Help Please... Weight Loss Questions

msdominique1

So I have been on here for almost a month... The scale is not moving much at all...

I changed my eating habit drastically and I exercise 4-5 times a week... I walk a lot to/from/during work... I am a little confused as to when I will see some type of results... I understand the concept that you did not gain weight over night and I should not expect to lose weight over night as well... but ummm I am not seeing much results at all...

Is there anyone else that went through or is going through the same issues I am having...

Please advise on some things I can do (exercise weight or eating wise).

I would really like to lose at least 15-20 lbs by next month for my vacation... I don't know if that is realistic or not, but I just would like to see the scale move... its starting to get frustrating, but I don't want to give up... :happy:

Supermel

Are you getting enough water in? I reccomend tracking your sodium- too much sodium can cause you to retain.... I would watch your sugar numbers too.

SheilaSisco

What she said... check your sodium, drink lots of water, and make sure you are eating at LEAST 1200 calories NET a day. If you exercise and drop below the net 1200 mark, at least eat enough to push you back up to 1200 again. Lower than that, and your body will hold onto the fat because it will hit starvation mode. Also, keep an eye on your sugar intake...

heathersmilez

15-20 lbs is not realistic and not possible in 1 month other than those who are morbidly obese who may come close but even for them its usually after gastric bypass surgary.

0.5-2lbs a week is what you can expect and when you say "much" perhaps you've lost 2 lbs which is what you should be losing.

Pay attention to fulfilling all the nutrient goals and stay under on sodium to ensure the scale isn't artificially inflated with water retention.

Aileen46

My first thought was the same as Supermel's. You could try increasing your water intake and watching the salt/sodium. The water helps flush the system.

Also, have you done measurements? You might not be seeing weight loss but if you are working out, you could still be losing inches.

havingitall

Looking at your food diary, it appears that you are eating a lot of foods that are high in sodium. You may wantto change your diary to track sodium.

As well, your water consumption looks low. Aim for at least 8 glasses a day.

It is not jus the quantity of calories you are eating, but also the quality. The cookies, chicken wings and pizza are not great choices. Go more for fruits, veggies, whole grains and lean meats.

If you make these changes, you will find a huge difference

Laurieannfanelli

Also do another type of excersise confuse your body it is use to the walking while you work. Try some strength training building muscle will burn more calories. Good luck!

lawkat

You might be retaining water because you seem to eat a lot of high sodium foods. You would be amazed at how much your body holds on to if you consume too much sodium. Try eating more low sodium foods and see if that might help.

msdominique1

Are you getting enough water in? I reccomend tracking your sodium- too much sodium can cause you to retain.... I would watch your sugar numbers too.

I noticed the sodium level when I first started was so high... I am trying to watch that as well... And the water, its so hard for me to get the 8 glasses in a day... I am trying... the only time i can really get 8 glasses in is when I work out extra hard at the gym... Otherwise I may get 6 in a day at the most...

RoxMyWorld

I am having the very same issue. I have been on MFP for a month now. I went from eating probably somwhere close to 2500 calories a day (an embarrassing truth) to eatin so healthy, under 1600 calories a day. I went from not working otu at all to working out at least four times a week. I have completely changed my lifestyle. I have only dropped four pounds and last week I gained a pound a half back because I had a back injury and didnt run for three days. I just dont understand. However I have decided that no matter what this is important and I am sticking to it, so if you need another frustrated friend to vent to them feel free to add me.

corrinnebrown

The only thing I saw was maybe your sugar is a little high....have you gone to the doc and had your thyroid tested?

WrenLynn

The walking you are referring to-do you wear a heart rate monitor to track your calories? If not you may be overestimating how many calories you are burning. Make sure your heart rate is up and it is a brisk walk. Try changing it up with a different exercise such as an exercise video or class. Add in some weight training. Also please take your measurements as the scale doesn't always tell the whole truth.

mirna_ayala0428

I looked at your food diary and you might need to cut down on your sugars and sodium. Also, something that I try to do is not eat my workout calories unless, my body "tells" me it needs them. Just my suggestions.

lutzsher

You need to find what works for you, every person has their optimal calories Vs. exercise combination.

However, you should have lost something in 1 month so there are a few things you need to tweak:
1) up water to 10 cups per day - 8 is not enough
2) ensure your NET calories are 1200 AFTER exercise (ALWAYS eat at least 1/2 of those exercise calories)
3) get plenty of sleep, 7 hours if you can at least
4) do not eat at least 2 1/2 hours before bed
5) ensure your calories are from "clean" and healthy food, nothing processed
6) up the intensity of your workouts

When I started I had 80 pounds to lose, at that time I could drop from 2 to 4 pounds per week now that I only have about 25 pounds left I typically only will lose 1/2 pound to 2 pounds per week at the most. The most you can lose is typically about 8 pounds per month as a result.

Tweak the above items and give yourself the gift of patience.

mlynnthomas

I struggle with the water as well. But I train myself to drink at breakfeast, snack, lunch, snack and dinner. If you give yourself mini water breaks you will have all your water in by dinner time.

msdominique1

It seems as if everything I eat has lots of sodium in it... And my sugar count is high because I do eat lots of fruit, but when I do that my sugar exceeds for the day so I figured I would eat less of it.

I am so confused... :sad:

Leamac83

The thing with MFP is although it tracks your caloires it cant tell if its good or bad food thats going in you.

Lets say you have a 100 calorie snack, do you choose
A. a small apple and maybe a few berries...100 calories
or
B. some sort of low fat no fat reduced sugar synthetic triple chocolate chip cookie...100 calories
They may both be the same calories but we know what ones are best for us. Im guilty of choosing the tasty cookie on occasions but the thing about losing weight is you have to learn to make the right choices...mfp is here to help and support us to do that.

Like the other have said maybe your sodium is making you retain water but im guessing you want to lose more than just water, you want to burn the fat away too. The only way to burn fat is to excercise. If you feel you arent reaching the goals you want then the codl hard truth is you have to step it up a little…clearly what your doing isnt working for you...train for longer and cut out all the little things you see as treats. Yes its hard but come vacation time it will be 100% worth it.

Sorry to sound like the party pooper but I speak from experience and there is nothing worse than feeling like your trying so hard only to get on the scale and it doesn’t move…and even worse when you put on the jeans and they still don’t tie!
I really hope you can surpass some of your goals and feel great for your vacation! 

ramius

I'm definitly no expert but -- Here's something that I thought I'd share -- I know there are several opinions about this but I think there is some truth in it -- I just recently had a V02 test done which shows me which heart rate zones I burn what type of calories in.. and basically what I found out is that yes I'm increasing my cardio ability but I'm burning the calories I'm taking in on a daily basis rather than pulling from my bodies fat stores as my body is requesting energy right at that second.. so bottom line is I have to do more interval training and watch my Heart Rates zones so that I not only build up my cardio but also build up the ability to burn more Fat aka endurance..

That might be a factor to consider too..I'm now including a zone workout in my routine along with my weights and stardard Cardio which I'm doing C25k --

Good luck . something we all need to remember this is a journey not a sprint -- and for me personally its been a huge and I mean huge lifestyle change.. and you know what .. I LOVE IT

lawkat

You need to find replacement foods with lower sodium. Sausages and any processed meats are going to be so high in sodium. You might want to see if there is something out there that is similar but lower in sodium. I don't eat meat, so I have no clue what is out there. Just keep a close eye on what you buy before you buy it.

As for sugar, fruit is a good sugar. Personally, I never care about how much sugar I take in but that is me. If you have to monitor your sugar, make sure you are making healthy options.

concordancia

It seems as if everything I eat has lots of sodium in it... And my sugar count is high because I do eat lots of fruit, but when I do that my sugar exceeds for the day so I figured I would eat less of it.

I am so confused... :sad:

It does depend a lot on the kind of fruit. Berries and apples have lots of fiber in them, so the sugar doesn't hit your blood stream in the same way that it does if you eat tropical fruits like bananas. I know a lot of people who swear that they just can't lose weight if they eat bananas and the chemistry might support their claims.

msdominique1

The walking you are referring to-do you wear a heart rate monitor to track your calories? If not you may be overestimating how many calories you are burning. Make sure your heart rate is up and it is a brisk walk. Try changing it up with a different exercise such as an exercise video or class. Add in some weight training. Also please take your measurements as the scale doesn't always tell the whole truth.

I have been looking into getting a hrm... right now I am using a pedometer to track my steps I take... I walk up and down 6 flights of stairs at work and up and down 6 flights of stairs at home as well... I also walk up/down a hill everyday to catch the metro to work... Which is only about a 10minute walk one way... On Monday and Wednesday I attend a abs/glutes water class for 45 minutes and 3 other days I work out at the gym (elliptical and I do some ab crunches) for 1 hour.

I find that all the calories I burn when I work out... I can not eat them back because most of the time I am not hungry afterwards.

Calif_Girl67

Hi there,
I have only been on MFP for a month but I have been on a diet since March 7th and I am losing really slow as well.
I am losing between 1-2 pounds a week but I can tell I am also losing inches. i would prefer to see the numbers
on the scale go down but as long as I am losing inches and ppounds at a healthy rate then I am ok with that.

I am exercising just about everyday but I try to change up my exercise routine so my body doesn't get use to one
type of exercise.

msdominique1

You need to find what works for you, every person has their optimal calories Vs. exercise combination.

However, you should have lost something in 1 month so there are a few things you need to tweak:
1) up water to 10 cups per day - 8 is not enough
2) ensure your NET calories are 1200 AFTER exercise (ALWAYS eat at least 1/2 of those exercise calories)
3) get plenty of sleep, 7 hours if you can at least
4) do not eat at least 2 1/2 hours before bed
5) ensure your calories are from "clean" and healthy food, nothing processed
6) up the intensity of your workouts

When I started I had 80 pounds to lose, at that time I could drop from 2 to 4 pounds per week now that I only have about 25 pounds left I typically only will lose 1/2 pound to 2 pounds per week at the most. The most you can lose is typically about 8 pounds per month as a result.

Tweak the above items and give yourself the gift of patience.

Thanks for the advice I will try that... the struggle will be the water intake and well as those calories... some days i have a very hard time reaching 1200 before and sometimes after exercising...but i will try... :happy:

msdominique1

Hi there,
I have only been on MFP for a month but I have been on a diet since March 7th and I am losing really slow as well.
I am losing between 1-2 pounds a week but I can tell I am also losing inches. i would prefer to see the numbers
on the scale go down but as long as I am losing inches and ppounds at a healthy rate then I am ok with that.

I am exercising just about everyday but I try to change up my exercise routine so my body doesn't get use to one
type of exercise.

I have lost almost 3 lbs... I haven't updated my weigh in yet... maybe i can change my exercise regimen... i don't see a change in my inches though... it has been the same for a while...

msdominique1

It seems as if everything I eat has lots of sodium in it... And my sugar count is high because I do eat lots of fruit, but when I do that my sugar exceeds for the day so I figured I would eat less of it.

I am so confused... :sad:

It does depend a lot on the kind of fruit. Berries and apples have lots of fiber in them, so the sugar doesn't hit your blood stream in the same way that it does if you eat tropical fruits like bananas. I know a lot of people who swear that they just can't lose weight if they eat bananas and the chemistry might support their claims.

I stopped eating bannanas too much because i did notice that they were high in sugar...

lpm3925

I have to agree with a lot of what has been said. Your sodium is high, I actually didn’t see listed what your fat intake is, you are not drinking enough water either. On the diet front:
1) Drink lots of water, and only water. 100-150 ounces per day. Stay away from diet drinks, artificial sweeteners will slow weight lose.
2) You need to eat healthier foods: Fruit is high in sugar, some is good, a lot is not; salad is mostly devoid of nutritional value contrary to popular belief; 100 calorie snack packs are not healthy for you, just lower in calories but the same bad cookie is still bad if it is small.
3) Take a high quality supplement. I mean more than just a multi-vitamin, you are nutritionally empty, and your body will not function right until you get that fixed. That’s just what poor eating gets you. I started mine about 7 weeks ago now.
4) I saw on your food diary you are eating a good bit of chicken, skin removed. Good, but you are eating dark meat, drums, wings. Dark meat has more internal fat than white meat such as a skinless boneless breast. Half of a large breast is about 4oz. That is all you should be eating at one time.

Now on to exercise . You say you walk a lot at work, great! But that’s not exercise. Exercise is getting your heart into your target heart rate and maintaining that intensity for a minimum of 15 minutes. I get up from my desk and walk around too, but that’s just not enough. Find a program you can do at home, gym, whatever for 35-45 minutes per day. That’s all you need, that’s all I do, 6 days per week.

Feel free to look at my exercise and food diary. I have went from 318 to today’s weight of 287.8 in about 7 ½ weeks. You can do it, but you have to be serious about everything. Less calories (which you are doing), better food (You can improve), regular intense exercise (I think you can improve there too)

Hope this helps

msdominique1

The thing with MFP is although it tracks your caloires it cant tell if its good or bad food thats going in you.

Lets say you have a 100 calorie snack, do you choose
A. a small apple and maybe a few berries...100 calories
or
B. some sort of low fat no fat reduced sugar synthetic triple chocolate chip cookie...100 calories
They may both be the same calories but we know what ones are best for us. Im guilty of choosing the tasty cookie on occasions but the thing about losing weight is you have to learn to make the right choices...mfp is here to help and support us to do that.

Like the other have said maybe your sodium is making you retain water but im guessing you want to lose more than just water, you want to burn the fat away too. The only way to burn fat is to excercise. If you feel you arent reaching the goals you want then the codl hard truth is you have to step it up a little…clearly what your doing isnt working for you...train for longer and cut out all the little things you see as treats. Yes its hard but come vacation time it will be 100% worth it.

Sorry to sound like the party pooper but I speak from experience and there is nothing worse than feeling like your trying so hard only to get on the scale and it doesn’t move…and even worse when you put on the jeans and they still don’t tie!
I really hope you can surpass some of your goals and feel great for your vacation! 

Sometimes I do go for the 100 calorie snack because I look at it as 100 calories and that is all... I did change my diary to track sodium because I did notice that my sodium intake was thru the roof... :sad: Hopefully by changing that I can monitor my foods better.

dlaplume2

I went and looked at your food and it is not too bad. I would make sure you are not counting daily walking with your job in your exercise calories. If you are doing that you are counting them twice. You should only count calories you burn exercising that are not part of you daily exercise. You should also add some weight training to your routine so you can build muscle.

msdominique1

I have to agree with a lot of what has been said. Your sodium is high, I actually didn’t see listed what your fat intake is, you are not drinking enough water either. On the diet front:
1) Drink lots of water, and only water. 100-150 ounces per day. Stay away from diet drinks, artificial sweeteners will slow weight lose.
2) You need to eat healthier foods: Fruit is high in sugar, some is good, a lot is not; salad is mostly devoid of nutritional value contrary to popular belief; 100 calorie snack packs are not healthy for you, just lower in calories but the same bad cookie is still bad if it is small.
3) Take a high quality supplement. I mean more than just a multi-vitamin, you are nutritionally empty, and your body will not function right until you get that fixed. That’s just what poor eating gets you. I started mine about 7 weeks ago now.
4) I saw on your food diary you are eating a good bit of chicken, skin removed. Good, but you are eating dark meat, drums, wings. Dark meat has more internal fat than white meat such as a skinless boneless breast. Half of a large breast is about 4oz. That is all you should be eating at one time.

Now on to exercise . You say you walk a lot at work, great! But that’s not exercise. Exercise is getting your heart into your target heart rate and maintaining that intensity for a minimum of 15 minutes. I get up from my desk and walk around too, but that’s just not enough. Find a program you can do at home, gym, whatever for 35-45 minutes per day. That’s all you need, that’s all I do, 6 days per week.

Feel free to look at my exercise and food diary. I have went from 318 to today’s weight of 287.8 in about 7 ½ weeks. You can do it, but you have to be serious about everything. Less calories (which you are doing), better food (You can improve), regular intense exercise (I think you can improve there too)

Hope this helps

Water is my struggle honestly... As I have been stating over and over :sad: I don't drink any types of sodas and yes i am guilty of using equal when I drink my tea because I figured it was 0 calories and it makes the tea taste better

It seems as if I just need to eat fruits and veggies only... I am already a very picky eater so this is getting really hard for me.

What is a high quality supplement?

I think I do a lot of exercise throughout the week and I switch it up, but I don't know if I am doing something wrong in the exercise department or what... I do walk at work... but I also get on the elliptical at the gym... i do ab crunches at the gym... i take a water class (abs/glutes) 45 minutes at the gym... i got on the treadmill a few times but i don't really care for the treadmill too much :sad: ... Essentially I am working out 4-5 times a week... so is there anything else I should be doing or I should switch in the exercise department... When I don't go to the gym I do the Supreme 90 workout dvd at home which is a killer... :sad:

msdominique1

I am having the very same issue. I have been on MFP for a month now. I went from eating probably somwhere close to 2500 calories a day (an embarrassing truth) to eatin so healthy, under 1600 calories a day. I went from not working otu at all to working out at least four times a week. I have completely changed my lifestyle. I have only dropped four pounds and last week I gained a pound a half back because I had a back injury and didnt run for three days. I just dont understand. However I have decided that no matter what this is important and I am sticking to it, so if you need another frustrated friend to vent to them feel free to add me.

Feel free to vent to me as well... lol... I am totally confused as well... but i won't give up... I know I didn't get here overnight... it took years for me to get to this point, but in the end i will get out of it... one day... i will be patient and let the weight come off in time...

annabellesmile

I would suggest you cut out some of the Carbohydrates you are taking and replace them with fresh fruit, vegetables and meat. I have cut out 90% of pasta, rice, potato, bread and eat a lot more fish and meat without lots of sauces. I stay clear of cheese, chocolate and crisps but eat lots of yoghurts and this time of year lots of salads with all sorts of different meats and fish. I have being doing this since the beginning of the year and lost 22lbs and never felt hungry.