Some advice please

TavistockToad

you have to remember the scales dont tell the whole story. How are you clothes fitting? and dont forget muscle weighs more than fat, so you maybe trading in fat for heavier muscle, the way your clothes fit is a good indicator of whats going on.

the OP isnt gaining any muscle on 1200 cals per day

harleygroomer

FIRST of all--do not think of this as a DIET--this is your "lifestyle change." So many people fail at diets and put on more weight than they lose. So THIS is the rest of your life, this is your LIFESTYLE CHANGE. NOW--you many want to go back into your food list and see where you can make better changes. Just because you can have 1200 a day does not mean unhealthy foods. Eat clean--unprocessed meats, WHITE FOOD ( rice, potatoes, bread, refined sugar). I do not use low-fat products as they have an increase in sugar, a HUGH increase. So I use the regular products in a wise fashion. I eat greek yogurt, steal cut oats, REAL meat instead of luncheon meats or hotdogs. I rarely eat fast foods and when I do I pick the best of the worse and eat wisely. SEE???? you can do this, I started walking at first and 2 laps around the track were a killer, now I go 4 miles every morning and most days take in a Zumba class and/or a weight class. We are all here for you, just take a deep breath and go thru your food list and your exercise list and you will see some holes you can plug up very easily/ GOOD LUCK

maryjaquiss

I just looked at your diary and I noticed something that might be an issue - are you weighing your couscous dried or cooked? Because that 110 calories for 100g of couscous is definitely cooked weight. It took me ages to find the dried weight but it's approximately 360 calories for 100g straight out of the packet!

floop1207

i feel your pain!! i've only lost 7lb in 6 weeks and i'm kinda 'stuck'. i started on 1200 cal but upped it to 1350-1400 last week hoping it would help. no joy yet. its really frustrating.

Briargrey

don't worry about the sugars in fruit - eat your lovely, natural fruit servings and yes, that will up your sugars/carbs but it's real fruit so don't stress.

Worry less about exact foods and look more at the overall calorie goal (I agree with upping it from 1200) and fitting your foods into that goal while meeting the goals for protein, fat, and carbs. Don't go under the fat one, btw, lots of people make that mistake - have healthy fats like avocados, good oils, etc.

I tend to have an oatmeal packet for breakfast, fresh fruit and carrot sticks throughout the day for lunch/snacks, and then eat whatever we're having for dinner. I measure it out so I keep my portions under control, and I have typically enough calorie room left over for a treat of sorbet or something (which I again measure so I know).

Log everything - did you like that spoon while cooking? You just added calories. Did you grab a negligible amount of something out of the fridge while getting another water? You just added calories. These add up - so watch yourself, log them, and train yourself not to do the 'just pop something in' bit. We kid ourselves on the amount we eat a lot, so measuring, weighing, controlling is a big piece of learning new and better habits for a lifestyle.

You can do this!

LuvDarkChocolate

you have to remember the scales dont tell the whole story. How are you clothes fitting? and dont forget muscle weighs more than fat, so you maybe trading in fat for heavier muscle, the way your clothes fit is a good indicator of whats going on.

Sorry I'm a little new to this.....but how is a pound of muscle heavier than a pound of fat?

Stage14

Don't be afraid to eat fruit because of the sugars and carbs. The carbs you need to cut out are things like white bread, pasta, etc, carbs from fruits and veggies come with fiber, meaning your body processes them slower and converts more of them to actual fuel.

I agree that I would up your calories a bit, log your exercise and eat those back, and add more fat and protein into your diet. Nuts, peanut butter, and cooking with olive or peanut oil are all easy ways to increase your fats. Cutting back on premade sauces and marinades are a good way to reduce sodium, and eating lean protein (meaning chicken, fish, or even lean red meat) will give you good protein. You can also switch your regular yogurt to Greek yogurt to had a bit more. I strive for a minimum of 1g of protein per kg (2.2 lbs) of body weight, and it makes all the difference in staying full.

Remember that when a food has been altered to be "low fat" there is almost always a bump in carbs or sodium to account for that. I'm not saying those foods are evil, but buying less of them and more fresh meats, fruits, and veggies will go a long way to helping most of the time.

icimani

I've been dieting for the past 10 weeks and I'm delighted to say I've lost 18lbs. :happy:

My weight loss plateau'ed about 5 weeks ago so I added in half an hour of aerobic exercise, 4 times a week and the weight started to come off again, although slowly. (less than 1lb per week)

My weight has plateau'ed again (in fact I'm pretty sure I'll have put on 1lb this week) so I'm about to start to do more intense metafit style exercise to try to boost the weight loss.

I'm a little confused about the timeline here - you say you've been dieting for 10 weeks and you've lost 18 pounds in 10 weeks? That's great. But then you say you got into a plateau 5 weeks ago? Is that after the 10 weeks of losing 18 pounds? And then the weight started to come off slowly again? 1 week of slow or no weight loss is not a plateau.

Weight loss is not linear. I know we like to see the scale move but there are so many things that can effect your weight on any given day, water being one of the biggest ones. So if you did well all week, and then had chinese food the night before your weigh-in, I can easily see the sodium causing some water retention.

Hang in there with your lifestyle change and make sure you're eating enough so you're not setting yourself up for failure.

DebbieLyn63

Eat around 0.8-1g protein per pound
0.45g fats per pound
The rest carbs

Eat what you want just make sure you get in enough fiber and micro nutrients (vitamins and minerals)

Still being baffled by the science. :embarassed:
Could you give me an example of a suitable lunch and family dinner?

I would suggest first thing to go into your goals and change your macros to 40% Carbs/ 30%Protein/30%Fats
MFP sets the carbs too high and the protein too low, IMO.

Focus on getting 20 or more grams of protein in every meal. Breakfast is easy with Omelets, eggs, bacon, sausage. You can use Turkey varieties if you like, and even Egg Whites if you need higher protein with less fat and calories.

Lunch- Tuna, egg salad, ham or turkey on a salad, or if you like soups, then add cubed chicken or beef to the soup to up the proteins.

Dinner- fix your regular meals, just focus on getting your protein in. Add lots of steamed veggies while cutting back on starchy carbs.

Add in some snacks of nuts, seeds, string cheese, fruits, avocados or hummus. Adding seeds and avocados to your salads is a good way to get in the healthy fats you need as well.

If you need to supplement with a protein shake, do so, but choose one that is low in sugar.

lavaughan69

don't worry about the sugars in fruit - eat your lovely, natural fruit servings and yes, that will up your sugars/carbs but it's real fruit so don't stress.

Worry less about exact foods and look more at the overall calorie goal (I agree with upping it from 1200) and fitting your foods into that goal while meeting the goals for protein, fat, and carbs. Don't go under the fat one, btw, lots of people make that mistake - have healthy fats like avocados, good oils, etc.

I tend to have an oatmeal packet for breakfast, fresh fruit and carrot sticks throughout the day for lunch/snacks, and then eat whatever we're having for dinner. I measure it out so I keep my portions under control, and I have typically enough calorie room left over for a treat of sorbet or something (which I again measure so I know).

Log everything - did you like that spoon while cooking? You just added calories. Did you grab a negligible amount of something out of the fridge while getting another water? You just added calories. These add up - so watch yourself, log them, and train yourself not to do the 'just pop something in' bit. We kid ourselves on the amount we eat a lot, so measuring, weighing, controlling is a big piece of learning new and better habits for a lifestyle.

You can do this!

This!

On Saturday I went to a BBQ party and I had a few bites of the treats my husband was having, which is fine because I left plenty of room to enjoy the day, but I made sure to log even the bites and it added up to over a hundred calories! I think we have a tendency to under estimate the quantity that we eat, or disregard the oils and fats we're cooking with. Sometimes it's just difficult to figure out exactly what amount you've eaten. For example, last night I boiled baby potatoes, sliced them in half and added two tbsp of butter into the bowl and mixed it all in. My husband and daughter ate most of the potatoes, I had one and a half potatoes, but the real question is how much butter did I consume? What I should have done was pull my portion of potatoes out and added my measured butter afterwards but I forgot :-)

__Di__

Hi

I've been dieting for the past 10 weeks and I'm delighted to say I've lost 18lbs. :happy:

My weight loss plateau'ed about 5 weeks ago so I added in half an hour of aerobic exercise, 4 times a week and the weight started to come off again, although slowly. (less than 1lb per week)

My weight has plateau'ed again (in fact I'm pretty sure I'll have put on 1lb this week) so I'm about to start to do more intense metafit style exercise to try to boost the weight loss.

I'm eating around 1200 calories per day. I'm 5'4 and obese (13 stones)

Am I doing the right thing? I don't mind losing weight slowly....and the exercise should become a good habit in my life if I keep it up over the next few months but it is disheartening when the weight isn't going down and I'm trying really hard.

Any advice would be gratefully received,

TIA

Ann

You have lost 18lbs in 10 weeks, that is excellent.

What you are doing is working for you, why try to fix something that is not broken.

Just continue logging and sticking to your calories.

megsmom2

I think you are doing well, but a little fine tuning is in order. I agree with those who said you should be eating a bit more..and logging exercise. Seems counterintuitive, but it does work. And also agree with "cleaning up" your food choices a bit more. I'm not a "clean eating" person by any means, but eating real whole foods does make a difference in your nutrition...and in how you feel and how your body performs. Hang in there...I think you're at a fine tuning phase, not a complete re-tooling phase...you can do this!

anngallagher123

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all your advice and support.

To answer some of the questions raised...my weight loss 'plateau' 5 weeks ago didn't cause me much concern.I guess it was more of a slow down rather than plateau. I simply introduced some exercise into my extremely sedentary lifestyle and the weight started to drop again.

I'm more than happy as long as I'm losing around a pound a week....I guess I just got disheartened when I didn't lose anything one week (I postponed logging my weigh in for 24 hours so that I could log a reduction) and then the following week I put on a pound. I haven't been 'cheating' although I'm sure there are areas where I could make 'better' choices.

I've decided to stop overthinking and relax for a few days. I'm going away overnight tomorrow and I intend to eat a nice dinner and the cooked breakfast without feeling guilty.

We'll start again on Monday and hopefully can continue the downward trend.

Ann