Have I ruined my metabolism?
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The first week on your low carb diet you was "inducing a state of Ketosis" the weight you lost was all retained water. Ketosis always works regardless of the person and weight. Your body is more than efficient enough to switch to burning sugar for fuel to tapping into your fat storage. It usually takes anywhere to 2-12 weeks for your body to transition into becomming adapted" into "fat burning mode" your body Hasto go through alot of changes in this period. 1 week is not enough to get your body to switch to burning fat instead of sugar. You havto give it time. Understand even though a ketogenic way of eating is nessecerey for people with certain medical conditions I wouldent reccomend it for a sustained period of time. Use it as a tool. stay in a caloric deficit & implement interval cardio traning & HIT weight training & rest more. There's nothing more to it.
A keto diet will not work if she is not in a calorie deficit.
Nothing works if your not in a caloric deficit. That's why I mentioned to "to stay in a caloric deficit"2 -
First off, congrats on your progress so far. Diet composition is not that important for weight loss, unless your dietary fat or protein is too low, or you are already lean and trying to get down to very lean levels. Looks like you could raise your protein a little, but it will not make a huge difference.
It does look like you can tighten up your logging and verify that each entry is accurate. That may give you a different perspective on your calories in. However, unless your estimation skills are terrible, 1300 is way too low for someone 5'10" in my opinion. What is your estimate of your current body fat %, or your estimate of lean body mass? How much cardio are you doing, and how accurate do you think those burns are? It looks like you are logging some huge burns on some days and not even eating anything back.
Most people that see long plateaus here are just eating too much. You may be one of the exceptions that is eating too little. How long have you been losing weight? Have you been taking any diet breaks? Do you feel crushing fatigue often, strong desire to avoid movement and exercise, and have unusual mood swings? If someone is in large deficit with a high activity level for a long time, it can have a significant effect on your calories out by adaptive thermogenesis, reduction in NEAT, and elevated cortisol levels. You can have your cortisol level and metabolic rate tested, which will give you further insight.
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/why-big-caloric-deficits-and-lots-of-activity-can-hurt-fat-loss.html
You can power through the plateau by eating less and moving more, but if you are truly eating only 1300 a day and doing a lot of cardio without eating any calories back, then I would not recommend it. If you are confident your logging is correct, then I would recommend experimenting with reverse dieting by progressively adding 500-700 calories each week to see what happens.1 -
Jump rope and go hardcore swimming.0
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PiperGirl08 wrote: »Yes, go see a nutritionist. You're going to get all kinds of advice in a community forum -- some of it good, some of it much less so. Find an expert and work with that person to accomplish your goals without the shotgun approach. You should be losing on whole grains and chicken. If you're not, something else is wrong. A nutritionist along with fitness coach can help you figure out what that may be.
No. If you are going to see anyone, see a registered dietitian. Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist.
But honestly, why spend money to see a specialist when the simplest things (weighing portions) haven't been tried first?I know when my calories are too low I plateau. Im 5'7" and eat at least 1600 calories a day. I have a range if 1600-1900 depending on my activity that day. In just under 60 days Ive lost 5lb and gained muscle mass because I have the fuel to work out. I think it's about balance and healthy ranges that are sustainable. This is my experience.
I lost 80lbs with this formula a few years ago. When I first started gaining back I cut my calories too much and was tired and discouraged. Several months later here I am going back to the slow and steady pace that works.
nope, science doesn't work like that. If you are in a deficit, you will lose.
Anyone can call him- or her- self an expert on a message board. To the OP: go see a professional from whom you can expect some level of accountability. If this truly matters to you, take it seriously and act accordingly.
On why spend the money: in life, more often than not, you get what you pay for. How much is your well-being worth to you?0 -
So you say you're weighing everything, but I see a lot of volume and "serving" type entries. Like did your banana on weds actually weigh 126g or are you just counting one banana? Also your proteins like chicken are using Kroger entries, is that raw or cooked? How was it cooked? Try using the USDA entries instead, they're usually worded just like the source.. Other stuff like yesterday you logged two eggs, how did you cook them? Did you fry them in oil/butter? You could be underestimating your intake.
Also, how much water are you drinking in a day?1 -
I took a quick look at your diary and saw quite a few things that weren't weighed. So many spears of asparagus isn't weighed. Half an avocado, not weighed. I learnt early to weigh everything. Portion sizes are not necessarily accurate for calories. Good example, I buy bananas and apples a lot. None of them weigh the same and the entries for a medium apple, it's half the weight of the smallish ones I buy. Same with bananas. Even prepackaged foods can vary in weight by a good deal.
Quoting this because it appears OP skipped right over this.0 -
I know there's been a lot of people giving advice here, but here's my two cents regarding the weight loss (and calculations).
It has to be said that I am not a health care professional of any kind. I give advice based on stupid amounts of reading and personal experience.
The internet is never the place to get advice on medical issues so if you have or think you have any of those, go see a real doctor.
Weight loss math:
You're a 31 year old female, 5'10" and 217lbs. This gives you a BMR of 1780. There is only a 2.25 calorie difference between the two of the most popular equations for calculating this (Mifflin-St. Jeor and Harris–Benedict for reference).
If you're sedentary, we multiply your BMR with 1.2, coming up with your TDEE of 2136.
I suggest you try for a 500 calorie deficit to start off, which would put your daily intake at 1636. This is your TDEE minus 23%, so quite in line with most recommendations and will equate to about 1lbs per week.
What to eat?
There's a reason people advice a lifestyle change over a diet. Eat what you'll keep eating for the next 5, 10 or even 50 years. Allow yourself to have chocolate and pizza and whatever you want, but try to keep your calorie goal. Even if you don't, count the calories and learn from it.
Of course your body is gonna prefer a healthy balanced meal over crazy blood sugar spikes, but don't beat yourself up for wanting or eating "bad" things. Your body isn't the only factor. Keep your mind happy too.
Don't get to crazy about macros. Find what works for you and keeps you feeling satisfied.
It's important to measure food and drinks properly. I suggest using a food scale and measuring solids and some liquids like oil in grams (very accurate). All the ingredients of anything made from scratch like dressings, soups, etc. and not just generic entries.
Keep in mind that weight loss is not linear. It's up and down and all around. It might be beneficial to keep a daily record of your weight to see trends. There are several sites or apps for this that give you some sort of average weight.
Weigh yourself in the same condition every time you step on the scale. For most people this is in the morning, before consuming food or liquid, after using the toilet and with minimal clothing.
Best of luck to you!5 -
I recommend talking with a professional as well. I recently started a health coaching program through work with a dietician - if I complete it, the company pays me $100! After I gave her some background, she told me that 1200 cal/day is not enough (for me), and that my body has most likely adjusted and my metabolism has slowed. I have a call with her again on Monday to discuss calorie allowance, goals, etc. and I'm really looking forward to it. As a point of reference, I was losing on Weight Watchers and only just figured out that was equivalent to 1500 cal/day. When I dropped to 1200, my loss slowed down considerably.
I would have never figured this out on my own, so someone who can offer professional advice is likely worth talking to!1 -
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I took a quick look at your diary and saw quite a few things that weren't weighed. So many spears of asparagus isn't weighed. Half an avocado, not weighed. I learnt early to weigh everything. Portion sizes are not necessarily accurate for calories. Good example, I buy bananas and apples a lot. None of them weigh the same and the entries for a medium apple, it's half the weight of the smallish ones I buy. Same with bananas. Even prepackaged foods can vary in weight by a good deal.
Quoting this because it appears OP skipped right over this.
To add, OP eats a lot of take out food which can make estimating calorie intake more difficult as well.0 -
Op, just took a peek at your food diary and you're using cups, ounces, grams, serving sizes etc. This can lead to all sorts of issues. Use your food scale, set to GRAMS, and weigh everything that way. Start doing that, keep tracking your food intake, hit the calorie target MFP sets for you and then finally-GIVE IT TIME. Stop jumping around from one fad to the next, and just have some patience
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OP if you are not losing weight you are not in a deficit. From the looks of your diary you are not weighing all your food, forget measuring cups/spoons, weigh EVERYTHING!!!!2
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mrsblakedavis wrote: »to address some of the below -
- yes, weighing and measuring ALL of my food, even condiments.
- i am following a ratio of 30% carbs, 35% fat, and 35% protein after researching macros. Been doing this for about 2-3 months.
I researched 21 day fix today, and it says (if I follow that plan, which I am not) I should be eating 1800-2200 calories a day based on my weight! I am a woman - I have NEVER been afforded that many calories!
...Which brings me to my next point. I had a brief thought of - wow, what if I am not eating enough calories? The thought of nearly increasing my intake of calories and even more weight gain had me squirming.
The truth is - everyone says just try different things until it works but (IMO) my weight really should be coming off for the amount of effort I am putting in. I really have no clue what I am doing - I just try to eat very simply, very healthfully with no additives and avoid processed food. How can that not be enough?
I'm shorter than you, weigh less than you, older than you, and get in the 1800-2200 calorie range with exercise. I'm not trying to lose 2 pounds per week though. I did 1 pound per week for the first 30 pounds and my goal is 0.5 pound per week for the next 20-30 pounds.
Since you are gaining weight while eating less than 1800-2200 calories, something's wrong. People often underestimate their food intake and overestimate their exercise burns. Many here suggest to eat back just 50% of the MFP exercise calories - you can change this number manually as you enter your exercise.
Another thing that happens is when people eat too few calories, they erase their deficit with a binge or cheat meal.
I suggest you shoot for a 1 pound per week weight loss goal and tighten up your calorie and exercise logging.0 -
thanks everyone - I will switch to grams this week and weigh it all that way instead of the MFP entries that scan with the foods I buy. I will give it time I just feel like I've been "dieting" for 15 years. It would be nice some level of success with weight loss and finally hit my goal weight. I know it's a lifestyle - marathon, not a race.0
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if you're not losing and you don't have a problem like a thyroid condition, you're not eating less than you burn - it's actually that simple. you can eat low carb foods, high carb foods, all twinkies, all pizza, all salads. for the sake of losing weight, 1400 calories per day of pizza is the same as 1400 calories of egg whites, chicken breasts or chocolate ice cream.
weigh everything as grams - no tablespoon or cup measurements.
if you can avoid fast food, it's easier as they can easily go over a couple hundred calories vs the listed calories for some items, so if you eat fast food, you don't really have any idea how many calories you're eating. otherwise since most fast food and stuff like chipotle is so calorie dense, maybe you could eat half of your order and take the rest home for another meal?
i was thinking after i posted this - i've seen chipotle and taco bell staff use much more and much less sour cream - some use half what others use, and the same with cheese. there could easily be 300 calories difference at chipotle for the same item as they put on handsful of cheese, and some guys have huge hands while some women have very small hands.2 -
so question - is it best practice to forget the brand of egg (ie, don't choose "Trader Joes" brand eggs) - but just use a generic scrambled egg entry, weigh my cooked eggs in grams and then enter it that way?
How do you measure olive oil or coconut oil in grams? Use the Tare feature and weigh it in a container?0 -
mrsblakedavis wrote: »so question - is it best practice to forget the brand of egg (ie, don't choose "Trader Joes" brand eggs) - but just use a generic scrambled egg entry, weigh my cooked eggs in grams and then enter it that way?
How do you measure olive oil or coconut oil in grams? Use the Tare feature and weigh it in a container?
That's how I do it. I zero the scale, open up the jar and then put it on the scale. Then I subtract the original number minus the number I get after scooping. Example: the container of my butter weighs 215 grams with the top off, then after I take out some of the butter it's now 210 grams, so that tells me I've used five grams of butter.
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mrsblakedavis wrote: »so question - is it best practice to forget the brand of egg (ie, don't choose "Trader Joes" brand eggs) - but just use a generic scrambled egg entry, weigh my cooked eggs in grams and then enter it that way?
How do you measure olive oil or coconut oil in grams? Use the Tare feature and weigh it in a container?
I use MFP system entries that were taken from https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods as much as possible. Don't use entries that say "generic" or "USDA" - these are user generated. I go to https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods, get the syntax, and plug it into MFP. I weigh eggs raw. The entry is "Egg, whole, raw, fresh."
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mrsblakedavis wrote: »so question - is it best practice to forget the brand of egg (ie, don't choose "Trader Joes" brand eggs) - but just use a generic scrambled egg entry, weigh my cooked eggs in grams and then enter it that way?
How do you measure olive oil or coconut oil in grams? Use the Tare feature and weigh it in a container?
no. don't use a generic scrambled egg entry - weigh your eggs RAW, look for eggs, USDA and use that, assuming it matches this info: https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/112 find a listing that lists egg by grams, not by "one large egg".
i often do exactly that - put the container on the scale, tare, and remove what i need - then voila, i know the weight in advance.0
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