Please critique my daily food diary. Not seeing results.

volrathdesign

Goal is weight loss first, regain muscle mass after.

Meals are listed publically my daily intake currently is set to 1812 calories (188.6 pounds, 28 yrs old).

I also workout pretty intensely 6 days a week. The weight just isn't coming off.

MsMuniz

Well you are going WAY over in sugars and sodium most days so that is probaly the problem. I've heard sodium makes you retain water. And we all know sugar is no bueno too. I'm sure others can give you better critiques and reasoning but those look like major problem areas. Try changing that and see if it works....

and with that much sodium, drink lots and lots of water!

NashvilleShelley

My critique.... watch your sodium and drink more water. Add fresh fruit and vegetables.

It can get frustrating but just keep going, you can do this!! : )

ferb55

The way I lose weight is by cutting my carb intake. I do not eat white flour and I only eat good carbs ( sweet potatoe, fruits,veggies) I cut out pasta, & bread. Everyone loses weight different, you just have to figure out whats best for you.

Good luck

Coltsman4ever

I know the Insanity workout is very intense but how are you calculating the calories burned? Are you using a HRM or is it listed on the MFP website? I would make sure you're getting an accurate count on that because if it's off, with the numbers being so high, that could throw your whole thing off completely.

aochoa123

Way too much sodium. Cut back on sodium intake and increase water to almost double what your drinking now to flush all that sodium out then you should start seeing results.

_GlaDOS_

Are you using the MFP database to track your calories burned or are you using a heart rate monitor? I find the MFP exercise database tends to overestimate calories burned.

MsMuniz

lol @starttomorrow, the tag on my page is 'sweat is fat crying', I love that saying!

sweetheart03622

1800 net seems a bit high to be honest (granted, if you're tall this could be true). I'm 5'7, upper 160's and 22 and (to lose .5lbs/week) I'm set at about 1,400 net.

I'm also curious about your burns. You're consistently burning over 1,000 calories. Is this coming from a heart rate monitor? How long is the duration of your workouts? If you're spending a lot of time at the gym (2 hours or more) you might want to factor in your BMR calories.

Honestly, your nutrition looks good to me. I don't advocate cutting out carbs or sugar or anything as you'll probably just make yourself nuts. PM me if you want a little later. I'll be around and have some free time and can probably look further into it if you'd like

volrathdesign

I know the Insanity workout is very intense but how are you calculating the calories burned? Are you using a HRM or is it listed on the MFP website? I would make sure you're getting an accurate count on that because if it's off, with the numbers being so high, that could throw your whole thing off completely.

HRM

jcr85

If your goal is to only drop body fat and retain muscle mass and strength you need to up your protein. You should be eating a gram of protein for pound of body weight and then adjust the rest of your calories off of that.

Also looking through your meals your calories seem to always go over the 1800 calories. You might want to try a week of staying within that number plus or minus 200 cal. I know that MFP builds in calories based on workout but unless you have a HRM on while working out you cant really know how many calories you burned for sure.

volrathdesign

1800 net seems a bit high to be honest (granted, if you're tall this could be true). I'm 5'7, upper 160's and 22 and (to lose .5lbs/week) I'm set at about 1,400 net.

I'm also curious about your burns. You're consistently burning over 1,000 calories. Is this coming from a heart rate monitor? How long is the duration of your workouts? If you're spending a lot of time at the gym (2 hours or more) you might want to factor in your BMR calories.

Honestly, your nutrition looks good to me. I don't advocate cutting out carbs or sugar or anything as you'll probably just make yourself nuts. PM me if you want a little later. I'll be around and have some free time and can probably look further into it if you'd like

Using a HRM, workout is usually 45 - 60 minutes.

volrathdesign

If your goal is to only drop body fat and retain muscle mass and strength you need to up your protein. You should be eating a gram of protein for pound of body weight and then adjust the rest of your calories off of that.

Also looking through your meals your calories seem to always go over the 1800 calories. You might want to try a week of staying within that number plus or minus 200 cal. I know that MFP builds in calories based on workout but unless you have a HRM on while working out you cant really know how many calories you burned for sure.

Well I'm going over 1800 calories because I'm working out and burning 1000 more. So I'm eating some of those exercise calories to compensate.

On days I don't workout I try to stay at or below 1800 calories.

volrathdesign

Are you using the MFP database to track your calories burned or are you using a heart rate monitor? I find the MFP exercise database tends to overestimate calories burned.

Using a HRM to track my calories I don't use MFP to track any exercise calories I burn.

jcr85

Are you using the MFP database to track your calories burned or are you using a heart rate monitor? I find the MFP exercise database tends to overestimate calories burned.

Using a HRM to track my calories I don't use MFP to track any exercise calories I burn.

Yeah what I am saying is just try and stay at the number even on days you workout. Give it a week and see if you lose any weight.


There is no real trick to it just calories in vs. calories out.

brit49

Way to much sodium and sugar!!!!

Coltsman4ever

I know the Insanity workout is very intense but how are you calculating the calories burned? Are you using a HRM or is it listed on the MFP website? I would make sure you're getting an accurate count on that because if it's off, with the numbers being so high, that could throw your whole thing off completely.

HRM

Do you mind if I ask your age, height, weigh (or how close you are to goal weight)?

volrathdesign

I know the Insanity workout is very intense but how are you calculating the calories burned? Are you using a HRM or is it listed on the MFP website? I would make sure you're getting an accurate count on that because if it's off, with the numbers being so high, that could throw your whole thing off completely.

HRM

Do you mind if I ask your age, height, weigh (or how close you are to goal weight)?

Sure anything to help out!

Age: 28
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 188.6 lbs

Goal weight is 170ish

annejuju

You should be eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. I think that replacing some of the sugars and sodium with fruits & vegetables would really help you. It also doesn't look like you need the protein drinks, that's another thing you can replace with fruits and vegetables.

KyleB65

Check your sodium. See if you can get it down below 2000mg per day. 1500mg would be better. (Rough, I know! It is what I struggle with every day)
Also, drink lots of water!
Lastly, it looks like you are logging lots of calories burned during strength exercises. These values might be overstated. A Heart rate monitor is the best way to log calories burned. (I need one as well!)

Good luck and keep on working!

volrathdesign

You should be eating 5 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. I think that replacing some of the sugars and sodium with fruits & vegetables would really help you. It also doesn't look like you need the protein drinks, that's another thing you can replace with fruits and vegetables.

Eh I only drink a protein drink immediately after my workout. I really enjoy it and it definitely helps in my opinion. There's barely any sugar in the protein drink anyways, it's a natural whey drink that I just chug down.

volrathdesign

Check your sodium. See if you can get it down below 2000mg per day. 1500mg would be better. (Rough, I know! It is what I struggle with every day)
Also, drink lots of water!
Lastly, it looks like you are logging lots of calories burned during strength exercises. These values might be overstated. A Heart rate monitor is the best way to log calories burned. (I need one as well!)

Good luck and keep on working!

I wear a HRM during my cardio and strength training. I do my strength training after cardio so I'm still tracking the residual calories that are still burning from the 10 or 20 minutes prior when I was doing my cardio workout or the "afterburn" effect.

caseyp1122

Are you using the MFP database to track your calories burned or are you using a heart rate monitor? I find the MFP exercise database tends to overestimate calories burned.

I gotta agree with Jane, while MFP is an AMAZING tool it would probably behoove you to invest in a heart rate monitor ($20 on Amazon) to get a more accurate count of calories burned. Also, people tend to underestimate caloric intake so be sure you are measuring things out and eating precisely one serving. Other than that, don't get discouraged my friend, hard work and discipline will pay off.

kelsbeckins

The biggest thing I noticed was lots of processed foods. Eat more fresh foods - fruits and veggies. Also replace some of the white carbs with whole grains. Between the sugar you're eating and the white carbs your insulin is spiking which hinders weight gain.

volrathdesign

Are you using the MFP database to track your calories burned or are you using a heart rate monitor? I find the MFP exercise database tends to overestimate calories burned.

I gotta agree with Jane, while MFP is an AMAZING tool it would probably behoove you to invest in a heart rate monitor ($20 on Amazon) to get a more accurate count of calories burned. Also, people tend to underestimate caloric intake so be sure you are measuring things out and eating precisely one serving. Other than that, don't get discouraged my friend, hard work and discipline will pay off.

lol i've stated on here like 10 times that I have a Heart Rate Monitor to track my calories I'm burning.

Coltsman4ever

I know the Insanity workout is very intense but how are you calculating the calories burned? Are you using a HRM or is it listed on the MFP website? I would make sure you're getting an accurate count on that because if it's off, with the numbers being so high, that could throw your whole thing off completely.

HRM

Do you mind if I ask your age, height, weigh (or how close you are to goal weight)?

Sure anything to help out!

Age: 28
Height: 5' 10"
Weight: 188.6 lbs

Goal weight is 170ish

You're pretty close to your goal weight already so the pounds are going to come off slower than they would if you were 50 or 60 lbs from your goal. When you're that close to goal, I think MFP recommends setting your weight loss goal to .5 lb per week. Not sure if that's where you have it already but I'd try that.
You really could be eating too little with as many calories as you're burning.
I would cut out the processed foods and go for more fresh foods too. Try to cut the sodium down too.
As hard as you're working your muscles, they could be holding on to some water while healing. I would think the extra sodium will only make that worse.

Edit: Just my opinion. I'm no professional.

agentscully514

Three words: Cut the cookies. You'll feel better and reduce calories by replacing them with a healthy snack.

tcih

Just from a quick glance (and I'm sure to echo the sentiments of many already), but the sugar and sodium is probably what's killing you most. That, and it looks like you are getting a lot of terrible carbs. Those bagels and cookies and fancy Starbucks drinks will get you everytime. If you worked on those three spots, I would venture to guess you get more benefit from your diet.

volrathdesign

Way to much sodium and sugar!!!!

See this is where I'm confused and getting mixed answers.

In reference to eating too much sugar I'm eating a lot of sugars found in dairy (greek yogurt, skim milk), and I'm getting sugars from fresh fruits.

Now those will always get calculated into the daily chart as "sugar" but many on here are saying they don't really count as sugars.

Anyone want to clear this one up?

volrathdesign

Just from a quick glance (and I'm sure to echo the sentiments of many already), but the sugar and sodium is probably what's killing you most. That, and it looks like you are getting a lot of terrible carbs. Those bagels and cookies and fancy Starbucks drinks will get you everytime. If you worked on those three spots, I would venture to guess you get more benefit from your diet.

lol that's actually my first starbucks drink i've had in about four months which i'm proud to say!

Coltsman4ever

Way to much sodium and sugar!!!!

See this is where I'm confused and getting mixed answers.

In reference to eating too much sugar I'm eating a lot of sugars found in dairy (greek yogurt, skim milk), and I'm getting sugars from fresh fruits.

Now those will always get calculated into the daily chart as "sugar" but many on here are saying they don't really count as sugars.

Anyone want to clear this one up?

Your sugar intake is fine, imo.
MFP calculates sugar in a funky way.

Here's an explanation...


Fruit sugar and refined sugar sweeten foods, yet your body metabolizes them differently.
Fruit sugar, also called fructose, is a nutrient that is a natural part of the human diet. Refined sugar, also called sucrose, is a sweetener manufacturers use in processed foods and people add to coffee, tea, baked goods and other foods. The health risks associated with each of these sugars also differ. Consult your doctor about fruit and refined sugars in your diet.

Fruit Sugar
Fructose is a common ingredient in many foods. Fruits, honey and maple syrup each naturally contain fructose. Fructose is also a key ingredient in high fructose corn syrup, a sweetener manufacturers use to sweeten many processed foods and beverages, including breads, cakes, ice cream, sauces, ketchup, salad dressings and beverages. High fructose corn syrup is a mixture of fructose and glucose. Your body digests fructose and converts it into glucose, the sugar molecule your cells metabolize for energy. Eating fresh fruits is much healthier than eating foods with fructose sweeteners, particularly because fruits contain high concentrations of antioxidants, phytonutrients and fiber.

High Fructose Corn Syrup What Does Scientific Research Really Say About HFCS? www.SweetSurprise.com/
Sponsored Links Refined Sugar
Sucrose, also called table sugar, is a disaccharide that contains two different types of sugar molecules, fructose and glucose. Your body digests disaccharides by breaking up the link between the two sugars. Your liver converts fructose into glucose, metabolizes it for energy or stores it for future use. The first difference between sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup is sucrose contains a 1-to-1 ratio of glucose-to-fructose molecules, whereas high fructose corn syrup has a greater percentage of fructose than glucose. The second difference is a disaccharide takes longer for your body to digest, absorb and process than a mixture of unbound fructose and glucose molecules.

Glycemic Index
Eating fruits enables you to control your blood sugar better than eating refined sugar and sweeteners containing fructose. The glycemic index indicates how quickly glucose enters the blood and increases blood sugar after you eat a particular carbohydrate-containing food. The higher the glycemic index, the more likely the food will spike blood sugar levels and increase your risk of insulin resistance and diabetes. Grapefruit, peaches, pears and apples have a lower glycemic index than pure fructose, which, in turn, has a lower glycemic index than sucrose.

Health Risks
Fructose from fruit and sweeteners and sucrose increase fat production. Scientists at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center found consuming fructose increases liver production of fat, according to research published in the "Journal of Nutrition" in June 2008. The results demonstrated that increasing concentration of fructose in the diet increases the amount of fat the liver produces. Elizabeth Parks, Ph.D., lead author of the research study, said with regard to fructose, glucose and sucrose: “All three can be made into triglycerides, a form of body fat; however, once you start the process of fat synthesis from fructose, it’s hard to slow it down."