So discouraged. I'm truly trying but failing. Please help.

kieferz

Ok somehow I let depression get the best of me fell off my exercise/nutrition regimen. Now sitting at an ugly 182lbs I'm trying my hardest to eat back on track. I am exercising three to four times a week to Jillian micahels yoga meltdown which is far more intense than regular yoga, and I am tracking my nutrition. I struggle with dinner. I can usually do good all day and then fall off the wagon at dinner. However this past week I have tracked everything. I had cheese pizza a few days but made sure I had the calories left to do so. I only went majorly over one day and I noticed it was on a day I was super sleep deprived. Forgive me if I sound stupid but I thought as long as you were within your limits you were allowed to have pizza. I am a vegetarian as well so getting enough vegetables is never an issue. I just haven't lost a single pound. I could use some guidance. I think my diary open to the public. I just am lost as to where to go from here. I want to order insanity and start it in February but I'm discouraged that I'm struggling with nutrition as much as I am now. I feel like a loser for not being able to figure this out. I feel like there must be something right in front of my face I'm missing.

editorgrrl

You can eat anything you want, as long as you stay w/in your weekly calorie goal. Log everything you eat accurately & honestly. Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

sargessexyone

Don't be discouraged. Weight loss is a long hard journey but one that is so worth it. I also find it difficult to get back on track after falling off. If you did it before you can do it again. Don't beat yourself up. The best advice I can think of right now is, look back through your diary to when you had a good week and duplicate to week. Meaning eat the same food and do the same exercise. That should help you at least get started again.

evileen99

Pizza has a lot of sodium, which will make you retain water. Doing intense exercise causes your muscles to retain water while they repair themselves. You're most likely hanging onto water weight, which isn't true weight. Increase your fluid intake, and that will help get rid of some of the retained fluid.

And really, I would suggest not weighing yourself very often. Your weight is going to fluctuate during the day and from day to day, and it can be discouraging to see it bounce around. I would go by measurements.

missbp

You should still be losing if you are staying within your calorie allotment. But, are you overdoing it on sugar and sodium? Also, how are your getting protein? You mentioned that you are a vegetarian. Just curious about that part.

Dinner is a hard meal for me to. I have kids and one is really picky. But, I try to not eat too late and I make sure the protein and veggies are the main thing on my plate. Sugar/Carbs are the devil in my book.

Good luck!

Eleonora91

It seriously takes time to see the first results. When I started on MFP I was a similar weight to yours, just coming out of a depressive episode, with eating issue, so I know how hard it is, but at the same time I know how necessary it is. Especially now that you're not at your best. Finding some self control over food will help you to gain self control on other aspects of your life either. You don't have to force yourself all at once, if you try to reduce your calories and try to exercise more it's still a great way to begin, and it seems like you already know how to deal with your diary and workouts. Also, yes you're entitled to eat pizza once in a while, even if it doesn't fit into your daily calories, just remember that there are healthier choices for your everyday life. I am a vegetarian too and, not considering the periods in which I've fallen off track, I've been allowing myself to have a pizza or a cheat meal, just not as often as I did before, but I can see the results. Your motivation is the first aspect to reach your goals in less time. But just take your time, try to focus on what you're trying to do for yourself, and how this is going to affect your life in a positive way. Starting a diet and getting rid of the extra weight is always a way to take care of your own self.

edit: I also feel like eating more at dinner, even if I've behaved well throughout the day. The solution is just not buying unhealthy foods that I may binge with. If I feel very hungry I can always have a vegetable soup with some bread, fruits and some biscuits and I'm not ruining everything, because it's overall still healthy.

allen_ac

It may.. be a carry over effect from your Thursday and Friday with high sodium intake, which would lead to water retention. I remember eating my regular dinner two nights in a row, the second night i added a bunch of salt, the day after i ballooned up about 4-5lbs lol

Try your best to be as consistent as possible, I know that it's net calories over the week that matter more than daily calories, but if you go from 1700 one day, 1100 another day and continually fluctuate, you are going to have a bit harder time tracking your progress more accurately. Also there are lots of foods that seem to be takeaway? Nutritional figures from takeaway are guestimates, really just depends how generous the person serving the food is lol.

I would encourage you to try a full week of your own home cooking only, track as accurately as you can, including oil used etc. You never know how much hidden calories are in those foods that you just randomly search / not to mention that they could be input wrong as well

I would of assumed 1400 calorie target is pretty low at 182lbs, perhaps try recalculating the figures, females who are like 150lbs or less are the ones consuming 1400 calories, it may be too low for you.

You are correct that if you have the calories to fit in the foods you like, you could still lose weight, but like I said, unless you made it yourself and input the ingredients yourself (assuming you didn't) you may be eating more calories than you think.

I don't have the exact answer to your problem, then again I don't know in full detail of what you are doing , not doing , havent mentioned. The best advice i can offer is to be the one in control of everything you do. Everything you eat, is everything you make. Do you think if you keep this up for a month you will still be the same? hell no! , just keep it together, one short goal at a time. 2 weeks, then 3 weeks, then a month, once you have the momentum, you will go for 5 months like it's second nature.

I know you are feeling demotivated from the lack of results, but don't give up hope so soon, you are only beginning again and if you let just the first couple weeks get in your way, you won't be any happier by not dong anything about it. Don't allow little moments in your journey to get the best of you, no matter what weight you are, be happy of who you are as a person and just be proud of yourself that you have taken the first step to becoming a healthier stronger version of you.

The number on the scale doesn't prove that you are more or less of an individual than anyone else, you are showing yourself that you are capable of achieving something great by accepting a difficult task, it is by means no easy feat to do what you are setting out to do, but that you have readily tried to do something about it, is more courageous than you know. MFP is only a tiny percentage of the world of people who are willing to take the dive into changing their lives and you are a part of it.

TavistockToad

You're way over on sodium almost every day... That will affect your weight loss. If you're thinking of doing insanity I would suggest building up to it with something a bit more vigorous than yoga.

b2kelly

Don't give up! You can still do it, its about making positive changes that aren't too drastic from what you already do, that way you can stick with it. For example you wanted to eat a pizza, eat a vita pizza instead they are only 190 cals and taste so good. http://www.vitalicious.com/store-vitapizza.html

If you drink sodas/juices change it out for water.. little changes like this go a long way. Make yourself some veggie and tofu stir frys and freeze them so you can quickly heat them up in a microwave for fast meals.

Don't give up focus on your reason for getting in shape and don't let it out of your mind.

jstout365

Be patient with it all. Your diary looks okay, even with the high days. Sodium can play a part in water retention and an increase in the scale. Even when you go over you are not eating over 2000 calories so you are probably still closer to a deficit than you may think. A lot of things can influence the weight on the scale so it isn't the most reliable way to assess progress. Keep doing what you are doing and be a little less hard on yourself for the days you feel you lose control. You will start to see the results you want to soon.

ScientificExplorerGirl

I took a look at your diary and from what you have recorded the calories look reasonable. Pizza is fine to eat, just make sure to fit in with what you eat the rest of the day and note the high sodium can cause temporary weight gain due to water retention.

Your protein levels look a bit low--increasing these could help a lot with overall satiation levels and ability to stay with your routine and not go overboard at dinner. Take a read through this thread, its very helpful and has new recommendations for increasing protein intake to 1.1-1.4 grams protein per pound of lean body mass:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1167386-review-of-dietary-protein-during-caloric-restriction?hl=1.1-1.4+g/lb+protein&page=1#posts-18246584

I hope this helps. Best wishes

ThriceBlessed

Don't be discouraged, you may be expecting results too quickly, or those times of falling off the wagon and not logging may have stopped you from progressing until now.

Log everything. Measure everything. A digital scale is the best way to measure food, but realistically, who is going to scoop peanut butter onto a scale to measure it? With the things that are easy to put a scale, do so, but with things that you use cups or spoons for be sure to level off the spoons with the back side of a knife, don't have a "slightly rounded" spoon of anything, especially high fat, high calorie things like peanut butter, mayonnaise, or butter.

With measuring cups, make sure whatever line you are measuring to, that the food in the cup is AT the line or a hair BELOW the line, not over.

With certain vegetables its okay to eyeball portions, they are low enough in calories that they don't matter that much if you accidentally have a little more than a cup. I am talking about the vegetables like cauliflower, broccoli, zucchini, squash... I am not talking about vegetables like potatoes, peas, beans. Those starchier vegetables need to be accurately measured. Personally, I measure everything.

The reason I am putting so much emphasis on measuring, is because it is extremely easy to eat 500 calories more than you think just by inaccurate measures. If you make a point of always measuring when you are home, then when you are out and can't measure you'll be more aware of what a serving is supposed to look like and your estimates will be more accurate.

As a vegetarian, you may be low on protein. I say "may" because its entirely possible you are not low. No matter what MFP says, you should probably get at least 100 grams of protein every day. Protein helps you stay full longer, which will minimize the tendency to eat more.

Most of all, don't give up. Try for one month measuring and logging EVERYTHING that passes your lips. If you haven't seen results after a month of that, see a doctor or nutritionist to see what might be going on.

MichelleLaree13

I try to use my calories towards healthier food options like whole grains, protein, fruits and vegetables. It makes it easier to stay on track

zillah73

First of all... I think you need to change the way you talk about/to yourself. Terms like "ugly" and "loser"... ditch those. You are neither of those things. I struggled with depression and low self esteem for a long time and a wonderful therapist taught me something extremely valuable. Never say anything to yourself that you would say to a 4 year old little girl. Would you call a 4 year old ugly, a loser? You are precious and you should treat yourself as you would treat a precious child.

Second, I didn't look through all your diary days but the ones I did look at, it seems like you are consuming a lot of sodium and processed foods and you aren't logging any water. I understand a lot of people are on the run all the time so convenience foods are, well, convenient. I cope with that busy life by preparing meals for the week on Sunday then keeping them in fridge for easy grab-and-go meals.

delicious_cocktail

Keep tracking your intake. Keep delivering deficits. It will work. Hit your daily calories; don't rob your body of nutrition. Food *is* good. And you *can* eat what you like as long as it fits your calories. Someone mentioned high sodium & water retention; it happens, no big deal.

But this path you're on is going to take a while. Just be consistent, don't lie to yourself, and don't give up.

sargessexyone

Ok, so I looked at your diary and noticed one day where you had 600 plus calories for snacks. Are like you like me in that anything I eat after dinner is considered a snack? My biggest problem is hoarding my calories for a bedtime snack. It is one of the things that I am trying to work on. Sometimes what you eat doesn't matter as much as when you eat. On a side note, since you're a vegetarian, do you eat tofu? I have really been wanting to try it but need a good recipe.

LucyGooseD

Please don't be discouraged. Please also promise yourself you won't use negative words to describe you!! Being on this site, working towards a goal is positive.
Sodium: awful for me. I pack on water pounds
Insanity: looks like it will be much tougher on your knees and other joints than intense yoga. Can you go for walks or something to get your joints ready for high impact? Your thigh muscles need to be strong to avoid knee damage during high impact exercise. Try weights and wall squats. ( goggle it for proper form). My friends doctor said she might have avoided knee surgery if she had worked on strength before high impact.
Weights: I was my skinniest lifting light to mid-weights 5 days a week. Muscle mass increases your metabolism. It isn't a dramatic loss at first, but it ramps up after a month or so. My inches reduced before my scale did.
Speaking of muscle: 1 lb of muscle takes up much less space than 1 lb of fat. Are you clothes feeling looser?

What are you doing for your depression? Do you have a counselor or doctor? Don't be ashamed about it. Many people at least one bout of depression in their lives. Some have chronic depression. It is a disease. Please consider what treatment would be best for you. If you try something and it doesn't work. Try something else. It can take several tries to find your fix.

Best of luck to you. Post again and let us know how you are doing. Sending you a friend request.

geebusuk

I think you need to change the way you talk about/to yourself. Terms like "ugly" and "loser"... ditch those. You are neither of those things.

PERSONALLY *I* am motivated by my looks. Having people tell me I look fine when I'm overweight doesn't help.
I'd much prefer they shouted 'put that pie down, fatty' .

Your diary generally looks fine. Some people do seem to take a bit of time for the scales to start moving - me, I tend to get a big chunk off, but then a big chunk back on when I start eating more again (water/food weight).

If you like exercise DVDs, then by all means go for it. However, they're not essential and basically just give you more calories on 'calorines out' when compared to calories in for weight loss. You might get a few more on top with a raised BMR if it's quite intense.
However, you could as well go running, cycling or such like. Or do some weights. Ideally both so you get improvements in strength/muscle retention/extra-sexy body AND improved cardio performance.

redladee1

You have lots of encouragement on here. I find keeping a food diary the 2nd most beneficial part of MFP. The 1st is exercise which I am severely lacking. Sugar/carbs and sodium are my worst enemies-the things I crave the most. Also, evening snacking has become a destructive "norm" for me. I'm vowing not to eat anything after dinner and either walk or do some other form of exercise instead rather than watch tv or read. Once that's done, I can relax with a book or movie. Seems like everyone is willing to support each other - I love that about this site! Be kind to yourself - you CAN do it! :bigsmile:

saturenag

HI, I just started this journey, I have been sugar free for 7 days almost! Are you assembling yourself around positive people? I had to cut off people that I felt would keep me from my goal, it sounds like your on the right track just don't expect instant results, everyone body is different, you will see a difference soon ok just stick with it and keep your mindset focused on that beautiful person you are, good luck on your journey

kieferz

I really really appreciate the comments. Very helpful. As far ad the intensity of my workout it's Jillian Michael's yoga meltdown. It is more aerobic exercise than yoga. With ANYTHING Jillian Micahels it isn't a walk in the park. She's famous for saying "if your not about to puke or faint your not going hard enough" I will cut back on the sodium and drink more water (blah!) I just get home at six and by the time I cook dinner an eat and check my daughters homework it's time to go to bed so cooking a big meal just isn't possible. Also money is tight so I try not to spend over $10-$15 per meal. It's doable! A lot of the "snacks" on my diary are actually what I consider small meals in order to keep with the eating every few hours to keep blood sugar level. I stay more on track that way. I think moving my snacks around to where I have one after lunch but before dinner may help. I just find planning a full meal very overwhelming where lunch and snacks are not as hard for me. I need to plan ahead better bc if I wait till dinner when my brain is fried from work and I'm hungry then all I want is fast and convenient food. I really appreciate knowing I'm not alone in this.

lambertj

I get home late too and have busy week nights so what I do is batch cooking on the weekends, crock pots are amazing and I pre-measure servings into tupperwear that I can just heat up after work. Another thing to remember is that weight loss doesn't happen every week, some weeks you're down, some weeks the same and others you can even be up, but as long as in the long term you are slowly going down you are doing fine. Additionally take measurements, they sometimes tell the story the scale doesn't.

kieferz

Also as far as protein I have bought some protein powder. I have been told that the MFP recommended totals for protein are a bit low. Is that correct? But broccoli an kale have tons of protein so I try to eat lots of kale. Broccoli have to smother in marinara sauce. I'm thinking of just getting the little ceasars marinara sauce took cook with instead of the pizzas bc it the sauce I mainly like anyways and I could pour it over some broccoli.

kieferz

Far as sodium someone mentioned I went over every day last week? I looked. There was only two days I went over

editorgrrl

Broccoli and kale have tons of protein so I try to eat lots of kale.

No, they don't. Vegetarian proteins include nuts, beans, eggs, and dairy. (No eggs & dairy if vegan.) So eat things like peanut butter, tofu, meatless chili, lentil soup, yogurt...

kieferz

Your right! I looked it up again and they don't have a lot of protein. I'm shocked. One website I visited had them listed as having high protein. Guess it goes to show not to trust just one website. I've only been vegetarian for 7 months so I'm still learning a lot.

editorgrrl

I use MFP's protein & fiber goals as minimums, and ignore the rest. But if you ask 100 MFPers, you'll get 100 different opinions. Everybody's different, and weight loss takes a whole lot of trial & error to find what works for you.

Edited to add that healthy, high-protein vegetarian snacks include cheese, hard-boiled eggs, a handful of almonds, yogurt, peanut butter on celery or apples...

geebusuk

Very few vegan things have much protein in.
Dairy stuff can have a fair bit, but you need to be careful with the fat/carbs, of course.

And yes, MFP is a good bit low.

Often people suggest 1g/lb of body weight, or more conservatively, either 1g/lb of lean body mass/target weight.
Lean body mass will give the lowest figure, of course.

Mr_Knight

There are only a few days of entries in your food diary.

WalkingAlong

You're way over on sodium almost every day... That will affect your weight loss. If you're thinking of doing insanity I would suggest building up to it with something a bit more vigorous than yoga.

I don't understand this. With high sodium levels, my body might retain how much water... 5 lbs.? If you always eat higher sodium, you always carry around that 5 (or whatever) pounds, right? If you go low sodium for a while, you drop it. But if you have no desire to go low sodium the rest of your life, why not just keep that 5 pounds and instead lose 5 more lbs. of fat? I can see if you're a bikini model you'd need that water off. But how could high sodium affect weight loss, if you're consistently high on it? Or is the thinking that if you're high a few days and low on others, the high days screw up your scale readings due to water gain?

I love my salt and have lowish blood pressure and I believe it when I read that only around 1 in 7 people has to worry about it.

lynn_glenmont

A digital scale is the best way to measure food, but realistically, who is going to scoop peanut butter onto a scale to measure it?

Either
1) Weigh bread (or whatever you're putting the peanut butter on, tare (reset to zero) the scale, apply peanut butter, and reweigh the bread with peanut butter to determine weight of peanut butter; or
2) Weigh jar of peanut butter, tare the scale, remove the amount of peanut butter you're going to eat, and reweigh the jar.

If your scale doesn't have a zero/tare function, do the subtraction yourself.