Pls. look at my food&Exercise diary...What's WRONG?!?

NewLIFEstyle4ME

No hold's barred--pls. tell me what I'm doing wrong!


Working out/exercising and burning major calories just about everyday (except when I hurt my foot and got sick for a week or two).

I am eating the majority of my work-out calories (which I wasn't doing when the weight was falling off like brick), I'm also drinking creamy coffee daily (which I stopped doing when the weight was falling off like bricks).

I should be the size of a stick (according to my food/exercising calories burned), but I'm not. I'm also over
(okay way over ) 40 years old. What am I doing wrong? Some weeks I lose, but .02, 04 pounds...but haven't seen a pound or more weekly weight loss in some time.

Please let me know what you think about my food and exercise based on my diaries. Thanks in advance for your replies!

kingofcrunk

This isn't criticism at all - but I don't even know what half the things are on your diary. Its definitely me being unknowledgable about health foods but I looked at 'breakfast' and just saw a lot of long words :-)
I'm not one to judge, my diary is far from perfect!

soccerella

like the other poster said, it seems like alot of spplements, but i dont know what most of them are.

Just by going back three days it looks like you are working out and eating back your calories as you said, but that your base calories are set to 1200 calories a day. MOst people on here tend to agree that thats too low. It also seems yiou dont eat too much in the mornings/lunch, and then have a large dinner. These are the two things that seem right on line with that I do, and suprise suprise, my scale isnt moving. Maybe a coorelation? Sorry I dont have much more input

ETA: Also, are you sure your exercise calorie estimations are correct? The best way to do this is with a HRM or body bugg, as the ones on MFP and machines like treadmills tend to overestimate burns and you may actally be eating way more than you think since your calorie burns arent as high as you thought

cobaltis

like the other poster said, it seems like alot of spplements, but i dont know what most of them are.

Just by going back three days it looks like you are working out and eating back your calories as you said, but that your base calories are set to 1200 calories a day. MOst people on here tend to agree that thats too low. It also seems yiou dont eat too much in the mornings/lunch, and then have a large dinner. These are the two things that seem right on line with that I do, and suprise suprise, my scale isnt moving. Maybe a coorelation? Sorry I dont have much more input

ETA: Also, are you sure your exercise calorie estimations are correct? The best way to do this is with a HRM or body bugg, as the ones on MFP and machines like treadmills tend to overestimate burns and you may actally be eating way more than you think since your calorie burns arent as high as you thought

I don't eat breakfast and eat a large dinner, and my calorie goal is about 1300, it works for me... Only stall is when I eat out. There is plenty of scientific research that proves that meal timing means nothing, it is just over hyped due to correlational results.

If you have been doing it for a while, re-calculate your goals based off your current weight. Make sure you count everything including oil used in cooking etc. I cook my food myself so I know exactly what I'm eating. I also don't eat back my calories much...

Edit: After looking at your diary my assumption is your not burning what your estimating. I try to eat my daily goal and only go over a little if I worked out (which I do almost 7 days a week) but I never try to be as close as you are to my goal. I also always overestimate everything I eat to make sure. I leave myself a lot of safety margin.

wonderlilly

Hi! I agree - I met with a nutritionist yesterday and she said 1200 was below what I would burn lying in my bed doing nothing all day, so I HAD to eat more than that if I wanted to register normal weight loss. Try bumping it up just a little bit! Another tip she gave me that no one has ever told me is to mix a carb with a protein every time I have them. You really are doing such a fantastic job, but especially with how active you are, my guess is you need more like 1500 or 1600 calories, minimum. Your body is probably panicking that you're melting away too fast!

Another thing that will probably help us all is to switch up our exercises and try new sports, etc. I tend to be a creature of habit -are you?

Here for you, and proud of you for sticking with it even when you're feeling disappointed. I swear, your daily smiles and love are one of my absolute favorite features of being on MFP! Rooting for you!!!!!!

Laurie1267

I took a look at your diary for over the last week and I noticed a couple of things:
1) you're starving your body when you completely miss meals or eat "not good for the body foods". Eat fresh fruit instead of juice.
2) you eat low nutritional value foods for some foods and then snack in the evening.
3) please adjust your settings so you can view sugars - I think you might be surprised by how much sugar is consumed. You can just adjust it back to your normal settings afterward.
4) I see you're drinking water - good for you! - make sure it's around 8 glasses a day.

I know in many people's opinion that it doesn't matter when you eat your calories, but think about it - how can you expect your body to function properly to burn calories, but it doesn't have fuel all night long, nothing in the morning, small lunch and then the majority of the calories within a few hours of the entire 24 hour day. I wouldn't want to give up any weight if I were your body because I'm not sure when I'm going to be fed again.

Hope this helps! People on MFP are great for support (especially when they're nice if your opinions differ from theirs!)

Friend me if you like :flowerforyou:
Laurie

carolhug1234

dont eat back all your exercise calories, it ends up that u havnt exercised at all, i thought the whole point was to burn more calories than we are eating or at least try! and thats how you lose weight! am i totally wrong here!!

NewLIFEstyle4ME

You guys are so terrific, thank you so much for all of your wisdom and suggestions, i VERY much love and appreciate them ALL so much. @ Lilly...you are such a tremendous person and friend--THANK YOU dearheart!!!!

One of my other MFP homey's wrote me to have me check out this site called fat2fit and WOW, I'm so GLAD I did. I *think* I looked at that site once before, when I first got started, but didn't really "get-it/iunderstand it" I do now and it's giving me such encouraging "doable" new goal weight--FAR less than I had for myself (which is less stress/pressure) and more daily calories, so I shall be doing what many/most of you kind people suggest and changing my goals and weight info.

Thanks again so much gang!!!!

{{{ HUGS }}}}

Rayman79

dont eat back all your exercise calories, it ends up that u havnt exercised at all, i thought the whole point was to burn more calories than we are eating or at least try! and thats how you lose weight! am i totally wrong here!!

Yes you are totally wrong - so please don't send people down the wrong path.

OP, I would offer a couple of pieces of advice that may help you:

1. Change up your routine. If you have had success doing the same type of exercise and eating the same types of foods, there will come a point where the progress will slow dramatically. Remember that your body craves homeostasis and it wants to hold on to the fat - sometimes you need to change things up to kick start the fat loss again.

As for exercising, I suggest absolutely everyone includes some form of weight training or resistance exercise in their routine. It has a heap of benefits, including increased metabolism, increased bone density & strength etc.

2. Looking at the breakdown of your diet, I would suggest playing with your macros a little (more protein and less carbs specifically). Don't get me wrong, I love me some carbs and I'm not going to preach paleo, but some more protein might be a good idea.

BR3ANDA

Try changing up your macros, lower your carbs, increase you protein intake, and definitely add more fiber.

amy1612

You seem to eat quite a lot of processed vegetarian foods, I'd try eating more natural stuff, more vegetables and such. I would also eat a more nutritious breakfast and maybe replace the cream with almond milk or something.

Also, yes, make sure you ARE burning what you think you are whilst exercising, MFP overestimates calories burned and if you eat these all back you're just overeating, rather than balancing out.

NewLIFEstyle4ME

Wow, I REALLY appreciate all of your input and help so much--THANKS guys.

Also, I'm hesitant to bring this up...as really not wanting to look like a total dummy, but it's time and I must, because I see people posting about this "macros" business all the time and just ignore it, because I don't have a clue as to what they mean (ever since I started back in January) and the terrific person here mentioning my need to do this is just plain making me ask this--no matter how dumb I look/feel about asking, I just gotta know....

WHAT DOES MACROS MEAN? I've googled it, done a search here and I'm yet clueless:blushing: :indifferent: :noway: :blushing:

What are macros and how do I watch them????? :embarassed:

Also, Raymond mentioned changing these/things up (food and exercise)...God, I really appreciate that, I think (in addition to ALL of you guys most excellent advice and help)...this is one area I MUST take up in this journey and it's going to be a true adventure changing things up too. Thanks again guys!

Laurie1267

Never feel dumb - it's no big deal. Macros are the preset totals at the bottom of your food diary. You do have the ability to change those if you want to, but I didn't. Also when you go to the food tab and then click settings, you can display different macros other than what is normally displayed if any of those are important to you.

Hope this helps!

Laurie

Laurie1267

dont eat back all your exercise calories, it ends up that u havnt exercised at all, i thought the whole point was to burn more calories than we are eating or at least try! and thats how you lose weight! am i totally wrong here!!

Yes you are totally wrong - so please don't send people down the wrong path.

Sorry - I know this is most people's opinion, but I find the exercise calorie counts on MFP are kind of high. If you eat those calories back, you will gain weight. Please don't say someone who is trying to help is totally wrong. No one has the magic formula to weight loss and optimum health. No wrong paths here please.

lisasays

I have to agree about the processed foods. Even though you are in your calorie range, I would avoid those brownies and DQ and eat something like watermelon or a square of very dark chocolate. You may also try omitting the bun with veggie burgers and adding a lot of vegetables. You can also make your own veggie burgers (not hard at all).
I would add a little something for breakfast, like 1/4 or 1/2 cup of oatmeal and berries - very little calories, but will stabilize your blood sugar and help with any snacking before lunch. I do the big dinner thing, too and am a work in progress :-)

cressievargo

Your protein is way too low. You also have meals of nothing but carbs. A brownie for lunch?! Cherries?
Now, I only looked a couple of days, so maybe you don't always eat like that - but you NEED MORE PROTEIN!!

tsavisky

More protein and veggies! Good luck:)

PaveGurl

I dunno if this would help you - but for me, I found that the default settings on MFP were WAY wrong for me and my needs, so I did some research and talked to my doctor. to meet my goals, MFP had me set at 1200 calories a day - which is less than my body uses to sleep for 24 hours, much less living a life! *laugh* So I figured out what my BMR (basal metabolic rate) is and resolved to never eat less than that - food is the fuel for my body, and I wouldn't expect my car to run without fuel, would I? Same thing

I generally eat back my exercise calories - because I know I'm already below my TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) with my daily intake, so I'm at a deficit, regardless.

Also, and this is my experience - everyone is different - I found that when I changed my diet away from things that are easy/ convenient, I was fuller, happier, and weight actually comes off faster when I eat "real" food. For me, that means I cut out grains, because I ALWAYS seem hungry when I eat grains or beans, even when I've had bunches. But I can eat an egg or liver or something and be WAY fuller (and for much longer), with fewer calories over all. I'll put it this way: I began tracking my calories in Feburary - in the four months (16 weeks), I averaged about .75 lb/ week. The first week I started trimming grains, I lost a full pound (and I "cheated" several times). I've had zero grains in the last week, and lost 2.5 pounds. This may be something that is helpful to you, too, but as I said: everyone is different - but it can't hurt to try. Perhaps you have a sensitivity to something in your diet that's making it harder for you to lose.

cjcjcjcjcj

I didn't see this mentioned yet, but after the age of 40, your metabolism also decreases by %5 (at the very least) because of decreased muscle mass.

veganbaum

dont eat back all your exercise calories, it ends up that u havnt exercised at all, i thought the whole point was to burn more calories than we are eating or at least try! and thats how you lose weight! am i totally wrong here!!

Yes you are totally wrong - so please don't send people down the wrong path.

Sorry - I know this is most people's opinion, but I find the exercise calorie counts on MFP are kind of high. If you eat those calories back, you will gain weight. Please don't say someone who is trying to help is totally wrong. No one has the magic formula to weight loss and optimum health. No wrong paths here please.

That's why many people only eat 50-75% of them back (a lot of people on MFP do know that the calorie counts for exercise on here are high). And a lot of people who eat them back also have an HRM and eat all of them back. Undereating isn't the healthy way to lose weight.

To the poster who originally said you shouldn't eat them back, on MFP exercising is for overall health and fitness, not for creating a deficit for weight loss. MFP already gives you a deficit in your daily calorie intake to lose weight without exercising. By eating back your exercise calories (or a portion of them) you still maintain the deficit to lose your .5lb, 1lb, or whatever a week that you set up.

cobaltis

"Macros" are the required Protein, Carbs and Fats you should be eating per day.
Type "calculating macros" on Google and check out bodybuilding.com, but typically you calculate your calories you want to consumer per day, calculate the amount of protein and fats your body needs depending on goals etc and the rest go to carbs. MFP by default goes to an extremely low protein and fat value if you work out. They are the building blocks for your joints and muscles, they aid in recovery and building strength as well as lubricating joints to prevent pain.

ItsMeRebekah

IMO you should try and shoot for more protein and less carbs. i dont see a ton of fresh veggies in there.. try and stick with getting a lot more fresh veggies in there, and having that be your main carb source. if you eat all those wonderful fresh veggies, you wont need so many supplements bc your body will get all it needs from the foods you eat.

good luck!

lcn1220

Just from a quick look through your diary:

Supplements are no substitute for real food. Instead of the ready made vegetarian stuff eat actual vegetables, legumes, dairy. Instead of juice, eat the actual fruit. Be mindful of your liquid calories--you're not getting the best bang for your buck there. Your protein values are a bit low, and you do like your carbs. My suggestion would be to mix those two macros i.e. instead of eating simple snack type carbs have a piece of whole wheat bread and some cottage cheese. Don't just eat carbs by themselves. Overall, adding more proteins and veggies will help you feel more sated, and you might see better results.

Hope this helps you some.

patchesgizmo

I see a lot of supplements, and not a great deal of protein. I would say up the protein eat less pre-processed food - make it yourself if you have the time, otherwise I do understand pre-processed meals.

NewLIFEstyle4ME

You guys so rock...Thanks yet again!

I drink that orange juice because I mix it with the Amazing Grass Barley, Wheatgrass & Alfalfa grass...it taste like dirt, but is almost yummy mixed in the O.J.

Also, because you good folks have mentioned adding protein, I'm re-starting my Hemp Protein power drink again too, to help with making sure I get more protein. I'm not a vegetarian, vegan...I don't like to label myself--but I'm just not digging meat and diary--I just don't like it/my system doesn't like it--so that's why I need to take these supplements in lieu of eating beef, lamb and pork, pultry and diary. I do LOVE fish and seafood though. I really don't like chicken either, but will eat it sometimes and I also eat eggs too. Again, I'll eat them (meat and diary) if and when I want to...but I just don't want to/don't like to eat them (the way they taste and make me feel after wards) most times.

Let me say once more...I SO appreciate this advice. I'm feeling so encouraged and inspired--thank you ALL for your no-holds barred comments--{{{ Hugs}}}} I LOVE and NEED and WANT them:flowerforyou:

NewLIFEstyle4ME

Cobaltis said;
"Macros" are the required Protein, Carbs and Fats you should be eating per day.
Type "calculating macros" on Google and check out bodybuilding.com, but typically you calculate your calories you want to consumer per day, calculate the amount of protein and fats your body needs depending on goals etc and the rest go to carbs. MFP by default goes to an extremely low protein and fat value if you work out. They are the building blocks for your joints and muscles, they aid in recovery and building strength as well as lubricating joints to prevent pain.

:drinker: WHAT???!!!????

Oh you so ROCK sir!!!! ""Macros" are the required Protein, Carbs and Fats you should be eating per day. "

Duh!!!!!!! By George! I think I got it now....thank you so much--YAY--I understand now....Thank you also for the websites and info too :flowerforyou: Also, no I'm not exactly sure...one of my Mfp sisters has recommended me getting the fitbit and/or heart-rate monitor, which I haven't done yet...got get one of those bad boys soon (or body bug thingy too).

SelkieDiver

You guys so rock...Thanks yet again!

I drink that orange juice because I mix it with the Amazing Grass Barley, Wheatgrass & Alfalfa grass...it taste like dirt, but is almost yummy mixed in the O.J.

Also, because you good folks have mentioned adding protein, I'm re-starting my Hemp Protein power drink again too, to help with making sure I get more protein. I'm not a vegetarian, vegan...I don't like to label myself--but I'm just not digging meat and diary--I just don't like it/my system doesn't like it--so that's why I need to take these supplements in lieu of eating beef, lamb and pork and diary. I really don't like chicken either, but will eat it sometimes and I also eat eggs too. Again, I'll eat them (meat and diary) if and when I want to...but I just don't want to/don't like to eat them (the way they taste and make me feel after wards) most times.

Let me say once more...I SO appreciate this advice. I'm feeling so encouraged and inspired--thank you ALL for your no-holds barred comments--{{{ Hugs}}}} I LOVE and NEED and WANT them:flowerforyou:

I eat mostly plant-based too, and get plenty of protein for my body. Yes, a hemp or a pea protein smoothie once in a while helps out, but eat beans, nuts, tofu, tempeh and you can do fine. I do try to steer away from the more processed vegetarian foods because they're too high in sodium and too much salt stalls my loss for sure.

Feel free to look through my diary (although I took about a 2 week break and just recommitted yesterday so take that in mind if you do!). And feel free to friend me if you like. I can always use more.

Oh, as to exercise, I tend to eat back 50-80% of my exercise calories on average but mostly I try to listen to my body. If it needs more food it usually lets me know! LOL!

NewLIFEstyle4ME

You guys so rock...Thanks yet again!

I drink that orange juice because I mix it with the Amazing Grass Barley, Wheatgrass & Alfalfa grass...it taste like dirt, but is almost yummy mixed in the O.J.

Also, because you good folks have mentioned adding protein, I'm re-starting my Hemp Protein power drink again too, to help with making sure I get more protein. I'm not a vegetarian, vegan...I don't like to label myself--but I'm just not digging meat and diary--I just don't like it/my system doesn't like it--so that's why I need to take these supplements in lieu of eating beef, lamb and pork and diary. I really don't like chicken either, but will eat it sometimes and I also eat eggs too. Again, I'll eat them (meat and diary) if and when I want to...but I just don't want to/don't like to eat them (the way they taste and make me feel after wards) most times.

Let me say once more...I SO appreciate this advice. I'm feeling so encouraged and inspired--thank you ALL for your no-holds barred comments--{{{ Hugs}}}} I LOVE and NEED and WANT them:flowerforyou:

I eat mostly plant-based too, and get plenty of protein for my body. Yes, a hemp or a pea protein smoothie once in a while helps out, but eat beans, nuts, tofu, tempeh and you can do fine. I do try to steer away from the more processed vegetarian foods because they're too high in sodium and too much salt stalls my loss for sure.

Feel free to look through my diary (although I took about a 2 week break and just recommitted yesterday so take that in mind if you do!). And feel free to friend me if you like. I can always use more.

Oh, as to exercise, I tend to eat back 50-80% of my exercise calories on average but mostly I try to listen to my body. If it needs more food it usually lets me know! LOL!

Thank you! How do you get passed the low NET Calories when you don't eat all your exercise calories. When I don't it looks like I'm not eating enough and the Net Cals look low. I'm not so much concerned for myself--but low net cals seems to make other Mfp peeps go bonkers with worry, concern or contempt or something.

How does one/you not eat all of their exercise cals and still make your Net Cals or are you not concerns with Net Cals.

I'm asking you, but would love to hear from everyone on this isssue.

RuthieCass

Not sure what your height/weight, activity level, and goals are, but here's some generic advice:

1) If you don't have one already, get a food scale. Weigh and measure everything. Even if you use measuring cups, you can be off by quite a bit.

2) Eat back no more than 3/4 of your exercise calories. This is to account for the fact that a lot of these burn estimates are exaggerations. I think I saw 800+ burns in there for exercise, which raises a red flag. And don't try to log every single movement (e.g., walk to the mailbox, washing dishes, etc.). I know it can be tempting so that you can eat more, but doing this can cause you to eat/above at your actual TDEE instead of under. It's best to give yourself a bit of a buffer to make up for some of the estimation error. (If you use a HRM, it is likely more accurate, but make sure you still add in NET calories-- total calories burned minus nonexercise TDEE). And if you are on a plan where you eat back calories, make sure your activity level is set to sedentary. *

3) Have reasonable and realistic goals. According to your ticker (20-30 lbs to lose), I would suggest aiming for 0.5-1 lbs of weight loss per week. Also realize that weight loss is non-linear. You will often lose in "whooshes" --sometimes no loss for 3 weeks followed by 1-2 pounds overnight. Be consistent but patient.

4) Try to avoid letting your exercise effect your non-exercise energy expenditure. E.g., don't think "I exercised today, so I don't need to take the stairs." or "I earned a lazy Sunday because I worked out." etc. Exercise should be an addition to your normal routine, not a replacement. If you find that your exercise is making you too tired to do things you normally would, you can always back off a bit. Shorten your exercise and add on to the time or intensity *gradually* to give your body time to adjust. You're more likely to stick with it this way, too.

5) Eat mainly whole foods instead of supplements. This way you can get more familiar/comfortable with a healthy lifestyle (not diet) and really learn what a "proper" portion size is, etc. Why do you think so many that do shake diets gain all the weight back right away? Weighing food for a while will help you with portioning as well. If you're trying to eat from mainly vegetarian sources, I would suggest educating yourself on the diet over dependency on supplements (which get to be expensive). You shouldn't have much problems with deficiencies if you plan your diet well. E.g., I almost never eat read meat but have more than enough iron from regularly eating leafy greens, tofu, lentils, etc.

6) Increase your protein. Carbs and fat may need to go down. A good setting for most on a diet is 40% carbs, 30% protein, 30% fat. You don't need to eat red meat and dairy to increase your protein. Tempeh, seitan, tofu, lentils/beans, eggs, fish, etc are all good sources. If you eat fish 4X a week, you probably won't get much benefit from the fish oil supplement.

*I know you asked about not wanting to keep your net calories low. My answer to that is that having a reasonable weekly goal (3) should allow you to eat enough. If you are worried about "how it looks on paper," just log the exercise that you did for 3/4 of the time. Or create your own exercise. I personally wouldn't worry too much about some busy-body thinking I didn't eat enough based on my NET, but that's just me. :-)

morgansmom02

Track sodium for awhile and stay under 1500! See what happens! Good luck!

Abells

I would add sodium into your mix there a lot of those items from stir fry to soy sauce and jimmy dean is a lot sodium. Also watch your fat content. All those creamers are gonna hurt you.

I would also mess with your macros a bit to change it up. Also what is your height and weight -- you seem that you are set at 1500 cals a day?