Terrified to ask this...

niciemetts

this is my problem............when i am full i am full..............i don't want to stretch my stomach or eat something just cause it high in calories..........i made myself eat a salad and a grapefruit..............when i didn't have all that crap making my stomach puff out.....i realized how just a little meat and veggies filled me up.......yesterday i had a cup of cooked pasta and two cups of pasta sauce and felt bloated........had 5 low cal beer and still was under lol..........

KaitieBean

Something else you may want to try (it worked for me!), is cutting dairy out of your diet. Even just for a little while! It's a tough thing to do but it definitely helps. Putting a little almond milk in your coffee instead of cream. Use daiya (dairy-free cheese) instead of tex mex, the flavor is so potent that you need a lot less. Plus it's lower in cals and also, like a lot of dairy-free food replacements, is cholesterol free!

Another thing that I would definitely suggest is ditching the soda. Sugar may be a huge contributor to your weight retention.

IAMDDAY

Judging by you picture you have lost something.. have you measured to see if you are dropping inches.. muscle weights more the fat so at times it can appear you are not losing anything but you are and building a stronger foundation that can help in the long run. If not.. see a nutritionist for help with your diet. Some insurance will even pay for it because a healthy you is a cheaper you for them.

BeautyFromPain

Cheese is expensive and unhealthy and it looks like you have a lot of that. Cut out some cheese.
Also baked goods, breads, etc. Not really healthy. OK in moderation but it seems like sometimes you have a lot.

Fruit! Veggies! So cheap and delicious.
(Veggies are so much cheaper).
You can do so much with veggies. Add tons of spices.

SOUP is a really cheap and easy thing to make. Put some beans and veggies together and make some soup!

Rice is cheap and filling as well, of course, don't have large quantities because it's higher calorie. But putting some veggies with rice is great.

Are you serious? Cheese = dairy for strong bones. Protein. Good for you.

Also, as scary as it sounds try upping your calories to your BMR.

Bobby_Clerici

People are giving some great feedback.
According to your diary, you are eating way under goal daily as some have stated already.
Eat more.
Eat all those calories in green. No excuses!
Just read up and follow the MFP recommendations; and eat lean meats, low fat dairy, whole grains, nuts, fruits and veggies.
No processed foods, junk foods, sodas or going out to eat.
Simple!
Track your diet and exercises - again simple.
You will do fine if you do this - ALL IS POSSIBLE:flowerforyou:

ummommyme

May i suggest you ditching the gym membership and adding that money to your grocery bill for the month, it would benefit all of your family. And you can do plenty of at home workouts for free. Just look it up on the internet and buy some dvd's. It doesn't have to get boring. Good luck to you:)

triciab79

You have to cut out the pizza and soda. People who are at goal can sneek some in and then burn it off but while you are losing those are no nos. The only person you are cheating on a cheating day is yourself. I know what it is like to feed a crowd on a budget. I have 6 boys and everything is scratch or close to it. If you are short on time and have to grab something make it Subway not pizza.

evansrabbitranch

I can't even begin to afford fish. Where I'm at, one good sized piece (enough to feed 5 people) costs 3 times as much as any other meat. Even a can of Tuna costs as much as a gallon of gas.
Dairy... Well, I'm out of everything except for milk for the baby, so I guess I can cut that for a few weeks and see what it does.
Soda is gone (minus a single root beer on mowing day- about once a month)
Thanks for the different workout ideas. I'll have to see if there are any classes during my regular cardio days.
Thank you for your input and ideas! :flowerforyou:

If you have an Aldi near you, you can get tuna for around 40 cents a can. At Walmart Tilapia is less than $10 a bag. Tilapia is soooo good! Each piece is about 1.5 servings too so its easy to make 3 and feed 4 people. Watch for sales too. I never get beef of any kind unless its a really good markdown. We only eat meat 4 times a week. The rest is good grains, fruits and veggies. Fruit tends to be cheapest in season or frozen in bulk. Watch for coupons for canned too. There are some things I stock up on when I have a good coupon.

concavity

I was thinking you could stop going to the gym and use that money you spend there for a bigger food budget for your family so you can eat a bit healthier.
I agree to cut out the cheese or go for a low-fat version.

Jules2Be

to change your macros click MY HOME...click GOALS...scroll down...click CHANGE GOALS..choose custom, click CONTINUE...you will be able to change the percentages.

upping your protein will be a great thing.
and watch the sodium!!!

and i love weight training...you can pick up your kids and squat...i used to do that with mine.

MeadowSong

Read "New Rules of Lifting for Women". It will help you make sense of the gym and good use of that money. Don't drink sugar. Kudos on the cooking--one of my problems is relying on what's easy way too much. Get serious about learning more. Don't give up because weight loss is slow. Every pound you don't gain is one you don't have to lose! Just keep on hangin' in there until you find the key to the healthy weight you're looking for!

evansrabbitranch

Eating way too few calories is what got me here trying to track my stuff in the first place. I will try and do more, but sometimes, honestly, there just isn't any more food to HAVE.

You sound like you need to locate a food pantry. Also see if Angel Food has a distributor near you. Sometimes they have really good produce boxes. Also you may qualify for food stamps. I know a lot of people think badly of food stamps but if you NEED them you should get them. It is people who get them just because they can that make it look bad. Also if any of your kids are under 5 look into WIC. They can help a lot with milk, eggs, peanut butter and good cereals. Oh and some cheese last I checked. We stopped going to our pantry and dropped WIC because we no longer needed it. Lets others get what they need.

mimieob

I've got a budget of only $160 a month to feed all 5 of usPlease, if someone could just tell me what the heck is going on here??[/quote]


are ther no food banks or churches that you can get help from on your food....everything I have read you really need to eat at LEAST 1200 cals a day.....hope you can get some help out there....160 dollars for 5 people, is not enough to feed growing children.....good luck....

chlorisaann

Consider changing your macros (% breakdown of carbs, protien and fat). Your diary shows that you are drinking a lot of calories, and you seem to consume more fat than protien! Switch Non-fat milk for 2%, cut back on the cheese or switch to low fat. Also, don't assume ground turkey is a better option. I had a steak last night that had less fat than the ground turkey! I know shopping on a tight budget is tough. But your entire family will benefit from healthy choices. Good luck!

I was thinking along the same lines.... you seem to be taking in too many carbs and not enough protein...

hddeuce1966

To me the problem is obvious. You are 5' 8.5" and156 lbs. you don't need to lose any more weight. Your body is trying to tell you that.

mcarter99

If you've lost 21 lbs. in 160 days that's about a pound a week on average. That's not a bad loss level, especially for someone (now) at a healthy BMI.

No no. 42lbs in 370 days. I've got 21 left to go.

If you started at MFP at 177 lbs. and that was 160 days ago and you're now at 156, that's 21 lbs. in about 23 weeks. I must be misunderstanding.

bpetlock

Forgive me if these have already been suggested, but I don't have a moment to read through the thread and I really want to help:

1) NEVER drink soda. Just never. Don't. Ever.
2) Cereal makes just as good (if not better) an"instant" dinner as pizza. Even better if it's old-fashioned oatmeal. Only takes 5 minutes, you control the sugar and there's NO fat or sodium in there. Do your kids and yourself a favor and NEVER bring home a pizza. Just never. Don't. Ever.
3) Get yourself a 32-oz, refillable water bottle and keep it with you at all times. Drink. Refill. Drink. Refill. Drink. Refill. Try not to float away.
4) Log EVERYTHING you put in your mouth. No cheating. Not even a bite! If you think it's too small to log, it's too small to bother putting in your mouth. No excuses.

Honestly, you will see a difference if you do the above. YOU CAN DO IT!!!!!!

This is great advice! Soda (we call it pop here in Michigan) is so loaded with sugars especially Mountain Dew. I have the hardest time with this! I am addicted to pop! Pepsi is my downfall. I don't think that substituting it with diet is a good idea either because the sweeteners in those drinks are hazardous to your health. Just drink water or fat free milk. If you do drink any juice make sure it is 100% juice but even then juice is full of sugar too! Just try not to drink your calories at all. (This coming from someone who loves Pepsi) I am trying my hardest not to drink it. I have been doing ok. Hang in there and good luck!

Arexxx

Rold Gold - Pretzel Sticks, 2 oz (53 sticks)
Mountain Dew

^^ This is why.

I know it's alright to cheat a nit, but once you get closer to goal, you plateu and cheating makes is worse.

jenilla1

Cheese is expensive and unhealthy and it looks like you have a lot of that. Cut out some cheese.

NOOOO! Don't take my cheese!!! I can't live without cheese!!! :sad:

jenilla1

1) NEVER drink soda. Just never. Don't. Ever.

Agreed. Soda is the worst possible waste of calories I can think of.