what the hell am i doing wrong.

mfp_junkie

I am going to be blunt. If you don't want blunt, read the next message.

The food you are eating is crap. Stop all of it. Tim Horton's cookies, Coca Cola, captain crunch and hot dogs for breakfast are not part of any balanced and healthy diet.

You need to eat three balanced, nutritions meals and day with a couple of high quality snacks.

Stop drinking your calories. Many days you are consuming 1/3 of your calories as sugar in soft drinks.

Items that should be in your diary?

Fruit - apples, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries, to mention just a few. One apple has less than 100 calories, a ton of fiber, vitamins and other good stuff. Raspberries are remarkably high in fiber, and so delicious!

Whole grain breads to replace the cookies. A 1/2 bagel with some peanut butter would be so much better for you than 220 calories of Tim Horton's junk. Dempster's new bagels are 95 calories for 1/2, lower in sodium, and with 1/2 tbsp of peanut butter and a banana, you are at about the same calories, but miles ahead nutritionally. You will feel full longer, and your body will just be happy to have "real" food in it.

Vegetables - find some you like. Many are awesome, low in calories and should be a big part of your lunch and dinner, as well as snacks. Steam some broccoli. Chop up some carrots. Munch on zucchini, cauliflower and fresh tomatoes.

Proteins - lean, tasty thinks like tuna, grilled chicken, and even a small serving of steak or pork.

Snacks - a small serving of nuts - almonds, for example, fill you up and are packed with minerals and other good things.

Change your diet. You will not succeed long term eating what you are eating. You will continue to fail.

Ok, lecture over. There are literally hundreds of people on here that can help you, and hundreds of topics about nutrition and good eating. If you really want to change, do the reading. And then go to your grocery store, and pitch the Coke on the way out.

Good luck.

I agree with a lot of this, but you don't have to eat three meals a day in order to be healthy/lose weight. Frequency of eating does nothing, if you wanted to eat one huge healthy meal that equaled the amount of calories you're allotted for the day, you could (and people do)!

Yes, and no. From the pattern that the OP is showing, they eat all day, in fits and starts. My suggestion of 3 meals a day is to establish a pattern, from which they can learn to make healthy choices. It's a starting place!

gypsybree

Personally if I drink beverages other than water, especially cokes then I will retain water like a camel.
Its worse if I get hot.
This week alone I gained 5 pounds in water... I just had to drink water and have no cokes for like a day and then I lost it, quickly.

orishp

I also noticed that the OP is a 43 year old female. Looking at the diary you would think she was a teenager!!!!!

I am actually concerned about the health of this person, more so than weight or looks. Eating like this, I see things like diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity in her near future

Saiklor

Hey guys? Let's knock off the ridiculously judgemental comments. I'm feeling kinda bad about this whole thread! Suggesting more fruits and veggies is one thing, suggesting that the person is immature, a bad person, or deserving whatever they're getting is another. We want people to feel the LOVE of MFP, right? Not run away screaming?

Please note that several people have now suggested more veggies and less processed food, less caloric drinks and more water, more MEALS and fewer snacks.

orishp

suggesting that the person is immature, a bad person, or deserving whatever they're getting is another.

Who said this????

Saiklor

suggesting that the person is immature, a bad person, or deserving whatever they're getting is another.

Who said this????

Let's not point fingers or get off track. Not worth it. That's why I generalized.

Back ON track: what about trying to change one meal each week for the better. This week: breakfast! How could you have a better breakfast?

I suggest yoghurt and berries (a delicious combination and quick!), I believe somebody already mentioned Greek yoghurt because it's got protein and will keep you feeling fuller, longer (just watch the serving sizes!).

Other ideas on how this person can improve what is lacking?

MCsAngel2

You will not get any judgements from me about eating the occasional crap. I still eat fast food once a week or so, I like my junk snacks sometimes, I'm not big on cooking, but I still found ways to do what I needed for my diet to get my calories and my macros where they should be. Here is what I think after looking at your diary:

Track everything: I saw once or twice where you had bread in your diary, but not as part of anything else. If you had toast that you put butter on, put the butter in your diary. I saw at least 2 places where you had Capn' Crunch cereal. If you had it with milk, you forgot to log it. Milk (even skim) has calories.

Measure accurately: Again with the cereal....both times I saw it on your log, it said one serving. Did you measure it before you logged? Most cereals, a serving is a 3/4 cup. That's not very much. I eat cereal too on occasion, and I eat either 1.5 or 2 cups to have a full bowl. That's 2 - 2.66 servings.

Beverages take up a looooot of calories. When I started, no more real Coke for me. Only water or diet Dr. Pepper. I get 1200 calories a day, so I just can't afford to give any of them up to beverages.

My main observation is about your carbs. Too high. Some people think that all that matters is your daily # of calories, but I find (and have seen this for other women) that that's not true. I eat low carb, it's worked for me and for everyone else I know who's done it. It seems to be especially true of women.

Start tracking your fiber and your sodium too. If you want to try low carb, I personally *aim* for net 50g carbs per day (total carbs minus total fiber - you'll have to do the math there yourself), but I REALLY try to make sure I don't go over net 75g carbs per day.

Also, you can go high on protein, it's good for you. I try for 83g per day. Don't be afraid of healthy fats like avocado or nuts. But if you get serious about your carb intake, I can almost guarantee your weight will start coming off.

palmerig88

You are not eating enough. If your calories goal is 1200 you need to net 1200. If you exercise and burn 300 you need to eat 1500. Think of 1200 as your goal to eat on rest days. How tall are you and what is your activity level?

twiztc

ok let me clear one thing up. Captain crunch special is what i had for one lunch and one dinner..

ITS NOT CERIAL!!\

Its a silly name for a shrimp dish i made , my recipe is there and if you read about the recipe it explains it.
ok I'd like to thank all of you for taking the time to read and advise me. I also should explain i have some medical problems and have to play around with some foods as some upset me. I have to be careful with a lot of milk stuff hence you will see things that ppl normaly have milk with and I dont. and I do enjoy bread bare and uncovered

I showed I had an ear of corn today, in fact i had a piece cut from my husbands but i chose to log the whole thing just in case i underestimated something. i do this often.

when you see the tim hortons crap its usually coz Im out and I just need a small something to take my medication. its easy.

Im still tring to get into the whole breakfast thing as its not something im used to . I can do a special k bar at work but thats about it.

a lot of stuff on my diary is a best guess like the dempset bread which is chocked full of sugar and crap- i actually get my bread from a local baker and they have no nutrition info- so i figure dempster is an over estimate again. yes i have a lean towards crap and i am tring to break the habbit. i actually hate cooking but i do try to more because i know its better for me- my biggest failing is drinks. i love my tea and coke and before i started doing this i used to drink at least a liter of coke a day and lots and lots of tea with 2 heaped sugars. i've cut my tea down and with only 1 small sugar and i dont drink coke every day anymore. cant eat yoghurt- i keep trying but it makes me sick and even though i like icecream i have to make sure i only eat it when i havent got work the next day. onions ...hmm i thought i added oil but it might have been a day i used water insted. i do that. like these sidekick thing i used to eat a lot (dont very often now) i always used water instead of milk.

When i cook something i create myself i weigh everything and add it all up. usually over estimating if i cant find the exact measure in the database.

I realise after listening to you all and having a peek at some others diaries i need to be far stricter with myself.

again thank you.

its funny i have spent my whole life till about 6 years ago being borderline anorexic - I never in a million years thought i would ever have the opposite problem.

JoeyTajzai

Your consuming way to much suger.. Coke is a no no!

palmerig88

I just want to try to get through to you...you are focusing on overestimating and cutting things yet you simply need to eat more. Your body is starving. That is why you aren't losing weight.

orishp

I just want to try to get through to you...you are focusing on overestimating and cutting things yet you simply need to eat more. Your body is starving. That is why you aren't losing weight.

I think this is not good advice in this instance. She needs to eat better not more.
Once she gets a hold on eating healthier, then the whole eat more to weigh less might makes sense.

In this instance i fear she may use that as a wild card to eat even more of those unhealthy things

There is a lot of good information on this site, and lots of people who actually know about this because they have been succesful at it. Read the success stories, the ones i have read so far are all about making healthy choices.

And again, more than the weight, think about your health and what you are putting into your body

twiztc

Again thank you all i think you gave me the kick up the bum i needed.

Went shopping today and not a hot dog in site.

my shopping list

Wholegrain pasta
mandarins
apples
broccoli
cauliflower
peppers
mushrooms
fish (basa- never had it before)
tin of mackerel

Cant do without tea but im working down the sugar to half a spoon

Not having any coke today will save it for the occasional treat. and only if i have had a good workout

Today I cant do extra exercise coz i over did it the last couple day and can hardly walk. damn being a friggin cripple

will try to drink more water even though it gives me raging heartburn.

I feel as if I have made a step (all be it small) in the right direction.

orishp

good for you, keep it up, you'll see the results if you stick with it, promise!

Robin_Bin

Beautiful shopping list. Enjoy eating the fresher and more colorful foods. Don't forget to add spices... especially if you're leaving pre-processed, often overly salted foods, food with less MSG and salt may taste bland. Have a great day!

And a bit more...
I've found that higher quality tea tastes better and needs less sweetening. I like honey.
If water gives you heartburn, something's wrong. Try a different temperature. I've got a blog entry with many different ways to drink water and options, see http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/Robin_Bin/view/water-265761

It's hard to make so many changes at once. For some people jumping in at the deep end with an all-or-nothing attitude works. Others need to introduce the changes more gradually. Find what works for you, and that may take a bit of experimentation -- those experiments will tell you both what works for you and what doesn't... so it's important to experience a few that don't work or you're probably limiting your choices too much.

Sounds like you're doing great and have an excellent attitude!