I need some advice

vwinks

Hi there,

First time poster...have been using MFP for about 10 days.

I went on the "17 Day Diet" 3 weeks ago. Lost 10 lbs in roughly 10 days (water weight, I know) - then plateaued for a few days. After that, I watched portion size and lost 4 lbs over a week. I have now gained those 4 lbs back.

I have cut out sugars ( I eat fruit, very occasional Splenda in my coffee, I drink green tea more now), cut out bread, pastas, high fat foods and am eating more veggies, lean protein and healthy fats. I drink plenty of water and work out almost every day. I usually ride my bike for about 50 mins approx 4 days a week, and when I can't do that, I do work out tapes (Biggest Loser).

I know I have a long way to go, but I am frustrated about gaining back the weight!!!

Last year I "had to lose the weight", began treadmill exercises every day and counting calories. Lost about 15-20 lbs, then NOTHING. I gave up. And didn't gain a pound over this year - always stayed around 245.

What I'm getting at is that I read on all these posts 'you're not eating enough calories', and I know that's what people will tell me, but I am confused. If for the past year I ate what I wanted and didn't gain any weight, why now when I am going hard on exercise and watching what I eat am I not losing any weight??!

If I had my way, I would quit my job and spend A LOT of time at a gym with a trainer, make yummy, nutritious foods and just work on being content and happy (part of the problem - I know).

Any success stories, similar situations, advice, motivation would really help me. This is a big step for me, I don't usually share such personal information about my weight.

Thanks - and all the best to those out there trying to do what is healthy and positive for yourself!

dls06

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

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

Read these, they will answer your questions.

Rocbola

Sounds like you are on the right track, eliminating breads, pastas, etc, and including more veggies and fruit. I'd monitor closely the amount of fat you are getting; it's very easy to get too much. Just a little bit too much fat, and it's very hard to lose fat.

The fat we eat is the fat we wear on our bodies.

chellebelle315

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

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

Read these, they will answer your questions.

Yep. Read. Reevaluate. Research. Try a different approach if what you're doing isn't working. Stay positive.

goldfinger88

I respectfully disagree with the person who says the fat we eat is fat on our bodies. Healthy fat is good for us and we need it. Good fat, such as coconut oil, helps take weight off. Fat also keeps us looking young. And science backs this up.

As to your problem, please don't get discouraged. Eat low glycemic, high protein. I find a 40/30/30 works great. It's not at all common to gain weight back. It's not fat. It's water or gas or whatever. You look young so it may be your cycle. It's not fat. More than the scale, the body measurements matter. I would go more by them and by how you feel in your clothes than what the scales say.

gan1087

You said you work out almost every day, those 4 pounds you put on may be muscle(muscle weighs more than fat) instead of looking at the numbers on the scale all the time instead once a week measure inches as well. I hit a spot for about 2 weeks when I wasn't losing a single pound but I was shrinking inch wise. don't get discouraged keep at it and you'll starting losing again and felling better. If you are exercising make sure you eat enough so your body doesn't go into a starvation mode.

reddi2roll

I feel your pain. First, you need to open your diary so people can offer suggestions. If I read your post right you did loose weight...10 lbs which you admit was water most likely, so you should not be surprised that you gained the water weight back. You need to log on every day and record your calories and be patient. It will come off. I have been on this site for almost 4 months and have only lost 16 lbs to others recording 20+ lbs so you just have to be persistent and follow the MFP guidelines. With your starting weight you should have a good number of goal calories and you have already identified several foods that may be causing you problems. Recommend you track your sodium and make sure you are drinking enough water. Good luck.

BlackLabLover

I don't think there is anything wrong with bread - not bleached four, but whole-grain bread. I eat a whole-wheat tortilla in the morning with my eggs, whole-grain English muffins for lunch, Ezekiel bread (in the freezer section) for lunch... there is nothing wrong with bread. The problem is the bleached flour from which some it is made... it leaches vitamins from your body to digest it.

The important thing to know how YOUR body functions best. My husband and I are opposite - his body does better on meats and fats than does mine. Find out what kind of oxidizer you are. That will help you with what to eat. (Do be sure to cut out preservatives, though, and processed foods. Many of them really hinder your body's ability to lose weight...

read this on the what type of oxidizer you are:
http://caloriecount.about.com/forums/weight-loss/metabolic-types-eating

bathsheba_c

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations

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

Read these, they will answer your questions.

QTF!!!

Also, is the 17 Day Diet a crash diet of some sort? And do you find that you tend to gravitate towards crash diets? That might be the problem; a better goal is sustainable change for slow, but steady, loss.

The two numbers you need to know are BMR and TDEE. BMR is your basal metabolic rate, or how many calories your body needs every day just to keep working (i.e. blood pumping, lungs breathing, spleen spleening, etc.). Your TDEE is how many calories you actually burn on an average day (basically, BMR plus physical activity). Your weight loss rate is determined by how many calories below TDEE you eat every day. If you are 500 calories below TDEE per day, you will lose 1 pound per week. However, if your net calories end up being below BMR, your body will worry that you are going to starve, and it will refuse to lose weight.

Also, you should reevalutate BMR and TDEE as you lose weight since obviously a 500 lb person needs more calories to stay alive than a 150 lb person.

jaimemcdowell

bump!

vwinks

I really, really enjoy bread - and if I don't take precaution to cut it out, I'll likely indulge too much. I think slowly I will reintroduce it, and will try whole grains, gluten free types.

Thanks for your post.

vwinks

Also, is the 17 Day Diet a crash diet of some sort? And do you find that you tend to gravitate towards crash diets?

At first, the 17 day diet seems like a crash - but I think its ridding your body of sugars, etc and getting you used to eating healthier. However, I do feel it is too restrictive and doesn't count calories at all, and I was WAY under-eating...so I am taking some of the tools I learned and just applying them to a healthier lifestyle.
I was bummed though. I seemed to loose at first so fast, then gain, then loose, then gain...it was too hard on my emotions!

Thanks!

Christine1110

You just have to stay with it...stay with something....find a change that works for you!!

I use the Glycemic Index to lose weight...I love it. It keeps your blood sugars low and the weight falls off.

I hear Stevia is a better choice of sweetners. I have some incase I need it....but I don't drink coffee.
If you need a friend, I'm here for you!!

vwinks

I feel your pain. First, you need to open your diary so people can offer suggestions. If I read your post right you did loose weight...10 lbs which you admit was water most likely, so you should not be surprised that you gained the water weight back. You need to log on every day and record your calories and be patient. It will come off. I have been on this site for almost 4 months and have only lost 16 lbs to others recording 20+ lbs so you just have to be persistent and follow the MFP guidelines. With your starting weight you should have a good number of goal calories and you have already identified several foods that may be causing you problems. Recommend you track your sodium and make sure you are drinking enough water. Good luck.

I thought I left my profile open so people could see my diary...I'm new - is there something I'm missing?

reddi2roll

OK. I can see your diary now. You are making healthy choices for the most part but you are not eating enough. You need to eat at least 1200 calories every day. Less than that and you do not have enough nutrition to support your organ function etc. You need to drink at least 8 glasses of water, have some protein at every meal. I don't eat back a lot of my exercise calories (do eat some) because, unless you are using a heart rate monitor, MFP may not always be accurate. So, increase your calories to at least 1200/day. Your target is 1700 calories and that already has a deficit built into it. Track your sodium. Try to limit it to 1500 mg and drink water. Good luck.

messingjoe

Perhaps this seems a little oversimplified, but the answer is to recalibrate your expectations for a longer term outcome. Look around at the individuals in your life who you feel are healthiest. Are they engaged in a long term plan, where they are empowered and in control of their diet and fitness, or are they looking for results in a two week or two month timeframe? The truth is that it takes the body a long time to truly adjust to any change, either gain or loss. For example, an athlete may want to gain weight through high caloric intake, high intensity weight training, and protein supplementation. He works out for 6 months, and gains 15 pounds. Then he stops. What will happen? He will almost certainly lose those pounds very quickly because his body does not feel comfortable at that weight, it was manufactured. Had he held the weight for years, it would remain stable much longer. The same is true for weight loss. It will take years to lose weight and maintain that weight loss.
So, how do you lose the weight? It's calories in and calories out. Maintain a healthy calorie ratio for your body weight, and exercise multiple times a week to increase your calorie expenditure. Eating foods that are high in fiber, natural and unprocessed, and preferably provide more substance at a lower caloric content will definitely help. If at the end of most 5 day segments you are averaging 200 calories more burned a day than consumed, you will lose weight.
Caution: this process takes time, belief in yourself, and determination. Over the course of months you will be losing weight at a calorie deficit, and that means your appetite will go up and you will be forced to make choices. You will be hungry.

Don't let anyone tell you there is an easy way to defeat this process. There is no easy way. There are no shortcuts. There is no crash process. There is only eating higher quality foods that provide adequate nutrition with a moderate amount of calories. There is only increasing your caloric expenditure to burn more calories than you intake. And there is only allowing time for this process to take hold, and then maintaining this process so your body accepts it as the new norm.
Once again, it's not two weeks. It's not two months. It's two years.
You can do it. Just decide that it's worth it to you, and your family.
Good luck.