Feel like binge eating because weight loss has stalled!

rickyd88

I know this will sound rather crazy but since the scales have stopped moving I just feel so upset and like I might aswell give up and pull out the chocolate tin.

I've lost 13.5lbs since starting MFP 26 days ago. Thats a great amount to lose (although I doubt its fat) but lately the scales just aren't doing much. Since I changed my activity level (from sitting on my butt all day to lightly active as I'm a nurse and spend most of the day on my feet) my calorie intake has increased slightly but the weight just won't budge anymore. The obvious answer would seem to be to decrease my calorie intake but I always fall a little short anyway so that I don't go over on fats and carbs etc.

I know it's normal to expect weightloss to slow down after the initial shock to the system, but I feel like it's never going to happen for me. I'm never going to be slim and healthy. I'm never going to look nice in a pair of jeans. I'm always going to be fat!

I'd appreciate it if someone could look at my diary and give me some tips on what to do next. I am trying to cut out the sweet stuff as my sugar is a bit high at the moment, but I feel like if I don't have a little treat when I want one I'm just going to binge if I keep myself waiting.

This is such a crappy feeling!

GettingFit4Me2011

Hang in there! You might be losing inches. Are you exercising? Do you eat lots of sodium rich foods? When was your last bowel movement? Are you eating enough calories?

cramernh

Well first of all you really need to stop being overstressed because that can actually add to the stalling of weight loss... its not healthy to be under stress....

Secondly - we just got over Thanksgiving... cut yourself a break....


Thirdly - you asked for people to view your diary.... Not trying to be rude, but you eat alot of high sodium-type foods, alot of processed foods, packaged foods.... I saw plenty of meals where you were extremely high carbed out....

I would definitely start making your own meals from scratch - give your body a break from the processed foods you have been having...

Meals from a box or can contain a rediculously high amount of bad fats, tons of sodium and the bad types of carbohydrates....

Hydration - is so very important.. get that water in daily!

Push yourself to consume vegetables and healthier choice fruits... There are some frozen varieties (with nothing added) that are just as good and help when fresh produce is too expensive during times of the year...

rickyd88

I don't go to the gym much anymore because I do 14hr days at work and walk ALL day, but when I get home I try to do about 5-10 minutes of steps on my stairs at home. I also do brisk walking to and from the train station for 20 minutes a day. I eat back exercise calories.

I tend to fall about 5-100 calories short of my recommended intake, because if I eat something else I end up having too much carbs, protein or fat.

I haven't measured myself but a pair of my jeans feel a little easier to slip on.

I don't really eat a lot of ready-packaged meals but always drink at least 1.5l of water per day, not including tea (so I wouldn't think I have too much sodium). My bowel movements are still frequent, at least every other day.

cramernh

I don't go to the gym much anymore because I do 14hr days at work and walk ALL day, but when I get home I try to do about 5-10 minutes of steps on my stairs at home. I also do brisk walking to and from the train station for 20 minutes a day. I eat back exercise calories.

I tend to fall about 5-100 calories short of my recommended intake, because if I eat something else I end up having too much carbs, protein or fat.

I haven't measured myself but a pair of my jeans feel a little easier to slip on.

I don't really eat a lot of ready-packaged meals but always drink at least 1.5l of water per day, not including tea (so I wouldn't think I have too much sodium). My bowel movements are still frequent, at least every other day.

Im sorry but after looking at your diary and several days worth of your intake, you really do eat alot of preprocessed/packaged foods.... I dont think you realize the impact they can have... Most of the frozen meals contain enough salt for either all of your daily amounts, and in some cases two days worth! And its not just in the foods you are eating, the desserts you logged, the snacks you logged... sodium, high glycemic carbohydrates, the stress you are putting yourself through all can throw you into that realm of no scale-movement...

rickyd88

You eat alot of high sodium-type foods, alot of processed foods, packaged foods.... I saw plenty of meals where you were extremely high carbed out....

I would definitely start making your own meals from scratch - give your body a break from the processed foods you have been having...

Meals from a box or can contain a rediculously high amount of bad fats, tons of sodium and the bad types of carbohydrates....

Admittedly over the last few days I have made part of my main meals from packaged foods, but it tends to be vegetarian quorn products. Where people would normally opt for real chicken with their meals I have quorn chicken which is high in protein. Saying that though, I don't go over on carbs and proteins and I drink a LOT of water. Is it still a big deal if I don't go over and drink water?

As an example - instead of fatty fries, I make my own using sweet potato and I'm using low-cal and low-fat food where possible.

In the earlier days I would opt for salads and would juice my fruit and veg but after a 14hr working day I find it time consuming. I guess the saying 'you get back what you put in' is true!

rickyd88

Going back over the last few days I'm quite ashamed at how much cake / pastry / chocolate I've had and can see that even though I've not gone over on calorie intake I'm actually eating a WHOLE meals worth of calories in one piece of cake.

What a mess I've gotten into. I thought I was being ok as long as I didn't go over on the numbers! More a case of not how much you eat but WHAT you eat maybe?!

cramernh

You eat alot of high sodium-type foods, alot of processed foods, packaged foods.... I saw plenty of meals where you were extremely high carbed out....

I would definitely start making your own meals from scratch - give your body a break from the processed foods you have been having...

Meals from a box or can contain a rediculously high amount of bad fats, tons of sodium and the bad types of carbohydrates....

Admittedly over the last few days I have made part of my main meals from packaged foods, but it tends to be vegetarian quorn products. Where people would normally opt for real chicken with their meals I have quorn chicken which is high in protein. Saying that though, I don't go over on carbs and proteins and I drink a LOT of water. Is it still a big deal if I don't go over and drink water?

As an example - instead of fatty fries, I make my own using sweet potato and I'm using low-cal and low-fat food where possible.

In the earlier days I would opt for salads and would juice my fruit and veg but after a 14hr working day I find it time consuming. I guess the saying 'you get back what you put in' is true!

Im looking into your food logs going as far back as November - around the second week - and you definitely consumed alot of the prepackaged/processed meals still even then.... the differences Im seeing from your beginning, to to day - is that you arent even keeping up with any true vegetables, fruits, not alot of healthy grains....


Im also seeing alot of prepackaged pastries - if you keep eating those for breakfast (you have several days where you logged yourself having this type of junk food in the morning) , you will continue to starve your body of the right types of foods it needs....

Im sorry but its not 'the past couple of days" - your food choices are not consistent, in fact they are increasing on the quick-food side....You have left out the real foods as you continue on your journey and are opting pretty much on a day to day basis, the foods that you definitely should be avoiding.....

I get the whole 12-14-16 hour shift type of schedule.. I left my healthcare job after 14 years while I was working a parallel full time job at the same time.... I get it - but, you are basically jeopardizing yourself further with the junk pastries, the frozen meals, the processed snacks.... You really should be getting a better intake in.... and that means making better choices on your food-side of things....

JacksMom12

Wow. There are days that you have less than 20-30 grams of protein! I would die of hunger! I'm not saying that's the cause, but for me, personally, that would NEVER work. I understand the prepackaged food because of my very very small budget it is inevitable that I have to eat processed foods. I would love not to, but I am pretty poor at the moment. Anyways I try my best to get at least 100 grams of protein a day to feel satisfied. I'm not saying you NEED that much, but I'd say that 20 grams is certainly too low. Plus, I heard you mention that you didn't want to go over in your macronutrients but it is OKAY to go over in protein, the guidelines they give are a bare minimum!

cramernh

If you cant come to terms with admitting that its not just the past few days of bad eating... its actually alot longer than that, then you are never going to be truthful with yourself...

The good thing though is that, from what I get from your OP, is that despite the fact you havent lost more weight, YOU HAVE MAINTAINED.... THAT should be your motivation to re-evaluate your dietary intake....

Maintaining is NOT a bad thing - you are supposed to be happy about that.... even the doctors will tell you that as well.. but, like I mentioned earlier, you also need to look at the WHOLE picture, and not just the past few days....

Ive maintained for two weeks - and this included Thanksgiving - IM EXCITED about that!!!!!!!!!!!!! That to me is a non-scale and a scale victory! I know PLENTY of people who gorged theirself silly and are paying the price.... even the people who are the 'Moderation"-police and let themselves have a little of everything and not keep track, still gained weight....

Give yourself a break on the whole maintaining - there are so much more important things to be upset over.... sincerely speaking....

But, you need a culinary recall of what you are doing right now, and a total food-makeover...

rickyd88

You've totally shown me the whole picture now. I'm opting for something else for dinner now and I'm off to the supermarket to stock up on eggs, fish, fruit and veg.

Any idea on what I can do to substitute the boxed vegetarian foods? I really enjoy the quorn products and would even have a go at making them from scratch rather than do away with quorn completely.

cramernh

Going back over the last few days I'm quite ashamed at how much cake / pastry / chocolate I've had and can see that even though I've not gone over on calorie intake I'm actually eating a WHOLE meals worth of calories in one piece of cake.

What a mess I've gotten into. I thought I was being ok as long as I didn't go over on the numbers! More a case of not how much you eat but WHAT you eat maybe?!

Not days - WEEKS.... Not just junk food pastries - almost all of your meals....

Yes - its both: How much you eat, what you eat.

Ill give you an example: For my weightloss efforts, Im under the care of an Endocrinologist that I used to work for - its actually a great situation because I know her inside and out as a fellow staff member, but I know her 'style'....

I cannot consume more than 40g of healthy carbohydrates PER MEAL. Because of the medical conditions I am being treated for, I cannot eat ANY of the following:

potatoes
rice
corn
pasta
white flour
bleached any-type flour
breads made with any-type processed/bleached flour
full fat dairy (bad reactions! UGH!)
coconut (bad allergy! UGH)

My breakfast today was this:

3 egg omelet using one slice of swiss cheese (1oz), 1oz each of peppers, onions, mushrooms I make my own Rye breads using whole grains that are pulverized in the kitchen (love my Vita food processor!)....its the only bread I can have or the Joseph's line of low-carb breads.

Calories: 579
Carbs: 40g
Fat: 26g (major fat component comes form the eggs (15g) and cheese(8g))
Protein: 41g

I ate this at 11:00am this morning (woke up around 10:00am today sleeping in)

This meal will keep me for a good 5-6 hours - why? Because the carbohydrates are coming from fresh vegetables, whole grains that made the Rye bread, the protein fix from not just the cheese but the eggs gives the meal more sustenance.


You do research into the patients' food choices based on the ordering physician's guidelines of care.... That one heart patient may want the Chicken Alfredo for lunch, but you know based on the care and guideline by the Ordering doctor, unless the kitchen has a heart-healthy option, that patient isnt ever going to have the Chicken Alfredo for his/her lunch... you are going to change that meal....

See?

cramernh

sorry, my post is late getting on the board.. MFP was sloooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowing down....! LOL!

cramernh

You've totally shown me the whole picture now. I'm opting for something else for dinner now and I'm off to the supermarket to stock up on eggs, fish, fruit and veg.

Any idea on what I can do to substitute the boxed vegetarian foods? I really enjoy the quorn products and would even have a go at making them from scratch rather than do away with quorn completely.

Yeah, you can stop buying the Quorn products and make your own... you dont need that sodium-high/processed junk.... its counterproductive....

If you grab a day off from work - do your shopping..... and plan that day to do some bulk cooking if you can pull it off.....

That parallel job I mentioned? I work as a Chef.... lol, took my healthcare background to my cooking, and my cooking to my healthcare job.. .it was a long, tough but wonderful 14 years of working two full time jobs.... but thanks to healthcare getting the axe here in New Hampshire, I was laid off from my healthcare job.... and now I only work my chef job... I still bust my *kitten* though! LOL... just did a 12.5hr shift thanks to the numbnuts who called out last minute.... thats ok... I love overtime! LOL

cramernh

OH MY GAWD... I read some of the ingredient labels on the Quorn products... the artificial chemicals/sugars they put in it makes me want to gag......

cramernh

You mentioned you were gonna pick up fish.... so, youre not a vegetarian then?

CouchSpud

Lentils work quite good if you want to get of the Quorn - if you are not Vegetarian, there is no harm in going back to lean meat ^^ and fish... lacking a bit in fruit and veg there as well
And I agree with cramernh: if you have a day off, bulk cook and freeze. That way you have so much more ocntrol what is going into your food

cramernh

Lentils work quite good if you want to get of the Quorn - if you are not Vegetarian, there is no harm in going back to lean meat ^^ and fish... lacking a bit in fruit and veg there as well
And I agree with cramernh: if you have a day off, bulk cook and freeze. That way you have so much more ocntrol what is going into your food

I make homemade marinara - usually 2 gallons worth... Once cooled, I break it down to freezer-type double seal bags, I can lay them flat in my freezer, and freeze several bags that way... When I need one, just grab a bag... it thaws fast this way!

I make my own stocks - Ill either start a bag of chicken, beef, pork bones and put them in the freezer and build up the pile throughout the month - when its full, I roast the bones with mirepoix, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper... then boil the hell out of it... strain it, skim the fat - and freeze the same way as the marinara sauce...

I make my own vegetable stock - I save the vegetable scraps during the week (onion, tomato, broccoli, celery, etc), roast in the oven with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic - strain it and repeat freezing method.

If I want pasta, I have no choice but to purchase the tofu-style Shirataki noodles.... They cannot be frozen but they are good in the fridge for about 6 months... They taste great and work very well!!!! Every-now and then, Ill make my own homemade pasta using freshly ground wheat, or rye grains - hell, Ive even mixed them together.... I limit myself to real fresh pasta to twice per month and an EXTREMELY SMALL portion.... My husband LOVES my homemade Sun-dried tomato-pesto linguini noodles.... He pigs out!!! HAHAHAHAH

I do bulk meatballs, individual meatloaves, cut my own chicken, some are seasoned, rubbed, marinated, or left plain... Pork, I will purchase the whole tenderloin and clean/portion it myself into chops, tips, roasts, etc.

I clean my own fish - I purchase it whole because its so much fresher AND CHEAPER that way too!!!!!!!!! A 30lb salmon, I can usually get for about 4.29/lb - they will gut it for me, rinse and pack it up for me to take home. Again, I do all the prep on it.. .I save the skin to make crispy salmon skin (OHHHH SOOOO GOOD!), fresh tuna, mackeral, yellow-tail, flounder, etc...

I make alot of soups ahead of time... I have some great durable take-out plastic containers from work that are perfect-portions every time! Freeze so very well too!

Sometimes when the sales are going MAD CRAZY, Ill load up on the fresh fruit (only strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, blackberry) and IQF it (individually quick freeze) then store in a container in the freezer. These are the only fruits I can consume... and in significant moderation....


These are just a few methods I do at home....

cramernh

Lentils work quite good if you want to get of the Quorn - if you are not Vegetarian, there is no harm in going back to lean meat ^^ and fish... lacking a bit in fruit and veg there as well
And I agree with cramernh: if you have a day off, bulk cook and freeze. That way you have so much more ocntrol what is going into your food

Dahl (or Daal) - that soup is AMAZING!