Can someone take a look? No loss in 5 days....

lovekck

I'm set at 1360 calories per day for a 2 lb loss per week and I'm starting to think its too much. I've been weighing myself every morning and have only gone down .5 in 5 days.

I am also running/walking doing circuit training so anyone have any idea whats up?

Should I just push through at 1360 for another week and see what happens or go ahead and lower to 1200?

asyouseefit

Could you open your diary?

I wouldn't worry too much as it's only been 5 days. Slow and steady win the race as they say...

xxquzme

open your diary up to the public and we can help.

lovekck

I just opened it. Thanks for looking.

And I've been trying to remember slow and steady...

xxquzme

The only thing that i can see on the diary is that you do eat the most of your cals in the evening. Which is fine, but it doesnt give you much time to burn them vs storing them. Also i would add sodium to the list of nutritional values if you are going to eat frozen meals. other than that it loks good.

asyouseefit

While weight loss is mostly a matter of calories in/calories out, I'd suggest eating less processed food/sugars and add more fresh veggies/fruit to your diet. Processed food is rich in sodium and might be causing water retention (hence no weight loss).

I'll have to disagree with xxquzme, though, as the "meal timing" myth has been debunked. Doesn't matter when you eat your calories as long as you remain in deficit.

lovekck

Thanks xx, I appreciate it.

I stopped buying the frozen crap because of the sodium, I was wondering about that too. I try not eat after 7:30 but your right, most are in the evening.

I'll keep doing what I'm doing and keep my fingers crossed )

inspiration345

Your diary looks very fine. Could be water retention. I really don't know much about water retention because it could be something I need to look into myself. My body is weird I eat carrots, apple and beans for 6 days a week and lose nothing. Then I eat 1500 calories of pizza late at night and next day I lose a pound or two and several inches off my body. You would think that pizza would cause water to retain not withdraw.

AmerTunsi

I also noticed that on the days you do workout that your total net calories actually drop below 1200 calories. I'd recommend making sure you don't drop below that 1,200 when you workout because your body may be trying to store fat.

Also I'm not sure how consistent you are on entering in your exercise. But you may consider trying to increase your activity and do it maybe every other day?

KittyMul

I can't really see any veggies in there! Aim for two fruit and five veg a day, they'll fill you up and you'll be getting healthier as well as slimmer. Hang in there, I quite often go through weeks where I don't lose much or anything at all and then I'll have a big loss. The body works in mysterious ways!

lovekck

More fruits and veges it is! Common sense, I know... in the past I lost 50 lbs of baby weight in 4 months by eating 1200 a day and most of that was junk! lol! I am trying to become a little healthier this time but I'm also realizing things stop working as well as you age... :-\ Bummer.

Thanks as you asyouseefit.

jdhosier

You might have better luck if you also eat back your exercise calories. The body is an incredibly sensitive and stubborn thing. If it thinks it is not getting enough calories for the your level of activity, it will do everything it can to hold on to every gram of fat it has in reserve. This is called starvation mode. The weight loss will come from a calorie deficit and you really don't want to exceed more than a couple of pounds lost per week. MFP has made recommendations for your daily caloric intake to maintain the deficit needed to reach your goal. I would encourage you to eat them all. I have seen it over and over again with friends here and have experienced it for myself, there is more weight lost and a healthier loss if you eat all the calories you should. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it really works.

You might also consider adding more nutrient dense foods to your diet. Again, our bodies have a different criteria in deciding what is good nutrition than our heads. I would live on pizza and pasta if I could, but that totally screws up my weight loss. If I make good choices and eat all the calories I am supposed to, the weight comes off. That includes eating back the calories I burn in exercise.

Kell4

Hard not to eat late at night when you have kids and it might be the first time you sat down all day! I agree that you should drop the processed foods and add in more fruits and veggies. Try buying one of those pre made trays from the grocery store and just setting it out at night well you relax. It is quick, easy and you will be amazed how full you get snacking on it.

Chairless

Stop and take a look at how you are approaching this.

Its a long process and you should not be worried about no loss in 5 days. As the fat comes off and you increase your activity levels there are going to be a lot of changes going on in your body, not all weight related.

In the last two months i have maybe lost 5 lbs but my body is almost unrecognisable.

If you have no loss in 5 weeks, then maybe start to worry that something isnt right.

dancingj2

I do think you need to give it a few weeks. I alwasy find my body can be quite stubborn when its been at a certain weight for a while. Despite my best efforts it will refuse to budge for a few weeks and then it suddenly let go of a pound or two.

Hang in there and it will work.

ejohndrow

-Make sure you're eating enough
-Try and get more calories from natural foods like vegetables, fruit, unprocessed meats
-Drink lots of water

beccarockslife

Add Sodium to your diary settings, looking at what you are eating it's probably quite high which means you'll retain water. I had to go back 4 days in your diary to find veggies too, so I would try less lean cuisine and more cooking

Leanne3552000

The only thing that i can see on the diary is that you do eat the most of your cals in the evening. Which is fine, but it doesnt give you much time to burn them vs storing them.

This is not true! It doesn't matter when you consume the calories, it's the amount that you consume that counts. I do agree with the posts about the processed foods however but if you do have to buy pre prepared foods, look for ones with low sugar and sodium content.

5 days is not long. I wouldn't worry about it for now and focus on eating well (range of foods, fruit and veges, plenty of fluids etc) and exercising and you will see the weight come off.

lovekck

Inspiration345- Isn't that odd how all of this stuff works.. I have heard to flush the sodium out to keep drinking water, I drink a ton but not sure if its making a difference.

Sarah- I've been doing the C25k program and it says to only do it 3 days per week which is driving me back **** crazy. I HATE walking on a treadmill...I will run anytime but its sooooo boring to walk inside so I haven't been doing that much. Also, I just got my 30 day shred in yesterday so I'll be doing that on top of the c25k. Hopefully that will help some.

Kell4-YES! You are exactly right...its pretty crazy during the day

jdhosier- Awesome advice, thank you. And yes, I am in a way scared to eat those extra calories but I'll start...carrots and greenbeans here I come? lol

lovekck

Thanks Chairless, Emily, Becks, dancing and Leanne.

I'll add Sodium content, I had no idea that was even an option...

jdhosier

jdhosier- Awesome advice, thank you. And yes, I am in a way scared to eat those extra calories but I'll start...carrots and greenbeans here I come? lol

Check out the dark leafy greens as well. Things like collard greens, turnip greens and kale. Not surprisingly, these things are the rock stars of nutrient dense foods. Cooked correctly, they can really taste great and have very few calories. Here is a web site showing the nutrient density of many foods we can eat. I found it very enlightening.

http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/healthstartshere/andi.php

Best of luck. Friend me if you like.

vanessaclarkgbr

Hiya, please don't take any of this as me being critical, I'm not - just things that are working for me. Diary wise, I'd increase protein to ensure you stay fuller, decreased processed and sugary foods where you can as this will give you the energy spikes that will leave you craving more sugar. Obviously TOM etc throws things out of the window ;-) I'd keep your calories the same for the time being while you do this and...up the exercise. Not that you're not doing enough, and you don't want to totally exhaust yourself but think about ways you could be more active during a normal day - the exercise makes a real difference to me.

For example I started out walking around the lake in my lunchbreak, then I added in an hour walk at the weekend and this has grown in time. Then cycling into work and back three times a week, and I started C25K - whatever works for you but moving really keeps my burn up. Ignore the claptrap about eating calories earnt or not - if it works for you then it's right.

Lastly, really try not to daily weigh - we all have our ups and downs in weight and it can be demoralising to see 2lb go on overnight just because it's TOM or too much salt (water gain). I know some people like daily weighing but I find it makes me obsess about the whole thing.

Good luck - you'll be fine!! x

lovekck

Yeah, I started eating baby spinach and while it was good the first few times I got bored...

I need to learn how to cook the other stuff, thats my big issue with kale, turnips...etc. Hell even beans...I usually screw it up.

Thanks for all the good advice!!

aimeelouwhite

Don't worry about when you eat.... doesn't make a difference. I'd say maybe you could try some of these things if you want - but it also might just be a time thing and the next few weeks may yeild results:
- less processed stuff
- more fresh food - fruits, veges, raw nuts
- eat your full calorie allowance - if you exercise eat them all back (If i don't my body stores I think)
- track your sodium
- drink more water
- vary exercise a bit --- not sure what you are doing maybe mix it up a bit
- don't worry or give up... it could just be your menstrual cycle
- remember inches and wellbeing are better than lbs! really they are!

Keep up the great work so far!

lovekck

Thanks Vanessa- I agree I need to make some changes and up my exercise! I appreciate the advice!!

vanessaclarkgbr

Welcome! One last tip - have a good dig in other people's diaries, see the healthy stuff they are eating and then pick and choose what'd you'd like - my diary consists 80% of other people's ideas!

KokomoJoe

how much water are you drinking. That isn't being logged in your diary. Lots of water helps weight loss.

Here's a good recipe for you.

Hot & Sour swiss chard from clean eating magazine.

1 bunch chard
2 tbs apple cider vinegar
2 tbs raw honey
1 tbs tomato paste
1 scallion (i usually use 1/2 onion)
oil

preheat frying pan/wok on medium/high heat
mist large frying pan/wok with oil and fry scallion, chop chard cutting the leaves from the stems. chop stems into 1 inch long pieces and add with onion and fry about 4 minutes. add chopped leaves and cook for about 3 minutes until tender and wilted slightly. Put Chard in serving bowl.

add vinegar/honey tomato paste mixture to pan and reduce approximately 1 minute, pour over chard. (warning vinegar may give off fumes as it is the quickest to boil).

drizzle over chard and mix.

I served that with chicken drumsticks and quinoa last night

Nutrients per 2/3-cup serving: Calories: 69, Total Fat: 1 g, Sat. Fat: 0 g, Carbs: 14 g, Fiber: 1 g, Sugars: 9.5 g, Protein: 1.5 g, Sodium: 198 mg, Cholesterol: 0 mg

keiraev

Why are you worrying that you have "only" lost 0.5lb in 5 days? This is normal weightloss.

SCOUSERWENCH

If you keep looking at the Scales Every day it's going to bug you even more. Leave it to once a week. When i first started MFP i left it 8 days at first to weigh myself, then From the Day I weighed myself of the Friday, I chose to weigh myself every Friday morning before i had anything to eat and drink, first thing.

You need Fatty foods to Burn Calories. I started this Program 4 weeks ago and so far i have lost 9lbs in weight. Work out your food intake like weighing stuff and measuring out so you get enough food intake. I dont agree in low fat diets. I still eat the foods what i was eating before i started this program, but i budget with my calories and eat back some of the calories i have burnt through exercise.