I don't flippin get it!!
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You are eating a lot of fast, processed foods. I would try more freash foods to add more protien and fiber to your diet.0
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Took a quick peep at your diary and I don't think it's your calories. I think it's your diet.
First off- great job on staying committed to this process! You work out hard and you've obviously be watching what you're eating. Congrats on your success so far! Also, it takes a lot of courage to ask for help on these boards as people can be pretty critical. So hats off for that.
There are lots of methods to break a plateau- zig zag calories, change work out routines, etc. To me it looks like you should try tightening up your diet for 3 weeks and see if it makes a difference. A few suggestions:
-Try eating super clean. I don't think of this as a diet but more of a "healthy quota" Whenever I eat like this I ALWAYS see a weight loss. If you need to get to your caloric limit and you don't hit it within the below confines try adding more lean protein or veggies.
* 3-4 veggies (green leafy veggies or cruciferous ones like spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, etc. NO STARCHES)
* 2 fruits (no more than that- and stay away from high sugar ones. try blueberries, strawberries, citruses, green apples,
cantaloupe. no bananas, peaches, grapes, or pears)
* 2 complex carbs
* 2-3 lean proteins (chicken, fish, turkey- no processed meats at all. no fatty fish)
*12-14 cups of water (and an additional 2 cups for every hour you workout)
Right now you're always staying below your calories but you're not necessarily eating clean. Try cutting out the following:
- Caffeine (lots of Starbucks on your diary. yummy but not necessarily good for the bod everyday)
- Dairy (try limiting yourself to just 1 serving of dairy a day)
- Processed meats (lunch meat, turkey sausage, etc. is full of sodium.)
-Fast food- I know you're staying under your cals but occasionally your sodium is too high relative to the amount of calories you have left to eat. Just because you're not in the red doesn't mean that your sodium is in check. Example: You have 800 calories left to eat and you have 500 mg of sodium left. Make sense?
- "Diet" foods- laughing cow cheese, frozen dinners, wheat thins, rice krispy treats, marshmallow fluff etc.- those small servings are OK in moderation but seems like you have about 2 servings of these foods a day. If you cut them out completely I'm sure you'll see a difference.
-Starches- I see lots of potatoes in your diet but not many green veggies.
Every body is different and some things that affect me may not affect you. But as a general rule of thumb- if you look at the people on these boards who have lost and maintained- they eat very clean. Tighten up your diet. Cut out the processed stuff. Eat more whole foods. You'll surely see a difference.
Stay focused. You can do it!:flowerforyou:0 -
Cookierinthia : I am not sure my blood type??
swhitney2 : I have done many calculations on how much I should be eating and they ranged from 1500-1800. I tried that for awhile but found it really hard to hit. When I would try I would find unhealthy foods to just try to get up there so I lowered them back down to 1400. I will take your advice on the potassium. Sodium and sugar and hard for me but I try to stay with "healthy sodium and sugar".
PJmetts : I have seen a dr not thyroid problems. Thank you for asking. I do try to force myself a cheat day but it still makes me feel guilty.
bynsky : Thank you SO MUCH for looking at my diary. I do eat out a lot. I really have no reason either. I will increase the fruit and veggies in my day. I am 5'7. I don't think I am fat just not toned or the jean size I would like to be. Do you have any suggestions on "good protein"?0 -
We have the exact same starting weight and goals and problems. I'm 5'3. My ACTUAL problem turned out to be my thyroid. I'm not saying it def is your problem, but it's worth getting it looked at...while they're at it have them check your vitamin D levels. Once I had my D checked I swear the pounds started melting off. Add me if you'd like, and good luck.
I swear it has taken me 2 years to lose what I have...from working out and NOTHING working to finding out it was my thyroid to getting the meds right, to now when I finally I'm gaining muscle and losing fat!0 -
Have you seen your doctor? Just a thought, but a sluggish thyroid may be preventing even the most diligent efforts from being successful. The worst thing you can do is beat yourself up. Take a break, sometimes a "Cheat Day" will shock my body back into giving up weight. Just some non-professional but long been trying to lose thoughts. Hope they help
The occassional "cheat day" has worked for me as well to get past a plateau. I would recommend workingout with a personal training. The personal trainer would also be a great resource on nutrition etc.0 -
If you are asking for advice.. here goes. I chose a few dates and checked out your food diary. I'm not sure how you can be sure about everything you eat, because you are logging very little. My advice would be to LOG EVERYTHING. Be as accurate as possible; measure everything unless it's not necessary. I'll bet dollars to donuts you are eating much more than you think you are. It sounds like you have good motivation and are sticking to it. It would be a pity if something as simple as logging your food sabotages your efforts. Good luck! :flowerforyou:0
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I don't know if this has been said yet because I haven't read all the comments. But...I found out that when I was working out everyday I gained weight because I was retaining so much water. When you work out a lot your muscles retain a lot of water to repair themselves. Now that I take break days my weight loss has been a steady 2-3 pounds a week. I was doing strength 2-3 days a week and cardio every day. Now I'm still doing strength 2-3 days a week, and cardio around 4 days a week. I work out Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. On my off days, I know I burn calories from cleaning and chasing around my daughter but I still stay in my calorie goal on my off days.0
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swhitney2 : I have done many calculations on how much I should be eating and they ranged from 1500-1800. I tried that for awhile but found it really hard to hit. When I would try I would find unhealthy foods to just try to get up there so I lowered them back down to 1400. I will take your advice on the potassium. Sodium and sugar and hard for me but I try to stay with "healthy sodium and sugar".
All I can tell you is that I zigzagged, ate up, ate down... I did everything. Then I got my FitBit and discovered that on top of the 200 calories worth of walking for exercising that I was recording, I was missing out on the 800 calories of walking throughout the day that never even got recorded on MFP. My BMR is around 1800, but my TDEE is more like 3000. Sure I'm a pretty tall chick, but no matter how tall you are, MFP is not accurately accounting for TDEE, therefore anyone who follows their guidelines is not eating enough. I was stuck on a plateau for 3 months eating 1800 then 1500, the 2000, then back down to 1400. Guess at what caloric level I started losing again... 2500 calories!!0 -
After you take all of these people's advice about geting your thyroid checked, adding more fruits and veggies, lowering amount of processed food, you should look up calorie cycling. I forget the website, but the article speaks about how your body gets comfortable when you eat the same amount of calories for so long that you can actually change the amount of calories your body burns and even raising it, your body can get used to it quickly. The calorie cycling is supposed to keep your metabolism on its metaphorical toes. But definitely try everything else before that, which includes cutting out most processed and prepackaged foods!0
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I feel your pain. I also had the same gripe. I’ve recently read books and referenced some pretty intuitive websites on weight loss, health and fitness. The one thing that stood out in all of the research that I’ve done was “Stop focusing on counting calories and focus on counting your nutrientsâ€. That statement took so much pressure off of how much to eat and just focus eat the most nutritious foods that I can find. It’s helped me and it has also take a lot of pressure and confusion off my brain figuring out what to do. I hope this helps so that way it can help you change your thinking about nutrition and counting calories. Once your body continues getting the nutrients it needs, weight loss will become more natural and then once you're down to your ideal weight, you'll naturally be able to maintain it.I have been on MFP since Aug 2011. As I’m coming up on a year I haven't lost as much as I thought. I started at 176 and I am currently 154. My goal is 135! I workout every day! I watch everything I put in my mouth but yet my scale has gone from 150 (Jan.), 154 (Feb.) and it has stayed at there ever since!! I have also tried making sense by saying oh I’m losing inches... Whelp NOPE I have actually gained inches!! I have changed my workouts and I have taken advice on upping my cals but NOTHING absolutely NOTHING!! I scream in my head while I workout that I DON’T WANT TO BE FAT!! I push myself with everything I do!
I have now changed my thought process from… keep pushing it will eventually come down to WTH am I doing?? I should just stop and spend my time doing something else!!!
I don’t know if I should get a nutritionist or personal trainer or both!!! UGH so frustrated!!!
HELP PLEASE!!!0 -
I am 5'7. I don't think I am fat just not toned or the jean size I would like to be.
although you probably dont want to hear this, but don't worry about your jean size! In high school I was pretty dang fit from sports and what not. I was 5'10 and 135 pounds of twisted steel and sex appeal haha...but seriously
Anyways the point is i was a size 8/10 and there were girls I knew that were small jean sizes than me, but I looked better (not to toot my own horn or anything) 0 -
You're eating a bunch of sugar, refined carbohydrates, and fast food, according to your diary. I see 70g or more of sugar many days in the past few weeks. Try cutting out--or at least cutting down on--the bagels, tortilla chips, tacos, fries, sandwich buns, marshmallow fluff, etc. More non-starchy veggies, more meat/fish/poultry that isn't breaded and fried, an egg for breakfast some days instead of a bagel. Less Gatorade, Starbucks, artificially-sweetened stuff, and more plain water.0
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Try adding a FITBIT device to your life. The technology integrates with MyFitnessPal and it shows your physical activity and then adds back in calories based on your activity. I've found it to be incredibly helpful in terms of have I eaten enough or not? Website is: www.fitbit.com or check Amazon.com as they have some refurbished ones for a little cheaper. It's a good investment in your overall health.
Just remember this is a change in lifestyle and good things take time -- you didn't get to where you are now overnight, so be patient and enjoy your progress.0 -
Can’t offer much help (beyond cut out anything artificial- that really helps me), but just to encourage you: my weight pegged at 153 for a year (yes, a YEAR) before dropping to 151. That drop happened the week before I found out I was pregnant.
But even though that weight was staying the same, my body underneath was making some serious changes and I looked *way* better than I do now that I'm getting close to being back at that weight.0 -
Try adding a FITBIT device to your life. The technology integrates with MyFitnessPal and it shows your physical activity and then adds back in calories based on your activity. I've found it to be incredibly helpful in terms of have I eaten enough or not? Website is: www.fitbit.com or check Amazon.com as they have some refurbished ones for a little cheaper. It's a good investment in your overall health.
Just remember this is a change in lifestyle and good things take time -- you didn't get to where you are now overnight, so be patient and enjoy your progress.
This!!0 -
Start weight lifting -- heavier the better!!!0
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I took a look at your food diary, as a biomed scientist, here's what I have to say:
At least half of your food each day should be fresh to get a healthy diet in. Also, it would be preferred if they are green and not from food coloring.
If it has a bar code on it and didn't come in a farmer's container wrapped in clear plastic or cellophane cover, don't pick it up.
And for physiology....
The sodium potassium pump is one of the cellular mechanisms that the cell uses to pass on "nerve information". In other words, if you have too much of one and not enough of the other, it can reduce your workout stamina. Why? Potassium helps balance the cell so that it is ready for another "firing" or contraction if you will, of the muscle fiber. That's why when electricity goes through you, the muscles contract. It's a physics concept but not to bore you, you need a minimum amount of potassium so that your muscles can keep contracting. Especially if you work out, otherwise, it will stay at minimum strength all the time when you're not actively working out which is NOT what you want. Take a multivitamin to balance out your diet if you can't get enough potassium naturally
Potassium rich fruits include bananas and tomatoes. Either one of these are cheap and accessible. I switch them up to get a different flavor.
Things that are NOT "vegetation" but are fruits or roots: potatoes, squash, corn, raisins, peanuts, pumpkin, carrots, etc.
Vegetables: spinach, cabbage (some 40+ varieties), broccoli, cauliflower, radish, daikon, mustard leaf, chives, celery, cilantro, etc.
Recognize the difference, the reason that fruits and roots may not be great for a diet is because they are the places where the plant stores the sugar and all that is stored you are eating. Leaves and stalks are the parts that transport the sugar so you get more fiber (un-digestible carbs) and less fructose and glucose (easily digested and stored) carbs.0 -
i just looked back a few days at your diary -- you're eating A LOT of processed food EVERYDAY. it's not as simple as calories in vs calories out. You have to feed your body properly. Try eating more fresh foods, less packaged/processed/fast foods. Watch your sodium. try to cut out some starchy carbs are replace with veggie/bean carbs. eat back some of your exercise calories. and let's face it. you don't have too much to lose, and it's harder to lose when you have less to lose - especially when you're not feeding your body properly. Good luck!!
**Also, what kind of workouts are you doing? do you strength train?0 -
Do you have any suggestions on "good protein"?
Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts - load up when on sale (I just bought some for 1.99 a lb.)
I grill a package a week and have one a day for lunch sometimes dinner too.0 -
How are you measuring your exercise calories?
How are you measuring your food calories? scale or measuring cups?0 -
I've just turned to turkey burgers. Jennie-O makes them and you can buy them fresh or in frozen form. They are high in protein, don't taste bad and fill me up.0
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Thank you for every ones response! I am surprised at how many responded. I needed to hear ALL of this!! I will be going to the store and stocking up! I am actually excited. I hope I can keep this up!
Marycmeadows : I take body pump twice a week for strength.
therealangd : I measure my exercise cals with my HRM. I measure my cals by scanning or research. I don’t actually measure them. I normally log more than what I intake.0 -
I have ran into this many times myself. Although I'm new to mfp, I have been there. Bump your food intake and incorporate more strength training. The more muscle you build the more fat you will bun just doing your daily activities. Best of luck. Keep your head up0
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Maybe your body has reached its limit and your at the weight you should be at for your body, and you gained weight because the working out has given you extra muscle. Dont sweat it! I'm sure you look great 0
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swhitney2 : I have done many calculations on how much I should be eating and they ranged from 1500-1800. I tried that for awhile but found it really hard to hit. When I would try I would find unhealthy foods to just try to get up there so I lowered them back down to 1400. I will take your advice on the potassium. Sodium and sugar and hard for me but I try to stay with "healthy sodium and sugar".
All I can tell you is that I zigzagged, ate up, ate down... I did everything. Then I got my FitBit and discovered that on top of the 200 calories worth of walking for exercising that I was recording, I was missing out on the 800 calories of walking throughout the day that never even got recorded on MFP. My BMR is around 1800, but my TDEE is more like 3000. Sure I'm a pretty tall chick, but no matter how tall you are, MFP is not accurately accounting for TDEE, therefore anyone who follows their guidelines is not eating enough. I was stuck on a plateau for 3 months eating 1800 then 1500, the 2000, then back down to 1400. Guess at what caloric level I started losing again... 2500 calories!!
How the heck does anyone eat 2500 calories?!!!! I have a problem eating 1400 + my exercise cals.0 -
swhitney2 : I have done many calculations on how much I should be eating and they ranged from 1500-1800. I tried that for awhile but found it really hard to hit. When I would try I would find unhealthy foods to just try to get up there so I lowered them back down to 1400. I will take your advice on the potassium. Sodium and sugar and hard for me but I try to stay with "healthy sodium and sugar".
All I can tell you is that I zigzagged, ate up, ate down... I did everything. Then I got my FitBit and discovered that on top of the 200 calories worth of walking for exercising that I was recording, I was missing out on the 800 calories of walking throughout the day that never even got recorded on MFP. My BMR is around 1800, but my TDEE is more like 3000. Sure I'm a pretty tall chick, but no matter how tall you are, MFP is not accurately accounting for TDEE, therefore anyone who follows their guidelines is not eating enough. I was stuck on a plateau for 3 months eating 1800 then 1500, the 2000, then back down to 1400. Guess at what caloric level I started losing again... 2500 calories!!
How the heck does anyone eat 2500 calories?!!!! I have a problem eating 1400 + my exercise cals.
I eat 140 g of protein every day too!0 -
I have upped my cals 1400 on my off days and when I work out I eat at least half my exercise cals back if not all. I do strength at least twice a week. I do cardio at least once a day.. bike ride, rpm, elliptical etc...
http://members.rachelcosgrove.com/public/The_Final_Nail_in_the_Cardio_Coffin.cfm
If the link doesn't work...let me know and I'll PM it to you.sounds like classic plateau, and also sounds like you've done everything to try and break it.
If I were in your boat, I would slowly increase my calories to whatever my maintenance level is...and then eat at maintenance for 2 - 3 weeks. I would also ease off the cardio and just concentrate on lifting weights...as heavy as you can manage, check out www.bodybuilding.com.
This way you are giving your body the break it might think it needs, and you're at maintenance level so wont gain any fat. If you gain pounds it might be from the muscle..but doubt you would build pounds of muscle in that short a time.
AWESOME advice here! Across the board! Although, I will say if you take this advice and gain pounds...it will be water, and will eventually level off.
I will also say, you can lose weight and gain muscle on a partially (even mostly) fast food diet...but it involves other methods of eating that if I mention, will completely hijack your thread. That being said, you DO need quality protein (some good sources have been listed), and vegetables along with your fast food. Trust me...I know this first hand...as I'm an ongoing taco bell addict lol.0
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