2 year plateau and confused about differences in calories

sunshinesoprano

show previous quotes

Belly Dancer: Do you have a slow metabolism:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGLwzbvx4S4

I think the OP and this woman suffer from the same issue.

Really?

Really. It's not a joke nor an attempt to be mean. You both have no concept of what you're eating. In the face of medical professionals telling you there's nothing wrong with your metabolism, you continue to believe it's something other than what it is. The only roadblock to your weight loss is you.

Really, because I'm pretty sure I do. I have done this consistently almost every day for three years. I know exactly what I eat to the point it drives my family and my co-workers crazy.

I ask the people in the cafeteria to measure out certain portions, what brand things are and they look at me like I'm NUTS.

DO NOT JUDGE.

I'm not judging. You have consistently done something for 2 years. That something is not getting you to your goals. If you don't want to change, then keep doing what you're doing. Keep consistently eating foods prepared by someone else so that you can't know the exact content. Keep relying on 'underestimates". Keep doing it but at the same time, don't be surprised when your weight remains the same and don't ask for advice and then call those people mean or judgemental when they try to show you what you're doing wrong.

You are just a little harsh and snarky.

I'm not saying anyone offering advice is judgmental. There have been some on here who made incorrect assumptions about me.

I'm not some overly obese, grossly fat person. I work out hard and most people have no idea I weigh what I do because of how I'm built.

I have a 37 inch waist...I mean...that's pretty good considering I was pushing 300lbs at one point.

I'm not resisting anyone's feedback. I just know I know what I'm eating and it's not over 2000 calories on any day...even my splurge days.

bekahlou75

I was going to say positive things like, you can do this, you got it, keep going strong, etc. But I changed my mind. Suck it up and understand you are not a special snowflake. You are eating WAAAAY more than you think. Not trying to be rude but you make excuses about how small your waist is, how big your family is, how thin your doctor is, the way your body is made, etc. EAT LESS. MOVE MORE.

Strokingdiction

show previous quotes

Belly Dancer: Do you have a slow metabolism:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGLwzbvx4S4

I think the OP and this woman suffer from the same issue.

Really?

Really. It's not a joke nor an attempt to be mean. You both have no concept of what you're eating. In the face of medical professionals telling you there's nothing wrong with your metabolism, you continue to believe it's something other than what it is. The only roadblock to your weight loss is you.

Really, because I'm pretty sure I do. I have done this consistently almost every day for three years. I know exactly what I eat to the point it drives my family and my co-workers crazy.

I ask the people in the cafeteria to measure out certain portions, what brand things are and they look at me like I'm NUTS.

DO NOT JUDGE.

I'm not judging. You have consistently done something for 2 years. That something is not getting you to your goals. If you don't want to change, then keep doing what you're doing. Keep consistently eating foods prepared by someone else so that you can't know the exact content. Keep relying on 'underestimates". Keep doing it but at the same time, don't be surprised when your weight remains the same and don't ask for advice and then call those people mean or judgemental when they try to show you what you're doing wrong.

You are just a little harsh and snarky.

I'm not saying anyone offering advice is judgmental. There have been some on here who made incorrect assumptions about me.

I'm not some overly obese, grossly fat person. I work out hard and most people have no idea I weigh what I do because of how I'm built.

I have a 37 inch waist...I mean...that's pretty good considering I was pushing 300lbs at one point.

I'm not resisting anyone's feedback. I just know I know what I'm eating and it's not over 2000 calories on any day...even my splurge days.

Okay. Good luck.

ChrisM8971

show previous quotes

Belly Dancer: Do you have a slow metabolism:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGLwzbvx4S4

I think the OP and this woman suffer from the same issue.

Really?

Really. It's not a joke nor an attempt to be mean. You both have no concept of what you're eating. In the face of medical professionals telling you there's nothing wrong with your metabolism, you continue to believe it's something other than what it is. The only roadblock to your weight loss is you.

Really, because I'm pretty sure I do. I have done this consistently almost every day for three years. I know exactly what I eat to the point it drives my family and my co-workers crazy.

I ask the people in the cafeteria to measure out certain portions, what brand things are and they look at me like I'm NUTS.

DO NOT JUDGE.

First off congratulations on losing the 50 lbs that's a great achievement

If I read this correctly you have been doing this for three years consistently and you lost 50 lbs in the first year and have stalled for the next two?

Have you reduced your calorie intake in line with your initial loss or are you still trying to eat the same amount?

No matter how long you have done something, if its not working it needs changing.

I subscribe to the buy a set of digital scales and a decent measuring jug etc and prepare your own food log the calories idea, however if you really do not want to do that then reduce the amount you are eating so you go into calorie deficit

Weighing and logging food my seem like a chore to start with but strangely enough there are some of us that start to enjoy, which is kind of weird now I think about it.

KCharron20

Can I make another suggestion? I struggled for a year and 1/2 on a plateau. Gaining and losing the same 5 pounds. I moved my calories up and down and just couldn't find the right amount of calories for me. I was working out with a trainer 2x a week. He was helping me with my calories. I was very careful about my logging and weighing my food. At the end of this year and 1/2, I had pretty much given up, I was getting so discouraged. Well, in August I purchased a Bodymedia device. This would be my suggestion. I did a lot of research before I purchased it. They are very accurate and monitor your sleep habits, steps taken and calories burned. It has helped me tremendously. I finally feel like I know where I need to be. I have to admit, it has taken me a bit to get back into my rhythm. But now that I am back at the gym 5 mornings a week, and logging everything again, the scale is moving. I know exactly where my calorie burn is for each day. Good luck! I understand exactly what your going through. Hang in there!

sunshinesoprano

show previous quotes

I feel for you, in general, OP. I've got some severe thyroid issues. I am very rigid in weighing and measuring my food. I've been in recovery from an eating disorder.

I know what it's like to look in the general forums and realize I can't apply most advice to myself, because I am different. I can become very angry towards myself for being different, or for expecting forums to solve problems that even my endo laughingly puts "We're all still trying to figure out ourselves."

But here's the thing.

You have options. Have you had your thyroid levels checked? You mentioned a family history of hypothyroidism, but a family history doesn't mean you're doomed to have it (thank goodness!) or that you've been tested. If you haven't had them checked, perhaps get them done for you and your doctor to eliminate (or consider) a cause.

But here's the other thing: weighing and measuring your food is key. If you're not doing it, you're not aware of what you eat. You've been here awhile, I see, but not active on the forums. I cannot tell you HOW many people have come in with a VERY similar story to you, and 9 times out of 10, they're eating more than they think. "Making good choices" is fine for health, but not necessarily weight loss.

You seem to have fallen into the "bad" vs. "good" food trap as well. I've seen it firsthand; someone eats salad and chicken and thinks they're superior to others for their food, healthier for their food or "should be losing weight." Except they don't measure the dressing they put on the salad. An 8 oz. chicken breast becomes a 4 oz. chicken breast to them. "I'm eating yogurt and don't eat fried foods!" but eating 10 cups of yogurt and having a tub of nuts for snacks.

All of this could still be fine... provided someone is aware of exactly how many calories/portions they're ingesting vs. what they're putting out.

I do have to say, that assuming anything of your "skinny" doctor's experience doesn't put you in a good light. You have no idea what she may have gone through as a child, as a young adult, etc. She may have had an eating disorder. She may have lost weight before. She might have struggled with weight during her residency when she couldn't be bothered to focus on her weight.

Most of all? If she's thin, why would you discount anything she says? She's doing something you want, correct... to be a lower weight, a healthier weight?

Again I say about my doctor...I HAVE TALKED ABOUT IT WITH HER. She even said she couldn't know how I felt.

OMG...before you all jump my case, read the posts

I never said I wasn't going to weigh my food.

Most of the people think I'm trying to starve myself because I eat so little.

I appreciate all of you who have given me advisement. I'm not being defensive, but rather trying to explain that I"m not a novice at this and am really stuck. Some of you seem to not care about anything but being heard. That's fine.

I didn't get on your case, yet for someone who claims to not be defensive... why would you interpret my post in anyway like that?

I read all your posts on here. I didn't see anywhere where you specifically got thyroid tests or asked for a blood panel. I could assume your statement that "She keeps saying it's food" means you might have asked that and your doctor hasn't given you the bloodwork, but if I've learned one thing about these forums, it's not to assume things. Provide us with more detail if you want us to know the intimate details of your journey. Plus, the fact that a gyno wouldn't be the doctor to go to for thyroid advice at all, a GP or (better yet) an endo would be.

Unfortunately, I'm seeing "The lady doth protest too much"--you interpreted attacks by page 2, you "assume" responses before they're said, and now lengthy posts full of as much objective advice as possible (with doses of empathy in many of them) get dubbed as "People only care about being heard" and passive-aggression.

Well, it's a forum. People want to be heard when they share advice with you, a forum is designed for different voices *to* be heard; the issue here is that you don't appear to want to hear what so many are saying, and seem to be hearing things that no one is doing (a.k.a, attacks).
[/quote

The problem is, someone else even said they could see how I would feel attacked. I didn't say YOU attacked me.

I've had a thyroid test...she said it was fine and refused to dig further, insisting it was just food.

I'm not defensive, just trying to explain, and before you fuss at me for something, go back and read the other posts.

Okay, it really seems like you're only focusing on the negative here. It seems like you are doing this as a way of avoiding looking at what's really wrong. There have been lots of suggestions to weigh your food and be more accurate - all of which have been met with excuses:

I know the calories in my food because it's packaged or the cafeteria at work is exact
I don't eat a lot of salt
I measure with a measuring cup

You've said yourself that "it's not the food, something else has to be wrong..." yet, your doctor has told you that your problem is your food and many of the people on here have told you the same thing. Yet, instead of responding to the suggestions in a manner that says that it's given you something to think about, you respond in a manner that says that you're not willing to change.

It's easy to play the victim card - my skinny doctor doesn't understand me, my family is all big and we're not meant to be skinny, there has to be something wrong because I'm doing everything right. There is a very slight chance that maybe there is a medical issue, however instead of ruling out the other options, you are complaining that nothing's working when you're not willing to even SEE if there's another problem.

In one of your defensive responses, I see that you finally said that you "never said you weren't going to use a food scale" yet every other excuse of a response indicates that you have no intention of using a food scale. Being so defensive about everything (and I did not see anything attacking you in the first couple of pages) makes it seem to me like you KNOW what your problem is and aren't willing to do what it takes to fix it. If you don't want to, that's fine, you aren't ready, but life gets a lot easier when you stop being a victim and start being in control.

FWIW, here are the problems I'm guessing (which are only guesses since you still haven't opened your food diary or even given a run down of what you typically eat).

1) Not logging your food regularly
2) Eating more than you think you are - if you aren't weighing your food, you have no clue, even when using a measuring cup - yeah, sometimes your estimates might only be off by 10-20%, but that could be several hundred calories a day depending on density
3) You don't know how most of your food is really made - even if the kitchen at work is "healthy", it doesn't mean that the chef doesn't use extra oil or butter on stuff - it also doesn't mean that they are cooking low calorie - healthy =/= calorie controlled
4) You are using the wrong entries for what you do eat - even if you know what you are eating, calories vary by brand and item type. Entries in the database are also often VERY wrong. I was logging fajita meat yesterday - one entry listed a 4 oz portion of cooked chicken fajita meat as 110 calories. There's really no possible way that's accurate - 4 oz of cooked chicken (by the NI for what I buy) is closer to 180 calories and that doesn't even take in to account the marinade/oil. I've seen much bigger errors on some entries, even for some name brand products.
5) You have binges or "cheat" meals that you don't accurately account for. These can add up to thousands of calories - yes THOUSANDS. Last night I had a medium shake from Sonic - I figured based on a medium blizzard it would be between 500-1000 calories - I logged it and it was over 1200! A lot of people I know would have probably guessed it as 500 calories. Have a few items like this per week/month and it's enough to make you gain.

My suggestions:
1) Cook for yourself and weigh everything
2) If you won't cook for yourself, then do a couple of weeks Jenny Craig style - only eat pre-packaged meals from home, no restaurant or cafeteria food. This will probably be much more accurate than what you are currently doing. It won't be fun, but it will probably get the scale moving in the right direction.
3) Try a different "diet". It sounds like you are burnt out on calorie counting. Maybe try Weight Watchers? It's the same concept, but different. Or, maybe look at something like Intermittent Fasting - just do something different. Maybe having a fresh perspective will help you get the weight loss going again.
4) Find a new goal that's not weight loss related. Set a fitness goal and up your exercise to be better. Do you know that there are some recommendations that in order to lose weight and keep it off we need 60-90 minutes of exercise MOST days of the week? Three days of 45 minutes isn't burning a ton of calories and obviously isn't boosting your loss. Maybe, if you aren't willing to change the food, then changing the exercise will make a difference. You can find time to do it, you just have to want to.

Finally, be honest with yourself. If you aren't in the right frame of mind to lose weight right now, then focus on maintaining and stop stressing yourself out. It's okay. Yes, losing weight is going to be beneficial, but not gaining back what you've already lost will be more beneficial than giving up and gaining it all back.

I'm not opening my diary because there are rude people on here.

I'll give you an example of what I eat.

Breakfast: Regular oatmeal and 1 egg.
Lunch: fresh pineapple, a small dark greens salad with honey french dressing on the side.
Snack: a fiber one peanut butter brownie.
Dinner: A grand turkey club from Arby's, no mayo.

I do not binge. I log even my snacks. I have learned the calories of just about everything I like and so it deterrs me from eating it. Hahaha.

My workouts are Leslie Sansone workouts and according to my meter I'm burning 400-600 calories depending on if I do 3 or 4 miles.

sunshinesoprano

Can I make another suggestion? I struggled for a year and 1/2 on a plateau. Gaining and losing the same 5 pounds. I moved my calories up and down and just couldn't find the right amount of calories for me. I was working out with a trainer 2x a week. He was helping me with my calories. I was very careful about my logging and weighing my food. At the end of this year and 1/2, I had pretty much given up, I was getting so discouraged. Well, in August I purchased a Bodymedia device. This would be my suggestion. I did a lot of research before I purchased it. They are very accurate and monitor your sleep habits, steps taken and calories burned. It has helped me tremendously. I finally feel like I know where I need to be. I have to admit, it has taken me a bit to get back into my rhythm. But now that I am back at the gym 5 mornings a week, and logging everything again, the scale is moving. I know exactly where my calorie burn is for each day. Good luck! I understand exactly what your going through. Hang in there!

Thank you! Great suggestion.

AllonsYtotheTardis

All I'm seeing is excuse, after excuse, after excuse.

You know why you're at a plateau? You don't want it bad enough to make the changes that need to be made.

weird_me2

show previous quotes

Belly Dancer: Do you have a slow metabolism:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGLwzbvx4S4

I think the OP and this woman suffer from the same issue.

Really?

Really. It's not a joke nor an attempt to be mean. You both have no concept of what you're eating. In the face of medical professionals telling you there's nothing wrong with your metabolism, you continue to believe it's something other than what it is. The only roadblock to your weight loss is you.

Really, because I'm pretty sure I do. I have done this consistently almost every day for three years. I know exactly what I eat to the point it drives my family and my co-workers crazy.

I ask the people in the cafeteria to measure out certain portions, what brand things are and they look at me like I'm NUTS.

DO NOT JUDGE.

Okay, since you know EXACTLY what you eat every day, tell us or open your diary? Maybe then we can see how right you are? Telling us you KNOW and you are right without showing any proof that says that makes it hard to believe. You are still being a victim here and like the previous poster said, the only thing standing in your way is you. If you really have a medical problem, taking a detailed (down to the gram) food diary in to a doctor will go a lot further than saying "I know I'm doing everything right so something must be wrong with me." Don't you think your doctor has heard this from countless other people? It sounds to me like your doctor's not willing to go on a wild goose chase without a reason. Maybe, just maybe, if you log everything, EVERYTHING, truthfully and ACCURATELY and you still don't see results in a few weeks, maybe your doctor will help you with more tests. If she won't, then it will be wonderful information to have for another doctor who can help you. I promise you, even specialists probably tend to look at overweight people who just can't lose the weight and automatically think "you're eating too much."

Aaron_K123

Okay. Good luck.

Yeah if all you are going to do is insist you know how much you are eating and that the problem must be something else other than your caloric intake then I don't really have advice. If you are wrong then you are ignoring the problem, if you are right then you are a unique individual unlike anyone or anything I have ever experienced and therefore I cannot possibly advise you on your situation.

3dogsrunning

All I'm seeing is excuse, after excuse, after excuse.

You know why you're at a plateau? You don't want it bad enough to make the changes that need to be made.

I keep hitting reply, typing, then backing out but this pretty much sums up how I feel. It is not meant to be rude, it is the honest to God truth. OP hopefully you can see that for what it is, take it to heart and make the changes (that many have outlined here). If not, I am afraid you will remain exactly the same.

DebbieLyn63

show previous quotes

One tip I can give is this. Your profile pic shows that you tend to carry your weight more in your midsection. This can put you at higher risk for insulin resistance. You may want to get your fasting blood sugar levels checked, and be tested for insulin resistance.
If you ARE insulin resistant, then you will need to lower your carb levels. Insulin resistance is one situation where it DOES matter WHAT you eat in addition to how much.

This photo was actually a little deceptive. My waist circumference is 37 inches now. Most of my weight is in my legs.

Thank you for your advise and non-judgemental comments.

Where are you measuring? At the smallest point of your waist?

Try measuring at your navel level, just above your hipbones. This measurement should not be more than 1/2 your height. i.e. I am 5'6", or 66 inches. The measurement at navel level should be 33" or less for me. It is still higher than that, so I am still carrying more weight in my midsection than I should be, which puts me at higher risk for diabetes and heart disease.

Carrying more fat in this area, CAN affect how your body processes carbs, and can therefore lower the number of calories needed for weight loss.

Therefore, if you ARE accurately measuring everything, then you might need to eat less than 1700 cals to lose.

ETA Or you can stay at that calorie level, but try lowering your total carbs, and see if that helps.

3dogsrunning

show previous quotes

I feel for you, in general, OP. I've got some severe thyroid issues. I am very rigid in weighing and measuring my food. I've been in recovery from an eating disorder.

I know what it's like to look in the general forums and realize I can't apply most advice to myself, because I am different. I can become very angry towards myself for being different, or for expecting forums to solve problems that even my endo laughingly puts "We're all still trying to figure out ourselves."

But here's the thing.

You have options. Have you had your thyroid levels checked? You mentioned a family history of hypothyroidism, but a family history doesn't mean you're doomed to have it (thank goodness!) or that you've been tested. If you haven't had them checked, perhaps get them done for you and your doctor to eliminate (or consider) a cause.

But here's the other thing: weighing and measuring your food is key. If you're not doing it, you're not aware of what you eat. You've been here awhile, I see, but not active on the forums. I cannot tell you HOW many people have come in with a VERY similar story to you, and 9 times out of 10, they're eating more than they think. "Making good choices" is fine for health, but not necessarily weight loss.

You seem to have fallen into the "bad" vs. "good" food trap as well. I've seen it firsthand; someone eats salad and chicken and thinks they're superior to others for their food, healthier for their food or "should be losing weight." Except they don't measure the dressing they put on the salad. An 8 oz. chicken breast becomes a 4 oz. chicken breast to them. "I'm eating yogurt and don't eat fried foods!" but eating 10 cups of yogurt and having a tub of nuts for snacks.

All of this could still be fine... provided someone is aware of exactly how many calories/portions they're ingesting vs. what they're putting out.

I do have to say, that assuming anything of your "skinny" doctor's experience doesn't put you in a good light. You have no idea what she may have gone through as a child, as a young adult, etc. She may have had an eating disorder. She may have lost weight before. She might have struggled with weight during her residency when she couldn't be bothered to focus on her weight.

Most of all? If she's thin, why would you discount anything she says? She's doing something you want, correct... to be a lower weight, a healthier weight?

Again I say about my doctor...I HAVE TALKED ABOUT IT WITH HER. She even said she couldn't know how I felt.

OMG...before you all jump my case, read the posts

I never said I wasn't going to weigh my food.

Most of the people think I'm trying to starve myself because I eat so little.

I appreciate all of you who have given me advisement. I'm not being defensive, but rather trying to explain that I"m not a novice at this and am really stuck. Some of you seem to not care about anything but being heard. That's fine.

I didn't get on your case, yet for someone who claims to not be defensive... why would you interpret my post in anyway like that?

I read all your posts on here. I didn't see anywhere where you specifically got thyroid tests or asked for a blood panel. I could assume your statement that "She keeps saying it's food" means you might have asked that and your doctor hasn't given you the bloodwork, but if I've learned one thing about these forums, it's not to assume things. Provide us with more detail if you want us to know the intimate details of your journey. Plus, the fact that a gyno wouldn't be the doctor to go to for thyroid advice at all, a GP or (better yet) an endo would be.

Unfortunately, I'm seeing "The lady doth protest too much"--you interpreted attacks by page 2, you "assume" responses before they're said, and now lengthy posts full of as much objective advice as possible (with doses of empathy in many of them) get dubbed as "People only care about being heard" and passive-aggression.

Well, it's a forum. People want to be heard when they share advice with you, a forum is designed for different voices *to* be heard; the issue here is that you don't appear to want to hear what so many are saying, and seem to be hearing things that no one is doing (a.k.a, attacks).
[/quote

The problem is, someone else even said they could see how I would feel attacked. I didn't say YOU attacked me.

I've had a thyroid test...she said it was fine and refused to dig further, insisting it was just food.

I'm not defensive, just trying to explain, and before you fuss at me for something, go back and read the other posts.

Okay, it really seems like you're only focusing on the negative here. It seems like you are doing this as a way of avoiding looking at what's really wrong. There have been lots of suggestions to weigh your food and be more accurate - all of which have been met with excuses:

I know the calories in my food because it's packaged or the cafeteria at work is exact
I don't eat a lot of salt
I measure with a measuring cup

You've said yourself that "it's not the food, something else has to be wrong..." yet, your doctor has told you that your problem is your food and many of the people on here have told you the same thing. Yet, instead of responding to the suggestions in a manner that says that it's given you something to think about, you respond in a manner that says that you're not willing to change.

It's easy to play the victim card - my skinny doctor doesn't understand me, my family is all big and we're not meant to be skinny, there has to be something wrong because I'm doing everything right. There is a very slight chance that maybe there is a medical issue, however instead of ruling out the other options, you are complaining that nothing's working when you're not willing to even SEE if there's another problem.

In one of your defensive responses, I see that you finally said that you "never said you weren't going to use a food scale" yet every other excuse of a response indicates that you have no intention of using a food scale. Being so defensive about everything (and I did not see anything attacking you in the first couple of pages) makes it seem to me like you KNOW what your problem is and aren't willing to do what it takes to fix it. If you don't want to, that's fine, you aren't ready, but life gets a lot easier when you stop being a victim and start being in control.

FWIW, here are the problems I'm guessing (which are only guesses since you still haven't opened your food diary or even given a run down of what you typically eat).

1) Not logging your food regularly
2) Eating more than you think you are - if you aren't weighing your food, you have no clue, even when using a measuring cup - yeah, sometimes your estimates might only be off by 10-20%, but that could be several hundred calories a day depending on density
3) You don't know how most of your food is really made - even if the kitchen at work is "healthy", it doesn't mean that the chef doesn't use extra oil or butter on stuff - it also doesn't mean that they are cooking low calorie - healthy =/= calorie controlled
4) You are using the wrong entries for what you do eat - even if you know what you are eating, calories vary by brand and item type. Entries in the database are also often VERY wrong. I was logging fajita meat yesterday - one entry listed a 4 oz portion of cooked chicken fajita meat as 110 calories. There's really no possible way that's accurate - 4 oz of cooked chicken (by the NI for what I buy) is closer to 180 calories and that doesn't even take in to account the marinade/oil. I've seen much bigger errors on some entries, even for some name brand products.
5) You have binges or "cheat" meals that you don't accurately account for. These can add up to thousands of calories - yes THOUSANDS. Last night I had a medium shake from Sonic - I figured based on a medium blizzard it would be between 500-1000 calories - I logged it and it was over 1200! A lot of people I know would have probably guessed it as 500 calories. Have a few items like this per week/month and it's enough to make you gain.

My suggestions:
1) Cook for yourself and weigh everything
2) If you won't cook for yourself, then do a couple of weeks Jenny Craig style - only eat pre-packaged meals from home, no restaurant or cafeteria food. This will probably be much more accurate than what you are currently doing. It won't be fun, but it will probably get the scale moving in the right direction.
3) Try a different "diet". It sounds like you are burnt out on calorie counting. Maybe try Weight Watchers? It's the same concept, but different. Or, maybe look at something like Intermittent Fasting - just do something different. Maybe having a fresh perspective will help you get the weight loss going again.
4) Find a new goal that's not weight loss related. Set a fitness goal and up your exercise to be better. Do you know that there are some recommendations that in order to lose weight and keep it off we need 60-90 minutes of exercise MOST days of the week? Three days of 45 minutes isn't burning a ton of calories and obviously isn't boosting your loss. Maybe, if you aren't willing to change the food, then changing the exercise will make a difference. You can find time to do it, you just have to want to.

Finally, be honest with yourself. If you aren't in the right frame of mind to lose weight right now, then focus on maintaining and stop stressing yourself out. It's okay. Yes, losing weight is going to be beneficial, but not gaining back what you've already lost will be more beneficial than giving up and gaining it all back.

I'm not opening my diary because there are rude people on here.

I'll give you an example of what I eat.

Breakfast: Regular oatmeal and 1 egg.
Lunch: fresh pineapple, a small dark greens salad with honey french dressing on the side.
Snack: a fiber one peanut butter brownie.
Dinner: A grand turkey club from Arby's, no mayo.

I do not binge. I log even my snacks. I have learned the calories of just about everything I like and so it deterrs me from eating it. Hahaha.

My workouts are Leslie Sansone workouts and according to my meter I'm burning 400-600 calories depending on if I do 3 or 4 miles.

I originally asked for the diary to be open. I'm sorry but this isn't helpful. I've seen these posts before, sometimes they are an accurate reflection and sometimes they aren't.
I understand you feel people are mean, I dont' think they are trying to be. But if you want help, you have to take the good and the bad.

weird_me2

Breakfast: Regular oatmeal and 1 egg.
Lunch: fresh pineapple, a small dark greens salad with honey french dressing on the side.
Snack: a fiber one peanut butter brownie.
Dinner: A grand turkey club from Arby's, no mayo.

Breakfast - How much oatmeal? Prepared in what manner? No sweetener?
Lunch - How much pineapple? What exactly is on your salad? How much dressing?
Dinner - nothing else? Not even a bite of french fries?

Why don't you post several days worth of your exact food diary listings? Where's this "cafeteria" food you talk about? Where's your restaurant meals? Let us see more. I know you think people are rude on here, but I didn't really see much rudeness until every valid suggestion was met with an excuse.

So, are you going to get a food scale and try it out? A food scale is MUCH cheaper than a Bodymedia fit device. If something *really* is wrong with you, the Bodymedia device isn't likely to be accurate for you anyway. If you are really that odd person who's BMR is much lower than average, the Bodymedia device isn't going to show that. It has a lot of complex calculations it does based on averages and if you are really as different as you think, this device will be useless. The food sale on the other hand will give you more accurate information which will help you arm yourself for your next doctor's visit.

forkofpower

show previous quotes

Belly Dancer: Do you have a slow metabolism:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGLwzbvx4S4

I think the OP and this woman suffer from the same issue.

Really?

Really. It's not a joke nor an attempt to be mean. You both have no concept of what you're eating. In the face of medical professionals telling you there's nothing wrong with your metabolism, you continue to believe it's something other than what it is. The only roadblock to your weight loss is you.

Really, because I'm pretty sure I do. I have done this consistently almost every day for three years. I know exactly what I eat to the point it drives my family and my co-workers crazy.

I ask the people in the cafeteria to measure out certain portions, what brand things are and they look at me like I'm NUTS.

DO NOT JUDGE.

I'm not judging. You have consistently done something for 2 years. That something is not getting you to your goals. If you don't want to change, then keep doing what you're doing. Keep consistently eating foods prepared by someone else so that you can't know the exact content. Keep relying on 'underestimates". Keep doing it but at the same time, don't be surprised when your weight remains the same and don't ask for advice and then call those people mean or judgemental when they try to show you what you're doing wrong.

You are just a little harsh and snarky.

I'm not saying anyone offering advice is judgmental. There have been some on here who made incorrect assumptions about me.

I'm not some overly obese, grossly fat person. I work out hard and most people have no idea I weigh what I do because of how I'm built.

I have a 37 inch waist...I mean...that's pretty good considering I was pushing 300lbs at one point.

I'm not resisting anyone's feedback. I just know I know what I'm eating and it's not over 2000 calories on any day...even my splurge days.

You do come off sounding a little defensive; like, you want people to know that you're not a 'grossly fat person' and still have a '37 inch waist'. None of that really matters, because no one's trying to judge you on your appearance, your weight, your diet, your activity level, anything. People are just trying to help you find possible reasons for your weight-loss stall.

A two-year plateau is not a plateau -- it is maintenance, and it means you are eating at a maintenance level. I am not sure how you could eat strictly 1200 calories a day for two years and maintain at 230 pounds, even taking into account the possibility of some sort of physiological issue (which I assume you have been tested for). You might be eating more than you think. People have given you great suggestions to prepare your own meals and weight everything you make, and I have to agree.

sunshinesoprano

show previous quotes

One tip I can give is this. Your profile pic shows that you tend to carry your weight more in your midsection. This can put you at higher risk for insulin resistance. You may want to get your fasting blood sugar levels checked, and be tested for insulin resistance.
If you ARE insulin resistant, then you will need to lower your carb levels. Insulin resistance is one situation where it DOES matter WHAT you eat in addition to how much.

This photo was actually a little deceptive. My waist circumference is 37 inches now. Most of my weight is in my legs.

Thank you for your advise and non-judgemental comments.

Where are you measuring? At the smallest point of your waist?

Try measuring at your navel level, just above your hipbones. This measurement should not be more than 1/2 your height. i.e. I am 5'6", or 66 inches. The measurement at navel level should be 33" or less for me. It is still higher than that, so I am still carrying more weight in my midsection than I should be, which puts me at higher risk for diabetes and heart disease.

Carrying more fat in this area, CAN affect how your body processes carbs, and can therefore lower the number of calories needed for weight loss.

Therefore, if you ARE accurately measuring everything, then you might need to eat less than 1700 cals to lose.

ETA Or you can stay at that calorie level, but try lowering your total carbs, and see if that helps.

I am short-waisted so there's not much to measure...yes, I do measure it there.

sunshinesoprano

show previous quotes

Breakfast: Regular oatmeal and 1 egg.
Lunch: fresh pineapple, a small dark greens salad with honey french dressing on the side.
Snack: a fiber one peanut butter brownie.
Dinner: A grand turkey club from Arby's, no mayo.

Breakfast - How much oatmeal? Prepared in what manner? No sweetener?
Lunch - How much pineapple? What exactly is on your salad? How much dressing?
Dinner - nothing else? Not even a bite of french fries?

Why don't you post several days worth of your exact food diary listings? Where's this "cafeteria" food you talk about? Where's your restaurant meals? Let us see more. I know you think people are rude on here, but I didn't really see much rudeness until every valid suggestion was met with an excuse.

So, are you going to get a food scale and try it out? A food scale is MUCH cheaper than a Bodymedia fit device. If something *really* is wrong with you, the Bodymedia device isn't likely to be accurate for you anyway. If you are really that odd person who's BMR is much lower than average, the Bodymedia device isn't going to show that. It has a lot of complex calculations it does based on averages and if you are really as different as you think, this device will be useless. The food sale on the other hand will give you more accurate information which will help you arm yourself for your next doctor's visit.

1 cup oatmeal.
2 tsp light brown sugar
prepared the old fashioned way.

Two large sections of pineapple.

Salad has greens, black olives, 1 tsp of bleu cheese crumbles, 1 tsp of cranberries.
1 tbs of honey french dressing on the side.

I don't eat fries.

No, I am not opening up my diary because people will be rude and mention every time I ate something questionable...like a piece of fried fish or something...or a Russel Stover egg.

What you wouldn't find would be cheeseburgers, fries, and junk like that.

sunshinesoprano

show previous quotes

Belly Dancer: Do you have a slow metabolism:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGLwzbvx4S4

I think the OP and this woman suffer from the same issue.

Really?

Really. It's not a joke nor an attempt to be mean. You both have no concept of what you're eating. In the face of medical professionals telling you there's nothing wrong with your metabolism, you continue to believe it's something other than what it is. The only roadblock to your weight loss is you.

Really, because I'm pretty sure I do. I have done this consistently almost every day for three years. I know exactly what I eat to the point it drives my family and my co-workers crazy.

I ask the people in the cafeteria to measure out certain portions, what brand things are and they look at me like I'm NUTS.

DO NOT JUDGE.

I'm not judging. You have consistently done something for 2 years. That something is not getting you to your goals. If you don't want to change, then keep doing what you're doing. Keep consistently eating foods prepared by someone else so that you can't know the exact content. Keep relying on 'underestimates". Keep doing it but at the same time, don't be surprised when your weight remains the same and don't ask for advice and then call those people mean or judgemental when they try to show you what you're doing wrong.

You are just a little harsh and snarky.

I'm not saying anyone offering advice is judgmental. There have been some on here who made incorrect assumptions about me.

I'm not some overly obese, grossly fat person. I work out hard and most people have no idea I weigh what I do because of how I'm built.

I have a 37 inch waist...I mean...that's pretty good considering I was pushing 300lbs at one point.

I'm not resisting anyone's feedback. I just know I know what I'm eating and it's not over 2000 calories on any day...even my splurge days.

You do come off sounding a little defensive; like, you want people to know that you're not a 'grossly fat person' and still have a '37 inch waist'. None of that really matters, because no one's trying to judge you on your appearance, your weight, your diet, your activity level, anything. People are just trying to help you find possible reasons for your weight-loss stall.

A two-year plateau is not a plateau -- it is maintenance, and it means you are eating at a maintenance level. I am not sure how you could eat strictly 1200 calories a day for two years and maintain at 230 pounds, even taking into account the possibility of some sort of physiological issue (which I assume you have been tested for). You might be eating more than you think. People have given you great suggestions to prepare your own meals and weight everything you make, and I have to agree.

Considering I was almost 300 lbs, I am pretty proud of my 37 inch waist.

LloydSev

Personally, I recommend using a device such as a FitBit or BodyMedia Fit (The old BodyBugg you saw on Biggest Loser). This device will let you track your metabolism within a small margin of error. From there you can develop proper meal eating plans with deficits that are more accurate than estimates.

Nice2BFitAgain

Here is what I would do.

Start fresh. Forget the last 3 years. You've been at/around the same weight for 2 years. Start from today as if it was the first time you are beginning a life style change. Figure out your TDEE and go from there. I don't think 1200 was the right # for you EVER.

Last year from January - May I lost 25 pounds...and gained 10 back and maintained there until this January. This year I started over, at my new weight. Forget that I've already lost 15 pounds, that's old news. I started by using FRESH MFP values and decided to go the TDEE route instead because I didn't want to have to change my calories depending on if I worked out today or not.

I stopped eating out. I love eating out. What's better than having someone else cook and clean for me! LOL
I bought a food scale
I weigh and measure everything - guessing doesn't work

My husband works in college food service for a company like Aramark (Sodexo) and yes, they have recipes that the chefs follow, but depending on who scoops the food or who cuts the portions they aren't going to be what they list on the menu. Also, they do substitute ingredients without telling people if they are out of a product they need. You never know the exact portion of food you are getting from a restaurant. Human error plays a big role in portion size. How are you measuring things at the salad bar?


BTW - I would never discuss anything other than reproduction or lady parts with my OBGYN - get a general practitioner too.

WBB55

I'm not resisting anyone's feedback. I just know I know what I'm eating and it's not over 2000 calories on any day...even my splurge days.

You should be very proud of everything you've done. Congratulations on everything you've learned about food, nutrition and your body.

But you really are giving us inconsistent answers.

In one reply, you say you have splurge days. In another you say you don't binge. In one post you say you know exactly how many calories you're eating, but then you say you never prepare your own food and don't weigh your food.

To us, this doesn't add up. Either there's a piece of information you're leaving out, so everything you say makes sense.

or

you don't know how many calories you're eating.

I know you're trying. And you should be proud of what you're doing. But if you want to change, plenty of people have given you great advice.

-Fitbit
-Weigh your food
-Log accurately
-Eat at a sensible deficit

bekahlou75

[/quote]


-Fitbit
-Weigh your food
-Log accurately
-Eat at a sensible deficit
[/quote]


What she said!

kwantlen2051

I've struggled with weight for a long time and like you I'm in the happy spot for a while and then plateau for months. I finally looked at all my food diaries to see what they had in common. I've figured out that two of my beverage choices were what was hurting me. I Iove beer and make sure that I save enough calories to drink one occasionally. The weeks I drank even one or two beers I didn't lose any weight. I was under my calorie limit even with the beer, but alcohol must really affect me.

I have a similar issue with diet soda. I adore diet coke. However, if I drink even a diet soda a couple of times a week, I just don't lose weight regardless of how few calories I eat.

I refuse to give up beer completely, but I limit myself to one like every other week and I've completely given up diet soda. Now, I'm losing again.

Maybe there are specific foods you just don't react well to.

Food sensitivity. That's worth looking into.

ChrisM8971

show previous quotes

Breakfast: Regular oatmeal and 1 egg.
Lunch: fresh pineapple, a small dark greens salad with honey french dressing on the side.
Snack: a fiber one peanut butter brownie.
Dinner: A grand turkey club from Arby's, no mayo.

Breakfast - How much oatmeal? Prepared in what manner? No sweetener?
Lunch - How much pineapple? What exactly is on your salad? How much dressing?
Dinner - nothing else? Not even a bite of french fries?

Why don't you post several days worth of your exact food diary listings? Where's this "cafeteria" food you talk about? Where's your restaurant meals? Let us see more. I know you think people are rude on here, but I didn't really see much rudeness until every valid suggestion was met with an excuse.

So, are you going to get a food scale and try it out? A food scale is MUCH cheaper than a Bodymedia fit device. If something *really* is wrong with you, the Bodymedia device isn't likely to be accurate for you anyway. If you are really that odd person who's BMR is much lower than average, the Bodymedia device isn't going to show that. It has a lot of complex calculations it does based on averages and if you are really as different as you think, this device will be useless. The food sale on the other hand will give you more accurate information which will help you arm yourself for your next doctor's visit.

1 cup oatmeal.
2 tsp light brown sugar
prepared the old fashioned way.

Two large sections of pineapple.

Salad has greens, black olives, 1 tsp of bleu cheese crumbles, 1 tsp of cranberries.
1 tbs of honey french dressing on the side.

I don't eat fries.

No, I am not opening up my diary because people will be rude and mention every time I ate something questionable...like a piece of fried fish or something...or a Russel Stover egg.

What you wouldn't find would be cheeseburgers, fries, and junk like that.

Plenty of people eat cheeseburgers and fries on occasion while losing weight and others don't and they don't lose weight. What you eat matters nutritionally but for weight loss you need to get into a calorie deficit and whether for a medical reason or because of inaccuracies in logging you are not in deficit.

You have got to change something and you do know that

weird_me2

show previous quotes

Breakfast: Regular oatmeal and 1 egg.
Lunch: fresh pineapple, a small dark greens salad with honey french dressing on the side.
Snack: a fiber one peanut butter brownie.
Dinner: A grand turkey club from Arby's, no mayo.

Breakfast - How much oatmeal? Prepared in what manner? No sweetener?
Lunch - How much pineapple? What exactly is on your salad? How much dressing?
Dinner - nothing else? Not even a bite of french fries?

Why don't you post several days worth of your exact food diary listings? Where's this "cafeteria" food you talk about? Where's your restaurant meals? Let us see more. I know you think people are rude on here, but I didn't really see much rudeness until every valid suggestion was met with an excuse.

So, are you going to get a food scale and try it out? A food scale is MUCH cheaper than a Bodymedia fit device. If something *really* is wrong with you, the Bodymedia device isn't likely to be accurate for you anyway. If you are really that odd person who's BMR is much lower than average, the Bodymedia device isn't going to show that. It has a lot of complex calculations it does based on averages and if you are really as different as you think, this device will be useless. The food sale on the other hand will give you more accurate information which will help you arm yourself for your next doctor's visit.

1 cup oatmeal.
2 tsp light brown sugar
prepared the old fashioned way.

Two large sections of pineapple.

Salad has greens, black olives, 1 tsp of bleu cheese crumbles, 1 tsp of cranberries.
1 tbs of honey french dressing on the side.

I don't eat fries.

No, I am not opening up my diary because people will be rude and mention every time I ate something questionable...like a piece of fried fish or something...or a Russel Stover egg.

What you wouldn't find would be cheeseburgers, fries, and junk like that.

Okay, don't open the diary, but post the last 4 days of entries on here - honestly as you posted them in your diary and the calorie counts recorded with them.

Honestly, most of the people offering you advice won't have anything to say about logging candy or fried fish. Now, if you logged 1 piece fried fish - 120 calories - you might get some comments about accuracy, because really, a piece of fried fish? That's like a piece of fried chicken. There's really no way to be even close to accurate logging pieces of anything, even fruit.

About your food entries -


Your breakfast alone starts off the day at about 400 calories. Is that what you have down?

What's a big section of pineapple? For me, a non fruit lover, two big sections of pineapple would be 100 grams. For my daughters who love fruit? Two big sections would probably be 400 grams. That's a significant calorie difference.

On your salad, how many olives? The calories from these can add up even if it seems small. A tsp of blue cheese and cranberries? Really? This is one of those instances where a food scale will be much more accurate. I'm willing to bet that unless you only have 1 bite of blue cheese and 3-4 cranberries, you are eating more than you think. Same for 1 T of dressing.

Dinner, not much to say if they really prepared it the way you requested.

I'm not a "clean" or healthy eater or even an IIFYM proponent, but looking at your menu, my first thoughts are where is the protein and fruits and veggies and dairy?

Nice2BFitAgain

a tsp of cranberries? How many cranberries fit on a tsp? 3 dried cranberries? They don't even have teaspoons and tablespoons on a salad bar, they have serving tongs or serving spoons.

If you want to friend a few of these people that you think are less judgmental and let them view your diary, maybe they can help you better. Until then no one here can really do much to help.

I have my diary open and you can see the good BAD and the ugly... LOL I know where I screw up and I face it. BTW - I'm 5'5"; 140; and 43 years old and I eat 1700 per day and am loosing weight nice and slow. And I drink alcohol (beer and vodka) and eat cupcakes when there is a celebration and eat pizza.... who cares what you eat really. If you have to hide it it's because you know you don't stay at 1200 calories (1700 the last 5 weeks) and you don't want to share that.

Otterluv

show previous quotes

I feel for you, in general, OP. I've got some severe thyroid issues. I am very rigid in weighing and measuring my food. I've been in recovery from an eating disorder.

I know what it's like to look in the general forums and realize I can't apply most advice to myself, because I am different. I can become very angry towards myself for being different, or for expecting forums to solve problems that even my endo laughingly puts "We're all still trying to figure out ourselves."

But here's the thing.

You have options. Have you had your thyroid levels checked? You mentioned a family history of hypothyroidism, but a family history doesn't mean you're doomed to have it (thank goodness!) or that you've been tested. If you haven't had them checked, perhaps get them done for you and your doctor to eliminate (or consider) a cause.

But here's the other thing: weighing and measuring your food is key. If you're not doing it, you're not aware of what you eat. You've been here awhile, I see, but not active on the forums. I cannot tell you HOW many people have come in with a VERY similar story to you, and 9 times out of 10, they're eating more than they think. "Making good choices" is fine for health, but not necessarily weight loss.

You seem to have fallen into the "bad" vs. "good" food trap as well. I've seen it firsthand; someone eats salad and chicken and thinks they're superior to others for their food, healthier for their food or "should be losing weight." Except they don't measure the dressing they put on the salad. An 8 oz. chicken breast becomes a 4 oz. chicken breast to them. "I'm eating yogurt and don't eat fried foods!" but eating 10 cups of yogurt and having a tub of nuts for snacks.

All of this could still be fine... provided someone is aware of exactly how many calories/portions they're ingesting vs. what they're putting out.

I do have to say, that assuming anything of your "skinny" doctor's experience doesn't put you in a good light. You have no idea what she may have gone through as a child, as a young adult, etc. She may have had an eating disorder. She may have lost weight before. She might have struggled with weight during her residency when she couldn't be bothered to focus on her weight.

Most of all? If she's thin, why would you discount anything she says? She's doing something you want, correct... to be a lower weight, a healthier weight?

Again I say about my doctor...I HAVE TALKED ABOUT IT WITH HER. She even said she couldn't know how I felt.

OMG...before you all jump my case, read the posts

I never said I wasn't going to weigh my food.

Most of the people think I'm trying to starve myself because I eat so little.

I appreciate all of you who have given me advisement. I'm not being defensive, but rather trying to explain that I"m not a novice at this and am really stuck. Some of you seem to not care about anything but being heard. That's fine.

I didn't get on your case, yet for someone who claims to not be defensive... why would you interpret my post in anyway like that?

I read all your posts on here. I didn't see anywhere where you specifically got thyroid tests or asked for a blood panel. I could assume your statement that "She keeps saying it's food" means you might have asked that and your doctor hasn't given you the bloodwork, but if I've learned one thing about these forums, it's not to assume things. Provide us with more detail if you want us to know the intimate details of your journey. Plus, the fact that a gyno wouldn't be the doctor to go to for thyroid advice at all, a GP or (better yet) an endo would be.

Unfortunately, I'm seeing "The lady doth protest too much"--you interpreted attacks by page 2, you "assume" responses before they're said, and now lengthy posts full of as much objective advice as possible (with doses of empathy in many of them) get dubbed as "People only care about being heard" and passive-aggression.

Well, it's a forum. People want to be heard when they share advice with you, a forum is designed for different voices *to* be heard; the issue here is that you don't appear to want to hear what so many are saying, and seem to be hearing things that no one is doing (a.k.a, attacks).
[/quote

The problem is, someone else even said they could see how I would feel attacked. I didn't say YOU attacked me.

I've had a thyroid test...she said it was fine and refused to dig further, insisting it was just food.

I'm not defensive, just trying to explain, and before you fuss at me for something, go back and read the other posts.

Okay, it really seems like you're only focusing on the negative here. It seems like you are doing this as a way of avoiding looking at what's really wrong. There have been lots of suggestions to weigh your food and be more accurate - all of which have been met with excuses:

I know the calories in my food because it's packaged or the cafeteria at work is exact
I don't eat a lot of salt
I measure with a measuring cup

You've said yourself that "it's not the food, something else has to be wrong..." yet, your doctor has told you that your problem is your food and many of the people on here have told you the same thing. Yet, instead of responding to the suggestions in a manner that says that it's given you something to think about, you respond in a manner that says that you're not willing to change.

It's easy to play the victim card - my skinny doctor doesn't understand me, my family is all big and we're not meant to be skinny, there has to be something wrong because I'm doing everything right. There is a very slight chance that maybe there is a medical issue, however instead of ruling out the other options, you are complaining that nothing's working when you're not willing to even SEE if there's another problem.

In one of your defensive responses, I see that you finally said that you "never said you weren't going to use a food scale" yet every other excuse of a response indicates that you have no intention of using a food scale. Being so defensive about everything (and I did not see anything attacking you in the first couple of pages) makes it seem to me like you KNOW what your problem is and aren't willing to do what it takes to fix it. If you don't want to, that's fine, you aren't ready, but life gets a lot easier when you stop being a victim and start being in control.

FWIW, here are the problems I'm guessing (which are only guesses since you still haven't opened your food diary or even given a run down of what you typically eat).

1) Not logging your food regularly
2) Eating more than you think you are - if you aren't weighing your food, you have no clue, even when using a measuring cup - yeah, sometimes your estimates might only be off by 10-20%, but that could be several hundred calories a day depending on density
3) You don't know how most of your food is really made - even if the kitchen at work is "healthy", it doesn't mean that the chef doesn't use extra oil or butter on stuff - it also doesn't mean that they are cooking low calorie - healthy =/= calorie controlled
4) You are using the wrong entries for what you do eat - even if you know what you are eating, calories vary by brand and item type. Entries in the database are also often VERY wrong. I was logging fajita meat yesterday - one entry listed a 4 oz portion of cooked chicken fajita meat as 110 calories. There's really no possible way that's accurate - 4 oz of cooked chicken (by the NI for what I buy) is closer to 180 calories and that doesn't even take in to account the marinade/oil. I've seen much bigger errors on some entries, even for some name brand products.
5) You have binges or "cheat" meals that you don't accurately account for. These can add up to thousands of calories - yes THOUSANDS. Last night I had a medium shake from Sonic - I figured based on a medium blizzard it would be between 500-1000 calories - I logged it and it was over 1200! A lot of people I know would have probably guessed it as 500 calories. Have a few items like this per week/month and it's enough to make you gain.

My suggestions:
1) Cook for yourself and weigh everything
2) If you won't cook for yourself, then do a couple of weeks Jenny Craig style - only eat pre-packaged meals from home, no restaurant or cafeteria food. This will probably be much more accurate than what you are currently doing. It won't be fun, but it will probably get the scale moving in the right direction.
3) Try a different "diet". It sounds like you are burnt out on calorie counting. Maybe try Weight Watchers? It's the same concept, but different. Or, maybe look at something like Intermittent Fasting - just do something different. Maybe having a fresh perspective will help you get the weight loss going again.
4) Find a new goal that's not weight loss related. Set a fitness goal and up your exercise to be better. Do you know that there are some recommendations that in order to lose weight and keep it off we need 60-90 minutes of exercise MOST days of the week? Three days of 45 minutes isn't burning a ton of calories and obviously isn't boosting your loss. Maybe, if you aren't willing to change the food, then changing the exercise will make a difference. You can find time to do it, you just have to want to.

Finally, be honest with yourself. If you aren't in the right frame of mind to lose weight right now, then focus on maintaining and stop stressing yourself out. It's okay. Yes, losing weight is going to be beneficial, but not gaining back what you've already lost will be more beneficial than giving up and gaining it all back.

I'm not opening my diary because there are rude people on here.

I'll give you an example of what I eat.

Breakfast: Regular oatmeal and 1 egg.
Lunch: fresh pineapple, a small dark greens salad with honey french dressing on the side.
Snack: a fiber one peanut butter brownie.
Dinner: A grand turkey club from Arby's, no mayo.

I do not binge. I log even my snacks. I have learned the calories of just about everything I like and so it deterrs me from eating it. Hahaha.

My workouts are Leslie Sansone workouts and according to my meter I'm burning 400-600 calories depending on if I do 3 or 4 miles.

Doubtful. Even running I don't burn that in 3-4 miles.

Here is the thing, if doing what you are doing isn't working, try something new.

Bring your own lunch, one that is weighed and measured accurately. Don't eat out for a while. It sucks, yes, but it also will give you more accuracy to really see what's going on and to narrow down the issue.

Stop overestimating your burns. Seriously, that's like close to double what it should be. Also, one rude awakening I had was when I got my fitbit I found that I would burn while exercising and then sit on my *kitten* the rest of the day, which lowered my TDEE significantly from what was estimated by MFP.

One of these smaller inaccuracies may not be enough to stall you out, but add them all up and it sure as hell will.

Get your math under control, get some accurate data, try it for a month and then get back to us.

sunshinesoprano

a tsp of cranberries? How many cranberries fit on a tsp? 3 dried cranberries? They don't even have teaspoons and tablespoons on a salad bar, they have serving tongs or serving spoons.

If you want to friend a few of these people that you think are less judgmental and let them view your diary, maybe they can help you better. Until then no one here can really do much to help.

I have my diary open and you can see the good BAD and the ugly... LOL I know where I screw up and I face it. BTW - I'm 5'5"; 140; and 43 years old and I eat 1700 per day and am loosing weight nice and slow. And I drink alcohol (beer and vodka) and eat cupcakes when there is a celebration and eat pizza.... who cares what you eat really. If you have to hide it it's because you know you don't stay at 1200 calories (1700 the last 5 weeks) and you don't want to share that.

We actually do have measuring spoons where I work for those condiments. And it is a teaspoon. That's all I want.

bajoyba

show previous quotes

Breakfast: Regular oatmeal and 1 egg.
Lunch: fresh pineapple, a small dark greens salad with honey french dressing on the side.
Snack: a fiber one peanut butter brownie.
Dinner: A grand turkey club from Arby's, no mayo.

Breakfast - How much oatmeal? Prepared in what manner? No sweetener?
Lunch - How much pineapple? What exactly is on your salad? How much dressing?
Dinner - nothing else? Not even a bite of french fries?

Why don't you post several days worth of your exact food diary listings? Where's this "cafeteria" food you talk about? Where's your restaurant meals? Let us see more. I know you think people are rude on here, but I didn't really see much rudeness until every valid suggestion was met with an excuse.

So, are you going to get a food scale and try it out? A food scale is MUCH cheaper than a Bodymedia fit device. If something *really* is wrong with you, the Bodymedia device isn't likely to be accurate for you anyway. If you are really that odd person who's BMR is much lower than average, the Bodymedia device isn't going to show that. It has a lot of complex calculations it does based on averages and if you are really as different as you think, this device will be useless. The food sale on the other hand will give you more accurate information which will help you arm yourself for your next doctor's visit.

1 cup oatmeal.
2 tsp light brown sugar
prepared the old fashioned way.

Two large sections of pineapple.

Salad has greens, black olives, 1 tsp of bleu cheese crumbles, 1 tsp of cranberries.
1 tbs of honey french dressing on the side.

I don't eat fries.

No, I am not opening up my diary because people will be rude and mention every time I ate something questionable...like a piece of fried fish or something...or a Russel Stover egg.

What you wouldn't find would be cheeseburgers, fries, and junk like that.

I'm not trying to be rude, but I just want to make sure you understand.

A "cup" of oatmeal is not necessarily the same as a weighed serving of oatmeal.
"Two large sections of pineapple" means nothing in terms of how much that really is, because everyone's definition of "large" is different. You need to know what an actual serving of pineapple is vs. how much you're actually eating of it.
1 tsp of cheese or dried berries is not the same as a serving or portion of a serving by weight.

I understand that you think you're being careful with your food, but eyeballing portions and measuring food by volume rather than weight just isn't accurate.

Also, there's nothing wrong with eating "junk" like cheeseburgers and fries. I eat things like fries, pizza, cake, and candy, and I drink beer and soda sometimes, too. The difference is, when I eat french fries, I make them at home in the oven, and then I actually weigh out 3 oz. of fries. I weigh my hamburger bun. The majority of the time, I know exactly how much food I'm eating because I weigh it out and prepare it myself.

It really does make a difference.
Weight loss is all about math and running a calorie deficit.

smn76237

A teaspoon of cranberries? that would literally be 3 berries. Also, the reason why people say to *weigh* your food is because measuring cups and spoons are only accurate for liquids. Not cranberries.

OP, people have been generously and patiently trying to help you, and you won't have any of it. Good luck continuing to maintain your weight because unless you change something, that's all you'll be doing.