Why am I not losing? I want your opion!

Fullsterkur_woman

:laugh: OK, these responses are all over the map here.

I'm getting weekly averages for you and will probably post it to a google doc or something that we can share.

It boils down to simply too many calories overall. We need to troubleshoot how to better break up your calories and food choices to smash that hunger.

One thing I will suggest right off the bat is to further limit your alcohol intake. Alcohol and fat are very calorie-dense, so eating a diet where the majority of your calories are sourced there is necessarily going to be a considerably lower-volume diet, which again, might be contributing to the crazy hunger.

I know you love Paleo, but are you open to trying a few things that may or may not be considered "Paleo"?

Kaelitr0n

wrong...a calorie is a calorie..

if a calore is not a calorie, then please explain to me what it is ..

You can lose weight eating Twinkies as long as you maintain your deficit..

what does cutting 50 grams of carbs have to do with anything? OP is not losing weight because her logging is not consistent and she is overeating by almost 3000 calories a week ....

I'd be happy to point you in the direction of some research on the subject. For instance, in 2003, a Harvard Medical study concluded that low-carb dieting is far more effective than low-fat dieting.

In the test group, the low-carb participants lost an average of 23 lbs, while the low-fat participants lost 17 lbs--this was over the course of a 12 week study period. Additionally, there was a third group of participants who ate low-carb, while consuming 25,000 MORE calories than both of the other groups and they managed to lose 20 lbs.

Here are some quotes from a media cover of the study results (I find that these are easier for the general public to understand rather than the scientific journal entry, but I do verify the veracity of the journalists claims because things are often skewed in media.)

A Harvard School of Public Health study may stand dieting wisdom on its head, after low-carbohydrate dieters lost more weight than low-fat dieters despite eating 25,000 extra calories over a 12-week study period.

...

Conventional dietary wisdom indicates that the extra daily calories eaten by those in the third group - totaling 25,000 calories over the 12-week study - should equal about seven pounds, a difference that would have been statistically significant even in such small groups.

This is but one of many medical studies that cause me to reject the "wisdom" that all calories are created equal. If you want some reading, please message me I'm not sure if MFP allows links to external sites on the message boards.

November_Fire

Eat better! Your diary is coffee, McDonalds and ice cream. Hundreds of excess calories a day. An apple is not a lunch.

Go over your eating habits and start thinking about where you can make changes. Eat small, regular, protein-rich meals. Save the treats for rare treats.

ndj1979

wrong...a calorie is a calorie..

if a calore is not a calorie, then please explain to me what it is ..

You can lose weight eating Twinkies as long as you maintain your deficit..

what does cutting 50 grams of carbs have to do with anything? OP is not losing weight because her logging is not consistent and she is overeating by almost 3000 calories a week ....

I'd be happy to point you in the direction of some research on the subject. For instance, in 2003, a Harvard Medical study concluded that low-carb dieting is far more effective than low-fat dieting.

In the test group, the low-carb participants lost an average of 23 lbs, while the low-fat participants lost 17 lbs--this was over the course of a 12 week study period. Additionally, there was a third group of participants who ate low-carb, while consuming 25,000 MORE calories than both of the other groups and they managed to lose 20 lbs.

Here are some quotes from a media cover of the study results (I find that these are easier for the general public to understand rather than the scientific journal entry, but I do verify the veracity of the journalists claims because things are often skewed in media.)

A Harvard School of Public Health study may stand dieting wisdom on its head, after low-carbohydrate dieters lost more weight than low-fat dieters despite eating 25,000 extra calories over a 12-week study period.

...

Conventional dietary wisdom indicates that the extra daily calories eaten by those in the third group - totaling 25,000 calories over the 12-week study - should equal about seven pounds, a difference that would have been statistically significant even in such small groups.

This is but one of many medical studies that cause me to reject the "wisdom" that all calories are created equal. If you want some reading, please message me I'm not sure if MFP allows links to external sites on the message boards.

go ahead and post the links to the studies..

I would be curious how someone "over ate" by 25000 calories and still lost weight...

How did they measure intake? Was it self reported by participants, or were they given a certain amount of calories to eat each day?

becs3578

I would say the following.. just based on my own journey.

1. Cut back on the "other beverages" and drink a lot more water. I still have a diet coke a day.. but the rest of the time I try to drink atleast a gallon of water.
2. Eating Breakfast I think is a great way to start the day so you don't make bad choices later on in the day. (I also eat 5 times a day... I just make my 3 main meals a little smaller). These keeps me from being so horrendously hungry in between. I am still hungry for my next meal. But nobody ever said being ready for your next meal (feeling hungry) was a bad thing.
3. Have you thought about eating mostly non-processed food for a while. I have gone to buying mostly fruits and veggies, roasted chicken and some bread products in moderation. I find by eating more non-processed food I can control everything that is in my food. Salt, oils etc. I try to shop only on the outside aisles of the grocery (produce, meats, eggs etc). And have a few things Olive oil, peanut butter that I go into the aisles for.

mediamogulsteve

I would try to not eat after 8pm (if possible) and/or move those calories to earlier in the day.

AsaThorsWoman

Right now the thing is set on 1200, so if it shows I went over 3000 for a week, it's still only 1628/cal per day.

I definitely love foods that are high in sodium, and am not really looking to lose water weight. If I do that's great, but a temporary water weight loss isn't the long term goal I'm going for.

I'm not a breakfast eater, I'm not hungry at all in the mornings. If I eat it I immediately get hungrier and wind up eating more from the breakfast calories and miserable from hunger cravings. It works for a lot of people, and if that works for you that's great, but it doesn't for me. I work full time, if I didn't have to work I'd probably do great prepping an ideal breakfast every morning, but I'm not, so I like coffee.

I do need to eat most of my calories at night, because I like that one large meal in the day to feel satisfied. I know my body, it likes a big dinner, even if that means no breakfast. That's A-OK with me. I work out at night after work too, so really need the extra food at that time vs. early while I'm sitting on my duff at work.

I'm really confused on the TDEE and MFP methods, so I can't honestly say I know which I'm doing. I'm doing the weigh and log everything, exercise a few times a week, then tweak as you go method. Does that count for anything? :laugh:

Several posters recommended consistency, so I think that's probably what I need to strive for at this point. I really like the idea of eating until my body is sated on a regular basis, but if that's not working for me, it's just not working for me. I'm scared of a life of being constantly hungry, but if I can push myself into the 170's I wouldn't mind maintaining there for a couple months before moving the scale again.

I like the idea of aiming for 1,600 daily, consistently for 2 weeks, then see what happens. I want to hear what Fullsterkur has to say. Of course I'm open to trying new things, that's why I asked everyone for their opinion!

I tried to remember everyone's questions and such without quoting a ton of stuff. I like the idea of reducing carbs, but I don't want this to turn into a thread that's a Paleo debate, which is why I chose not to share that info from the beginning.

I hope it doesn't come across as discarding anyone's advice (breakfast, water weight). I appreciate your advice but I think those particular bits of advice might not be pertinent to the results I'm going for, or the way my body works.

Thanks all!

Keep it coming, I'm hearing and considering it all.

:drinker:

ndj1979

I would try to not eat after 8pm (if possible) and/or move those calories to earlier in the day.

why? meal timing and metabolism have nothing to do with each other...

ndj1979

Right now the thing is set on 1200, so if it shows I went over 3000 for a week, it's still only 1628/cal per day.

I definitely love foods that are high in sodium, and am not really looking to lose water weight. If I do that's great, but a temporary water weight loss isn't the long term goal I'm going for.

I'm not a breakfast eater, I'm not hungry at all in the mornings. If I eat it I immediately get hungrier and wind up eating more from the breakfast calories and miserable from hunger cravings. It works for a lot of people, and if that works for you that's great, but it doesn't for me. I work full time, if I didn't have to work I'd probably do great prepping an ideal breakfast every morning, but I'm not, so I like coffee.

I do need to eat most of my calories at night, because I like that one large meal in the day to feel satisfied. I know my body, it likes a big dinner, even if that means no breakfast. That's A-OK with me. I work out at night after work too, so really need the extra food at that time vs. early while I'm sitting on my duff at work.

I'm really confused on the TDEE and MFP methods, so I can't honestly say I know which I'm doing. I'm doing the weigh and log everything, exercise a few times a week, then tweak as you go method. Does that count for anything? :laugh:

Several posters recommended consistency, so I think that's probably what I need to strive for at this point. I really like the idea of eating until my body is sated on a regular basis, but if that's not working for me, it's just not working for me. I'm scared of a life of being constantly hungry, but if I can push myself into the 170's I wouldn't mind maintaining there for a couple months before moving the scale again.

I like the idea of aiming for 1,600 daily, consistently for 2 weeks, then see what happens. I want to hear what Fullsterkur has to say. Of course I'm open to trying new things, that's why I asked everyone for their opinion!

I tried to remember everyone's questions and such without quoting a ton of stuff. I like the idea of reducing carbs, but I don't want this to turn into a thread that's a Paleo debate, which is why I chose not to share that info from the beginning.

I hope it doesn't come across as discarding anyone's advice (breakfast, water weight). I appreciate your advice but I think those particular bits of advice might not be pertinent to the results I'm going for, or the way my body works.

Thanks all!

Keep it coming, I'm hearing and considering it all.

:drinker:

MFP Method = you enter your stats into MFP and say I want to lose 1 pound per week it then gives you a number, say 1500. When you exercise you eat a certain number of those calories back so that you are netting a certain number. So if you exercise and burn 200 calories, you eat 1700 - 200 burned = 1500 net for the day. You always want to net the number MFP gives you.

TDEE Method - calculate your total daily energy expenditure it then gives you a number based on activity and workouts...say it is 2000 calories a day, you then cut 500 from this number, which is 1500 (should result in 1 pound per week loss)..enter 1500 into MFP as your daily goal and then eat that number. You do not log exercise calories as they are already built in ....

bombedpop

Swap the beer for vodka/sodas or at least wine to save some calories and still binge drink.

Shock_Wave

Why am I not losing weight?
And possibly help me

Why don't you take your own sardonic advice you gave nmiller0903 yesterday when she asked for help.

You could try canceling your membership and using those slim wraps around your waist instead.

Or try wearing sunglasses and neon clothing with tight fitting yoga pants to work out in.

Looking like everyone else will help you blend in.

Also making eye contact with the mirror and staring at yourself or one other person in particular will help keep you from looking around.

The good news is I think that gym serves pizza and bagels so you can eat that with the other members and maybe bring some soda and ice cream in, as a treat.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235625-gym-intimidation?page=2

ndj1979

Why am I not losing weight?
And possibly help me

Why don't you take your own sardonic advice you gave the nmiller0903 yesterday when she asked for help.

You could try canceling your membership and using those slim wraps around your waist instead.

Or try wearing sunglasses and neon clothing with tight fitting yoga pants to work out in.

Looking like everyone else will help you blend in.

Also making eye contact with the mirror and staring at yourself or one other person in particular will help keep you from looking around.

The good news is I think that gym serves pizza and bagels so you can eat that with the other members and maybe bring some soda and ice cream in, as a treat.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235625-gym-intimidation?page=2

you know, I thought OP was the person that had posted this ...

that is what I call "Boom! In da face!' bahahahahaha

AliceDark

You don't have to be scared of being constantly hungry -- if you feel that way, you're doing it wrong! The goal should be to eat as many calories as you can while still losing weight, not to eat as few calories as you possibly can.

I like your idea of aiming for 1600/day for a few weeks to assess how you do at that intake, then making changes afterward if necessary. You really need to approach this as an experiment -- if you have too many variables, you have no idea how each individual variable is affecting the outcome. Take those two weeks to establish a baseline, and be incredibly consistent. Don't make any drastic changes to your diet that you won't be willing to live with long-term, because then you won't get an accurate picture of how your body will do on 1600.

If you feel satisfied on 1600 and lose, great! You found your number and you can keep going from there. If you're unreasonably hungry, add 50-100 calories/day for the next two weeks and then re-assess. Once you have your baseline figured out, you can go over occasionally and under occasionally (so that your weeks average out), but I would get everything stabilized and figured out first before tweaking anything.

Aaron_K123

I heard lots about your scale weight but nothing about your measurements. It is quite possible to maintain your weight while still losing bodyfat which will manifest in a shrinking waistline.

This can be due to muscle gain (only over the long term and if you are lifting as part of your workout) or water retention due to increased activity or sodium intake.

What matters is weather or not you are losing bodyfat and your scale weight won't necessarily tell you that. So I'm wondering, do you measure your waist and hips at all? Have you noticed any change in how clothes fit?

Aaron_K123

As for feeling hungry all the time I'd suggest taking the time to experiment a bit with foods and find what satiates you the most for the least calories. Typically this will be things like lean meats (chicken, tuna, turkey etc) but I think each person is unqiue and has to discover for themselves what they find satisfying to their hunger.

Trick is to find something satisfying that isn't that caloric. If you eat an entire pound of tunafish for example that is only about 350 calories for example. Finish that off with a head of broccoli for some fiber for an extra 50 or so cals. I dare you to eat that and not feel full to the point of not wanting to eat again for quite a while. Now that is what works for me and it might not work for you, but only you can find out what works for you. Somewhere out there there is a low-ish calorie food that will satisfy you, just have to do some searching.

Akimajuktuq

Asking this in the General forums. Wow. I don't get it. Good luck.

Aaron_K123

The plan AliceDark laid out seems like a good one to me OP. I'd add you can also play a bit with the macros you eat (percentages of protein, fat and carbs). You may find that a small increase in protein and a small reduction in carbs makes all the difference in the world between a 1600 cal day making you starving and a 1600 cal day making you full.

AsaThorsWoman

Why am I not losing weight?
And possibly help me

Why don't you take your own sardonic advice you gave the nmiller0903 yesterday when she asked for help.

You could try canceling your membership and using those slim wraps around your waist instead.

Or try wearing sunglasses and neon clothing with tight fitting yoga pants to work out in.

Looking like everyone else will help you blend in.

Also making eye contact with the mirror and staring at yourself or one other person in particular will help keep you from looking around.

The good news is I think that gym serves pizza and bagels so you can eat that with the other members and maybe bring some soda and ice cream in, as a treat.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235625-gym-intimidation?page=2

you know, I thought OP was the person that had posted this ...

that is what I call "Boom! In da face!' bahahahahaha

But I already wear tight fitting yoga pants, neon clothes and sunglasses when I work out!

I also stare constantly at my workout partner because he always runs faster than me and looks really good doing pull ups and jumps and such.

My issue is not feeling intimidated in the gym.

flamesdes1re

It's more often what you're eating rather than how much. Avoid sugar (specifically simple sugars, like sweets and white breads and pastas), and sodium. I've found that doing research on my favorite meals that include these two in order to figure out what and how much of that what goes in them makes creating a healthier alternative a lot easier. I personally don't track my calories except to see the distribution of carbs, fats and protein I'm consuming, and to make changes. There are TONS of foods out there that are low in calories and very filling. You kinda just have to figure out what works best with you.

You're also at a point of weight loss (according to your icon), that will begin to make it harder in general to lose weight because of how much you've already lost. I've lost 60 pounds since I started my journey and I'm finding that I need to make adjustments to my workouts and be more strict with the kinds of foods I'm eating. I need to eat even more clean than I already am. Increase your cardio for more calories burned (running is best if you can, your body will continue to burn calories once you get off the treadmill), and lift heavy. The more muscle you create the more fat you will burn. And no, it won't make you bulk unless you're on a weight training/food program that is designed to do that.

If you're not a runner, check out the couch to 5k app. It's fantastic. You can increase your intervals or stay the same based on what you're ready to do, and it trains the non-runner to be able to complete a 5k in roughly 9 weeks.

In short, figure out what you're eating, how much sugar/sodium you're consuming and try as best you can to eliminate them as much as possible. Play with food, do research and get creative. Intensify your workouts. You should break through your plateau. Eating every two hours or so (small meals all day) will boost your metabolism!

I hope this helps!

Confuzzled4ever

Eat more salad - because it's healthy, low calorie and filling
Eat more lean meat - because protein is filling and it's good
Eat less calorie dense salt laden processed foods
Find your TDEE and stay under it.

easy