Confused...

harrellap

I have been doing MFP for almost 3 months and the weight is not coming off like I thought it would? I have only lost 6 pounds and I work out 4-5 times a week with 3 days of cardio and then 1-2 days of cross fit type training. The only thing I really notice is that I am not as pudgy in the middle so my guess is that I am toning a little but the weight isn't coming off. I eat less than 2000 calories a day even if I do work out and then I also drink a ton of water.

One thing that I am wondering is that I do have PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and I am wondering if anyone else has trouble with this? do I need to intensify my workouts? I run 3 miles when I do cardio or do the bike... any ideas?

bekahlou75

It's hard to tell what you need. Open your diary and we can see how you've been eating. Do you weigh your food? You lost 6 pounds in 3 months? That's about .1/2 pound a week which could be fine. If you are eating at a caloric deficit then you will lose weight.

SKME2013

Have you calculated your BMR and TDEE? (You can find free calculators online)

To lose weight you need to eat under your TDEE, but above your BMR.

Personally, I believe dieting controls weight and exercise fitness. So if you think you can lose weight by working out and perhaps eating back your exercise calories, then I believe this will be tricky.

I am doing the 5:2 fasting and have lost 8kg in 12 weeks.
Stef.

harrellap

okay I unlocked my activity! hopefully you can shed some light

My TDEE is 2686 - 20% = 2148 and my BMR is 1738 but MFP says to eat 1640 caloris?? now really confused?

thevoice1973

I'm not exactly sure what your current weight is, but I'm 5'11" and 196lbs and my current calories for the day are set for 1990. I do cardio 5 days a week (35-45 minutes/38-40km/h) and calisthenics 3 times a week (pushups/crunches/pullups). I never eat back my exercise calories, as I believe that the cardio is a benefit to my cardiovascular health and I disregard it as a source of weight loss. I also hit my 10000 step limit every single day (and some days, like over the last couple days at a conference in Montreal, I go far above, in some cases up to 20000 steps!)

I'm not sure what you've set your activity level as, but I have found that being conservative has worked best for me. I have indicated mine as Lightly Active.

Obviously, if you are losing weight, you are in deficit, but it may be that you are just not experiencing enough of a deficit to lose weight at the speed you would like!

harrellap

I also do 10,000 steps a day most days. I am 5'8 and 207lbs so I have quite a bit to lose so I thought it would come off faster in the beginning but maybe not? I might try not eating my work out calories. see if this helps me.

cwolfman13

For one thing, medical conditions like PCOS can take you outside of the statistical norms that these calculators use to determine your calorie goals.

Secondly, having taken a brief look at your diary...where are the veg and fruit...I'm seeing mostly simple and highly processed carbohydrates. You are also not hitting on fats and proteins and your protein goals in particular seem low.

I am certainly not one that necessarily advocates for a "low carb" diet...but pretty much anyone wanting to lose weight can stand to reduce their intake of carbohydrates, and in particular, highly processed and simple carbohydrates and balance their diet out a bit. I'm not seeing much in the way of actual nutrition in your diary.

To boot, many individuals who are overweight have insulin sensitivities even if they aren't full blown pre-diabetic or diabetic. This insulin resistance can certainly interfere with your weight loss. Add to that medical conditions like diabetes and the like require further monitoring of carbohydrate intake as well as the foods that make up those carbohydrates..I don't know much about PCOS in that RE, but I've heard similar.

Personally, I'd suggest getting some more veg and a little fruit...upping your proteins and hitting on your healthy fats and all in all getting in a more balanced and nutritious diet. Calories are the biggest part of that equation, but proper nutrition is pretty up there on the hierarchy of relevance.

harrellap

Thanks! I really struggle with fruits and veggies since our store where I live doesn't have a good selection. THANK YOU!

cwolfman13

Thanks! I really struggle with fruits and veggies since our store where I live doesn't have a good selection. THANK YOU!

Also, I eat right around 2200 - 2300 right now (and no more than 2500) as I'm in a very small and slow cut...my diary is open if you want ideas....you'd just have to cut a couple hundred calories out which wouldn't be a huge deal.

harrellap

Thanks! I really struggle with fruits and veggies since our store where I live doesn't have a good selection. THANK YOU!

Also, I eat right around 2200 - 2300 right now (and no more than 2500) as I'm in a very small and slow cut...my diary is open if you want ideas....you'd just have to cut a couple hundred calories out which wouldn't be a huge deal.

Thanks! do you do protein shakes or powders??

maz504

Thanks! I really struggle with fruits and veggies since our store where I live doesn't have a good selection. THANK YOU!

One way that helps me get them in is buying frozen berries and blending them with a banana, yogurt and OJ as a smoothie. I live alone so it's hard to eat all my produce before it goes bad, frozen fruit (and veggies) definitely helps!

harrellap

Thanks! I really struggle with fruits and veggies since our store where I live doesn't have a good selection. THANK YOU!

One way that helps me get them in is buying frozen berries and blending them with a banana, yogurt and OJ as a smoothie. I live alone so it's hard to eat all my produce before it goes bad, frozen fruit (and veggies) definitely helps!

Great idea! I will do that. I struggle with ideas.

cwolfman13

Thanks! I really struggle with fruits and veggies since our store where I live doesn't have a good selection. THANK YOU!

Also, I eat right around 2200 - 2300 right now (and no more than 2500) as I'm in a very small and slow cut...my diary is open if you want ideas....you'd just have to cut a couple hundred calories out which wouldn't be a huge deal.

Thanks! do you do protein shakes or powders??

I usually supplement with 1 protein shake per day, but that's largely because my protein goal is around 170-180 grams...probably not necessary for you to be that high. Mine is only that high because my current training regimen really tears my body down and to boot I am in a small deficit of energy so I'm just doing everything I can to give my body what it needs to recover and repair. Ordinarily my protein goals are around 140 - 150...and I still supplement with protein after weight training due to the quick digestibility and almost immediate availability to my muscles.

Really, concerning yourself at this point with supplements and what not isn't really necessary. I think you need to find some balance in your diet (noun). "junk" calories shouldn't make up the bulk of your diet...not that you can't indulge in some junk now and then, but really, your diet should consist largely of nutrient dense foods and maybe 10-20% junk...this will optimize nutrition and thus your health. And when your body is getting good nutrition, it just works better in general...I can still lose weight eating more junk than I should so long as I'm hitting my goals...but over the long haul, I have a lot more success when I'm rocking my nutrition and everything is working the way it's supposed to.

cwolfman13

Thanks! I really struggle with fruits and veggies since our store where I live doesn't have a good selection. THANK YOU!

One way that helps me get them in is buying frozen berries and blending them with a banana, yogurt and OJ as a smoothie. I live alone so it's hard to eat all my produce before it goes bad, frozen fruit (and veggies) definitely helps!

Also an advocate of frozen veg and fruit...even canned veg (but I steer clear of canned fruit because they add all those syrups and what not...not that I'm afraid of sugar or anything, but I don't need 50 extra calories on top of my 100 calories of peaches. Veg is more important anyway and canned veg is better than no veg.

The only veg I buy fresh are hearty veg that will keep ok for a bit of time in the fridge...cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, etc. I don't buy greens and lettuces unless I have meals planned into my week for which I will utilize all of that as they go bad quickly. i pretty much stick to staples unless I have something specific planned.

hpaige28

I have PCOS so I know the struggle you are going through. I have been back on MFP and wicked focused this time. I have cut out high carb items like potatoes, bread, rice and chips and the like. I have started cooking more, making food for the week. Eating more fish and chicken. Adding in lots ot vegetables and fruits. And I weigh everything. I even have a food scale at my desk at work.

I have struggled with my weight for most of my adult life. I am 42 and I started this new journey on 12/27/13 and I am now down 28lbs. It does take a lot of work and a lot of sticking to your ideals. So as you said the grocery store where you live does not have good fruits and veggies, You can always substitute frozen fruit and verggies as berries are low carb. I would also suggest in getting a food savor. So if you end up getting some fruit or veggies at the store you can take the air out of the package and store it in the fridge to save it.

Also Portion control is a big issue. Get a small plate, Like a desert plate, and make that your regular meal plate. There are also lots of ideas online to help you with portion size and control. Good Luck:happy:

crystalflame

Thanks! I really struggle with fruits and veggies since our store where I live doesn't have a good selection. THANK YOU!

One way that helps me get them in is buying frozen berries and blending them with a banana, yogurt and OJ as a smoothie. I live alone so it's hard to eat all my produce before it goes bad, frozen fruit (and veggies) definitely helps!

Great idea! I will do that. I struggle with ideas.

One strategy I have for meal-planning is checking off that I have a protein, a fat, and a vegetable in every lunch and dinner. For example: stir-fry with pork, green beans, and onions cooked in coconut oil, or southwestern-style chicken topped with a tomato and avocado salsa. Once those goals are met and my calorie allowance is determined, I'll include complex carbs like beans or rice for fiber and satiety. Breakfast is usually a protein shake blended with fruit (chocolate powder, milk, a banana, and PB2 freaking rocks).

Ang108

With all due respect, I am not surprised that you are not as successful as you could be from looking at your food diary.
It is difficult to tell since there are many days you did not log at all ( which usually happens because people don't recognize the value of weighing, measuring and accurate logging, or because they eat the kind of food or in amounts they do not want to see on paper....even if it is just cyber paper....lol ).
Apart from that you skip or don't log a lot of meals and you eat in an unorganized way existing mostly of protein bars and other processed simple carb foods,plus a few fast food items.
While this usually does not influence weight loss if you eat within deficit, or better it should not, especially in a younger person , it could influence the way you lose weight if you suffer from a disease that is governed by hormonal fluctuations.
In your place I would organize myself, plan meals, maybe cook them on the weekend, weight, measure and log accurately ( so if something needs tweaking like right now, you have something to go by ) and then eat a wide variety of different foods, limiting processed carbs ( but not cutting out altogether processed carbs due to health problems ) and replacing them with complex carbs from beans, legumes, fruit and vegetables and of course eating within the correct deficit. That together with exercise should bring on success for you.
I am old and very short, have no thyroid and LUpus and following those rules I have lost 50 pounds since last April......

SKME2013

If you do not like veggies, a good way of getting them into your body is to make a smoothie in the morning.

I usually use:

Spinach (200-400g) - raw
125-250ml unsweetened almond milk
Blueberries - a handful
1 spoon of protein powder - Vanilla
1 red or green pepper

Sometimes I combine the above with left over veggies from the day before and a spoon of homemade almond butter or peanut butter (but watch the calories!)

I try and avoid as much processed food as possible. Somebody once told me "if your great grand mother would not recognise it as food than don't eat it". This includes anything in a package, no breakfast cereal, no frozen pizza.

I also avoid pasta, rice, white flour and I do not drink anything but water and tea.

Watch your drinks! A lot of them contain tons of calories and no nutrients.

What helped me to lose 8kg in 12 weeks to weigh my food, to log everything all the time, to make conscious decisions and to try to eat as healthy as possible, while staying under my TDEE.

I have exceptions though. Some days I eat whatever I like but then I make up the day after or so.

I am also following the 5:2 diet, sometimes 4:3 or ADF. You can google this if you are interested.

Best of luck
Stef.