can someone check my diet?

Hallies22

Hi! I'm hoping for some help, I hope this is the right place to ask. I've never posted before. If I need to go somewhere else, please let me know!

I'm 37 years old. I weigh 222. For the last 3 weeks, I have been trying to lose weight. Every Monday I weigh myself, and the scale says 227. Every Thursday I weigh myself and the scale says 222. Frustrating. So I logged in and started tracking my food.

MFP gives me a calorie goal of 1610, I have been averaging about that. I am breastfeeding a 14 month old baby 3-5 times per day, I am pretty sedentary, I work in an office and I have a 2 hour daily commute. the internet says my BMR is between 1600 and 1750.

At first I thought: maybe I'm not eating enough? But I'm averaging right at my goal for daily calories. I think they advise you not to go below 1200 on a daily basis and I'm not doing that. 1600 seems like a number that should cause pretty steady 1-2 lb per week weight loss for someone my size.

I have never had a problem getting started on weight loss before. I have always been able to start a healthy eating plan, lose 5-10 pounds the first week and then maintain a steady 1-2 pound loss for at least a few months before hitting a plateau. I am not a small girl. i have a large amount of weight to lose.

can anyone help? Do i need to eat more? Less? Different combinations of macro nutrients? I started walking yesterday, 1/2 hour per day. maybe this will be the straw that breaks me through.

Hallies22

here's a link to my food diary. I'd appreciate any and all suggestions!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/Hallies22

StaciMarie1974

My initial thought - is that you're eating at maintenance but typically have high sodium on weekends which results in the higher weight on Monday. Then that extra water weight (from the sodium) is gone by Thursday.

Are you using a food scale to accurately track how much you eat? Do you log every bite, drink?

If your BMR is in the 1600-1750 range, and you're eating 1610 then you should be losing weight in the long run.

StaciMarie1974

Looking at your food diary - if you're not using a scale, then there is lots of room for error.

BUT the biggest thing: you only started logging a couple weeks ago, and don't seem to log on Sat/Sun. If you're not tracking every day, its possible your weekends are destroying your weekday deficits. (And some weekdays you are over your goal.)

StaciMarie1974

Note about the short time frame: if you're logging/weighing everything accurately & honestly, just give it more time.

Happymelz

Does MFP take breast feeding into account?
Because I know you burn a lot of calories breast feeding so it could actually put you in a place where you aren't eating enough and therefore stalling your weight loss. (I know it sounds backwards but it is an actual thing that happens.)

bevmcarthur

Hallies . Why do you not track on the weekend? My dairy is open if you would like to have a look at it not saying that its all good but you can see that i eat a lot of veggies and good fats in my day. My scale is my best friend . If you are not getting enough protein, good fats (Avocados , almonds, coconut oil, nuts and seeds ) and good carbs in your diet that can slow things down. Hows your water intake ?

Hallies22

StaciMarie197:

Thanks for checking for me. I figured salt was the cause of the higher weight at the beginning of the week. I've run into that before, but I've also never started out and not been able to lose ANY weight at all.

This last weekend was my birthday, which is why I had so much cake in my diary on Friday and Monday.

I will track this weekend. I know that I'm not as disciplined on the weekends, but it didn't seem possible that I was blowing such a huge calorie deficit in just 2 days. Maybe I am though. And if I am, gross

to be honest, for the last 6 months I've eaten like crap. I've indulged every craving, I've binged many many many times, I know I've been eating a lot of calories per day and I've weighed the same the whole time. It just doesn't make sense to me that when I start eating less (and I mean A LOT less) that I wouldn't lose weight.

Hallies22

Happymelz:

I track -200 calories a day for breastfeeding. I pump once a day and nurse 2-5 times per day. Taking this into account I'm averaging 1400 calories per day. Do you really think that might be too low? I thought you're not supposed to go under 1200-1000 per day?

clambert1273

I am 5'7, 176lbs and eating 1700 per day (TDEE method) and lift weights 3x a week... so 1400 might not be enough... I am also hypothyroid so I continually have to adjust based on how my body is reacting... the 1700 for me is just the sweet spot - losing slow and keeps me from wanting to eat everything in sight.

In addition, I eat whatever I want just as long as I log it and keep it within my goals

amberj32

You should start weighing your food instead of measuring it by cups. You do have some salty days. Are you drinking enough water? Make sure to log food every day. Don't eat back all of your exercise calories.

On a side note- With a 2 hour commute and working during the day how do you have time to breastfeed 3-5 times a day? Just curious.
"I am breastfeeding a 14 month old baby 3-5 times per day, I am pretty sedentary, I work in an office and I have a 2 hour daily commute."

corgarian

1000-1200 is a verrrry stupid number in my opinion. I'm 176, 5'5 and I have my MFP set to lightly active. I get to eat 1600 calories a day for a .5loss a week and I'm not breast feeding. At least while you are still breastfeeding maybe you should change your numbers with MFP, I think on a daily basis maybe you need to actually eat a little more. But all this also depends on what kind of damage is being done on the weekends.

Hallies22

amberj32:

I drink a lot of water, and no other beverages (ok, very rarely, maybe once or twice a month). I have a 32 oz water bottle and I fill it at least 6 times per day.

I pump in the morning on the way to work (45 minute drive). I nurse the baby as soon as I get home from work (about 4 pm). Sometimes I nurse 2 other times in the evening, just depending on her mood, and then i nurse to sleep around 7:30 pm. I nurse on demand on the weekends, probably 7 or so times.

I'll pull my scale out and start tracking more accurately. and on the weekends. I guess I might really be screwing myself by not tracking on the weekends!

StaciMarie1974

Its been a while (as my youngest will be 13 in a few months) but from what I recall the main keys to successful breastfeeding (and pumping as needed): hydration & not stressing over it.

For now I'd say focus on logging everything, accurately, then assess. Its hard to guess whether you need more calories or less since you don't know your real weekly deficit. Track it all for 2 weeks, and then evaluate.

jennyleejames1

I have no idea how much to allow for breastfeeding part-time like we are. I nurse throughout the night and all evening and on weekends, but I don't pump at all at work. I just do -250, but that's just an absolute guess, really.