What am I doing wrong?

oldsoul918

I'm hoping someone can take a look at my food and exercise diary and tell me what I'm doing wrong. I've been working out 4-5 times a week for 45-60 minutes for the last 3 months. Problem? I've only lost ONE pound! Would anyone be willing to critique my program and give me some advise?

khadijak17

are you eating back your excercise calories and weighing your food so that your calories are logged properly?

erickirb

I would say the issue is your weekly weight loss goal is too aggressive for the amount you have to lose. Here is a guide to the setting of appropriate weekly weight loss goals:
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

Krshannon1128

I notice you enjoy the starbucks vanilla lattes (as do I) but this could be part of what is slowing us down. I recommend trying a week or two of cutting grains and sugars.... sometimes we have to try different diets to see what works best for us. Some people can lose weight by doing no carbs and no caffeine with a higher intake of protein - meats and dairy. Do you lift weights? Maybe your gaining muscle weight. Try doing more cardio and less weight training... Hope this helped!

foxyxxx

You know what... beats me...

The only thing I would recommend is eating less in the evening and more in the morning.
If you eat 700kcal for dinner your body might not have the time to burn it off so it just puts away while you sleep.

The advice I have always been given is: eat breakfast alone, share lunch with a friend, and give your dinner to the enemy.
or eat breakfast like a king, lunch like an aristocrat and dinner like a beggar.

ruststar

Pizza hut, maybe?

nsanati

Have u also measured urself??? I've only lost minimal weight so far but my waist & thighs are shrinking ...

rileamoyer

I don't see you logging much water, make sure get at least the 8 cups, drink more if you can. What is your target to lose each week, set it at 1/2 lb. Then try mixing up your exercise routine and zig zagging your calories for a few weeks (e.g. go way over a day or two then under a few days).

When you only have a few lbs to lose it gets harder as your body is already working pretty efficiently. - in my experience at least - the last 10 took several months.

bzmom

1. Another think to look at most of your logs are pretty high in sodium and you are not drinking a lot of water.

2. You have a few days you go over your calories but for the most part I noticed you dont even hit 1200 calories net

Those were the only two things that really pop up to me.

katkins3

Are you using a HRM or the MFP website for your exercise calories? There can be a big difference.

EmmaR31

I would say the issue is your weekly weight loss goal is too aggressive for the amount you have to lose. Here is a guide to the setting of appropriate weekly weight loss goals:
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

Probably a silly question, but why would you have to adjust your weight loss goals depending on the amount you have to lose, is it something to do with your metabolism?

oldsoul918

Pizza Hut! :laugh:

Thanks so much for your input everyone! I don't really understand the whole "eat back your calories" thing. I think MFP does that for you by saying "you've earned X extra calories from working out"...is that right?

I emailed Olivia to help me with the Olivia Method...thought I'd give that a shot. Not sure if it'll help or not, but I've got to try something.

0PhAtDaDdY

I looked at one day u ain't eating enough.........

DIVATRUFFEL0116

Hi,
I was reading your diary and I have to say that some of your foods are processed. If this were me and I wanted serious results I would stop eating processed foods and reduce my coffee to black coffee, instant creamer and one packet of splenda. The key to losing weight is what you eat and exercise. I have lost some weight and still have a BMI of 33.1, lost 44lbs and most of it is because I workout the same number of days as you.
One difference I pack my meals, plan my meals, cook my meals and they are 3 vegatables, 3 fruit servings and two protein servings a day. No bread or white foods that contain high fructose corn syrup and corn starch. Try this for two weeks and see if you lose weight or inches.

Good luck!
Michelle

oldsoul918

Okay, lattes are out! I'll try switching to black coffee.

My body has definitely changed...just no real weight loss. I haven't measured, but I'll start doing that. I do lift weights because I want muscle definition, not just to be skinny.

josery1630

If you continue to do the same exercises and don't change it up, your body becomes adept at those movements and it takes less effort to do the same things, making your caloric expenditure less. If you change it up daily or even weekly, you will force your body to use your muscles in different ways, burning more calories.

I noticed you have 10 minutes of lifting and 100 calories burned. I wear a heart rate monitor when I exercise, and there's no way I burn 100 calories in 10 minutes. The numbers may be skewed, making it seem like you have all these calories left over but you really don't.

The other thing to think about is if you're adding weight training in, you're building muscle. The best way to tell if you're losing weight isn't the scale, but your measurements. Things like excess soduim, pms, and not enough water can skew the results as well.

dsak

It's not just about keeping within your calorie limits, but it's also about the types of food you eat. I only went thru the last week of your diary, and I see a lot of Pizza and Candy and Vanilla Lattes. Those things are probably sabotaging your efforts.

1. Watch the sodium intake
2. Drink more water
3. Eat more healthy foods.... lean meats, veggies, fruits
4. Eat less processed foods
5. Add SUGAR as one of the components you measure (along with Fat, Carbs, Proteins and Sodium); I'm sure you are way over your sugar limits most days

And remember... this should be a lifestyle change for you. Sure you can have "fun" stuff to eat/drink.... but moderation is the key.

Good luck!

josery1630

Oh, and the "eat back your calories thing"...if you dip too low on calorie consumption, your body will think you are starving it and will go into self defense mode, actually causing you to gain weight rather than lose it.

erickirb

I would say the issue is your weekly weight loss goal is too aggressive for the amount you have to lose. Here is a guide to the setting of appropriate weekly weight loss goals:
If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.

Probably a silly question, but why would you have to adjust your weight loss goals depending on the amount you have to lose, is it something to do with your metabolism?

The less body fat you have the harder it is for your body to use what is left, and instead of using fat your body would burn muscle. This is a survival mechanism that would allow your fat to last longer, and since muscle burns calories at rest the less muscle you have the longer your fat stores will last.
That is the main reason, the other is to get you ready for maintenance calories so you don't have a large increase in calories all at once.

oldsoul918

It's not just about keeping within your calorie limits, but it's also about the types of food you eat. I only went thru the last week of your diary, and I see a lot of Pizza and Candy and Vanilla Lattes. Those things are probably sabotaging your efforts.

1. Watch the sodium intake
2. Drink more water
3. Eat more healthy foods.... lean meats, veggies, fruits
4. Eat less processed foods
5. Add SUGAR as one of the components you measure (along with Fat, Carbs, Proteins and Sodium); I'm sure you are way over your sugar limits most days

And remember... this should be a lifestyle change for you. Sure you can have "fun" stuff to eat/drink.... but moderation is the key.

Good luck!

I know looking at my diary, pizza looks like an issue, but honestly that's the only time I've had pizza in the last 6-7 months. There were leftovers so I ate it for lunch and whatnot :blushing:

Candy! Oh, it's so hard to give up sugar! I'm definitely working on it though

erickirb

Oh, and the "eat back your calories thing"...if you dip too low on calorie consumption, your body will think you are starving it and will go into self defense mode, actually causing you to gain weight rather than lose it.

not quite, your body will not gain weight if you eat less then you burn, what it will do is slow your metabolism down slightly so you burn less calories everyday and if you have a few binge days you will gain as you maintenance calories would be lower then what MFP suggests. On top of this your body will also burn a large % of lean muscle if your deficit is too large given the amount of fat on your body.

littlebee57

I would suggest trying to get in more fruits and vegetables.

Krshannon1128

Have u also measured urself??? I've only lost minimal weight so far but my waist & thighs are shrinking ...

Same here! The scale is not the answer!

Krshannon1128

I'm working on the no lattes too!! Its so hard. If you get one make sure to tell them Sugar free, non fat milk, and no whip cream. That will cut it down to about 90calories!

galey2000

Hi,

well I'm new, but looking at your diary there seems to be a lot of days not filled in? could the answer lie in what happened on those days? Like I say Im new and might not be doing it right but going back prior to 19th NOV it semms really hit and miss?

oldsoul918

Hi,

well I'm new, but looking at your diary there seems to be a lot of days not filled in? could the answer lie in what happened on those days? Like I say Im new and might not be doing it right but going back prior to 19th NOV it semms really hit and miss?

Hi...I'm new to this site so that's why there's nothing filled in for back then

oldsoul918

Holy smokes! I just changed my settings to show sugar and I'm so embarrassed :blushing:

I knew I was eating too much...but had no idea it was THAT MUCH too much!

Good grief, what was I thinking?? :sad:

DixiedoesMFP

First off, you look absolutely gorgeous in your wedding pic. Cut yourself some slack. Unfortunately it is fairly normal to gain weight after getting married. You can't eat like he does. Boo!!! Anyway, I am going through the same process - only ten or fifteen pounds to lose and it is HARD! I am shifting (some days better than others) from processed foods to cleaner foods and though the scale hasn't changed much, I can definitely tell in my waist (belly flatter) and in my muscle definition. My diary is open, feel free to have a look. I am by no means doing this perfectly, but have found that having cleaner foods and less processed foods helps me feel better overall!

galey2000

No worries, just always looking to fill in the blanks

EngiAli

You need more balance, more whole foods. Mashed potatoes and bacon bits does not a meal make! More fruit, veg, fiber, real meat (not cold cuts). Switch the Latte for a piece of fruit, afternoon candy for a hard boiled egg or cheese and veggies. Have 2-3 food groups for every meal.

oldsoul918

Thank you all so much for the reality check!

There's just no out-exercising a poor diet.

Sooo, down with the sugar and up with the fruits and veggies!

Here we go!!