Struggling with food/weightloss

nicola8900

Hi, I've been logging all my food for just under a month now and I'm a very fussy eater, I'm currently taking the juice plus capsules to give me all my fruits, veg & berries needs but because I don't like that much stuff can I still lose weight? I'm eating 1200 cals a day sometimes just over sometimes just under, also doing squats, crunches,pelvic lifts and planking 4 days in a row then 1 day off. I try to get cycling when I can usually 2 or 3 times a week for an hour to get some cardio in. I lose 3lbs the first week and haven't lost anything since. Am i doing something wrong or will i see results in time? any advice is appreciated

LoraF83

Open up your diary so people can take a look at what you've been doing. More info = better advice.

4legsRbetterthan2

Well there alot of response here,

It does not really matter what you eat but how much you eat for weight loss alone (however micros are important for health so make sure you are meeting your needs there).

Alot of people on the 1200 cal a day plan have their loss rate set too aggressively for their goals. If it is working for you then great, but often times people find long term they don't stay "happy" on that plan.

The 4 days strait of resistance training sounds odd to me, but hopefully someone with more experience in that area will chime in on that.

As for the inconsistant losses, not sure how long you have been at it but often times people see large losses early on and then their body settles into more consistant loss according to their plan. How long has it been since the first week?

Also, make sure you are weighing solids, measuring liquids, and logging every single thing for accuracy.

nicola8900

my diary is open thanks for the advice I don't actually own food scales at the minute just been logging off as closesly as possible on here

StaciMarie1974

Without a food scale you're estimating and can't be accurate. But if you lost weight week 1 and haven't in the 2-3 weeks since, no reason to panic yet. Body weight fluctuates especially for women. TOM/hormones, sodium, stress, etc. all have a temporary water weight impact.

4legsRbetterthan2

I would get a food scale if you can, measurements can be suprisingly far off sometimes. I saw 1g of butter logged, thats like a drop, doesn't seem it would be accurate to me. Also some days where only 400-600 cals are logged, hopefully that was just incomplete logging and now what you ate. Accurate logging is really the biggest thing you can work on to be successful.

LoraF83

I would recommend getting a food scale. It makes a big difference and they are fairly inexpensive (I got mine for less than $20).

Stop using so many "quick add" calories and "generic" entries. Those are complete and total guesses and you're probably off on your calorie counts. I also see a few incomplete logging days. Instead of using someone else's entry, make your own recipe for things. That way you know the calorie count is correct.

So, instead of "homemade mashed potatoes with butter" at 104 calories.....make a recipe for mashed potatoes. Weigh your potatoes before cooking. Enter that many into the recipe. Add your butter to the recipe, along with any milk you use. Then, when the cooking is done, weigh your dish and figure out how many oz or grams is a portion and enter that you ate that. Way more accurate. It's some extra work, but once things are entered, you can go back to using them over and over again.

I'm also going to guess that your sodium levels are high. As much packed and take-out food as you're eating, you are probably retaining fluid. It may not look like it from your diary, but those entries are probably incomplete and don't have accurate sodium amounts. If you start focusing more on whole foods - lean protein, fruits, veggies, etc, you'll reduce your sodium amounts and won't retain as much fluid.


Just some ideas that may help

nicola8900

Thank you, I will purchase a food scale this week

rebekahstrachan3

you need to start weighing everything out correctly and using the correct brands for calorie content. log everything you put in your mouth. I'm doing 1,200 calories as well so have a look at my diary if you like. I've lost 13lbs in 5 weeks but I probably have a lot more to loose than you.

nicola8900

thanks, I'm not sure how to use scales but I will definitely buy some in the next week

nicola8900

are these the right type of scale I need ? http://www.tesco.com/direct/kitchen-craft-colourworks-electric-scale-5kg-blue/222-3196.prd?pageLevel=&skuId=222-3196

4legsRbetterthan2

Using scales is easy once you get the hang of it! I like to use the grams setting because is a smaller unit so more accurate, and entries are in 100g or 1g units so the math is super easy.

Usually I "build my food" on the scale, so if I were to make a sandwich you put the bread on, read the number, then tare it (that takes it back to 0). Then put the turkey on, read the number, and tare it. Then put the cheese on, read the number, tare it. So on and what not.

Sometimes it is easier to use subtractive weighing. I like this for condiments. If I put ketchup on something I'll weight the whole bottle when I take it out of the frige, tare the scale, squirt out what I want, then weight the bottle again. It will give you a negative number, that is how much you used.

Happy weighing!

auddii

Some of the entries you choose do not seem to be accurate. One day you have 3 wheatabix for breakfast and dinner and there are different calorie counts for them. You also have eggs and 2 toasts barely having more calories than another entry for just buttered toast.

Unfortunately, a lot of the entries are user entered and can just be wrong. Make sure you double check with the box label that you are choosing the correct values for things. You also have some quick add calories, which does not help.

I'd suggest logging accurately for a month, and see how that goes. Here's a post to help with how to log accurately:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

nicola8900

thanks for all your help it's much appreciated, what do you do if you eat out?

Branstin

thanks for all your help it's much appreciated, what do you do if you eat out?

Plan ahead by searching online menus for calorie totals and fit those into your calories budget. Pay extra attention to the sodium amounts because many are huge and will cause water retention.

LoraF83

thanks for all your help it's much appreciated, what do you do if you eat out?

I look up the nutritional information online ahead of time and decide what I'm going to have. Then, I put it in my diary so I know how many calories that meal will take from my day. When I get there, I stick to my decision and order what I know I can have calorie-wise.