OK....I did it! I set my food diary to public view!

amarie35

I have been an active member of MFP for about 5 weeks now, but I've always had my food diary open for viewing from friends only. Today, I made my food diary available to the public. I know that I am close to my weight goal and I understand that the closer I get, the harder it is to lose. I would like to see quicker weight loss results...as I'm sure everyone would. I've only lost about 4 pounds total. When I first started MFP, I had it set up to help me lose 1 1/2 a week. In order to accomplish this, MFP suggested that I take in 1200 calories per/day (more if I exercise). I have been trying to keep my calorie intake around 1200, whether I exercise a lot or a little. I guess I'm just being TOO IMPATIENT; I know I will eventually lose the weight but it seems like it is taking 4ever.

If you don't mind, take a moment and glance @ my diary.

Which foods am I eating too much of?
What foods should I eat more of?

I will appreciate any advice you can give me.
Thank you! :bigsmile:

christy_frank

bump

You are not eating enough. Your NET calories need to be above 1200. Net is Calories in, minus calories burned = Net. Try eating more. I know it sounds funny but sometimes you need to eat more to lose weight otherwise you put your body into starvation mode.

eillamarie

I see a lot of processed foods and foods, check the labels for "hidden" things like trans fats & sugar! But you do seem to have a good balance of nutrients!

ChefJenn

I am not one to judge what u eat... but when I did have my diary open for ppl to view..
I was told NO processed food... no canned food, no food with high sugar or sodium..

I didnt get good advice, it made me more depressed..
So needless to say my diary is not public anymore

But I dont know your situation.. I wish u luck

SusieLovesArt

Just a quick note, when I started eating more calories I started losing more. Imagine just putting enough gas in your car to get to the next stop, and then putting a little more in...your body is like that car, you need sufficient fuel on a regular basis. You really do lose more when you fuel up correctly! Good luck.

Cbandelier

ditto on making sure to eat enough.

In general, your food choices look pretty good. If you want to mix it up some, you might try more protein and fewer carbs.

Also, I notice you incorporate a lot of restaurant and take-out foods. This can be ok, but remember that the calories you are adding may be underestimated. A lot of restaurant portions are actually larger than what they publish on their nutrition guides, or just vary a lot from restaurant to restaurant. They are also pushing your sodium up on some days, which may be hurting your weight loss.

laurabeth02

Watch your sugar intake, it looks like you eat processed foods like quaker rice cakes and chewy bars. Try eating more lean meats, veggies, and fruits maybe. Also, you can track your sugar intake in your daily goals, I always go over on sugar, but it's mostly from fruit when I do.

tekiegirl

Firstly I have to say that you look great in your photos and I wouldn't say you need to lose any weight ) Way to go.
Obviously it's your decision though.

I would also agree with Christy. I found the concept of eating more to lose weight a bit hard to grasp, but from what I have read it really does work. If you eat too few calories your body stores more fat!

jojoworks

Hi,

You have the right idea that the closer you are to your goal weight the slower the weight will come off. I did peruse your food diary, not extensively far back but thru the last week or so.

My observations:
sodium: too high at over 2,000 mg regularily. MFP sets 2,500 as a "goal" but really that should be the extreme outer limits. Recently the experts are urging people to aim for closer to 1,500 mg/day. This is very hard for some people to do. The reason that it's hard to do is that you pretty much have to quit buying processed and packaged food, shop for ingredients and make your own meals.

eat clean: by eating clean I mean that when you eat less processed foods and make your own you should be eating more lean meats, less salt-infused foods, more veggies, more fruits and way fewer empty carbs (empty carbs = white refined flours, white refined rice, white refined pastas and breads made from white refined over processed flours).

read your labels

my theory: if you're eating a restricted calorie diet it only makes sense to have each of those calories be as nutrient dense as possible. Yes, it matter WHAT you eat, not just how much.

thanks for asking, my response is meant to be respectful, forgive me if its too opinionated.

good luck and happy eating!
JoJo

Coco_Puff

As time consuming as it is, you need to cook your own food. Example: baked chicken breast, fresh steam veggies, salad with healthy oil and vinegar. This is the only way to control what you're putting in your body. Anything you eat that is processed food is no no. Your body doesn't know what to do with it and messes you up. Having said that, I still have store bought items in my diet, it is so hard to cut them out all together, but my protein, veggies, fruit, and whatever else I can cook from scratch, I do.

jojoworks

I am not one to judge what u eat... but when I did have my diary open for ppl to view..
I was told NO processed food... no canned food, no food with high sugar or sodium..

I didnt get good advice, it made me more depressed..
So needless to say my diary is not public anymore

But I dont know your situation.. I wish u luck

this advice (to eat fewer processed foods) is not bad advice, but it is hard to do. It takes awhile to change not only how you eat but how you shop and how you stock your kitchen and how you prepare your meals. It certainly isn't advice that will give you a quick fix to put you on the fast track to losing weight.

It may, however, help you to gain understanding and in time that understanding may provide a foundation for you. It seems like most people on here want to learn a better way, set up a healthier lifestyle, have a diet that they can sustain, not just lose weight and go back to eating in the manner that brought them to an unhealthy weight.

take care and happy eating!

ChefJenn

I am not one to judge what u eat... but when I did have my diary open for ppl to view..
I was told NO processed food... no canned food, no food with high sugar or sodium..

I didnt get good advice, it made me more depressed..
So needless to say my diary is not public anymore

But I dont know your situation.. I wish u luck

this advice (to eat fewer processed foods) is not bad advice, but it is hard to do. It takes awhile to change not only how you eat but how you shop and how you stock your kitchen and how you prepare your meals. It certainly isn't advice that will give you a quick fix to put you on the fast track to losing weight.

It may, however, help you to gain understanding and in time that understanding may provide a foundation for you. It seems like most people on here want to learn a better way, set up a healthier lifestyle, have a diet that they can sustain, not just lose weight and go back to eating in the manner that brought them to an unhealthy weight.

take care and happy eating!

again no judgement..
I am not the normal person on here..
I do not have working organs and digestive tract like others. I follow a meal plan that was designed for Weight loss surgery patients. I was never told no processed foods. In fact, My 1st year after surgery was just that. with juices and protein drinks.
I am told to only eat 800 calories a day and 60 grams of protein and I have to take a lot of vitamins and B12 shots.
I lost 140 pounds on this diet, but again my body is designed now to handle that and what most everyone else eats I cant.
I cant eat "stringy veggies and fruits".. No skins , nothing with seeds and where ppl say eat Nuts or Avocados .. I am not allowed.
Due to the size of my new stomach I can only eat 4 oz at a time. So its easier to eat a small easy mac/cheese bowl than making a whole dish of it. I know that little bowl has on 220 calories and is only 2 oz. I will not over eat and I did ok on calories. If I over eat I will spend more time vomiting and then purging from it , causing me pain to my stomach, staples and stitches.
So, this CLEAN EATING , is not so clean for me. I eat alot of baked chicken, boost protein drinks, and tons of water. But, I do like a cup of 99% chef boyardee , I know I can take an hour to eat it and its low in fat. I worry more about Fat and calories than sugar, and sodium. Because my body cant process fatty items , it just causing you to be in the bathroom all day.
however thanks for the info..
I have to follow the papers I got from my surgeon and not what a bunch of ppl on a website say sometimes

jojoworks

I am not one to judge what u eat... but when I did have my diary open for ppl to view..
I was told NO processed food... no canned food, no food with high sugar or sodium..

I didnt get good advice, it made me more depressed..
So needless to say my diary is not public anymore

But I dont know your situation.. I wish u luck

this advice (to eat fewer processed foods) is not bad advice, but it is hard to do. It takes awhile to change not only how you eat but how you shop and how you stock your kitchen and how you prepare your meals. It certainly isn't advice that will give you a quick fix to put you on the fast track to losing weight.

It may, however, help you to gain understanding and in time that understanding may provide a foundation for you. It seems like most people on here want to learn a better way, set up a healthier lifestyle, have a diet that they can sustain, not just lose weight and go back to eating in the manner that brought them to an unhealthy weight.

take care and happy eating!

again no judgement..
I am not the normal person on here..
I do not have working organs and digestive tract like others. I follow a meal plan that was designed for Weight loss surgery patients. I was never told no processed foods. In fact, My 1st year after surgery was just that. with juices and protein drinks.
I am told to only eat 800 calories a day and 60 grams of protein and I have to take a lot of vitamins and B12 shots.
I lost 140 pounds on this diet, but again my body is designed now to handle that and what most everyone else eats I cant.
I cant eat "stringy veggies and fruits".. No skins , nothing with seeds and where ppl say eat Nuts or Avocados .. I am not allowed.
Due to the size of my new stomach I can only eat 4 oz at a time. So its easier to eat a small easy mac/cheese bowl than making a whole dish of it. I know that little bowl has on 220 calories and is only 2 oz. I will not over eat and I did ok on calories. If I over eat I will spend more time vomiting and then purging from it , causing me pain to my stomach, staples and stitches.
So, this CLEAN EATING , is not so clean for me. I eat alot of baked chicken, boost protein drinks, and tons of water. But, I do like a cup of 99% chef boyardee , I know I can take an hour to eat it and its low in fat. I worry more about Fat and calories than sugar, and sodium. Because my body cant process fatty items , it just causing you to be in the bathroom all day.
however thanks for the info..
I have to follow the papers I got from my surgeon and not what a bunch of ppl on a website say sometimes

thank you for that clarification, I understand better now. I hope that you're no longer depressed. I should have expressed that anyone should always seek advice from their doctor and follow that advice over the opinions of people in a message forum. In that you are very correct.

good luck in all your efforts!
JoJo

amarie35

Thank you for the picture comments & the great advice.