Something isn't working! HELP!

Alyssa100513

Something is not working. I have been logging EVERYTHING and eating under my calorie intake everyday. When I exercise, I eat back 1/3 of my exercise calories. And I am GAINING weight. It is so frustrating. I have my settings set on sedentary even though I do work as a cashier. I have type 2 diabetes so I am very careful about my carbs. It is hard for my to eat under my sodium and I can't quite figure out why. My husband and I don't have ton of money, so buying fresh veggies aren't really an option, but we do eat a TON of frozen veggies. But I have a problem hitting my calorie requirements without eating junk, like ice cream, and chips. I drink roughly 8-16 glasses of water a day. My diary is open. I am a 337 lb female.

Any advice would be great.

ryker789

Weight gain sucks! I'm sorry you are dealing with that. Have you tried talking to your doctor? I had my setting at sedentary when I first started and quickly realized I was not eating enough for how active I am. I started eating more and the scale started to go down again. Can you have avocado or peanut butter? Just a thought on how to get some good calories in without eating junk. Good luck to you.

kshadows

Your diary isn't open...

Alyssa100513

Your diary isn't open...

Sorry, now it is.

Alyssa100513

Can you have avocado or peanut butter? Just a thought on how to get some good calories in without eating junk.

I am allergic to avocado. I could try some more peanut butter. Thanks!

StaciMarie1974

How long have you been at it?

I_Will_End_You

How are you calculating your calories? Are you eyeballing your portions? Measuring with cups and spoons? If so, this can prove to be very inaccurate. Do you log absolutely everything? Are you finding items that are similar to what you've eaten in the database, or are you adding the items yourself? It's likely due to logging errors. Or you haven't given it enough time. So I second this question:

How long have you been at it?

Alyssa100513

How long have you been at it?

Roughly, 3 weeks.

StaciMarie1974

Are you using a food scale? Such as was the 3/4 cereal yesterday by weight or by using a measuring cup? Same for the chips, dip, etc. (I scan UPC codes and things sometimes show in MFP as the cup amount, but I know I weighed it. Don't want to assume you're using a cup just because that is what the listing has.)

For the lunch Monday, was this a dish you made (your recipe) or something you found in the database? Same for the cranberry chicken dinner on Sunday. If using other people's recipes, keep in mind you won't know how it compares to your own. And you won't really know how much is in '1 serving'.

Some days you are very low on protein. Should not matter if you have a deficit but can impact how you feel throughout the day.

Did you skip dinner on Monday or not log?
~~~~~~

As to the fresh fruits & veggies, shop around. Some things are lower cost than others. Bananas tend to be about $.25 each at most. A bag of apples can be $2-3. If there is an Aldi near you, check them out. Great for meat & produce.

For 3 weeks in, perhaps just give it more time.

ValGogo

Your food choices are not very good. I only looked at the past three days. Three weeks is not enough time and I THINK you need to be eating more calories, but I'm not sure.

MinnieInMaine

Frozen veggies are fine, just get the ones without sauces. Also, try to cut out the chips... While you have the calories for them, that's definitely contributing to your sodium intake. Try alternatives like eating fruit or veggie sticks instead. Try to make things more homemade and rely less on packaged food. Pretty much anythiing out of a box or can or bag is going to be loaded with sodium.

Are you logging everything? I noticed no dinner on Monday...

Are you checking items you're logging? Weighing and measuring?

Alyssa100513

Are you using a food scale? Such as was the 3/4 cereal yesterday by weight or by using a measuring cup? Same for the chips, dip, etc. (I scan UPC codes and things sometimes show in MFP as the cup amount, but I know I weighed it. Don't want to assume you're using a cup just because that is what the listing has.)

For the lunch, was this a dish you made (your recipe) or something you found in the database? Same for the cranberry chicken dinner on Sunday. If using other people's recipes, keep in mind you won't know how it compares to your own. And you won't really know how much is in '1 serving'.

Some days you are very low on protein. Should not matter if you have a deficit but can impact how you feel throughout the day.

~~~~~~

As to the fresh fruits & veggies, shop around. Some things are lower cost than others. Bananas tend to be about $.25 each at most. A bag of apples can be $2-3. If there is an Aldi near you, check them out. Great for meat & produce.

Did you skip dinner on Monday or not log?

I mainly use measuring cups, but I plan on buying a scale in the next couple of days. I input my own recipes. I don't know if I would trust other people's recipes. I am not really a meat eater. I am going to try some peanut butter in my diet to up my protein.

I must have forgot to log dinner on Monday. I will definitely take a look at Aldi. I have never shopped there before.

Alyssa100513

Your food choices are not very good. I only looked at the past three days. Three weeks is not enough time and I THINK you need to be eating more calories, but I'm not sure.

I understand that my food choices are not very good and i KNOW that I need to eat more calories but like I said, I am having a hard time even getting to the right amount of calories without eating junk.

StaciMarie1974

Using cups for measuring solid items, unfortunately, means you don't know how many calories you're consuming. But at the very least you're making efforts to adjust your eating habits so that is still a good thing. A food scale will be a big eye opener.

Good for entering your own recipes. Unfortunately without the food scale they are bound to be 'off' also. You may want to edit (for your benefit) your recipes once you have the food scale so you can base your serving size on weight. An easy way is to weigh the entire finished product, such as 2200 grams. Divide it by 100 (in this case 2200/100 =22) and make the recipe 22 servings of 100g each. Then when you take your portion, weigh it. If its 175 grams, enter 1.75 servings.

Alyssa100513

Frozen veggies are fine, just get the ones without sauces. Also, try to cut out the chips... While you have the calories for them, that's definitely contributing to your sodium intake. Try alternatives like eating fruit or veggie sticks instead. Try to make things more homemade and rely less on packaged food. Pretty much anythiing out of a box or can or bag is going to be loaded with sodium.

Are you logging everything? I noticed no dinner on Monday...

Are you checking items you're logging? Weighing and measuring?

Thanks. I never really noticed that the veggies with the sauces have so much sodium. I will deffinatly start eating the veggies without all the sauce. I must have forgot to log dinner on Monday. Had a family emergency and didn't have time after we ate to log it. I have not been weighing. I am looking to buy a food scale in the next couple of days.

Alyssa100513

Using cups for measuring solid items, unfortunately, means you don't know how many calories you're consuming. But at the very least you're making efforts to adjust your eating habits so that is still a good thing. A food scale will be a big eye opener.

Good for entering your own recipes. Unfortunately without the food scale they are bound to be 'off' also. You may want to edit (for your benefit) your recipes once you have the food scale so you can base your serving size on weight. An easy way is to weigh the entire finished product, such as 2200 grams. Divide it by 100 (in this case 2200/100 =22) and make the recipe 22 servings of 100g each. Then when you take your portion, weigh it. If its 175 grams, enter 1.75 servings.

Thanks for the encouragement. I never really thought about the weighing until recently. And thanks for the great advice on the recipes. I honestly just kinda guess the servings, which I know doesn't help.

cebreisch

Here's things that have helped me immensely:

*Make sure you're accurately measuring, weighing, and logging your food - even down to the condiments.

*Make sure you're drinking your water.

*Upgrade your settings from sedentary to likely active.

*Make sure you eat enough to hit your numbers - otherwise your body will go into starvation mode &hold onto EVERY BITE.

*Focus on protein and the fats/carbs will take care of themselves.


I log everything in MFP, and convert to Weight Watcher points. It really does help me focus more on getting in more appropriate nutritional values.

I_Will_End_You

Have you been exercising at all?

*Make sure you eat enough to hit your numbers - otherwise your body will go into starvation mode &hold onto EVERY BITE.

No it won't.

StaciMarie1974

Starvation mode as its thought of is a myth, but the reality is your body doesn't function properly if you're not giving it enough nutrients. And when it doesn't function properly, you won't necessarily get the anticipated results.

Feel free to browse thru my diary. I eat a lot of chicken - its cheap, high in protein. I do focus on trying to get enough protein and 5 or so fruits/veggies a day - and then let the fat, carbs fall into place. I eat 1400-1600. I don't 'eat clean' and though I try not to overdo processed food, I also don't try to avoid it. I eat fast food as my schedule sometimes dictates. I'm not an ideal example, but browsing thru various diaries can give you ideas.

SarahMS79

I've looked VERY quickly over your food diary and it just seems like you're eating a ton of CRAP. Captain Crunch...ice cream...chips... If you can afford all that junk then I'm sure you can afford some lean protein and fruits and vegetables. Tuna fish is cheap...a bag of salad...fruit... Also your sodium is sky rocket high.
I just suggest adding in some exercise...a nice walk...some cardio...weigh lifiting... Stop eating total crap and make sure you log everything you eat...
It takes time and hard work. You can do it!

I_Will_End_You

I've looked VERY quickly over your food diary and it just seems like you're eating a ton of CRAP. Captain Crunch...ice cream...chips... If you can afford all that junk then I'm sure you can afford some lean protein and fruits and vegetables. Tuna fish is cheap...a bag of salad...fruit... Also your sodium is sky rocket high.
I just suggest adding in some exercise...a nice walk...some cardio...weigh lifiting... Stop eating total crap and make sure you log everything you eat...
It takes time and hard work. You can do it!

Eating what you consider "CRAP" isn't going to hinder her weight loss as long as she's in a calorie deficit. Now if she's not logging said "CRAP" properly, it can be a problem.