What am I doing wrong?

landorki

watch your sodium! YOU ARE MAKING GOOD CHOICES... BUT try to stay away from processed foods!!! It is easier, but loaded with sodium! Sodium causes water weight... water weight causes the scale to stick, or GO UP!!!

Lunch meat is VERY HIGH in sodium

Diet Soda is low/no calorie, but the sodium is SKY HIGH! and each can is 2 SERVINGS!!

Cheese is also high in sodium.

You are making good choices... but cut out the soda, and watch the sodium... and you will see that scale move in the right direction!

landorki

You need to eat your exercise calories or most of them.

No, I am sorry... I do not agree.

xYumzx

watch your sodium! YOU ARE MAKING GOOD CHOICES... BUT try to stay away from processed foods!!! It is easier, but loaded with sodium! Sodium causes water weight... water weight causes the scale to stick, or GO UP!!!

Lunch meat is VERY HIGH in sodium

Diet Soda is low/no calorie, but the sodium is SKY HIGH! and each can is 2 SERVINGS!!

Cheese is also high in sodium.

You are making good choices... but cut out the soda, and watch the sodium... and you will see that scale move in the right direction!

I cut out regular soda to diet, but I was getting really bad headaches from the artificial sweetner So now im a water junkie again lol and I make homemade Iced Tea

dls06

I have a food scale. It was surprising to see what a true portion was compared to what I thought it was. :drinker:

blondejillie

I'm frustrated and holding vs losing as well and was considering cutting down on daily calories, not eating back exercise calories, etc. But after reading this chain, I can see my 8 glasses of water are far too few and I could be retaining water and sodium. According to the "half your weight in ounces calculation" I need more like 11-12 glasses a day, and probably shouldn't be counting those morning cups of joe in my totals. Thanks for all the posts, very helpful.

gleechick609

Keep in mind that it takes your body 2-4 weeks for it to adjust to changes in your diet. Don't freak out and don't give up. Your weight will flucuate (naturally) within a 5 lb range.

Make sure you are getting activity in (walking is a great exercise!)
Make sure you are hitting your macronutrients (fat, carbs and protein)
Make sure you are drinking H20
Make sure you are eating over your BMR and eating back your exercise calories (If you are following MFP Guidelines)

Alexstrasza

watch your sodium! YOU ARE MAKING GOOD CHOICES... BUT try to stay away from processed foods!!! It is easier, but loaded with sodium! Sodium causes water weight... water weight causes the scale to stick, or GO UP!!!

Lunch meat is VERY HIGH in sodium

Diet Soda is low/no calorie, but the sodium is SKY HIGH! and each can is 2 SERVINGS!!

Cheese is also high in sodium.

You are making good choices... but cut out the soda, and watch the sodium... and you will see that scale move in the right direction!

The soda thing isn't much of an issue. I have a Pepsi Max or Coke Zero maybe once every few days. I usually just drink water and 1-2 cups of coffee a day.
Well and now that I've discovered Almond Milk I'll incorporate that into my diet to!

grobbygru

I didn't lose for probably at least 5 weeks - muscle building no doubt - so I didn't focus on losing anything - then bam!!! off it came.

Alexstrasza

Keep in mind that it takes your body 2-4 weeks for it to adjust to changes in your diet. Don't freak out and don't give up. Your weight will flucuate (naturally) within a 5 lb range.

Make sure you are getting activity in (walking is a great exercise!)
Make sure you are hitting your macronutrients (fat, carbs and protein)
Make sure you are drinking H20
Make sure you are eating over your BMR and eating back your exercise calories (If you are following MFP Guidelines)

So if my BRM is like 1921, I need to eat MORE than that in a day?

Also just figured out I've been drinking far too little water! I was doing the 8-10 glasses a day. Come to find I need closer to 15!

crabby10

I think it's normal for a woman's weight to fluctuate a little over the course of a month, so don't beat yourself up or get discouraged. I know that if I chart my weight every day, there are days when my weight jumps up and then stays exactly the same and then it will jump down. I'd suggest:

1) make sure you eat at least 1200 calories of food every day
2) make sure your combination of food eaten and exercise meets or beats your target every day
3) make sure the food you eat is not trash -- spend a few days eating the most nutritious options you can find (fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, freshly cooked proteins)
4) watch out for the salt -- sea salt is salt, "no salt" options are not necessarily much better, everything you do not cook yourself is likely full of salts and preservatives
5 try a different type of exercise -- if you don't do weights, try that. If you've never tried a rowing machine, try that. Take an exercise or yoga class you've never taken before. Even if it doesn't give you the immediate fix, it will at least be a new healthy habit to learn to help keep the boredom away.
6) try a one-day water cleanse -- gradually over the course of the whole day, drink a LOT of water. You can look online for water cleanses, but the point is to push the water all through the day (it is actually possible to overdose on water, so you don't want to force it all in one go) and help flush the salts from your body.
7) get enough sleep!
8) look into a zig-zag diet (find more info online). Basically, if your target calories are 1200, on day one you eat 1400, day two 1200, day three 1000, day four 1200, day five 1400 and so on. The idea is to average the right number of calories over the course of a week, but to have the number you eat go up and down from day to day.

Don't give up! Plateaus are normal.

ahinski

You need to eat your exercise calories or most of them.

No, I am sorry... I do not agree.

Disagree all you want, but the truth is if you already have a caloric deficit without exercising, then you need to eat the calories burned during exercise or else your caloric deficit will be too high and your metabolism will slow down.

Check this helpful link out:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

crabby10

Keep in mind that it takes your body 2-4 weeks for it to adjust to changes in your diet. Don't freak out and don't give up. Your weight will flucuate (naturally) within a 5 lb range.

Make sure you are getting activity in (walking is a great exercise!)
Make sure you are hitting your macronutrients (fat, carbs and protein)
Make sure you are drinking H20
Make sure you are eating over your BMR and eating back your exercise calories (If you are following MFP Guidelines)

So if my BRM is like 1921, I need to eat MORE than that in a day?

Also just figured out I've been drinking far too little water! I was doing the 8-10 glasses a day. Come to find I need closer to 15!

I disagree with eating back all your exercise calories. I think you need to eat your BRM and try NOT to eat your exercise calories. If you eat your BRM and then exercise 500 calories a day, that adds up to a weight loss of one pound a week. Eating your BRM and all your exercise calories adds up to NO weight loss a week.

Also, re-calculate your BRM based on your current weight.

ahinski

Is there a reason why your daily calorie allowance is over 1800, was that the amount MFP gave you?

1800 calories for females is often used as maintenance.

It says 1890, and yea it's the one that MFP gave me. I'll probably try to stick closer to 1700-1800. I weigh 239 lbs and I'm 5'10" and want to get to around 150lbs.

Also, to add, before today my limit was 1400.

I changed the thing to losing 1lb a week rather than 2lbs.

MFP set my calories at 1200... when I weighted 217

This doesn't mean anything for the original poster though. She may live a more active lifestyle than you or have her weekly weight loss goal set to a lower pounds per week.

gsager

From the looks of your diary, on most days I don't think you are eating enough.

Alexstrasza

Keep in mind that it takes your body 2-4 weeks for it to adjust to changes in your diet. Don't freak out and don't give up. Your weight will flucuate (naturally) within a 5 lb range.

Make sure you are getting activity in (walking is a great exercise!)
Make sure you are hitting your macronutrients (fat, carbs and protein)
Make sure you are drinking H20
Make sure you are eating over your BMR and eating back your exercise calories (If you are following MFP Guidelines)

So if my BRM is like 1921, I need to eat MORE than that in a day?

Also just figured out I've been drinking far too little water! I was doing the 8-10 glasses a day. Come to find I need closer to 15!

I disagree with eating back all your exercise calories. I think you need to eat your BRM and try NOT to eat your exercise calories. If you eat your BRM and then exercise 500 calories a day, that adds up to a weight loss of one pound a week. Eating your BRM and all your exercise calories adds up to NO weight loss a week.

Also, re-calculate your BRM based on your current weight.

I did calculate it to my current weight. I just changed it on my diary like an hour ago.

ahinski

Keep in mind that it takes your body 2-4 weeks for it to adjust to changes in your diet. Don't freak out and don't give up. Your weight will flucuate (naturally) within a 5 lb range.

Make sure you are getting activity in (walking is a great exercise!)
Make sure you are hitting your macronutrients (fat, carbs and protein)
Make sure you are drinking H20
Make sure you are eating over your BMR and eating back your exercise calories (If you are following MFP Guidelines)

So if my BRM is like 1921, I need to eat MORE than that in a day?

Also just figured out I've been drinking far too little water! I was doing the 8-10 glasses a day. Come to find I need closer to 15!

I disagree with eating back all your exercise calories. I think you need to eat your BRM and try NOT to eat your exercise calories. If you eat your BRM and then exercise 500 calories a day, that adds up to a weight loss of one pound a week. Eating your BRM and all your exercise calories adds up to NO weight loss a week.

Also, re-calculate your BRM based on your current weight.

Do you mean "BMR" ...basal metabolic rate?

Unless you are completely sedentary, never moving all day at all... I don't think you are supposed to only eat just your Basal Metabolic Rate (assuming that's what you mean by "BRM"). Your BMR is "The rate at which the body uses energy while at rest to keep vital functions going," which is basically the very minimum amount of calories you need in order for your body to survive and function properly if it were at rest all day.

My BMR is about 1400 calories. I burn an average of 600 calories a day through exercise, and another estimated 300 just living my life on the go and walking around etc. This means in order to have enough calories for one day and maintain my weight, I'd need to eat 2,300 calories. So, in order to give myself a 500-calorie deficit every day (to make sure I lose a pound a week and not slow down my metabolism while I'm at it), I eat 1800 calories to account for exercise and also allow for a caloric deficit to lose weight.

The proof is in the results: I am shedding a pound or more weekly.

landorki

You need to eat your exercise calories or most of them.

No, I am sorry... I do not agree.

Disagree all you want, but the truth is if you already have a caloric deficit without exercising, then you need to eat the calories burned during exercise or else your caloric deficit will be too high and your metabolism will slow down.

Check this helpful link out:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo

"banks1850 has deactivated their account."

landorki

If you are not going to burn a huge amount of calories a day, I do not see this being an issue. Fit people like to think it is the same for over weight people, and/or Obese people. It is NOT. The proof is in the pudding? Yes, the proof is in the pudding... Look at my ticker. I have been Obese, and am still overweight. I DO NOT eat back my exercise calories unless I have to. I have to if I need to hit my protein mark, OR if there is a HUGE deficit of calories.