For the love of all that is holy!

emily_robin73

I have been really being careful since mid June, after being diagnosed with NAFL. I've missed some days entering food, but I'm pretty typical most days. Is anyone willing to look at my diaries and give me advice? I lost not quite 3lbs in over a month! Nothing wants to budge!

paperpudding

I dont know what NAFL is?

What rate did you set MFP for and is that realistic for your starting height and weight?

3lb in a month is reasonable progress though, thats not nothing budging.

Slow and steady wins the race.

PAV8888

What's your current weight? What's wrong with 3lbs? What was your expected loss based on your logged deficits?

emily_robin73

Height is 4'10", the 3lbs was ONE day, then right back up. Weight now is 155

AnnPT77

paperpudding wrote: »

I dont know what NAFL is?

What rate did you set MFP for and is that realistic for your starting height and weight?

3lb in a month is reasonable progress though, thats not nothing budging.

Slow and steady wins the race.

I assume it's "nonalcoholic fatty liver"?

If you're logging everything on the days you log, it looks like you're frequently undereating. That will lead to higher levels of water weight fluctuation in some cases, and confuse matters. I see that you're quite short, so I understand that you may have a calorie requirement toward the lower side.

It appears that you're female. Are you pre-menopausal? If so, that makes assessment of average weekly weight loss problematic until you have more than one full menstrual cycle logged, at minimum. For anyone, 4-6 weeks of data gives a clearer picture.

You diary looks as if you may frequently be relying on cups and spoons, or package serving counts. If you're not losing weight as expected, don't do that. A food scale is only around $20, and will give you much better data. Don't forget to log every bite, taste, lick, beverage, cooking oils, condiments, etc. It's not the case that everyone needs to weigh food, or that anyone needs to do it forever (unless they want to), but it's the best single way to get a clear picture of intake.

If you're logging everything you eat, your diet is quite unbalanced: Very little fruit and vegetables, very little whole grain or fiber. Your protein and fat levels don't appear to be severely low, most of the time, which is good.

Are the non-logged days truly consistent with your logged days? Many of us skip logging when we have days that aren't up to our aspirations, but that doesn't really help move things along. It's better to log even when we don't achieve our objectives. (I'm not saying that's what's going on with you: It's just that it's hard to know what a blank day means.)

As others have said, 3 pounds in 3 weeks isn't bad, especially at your current weight.

If I'm right about what you mean about NAFL, will your doctor give you a referral to a registered dietician to work out a sound, nutritious diet? That could be very helpful.

I don't mean this to be harsh, truly! Try to think of me as your frank and slightly cantankerous old internet auntie, who just wants to see you succeed with your health and weight-management goals: I do truly care!

Best wishes!

emily_robin73

Yes, to the fatty liver. Dr referred me to a nutritionist, however, there's a $70 copay for each visit which isn't feasible at this point. I am post menopausal, thanks to chemo and radiation in 2015, which has made a big difference in my ability to move the weight as well. I loved your answer, it makes sense. My cal requirements per mfp are 1200.

AnnPT77

To get 1200, do you have MFP settings telling it you want to lose 2 pounds a week? Or less?

I won't try to tell you whether there are exceptional reasons to lose faster or slower because of your NAFL (ask your doctor), but for medically normal people, a lot of folks around here would recommend a maximum weight loss weight target of 1% of then-current body weight per week, and slower than that within 50 pounds of goal weight. Losing fast creates stress and health risks, and makes it tough to get adequate nutrition.

Some health problem are so serious (and so likely to be resolved simply via weight loss) that it's better (lower total risk) to lose very fast rather than lose more moderately (thus be heavy longer): The weight is a bigger risk than the fast loss, in other words. Other health problems aren't as clearly weight-related, but make the person more vulnerable to problems with added physical stress (the medical condition is a pre-existing stress), so people with those conditions might have lower total health risk if losing more slowly.

If you can't afford a dietician**, then ask your doctor for advice on fat and protein levels (high or low), and any specific foods you should enjoy (or find equivalent information from mainstream sources of information about NAFL, such as university medical centers or truly major respected specialist organizations, not information from bloggers, special-diet advocacy organizations, sellers of supplements/training courses/etc., eccentric YouTube prophets pushing NAFL cures based on anecdote, or their ilk).

If there's not special dietary guidance, aim to hit your MFP protein and fat goals as a minimum, preferring healthy fat sources like nuts, seeds, olive oil, avocados, etc. Try to get a bare minimum of 5 daily servings of vegetables and fruits (these need not add many calories, if chosen carefully). That would be a good baseline.

(** You want a registered dietician, in most places, as that has a strict definition that "nutritionist" doesn't have, but regulations vary).

Best wishes!

emily_robin73

Thank you so much!

PKM0515

Not sure where you're located, but in my area Shop Rite grocery stores offer meetings with a Registered Dietician for free. They do a thorough assessment, provide a plan, will help you make healthier choices, etc. It's not just a one-time thing either.

goldthistime

@AnnPT77 Both your posts were awesome. The MFP community is definitely better because of people like you.