Am i eating enough, or too much?

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So firstly, i am female and weigh 228lbs. I'm 5ft 6. And have my activity level set at sedentary. (i work a part time office job, and also run around after 2 childern under 3!).
I'm also set to lose 1.5lbs per week.
MFP has me set at 1490 calories net.

I struggle to get much exercise in to my day. But when i do, i usually eat back part of my exercise calories, but not all.

I stayed the same for a few weeks, but finally had a loss on Sunday am, of 1lb.
My progress is very slow, much slower than i expected and i'm beinging to lose my motivation.

I know i don't make the best food choices all the time, but i'm under my calories everyday, apart from on a Sunday when i have a take away for dinner. (IS this the problem???)

So food choices aside, i'm just wondering if it's the amount of food i'm eating that is hindering my progress??

Any ideas/suggestions/kicks up the *kitten*/whatever are welcome :)

Replies

  • Kimbers70
    Kimbers70 Posts: 102 Member
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    Change your settings to lightly active. Chasing kids around (Im right there with you) does NOT make you sedentary. That should help you out right there.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    Open up your diary as well so we can evaluate the areas of concern.
  • mrsrice86
    mrsrice86 Posts: 79 Member
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    Thank you, i will try that!
    Just set it as sedentary when i started as i was unsure.
  • mrsrice86
    mrsrice86 Posts: 79 Member
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    Also, diary is now set as public. I though it already was! :)
  • mrsrice86
    mrsrice86 Posts: 79 Member
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    Open up your diary as well so we can evaluate the areas of concern.

    Now open :)
    Thought it already was!
  • QueenStromba
    QueenStromba Posts: 57 Member
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    Looking at your food diary you're not eating enough protein or vegetables and eating too much processed food. Protein is set really low on here by default which is crazy since it's really good for making you feel full for a long time. Try to add some eggs and lean meat into your diet. You seem to not be eating much in the way of veg. Veg are great because they have very few calories and lots of vitamins etc - you could have a whole plate of broccoli for less calories than a slice of bread. Processed food is really bad for you, you don't have sugar or sodium on your diary but I bet they're way over limit. Too much sodium causes you to retain water and sugar gets turned straight into fat. If you switch to eating foods in as close to their natural state as possible you'll notice the benefits straight away.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,404 MFP Moderator
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    Looking at your food diary you're not eating enough protein or vegetables and eating too much processed food. Protein is set really low on here by default which is crazy since it's really good for making you feel full for a long time. Try to add some eggs and lean meat into your diet. You seem to not be eating much in the way of veg. Veg are great because they have very few calories and lots of vitamins etc - you could have a whole plate of broccoli for less calories than a slice of bread. Processed food is really bad for you, you don't have sugar or sodium on your diary but I bet they're way over limit. Too much sodium causes you to retain water and sugar gets turned straight into fat. If you switch to eating foods in as close to their natural state as possible you'll notice the benefits straight away.

    This hit it spot on. Also, when you set your goal to lightly active, you will bump to 1700 calories. I would suggest staying between that and 2000 calories (between 1 & 1.5 lbs per week) but when you do get to exercise, make sure you eat back at least 80% of your calories (i believe MFP over estimates on those calories).

    Also, do a custom set up under your goals and do 40% carbs, 40% protein and 20% fats. And make sure you get plenty of healthy fats.
  • mrsrice86
    mrsrice86 Posts: 79 Member
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    Looking at your food diary you're not eating enough protein or vegetables and eating too much processed food. Protein is set really low on here by default which is crazy since it's really good for making you feel full for a long time. Try to add some eggs and lean meat into your diet. You seem to not be eating much in the way of veg. Veg are great because they have very few calories and lots of vitamins etc - you could have a whole plate of broccoli for less calories than a slice of bread. Processed food is really bad for you, you don't have sugar or sodium on your diary but I bet they're way over limit. Too much sodium causes you to retain water and sugar gets turned straight into fat. If you switch to eating foods in as close to their natural state as possible you'll notice the benefits straight away.

    Thank you!! I hadn't realised how little veg i was eating. And i actually love veg! lol. I will deffinately be adding a lot more into my diet.