poor. When I try cooking, I normally end up at McDonald's because my food taste so gross.

    I have been doing my current exercise for 5weeks. I am do arm machines, eliptical and treadmill. I spent about 90 mins at the gym. Also, I try to take a good 30 mins walk everyday.

    OK, I am going to have to be a little tough love here, not because everyone needs to be a super cook, but because you are going to school to specialize in healthy menu planning. You must learn to cook! Consider it a part of your education. I was a terrible cook when I first moved out on my own but there are lots of great resources out there these days to learn better technique. Literally all of the cooking knowledge in the world is available with a few clicks.

    If you're having trouble getting things right from recipes and videos online, ask a home cook that you admire to show you how she/he does it. Older relatives are great for this. (I didn't have any, so I followed my husband's grandma around the kitchen!)

    Cooking needs to become a habit, or how can you teach other people that they should be preparing healthy food for themselves? Start with learning to cook lean proteins and vegetables, since they should be the cornerstone of your diet right now, anyway.

    This might help:
    http://www.howtocookmeat.com/
  • LexiAtel
    LexiAtel Posts: 228 Member
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    youtube has many wonderful home chefs, and you can ask questions on their videos too :)
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    I have no issues with prepackaged meals or fast food. None at all, but learning to cook is one of the BEST things you can do. Eventually frozen meals get old and fast food gets expensive. I'd suggest looking on Youtube and also The Joy of Cooking is a great all purpose cookbook with lots of information. Or get a basic how to type cookbook to start.
  • britzzie
    britzzie Posts: 341 Member
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    bump
  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
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    You can't really measure your arm and say you're gaining. If I move half an inch up or down from where I normally measure, the number changes.
    What about your waste/hips?

    I will also echo what everyone else has said. Eat more.
  • SueFromRI
    SueFromRI Posts: 206 Member
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    Go out and buy vegetables. Eat as much as you want until you are not hungry.
    Plan a week's worth of meals staying at 1200 calories per day, then add as much salad as you want - no dressing. Keep eating salad or vegetables - celery is great - until the hunger pains go away.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I have no issues with prepackaged meals or fast food. None at all, but learning to cook is one of the BEST things you can do. Eventually frozen meals get old and fast food gets expensive. I'd suggest looking on Youtube and also The Joy of Cooking is a great all purpose cookbook with lots of information. Or get a basic how to type cookbook to start.

    I also totally agree with this.

    The major downside to eating out is that the calorie counts can't necessarily be counted on for accuracy. If you learn to make your own you'll be able to be relatively precise.
  • unoriginalusername007
    unoriginalusername007 Posts: 83 Member
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    If you're in the upper end of the normal weight zone, then losing 30 pounds will put you at an underweight status, which isn't healthy. When I was at an underweight status I felt kind of cool, like I had the "ha, I'm nice and skinny" mentality, but then I soon realized how unhealthy it is for you body being underweight. Being underweight is not a good thing- do not aim for that. I wouldn't lose more than 10 or 15 pounds if you're already in the normal zone.

    As for your calories, you need to eat more. I have spoken to specialists in regards to this, and your body needs 1200 calories a day just to function your heart, liver and other vital organs. Therefore if you eat only 1200 calories, and you're burning what sounds like 300-500 calories on top of that, you're only giving your body around 800 calories to function on. That's going to lead to problems in the long run. I was eating 1200 for the longest time, and I was losing a bit, but then when I spoke to a specialist, I began eating 1900 calories and I still lost weight. You don't need to eat so little to lose weight. At first, if you switch to 1500 calories a day you might notice a pound increase in your weight, but your body will just need a couple days to adjust to the calorie change; that does not necessarily mean that eating 1500 calories a day will consistently make you gain!

    Good luck! Please try to eat more, and I highly suggest changing your goal to lose less than the desired 30 pounds. To get toned rock solid abs, lean thighs, etc. you need to lose a little fat by weight loss but from there it's all exercise. I'm pretty happy with my weight right now, and though I've been maintaining, I've been doing a lot of strength exercises, and seeing a difference in my appearance, being more toned and all :)
  • hilaryhill
    hilaryhill Posts: 156 Member
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    I didnt know how to cook until I was married, even then I had to force myself to go online to find recipes!

    Food.com and Allrecipes.com are my favorite go tos! Just search by High Reviews or Popularity for whatever dish you want (or if you want to cook a dish with chicken, beef, etc) and Ive always gotten the best recipes that way. My hubby is satisfied. :)

    Cooking veggies is easy, though. Just chop them up, put them on a pan, drizzle with a little olive oil and salt/pepper, and cook them at 350 in the oven. Easy and good and filling. You can also do the same but steam, boil, or sautee. Its not really hard once you do it a few times.

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