Can't seem to lose weight!

MeganRoseee1994

Is there anyway you guys can look at my food diary and tell me what I'm doing wrong!
I can't seem to grasp the concept that I'm eating to LITTLE.. Plus I just can't bring myself to eat more than I am.. I'm getting pretty down now as I had lost 32 pounds before I joined this app, and when I finish adding to my diary it tells me because I've eaten 600 calories ill have lost a stone in 5 weeks.. When I eat more it says I lose less and less, so I just can't bring myself to eat anymore now :S what am I doing wrong?

LivingtheLeanDream

your diary isn't open

Iron_Lotus

600 calories a day!!?

EAT MORE!

MeganRoseee1994

I've just opened it!

ThriceBlessed

The site is not smart in the sense that it doesn't take into account metabolic slowdown from undereating. You have a brain. Use it. Without knowing your height/weight/age/activity level, I can't tell how much you should eat, but I know that no one should go below 1200 calories a day unless they are under a doctors care, and even then only for a very short time.

This gives some advice about what to do when the scale is stuck. http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/health-fitness/exercise/how-get-weight-loss-plateau?page=all

ThriceBlessed

I checked your diary, you are eating at starvation levels. Eat at, or at least very near to your target and don't be so impatient. Don't pay any attention to the "If every day was like this you'd weigh ___ in 5 weeks" thing. From what I've seen of your diary, it should be saying, "If every day was like this, your hair will fall out, you'll become anemic, lose energy, and probably get osteoporosis when you're older!"

CherryOnionKiss

I checked your diary, you are eating at starvation levels. Eat at, or at least very near to your target and don't be so impatient. Don't pay any attention to the "If every day was like this you'd weigh ___ in 5 weeks" thing. From what I've seen of your diary, it should be saying, "If every day was like this, your hair will fall out, you'll become anemic, lose energy, and probably get osteoporosis when you're older!"

that

barbieistoothin

hiya i know how frustrating it is.but by looking at your diary the foods your eating are more like low calorie convenience food and not much intake of protein and vegetables?try swapping your meals for whole lean foods, that way you wont have to eat more food but your calories will be a bit higher.a lean chicken breast with a baked sweet potato and a corn on the cob for your tea for example is about 500 cals, this type of food is great for fat burning.anythings in a packet that is marketed as low calorie is usually full of sweetners, sugars and salt this type of food messes with your blood sugar levels and call actually make you hungrier and crave more a bit like white bread can .If your not a big eater thats ok just eat whatever portion size you can but go for whole foods, eggs, tuna,chicken, turkey, wholemeal bread or pitta, theres loads of info on the web just get goggling for meal ideas etc. and good luck to you hope ive helped a little : )

MeganRoseee1994

I'm already anaemic :S

MeganRoseee1994

Thank you barbie but I have no idea what I should be eating? I've tried googling meal plans but can't really find anything

0somuchbetter0

Just some general guidelines:

Eat lots of lean protein (chicken, fish, beef, pork) baked or grilled or broiled with just a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs and spices to taste. Eggs are high in protein but also high in fat, so don't go nuts.

Lots of fresh vegetables...raw salads or steamed or sauteed or roasted or baked.

Lots of fresh fruit.

Plenty of dairy but watch the fat...milk, yogurt, cheese.

Whole grains but watch the carbs...brown rice, quinoa, couscous, whole grain pasta, whole grain bread.

Drink lots of water, don't waste your calories by drinking lots of high-sugar beverages.

Have an occasional treat so you don't feel deprived.

__freckles__

What is your current height/weight?

barbieistoothin

Go back to basics hun, you said you have already lost 30 plus pounds which is amazing by the way! What types of foods were you eating then?did you track the calories?cos whatever it was it worked. I have found in the past i have best weight loss results when i eat smaller portions of healthy food like muesli with low fat yoghurt, wholemeal sandwich with sliced ham or tinned tuna and light mayo or egg and salad with a bowl of soup,chicken srir fry and half a sachet of cooked rice.use skimmed milk for tea or coffee.just find ways of making food tasty by adding small amounts of olive oil ,garlic,chilli,dried oregano,tomato puree,low fat cheese traingles,mozzerela. I hope you like to cook lol get experimenting write a list of healthy foods you enjoy and take it from there.

Ninkyou

Just some general guidelines:

Eat lots of lean protein (chicken, fish, beef, pork) baked or grilled or broiled with just a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs and spices to taste. Eggs are high in protein but also high in fat, so don't go nuts.

Lots of fresh vegetables...raw salads or steamed or sauteed or roasted or baked.

Lots of fresh fruit.

Plenty of dairy but watch the fat...milk, yogurt, cheese.

Whole grains but watch the carbs...brown rice, quinoa, couscous, whole grain pasta, whole grain bread.

Drink lots of water, don't waste your calories by drinking lots of high-sugar beverages.

Have an occasional treat so you don't feel deprived.

This^

Eating protein/fiber will help you feel fuller longer. Working treats (ice cream, cookies, whatever) into your daily goal will not hurt your weight loss, it'll keep you away from binge and you'll feel alot better.

You DEFINITELY need to eat more calories. Don't be scared of them.
Someone else a bit back talked about how they were consuming 1000 calories, and this was the response I gave them (and this definitely holds true with 600 calories):

1. The recommended minimum for a woman is 1200 calories, 1800 for males. There's a reason for this. Your body needs more than 1000 calories to sustain itself. Yes, you could technically survive on 1000 calories or less, but you’d be extremely malnourished, weak, and sickly.

2. When you drop your calorie intake that low, your body immediately slows everything down to conserve energy and protect vital organ functions. So even if you are able to drop a few pounds quickly at first, your weight loss will soon stall. Plus, as soon as you go back to a normal calorie intake, you’ll start GAINING weight because now your metabolism is slower than it was before so you can’t eat as many calories and maintain your weight.

3. By cutting so low, you're setting yourself up for a binge-fest. You’ll feel irritable, stressed, fatigued, and deprived, which immediately makes you start craving food, and guess what happens? BINGE. And then where will you be? Right back to square one or maybe even -2.


So yeah, stock up on the lean proteins, chicken fish, turkey etc. Eat greek yogurt, nuts, fruit, veggies, whole grains. All that stuff is great. I'm the type of person who gets bored quickly with the same things, so I make sure to have a wide variety of foods during the week. I also have ice cream EVERY night. Because I can fit it into my goals. And you know what? I've lost weight every single week. I'm happy, I have energy, and I feel incredibly positive. What's more is I'm living with a SUSTAINABLE diet.

Good luck.

Sabine_Stroehm

Eat more food. Seriously. You're going to hurt yourself.

Does the App alert you every day that you need to eat more food?? There's a reason for that.

EAT MORE FOOD.

MeganRoseee1994

The problem isn't that I start to binge, I'm actually perfectly happy not eating much I think that's the problem! I'm worried if I eat 1200 calories a day ill now gain weight.. I'm 5'5 and 12 stone so I'm majorly over weight, I'm seeing this guy at the moment and he's GORGEOUS so it's making me eat less and less!
So I should eat more? Are you sure? Has anyone got a certain diet plan they can send me as I'd love to just follow word for word a diet rather than make one up myself!

mpawlicki

If I understand correctly, you are dieting on 600 calories? At some point your body realized you are starving yourself and it will not allow to shed any more body fat, in fact you started a reverse process where it will start saving anything it can get as it thinks you're going through a famine.
I think your best way out is to actually add calories and eat at minimum 5 times a day. Take total caloric intake you need (say 1200 calories) and split it into 5 or more even meals. This will let your body know that it is not going to starve. At the same time throw in some exercise to build some lean muscle and burn fat.
Dieting and starving are 2 different things and end with 2 different results.
I personally diet on 40% carbs, 40% protein, and 20% fat. If you lack energy to exercise you'll need to add more carbs and lower proteins.

MeganRoseee1994

Thank you mpawlicki, but I just don't know what foods to eat! That's my problem I have no idea what meals to eat so I just try not to.. It's really getting me down I feel like if I eat more ill gain more if i don't eat ill store the fat.

tavinsmom

First, you aren't majorly overweight. Yes you can lose weight, but you are making it sound like you are 200lbs overweight. Second, you are to young to wreck your body by not eating enough, especially health stuff, as I'm not seeing much veg/fruit/lean proteins in your diet.

Try to find a balance, don't eat less than 1,200 calories, up your healthy food and exercise. Don't worry about how fast you lose it, because with only needing to lose about 30lbs you shouldn't be losing 3lbs a week.

good luck.

barbieistoothin

just found this online hun, i might use it myself.

http://www.closeronline.co.uk/2013/03/jennifer-ellison-gets-her-body-back-with-closer

you might have to copy and paste the link though.

let me know what u think?

MeganRoseee1994

Hiya barbie, I looked at it and the food on it seems so hard to cook/find/pay for.. Plus it keeps saying whey protein, what's that and what does it do? thank you for helping though ill keep reading through it! x

And tavinsmum, I'm 19 and definitely over weight, I can't even lose 3lbs a week.. If I was I'd be ecstatic, I've been stuck at 12 stone for a months now and can't lose anymore!! It's so demotivating x

MeganRoseee1994

Are you above 12% body fat? If so, then you do not need to worry about starvation. There has never been concrete evidence that going below 1200 for a woman and 1800 for a man is going to cause any harm. The only time it will is when you are at critical levels of body fat.

The military did a study a while back where they had fit soldiers (men) eating 1500 calories a day. They were sleep deprived, and exercised extensively (sometimes burning 3000+ calories a day). Their LBM was monitored. Guess what, they all lost fat and none of them lost any LBM until they reached around 6% body fat.

I have been following a 1200 calorie diet for a while now. I have had DEXA scans taken routinely. I have lost only fat and no muscle. My body fat is around 14% currently.

If you are in doubt about whether women should eat low, then I would suggest going to VENUSINDEX.COM and check out their results for the contests. They all ate 600-1200 calories and got in phenomenal shape.

Plus, we should all know by now that it makes no difference how many meals you eat per day. It does not effect your metabolism at all. Eat once, twice, or many times a day. Just stay within your calories. The body does not go into "starvation mode" if you skip a meal.

There is some truth to the body slowing down bodily functions to conserve energy. The slow down is maybe a couple hundred calories, if that. However, this only really happens when your body gets very close to its critical levels 12% for women. Thyroid functions and cortisol will rise at those levels to protect the body from dipping in to its survival reserves -- the body needs a certain amount of fat to protect itself. If you can see your abs clearly, then you are at those levels. If not, then you have nothing to fear.

So I should keep eating around 600-800 calories and ill be fine?
But I haven't lost weight in a month and have hardly eaten anything! This is why I'm confused!

mpawlicki

Thank you mpawlicki, but I just don't know what foods to eat! That's my problem I have no idea what meals to eat so I just try not to.. It's really getting me down I feel like if I eat more ill gain more if i don't eat ill store the fat.

Here are things I stay away from: pre-packaged processed store meals, fast food restaurants, regular restaurants, alcohol, fruit. Fruit is controversial, it's not bad (in fact it's very good), but I currently avoid simple carbs.
Here are things I eat:
Protein- salmon, tilapia, tuna, chicken, lean steak. I will occasionally thrown in low fat sausage, pork, ham. Need variety, otherwise I get sick of food. For breakfast I do eggs whites, fat free cottage cheese or ricotta cheese. Lean ham too.
Carbs - I avoid simple (sugary) foods. I eat complex carbs. That's potatoes, long grain rice, whole wheat bread, whole wheat tortillas, eoatmeal. And lots of veggies and fiber. These you can eat a ton of and they have very little caloric content. Lettuce, mushrooms, peppers. Beans.
I cook (usually grill) a ton of food on the weekend and then just throw it in containers for the week.
I will occasionally, through very seldom, visit a fast food restaurant with kids and have a couple fries and a burger. I believe it's okay to have a cheat meal every once in a while (as long as it's not a 3000 calorie feast). But you need to be smart. The little cheeseburgers are 400 calories. I prefer whatever has grilled chicken and chili instead of fries. I never eat fast food salads.
If I know I am going out to a restaurant, I research the menus up front to see what's good and what's not.
Lastly, I want to stress importance of exercise. If you want that lean body, dieting alone won't do. In my opinion dieting is about 70% of the game, but the rest is exercise.
I know it is different for all people, results vary, but you will need to find what is the right thing to do and stick with it day in and day out. I count my calories religiously, and I also take body fat and body weight measurements each week. I strive to lose 2 lbs per week and since it is working (the scale doesn't lie) I don't differentiate from my plan.

MeganRoseee1994

Thank you mpawlicki, but I just don't know what foods to eat! That's my problem I have no idea what meals to eat so I just try not to.. It's really getting me down I feel like if I eat more ill gain more if i don't eat ill store the fat.

Here are things I stay away from: pre-packaged processed store meals, fast food restaurants, regular restaurants, alcohol, fruit. Fruit is controversial, it's not bad (in fact it's very good), but I currently avoid simple carbs.
Here are things I eat:
Protein- salmon, tilapia, tuna, chicken, lean steak. I will occasionally thrown in low fat sausage, pork, ham. Need variety, otherwise I get sick of food. For breakfast I do eggs whites, fat free cottage cheese or ricotta cheese. Lean ham too.
Carbs - I avoid simple (sugary) foods. I eat complex carbs. That's potatoes, long grain rice, whole wheat bread, whole wheat tortillas, eoatmeal. And lots of veggies and fiber. These you can eat a ton of and they have very little caloric content. Lettuce, mushrooms, peppers. Beans.
I cook (usually grill) a ton of food on the weekend and then just throw it in containers for the week.
I will occasionally, through very seldom, visit a fast food restaurant with kids and have a couple fries and a burger. I believe it's okay to have a cheat meal every once in a while (as long as it's not a 3000 calorie feast). But you need to be smart. The little cheeseburgers are 400 calories. I prefer whatever has grilled chicken and chili instead of fries. I never eat fast food salads.
If I know I am going out to a restaurant, I research the menus up front to see what's good and what's not.
Lastly, I want to stress importance of exercise. If you want that lean body, dieting alone won't do. In my opinion dieting is about 70% of the game, but the rest is exercise.
I know it is different for all people, results vary, but you will need to find what is the right thing to do and stick with it day in and day out. I count my calories religiously, and I also take body fat and body weight measurements each week. I strive to lose 2 lbs per week and since it is working (the scale doesn't lie) I don't differentiate from my plan.

Thank you for replying again! So do you have a certain diet you stick to or do you just eat what you feel like in those categories when you like?

0somuchbetter0

I just gave you a general list the foods you should eat (see above), but it seems like you need something more specific. I googled "healthy meal plans uk" and got this:

http://www.deliciousmagazine.co.uk/articles/healthy-eating-plan-week-one

There are lots of other options. Lots. Just register for one of those site and they'll tell you what to eat meal by meal.

mpawlicki

Thank you for replying again! So do you have a certain diet you stick to or do you just eat what you feel like in those categories when you like?

No, I don't follow any brand name diets out there. I simply follow what athletes, especially bodybuilders, have been doing for decades.
Again, I calculated my caloric need for a day and split it into 5 even portions. Each portion is just about 4-6 oz of meat, and equal portion of starches.

What I recommend is that you first find out what your caloric intake should be to begin. Use the formulas on this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harris–Benedict_equation, and plug in your body data.
You will end up with a number in the end. From there you subtract 500 calories per day to loose 1 lbs per week. Try not to go more than 2 lbs/week. It's better to do this right and slowly with patience, then to do it wrong, be sick, and still be overweight.

For me, my BMR (step 1) is 1581. I exercise 6 times per week, so my daily caloric intake need is around 2500 calories per day. If I maintain my diet at 2500 calories per day I will not gain, not will I loose any weight.
To loose weight, I take away 1000 calories per day to loose 2 lbs per week. So, I diet at 1500 calories per day. To ensure I am loosing fat and not muscle, I lift weights 6 times a week.
Once I reach my body fat goal (about 5 weeks from now), I will actually reverse the process in attempt to gain weight. I will then diet at 2700-3000 calories per day with hopes of gaining 1/2-1 lbs of body weight per week. To ensure it's muscle and not fat, I will keep lifting weights.

I suspect that after you plugin your numbers into the formula you will learn that you should be dieting at 1200-1500 calories. At first it might take couple weeks for your body to re-adjust from its current 600 calories. Then it will start paying off.
Now, the contents of your diet will mandate what kind of weight you will loose. Shoot for loosing fat, and preserving muscle. Eat clean and it will work. Eat dirty (even within your diet's caloric range) and you might end up loosing weight but still find yourself with high body fat.

Last note, females have higher body fat by default, it's the nature. Men have nice abs at 7%-8% body fat, but for females that's 15%. So when people ask you if you're over 12% body fat, gosh, I hope you are.

deksgrl

Eat food. Real food. You know, meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables. Weigh and measure it. Log it. Eat the appropriate amount.

There aren't any magic foods that will make you lose weight. There isn't any evil foods that you shouldn't eat. Just make it fit in your calorie goals.

Iron_Lotus

Eat food. Real food. You know, meat, dairy, fruits, vegetables. Weigh and measure it. Log it. Eat the appropriate amount.

There aren't any magic foods that will make you lose weight. There isn't any evil foods that you shouldn't eat. Just make it fit in your calorie goals.

THIS!

Brige2269

Just some general guidelines:

Eat lots of lean protein (chicken, fish, beef, pork) baked or grilled or broiled with just a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and herbs and spices to taste. Eggs are high in protein but also high in fat, so don't go nuts.

Lots of fresh vegetables...raw salads or steamed or sauteed or roasted or baked.

Lots of fresh fruit.

Plenty of dairy but watch the fat...milk, yogurt, cheese.

Whole grains but watch the carbs...brown rice, quinoa, couscous, whole grain pasta, whole grain bread.

Drink lots of water, don't waste your calories by drinking lots of high-sugar beverages.

Have an occasional treat so you don't feel deprived.

Exactly this. Well said.

logicalmaniac

If you are eating 600-800 calories a day, then you are losing fat. It may not show up on a scale, which is why you should take measurements, or have your body fat tested using BOD POD or DEXA. Any other device is not that accurate.

Things to do when you plateau (no change in waist measurement, fat percent, etc. after 2 weeks):

1. Take a week off of dieting and eat closer to maintenance. This can have two effects on weight -- 1. You will most likely shed some water weight that has been induced by low calorie dieting (Google WHOOSH EFFECT). In essence, you body can often times start replacing fat in the cells with water. You are still losing fat, but you are not seeing a difference on the scale. 2. You will reset your thyroid, in case it is slightly depressed from low calorie dieting.

2. Readjust calories. If you are not truly losing fat, then you are eating around maintenance. Most online calculators use faulty data to come up with a caloric number -- they are usually high. They were created a long time ago using data from manual laborers. The truth is we do not burn much more than our RMR and BMR. You can use online calculators as a starting point, but you will often have to adjust down. For my clients, we create a deficit from RMR (Go to an online calculator, enter your info, and have it spit out your RMR). Why put in exercise when the goal of activity is to burn fat? Why eat back the calories? I have my clients figure their RMR from an online calculator and then subtract 500-1000 calories from that to produce the desired fat loss. This method will work until you reach critical levels 6% for men and 12% for women. When they incorporate this with weight lifting (no cardio) they lose weight fast and none of it is muscle (confirmed by DEXA and BOD POD). Diet is 80% of your results. The truth is you can have a pretty severe deficit until you reach your lower limits of body fat, without any loss of LBM. This has been confirmed by a LOT of recent research.

Take measurements. Log EVERYTHING that enters your mouth (often people stop losing weight because they are eating more calories than they thing). Eat WHATEVER food you want, as long as you come in at your caloric goal -- Again, there has been a LOT of research that shows that it is not what you eat, but how much you eat. Eat 1000 calories of CLEAN food and you will lose just as much weight as you would if you ate JUNK food. You may not be the most healthy person eating JUNK, but if it helps you lose weight and adhere to a program, then do it. The act of losing weight will increase your health markers much more dramatically then eating CLEAN ever can.

Good luck and keep at it.

milesbrockovich

Stop worrying about your weight and go get a therapist that specializes in treating people with eating disorders.

You don't need a diet. You need help.