Getting so frustrated!!

GrooveVandal

Just wondering if anyone has any tips for me. I'm approximately 100lbs overweight, and in the past, have always been very successful with my weight loss. Have so far lost 196lbs in the past and recently gained 70lbs after quitting smoking.

So here it is, i've changed my eating pattern and following my always successful weight watchers plan, im now using a gym which i have never done before and walking much more than i have previously. I've cut out all but one of my coffee intake per day and im drinking approximately 3 litres of water a day instead. In 5 weeks, i have lost 1 lb! i haven't even lost a substantial amount of inches to make up for it! Just one inch each from my chest, waist and hips. Now this doesn't seem right to me considering what im doing. Anyone have any idea why im just not shifting the weight? It's not like im close to my goal or anything cos im really not! I'm worried that i will revert back to my unhealthy lifestyle if my healthy one isn't making a jot of difference! :'o(
Kim

Lozze

First off is your Weight Watchers plan really successful if you keep using it? Why do you keep going off it?

How many calories are you eating, can you open your diary? You'll get better answers that way.

cramernh

Cant offer suggestions until the Diary becomes available....

GouchisGirl

As mentioned..... opening your diary would be helpful to see what you are eating. Weight watchers is great as long as it is a life long commitment, but a lot of people have problems once they leave it and venture out on their own.

GrooveVandal

Well yes, I think the ww plan is successful. I'm meant to eat 26 points per day and always try to eat that many so as not to go into starvation mode! I've used this plan a few times and always had great weight loss without exercising or drinking water. Seems the more i do right, the less successful i am at losing weight.

Why have i come on and off the plan? Well, i'm very much a comfort eater. I can take so much stress and do well and then bam, i stuff my fat face! Then begins the vicious circle of "well ive ruined it now, might as well start again Monday" Then by monday, im not feeling it, so i dont bother cos im too stressed.

This time, im ready, im willing, my head has been in the right place to do this and im going nowhere. I always eat different foods, experiment with food so i dont get bored.

I don't actually know what you guys mean by opening my diary? I do keep a track of what im eating, i have a pad at home which acts as my food diary.

cramernh

Well yes, I think the ww plan is successful. I'm meant to eat 26 points per day and always try to eat that many so as not to go into starvation mode! I've used this plan a few times and always had great weight loss without exercising or drinking water. Seems the more i do right, the less successful i am at losing weight.

Why have i come on and off the plan? Well, i'm very much a comfort eater. I can take so much stress and do well and then bam, i stuff my fat face! Then begins the vicious circle of "well ive ruined it now, might as well start again Monday" Then by monday, im not feeling it, so i dont bother cos im too stressed.

This time, im ready, im willing, my head has been in the right place to do this and im going nowhere. I always eat different foods, experiment with food so i dont get bored.

I don't actually know what you guys mean by opening my diary? I do keep a track of what im eating, i have a pad at home which acts as my food diary.

The food diary on MFP. If you are using MFP's food diary to log your food, no one can open it because you have it locked up from outside viewers.

cramernh

I don't actually know what you guys mean by opening my diary? I do keep a track of what im eating, i have a pad at home which acts as my food diary.

AHHHH, after my sip of coffee, I just saw this after posting my previous reply.

Unfortunately is hard to give anyone suggestions or advice because often times, the issues are directly related to the foods you are eating. Whether it be frozen meals, prepackaged and/or processed foods, wrong types of high-glycemic carbohydrates, no fresh foods at all, etc, lots of things can be found within the foods you are choosing to eat.

misticache

I would log everything you have eaten for the last few days on the food tab in MFP (food diary), and go into settings and make sure it it viewable to public. Then find friends on MFP that will be supportive and help you figure things out from there.

Don't give up. I'm sure it's an easy fix. I don't know what the caloric equivalent is to 26 points but if you get you diary up and running I'm sure you will get alot of good feedback.

misticache

I just noticed that you are very new to MFP. Take a few minutes and click on every tab at the top of your screen. This site offers so much more then just logging. The report section is really helpful as well. But again the food & exercise diary is tied into everything else.

bjfrezell

Here's some things that trip me up when I'm trying to lose weight (and I've used WW in the past and now exclusively use MFP):

Portion size - I used to eyeball portion sizes, then I found out I was eating more than a normal portion, so now I weigh 99% of what I eat. I used to just use measuring cups but now I've found that measuring cup portions can be off as well so now everything goes on to the food scale.

Free Fruit on Weight Watchers - If you eat 7 bananas, oranges, or apples in a day, the calories add up, even if Weight Watchers doesn't count it.

Exercise - I bought a Heart Rate Monitor to measure how many calories I was burning because I was overestimating or underestimating how much exertion I was putting in. I also do not weigh myself the day after a major workout because I know my weight will automatically be up higher than it should be.

Sodium - Frozen dinners and eating out affected by weight loss because I was consuming a ton of sodium and didn't realize it.

Note: none of these may apply to you, but that's what I struggled with. Hang in there!

stormieweather

One of the biggest reasons people don't lose weight when they think they should is they miscalculate their calories.

Use the MFP diary/log and input every single thing you put into your mouth, including water. Yes, veggies, fruit, ketchup, salad dressing, butter, almonds, bites off your bf or child's plate as well as every ingredient in your casseroles/dishes needs to go in there. Use the recipe function to calculate what those are.

Eat at least 70% of your exercise calories. If you want something sweet or a drink or fast food, make sure you work out enough to cover it.

Do this for 2 weeks.

Only weigh yourself once a week.

If you haven't lost anything in 2 weeks, then start weighing and measuring your food and eat only 50% of your exercise calories.

One thing I tell myself constantly...being fit feels better than that <insert yummy thing here> tastes. As a current size SM/size 5/6, down from an XXL/size 14, I can definitely say this. And I did it by following the above. So can you! Oh and congrats on quitting smoking!! That's what brought me here initially, as well.

Good luck! :flowerforyou:

GrooveVandal

Thank you all so much for your replies.

I can honestly say that I weigh and calculate every last morsel that goes into my mouth! I'm very regimented with this diet. I eat tons of fresh food like salads, vegetables and some fruit. I love all that food. I also eat a nice amount of chicken and fish. I'm not a great lover of ketchup or other sauces but the occasional use of extra light mayo also gets counted. Nothing i eat gets past the scales or calorie counter. Even the milk i used to put in my coffee was accounted for and i have very little of that and skimmed milk too. I've cut out bread on most occasions and swapped it for ryvita or similar and dinners always consist of meat or meat free products, vegetables and potatoes or rice. My points are equivalent to around 1500 calories i think. The main purpose of my original thread was that i was wondering why on earth the ww diet has chosen now to not work! Or what it is that i could do better! If i can lose 196lbs without exercising or drinking water, why cant i lose even 14lbs at the moment with exercise and water? I get that im gaining some muscle now im using the gym and that weighs more than fat but i expected to see at least 1lb a week and some inch loss. My average before was 3-4lb a week just by doing ww. Makes me wonder if i should bother with the expense of the gym!

Will try and use the mfp diary but im not always able to get online, hence why ive been writing it down at home.

ImperfektAngel

how many calories does 26 points equal?

GrooveVandal

It's a bit hard to judge that because you have to count the calories per portion and then the saturated fat. That then tells you how many points you have eaten. Lets take todays food so far, i've consumed 12 glasses of water, 2 weetabix with 200ml skimmed milk, 6 crispbread with turkey ham, cream cheese (extra light) and cucumber, new potatoes, 2 crispy chicken breast, swede and brussel sprouts, there was extra light cream cheese in the new potatoes to bump my points up and thats my 26 points for the day. Do you think i should ditch the ww diet for a while and just count calories instead? if i do that, how many calories should i eat for my weight and the amount i need to lose?

stormieweather

If you go into goals (home > goals tab), MFP will ask you a series of questions to help set this number for you. Then stick to it for a while and see how it works out.

GrooveVandal

Ok, i've found that now, thank you and filled in todays food in the diary. I was under my calories, fat, saturated fat, carbs etc but got a -20 on my protein. I have no idea what part protein plays in this so dont know if that's the problem? Most of that overdose came from the chicken! Hmmm