what am I doing wrong

Suebepinkydoo

I am sure you have all read things similar to this before but I am stuck.

I weigh EVERYTHING - I place my bread on the scales & weight the butter, zero the scales & weigh each & everything I put on to my sandwich.

I weigh the milk on my cereal & everything individually for my dinner.

I work out everyday - I do Jillian Michaels 30ds or go for long walks.

For the last week I have been using a HRM so my workout calories are correct too.

So why am I maintaining!

I am rubbish at working out what is good & what is bad food.

I know when a day is bad even though I am within my cals by the weight that MFP says I will be in 5 weeks time.

Someone please pick my diary apart & give me tips on moving forward.

I had lost 10lb in 8 weeks but have put 2lb back on, I think this is possibly to the change in exercise....

I have 10 weeks in which I want to lose a stone and a half. please help me get to my goal!

Sue

Chadomaniac

Ill help you because I like your profile pic

How many cals do you eat daily ?

eldamiano

I am sure you have all read things similar to this before but I am stuck.

I weigh EVERYTHING - I place my bread on the scales & weight the butter, zero the scales & weigh each & everything I put on to my sandwich.

I weigh the milk on my cereal & everything individually for my dinner.

I work out everyday - I do Jillian Michaels 30ds or go for long walks.

For the last week I have been using a HRM so my workout calories are correct too.

So why am I maintaining!

I am rubbish at working out what is good & what is bad food.

I know when a day is bad even though I am within my cals by the weight that MFP says I will be in 5 weeks time.

Someone please pick my diary apart & give me tips on moving forward.

I had lost 10lb in 8 weeks but have put 2lb back on, I think this is possibly to the change in exercise....

I have 10 weeks in which I want to lose a stone and a half. please help me get to my goal!

Sue

You should know the answer to this already. You are not eating at a calorie deficit. There is no other answer.

Funny how many people claim to weigh everything religiously but it still doesnt work....

Suebepinkydoo

Ill help you because I like your profile pic

How many cals do you eat daily ?

I like my profile pic too!

I eat between 1200 & 1500 dependant on the amount of exercise......

Suebepinkydoo

Funny how many people claim to weigh everything religiously but it still doesnt work....

I dont CLAIM - I DO weigh everything. I am asking for help.

eldamiano

Funny how many people claim to weigh everything religiously but it still doesnt work....

I dont CLAIM - I DO weigh everything. I am asking for help.

Oh so you are one of those 'I would like advice but only if I like it' people.

lauren3101

Funny how many people claim to weigh everything religiously but it still doesnt work....

I dont CLAIM - I DO weigh everything. I am asking for help.

Oh so you are one of those 'I would like advice but only if I like it' people.

Christ, there's no need to jump down her throat like that.

OP, can you open up your food diary? That will help.

skinnyinnotime

Hi

True weight gain is down to eating more calories than you burn. You say you've started working out more recently? When new to working out or increasing it's common to retain more water. Make sure you drink lots to replace what your body needs.

errorist

It does sound as though you are weighing things accurately to me. On that basis, and because you're using a HRM, you are probably eating at enough of a deficit for 1 pound a week weight loss (3500 calorie deficit per week). 8 pounds in 8 weeks is a good, sustainable level of weight loss. The most recent week's maintenance is not really long enough at one weight to think that you have reached balance between calories in and calories out - it could just as easily be water weight related to salt intake or related to muscle repair.

You could open your diary so that people can look at how your intake is made up, but the basic fact is that you are doing it right. Just stay patient!

lauren3101

It does sound as though you are weighing things accurately to me. On that basis, and because you're using a HRM, you are probably eating at enough of a deficit for 1 pound a week weight loss (3500 calorie deficit per week). 8 pounds in 8 weeks is a good, sustainable level of weight loss. The most recent week's maintenance is not really long enough at one weight to think that you have reached balance between calories in and calories out - it could just as easily be water weight related to salt intake or related to muscle repair.

You could open your diary so that people can look at how your intake is made up, but the basic fact is that you are doing it right. Just stay patient!

This is a very good point. You didn't mention in your post how long you have stalled for? Fluctuations are totally normally and weight loss is not linear. 8lb in 8 weeks is a good, sustainable weight loss.

SuffolkSally

That's very frustrating! You'd need to open your diary and say a bit more about your current weight and height for anyone to be able to offer helpful advice (ignore the unhelpful people, they're just hungry and bad-tempered!)

Suebepinkydoo

my diary is now open

I am 5ft 6.5

my current weight is 12st 9

I did go down to 12st 7 but that was due to a stomach bug.....

fire away.

I think i need help with "good" foods to eat.

Suebepinkydoo

oh friday 28th march to 1st april I had a stomach bug hence why i did not eat enough calories & the 3rd April was a day out at a theme park - I would not normally eat that amount of pizza & pasta!

Blokeypoo

Hi OP, looked at diary, I'm no expert so will leave specific advice to others.

I do wonder though whether you cook fresh food? I know some say cals in vs out is all that matters but lots of shop stuff can make you feel sluggish and crave more food as well as having high sodium levels. Apols if you do, I looked back as many days as I could sneak at work!

I'm in UK and find the Hairy Dieters recipes great (and I hate food which isn't nice to eat!), also the Biggest Loser cookbook is good. They do some quick meals too so I cook nearly every night (unless using a ready meal to allow me to get to gym etc too!) despite working full time.

I maintain now but my wt fluctuates like buggery so don't worry if this is a recent blip.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll get some good advice.

errorist

Your basic calorie intake, as set out in these entries, looks really good to me.

So anything else I say has minimal relevance when it comes to improving your actual weight-loss chances, but it might help you stick with it in the longer term (as long as you introduce changes slowly and thoughtfully).

In general, you eat quite a lot of wheat and starchy veg, and there's not a lot of green veg. You could do with finding some more sources of protein as well. All this will do is to fuel your workouts better, possibly make you feel a little healthier (as you'll have a better vitamin intake) and it will make you feel a little fuller for longer.

I'd recommend that you make salads for lunch and try to think about getting more of a balance between calories from carb / fat and protein. 40% from carbs, 30% from fats and 30% from protein is not a bad thing to aim for. I will open my diary for a bit and you can see that I try to aim for this, or slightly lower carb.

As I say, this isn't really going to make you lose more weight, but it makes it a more positive lifestyle change, rather than just eating a bit less of what you were eating before.

Suebepinkydoo

Hi OP, looked at diary, I'm no expert so will leave specific advice to others.

I do wonder though whether you cook fresh food? I know some say cals in vs out is all that matters but lots of shop stuff can make you feel sluggish and crave more food as well as having high sodium levels. Apols if you do, I looked back as many days as I could sneak at work!

I'm in UK and find the Hairy Dieters recipes great (and I hate food which isn't nice to eat!), also the Biggest Loser cookbook is good. They do some quick meals too so I cook nearly every night (unless using a ready meal to allow me to get to gym etc too!) despite working full time.

I maintain now but my wt fluctuates like buggery so don't worry if this is a recent blip.

Good luck, I'm sure you'll get some good advice.

Thanks

I use mainly fresh things where I can.

Meat is bought from butchers, Always buy fresh veg except for my stir fries, I tend to pick up the fresh packets from the veg section.

I do use jars though for things like spag bol & or pasta bakes, but these are meals that I dont cook very often.

I pick things from the list in mfp as close to what I am actually using. I have learnt that not everything is correct which is why you will see somethings that are the same under different headings.

sarahmoo12

oh you dont seem to be drinking much btw! Make sure you log all water/hot drinks/ juice!

Suebepinkydoo

oh you dont seem to be drinking much btw! Make sure you log all water/hot drinks/ juice!

I drink between 4 & 6 litres of squash every day!

I am not much of a tea drinker - I just forget to add the water on

GiveMeCoffee

So in 8 weeks you lost 8 lbs that is a lb a week, which is a nice pace. It's been 1 week that you haven't dropped, you need to have patience, you should be very happy with that loss. Weight will fluctuate due to many factors, is it your TOM, higher sodium levels can cause a spike.

Why are you setting 10 weeks to lose the weight? Did you put the weigh on in 10 weeks?

As for good vs bad foods, that doesn't matter when it comes to weight loss, calories in vs calories out.

Continue logging, have patience and be realistic

Good luck

Poods71

I found that when I upped my exercise I actually put on weight, I dropped a little after a couple of weeks but didn't go back down to what I had been and seemed to stall but my measurements told a different story. I had lost over an inch everywhere. You should try measuring and you may see something happening there. I don't know long it has been but if you give it time I'm sure you will start losing again. I think it just takes the body a bit of time to adjust to a change.

Suebepinkydoo

I lost that weight on the first few weeks, it came off quick, it works out at a pound a week which I am happy with but have had no loss for two weeks now.

I am going away in 10 weeks which is why I have that as a target!

naomigee161

try eating fruit instead of crisps as snacks, frozen berries instead of sugar on your cereal or something more substantial at the start of the day like porridge (50g oats and 300mls milk or water) or boiled/poached eggs with toast/beans.

have greek yoghurt with some honey/fruit or by itself as a pudding, boiled eggs, babybels, hummous with carrot sticks, celery, grapes etc , or a couple of unsalted nuts or plain homemade popcorn as a snack.

you can make your own sauces for pasta etc much healthier and cheaper very easily, tesco value chopped tomatoes, bit of tomato puree, 1 tsp sugar, pepper, 1 tsp mixed herbs, simmer with veg and/or cooked mince etc for 30 mins until thickened. you can also add beef stock/gravy granules, lee and perrins, red wine vinegar and other herbs to it.

try having 75g dry weight pasta/rice etc too and eating more fresh veg, 100g is a huge portion!

be patient, but also have you worked out your TDEE and took 20% off to give you the amount you should eat each day that includes your exercise? will stop you having to go hungry on days you don't exercise. (you should probably be eating more than 1500 and def more than 1200 on some days)

if you're already doing the advanced moves in the jillian videos then up your weights

edit: take your measurements when you weigh! often you will be smaller even if the scales show no change or a gain, exercise builds muscle (which is what you want but requires you not to rely on the scales as the be all and end all judge of weight loss/sucess)

jmv7117

I am sure you have all read things similar to this before but I am stuck.

I weigh EVERYTHING - I place my bread on the scales & weight the butter, zero the scales & weigh each & everything I put on to my sandwich.

I weigh the milk on my cereal & everything individually for my dinner.

I work out everyday - I do Jillian Michaels 30ds or go for long walks.

For the last week I have been using a HRM so my workout calories are correct too.

So why am I maintaining!

I am rubbish at working out what is good & what is bad food.

I know when a day is bad even though I am within my cals by the weight that MFP says I will be in 5 weeks time.

Someone please pick my diary apart & give me tips on moving forward.

I had lost 10lb in 8 weeks but have put 2lb back on, I think this is possibly to the change in exercise....

I have 10 weeks in which I want to lose a stone and a half. please help me get to my goal!

Sue

Just a quick look - You aren't logging your water intake. My experience has been that keeping my water intake at or close to the 8 glasses of water helps rid the body of retained water. Your protein intake should be increased. You aren't tracking your sodium but based on what you are eating your sodium intake is high enough to cause water retention which masks any fat loss. Sugar can also cause water retention. Are you weighing your food? If not, that can make a huge difference. You definitely are over estimating your calorie burn from walking. One entry is 123 min with a burn of 727 calories BUT the calorie burn for walking is actually based on distance so you likely burned half that at best. For example, 3.79 mi gives me a calorie burn of 256 regardless of the time it takes to complete. I've had days when I put the time for the walk into Runtastic and it gives me a calorie burn of about 1,000 but my HRM/pedometer says I only burned 256 so I use the lower number. You are eating as if you burned that 727 calories when in fact you didn't really burn that much. Use a pedometer or a HRM/pedometer for an accurate calorie burn when walking.

BrainyBurro

I am sure you have all read things similar to this before but I am stuck.

I weigh EVERYTHING - I place my bread on the scales & weight the butter, zero the scales & weigh each & everything I put on to my sandwich.

I weigh the milk on my cereal & everything individually for my dinner.

I work out everyday - I do Jillian Michaels 30ds or go for long walks.

For the last week I have been using a HRM so my workout calories are correct too.

So why am I maintaining!

I am rubbish at working out what is good & what is bad food.

I know when a day is bad even though I am within my cals by the weight that MFP says I will be in 5 weeks time.

Someone please pick my diary apart & give me tips on moving forward.

I had lost 10lb in 8 weeks but have put 2lb back on, I think this is possibly to the change in exercise....

I have 10 weeks in which I want to lose a stone and a half. please help me get to my goal!

Sue

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ihad/view/the-path-of-success-631437

lauren3101

I am sure you have all read things similar to this before but I am stuck.

I weigh EVERYTHING - I place my bread on the scales & weight the butter, zero the scales & weigh each & everything I put on to my sandwich.

I weigh the milk on my cereal & everything individually for my dinner.

I work out everyday - I do Jillian Michaels 30ds or go for long walks.

For the last week I have been using a HRM so my workout calories are correct too.

So why am I maintaining!

I am rubbish at working out what is good & what is bad food.

I know when a day is bad even though I am within my cals by the weight that MFP says I will be in 5 weeks time.

Someone please pick my diary apart & give me tips on moving forward.

I had lost 10lb in 8 weeks but have put 2lb back on, I think this is possibly to the change in exercise....

I have 10 weeks in which I want to lose a stone and a half. please help me get to my goal!

Sue

Just a quick look - You aren't logging your water intake. My experience has been that keeping my water intake at or close to the 8 glasses of water helps rid the body of retained water. Your protein intake should be increased. You aren't tracking your sodium but based on what you are eating your sodium intake is high enough to cause water retention which masks any fat loss. Sugar can also cause water retention. Are you weighing your food? If not, that can make a huge difference. You definitely are over estimating your calorie burn from walking. One entry is 123 min with a burn of 727 calories BUT the calorie burn for walking is actually based on distance so you likely burned half that at best. For example, 3.79 mi gives me a calorie burn of 256 regardless of the time it takes to complete. I've had days when I put the time for the walk into Runtastic and it gives me a calorie burn of about 1,000 but my HRM/pedometer says I only burned 256 so I use the lower number. You are eating as if you burned that 727 calories when in fact you didn't really burn that much. Use a pedometer or a HRM/pedometer for an accurate calorie burn when walking.

Did you read the OP at all? It quite clearly says that she does weigh everything and she uses a HRM.

I can burn 727 cals in 123 minutes of walking, easily. It depends on your size and the amount of effort you put into it.

Suebepinkydoo

be patient, but also have you worked out your TDEE and took 20% off to give you the amount you should eat each day that includes your exercise? will stop you having to go hungry on days you don't exercise. (you should probably be eating more than 1500 and def more than 1200 on some days)

Thanks for your input - What is TDEE??? this is not something that I have ever heard of.......

Suebepinkydoo

If you read the OP that you quoted, you can see she does use a HRM.

I can burn 727 cals in 123 minutes of walking, easily. It depends on your size and the amount of effort you put into it.

Thanks

selfepidemic1

You're eating a lot of carbs.

BrainyBurro

be patient, but also have you worked out your TDEE and took 20% off to give you the amount you should eat each day that includes your exercise? will stop you having to go hungry on days you don't exercise. (you should probably be eating more than 1500 and def more than 1200 on some days)

Thanks for your input - What is TDEE??? this is not something that I have ever heard of.......

TDEE = total daily energy expenditure. in short, it's all of the calories you burn in a day doing everything.

so if your calorie intake is less than TDEE, you'll lose weight. if it's more than TDEE, you'll gain weight. if it's the same, you'll maintain your weight. however, don't get confused about what "weight" means. since our body is constantly retaining/shedding water for a variety of reasons, even if you are maintaining your weight (i.e. the constant about of fluid, muscle mass, bone, etc. that you actually care about), your scale can still vary by a few pounds hour by hour and day by day. that error margin has to be accounted for mentally. lots of people don't and they get frustrated when they see their weight change on the scale during the course of the day or from day to day. they are misunderstanding what's actually happening.

naomigee161

be patient, but also have you worked out your TDEE and took 20% off to give you the amount you should eat each day that includes your exercise? will stop you having to go hungry on days you don't exercise. (you should probably be eating more than 1500 and def more than 1200 on some days)

Thanks for your input - What is TDEE??? this is not something that I have ever heard of.......

http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html you'll be either light or moderate exercise (heavy is seriously heavy) it will give you a number of calories per day to stay at the same weight you are now. then take 20% off that number to get what you should eat daily to lose 1-2 lbs a week. don't log/eat back your exercise calories (or log as 1 cal burned) as the exercise you do is already included. you can manually set your daily calorie amount to your TDEE -20 number.

aconyteds

My advice is to try and keep your calorie intake the same every day, and make sure your meals are all around the same size. If you eat back your exercise calories, that could slow down your results. Don't save your calories for dinner (Your are pretty good about this, but on occasion I see some large meals in the evening).

I recently went through a round of GSP Rushfit, and I tried to use MFP suggested calories for weight loss and maintained my weight for the first half. Halfway through I switched to the recommended calorie intake for the program, and consistently lost at least a pound a week. By the end I had lost 8 lbs. in 8 weeks.

So take your calorie goal for the day, then just eat at that level every day. Let those exercise calories go. If you start losing weight to fast, up your intake while on your workout program (stay healthy).