HELP ME - WHAT AM I DOING WRONG??

2

Replies

  • Tracie_Lord
    Tracie_Lord Posts: 1,761 Member
    You said you like to eat clean so I would try unprocessing your foods. Lose the protein bars or anything that has a huge ingredient list. Aim to only eat things that grow and need sunlight. You also need more water, come close to an ounce of water per pound of body weight. And you need to do more cardio, 3 times a week for 25-30 minutes.

    That's my 2 cents, stay strong! :)

    I've literally only had 2 protein bars in my lift and added to increase protein and calories as per advice given :dizzy:

    It seems everyone has differing of opinions I think which makes it so hard

    I lost all my weight doing exactly what you say, meat, fish, fruit veg, seed etc and it was great but then I've stalled so added the few processed items

    Time will tell I guess

    Thanks for your advice
  • Tracie_Lord
    Tracie_Lord Posts: 1,761 Member
    csplatt wrote: »
    if you are eating a 200 calorie a day deficit, for example, then in a week you have a deficit of 1400 calories. however, a nice hearty meal at Five Guys Burgers and fries... or a few slices of pizza... plus a dessert on that treat day, could wipe out your entire deficit, thus resulting in zero pounds lost for the week. just a thought. it is POSSIBLE that the "20 percent" of the time you aren't eating "clean," you're erasing your progress.

    This too. It's actually not "clean" that matters for loss, it's deficit. One underestimated (or in my case, blush, sometimes UNRECORDED) cheat day a week can very easily erase my 6 days of 250-cal/day deficit.

    I fully fully log everything I can, example I was out on a works night a few weeks ago and I log every single drink

    One thing I do is be totally transparent for myself more than anything
  • Tracie_Lord
    Tracie_Lord Posts: 1,761 Member
    You said you like to eat clean so I would try unprocessing your foods. Lose the protein bars or anything that has a huge ingredient list. Aim to only eat things that grow and need sunlight. You also need more water, come close to an ounce of water per pound of body weight. And you need to do more cardio, 3 times a week for 25-30 minutes.

    That's my 2 cents, stay strong! :)
    savithny wrote: »
    How often do you eat in restaurants? That could very much be part of the issue. Calories on menus aren't always very accurate compared to what ends up on the plate.

    twice a month maybe - really not that much this is why I am so baffled
  • Tracie_Lord
    Tracie_Lord Posts: 1,761 Member
    Pickle107 wrote: »
    Just be aware that a nutritionist isn't trained anywhere nearly like a dietitian who needs a degree and professional registration. Anyone can do a short online course and call themselves that.

    Remember that you can only lose weight in deficit. The 'eat more' to lose weight thing won't work unless it gives you enough energy to blast calories in your harder strength training sessions.

    Do update us though. I'd love to know how you get on with it all.

    thing is I am almost always in a deficit (except maybe once a week on cheat day but even then I try and work out to keep the deficit if I can) and sometimes I gain which is why I have reached out as I don't understand. It's almost like everything I thought I knew was wrong.

    Hydrate, eat clean, calorie deficit - I did it all and it worked I lost almost 100lbs but for 6 months have hovered the same 5-10lbs up and down and I cannot see why.

    I understand what you say about a dietician for sure and I'll going to try this for a couple of months and if no further progress dietician is definitely the way
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,492 Member
    Pickle107 wrote: »
    Just be aware that a nutritionist isn't trained anywhere nearly like a dietitian who needs a degree and professional registration. Anyone can do a short online course and call themselves that.

    Remember that you can only lose weight in deficit. The 'eat more' to lose weight thing won't work unless it gives you enough energy to blast calories in your harder strength training sessions.

    Do update us though. I'd love to know how you get on with it all.

    thing is I am almost always in a deficit (except maybe once a week on cheat day but even then I try and work out to keep the deficit if I can) and sometimes I gain which is why I have reached out as I don't understand. It's almost like everything I thought I knew was wrong.

    Hydrate, eat clean, calorie deficit - I did it all and it worked I lost almost 100lbs but for 6 months have hovered the same 5-10lbs up and down and I cannot see why.

    I understand what you say about a dietician for sure and I'll going to try this for a couple of months and if no further progress dietician is definitely the way

    You haven't answered if you log your cheat day. Do you log everything you eat on this one day per week? I just want to make sure you account all of those calories to make sure that isn't the reason you aren't losing. I maintained having one cheat day per week because I would eat enough to offset all my losses. It wasn't until I logged my "cheat days" that I saw I wiped out my weekly deceit.

    Please update us though, I am hoping to see you figure this out.
  • Tracie_Lord
    Tracie_Lord Posts: 1,761 Member
    Pickle107 wrote: »
    Just be aware that a nutritionist isn't trained anywhere nearly like a dietitian who needs a degree and professional registration. Anyone can do a short online course and call themselves that.

    Remember that you can only lose weight in deficit. The 'eat more' to lose weight thing won't work unless it gives you enough energy to blast calories in your harder strength training sessions.

    Do update us though. I'd love to know how you get on with it all.

    thing is I am almost always in a deficit (except maybe once a week on cheat day but even then I try and work out to keep the deficit if I can) and sometimes I gain which is why I have reached out as I don't understand. It's almost like everything I thought I knew was wrong.

    Hydrate, eat clean, calorie deficit - I did it all and it worked I lost almost 100lbs but for 6 months have hovered the same 5-10lbs up and down and I cannot see why.

    I understand what you say about a dietician for sure and I'll going to try this for a couple of months and if no further progress dietician is definitely the way

    You haven't answered if you log your cheat day. Do you log everything you eat on this one day per week? I just want to make sure you account all of those calories to make sure that isn't the reason you aren't losing. I maintained having one cheat day per week because I would eat enough to offset all my losses. It wasn't until I logged my "cheat days" that I saw I wiped out my weekly deceit.

    Please update us though, I am hoping to see you figure this out.

    Yes I log everything every day including cheat day - sorry I thought I made that clear. On cheat days I tend to try and work out harder.

  • Tracie_Lord
    Tracie_Lord Posts: 1,761 Member
    njitaliana wrote: »
    Congrats on your weight loss!

    I don't think you are necessarily doing anything wrong. Sometimes, our bodies stop losing at a certain point. I once lost 126 lbs, and around the time I hit 90 lbs off, I plateaued for a whole year. I tried everything, and finally had to switch to a horribly restrictive diet to get 30 more lbs off. I ended up giving up because I couldn't keep restricting myself to continue losing. I gained my weight back.

    Now I see a dietitian regularly. She is a godsend. She goes over my MFP diary entries, makes suggestions, and has really helped me. Maybe you could try a dietitian in addition to your PT. It might help you figure out which changes to make, like it did with me. I have 62 lbs off now and I'm finding it so much easier since I have my dietitian's help.

    thank you and well done you on your journey that's amazing.

    It sounds like I'm where you were then. Can I ask do you track macros? Do you work out?

    No one can seem to tell me what the macros should be for losing weight whilst being active (I gym 4-7 times a week).

    General consensus is PROTEIN 40% FATS 20% CARBS 40% but your right I think I need a dietician to confirm this for my body and my lifestyle
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    njitaliana wrote: »
    Congrats on your weight loss!

    I don't think you are necessarily doing anything wrong. Sometimes, our bodies stop losing at a certain point. I once lost 126 lbs, and around the time I hit 90 lbs off, I plateaued for a whole year. I tried everything, and finally had to switch to a horribly restrictive diet to get 30 more lbs off. I ended up giving up because I couldn't keep restricting myself to continue losing. I gained my weight back.

    Now I see a dietitian regularly. She is a godsend. She goes over my MFP diary entries, makes suggestions, and has really helped me. Maybe you could try a dietitian in addition to your PT. It might help you figure out which changes to make, like it did with me. I have 62 lbs off now and I'm finding it so much easier since I have my dietitian's help.

    thank you and well done you on your journey that's amazing.

    It sounds like I'm where you were then. Can I ask do you track macros? Do you work out?

    No one can seem to tell me what the macros should be for losing weight whilst being active (I gym 4-7 times a week).

    General consensus is PROTEIN 40% FATS 20% CARBS 40% but your right I think I need a dietician to confirm this for my body and my lifestyle

    That's because there isn't a macro split for weight loss. Weight loss is down to calories, macro split is for personal preference, satiety and adherance. As long as you get the minimum recommended daily intake for protein and fat you can let the rest fall where it may, whether that be higher protein, higher fat or higher carbs.

    ^^ agreed
  • Tracie_Lord
    Tracie_Lord Posts: 1,761 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Y'know, maybe I'm just a weirdo, but I don't agree that macro split is completely irrelevant for weight loss, especially in a scenario - as with the OP - where a person has been at a calorie deficit for a year.

    I'm not talking about fiddly details, or even just about satiety/compliance: I'm talking about nutrition. I'm also not deprecating calories as the most vital key for weight loss, because they are that.

    A calorie deficit creates stress on a person's body, unavoidably (not saying it isn't worth it). And under-nutrition will come home to roost, eventually, in reduced energy level if nothing else (and reduced energy has calorie-burn implications). Combining a calorie deficit with under-nutrition seems likely to make that "home to roost" show up faster. (How weight loss would be affected might vary by individual, but it just seems like it could matter.)

    Nutrition is important, especially in the longer run. I'm not talking about hyper-precise macros here, but just decent all-round nutrition: Enough protein, enough fats, lots of nice veggies/fruits, ideally. Looking at diaries around here, it's not infrequent to see suboptimal strategies.

    Weight loss, for many/most people, is going to have the biggest payoff in improved health. But in the long run, nutrition matters for health and energy level.

    This is where my head is. My BMI says overweight but to look at me I'm not in all honestly. I have muscle mass but I have stubborn fat areas that I would like to shift - I need to get my fat % I think.

    My new gym programmes are to tone/lose weight so I'm certain the extra calories are to feed those more intense workouts, especially the floor work and weights. Last I took measurements to start to look at that and not just the scales.

    What I am finding so strange is the differing opinions so I guess all I can do is be in the moment, do what I know works for me with the small changes recommended by my PT.

    Got to say on day 2 and the 'extra' food/calories seems a lot compared to what I was used to but I guess its just the change
  • Tracie_Lord
    Tracie_Lord Posts: 1,761 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Y'know, maybe I'm just a weirdo, but I don't agree that macro split is completely irrelevant for weight loss, especially in a scenario - as with the OP - where a person has been at a calorie deficit for a year.

    I'm not talking about fiddly details, or even just about satiety/compliance: I'm talking about nutrition. I'm also not deprecating calories as the most vital key for weight loss, because they are that.

    A calorie deficit creates stress on a person's body, unavoidably (not saying it isn't worth it). And under-nutrition will come home to roost, eventually, in reduced energy level if nothing else (and reduced energy has calorie-burn implications). Combining a calorie deficit with under-nutrition seems likely to make that "home to roost" show up faster. (How weight loss would be affected might vary by individual, but it just seems like it could matter.)

    Nutrition is important, especially in the longer run. I'm not talking about hyper-precise macros here, but just decent all-round nutrition: Enough protein, enough fats, lots of nice veggies/fruits, ideally. Looking at diaries around here, it's not infrequent to see suboptimal strategies.

    Weight loss, for many/most people, is going to have the biggest payoff in improved health. But in the long run, nutrition matters for health and energy level.

    This is where my head is. My BMI says overweight but to look at me I'm not in all honestly. I have muscle mass but I have stubborn fat areas that I would like to shift - I need to get my fat % I think.

    My new gym programmes are to tone/lose weight so I'm certain the extra calories are to feed those more intense workouts, especially the floor work and weights. Last I took measurements to start to look at that and not just the scales.

    What I am finding so strange is the differing opinions so I guess all I can do is be in the moment, do what I know works for me with the small changes recommended by my PT.

    Got to say on day 2 and the 'extra' food/calories seems a lot compared to what I was used to but I guess its just the change


    Noone is saying nutrition isn't important, what they are saying is there isn't a one size fits all for weight loss.

    Over and above getting in what you need to for health, it's a personal preference and whatever will help you adhere best to managing your weight whether that be losing/maintaining/gaining.

    It'd be no good you doing whatever someone told you, if you didn't find it filling or if it affected your energy levels in a negative way and finding it more difficult to manage your weight. So you just need to find a starting point (MFP's default macros are generally fine) and tweak from there to find what works for you.

    Absolutely agree, which is why I embrace all the differing opinions. What I find strange is that certain people genuinely believe their way is the only way and are so so certain on it, however I thing you are 100% correct that its what works for the individual.

    I believe help/advice/opinions are all sources of information that we choose to take or not until we find the right path
  • lleeann2001
    lleeann2001 Posts: 410 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Y'know, maybe I'm just a weirdo, but I don't agree that macro split is completely irrelevant for weight loss, especially in a scenario - as with the OP - where a person has been at a calorie deficit for a year.

    I'm not talking about fiddly details, or even just about satiety/compliance: I'm talking about nutrition. I'm also not deprecating calories as the most vital key for weight loss, because they are that.

    A calorie deficit creates stress on a person's body, unavoidably (not saying it isn't worth it). And under-nutrition will come home to roost, eventually, in reduced energy level if nothing else (and reduced energy has calorie-burn implications). Combining a calorie deficit with under-nutrition seems likely to make that "home to roost" show up faster. (How weight loss would be affected might vary by individual, but it just seems like it could matter.)

    Nutrition is important, especially in the longer run. I'm not talking about hyper-precise macros here, but just decent all-round nutrition: Enough protein, enough fats, lots of nice veggies/fruits, ideally. Looking at diaries around here, it's not infrequent to see suboptimal strategies.

    Weight loss, for many/most people, is going to have the biggest payoff in improved health. But in the long run, nutrition matters for health and energy level.

    This is where my head is. My BMI says overweight but to look at me I'm not in all honestly. I have muscle mass but I have stubborn fat areas that I would like to shift - I need to get my fat % I think.

    My new gym programmes are to tone/lose weight so I'm certain the extra calories are to feed those more intense workouts, especially the floor work and weights. Last I took measurements to start to look at that and not just the scales.

    What I am finding so strange is the differing opinions so I guess all I can do is be in the moment, do what I know works for me with the small changes recommended by my PT.

    Got to say on day 2 and the 'extra' food/calories seems a lot compared to what I was used to but I guess its just the change

    Honey do what works for you. Be patient also, as it may take some time..You will achieve your goal. Remain healthy in the midst...✌🌷
  • Tracie_Lord
    Tracie_Lord Posts: 1,761 Member
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    Y'know, maybe I'm just a weirdo, but I don't agree that macro split is completely irrelevant for weight loss, especially in a scenario - as with the OP - where a person has been at a calorie deficit for a year.

    I'm not talking about fiddly details, or even just about satiety/compliance: I'm talking about nutrition. I'm also not deprecating calories as the most vital key for weight loss, because they are that.

    A calorie deficit creates stress on a person's body, unavoidably (not saying it isn't worth it). And under-nutrition will come home to roost, eventually, in reduced energy level if nothing else (and reduced energy has calorie-burn implications). Combining a calorie deficit with under-nutrition seems likely to make that "home to roost" show up faster. (How weight loss would be affected might vary by individual, but it just seems like it could matter.)

    Nutrition is important, especially in the longer run. I'm not talking about hyper-precise macros here, but just decent all-round nutrition: Enough protein, enough fats, lots of nice veggies/fruits, ideally. Looking at diaries around here, it's not infrequent to see suboptimal strategies.

    Weight loss, for many/most people, is going to have the biggest payoff in improved health. But in the long run, nutrition matters for health and energy level.

    This is where my head is. My BMI says overweight but to look at me I'm not in all honestly. I have muscle mass but I have stubborn fat areas that I would like to shift - I need to get my fat % I think.

    My new gym programmes are to tone/lose weight so I'm certain the extra calories are to feed those more intense workouts, especially the floor work and weights. Last I took measurements to start to look at that and not just the scales.

    What I am finding so strange is the differing opinions so I guess all I can do is be in the moment, do what I know works for me with the small changes recommended by my PT.

    Got to say on day 2 and the 'extra' food/calories seems a lot compared to what I was used to but I guess its just the change

    Honey do what works for you. Be patient also, as it may take some time. You will achieve your goal. Remain healthy in the midst...✌🌷

    Thank you :)

    Agree whole heartedly, health and nutrition is always my goal as it just simply makes you feel better :)
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
    Yup, I gained a couple pounds on my diet break but it came back off in a week or two then I started losing again very slowly. I was terrified the whole time I would gain all the weight back but I've maintained for over a year now so it was worth it in the end. Good luck.