I'm Sooo Discouraged Right Now!!

heaven_511

Ok MFP, I need your help. I've been doing really well with my diet, weight loss and exercise since joining and the weight just seemed to be melting off. The past few days however, my scale has been doing a moonwalk. :-( I've never had a day where I went over my calories and only 2-3 where I haven't gotten in all of my water. I did start eating more as I've been trying to eat back some of my exercise calories. Maybe that's what I'm doing wrong.

Guys can you please take a look at my diary and tell me what I'm missing here?

Thanks in advance!

deathstarclock

why are you eating 1200? something tells me that 1200 was not recommended by MFP

Edit: ah nvm, it's really early and my brain is slowly waking up ><

heaven_511

Actually that's exactly what was recommened by MFP.

letonia_

What I see is that you are eating under your Daily Goals and not eating your exercise calories back. That might be one of the reasons of your plateau. You need to shake your metabolism. Change your exercises as well as your body gets used to them and manages the burning more efficiently

heaven_511

why are you eating 1200? something tells me that 1200 was not recommended by MFP

Edit: ah nvm, it's really early and my brain is slowly waking up ><

LOL!

Maryfullofgrace

Don't be discouraged. I see from your diary you are eating a lot of prepared foods and have a sweet tooth!

Try going more raw.. example, instead of the pre-made peanut butter crackers, go with some celery and natural peanut butter. Or some dried apricots and a tablespoon of peanut butter... You will feel fuller and your body will be happier.

kykykenna

Im no pro at all, but looking back just a week or a little more you are almost always over in sugar.....maybe try to get that down as it is from processed sugars? I keep having to go back and look at my diary as well to notice trends I end up stalling with.

kateroot

Take a look at the foods you're eating and do an honest evaluation of your diet. I went through a week of your diary and I don't think I saw a single veggie. You're eating tons of sugar, hardly any protein, and very little fiber. What is it you're doing for exercise that's burning over 1000 calories a day?

RachelSRoach1

Plateau type thing?

Well I have seen this work for several people.. increasing calorie intake for a week or so? Then again.. maybe you should go back to eating just 1200.

Also.. have you been measuring too? It is likely that you have still been losing inches!

heaven_511

Take a look at the foods you're eating and do an honest evaluation of your diet. I went through a week of your diary and I don't think I saw a single veggie. You're eating tons of sugar, hardly any protein, and very little fiber. What is it you're doing for exercise that's burning over 1000 calories a day?

You're right I do have quite a sweet tooth and I never really look at what I eat (other than the caloric content). For cardio I do 60 mins Zumba and 30 day shred or I run on the treadmill (before or after Zumba). I track my calories burned with a strapped HRM.

Elleinnz

How exactly are you measuring your workout calories - for someone that MFP is recommending 1200 calories - and you seem to be within 20 lbs of your goal weight your calorie burns for both zumba and 30D Shred seems very high....If you are not using a HRM to measure I suspect you are maybe overestimating your exercise calories...


I also agree that your " diet" needs more vegetables etc.....

vzucco

I'm a big believer that it's not just the amount of calories you eat but what they are composed of. If you're only eating 1200 a day then you need to make sure you get nutrients from your food. Your diary shows a lot of sugar, white flour, and processed foods. Try eating clean, you'll be surprised at what a difference it makes.

heaven_511

Im no pro at all, but looking back just a week or a little more you are almost always over in sugar.....maybe try to get that down as it is from processed sugars? I keep having to go back and look at my diary as well to notice trends I end up stalling with.

Thanks. You're right I have a huge sweet tooth and it's been getting the best of me. I guess that's probably it...even though I still manage to stay under my calories...Thanks again!

srp2011

Your diet seems to be pretty much all garbage, so not surprising you stopped losing weight. You probably lost in the beginning because just a cut in calories was a shock to your system, but that won't work for most people for very long. Try eating a healthy balanced diet with lean protein, fresh fruit and veggies, and whole grains.

Also, your profile isn't visible so we don't know anything about you, like age, height, and if you are a man or woman. Based on your calorie target of 1200, I'm guessing you are probably a woman of smaller stature, and if so you really have less room to play around with junk food (and the older you are the less and less you can get away with it). Also, MFP tends to overestimate exercise calories, so you may be eating back too many, and depending on your metabolism and extent of exercise, you may not need to eat any back at all.

kristijoanderson

So, just a quick glance at your diary and I see very little fiber and lean protein. Mostly I see processed foods. Try eating 400 calories 4 times a day and make most of them lean protein and fibrous fruits and vegetables. Here is an example:
Breakfast: 1 cup Corn flakes, 2 TBSP raisins, 2 TBSP sunflower seeds, 1 c Fat Free milk
Lunch: 4 oz. Lean turkey, 1 C raw spinach leaves with 1 TBSP Fat free Annies Goddess dressing, 10 olives sliced, 1/2 Baked potato w/ nonfat yogurt
Dinner: 4 oz salmon steak, 1 c couscous prepared from box , 1 cup steamed carrots, 1 cup spinach salad
snack: Fruit smoothie with 1 cup frozen fruit, 1 c fat free milk, 1 Splenda packet, 2 TBSP flax seed oil

this should be about 1600 calories a day and have enough protein, fiber and healthy fats that you will kick start your metabolism again.
PS: Get help with your carb and processed food addiction!!! :-}

Sridenbaugh

If you haven't already done so. I'd suggest looking up your BMR (Basic Metabolic Rate) to see how many calories you burn just doing nothing. You subtract 500 calories from that number as long as it under 1200. If you eat to few calories your body will lose weight slower than if it gets all the nutrients you need. Obviously if you eat too many than you'll put on weight.

When you add in your exercise to MFP. I don't suggest eating the calories you work off. In order to lose weight you have to go into a deficit. Hope this helped.

Articeluvsmemphis

more raw fruits/veggies. with that being said, I need to take my own advice It's easy to lose that weight in the beginning, but diet is way ore crucial after that initial chunk of weight comes off. good luck. and p.s. i think that like getting good rest and taking a vitamin and reducing stress helps in weight loss as well.

heaven_511

So, just a quick glance at your diary and I see very little fiber and lean protein. Mostly I see processed foods. Try eating 400 calories 4 times a day and make most of them lean protein and fibrous fruits and vegetables. Here is an example:
Breakfast: 1 cup Corn flakes, 2 TBSP raisins, 2 TBSP sunflower seeds, 1 c Fat Free milk
Lunch: 4 oz. Lean turkey, 1 C raw spinach leaves with 1 TBSP Fat free Annies Goddess dressing, 10 olives sliced, 1/2 Baked potato w/ nonfat yogurt
Dinner: 4 oz salmon steak, 1 c couscous prepared from box , 1 cup steamed carrots, 1 cup spinach salad
snack: Fruit smoothie with 1 cup frozen fruit, 1 c fat free milk, 1 Splenda packet, 2 TBSP flax seed oil

this should be about 1600 calories a day and have enough protein, fiber and healthy fats that you will kick start your metabolism again.
PS: Get help with your carb and processed food addiction!!! :-}

Thanks! This is sooo very helpful. I really appreciate you taking the time to give me some example meals. As you can see I'm not very good with preparing my own meals.

AdAstra47

OK, you joined in October 2011, right? So you can't have been doing this for more than, let's say, 7 weeks?
13 lb in 7 weeks is approximately 1.8 lb per week. Which is really, really good! A healthy, sustainable weight loss is 1-2 lb per week. Personally, I average 1.3 lb per week.

Losing any more than 2 lb per week probably means you're losing muscle as well as fat, and you don't want that. I agree with the people who have suggested cutting down on the sugar and increasing the protein in your diet; this will keep you from losing muscle mass. From what I can tell, you're doing just fine. Remember that this is a long, gradual process. Losing a pound or more a week is great progress, even if it's slower than you'd like.

Good luck to you!

LuciaLongIsland

That sounds good. I also was not eating healthy. Thank you.

kristarablue

Have you thought of raising your protein, yours is awfully low and lowering your carbs. I am not talking low carbs, but just lower. You may want to change your macros in MFP for percentages the one pre-set for MFP is very low protein. Also I noticed that you tend to eat processed foods which often contain a lot of sodium, so you may want to look at that as well. It is not only calories but the quality of the calories...Good luck and don't get too worried about fluxuations here and there

WifeNMama

You have very irregular eating habits. Do you get irritable and really hungry during the day? I started eating oatmeal, eggs, yogurt or even toast with peanut butter, and some fruit for breakfast and I didn't get so ravenous by lunch. Ideally, something with protein and fibre. it keeps you feeling full for longer and takes a while to digest.
Try to get at least one full serving of fruit or veggie in with each meal. When I was working outside of the home, i would buy my lunch at the grocery store. A whole wheat sandwich or sushi, a piece of fruit and either a real fruit juice, latte or water to drink, and I would be set until a late dinner. Or I brought lunch from home. A bit more work but healthier and a lot cheaper. If burger king is your only option, maybe get a listing of their menu with nutritional values and choose the healthiest five options and rotate between them through the week.
Also, my best defense against my sweet tooth, is I try to exercise before I eat a treat. If I burn off the calories before, it feels more like a reward. Instead of eating it and then exercising and the workout feels like a debt to be paid.
And don't drown yourself drinking too much water. I usually get in five cups a day, but then I also get fluid from fruit and veg, as well. I'm more concerned about people who drink 3-4 liters a day and what they are doing to the electrolyte levels in their bodies.
Hope you get out of the slump soon. :-)

UsedToBeHusky

Check you sodium and potassium. If your sodium is high, then you are retaining water. Based on what I can tell from your diary, this is probably the case. This could lead to edema. I noticed that I had this problem in the beginning. I was gaining even when I was under calorie goal. So I started watching the sodium and keeping that macro under, but the swelling would not go down. Then I read about how potassium counters the effects of sodium and is crucially important for managing the balance between water and sodium in our bodies. I checked my potassium and sure enough, I was extremely deficient. As soon as I increased the potassium in my diet, the swelling went down and I began to lose again.

Now I watch both in my diary trying to be certain that I at least get an equal amount of both. Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables will help you get the potassium while keeping the sodium down. You don't have to give up fast food and sweets if you don't want to, but you have to use moderation and balance it out with fresh fruits and veggies at other meals of the day. One method I have found that helps me maintain balance is planning my meals for each day ahead of time.

I hope I could be of some help and best of luck!

Psalm17v22

The last couple of days looks like you ate a lot of processed food and that contains a TON of sodium which will cause you to retain fluids which translate into weight. Try tracking your sodium and see where it's at, plus yesterday you were under 1200 which is a problem when you factor in your exercise. If you're going to burn that many calories, you need to eat more than 1500-1600, which I know you usually do.
Just my 2 cents...
God bless,
Karen

heaven_511

The last couple of days looks like you ate a lot of processed food and that contains a TON of sodium which will cause you to retain fluids which translate into weight. Try tracking your sodium and see where it's at, plus yesterday you were under 1200 which is a problem when you factor in your exercise. If you're going to burn that many calories, you need to eat more than 1500-1600, which I know you usually do.
Just my 2 cents...
God bless,
Karen

Thanks Karen!

Kslice39

im in the same bost, the scale hasnt moved in a week, its torture...:frown:

jecka31

I too have a sweet tooth! It wasn't until I started using MFP that I saw how much I was going over in sugar!! I'm still a work in progress but I'm trying to pick better sweet things. I eat fruit when I feel my sweet tooth coming on! Apples and strawberries seem to do the trick for me! If I am having a real craving, I'll make sweet potatoes with dinner, either baked or mashed with skim milk. I posted a topic about healthy desserts and one suggestion was taking the Yoplait whips and freezing them. I've yet to try this but they make a chocolate one!

HMonsterX

I'll say the sodium. You've been over a lot lately, some days almost 4k...that's gonna cling to that water...