Lifestyle change is so hard!

katkelly474

I was doing well on the first month and half. Lost 12lbs. Now I'm at a stand still for the last few weeks. I just looked at my logs and I have been going over my calories by a few hundred but the weight loss predictor says that I should still be loosing weight. Not drinking water, still trying to work on that and I noticed that I'm eating a lot of sodium. This is not an easy change. I usually go for convenience foods so that's probably why my sodium is higher plus I'm vegetarian so my convenience foods are limited and expensive. I guess i just need tips on how to transition to a healthier eating system. One step at a time. Not exercising as I should but trying to fix that too. I'm a mess!

registers

I was doing well on the first month and half. Lost 12lbs. Now I'm at a stand still for the last few weeks. I just looked at my logs and I have been going over my calories by a few hundred but the weight loss predictor says that I should still be loosing weight. Not drinking water, still trying to work on that and I noticed that I'm eating a lot of sodium. This is not an easy change. I usually go for convenience foods so that's probably why my sodium is higher plus I'm vegetarian so my convenience foods are limited and expensive. I guess i just need tips on how to transition to a healthier eating system. One step at a time. Not exercising as I should but trying to fix that too. I'm a mess!

Yeah the issue is you're trying to make big changes in a short period of time. You're basically shocking your body to adapt a new life style. A good example is a low calorie diet, if someone suddenly cut down a lot of their calories, they might be able to do it for a few days... Then their body breaks and they give in. What if you lowered your calorie intake like 100 calories per month. Not a big deal at all, very easy. If you did that for 10 months, you'll be eating 1000 calories less, and it was easy. It's a lot harder trying to reduce your caloric intake by 1000 in one go.

I am not making any recommendations to your diet, or anything, what I said above was just an example of making big changes in a life style. It's easier to do it in small steps over time.

The_Saint

Keep going!
1.5 months is fantastic, and all the more reason to continue!

Remember the body will begin to figure things out. It becomes more efficient running on less fuel (if you are at a deficit) especially if you eat the same calories every day. If this is the case you may try the zig zag method over a week. Move calories from one day to another.

Sodium....The bane of modern food. I too have too much sodium I think my daily avg is 3000mg. But I drink a lot of water, and intake some extra potassium. This helps to extract/trade out some of that sodium.

Let me know if you need more help! Its all about you!

Hopeinanguish

I agree with you there. It is difficult! Well, it seems as though you know exactly what steps you need to take. No use in pushing yourself so hard that you get frustrated. Why not tackle one thing at a time? Here are a couple things that help me with water/food:

-When trying to meet the water goal, set smaller goals throughout the day. For example, 8-10 glasses is my goal every day and it seems daunting, but I can handle 8 ounces in an hour.
-Get a container that easily helps you to keep track of exactly how much you've drank. I have a 23.7 ounce Smart Water bottle that I use over and over. I know that when I finish one of those, I've basically had 3 cups. Hell yes!
-Eat slowly and don't let anything else distract you while you're eating so that you can really pay attention to what's going in your mouth. My problem with eating has always been that I did it because I was either bored or dehydrated. Don't let your body fool you into abandoning the goals you deserve to be able to keep!

I hope these help! Best of luck on your journey!

OutDaWay

It's all worth it when you post your positive loss. I would try the zig zag

GreenGablesJes

i always jumped into life style changes quickly...hence never working. but then about 2 months ago i decided to go dairy free thankfully my mom is a vegan/vegetarian so i basically knew what i needed to be dairy free so i got used to being dairy free for a month then started exercising.

just take it slowly and don't worry, everyone has platau's thankfully we have MFP to help us be on track!!

babychinpy

Dont eat convenience foods. if weightloss is important to you, make time for food preparation. If you're really pressed for time around mealtimes, make foods that are easy - ie vegetable soup, lentil patties, chickpea curries - that you can make well ahead of time and put in a fridge/freezer and just pull out and quickly reheat. this will fix your sodium problem too.

katkelly474

Thanks guys! Such great advice & motivation! But whats the zig zag? Is that eating more one day and less the next?
~Kat

The_Saint

Thanks guys! Such great advice & motivation! But whats the zig zag? Is that eating more one day and less the next?
~Kat

Pretty much. High and low days.
Makes your metabolic rate a moving target. VERY anti plateau.
I do the opposite. I add and subtract cardio.

milaxx

I'm vegetarian as well. Here's a few tips Ive learned;

1.You have to drink water. Start out small. make it your goal to drink 4 glasses of unadulterated water a day. No crystal lite, moo, etc... Just pure water. What I do is drink a glass when I wake and a glass with each meal. As you progress you can add a glass with your snacks and then make it 2 glasses with meals.

2.. Cut out sodas. If you are a soda junkie than no more than 10oz a day.

3. Get a crock pot. You can get a small one for as little as $10. They are good for making beans and one pot meals. Once you get the hang of it, you can set it so your dinner is ready when you come home Thus makes it easier to eat a well balanced meal from scratch. It also means you can cook your beans from scratch instead of buying canned which are often full of sodium.

4. Experiment with making your own veggie patties. Boca and morning Star are fine every so often, but it's basically vegetarian processed food and often full of sodium. Since you now have the crock pot, you make a large pot of beans on Sunday, use part to make veggie patties, part for stir fries or add to a salad, part as you protein for dinner.

I try as much as possible to eat clean. This means my Sunday is prep day. It rarely takes more than and hour. I chunk fruit to grab and go, I boiled at least a half a dozen eggs to grab and go or add to a salad, and I cut up veg to toss together for a salad or stir fry. I also buy plain almonds and sort them into single servings in ziploc snack bags. I sometimes add a few dried cranberries. This give me an easy grab and go snack.

Feel free to friend me if you want to share diaries. it's not perfect but most days I manage to come in under my calorie goals.

yellowfairy

For me-I really did find it was about slow. And, I still have days where I mess up-and I am sure those will continue. The main thing is to learn what you should be doing, and start doing them in baby steps. You can't make all the changes overnight and expect them to stick. Good luck!