help weight loss advice

kangaroux92

hi ive been exercising and dieting for a month now and haven't lost any weight. i started at 184 then i went up 186 then down to 181 now in 183. ive been working out 4-5 days a week with my friend who is in good shape, doing what she does. and my diet isn't excellent but is way better than before. im not looking to quit and i know ive probably lost an inch or two because people said i look like ive lost weight. but i need to see that scale go down. i cant take it . i want to loose 20- 30 pounds by around December January not trying loose it fast. i want to be healthy an keep it off but its just sooo discouraging what am i doing wrong.

BigT555

read this;
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
and then this
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide?hl=logging+accurately
more often than not when someone isnt losing weight, its because they are mis-counting calories

kangaroux92

yes. as i said i could eat better ill admit that, but ive dieted allot in the past and am pretty familiar with counting calories. ive always been able to loose 5- 7 pounds just with dieting in the past. i used to go as low as 1100 but that was brutal and i would give up after 2 months so i didn't want to go that low. but before this journey i was eating i would say close to 3500 to 4000 cal a day. my boyfriend is 6'5 " and 250 pounds so food was at no shortage. so i would think that going down 1500-1700 a day and exercise i would see a loss. and to be honest i know counting calories is important but i really want to implement a schedule that is realistic to maintain and im not going to measure my food im just not for my life and the time i have its not something i can keep up long term. i appreciate the advice. maybe there's different exercises i can do or certain foods to eat more of ?

BigT555

yes. as i said i could eat better ill admit that, but ive dieted allot in the past and am pretty familiar with counting calories. ive always been able to loose 5- 7 pounds just with dieting in the past. i used to go as low as 1100 but that was brutal and i would give up after 2 months so i didn't want to go that low. but before this journey i was eating i would say close to 3500 to 4000 cal a day. my boyfriend is 6'5 " and 250 pounds so food was at no shortage. so i would think that going down 1500-1700 a day and exercise i would see a loss. and to be honest i know counting calories is important but i really want to implement a schedule that is realistic to maintain and im not going to measure my food im just not for my life and the time i have its not something i can keep up long term. i appreciate the advice. maybe there's different exercises i can do or certain foods to eat more of ?

well the beauty of counting calories is it teaches you how to portion properly, you dont have to do it forever but its a great way to lean how to eat to sustain weight loss. your choice though obviously

what you eat is up to you, but i suggest high protein, low calorie foods like veggies and lean meats. if your not going to exactly count calories, at least look at the nutritional label of what your eating before you do to give yourself a good idea of how much of it you should eat.

exercising is up to you, i suggest weight lifting to help retain muscle mass and i find it helps with motivation as well. cardio is iffy, just find what you enjoy

lozcherry

Counting calories can be great for some people, I definitely would be keeping an eye on your intake and myfitness pal is great for that,
Some thing I would have a look is not just what your eating but the TIMES you are eating.
Its hard to answer your question as I dont know,
How much water your drinking?
what type of exercise your doing?
what your eating and when your eating,
All of the above play a big role in Weightloss.
Good on you for exercising 4-5 x a week its a great start, Dont always measure your success by the scales.
There are plenty other positive ways to do this, for example how you look and feel in your clothes, measurements or your energy levels

Branstin

If you really want this to work then you need to invest some time into setting up a good foundation. Once you get use to logging and tracking, the easier it will become. Over time you may be able to convert to portion control. If your current way isn't working then you need to decide if your health is worth the investment now.

kangaroux92

i do count i just don't weight my food, sometimes i estimate things but i always read nutritional information and try to limit sugars as much as i can. as for exercise ive been doing variations of jogging elliptical stair-master and weight lifting. thanks for your input. .

Branstin

Since you haven't lose weight in a month, your are underestimating your calories consumed and/or overestimating the calories you burned if you are eating those back. There really isn’t any other way around it. You have to start better tracking your calories.

Have you adjusted your settings based on your current weight to see if your calories limit has changed?

kangaroux92

as for your questions

water? i always struggle with getting enough liquids im not a very big drinker ( not soda, juice anything)but i have improved before i could go a whole day without drinking anything.

exercise? the first 2 weeks i jogged and walked 3 miles 4 days a week. then i started the gym i do 30- min variations of cardio 20- 30 min doing diffrent weight lifting.

what do i eat and when?
i have coffee every day 1 cup i do use creamer but only 2 tbs. breakfast at 9:00 ether a banana , protein shake, or egg salad sandwich with bacon on the days if feel really hungry about 2x week.

lunch 2:00 ( i do eat out some days subway 6 inch chicken veggies,or a pesto slice of pizza,or a Greek grilled chicken salad with oil and vinegar, most popular choices and i sometimes make lunch.

dinner 7:00 ether grilled chicken and avocado or steak and avocado, sometimes half of my lunch i usually don't finish lunch. i don't always eat dinner i have fruit alot at night .

i go to bed at 10:00 and wake up at 6:30 to go to the gym.

kangaroux92

branstin

i would have to agree with you. even though im eating much much less than i did before maybee i am still eating to much. idk i really dont want to have to be starving all the time .it works, ive done it in the past but idk if i can do that for very long because then i end up binge eating. with what im doing now im satisfied and not crazy hungry but maybe i need to bump it up a notch.

icrushit

Is there any difference in how your clothes are fitting ? If so, perhaps you've simply converted some of those pounds to muscle. If so, the scales won't tell you too much but gauging your body fat level will..

kangaroux92

seems of my pants fit a tinny bit looser and i notice toning because of the weight lifting and squats etc but i need to loose the weight and then ill worry about toning .30 pounds seem so daunting. but one day at a time right.

SueInAz

The one thing I think you need to realize is that exercise does not equal weight loss. The fact that you are exercising many times per week doesn't mean you will lose weight. As the saying goes, "You can't outrun a bad diet." If you're overeating through portion distortion you could easily be undoing all of the calorie burns through your exercise.

Just because a food is "healthy" doesn't mean it's low calorie, right? A PB and banana sandwich on whole wheat is well over 400 calories and that doesn't include anything else you're having on the side. If you're just eyeballing your food portions what you think is "4 ounces of chicken" may be as many as 6 or 8 ounces. Or that "2 tablespoons of salad dressing" might be 3 or 4 tablespoons. All of the those extra calories really add up.

I highly suggest, at least for the short term, that you really focus on measuring, weighing and logging your food. This is even more important than exercising more or better. I have a feeling you're going to be amazed by how many calories you're still eating. Once you can truly eyeball a portion and know it's the proper amount you won't need the scale or measuring utensils nearly as much. I know you're worried about being on a restrictive diet. You don't need to restrict calories yet, just accurately keep track of how many calories you're actually eating. You'll be able to figure out where things might be going wrong and where you can easily cut some calories, if needed.

ETA: If you haven't yet, break out the tape measure and record your body measurements. If you are losing inches, rather than pounds, that's how you'll be able to keep track. Inches are more important, IMHO.

kangaroux92

thanks for your comments i will try being more mindful of my calories and portions.

do you think i should eat more often in smaller portions? i do not snack very much. i eat breakfast lunch dinner and maybe one snack.

and what do you recommend for calorie intake im 5'5" and 184 and i would like to loose 1- 1.5 pounds a week.

also would you recommend any dietary vitamins or supplements i do take pre-work out sometimes but should i try green tea or lemon water.

SueInAz

Really, you should just eat as often as you are hungry. I rather like the smaller meals, more often philosophy but if you're satisfied with three larger meals and a snack then there's nothing wrong with eating that way. Time of day or calorie dispersal throughout the day have little impact on weight loss. There are also not any tried and true supplements. If you like lemon water or green tea, drink them, but there's no reason to because it'll help with weight loss.

As far as your calorie goal, trust MFP. If you entered your statistics and weight loss goal into MFP it'll build the appropriate calorie deficit into your daily calorie goal. I've always used sedentary for my activity level and then entered any exercise manually. I don't exercise at the same level every day so that works for me. It's up to you whether or not you eat back your exercise calories, especially at first. If you're hungry, eat the extra calories, if you aren't, then don't.