Take a Look

BacktoSam

I have been on here for over a month now, and I'm only down 1 lb. Right now my calorie intake is set to lose 1 lb per week, and I'm usually always under, hoping for 1.5 lbs. I admit that I haven't been working out like I should, but my calorie intake alone should be producing a bigger loss than 1 lb a month I though. If y'all could take a look at my diary and let me know what you think it would be great. Be honest, I'm a big girl, I can take it hahaha

amaried621

The biggest part of losing weight is exercising, if you aren't doing much of that then that is likely why you aren't losing any weight. Eating the right foods can only do so much, you really need to commit yourself to exercising to lose more weight.

shezza737

From a very quick look at a couple of days of your food diary, I would say, perhaps your not eating enough!?
You should get as close as you can to your daily calorie allowance and anything you gain through exercise you should aim to eat at least half of.

Are you drinking enough fluid too, i.e water?

cem2168

hi! i looked at your diary, and it looks good. Maybe try to add a bit more lean protein into your diet. Protein is best for burning fat. Also, maybe try to spread your calories out differently throughout the day? Eating multiple small meals will keep your appetite at bay more and keep your metabolism running at a normal speed. Naturally the human body needs to most nutrients in the morning, but most people eat it at dinner. maybe try switching it up? I like to go by the saying "eat like a king at breakfast, a commoner at lunch and a pauper at dinner". Maybe keeping all your meals around the same, evenly divided calorie levels with snacks could help to balance your metabolism and keep it running I hope that helps!

StormyNoriega

Hi! Just from taking a quick look at your diary, I am thinking your not eating enough? I have found that if I eat most of my calories at breakfast and lunch and not so much for dinner I do better. Or that is what works for me. Don't give up, keep pushing, and you will get there.

Godlovesme

I think you might need to be working out more, even if it is just walking everyday for 20 min good luck and don't give up!!!!

Willstephens1

From a very quick look at a couple of days of your food diary, I would say, perhaps your not eating enough!?

I agree, you seem to be way under your goal most days. I started off like this for the first 2 weeks and didn't lose anything.

I then made an effort to eat nearer to my goal and did start to lose.

BrianJLamb

I looked through a couple of days and what I would suggest is that you need to workout.

You aren't eating bad, but you could definitely be eating cleaner. Tostitos and cheese and Olive Garden breadsticks, even in moderation are not really good for you. I am not suggesting that you go militant, but if you want to eat that stuff and lose weight, then you HAVE to exercise. I don't think that you need to eat more, I think you are fine on your portions.

Again, this is all just my opinion and I am know to be wrong alot, so don't quote me or get upset with me, I always find that I lose more weight when I eat less processed foods, more veges and fruits, cut out fried things or things loaded with oil, regardless of their caloric value. 100 calories worth of vegetables is easier for your body to use than 100 calories of cheetos.

So, I think tweaking your diet a little to kindof lose the processed stuff and then working out...definitely working out....you should be fine.

shmarlyboo

I would say eat more often and eat things like fresh fruits and veggies. you can eat as much as you want! also, try not having any starches in the evening. I know, i know...but try it for a week and see what happens. keep an eye on your sodium levels because too much can result in water retention. another thing that can make your body retain water is not getting enough. sounds odd, but if your body doesn't feel it's getting enough H20, it will try to hold on to what you have. so keep hydrated!

newnicole

less carbs!
try lean protein.

erickirb

The biggest part of losing weight is exercising, if you aren't doing much of that then that is likely why you aren't losing any weight. Eating the right foods can only do so much, you really need to commit yourself to exercising to lose more weight.

Not really. "Weight loss is 80% diet, 10% exercise and 10% genetics" Tosca Reno,

it really comes down to calories in vs calories out. If you are measuring and recording your food correctly and you are still not losing you may want to check with your doctor, could be a thyroid issue. If you are not measuring your food that is were I would start. Get a kitchen scale as weight is the best way to measure food.

OLP76

You don't have a column for SODIUM...! Your foods seem to be okay - but maybe make a column for Sodium...You'll be surprised how much Sodium is in processed food especially cheese etc.

Perhaps pushin' yourself more in your workouts? - Drink more water - instead of coffee drink -hot green tea.

Protein, protein...& watch your Sodium levels...

best wishes xo

chicks2023

Carbs! My opinion, that is your killer. Carbs provide energy and if you are not working out, you need less energy boosting food. I would modify your goals to be 50/30/20, 50% Protein/30% Carbs/20% Fat. I'll bet you see an instant difference.

Also, everyone else is right about eating more too. You don't want to put your body into starvation mode. And, at the very least, add a little walk into your daily program. Get up 15 minutes early and walk 15 minutes, you naturally add more time as time progresses.

Good luck.

FaithandFitness

What helped me was:

Increase my protein to about 40-45% of my daily calories, while trying to keep my carbs about 30 and my fat around 20% (These are just guidelines, I am never 100% on target, but they are a guide)

Drinking water! I have a bunch of 32oz fast food cups in my cupboard, I fill one up 3 times a day and that puts me well over for my daily water.

Exercising . . .I get something in 6 or 7 days a week. Walking with short bits of running, weights at the gym, exercise video . . .whatever makes you sweat. If I am not sweating then I know I can be working harder.

Being proud of myself even when the scale doesn't drop . . .each day that I make healthy choices I should be proud of where I have come from and keep myself moving in that direction.

Like Shezza said, you may actually need to eat more. One of my real life friends had that problem and when she bumped her calories up to what MFP tol her, she started losing.

dawnpumps

I looked too. I tend to agree with other posters. You should probably eat a bit more and get some exercise. At the end of the day, when you do lose your weight, the only way to keep it off long-term is to be in a routine of burning more calories (regular exercise) than you injest. Simple concept, huh? Wonder why it has taken me almost 40 years to figure this out? You might as well start getting into that routine now...right? And, since you are so diligent about posting your food, I can tell your the kind of person who will set her mind to exercise and do it! Good luck.

obifatkanobi

I'd say your doing pretty well. One thing to look at (you can change it under "settings-diary settings," if you want to monitor it) is sodium. If your retaining water, your weight loss isn't going to show. Another thing is fiber, if your not flushing food through, it can add weight in.

Also, not exercising may account for not seeing the loss, but if your numbers are under you should be losing the fat. Remember, sometimes the scale doesn't show it, but the fat is still disappearing. Sooner or later, it's going to register.

Just keep on with what your doing, try and work a little exercise in, even just some walking, and one of these days your going to see your hard work pay off.

baileycd

I took a look at your diary and I am going to agree with everyone else... I don't believe you are eating enough calories in a day... I know you are under your calorie goal, but your body needs evergy in order to burn the calories. Also, you want to drink as much water as you can during the day! I'll tell ya from experience when I have my good days and can drink up to 10 or 12 glasses of water a day I wake up and I've lost 0.5Lbs to 1.0 lb for that period of time just by drinking water. You have to drink your body weight in water everyday! You might want to also pick up the exercise too a little bit. I have hit a really rough spot with mine because at the very begining of all of this I lost weight pretty quick, but now it has slowed down some and I too get discouraged really quickly! Just keep your head up and know that it will work you just have to work with it to see what works best for you!

I hope this helps!

spacey1103

Not eating enough can send your body into starvation mode which will slow your metabolism down. Your body will actually hold on to the weight in fear that you won't feed it again. I'm not saying chow down, but try to consume more veggies and lean protein.

urbanruralmomma

Maybe you're not getting enough calories. I joined a gym lately and the nutritionist mentioned that 1200 calories a day is really the minimum - anything under that and your body goes into starvation mode (retaining everything it can). I have to eat more than i want to get closer to my recommended calorie intake. So I'd recommend staying right on your calorie intake, if possible.

Also, it seems to be true that water is the key. I try t to have about 64 oz a day. I opt for warm water tho - apparently our bodies are able to absorb warm water quicker than cold water.

Finally, exercise will help. I was on Weight Watchers a while back and like you, my caloric intake was low, but i wasn't working out. You're right, it should happen - but for me it was way too slow. When you're just getting started, exercise doesn't have to be much - it can be tightening your abs while you're driving. Lifting your calves while sitting on the sofa. Lift yourself up on your tip-toes while cooking in the kitchen.

Stretching will be good for your body too - it'll waken it up a bit.

corey_e

I agree with most everyone else. You should be eating more other wise you are starving your body and slowing your metabolism. Eat foods with more fiber and protein to help keep you full and fuel your muscle. And exercise will help, just start off slow until you get used to it. Also make sure to eat back exercise calories or you run into the whole starvation thing again. Good luck to you!

xxMsComptonxx

water water water... and... eat only fruits and vegetables and eggs... boiled eggs... only boiled or steamed vegetables ((do not add anything--no salt no butter if you need added taste use herbs and spices these have no calories and are great... FYI cinnamon raises metabolism)) fruits are only to be ate first thing in the morning. and never eat anything at least 2 hours after you eat a fruit. fruit should always be ate alone. and only drink water. if you follow all this you can eat as much as you want and lose weight. most vegetables are negative calories. meaning the amount of caloires they contain will be burned off when you digest the food and go about your daily activities... and no dressing on your salads. top your salads with lots of other vegetables for taste. for example.... romaine lettuce/boiled egg/peas/carrots/pepper/broccoli/cauliflower/onions/olives ((few they are good fats and you need them but use a few here and there)) and all the veggies you can think off get creative... you will develope a taste for everything. and the more you do this the more you will not want sweets. you will crave veggies. fruit--- i use fruit when i want something sweet... fruit is good for you... sugar is not and will rot your teeth... fruit contains natural sugars which is good in small amounts so like i said eat fruit in the morning by itself and at night if you get a sweet tooth craving for a late night snack turn to fruit instead of chocolate or cake... i hope this helps!

BacktoSam

Thanks so much for all the replies, I will definitely be upping my workouts and hoping that, that will help. I'll also try to add more protein and eat a bulk of my calories before dinner time Thanks!

dlaplume2

I took a look at it and it doesn't look like you are eating bad.

I don't know how much sodium you are eating because that isn't being tracked.
I think you should try and spread your calories more evenly and eat a little more.

If you don't have time to exercise try to incorporate some muscle building moves throughout your day.
Like- when you do laundry squat to pick up the close. yesterday I was standing in line at the deli and I just kepy going up and down on my toe. It help with calf mucsles. when you take the stairs do 2 at a time.

Things like that can help.

princesschikee

It would be a good idea to spread out your meals to 5 small ones a day with each one containing complex carbs, protein and fat. Eating this way boosts your metabolism, keeps you energized throughout the day. So every 3 hours is ideal. Obviously working out will speed up the process. Take a look at my food diary to see what I mean.

BrianJLamb

I don't get why everyone is telling her to eat more. If she were eating like 700 calories a day, then I would think that was right. If she is eating 1200 calories a day, she should be fine...and if she wants to go under that, as long as she bumps her calories up every now and then she should also be fine.

I regularly come in at around 1000 calories. On some days, if I feel hungry, I will up my intake and hit like a 1400 to 1700 intake. I am losing about 2 lbs a week doing this. The key is to workout and really workout. Do cardio, get your hear rate up, multiple times a day if possible. Even if you do a regular cardio session in the morning and then do an interval at night for a short sprint.

Think about how our bodies evolved. Early ancestor were monsters. Like real hunters...killers...leaned out and diesel. They didnt get a solid calorie count each day. They walked, looked for food, ran after animals, etc. They would scavenge for worms and bugs and eat berries and tree roots and whatever else they could find. On the off day they could catch an elk, they gorged on it.

Go caveman style. Work for your food. Exercise in the morning, forage on healthy stuff, eat a mastodon every now and again.

ChelseaRW

Keep your net calories above 1200 for sure...and I took at peek at your full page diary and some days your sodium was pretty high for the low number of calories you were eating. Definitely keep track of your water and try to keep your sodium in check. This is so something I have trouble with. Don't get discouraged though, you will drop it, maybe not the speed which you want, but it will drop. :happy:

pandafoo

The biggest part of losing weight is exercising, if you aren't doing much of that then that is likely why you aren't losing any weight. Eating the right foods can only do so much, you really need to commit yourself to exercising to lose more weight.

Not really. "Weight loss is 80% diet, 10% exercise and 10% genetics" Tosca Reno,

it really comes down to calories in vs calories out. If you are measuring and recording your food correctly and you are still not losing you may want to check with your doctor, could be a thyroid issue. If you are not measuring your food that is were I would start. Get a kitchen scale as weight is the best way to measure food.''

i agree with this. losing weight ultimately comes down to calories in, calories out. even if you exercise daily, if you eat more than you burn (even if it's healthy food), you'll gain weight and add fat on top of your toned muscles. so i think maybe you could be eating more than you think and/or overestimating your calories burned - in which case a kitchen scale and heart rate monitor would be very helpful. or like most people are saying so far, it could be that you're not eating enough and your body has jumped into survival mode. try adding more calories, but if that doesn't seem to work, make an investment in a kitchen scale and HRM and see how that goes.

BacktoSam

The biggest part of losing weight is exercising, if you aren't doing much of that then that is likely why you aren't losing any weight. Eating the right foods can only do so much, you really need to commit yourself to exercising to lose more weight.

Not really. "Weight loss is 80% diet, 10% exercise and 10% genetics" Tosca Reno,

it really comes down to calories in vs calories out. If you are measuring and recording your food correctly and you are still not losing you may want to check with your doctor, could be a thyroid issue. If you are not measuring your food that is were I would start. Get a kitchen scale as weight is the best way to measure food.''

i agree with this. losing weight ultimately comes down to calories in, calories out. even if you exercise daily, if you eat more than you burn (even if it's healthy food), you'll gain weight and add fat on top of your toned muscles. so i think maybe you could be eating more than you think and/or overestimating your calories burned - in which case a kitchen scale and heart rate monitor would be very helpful. or like most people are saying so far, it could be that you're not eating enough and your body has jumped into survival mode. try adding more calories, but if that doesn't seem to work, make an investment in a kitchen scale and HRM and see how that goes.

I actually do have a kitchen scale and measure everything I eat, so that isn't a problem for me, the only time it would be off is when I'm eating out. I also have a Polar HRM that I wear every time I work out.

ofccat

I think you had some good responses here. A lot of days it looks like you are leaving a lot of calories left over which your body usually needs. Try to eat some more healthy snacks and reach your calorie goal. Even if you can only fit 15 minutes of exercise into your routine every day- do it. Take the stairs -v- the elevator, go for a quick walk at lunch. Good luck!

Coco_Puff

You need to eat the calories suggested by MFP. I also have found eating every 2-3 hrs. has been working for me lately. I also cook everything I eat myself so I can control what goes in my food. When I do eat out. it's been cut down to 1 or 2 times a month. That was hard, cause I love to eat out, but the sodium alone in restaurant food is off the charts. If you can workout, that will help too. You can do it!!!

princesschikee

You need to eat the calories suggested by MFP. I also have found eating every 2-3 hrs. has been working for me lately. I also cook everything I eat myself so I can control what goes in my food. When I do eat out. it's been cut down to 1 or 2 times a month. That was hard, cause I love to eat out, but the sodium alone in restaurant food is off the charts. If you can workout, that will help too. You can do it!!!

Isn't it awesome eating so often and not gaining weight. I'm like you, I prepare everything myself. With an occasional, outing. But I always watch what it is. Glad that there are others who believe in eating like that.