Doing things right (i think) and not really losing weight
Replies
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The reason I personally suggested taking a break from restaurant foods is purely because of the challenge to accurate logging. When someone else is making the majority of your meals, it's hard to know for sure how much you're really eating, especially at places like Chipotle where they are measuring things by the scoop on the line.
The fact that the food comes from a restaurant doesn't matter, except that it makes it more difficult to tell whether you're truly in a deficit, and the fact that you're in a long stall means that you're not in a deficit. Whether or not your food comes from a restaurant or a box or your grandma doesn't matter in that respect. It's all about the deficit.
And I agree with the PP who said that going from almost exclusively eating out to eating 100% meals prepared at home sounds extreme. (Unless that sounds like fun to you, in which case carry on). Maybe shoot for an 80/20 thing, where 80% of your meals are eaten in a way that makes it easier for you to really nail down your calorie intake (whether that's prepared 100% from scratch or just using prepared foods that you can weigh more accurately), and 20% of your meals come from restaurants or wherever.
Again, the goal here is to more accurately track your intake, not to say that there's anything inherently wrong with prepared foods, because there's absolutely nothing inherently wrong with prepared foods.10 -
It will also give the OP a better idea of what size portions he needs and perhaps realize if the chain food portions are actually larger than what he was previously logging.
Yes!1 -
I don't disagree with my esteemed MFPeops that by making appropriate choices people can ensure that they meet their dietary needs while feeling more satiated
I can assure you though that (based on my n=1) neither a slightly elevated sodium consumption nor 120+ grams of sugar a day stopped me from losing weight. And while most of that sugar came from apples and yogurt and such, some of it came from the 72* ice cream cones that partially fueled my first 365 days on MFP [McDonald's (66), Dairy Queen (3), Burger King (2), gelato waffle cone (1)]
If you make that n=2, then elevated sugar and sodium didn't stop me either. It's always been calories. I've had all kinds of combinations of "single ingredient", "clean", "processed", whatever it is and it all works in a deficit.
Chocolate chip cookies (processed usually, sometimes homemade), and a glass of milk has been a staple almost every evening during my weight loss......and maintenance.
Calories.9 -
I noticed you were recently drinking a large o.j. (280 calories) at a breakfast at McDonalds.
A better choice is to avoid juices, because they are fruit processed into fiber-less sugar(fructose).
These juices raise your bloodsugar quickly and also can raise the triglycerides to a dangerous level.
Eat an orange or other fruit instead of drinking your calories. The whole fruits are far more nutritious, more filling, and have much fewer calories than a large cup of orange juice.6 -
I have been working on losing weight for almost a year, I have lost over 60lb but things are stalling out. I only eat around 2500 calories a day and go to the gym every day (most of the time). My weight keeps going up and down and seems to hover between 390 and 398. I do rather well about sticking to my calories but I don't know why I am not losing more weight.
Some stats: I am 32 years old, 6'4 with a large frame. The things I am trying right now are drinking more water, getting more sleep and working out harder.
Am I eating too much? am I not eating enough? the 2500 calories a day were calculated by my fitness pal.
Help?
I read all the replies & also reviewed your diary. You seem to have re-committed to logging at the beginning of February, so that's the place to call "start" for this time around
I agree with you that curtailing restaurant eating will be a good experiment. The actual calorie count of restaurant meals is at the mercy of the individuals making the food and I can guarantee you that they are not consistent about measuring oils and liquids and I would doubt that much stuff gets weighed, either.
Sometimes it helps me to really shake up a pattern. Shaking up the eating-out pattern is pretty big. I also find shaking up the daily eating ruts I get into helps, too. I wonder what would happen if you ditched the cliff bars for first meal of the day, for example, in favor of a breakfast that might have a hundred more calories but contained more protein. And what would happen if you added a couple of higher protein snacks in each day? My experience was that I felt more "fueled" during the day and my appetite wasn't roaring so loudly at scheduled meal times. Just something to think about.
Losing that initial big bunch of weight is a great accomplishment. You can do this:)
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I read all the replies & also reviewed your diary. You seem to have re-committed to logging at the beginning of February, so that's the place to call "start" for this time around I agree with you that curtailing restaurant eating will be a good experiment. The actual calorie count of restaurant meals is at the mercy of the individuals making the food and I can guarantee you that they are not consistent about measuring oils and liquids and I would doubt that much stuff gets weighed, either.
Sometimes it helps me to really shake up a pattern. Shaking up the eating-out pattern is pretty big. I also find shaking up the daily eating ruts I get into helps, too. I wonder what would happen if you ditched the cliff bars for first meal of the day, for example, in favor of a breakfast that might have a hundred more calories but contained more protein. And what would happen if you added a couple of higher protein snacks in each day? My experience was that I felt more "fueled" during the day and my appetite wasn't roaring so loudly at scheduled meal times. Just something to think about.
Losing that initial big bunch of weight is a great accomplishment. You can do this:)
Actually since I first posted this I have been trying the 8/16 intermittent fasting because I am not very hungry in the morning so I just skip breakfast and eat starting at noon and stop eating at 8pm. This has worked really well for me so far, I am losing pounds again while eating the same calories. I am also adding 25% to any restaurant calorie listing to compensate for inaccuracies and portion size variation.3 -
Way to go! Thanks for reporting back 0
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