Let me have it!

reddcat

Ok everyone! This is my latest distress call. I see all these people that are losing 6-10 pounds a week and it is driving me crazy because guess how much I lost this week.....that is right....nothing!!! EXACT same weight. Couldn't do that if I tried.

SO, I am asking for your help. Let me have it......but kindly please! Please take a look at what I am doing and what I am eating and see where I am going wrong. I am not claiming to make perfect choices....but except for one bad...VERY bad day, I think I am doing pretty good.

I am doing the 30 day shred and am on Level 1 day 10. Have lost one inch off my waist....so I guess that is something. Trying to determine why I am not losing weight...diet or exercise?? PLEASE HELP!!!!!!
Thanks in advance.

MinnieInMaine

Happy to help - but you need to make your diary public.

reddcat

Sorry! thought it was. Will go in and try again!

12by311

Just wondering if you know you are eating less than 1200 calories on most days?

ahfudge

It could also be that you are gaining a bit of muscle. Without seeing your diary it is difficult to tell.

Do you drink a lot of water?

jennywrens

It makes the whole thing 10x harder if you compare yourself to other people, because you always pick the most difficult people to match up to and just feel rubbish all the time when you don't keep up!

reddcat

Am I??? I go by the food net. Should I be looking at something else??? When I first started in Jan, I used to get the starvation warning all the time, but I don't get that anymore.

reddcat

Diary should be public now. Let me know if it is not!

Kanzaki3

Make sure you weigh yourself the same time everyday. I weigh myself in the morning right when I wake up.

reddcat

ALL I drink is water. I added a little fruit juice a couple times this week because I ran out of fresh fruit at home. (tomorrow is shopping day).

kittyloo123

i looked at your diary. Nothing is screaming out. Maybe up the veggies, and fruit, and cut down a little on the processed foods and carbs.? I would stay away from anything boxed, pre-made. It's a learning curve for sure.

kristy_estes21

It looks like you should be eating more. I would try to eat about 5 meals a day. Also, some of your choices (fish sticks, breaded chicken, crab cakes, tater tots, etc) are fatty and have a lot of sodium. Just because something may have lower calories doesn't mean it's good for you. Yes, burning 3500 calories equals 1 pound lost, but other factors come into play also. That Bob Evans sandwich had almost 3000mg sodium. I personally think the daily allowance of 2500mg sodium is still way too much. I'm definitely not perfect in that area either (I love salt!), but I'm working on using other spices to flavor things instead of salt.

ahfudge

It looks like you're eating too little.

You are netting about 1,000 calories a day? If so your body may be storing more fat because it thinks you're starving.

Question: Are you hungry? Weak? Tired?

reddcat

Thanks! Can't even talk about the Bob Evans and fish stick day. SHAME. Lost my mind for a bit. Will try to eat more, but get scared when I see all the red. By the end of the day, all I have left is carbs and fat....already used up my fiber and protein. Can't figure out what to eat that is just carbs and fat.

12by311

Yes, net.
Food - exercise = net

Yesterday your food was 1256. Your exercise was 496.
1256 - 496 = 760

The day before your net was 1176.
A couple of days before that it was 713.
767.
1015.
1134.
1005.


Maybe try eating more.

reddcat

Ahfuge, please tell me how you figure out my calories. Maybe that is where I am going wrong too. I always try to be over 1200 for my food calories. Like I said before, I am no longer getting the starvation warning when I do that. So thought I was doing ok. really don't know what I am doing! How do you calculate 1000??
I am not hungry, but weak and tired is where I live. Although now that I am doing the Shred, I do have more energey. I am a stay at home mom to a four year old and probably burn WAY more calories than I can calculate chasing him all day. The database does not have a button for "dealing with four year old". Ha!

reddcat

12by311, holy crap! I have been doing it all wrong. Thanks!!!! Something really bizarre about eating MORE on a diet.

kristy_estes21

Thanks! Can't even talk about the Bob Evans and fish stick day. SHAME. Lost my mind for a bit. Will try to eat more, but get scared when I see all the red. By the end of the day, all I have left is carbs and fat....already used up my fiber and protein. Can't figure out what to eat that is just carbs and fat.

Haha! Trust me...I have those days!!! Then I feel soooooo guilty afterwards!
As far as fats...choose healthy fats like olive oil, nut butter, avocado, etc. I don't think it's a big deal to go over on fiber and protein. I do that ALL the time. Sugar is what I have a horrible time not going over. I think it's set WAY too low. Especially if you eat a lot of fruit. It's hard to think that you need to eat MORE to LOSE weight, but it's true. I had a hard time getting over that. Not to mention, I think we focus on the number on the scale WAY too much. I haven't lost any weight, but I have lost inches and toned up. I only weigh about once a week because your weight can fluctuate day to day depending on sodium intake (water retention) and such. I try to use the way my clothes fit to judge my progress. Also, take measurements of your body and track that too.

ahfudge

EDIT - DUH! I see that 12by311 is a username...sorry.

Yeah - you need to factor in your exercise calories as well.

I don't understand the 12by311?

12by311

12by311, holy crap! I have been doing it all wrong. Thanks!!!! Something really bizarre about eating MORE on a diet.

You are welcome. It's okay every once in a while to not eat your minimum but when I saw your diary, that's where my concern was right off the bat.

PLUS, you said you are always chasing your 4 year old around and probably burn more calories than you realize. I bet you are right. I would try to get those calories up to your minimum. Then maybe even go up 50-100 cals or so for a while and see where your weight loss goes from there.

I think I saw on your profile you only have like 15 to lose. It's very, very difficult to get those last few pounds off! It takes some experimenting. I'm in the same position right now.

ahfudge

And yeah - it is completely counter intuitive to eat more than less when you are trying to lose. But it works to do it right.

PrairieRoseNE

Thanks! Can't even talk about the Bob Evans and fish stick day. SHAME. Lost my mind for a bit. Will try to eat more, but get scared when I see all the red. By the end of the day, all I have left is carbs and fat....already used up my fiber and protein. Can't figure out what to eat that is just carbs and fat.

I don't think going over fiber & protein is necessarily a bad thing - most of us don't get enough of those in our diet.

But for sure watch the sodium intake - I didn't look at your diary, but too much of sodium is usually a bad thing.
I stick to a low sodium diet and find the days I do the best with weight loss are when I've kept the sodium down - If I have a bad day with sodium - I can see it in a day or two on the scale. Just my .02cents - not everyone has to watch their sodium.
Good luck!!

reddcat

PrairieRose, thanks! I do have to watch my sodium too. The Bob Evans day I was referring to, I got their turkey sandwich (REALLY bad choice) and it had over 2800 in sodium!!! Got home and looked it up on the website and about passed out. All I could do not to run to the bathroom and throw up! Can't eat out anymore because the sodium levels are ridiculous! Ever check out the sodium levels for most of the foods from Olive Garden?? Obsene.

PrairieRoseNE

Reddcat - YUP - eating out is a sodium nightmare!! I've become the sodium police - LOL. Grocery shopping takes twice as long because I read the labels on everything that goes in the cart

The one grocery item that I was totally shocked at was the boxes of instant pudding - YIKES - as much sodium as calories per box!! My Mom thought I was crazy when I called her for a recipe for homemade pudding! She says "Why make it homemade - the instant kind is so much quicker & easier??" When I explained the sodium - she was shocked too.

Wishing you good luck on your journey to better health!