help/advice,

mlh29

I am relatively new to this site. I opened my profile etc to members only. I am a 32 yr old male, active duty army soldier currently deployed. I have attempted( in bad ways) weight loss for the past 7 months as nothing seemed to work for me, was on depression meds etc. I stopped taking them months ago after people saying that is why I gain/ant lose. My day was this: (Cardio almost every day( burning 1000-1300 a day for cardio, limited foods to only metrx meal replacemnts with soy milk at 380 cal each, 3 x a day).

Now I hjave been listening, doing a better routine I think and eating better .. ( Hard to do do to deployment and chow hall crap foods)

I am curious as I have been trying to up my calories / food intake as I am still not getting enough( 1710 goal before exercise/ I exercise average 850 a day/ been getting closer to 17-1800 last 10 day sor so..) I drink a lot of water, no soda, no coffee, main drink is water or water with crystal light. Currently NO meds., Getting decent sleep etc.

I was able to drop a few lbs, but now seem to be going up/down 2-4lbs daily..
Also I have clif bars readily available( they would add cardbs/240 calories etc) How healthy/ unhealthy are they for you etc?

Pleas e let me know suggestions etc as I need to get the pounds off before march 2012..

MyCoachNYLA

What are your stats? Height, weight, age?

What kind of training are you doing, when and for how long?

What are the food choices in the hall?

Do you train in a gym or is there a place on base?

Message me with these details and I can give you a game plan.

Peace,

ldezara

First, thank you for your service to our country. My son-in-law was deployed in Iraq for 15 months so I know how difficult deployment is on you and your entire family.

In answer to your question, I experienced the same thing (weight fluctuating up and down). I realized that it helps to pay attention to the entire chart, not just the calories. Once I started watching the protein, carbs, etc. it helped. Sometimes we take in the appropriate number of calories, but when you look at the other elements you might be over on carbs or something else. This site will help keep you calories balanced, as well as helping you take in the appropriate number of calories during the day. Good luck!

Larius

According to your food diary, you are not eating enough. You are eating less than 1000 Net Calories per day. The minimum recommended is 1500-1800/day for a man. That alone can slow weight loss dramatically as your body holds onto every bit of energy (fat) it can. A quick forum search will show thousands who've lost more by eating more.

sheila0321

Bump.. Thanks for your service..

mlh29

ok in reading these posts, I need to increase calories of decrease my exercise effort.

Would it be better to eat more to counter the calorie deficit?
Or would it be better to drop cardio down (cutting daily deficit) and remain eating about the same / little more to eat the calories back?

Also if it is a general concensus to eat back.. Would clif bars/ peanut butter/ almongds etc be the way to do it( looking at higher calorie healthy foods ie nuts, as I am already full when eating this amount) As I know I could go and eat a bowl of icecream daily and get an easy 1000 calories back....

Larius

ok in reading these posts, I need to increase calories of decrease my exercise effort.

Would it be better to eat more to counter the calorie deficit?
Or would it be better to drop cardio down (cutting daily deficit) and remain eating about the same / little more to eat the calories back?

Also if it is a general concensus to eat back.. Would clif bars/ peanut butter/ almongds etc be the way to do it( looking at higher calorie healthy foods ie nuts, as I am already full when eating this amount) As I know I could go and eat a bowl of icecream daily and get an easy 1000 calories back....

Whether you eat more or do less cardio, shouldn't make a difference to fat loss. The cardio is obviously good for your heart and endurance, so I'd vote for eat more.

Nuts are good. Also, you can drink more Calories as milk, juice, shakes, or smoothies when you don't feel like eating solid food.

mlh29

looking into refining my diet etc. Now I have a couple of questions.
How are you guys tracking fat/protein /carbs etc.
It shows in my food as being under for the day with my current habits on protein/carbs/fat but my calorie intake is under by like 1200 for the day..
ex 2200 cal allowed 3400 180 cardbs allowed 240, same for protein fats have 55 allowed 58 .. Just an example.
How do you guys meet the calorie, protein, fat etc .

I have protein powders available/ low carb, fat etc but they average 280 calories in water I can make them more by adding soymilk etc but then the fat conten t goes up ( penut butter here has 10grams of fat per serving )

thinking of just eating more protein shakes etc but looks like I will be over on protein then .

any ideas ?? diary is open
Thanks in advance

Larius

looking into refining my diet etc. Now I have a couple of questions.
How are you guys tracking fat/protein /carbs etc.
It shows in my food as being under for the day with my current habits on protein/carbs/fat but my calorie intake is under by like 1200 for the day..
ex 2200 cal allowed 3400 180 cardbs allowed 240, same for protein fats have 55 allowed 58 .. Just an example.
How do you guys meet the calorie, protein, fat etc .

I have protein powders available/ low carb, fat etc but they average 280 calories in water I can make them more by adding soymilk etc but then the fat conten t goes up ( penut butter here has 10grams of fat per serving )

thinking of just eating more protein shakes etc but looks like I will be over on protein then .

any ideas ?? diary is open
Thanks in advance

The only way your protein/fat/carbs would be off is if you chose incorrect entries from MFP's database or drink alcohol, but I don't see that in your diary. It looks like you are under on everything for 11/1, for example. Maybe I misunderstood you?

My diary is open too, if you want to see what I do. Just beware that I have been slacking off a lot lately (over Calories) since I already hit my goal and I'm just taking my time getting a bit more chiseled.

Don't worry about being over on protein unless you have kidney or liver disease.

Don't worry about eating fat or carbs. They will not be stored as fat while eating a proper (not excessive) Caloric deficit. If I eat too much of one, I take it out of the other. I use 30g fat and 100g carbs as healthy minimums (based on my own research), and don't stress it too much beyond that.