This weight won't come off... HELP!

Jojo0877

I've just opened up my diary to the community and I'm asking for you assistance. I have been STRUGGLING to get this weight off. I'm following "clean" eating which allows for 2 cheat meals during the week (the cheat meals are typically on Sat and Sun) and eating approx 1200 calories daily (recommended by MFP). I know that my "clean" eating has NOT been perfect but when I started the program the first 5 pounds or so fell off BUT it's taken me a month to lose 4 LBS. Can you wonderful members of MFP take a look at my food diary and offer some advice, pointers on where I'm potentially going wrong, etc..??? Any help would be appreciated!

LoraF83

A few suggestions:

1. Eat more fresh foods......you think are you eating "clean" but you are still eating a lot of processed foods (hot dogs, packaged meat, etc). Eat more fruits and vegetables. They are good for you!!
2. You probably need to eat more. 1200 is not a lot of calories. Search "Eat More Weigh Less" and then go to fat2fitradio.com. Do some research and see if a higher calorie goal wouldn't help you more.
3. 4lbs in a month isn't anything to complain about. That's 1lb/week. That's really good. Be satisfied that you are losing. You didn't put the weight on quickly - it's not going to come off quickly either.

Good luck!

ATLMel

Agree with above. Some days you only have 1 or 2 fresh foods. Try to substitute more fresh veggies over things like hot dogs and such.

Also, you eat a lot of sugar. Ketchup is PACKED with sugar. If you want a topping for something like a hot dog, try diced tomatoes instead. Really pay attention to the kinds of calories you are getting as opposed to just the number of calories. Minimize the sugar and also think about upping your calories. 1200 is super low, especially if you're also working on your fitness by incorporating some cardio into it all.

Jojo0877

Thanks to both of you for your advice.
I swear the turkeydog thing isn't normal -- although it does look like it. I had a package (which I should have thrown out) and was eating 1 as a quick dinner!
Question on the sugar.... The program I'm following talks about not eating any food over 5g Sugar per serving. I THOUGHT I've been adhering to this (I'm now a label freak and the bread, ketchup, etc -- all has said less than 5g/serving - so I assumed it was okay), I also thought I was getting MOST of my sugar grams from fruit (the banana in my smoothie and the apple) - would you recommend I switch to fruits with less sugar?

LoraF83

I personally don't think sugars from fruit are bad, but there are varying opinions on that. I do think you need more veggies. Lots more.
And you are getting a lot of sugar from other foods - there's a stir fry listed for 11g of sugar, ketchup for 8g, Starbucks today for 73g (everyone needs a treat now and then though!). That's the stuff you need to pay attention to.

You said you are following a program. What kind of program?

Jojo0877

Jackie Warner's "this is why you're fat" :-) haha!!! I obviously haven't been following it correctly though. I feel stupid now... I was thinking if it's under 5g/serving it was okay... which IT IS but NOT if I have over 1 serving - which then doubles the amount of sugar I'm taking in (the stirfry and ketchup).

There are more details to her program but these are the basics...
5 days of clean eating (which I know I've been off on)
All Whole Grain Carbs (where I've also cheated)
Nothing over 5g/sugar per serving (because your body won't register it if it's under 5g's)
2 servings of fruits
2-3 servings of veggies
Lean proteins
2 Cheat Meals on the weekends (the cheat meals CANNOT exceed 1500 calories per meal)

LoraF83

Is there a reason that you aren't just doing MFP? Calories in, calories out? Can you see yourself following the "This is Why You're Fat" program for the rest of your life? I'm not trying to be snarky.....but people who seem to have the most success simply follow MFP. It's a lifestyle. It makes you accountable for your calories and you can tailor it to fit your needs (macro settings, etc). With gimmicky programs, you are learning to follow a set of rules that may or may not be accurate or helpful and then what happens when you are off the program? You go back to old habits and that can derail your success. Just some "food" for thought.

Jojo0877

Not taken as snarky at all; I guess I thought I need a program to offer structure/guidelines. I've always thought of MFP as a tool to guage progress but not necessarily something that was going to point me in the right direction!

wilson1024

Took me over 3 months to lose 20 lbs......... It just takes determination, time, and patience. Keep eating clean and exercise it will eventually happen Good Luck!

LoraF83

Not taken as snarky at all; I guess I thought I need a program to offer structure/guidelines. I've always thought of MFP as a tool to guage progress but not necessarily something that was going to point me in the right direction!

Hmm...I think (and this could just be me personally) that MFP offers all the structure needed. A calorie goal to meet daily. Macros to customize to your needs (low carb, watching sugar, sodium, etc). Like I said, it's about teaching yourself how to live life while watching what you eat - in a realistic way. I like that with MFP I can eat whatever I want. If I want to use my calories on a hamburger and fries, I can. But that also teaches me that having something super high in calories limits what I can eat the rest of the day. It's a way to learn about making good choices, while still being able to indulge now and then.

dlf88

add 250 calories to your diet and increase exercise

GreenEyedLady1

what is your current weight?

if you have as much to lose as it says on your page, i can pretty much guarantee you are not eating enough calories if you are only eating 1200 calories a day. also, as others have mentioned, eat more veggies, more protein and some good fats to help you feel fuller longer.

MtnKat

What about eating a little more often (6 times rather than 3 or 4) to rev up your metabolism? Just add a small snack in there and see how that goes.

suziecue66

Maybe you are under-estimating calories and going a bit overboard on cheat days. Perhaps one cheat day will suffice?

TinaTH

What is MFP?

LoraF83

What is MFP?

My Fitness Pal

Jojo0877

I don't think I'm underestimating my calories, I'm label checking and weighing everything I make. Although up until this post I would have sworn that a serving of ketchup was 2 tablespoons.... OOPPS!!!

I'll definitely try adding smaller (veggies and fruit) snacks into my diet.
I'm not ready to up my calories just yet... I'm (surprisingly) not hungry on the 1200 I'm eating.

megmanning

I agree with the posts about fruits and veggies. However, I noticed that you don't drink enough water. It is vital to get all the water you need. I know it seems counter-intuitive that drinking more will help you lose weight, but in the beginning that is all I did. I lost my first 10 pounds strictly by drinking at least 68 ounces of water daily. We need water to flush us out. Best of luck in your journey!

rcclcruiser

Mine won't come off either and I exercise a lot (like I always have), eat strawberries, blueberries, bananas, healthy homemade salads, high fiber beans, and tuna. I am about ready to burn my scale! However, I am never sick and just had a lipid panel done to test for cholesterol, diabetes, triglycerides, etc. and everything looks great. Don't let the scale tell you how healthy you are. It always takes its own sweet time in moving down, especially at my age. Just enjoy how good you are feeling because you are now having a healthy lifestyle!

rileysowner

What about eating a little more often (6 times rather than 3 or 4) to rev up your metabolism? Just add a small snack in there and see how that goes.

This will do nothing. Meal frequency has zero effect on metabolism. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/529002-a-compliation-on-meal-frequency

It is highly likely you need to eat more than 1200 calories especially if you are not eating your exercise calories.

Bakerchk

Fairly embarassing to admit but I'm 212 and 5'2

Don't be embarassed! We are all here to help. I saw some awesome suggestions above. I can say personally, I lost quite a bit of weight eating 1200 calories, and then I started to gain. I bumped it up to 1400 and I feel much better. More energized and I stopped gaining. I'm still at a plateau but that's okay. I try to eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies and I pay attention to all aspects of anything packaged. I look at sodium, sugar, carb, calories, etc. I try to stay under or at my goal for all of these. It sounds like a lot of work, but you'll get used to it, and you will learn which foods you can eat. I cut out so many of my favorite foods, but to be honest, I don't miss them. Best of luck to you! And if you want support feel free to add me.

kimkim1123

I have a few suggestions for you to try. You would have to decide if you think they are sustainable or not.

Try eating lower carbs, more protein. Maybe try to match up the protein grams to the net carb grams (net carbs are carbs minus fiber).

For protein, try to stay away from the processed meats. If you can't get grass fed beef then I would limit beef and go more for fish, turkey, chicken, pork, eggs, etc. If you are rushed and struggle finding time to prepare meals, get one of those small George Foreman grills and some frozen lean turkey burgers, salmon burgers, etc. They cook from frozen in just 10 minutes on the grill. They can be a life saver on those busy days. Also, you can thaw frozen, cooked shrimp one serving at a time and make home made low carb, low sugar cocktail sauce.

Try cutting down or completely eliminating dairy. Although dairy is not high in carbs, it still increases insulin levels in most of us. This goes for the Whey protein as well. Insulin is what drives fat into our fat cells. I don't think this is a problem for everyone though... not sure.

I absolutely agree on adding fresh vegetables and aiming for more whole foods. I struggle with this myself.

Also, Heinz has a ketchup that is reduced sugar... few calories and low carb.

Good luck to you! Just hang in there... there is an answer, it's just a matter of finding out what works for you!

Kim

squishycow7

it's frustrating- it's also a hell of a LEARNING experience. Short answer - NET at least your BMR every day. That means going to "tools" and "calculate BMR" and manually setting that as your calorie goal. Then, eat back your exercise calories. This is the MINIMUM you should be eating!

And I'd read all these links for my "long" answer:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo&nbsp
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/9433-expectations
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/580019-the-scale-is-a-lying-torture-device-i-m-proof http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/577479-seriously-eat-more-i-did-and-look-what-happened-pics
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

kimkim1123

Thank you for all of those links. I can't wait to go and read them! I'm thinking I'm not eating enough...

CallMeCupcakeDammit

Jackie Warner's "this is why you're fat" :-) haha!!! I obviously haven't been following it correctly though. I feel stupid now... I was thinking if it's under 5g/serving it was okay... which IT IS but NOT if I have over 1 serving - which then doubles the amount of sugar I'm taking in (the stirfry and ketchup).

There are more details to her program but these are the basics...
5 days of clean eating (which I know I've been off on)
All Whole Grain Carbs (where I've also cheated)
Nothing over 5g/sugar per serving (because your body won't register it if it's under 5g's)
2 servings of fruits
2-3 servings of veggies
Lean proteins
2 Cheat Meals on the weekends (the cheat meals CANNOT exceed 1500 calories per meal)

I was just going to ask you if that's what you were doing! Ok, now I'm going to read the rest of these.

glennstoudt

A few thoughts:

Another poster suggested up the protein and reduce carbs. Save all your carb calories for fresh vegetables and fruits.
Consider lower glycemic load fruits and carbs such as berries and nuts.
It is nearly impossible to lose weight if your intake is high in sugars simply because you will burn that first always and not fat. You added a lot of fat cells to your body gaining weight, now you need to shrink them. You can't do that if you keep getting your energy from glucose. Your pancreas keeps dumping insulin in your body to "soak up" the sugar and the fat cells just laugh, knowing they are going to live another day as they are.

The composition of your calorie profile is critical to the level of success you will have and in what time frame.

Another thought... Lose the cheat meals. You are not at 1200 a day if you have an extra possibly 3000 calories on the weekend. Live every day the same way and weigh what you want to. Good luck.

ttillman19

First I want to say congratulations on starting to change your life. That is a big step. Remember it took a long time to put on the weight, so it will probably take twice as long to come off. At your current weight I think 1200 calories is just to little. Your body will go into starvation mode and then on the cheat days it will store everything thinking it will not get anything again. Have you tried looking into the Zig-Zag calorie program. I would cut your cheat days down to 1 and just because it is a cheat day does not mean you get to go all kinds of crazy. You need to drink more water. Some of the food you are eating is high in sodium and without at least 8 glasses of water your body will hold onto the water hence higher weight. Also just because it says low fat does not mean it is better for you. They have to use extra addatives to make up for the flavor. It you cant pronouce something in the ingredients you should not eat it. You could try making your own ketchup that way you know the amount of sugar etc. Instead of canned goods buy frozen or for beans dry. It may take a little more time to prepare, but canning adds a lot of salt. When you are having your peanut butter try putting it on apples or celery instead of crackers. You can get carbs from veggies and fruit which you need to increase anyway. Instead of using Mayo, Miracle whip, etc try hummus. It will add flavor and protein with good fats. Also have you been taking measurements of different body areas. Muscle weights more than fat, so if you are replacing the fat with muscle it will show only in the measurements. Also try speaking with your primary care physician about the minimum amount of calories you need or maybe a nutritionist.

_Kitten_Kate

Ive been on here since January and have "only" lost 16 lbs.
Ever single person will have a different experience with wt loss.
And this time may be different from any other time you may have tried to lose wt.
I agree with LoraF83... Just eat well. Make smart choices with your food.
Truly eat clean. No processed crap. And you will be on the right track.
Go by how you feel and measurements... and less by wt.

If you are working out with wts your body will change in size and less in lbs.... and you will probably need to eat more than 1200 cals if you are.

And regardless of what anyone says....
It is not always as simple as burn more than you consume.

Best wishes.

GreenEyedLady1

yeah, just a quick glance and your BMR is around 1700 calories...at minimum you should be eating that many calories. probably more.